Even among such vast numbers, it would take over a decade for even one—or a handful—of individuals to reach the Saint-level.
And yet, in the Divine Planes and the Higher Planes, such people were no more than livestock.
Having witnessed the finest geniuses of the world, Locke now found the current members of the Locke family utterly lacking.
"Forget it…"
"If talent alone were enough to become strong, there wouldn't be so many legends."
"But if one lacks talent, then they must possess something that transcends it."
"Otherwise… they are nothing more than drifting mayflies."
Shaking his head, Locke's figure gradually faded into nothingness.
—
From that day onward, Locke became like a ghost, wandering throughout Locke Territory.
He did not move aimlessly. Every place he visited, there would be a youth connected to him by blood.
All of them were descendants of his younger brother, Cole.
After several days, Locke finally made his choice.
She was a twelve-year-old girl named Mira Locke.
Over the past few days, Locke had observed every descendant of the Locke family—both through his divine sense and with his own eyes. In the end, only this one girl had caught his attention.
In terms of talent, Mira was unremarkable.
She possessed only a low-level affinity for the earth element—insufficient to become a mage.
Yet despite being a girl, she had chosen the path of a warrior.
And more than that, she trained with relentless diligence. Her workload was no less than that of any boy.
—
That day, after finishing her training, Mira was about to return to her room when she suddenly noticed a young man standing before her.
He looked… vaguely familiar.
"!"
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
Gripping her sword with both hands, Mira assumed a combat stance.
At that moment, regret flickered through her mind.
She had been too immersed in training—so much so that someone had infiltrated her home without her noticing.
Worse, after such intense training, she was barely at half her peak condition.
Fortunately, she had already thrown out a signal for help.
"Not bad. Good awareness."
Locke nodded slightly at her response.
With a casual wave of his hand, the object Mira had thrown earlier was pulled back into his palm by an invisible force.
It was a magic scroll—inscribed with a first-rank fire spell, Fireball.
The runes on the scroll glowed red.
"Boom!"
A small burst of flame erupted—
Only to be crushed instantly in Locke's hand.
"This… how is that possible?"
Mira froze.
That was a Fireball.
Even as a first-rank spell, it could injure a mid-level warrior.
And yet—
This man had crushed it barehanded?
At the very least… he was a seventh-rank expert.
"Relax. I mean you no harm."
Mira didn't lower her guard.
"If you mean no harm, then why are you here?"
Locke tilted his head slightly.
"I have some ties to the Locke family. This time, I came to take on a disciple."
"Unfortunately… after observing the entire territory for three days, you're the only one who barely meets my standards."
He looked at her calmly.
"Now then, descendant of the Locke family—tell me your choice."
"Will you accept me as your master… or refuse?"
"…?"
Confusion deepened in Mira's eyes.
She knew her own talent well—it was nothing special.
She simply refused to end up like the other girls in the family, reduced to tools for marriage alliances.
If she wanted freedom, she needed strength.
And so, she trained harder than anyone else—using sheer effort to make up for what she lacked in talent.
But now…
This stranger claimed that among the entire Locke family, only she was worthy?
That wasn't funny.
Her thoughts were written plainly on her face.
Even without using his soul vision, Locke could see right through her.
"Don't worry. I'm not lying."
"In my eyes, the talent of everyone in the Locke family is equally poor."
Mira pressed her lips together.
After a long pause, she nodded.
"Master… I am willing."
"Good."
A faint smile appeared on Locke's face.
"You've made the right choice."
With a wave of his hand, divine power wrapped around Mira, lifting her into the air.
Her body rose helplessly alongside him.
"People of the Locke family, hear me!"
Locke's voice echoed across the territory.
"Mira Locke is now my disciple. Her family is to be cared for in her absence."
As he spoke, he tossed a spatial ring toward the current lord of Locke Territory, who had just rushed out from the manor.
"Consider this… your compensation."
Without another word, Locke took Mira with him, ascending into the sky and vanishing from sight.
—
"This… this is a blessing from the heavens!"
Holding the spatial ring, Bona Locke trembled with excitement, tears streaming down his face.
As the current patriarch, he knew the family's greatest weakness.
For over two million years, the Locke family had never produced a Saint.
Only their ancestor—Locke himself—had been rumored to be a powerful Saint, earning the favor of the first emperor of the Frostsnow Empire and securing their protection.
But protection from others was never truly reliable.
As Locke Territory grew wealthier, more and more eyes had begun to covet it.
Now—
With a Saint-level expert publicly taking a descendant as a disciple, the family finally had a true backing.
—
"Ma-Master… you're a Saint?"
High in the sky, Mira was trembling with shock.
How could someone like her… be chosen by a Saint?
"What I am, you'll understand in time," Locke said calmly.
"For now, what matters is whether you can grow stronger under my guidance."
"If you can become a Saint one day, then you may celebrate."
"If not… in a few hundred years, you'll be nothing more than dust."
Mira immediately sobered.
He was right.
Her master's strength had nothing to do with her.
What mattered was whether she could reach that level herself.
"Don't worry, Master," she said firmly.
"I'll work hard."
Following his memories, Locke reached his old hometown within minutes.
Puer Village.
Or rather—
What had once been Puer Village.
After two million years, it had long since vanished, replaced by dense forest teeming with magical beasts.
Descending slowly, Locke looked around, finding it difficult to reconcile this wilderness with his memories.
With a wave of his hand, divine power swept outward, reducing all vegetation within a hundred meters to dust.
Two small graves were revealed.
The tombstones had long since weathered away, their inscriptions erased by time.
Standing before them, Locke let out a quiet sigh.
He did not rebuild the markers.
After all… even their souls might no longer exist.
"Alright, Mira," he said at last.
"We'll be staying here for a while."
"Your first task—find or build yourself a place to live."
"Otherwise, you'll be sleeping in the rain."
"…What?!"
Mira stared at him in disbelief.
Her master had brought her into the wilderness—
And expected her to figure everything out herself?
Food… shelter…
She glanced at Locke, who carried nothing at all.
In the end, she gritted her teeth, gripping her sword as she began scouting the surroundings.
—
"Master… please eat."
Some time later, her soft voice pulled Locke from his thoughts.
Looking down, he saw her holding out a roasted red-eyed rabbit.
Her clothes were torn in several places.
Clearly, she had struggled to catch it.
At twelve years old, being able to hunt such prey alone already showed real combat experience.
Of course… compared to Locke himself—
At twelve, he had already been a peak fourth-rank mage. A creature like this would have been dealt with in an instant.
"I'm not hungry. You eat."
"Oh…"
A flicker of disappointment crossed Mira's face, but she quickly composed herself and began eating.
Even as she ate, her eyes scanned the surroundings.
Where would she sleep tonight?
A cave?
Or perhaps the trees?
Just then—
She saw Locke casually wave his hand.
Streams of water appeared out of nowhere, weaving together in midair.
In an instant—
A small house, complete with a courtyard, formed before her eyes.
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