Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 337: A Short Trip to the Veridian Continent

Dorian said with an exasperated sigh, "I’ll make the necessary arrangements. Lassim, when you arrive at our Stellanora’s capital city, Starpoint City, come to the Duskvale Mining Company headquarters. I’ll meet you here to finalize the details and schedule the duel. I’ll give my contact with the Nobles a heads up that we’ll have a champion from the Lightning Sect on their way."

"Understood," Lassim said with a small nod.

The glow of the communication orb dimmed as the call with Dorian ended, leaving the trio standing in silence for a moment.

"Well, I’d say that went about as well as it could have," he said, leaning back and stretching his arms.

Rlyis shook her head. "As well as it could have? Dorian looked two steps away from swearing off friendship altogether. I’m surprised he didn’t throw the entire deal out the window."

"He knows me better than that." Eno smirked, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "Besides, when Lassim wipes the floor with Joryk, Dorian will be the one calling to thank us for setting this up."

"I wouldn’t say I’m wiping the floor with anyone just yet," Lassim said calmly, stepping away from the pedestal. "But if Joryk thinks his defenses will stop me, he’s in for a shock."

Rlyis raised an eyebrow, her smirk sharp. "That’s better. Straight to the point. Show them what it means to challenge the Lightning Sect."

"I will," Lassim replied simply, the quiet certainty in his voice cutting through the room.

Eno clapped his hands together, the sound sharp against the charged air. "All right, enough talk. Let’s get you prepped. First, we need to show you where you’re headed."

The trio exited the chamber and navigated the bustling Administration Hall. Disciples and messengers continued to go about their work. Most of the crazy fans from last time had come to learn over the last few days that Eno and Rlyis would be staying on the floating island within the Tempest’s Cradle for a while. This led to the reactions to their presence growing more subdued. Thankfully with Lassim’s presence again, none bothered Eno, Rlyis and Lassim as they made their way back to the workshop.

Rlyis leaned against the workbench, one brow arched as she turned to Lassim. "You’re from the Veridian Continent, aren’t you? Surely you must have a map of it stashed somewhere. It would save us some time."

Lassim paused, his mind drifting back to his early days of cultivation when he had been traveling to the Lightning Sect. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he recalled a particular visit to a cartographer’s shop—a cramped space overflowing with maps, books, and scrolls.

"I do have one," Lassim said, his voice calm but laced with a hint of nostalgia. Reaching to his magic pouch, he drew out a rolled piece of aged parchment, its edges slightly frayed but still well-preserved. As he unfurled it onto the table, the vibrant colors and intricate notations caught the light, drawing both Eno’s and Rlyis’s attention.

"Ah, so this map," Lassim began, his fingers tracing the ink, "was bought years ago when I first set out for the Southern Continent. The cartographer was quite thorough with marking a path even a Spirit Growth stage cultivator could pass through. He annotated the routes, terrains, and landmarks, along with his insights for the regions I’d pass through."

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.

The memory surfaced vividly in his mind. He could almost hear the scratch of the old man’s quill as he had meticulously marked the map, his raspy voice describing the treacherous yet fascinating path south.

"This route will take you through mountain passes, forests, deserts, and the domains of intelligent beast kingdoms," the man had said. Lassim’s younger self had been wide-eyed, absorbing every word as the cartographer spoke of the Spider Queen’s Web—a dense nexus of silk and stone ruled by a cunning, half-humanoid arachnid monarch.

The old man’s warning echoed in Lassim’s memory: "Understand their customs, young one. The Spider Queen tolerates no ignorance in her lands."

It made him think of the Spider Queen Princess, Silvari. "I wonder how her baby Lion Bat is doing these days…" He thought to himself.

Rlyis leaned in, studying the detailed map. "This is impressive," she admitted, her finger gliding over the finely drawn lines that depicted rivers, mountains, and kingdoms. "Even the Stellanora Kingdom is marked here—see? Starpoint City, right along the Sapphire River." She pointed to a shimmering marker near the map’s northern edge.

"This is where you’re going," she said, "The capital of the Stellanora Kingdom is built on elevated platforms along the Sapphire River, just south of the Frosted Peaks. Massive, opulent and hard to miss."

"What’s your plan? How quick do you think it’ll take you to arrive?" Rlyis asked.

"Hmm… I’ll be able to teleport across the ocean to save time once out of sight of too many people," Lassim explained. "I’d still like to keep the teleportation and space element a secret for the time being. To cross the Southern Continent and once I’m closer to the Veridian Continent, I’ll mainly use my [Storm’s Dance]. It’s a pseudo teleport anyways and it’ll let me cover ground quickly without drawing too much attention since the storms make it look like I’m using a unique lightning movement technique. If all goes well, I can probably reach Starpoint City in two days."

"Two days?" Rlyis repeated, her tone skeptical. "If it was anyone else, I’d say you’re more likely to see a herd of lightning bulls fly."

"I can manage it," Lassim said confidently. "Teleportation will take a toll and there’s a bit of risk, but as long as I carefully pace myself, it’ll be fine. I’ll actually try and see if I can manage it even faster than two days. That’d be pretty awesome."

"Well, if anyone can pull it off, it’s you," Rlyis admitted. "Just don’t get reckless. Don’t worry about proving yourself or something—Just make sure we secure what we need for the teleportation device. Don’t lose sight of that."

"I won’t," Lassim replied.

Eno reached into his pouch and pulled out his communication disc, adjusting a few inputs and swirling over to a floating rune before handing it over to Lassim. "Here’s Dorian’s personal contact rune. Link it to your disc. It’ll make it easier to get in touch with him to let him know when you’ve arrived."

Lassim took the disc and pressed the rune against his communication disc. The rune pulsed briefly before a copy merged into his disc’s surface.

He gave a small nod, handing it back. "Done."

"Good," Eno said, straightening. "You’ve got the route, you’ve got the contact. Anything else we need to cover before you go?"

Rlyis tapped the map, her expression thoughtful. "I think that’s about everything. If you need anything, just message us and we’ll see what we can do from our end."

"Then that’s it," Eno said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Get moving. We’ve got a teleportation device to finish, and we’re counting on you to make it happen."

"Don’t forget," Rlyis added, "Make sure Dorian delivers on his promise. Double the Astrium Veinstone. No excuses, no delays."

Lassim gave a confident smile, "Don’t worry. I’ll handle it."

The workshop doors opened, and Lassim stepped out into the familiar charged air of the Tempest’s Cradle. Above, the storm raged as it always did, flashes of violet lightning illuminating the swirling tempest that cocooned the island. Though Lassim had only spent six months so far surrounded by this dense lightning mana, it had become as familiar to him as his own breath.

He moved through the bustling path of the Skybound Village towards the Skybound Dock to make his departure look normal and ordinary, the robes of passing disciples fluttering in the gusting winds. A few paused to glance at him, whispers and more sounds of rumors trailing in his wake. Lassim ignored them.

At the Skybound Dock, the reinforced stone platform hummed faintly with its protective arrays shimmering against the storm. Thunderbirds rested in their designated perches, their massive wings folded as handlers worked around them.

He stopped at the edge of the platform, gazing out toward the tempest’s edge. Beyond the protective energy barrier, the storm churned and roared, a chaotic wall of wind, lightning, and mist.

The air shimmered with a subtle hum, signaling the activation of [Storm’s Dance]. Miniature and swirling storms rippled faintly around his boots as the spatial arrays embedded in the soles flared to life as he raised his right foot.

With a deliberate step forward, Lassim disappeared, reappearing high above the island’s edge where his sight line led him. The winds howled around him, strong and chaotic, but he moved quickly with another step as he made his way deeper into the wall of the storm. Each stride compressed space beneath him, propelling him effortlessly outward.

The barrier that was the storm and natural lightning resource of the Tempest’s Cradle constantly flashed with angry bolts of lightning as he advanced.

After a few more short moments, Lassim passed through it without resistance, the barrier rippling slightly as it allowed him through.

Beyond it, the tempest began to fade behind him, revealing the vast expanse of the waters and the coastline of the Southern Continent below and in front of him.

He hovered briefly, orienting himself.

The coastline of the Southern Continent and its dense forests and rocky cliffs of the southern region were just visible on the horizon. Lassim adjusted his path with a glance, then continued with small bursts of his feet’s storms crackling and causing thunder bursts as he stepped and teleported vast distances in quick succession.

The Southern Continent’s terrain shifted beneath him as he moved, transitioning from forests to jagged plateaus and eventually to the wide, open expanse of desert.

Lassim flew high above it all, his movements smooth and uninterrupted. He barely even registered beasts below in the places he passed, and even other cultivators flying through the skies alongside him. The [Storm’s Dance] technique carried him across the vast distances with ease, each step folding space and crossing thousands of kilometers every time. He just went as far as his sight line and took another step.

It had only been roughly two hours since leaving the Tempest’s Cradle when he reached the desert’s northern edge. He’d left at noon and the sun beat down onto the rolling dunes below, their shapes stretching endlessly into the distance behind him. In front was the northern coastline.

Lassim paused momentarily, floating high above the landscape as he surveyed the path ahead. The Veridian Continent lay across the sea, distant but within reach.

"This movement technique is insane…" He uttered, somewhat in disbelief. "Will this even take two days? I remember it took, what…5 days or so to cross the Southern Sea by the giant shark rider? I wonder how much I can shorten that."

Zaphy replied, "You’re really zip zap zoomin’! I love it!"

His thoughts remained focused on the task ahead, but memories of the Veridian Continent flickered briefly in his mind—the Myriad Spirit Academy, the Aurora Kingdom, his family, and his other other friend Sirium who should be serving within the military academy’s officer school. He wondered how everyone was doing and how much had changed in these 7 odd years.

"If time allows," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the rushing wind of being at such an altitude. "But only after securing the Astrium Veinstone…"

Shaking his head of the distracting thoughts, he took another step forward. There were still too many people nearby before he could begin longer distance teleports, if he even felt the need to use them at his current pace.

Lightning cracked and boomed as he continued, the storm lingering in the wake of his steps as he propelled himself forward through the spatial folding. The Veridian Continent was drawing closer with every step, and Lassim’s rhythm showed no signs of slowing.