Don's face filled with shock as he turned to look where Miss Millie was gazing. He, too, noticed the cloud of sand moving in their direction.
They moved quickly, packing their belongings in no time.
Don carried a bag stuffed to the brim, a wooden sword in his hand. The bag was nearly twice his size, but he didn't utter a word of complaint. The other kids, like him, carried whatever they could manage. The past few days of running had matured them, and they now understood the gravity of their situation. Moving slowly could put them all in danger.
Soon, they began descending the hill.
Millie took the lead. Her blouse was torn from all the walking, and her hair was dry and frizzy, but her steps remained steady.
In the distance, she spotted a valley with a crevice that could serve as cover.
"There!" Millie shouted, pointing toward the spot. They hurriedly followed her, but before entering the dark, deep hole, she warned, "Raise your swords and prepare for combat!"
They had already encountered several monsters, costing the lives of some of the slum people. However, Millie had to take this gamble, hoping they wouldn't be attacked the moment they entered.
Millie led the way into the crevice, with the others following closely behind. Don took up the rear.
He glanced back toward where they had come from and saw no one, but it felt as if those ruthless bastards were already closing in.
"So basically, it's another form of power I can use instead of Qi? Then how do I make it stronger?" Apollo asked while juggling three balls of lightning. The size of tennis balls, they crackled with energy every time they landed in his hands and left them.
Sir Guo's face remained impassive, his eyes following the three lightning balls. He didn't seem impressed outwardly, but inside, his heart was shaking intensely.
This motherfucker can already multicast?! He had just finished lecturing on how to release the Lightning Attribute properly and how to shape it. Giving lightning a form was no easy task. It had taken Sir Guo weeks to master this feat. It was only the beginner stage, but its difficulty was something most cultivators couldn't comprehend.
Weaving each lightning strand, sensing their minute movements, and commanding them to form a shape required unwavering focus.
Sir Guo had assumed that Yoma would take weeks, just like him. But that assumption was clearly a mistake.
As soon as his lecture ended, and Sir Guo expected Yoma to struggle, a shocking sight punched him in the gut. The beggar already had a ball of lightning in his hand. Then, as if that wasn't enough, Yoma created a second ball, followed by a third.
In contrast, Sir Guo had taken months to achieve what his disciple was demonstrating with ease.
Sir Guo took a deep breath. I have to calm down! At the same time, he realized the immense talent his disciple had. He stared at Yoma like a priceless treasure he would protect for life. His determination to keep him grew stronger.
"You only have a small amount of Lightning Attribute. If you want it to grow stronger, you'll need to face more powerful lightning. But remember, taking on lightning that's too strong won't automatically increase your attribute. That's not how it works. Your body needs to handle and assimilate the lightning," Sir Guo explained, raising his hand. A lightning bolt, stronger than any he had shown Yoma before, appeared. Despite his shock at Yoma's multicasting, he pretended to remain unfazed. "You have some talent. I think you'll become a successful lightning user."
"Some talent?" Apollo glanced at Sir Guo suspiciously before a confident smile spread across his face. "I'm not just some talented. I'm very talented!"
He threw the three balls of lightning into the air. Just before they hit the ground, they morphed into lightning spears. They floated in front of him and on either side, all pointed at his master. "What do you think?" Apollo smirked.
"Don't get complacent," Sir Guo said, shocked once again that Yoma could shape lightning into more advanced forms, though he made sure not to show it. With a flick of his fingers, the lightning spears exploded. "You're still weak compared to me."
"Just admit I'm very talented!" Apollo raised an eyebrow.
"You're not," Sir Guo said, his face turning serious. "So, do you want to strengthen your attribute or not?"
"Of course I do!" Apollo replied.
"Alright, then take this." Sir Guo didn't wait for his disciple to respond and sent a stronger lightning bolt toward him.
The crackling sound filled the air, followed by Apollo's body shaking violently. Foam formed at Yoma's mouth, his eyes rolling back. This scene continued for an hour in the training ground.
Apollo returned to his beggar spot, massaging his left shoulder with his right hand.
"F*ck that guy! I'm going to teach him a lesson once I'm done learning from him!" he muttered angrily, gritting his teeth at the memory of his grueling training.
That guy is definitely a sadist!
Shaking his head, Apollo walked past the Filly Restaurant, ignoring the commotion inside. Clearly, Skyline Savory had pulled another scheme to bring down their rival.
Not in the mood for gossip, he headed back to his beggar spot and sat beneath his makeshift roof.
"Ah," Apollo sighed, feeling at home in his small corner. His beggar spot was about the size of a small room, though he only occupied one corner of it. It felt empty and… dark. Raising his hand, he activated his Lightning Attribute, filling the space with crackling light.
Staring at his lightning, he noticed it was stronger than when he first used it. Being electrocuted repeatedly had paid off.
With a twist of his hand, he shaped the lightning into a glowing orb, then made it float under his roof.
"This is nice," Apollo smiled, but then his expression turned serious. "I should cultivate before they find me. Hopefully, they'll find me soon."
He was referring to the Callum Family, the key to elevating his presence to the higher-ups.