Reading through the inheritance, Max couldnât help but be fascinated by the possibilities. But alongside the allure came the warningâjust like Heavenâs Wraith, Extreme Speed placed a brutal toll on the userâs body.
Bones could crack, muscles could tear, and even internal organs could rupture from the strain if the body wasnât reinforced to withstand the sudden spikes in motion and acceleration.
Max let out a long breath. "It also requires a very strong body..." he whispered. But even so, as he stared at the swirling image of the Storm Kingâs techniques etched within his mind, he knewâthis was the power he had longed for. A perfect match for the thunder inside his blood. A storm waiting to be unleashed.
"Storm Kingâs Inheritance is a simple inheritance created to bring out the strongest power of lightning," Max muttered to himself in quiet understanding, his gaze lost in thought. It all made sense now.
The simplicity wasnât a lack of depth, but a focused intensity. The Storm King had clearly crafted this inheritance with the very fundamentals of lightning carved into its bonesâdestructiveness, speed, and sharp force. It wasnât flashy. It wasnât layered in abstract mysticism. It was raw. Brutal. Purposeful.
A pure path to unleash the three great natures of lightning in their most primal, devastating forms.
And while that clarity made it easier to grasp the intent behind the techniques, it also exposed something elseâa cold, hard truth Max could no longer ignore. "Itâs all good and well," he exhaled with a sigh, "but the requirement to learn and use the Storm Kingâs Inheritance is the real problem."
He knew it now. The Storm King hadnât made it easy for others to follow his footsteps. In fact, the prerequisites for simply accessing the stages were nothing short of monstrous.
The very first stageâBrilliant Thunderâdemanded the presence of not one, but three lightning essences within the userâs body. Without that, one could forget ever trying to coat their weapon or fists in that deadly edge of thunder.
But that was just the beginning. The second stage, Heavenâs Wraith, a power that called forth the pure destructive nature of lightning, required nine lightning essences. Nine. And the final and most terrifying stage, Extreme Speed, needed a total of twenty-seven lightning essencesâjust to activate it.
Twenty-seven! That wasnât just rare, it bordered on the impossible. It wasnât about finding them in the world or absorbing them like energy stones.
No. Lightning essence wasnât even lightning itself. It was far more refinedâan abstract concentration of lightningâs truest nature. It existed like the concept of mana pools or energy veins but in an even more elusive state, woven into the core of oneâs being. It couldnât be forged.
It had to be manifested or absorbed under extraordinary conditions. And therein lay the true barrier to mastering the inheritance. Storm Kingâs power wasnât something anyone could hope to unlock with effort alone.
Without the very essence of lightning integrated into oneâs body and soul, it was simply unreachable.
Max stared at his own hands, feeling the flickers of blue lightning dance along his fingers.
Storm Kingâs Inheritance was a direct expression of lightningâs primal truthsâraw destructiveness, blinding speed, and overwhelming force. To wield such terrifying power wasnât merely about mastering techniques or understanding concepts. It demanded something deeper. Something far rarer. The lightning essence.
These essences werenât common energy or elemental fragmentsâthey were said to carry the true nature of lightning itself, born only in rare places where the fury of storms converged endlessly.
Without these, the three stages of the Storm Kingâs InheritanceâBrilliant Thunder, Heavenâs Wraith, and Extreme Speedâwere simply unreachable.
Max understood this now more than ever as he sat silently in the Storm Kingâs ruined island, reflecting on the inheritance burned into his soul. "Now where can I find such places?" he muttered with a quiet sigh, raking a hand through his red hair.
He also needed a place to practice the Star Flame Art, another technique requiring an area rich in star energyâperhaps under open skies or atop ancient celestial formations where the essence of stars lingered.
For a moment, he sat still, his thoughts racing through potential locations across the Middle Domain that could host such phenomena. But eventually, he shook his head and rose to his feet. No answers would come sitting still.
As he turned, Tian approached him, his gaze respectful yet curious. "How is your gain, Master?" he asked.
Max nodded with a half-smile. "Iâve obtained the inheritance, but to use it... I need lightning essences."
Tianâs eyes flashed as understanding dawned. "Lightning essence? Then Master, I suggest seeking out places where lightning continuously falls. Only such environments can naturally birth lightning essences. The longer the storms endure, the purer the essence."
Max paused, taking in Tianâs words. "A place where lightning continuously falls..." he echoed quietly, already beginning to form a plan in his mind. He gave the island one last glance, then turned and exited the Dimension of Lightning with renewed determination.
Opening his eyes in the quiet of his room, Max sat up and stretched, his body still buzzing faintly from the intense training and the stormy inheritance he had just acquired.
The familiar metallic sheen of his holowatch caught his eye, and he instinctively tapped the interface, intent on contacting Lyra. They had exchanged contacts during their last meeting, and though their conversation had been brief, he felt that she was someone worth keeping in touch with.
But as he scrolled through the interface, his eyes were suddenly drawn to a long list of pending notifications that made him pause in surprise. They were all notifications and messages. Unread ones.
Rows of official messages from the Great Ruler Empire filled the screen. Apparently, the holowatch wasnât just a personal device, but a formal channel through which the empireâs higher-ups communicated with its geniuses.
It made senseâthis was the Middle Domain, and the Great Ruler Empire was no small faction. These people didnât waste time with messengers when a single tap could reach thousands.