As Li Yundong burst out of the small auditorium, he ran several dozen meters before finally stopping, his breath ragged with lingering shock. He leaned over, hands on his hips, shaking his head and sighing to himself, “Li Yundong, oh Li Yundong, you’re supposed to be a cultivator, yet you were scared witless! You truly have no mettle at all!”
Li Yundong glanced back at the small auditorium, forcing a bitter smile. “This place is absolutely cursed for me. It was the same last time, and it’s the same now!”
He chuckled a few times, shaking off the feeling, and set off toward the school library to return some books and check out a few new ones.
When he arrived at the library, the old man behind the counter spotted him instantly and laughed, “Finished the books you borrowed yesterday already?”
Li Yundong smiled, produced two books, and handed them over. He then selected two more, saying with a grin, “Yeah, sorry to bother you again.”
The old man chuckled. “Not at all, this is our job!”
As he spoke, he moved to the stacks to retrieve the two books Li Yundong wanted. He handed them over with a smile, but his gaze fell upon the Seven Treasures Spirit-Illuminating Fan tightly wrapped in cloth on Li Yundong’s back. He suddenly asked, “That big bundle you’re carrying, isn’t it inconvenient?”
Li Yundong took the books and replied casually, “It was awkward at first, but I’m getting used to it now.”
The old man nodded slowly, then probed gently, “If I asked what you had wrapped up inside, you probably wouldn’t tell me, would you?”
Li Yundong merely offered a soft laugh, not taking the bait, and simply waved politely at the old man. “Goodbye, Teacher, I’ll be back another time.”
The old man smiled back and said no more.
Li Yundong walked home slowly, occasionally glancing at his new books. By the time he reached his house, it was past five in the evening. The moment he opened the door, he saw fully prepared meals already laid out on the table—steaming hot and wonderfully fragrant.
He knew immediately that this must be another meal prepared by Ziyuan. He smiled and called out, “Ziyuan? Did you cook this?”
He called out once more, then went into the kitchen, but Ziyuan wasn't there. Although food had been prepared, the kitchen was spotless and gleaming clean.
Li Yundong sat down and ate his dinner slowly and deliberately. After clearing the dishes and washing them, he returned to the living room. He found that Ziyuan had still left a cup of water on the coffee table. He tested the temperature; even after some time, the water was still warm.
A wave of emotion washed over Li Yundong. Aside from her slightly cold disposition and otherworldly detachment, Ziyuan was perhaps the most perfect woman in the mortal realm. She was beautiful, managed the household flawlessly, and possessed such subtle thoughtfulness. Whoever marries her will have accumulated blessings across several lifetimes!
Li Yundong wasn't thirsty, but he noticed the water in the cup was faintly tinged with a delicate, pale emerald hue amidst its transparency. Curiosity overcoming him, he took a tentative sip. The moment it touched his lips, he recognized the sensation from the last time: a feeling of clarity and purification, as if the moment it entered his mouth, the vitality and flow of his blood and energy became smoother and much more vigorous.
“There’s a secret here!” Li Yundong examined the cup with renewed curiosity. Last time, it was like Zhu Bajie feasting on ginseng fruit—he hadn't savored it properly. This time, he sipped it slowly, tasting it carefully. With each sip, a delicate fragrance enveloped his mouth, lingering even on his teeth, leaving a sensation of freshness.
Growing more curious, Li Yundong couldn’t resist downing the rest of the cup in one go, then swiftly sat down cross-legged in the living room to begin his meditation and energy circulation.
He immediately noticed that after drinking the water, his practice of meditation and qi circulation was suddenly twice as effective. The speed at which his Inner Core was solidifying had actually doubled!
It had been smaller than half a thumbnail before; now, it was the size of a full thumbnail. Through inner sight, Li Yundong could clearly sense this core rapidly expanding and growing at an astonishing pace!
When Li Yundong finally emerged from his trance, it was around midnight. Everything was pitch black outside; only the main door was shut, while all other windows and doors stood open, allowing the wind to howl mournfully through the rooms.
A graceful, slender figure stood silently on the balcony, ethereal and otherworldly like a celestial fairy descended to the mortal realm—it was Ziyuan, her long sleeves billowing softly.
Li Yundong was surprised to see Ziyuan standing there without a sound. “You’re here? Is something wrong?”
Ziyuan had been gazing intently at him throughout his cultivation, as if silently assisting his practice, or perhaps just monitoring his progress. When she saw him awaken, her gaze shifted from him to the now-empty cup resting clean on the coffee table nearby. She nodded subtly to herself and asked, “How does the divine ability cultivation feel?”
Li Yundong thought for a moment. “Not bad. I feel like the Inner Core has doubled in size. I wonder if that’s considered fast progress?”
“Considered fast?” A crisp voice rang out nearby. Ruan Hongling flickered into existence beside Ziyuan in the blink of an eye. Hands planted on her hips, she declared, “Do you have any idea how long it takes an ordinary cultivator to double the size of their Foundation Establishment Inner Core? At least five years! You did it in a matter of days! Do you know why?”
Li Yundong froze, but being quick-witted, he grasped the situation immediately. He looked at the empty cup on the nearby table. “Could it be…”
Ruan Hongling scoffed. “You finally noticed? Don’t tell me you didn’t notice before! Do you even know what you drank? Don’t go thinking you’re some once-in-a-millennium genius whose practice just naturally progresses this quickly! I’m telling you, not even a prodigy that appears once in ten thousand years could double their divine ability in just a few days!”
Ziyuan interjected with a low rebuke, “Hongling!”
Chastised, Ruan Hongling stomped her foot indignantly. “But that’s the truth, Ziyuan older sister! If I don’t say anything, some people will be heartlessly pleased with themselves, thinking it’s their own skill! Your Nine Revolutions Jade Dew Pill is so precious, and you just gave it away freely to this boy. I’ve only ever tasted one! He just downed two in one go! That’s so unfair to me!”
Li Yundong was stunned. “Nine Revolutions Jade Dew Pill? What is that?”
Ruan Hongling sneered, “It’s the supreme elixir of our lineage. While our Zhengyi Sect isn't as famous throughout the world for external alchemy as the Gezao Sect, the external elixirs we refine possess miraculous power capable of challenging creation itself!”
Saying this, Ruan Hongling pointed sharply at the cup on the table and announced loudly, “The water you chugged down was a dissolved Nine Revolutions Jade Dew Pill. Although this spirit pill can’t grant a lifetime of cultivation like the Gezao Sect’s Human Origin Golden Elixir—which adds sixty years of power out of thin air—it can still boost your cultivation by at least five years! Putting aside everything else, just one of these elixirs could fetch tens of millions on the cultivation market! Did you think it was some ordinary Qi-Tonifying Elixir or Liuwei Dihuang Pill?”
Li Yundong didn't know the true value of the Nine Revolutions Jade Dew Pill or how it was made, but hearing that a single one could sell for ten million instantly shocked him.
His eyes wide, Li Yundong pointed at the cup, then at himself. “Are you saying I just drank ten million yuan in one gulp?”
Ruan Hongling shot him a look mixing jealousy and resentment. “It was twenty million! You drank a cup yesterday too! This kind of elixir tastes exquisite, leaving a lingering fragrance, but you wasted it all like a boor chewing peonies!”
Ziyuan couldn't listen anymore and sharply ordered, “Hongling, quiet down!”
Ruan Hongling stomped her foot angrily. “Isn't that the truth?”
Ziyuan glared at her. “Are you ignoring my words now too?”
Ruan Hongling huffed and turned her head away.
Ziyuan spoke to Li Yundong in a soft voice. “Your Heavenly Tribulation is approaching; everything must be focused on your cultivation. Besides, these things are external possessions. Keeping them with me serves little purpose—like casting pearls before swine. Such items should be left for those who need them more.”
Li Yundong sighed, feeling a sense of resigned acceptance. “I’m beyond caring about losing more now. The debts I owe you aren’t small, and I doubt I’ll be able to repay them anytime soon.”
Ziyuan smiled faintly. “Did I ever say I expected you to pay them back?”
Li Yundong blinked, his expression growing slightly strange. In his view, Ziyuan’s constant assistance without ever asking for repayment was utterly incomprehensible!
Could this Immortal Sister have fallen for me? The thought surfaced unbidden in his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Impossible! Even if she did like me, I don't like her. I love our girl back home!
Li Yundong coughed dryly and asked Ziyuan, “Right, I haven’t asked yet. Why did you two honor me with a visit so late?”
Ziyuan replied, “The Heavenly Tribulation is drawing nearer. I wanted to see how far your divine ability cultivation has progressed, and while I’m here, I wanted to ask if there’s anything you wish to learn.”
Li Yundong asked in surprise, “You’re going to teach me spell cultivation? What do you know?”
Before Ziyuan could answer, Ruan Hongling jumped in, “What kind of question is that? Do you know how powerful Ziyuan older sister is? She has mastered every spell related to the Five Elements!”
Li Yundong couldn't be bothered to bicker with the girl. He looked at Ziyuan and asked, “Then do you know the Art of Heavenly Thunder?”
Ziyuan started, “You want to learn the Art of Heavenly Thunder?”
Li Yundong nodded firmly. “Absolutely! I only want to learn the Art of Heavenly Thunder!”
Ziyuan subtly frowned. She said, “You must understand that all cultivation arts depend on the Five Elements—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Though the myriad Daoist methods are complex, most follow these fundamental principles. Only the Heavenly Thunder spell stands above the Five Elements. Heavenly Thunder is Heavenly Might; Heavenly Might is inscrutable, and Heavenly Thunder is difficult to master! Compared to the Heavenly Thunder, the Five Elements are much easier to learn, and once mastered deeply, they are in no way inferior to the power of the Heavenly Thunder art. Why do you insist on seeking the difficult over the easy, choosing the distant path over the near one, learning such a dangerous and hard technique?”
Li Yundong suddenly broke into a smile. “You all keep telling me the Heavenly Tribulation is coming! But I don’t even know what Heavenly Thunder is. How am I supposed to face the Heavenly Tribulation then? As the saying goes, know your enemy and know yourself, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. Only by understanding Heavenly Thunder can I better confront it!”
“Furthermore…” Li Yundong continued, his expression suddenly becoming defiantly arrogant, and he sneered, “I remember you once said that those of us who follow the Daoist path emphasize defying Heaven, asserting that man can conquer fate—that my fate is decided by me, not by Heaven!”
Li Yundong strode past Ziyuan and the others, walking out onto the balcony. He pointed toward the starry sky outside and declared loudly, “But what is the reality? Every single one of you fears the Heavenly Thunder, fears the Heavenly Tribulation, and because of it, you dare not involve yourselves too deeply in worldly affairs, lest the Tribulation descend upon your own heads. You willingly hide like timid turtles! Is this evasion and avoidance what you call ‘My fate is decided by me, not by Heaven’?”
Li Yundong said with a cold laugh, “Because you fear Heavenly Thunder, you refuse to cultivate the Thunder Art. Because you fear the Tribulation, you dare not meddle in the world. What kind of cultivation is this? What kind of ‘man conquering fate’ is this?”
“They all say Heavenly Thunder is hard to learn, but I refuse to believe it! I will prove that not only can I pass the Heavenly Tribulation, but I can also command the Heavenly Thunder! Hmph, Heavenly Might is unfathomable! I will seize that Heavenly Might in my own hands! Taking the detour because the cultivation path is treacherous and difficult—that is not cultivation! Only by doing what is said to be impossible—that is true cultivation!!”
“If I cultivate, I must become the foremost cultivator under Heaven. I shall roam the Nine Heavens and Heavenly Might will not dare touch me; I shall traverse the Nine Hells and the abysses shall not restrain me. I demand that in this Heaven and Earth, there shall be no calamity that can threaten me, and no force that can threaten those I hold dear!”
Li Yundong stood on the balcony, his coat fluttering in the wind, his black hair whipping wildly. The words he spoke were decisive, resounding, and powerful, his sheer presence momentarily stunning even the highborn Ziyuan and Ruan Hongling.
Ruan Hongling stared at him, her eyes wide. If Li Yundong had said such things before, she would have certainly countered him immediately. But she had witnessed him recklessly call down Heavenly Thunder to kill He Shao! Last time, one could argue he was just acting rashly out of youthful fervor, unaware of the true scale of things. But now, he was a full-fledged cultivator, and facing his impending Tribulation, he still spoke these words. This could only mean the young man possessed astonishing resolution and courage beyond the common person!
Where does a man’s charisma come from? It stems from many sources, but what attracts women most, is it not that fearless spirit to challenge Heaven and Earth? Ruan Hongling gazed at Li Yundong dazedly. She suddenly felt a blinding radiance emanating from him that she could barely look at directly.
Ziyuan was also profoundly shaken by Li Yundong’s declaration. The current cultivation world was stagnant—a stagnant pool. Every sect was selfish, hoarding its secrets, preoccupied with its own doorstep while ignoring wider troubles, constantly scheming for influence and power. Where else could one hear such a loud, soul-stirring cry against this stagnant, murky, dark, and lifeless world?
Ziyuan took a deep breath. With her profound cultivation, she quickly regained her composure. She said, “Very well. I will first teach you how to fly by controlling your energy!”
Li Yundong was confused. “Why do I need to learn controlled flight before practicing the Art of Heavenly Thunder? Are the two related?”
Ziyuan smiled faintly. “If you don’t learn flight, how can you understand one of the Three Great Terrors of cultivation: the vast terror between Heaven and Earth? If you don’t comprehend the great terror between Heaven and Earth, how can you understand, learn, or master the Heavenly Thunder?”