Lightning Is the Only Way

The tower seemed magical, but the disciples knew that it would take a long time until they would visit it. The Lightning Tower was something for disciples who were about to break through into the Energy Gathering Realm.

"By the way," said Gorn. "Every day, in the central plaza, a higher ranking disciple is lecturing on the nature of lightning and the cultivation world, as a whole. You might want to attend, though you have to pay money to listen."

'Money, again' thought the disciples and sighed. It seemed like everything in the Lightning Guild was centered around money.

"Anyway," continued Gorn. "I am going to leave you guys to it. Welcome to your new home," he said with a smile to the disciples. "Gravis, follow me," he commanded as he started walking to the guild. Gravis simply followed.

"The best way to manage your time, right now, is to stay in your house and read the Lightning Codex. Reread it many times until you know it by heart. When you have mastered the Codex, you should go to the Lightning Tower. When you know the Lightning Codex by heart, you will automatically know what to do," Gorn explained patiently.

Gravis nodded while he followed. This seemed like the best way to proceed. "Do I need to pay money to access the Lightning Tower?" asked Gravis.

Gorn just laughed. "Of course!" he said, and Gravis only sighed. "The price depends on which level you want to cultivate. We have four different levels in the Lightning Tower. The higher you go, the less Life Energy the lightning possesses. You'll understand what that means when you read the Codex."

Now, Gravis was confused. How were Life Energy and lightning related? Gravis shook his head. Gorn said he would understand when he read the Codex. Everything would probably be explained then.

"Oh, another thing," said Gorn as he remembered something. "You might want to participate in the tournament in three months."

Gravis lifted an eyebrow. "Tournament? Again?" he asked in annoyance.

Gorn laughed slyly. "No worries. You will win the tournament without issues. I've seen what you can do, and no one in the Body Tempering Realm is your match. Just try not to destroy the other disciples' fighting motivation."

Gravis furrowed his brows. "Why should I participate in this tournament?" he asked.

Gorn smirked. "Winning the tournament gives you the opportunity to cultivate on the fourth level of the Lightning Tower for a week. You shouldn't miss that. When you read the Codex, you should understand."

Gravis just nodded. They continued walking until they arrived at a house beside the Guild Master's residence. Gorn knocked on the door, and after a while, a young man opened the door.

The young man had long blonde hair and had average height. Initially, his eyes had shown arrogance, but when he noticed the Guild Master, his expression changed to politeness. "Hello, Guild Master. What can disciple do for you?" he asked politely.

"Hello Frank," Gorn said with the majesty that a Guild Master should possess. "The time has come. I have previously said that you could only stay in this house until someone fitting came along. Please vacate the house as soon as possible," he announced.

Frank looked shocked. "Guild Master, I don't mean any disrespect, but my brother, Jaimy, said that I could live here until he left towards the parent-guild," he explained carefully.

Gorn narrowed his eyes. "Yes, but that was under the circumstance that no one else would need this residence. Someone like that has arrived," Gorn pointed at Gravis with his thumb. "Please pack your stuff and look for another house."

Frank looked at Gravis with animosity and disgust. "What makes him so outstanding that I have to vacate my residency for him?"

SLAP!

Gorn slapped Frank flying, and he hit the wall. Luckily, Gorn was careful with the slap and didn't damage the house. "Insolent!" he shouted with rage. "Have you forgotten who I am? I am your Guild Master! I have tolerated your earlier disrespect, but I won't tolerate it a second time. Do what I say and vacate the house!"

Frank got up and touched his cheek in shock and fear. He couldn't believe that he had been slapped just now. No one had ever slapped him before. Due to his big brother, no one even dared to look at him with disrespect.

Frank nearly exploded in rage, but when he looked at the Guild Master, his courage vanished, and he only whimpered. "Yes, Guild Master." He then quickly stood up and started collecting all his things. After some minutes, he ran out of his house and gave Gorn the keys. He shot one last look at Gravis, and made a gesture that said: "Just you wait!"

Gravis didn't care. The whole Lightning Guild was Gorn's property. The disciples didn't own the houses and only used them. If Gorn wanted Gravis to move, he wouldn't complain. The house didn't belong to him, after all.

"Alright, here's the key," Gorn said to Gravis. "The only way to get into the house, without the key, is to break the door. If anyone dares to do that, I would immediately notice. I live next door, after all. I wish you a happy time in the guild," he said with a smirk and then went into his own house.

Gravis felt thankful. Gorn had even thrown out someone else so that Gravis could feel safer. It was not necessary for Gorn to do that. Gravis remembered this kindness and promised himself that he would repay Gorn.

Gravis went inside the house and looked around. It only had one floor, which consisted of the living room and a bedroom. In the bedroom, Gravis saw a pillow lying on the ground. This was probably for meditation. Gravis could only sigh, as he didn't understand why so many cultivators wanted to meditate.

The windows weren't precisely windows. They looked more like open holes with bars made of stone going through them. That was probably the reason why Gorn said that someone could only enter through the door. Breaking the bars wouldn't be hard, but it would be loud.

Gravis didn't waste any more time and sat down on the pillow. The pillow was actually more comfortable than it looked, and it felt really nice to sit on it. This was good stuff. With an eager look, Gravis took out the Lightning Codex.

It was time that he learned more about lightning!