“Heh, the two of them are the rule? That’s probably only something you’d dare say to low-cultivation new disciples. In a public place in the Holy City, with so many powerhouses around, would you dare say that?” Lin Xiao couldn’t help but mock.
If someone claimed Xia Jianren and Lai Shufeng were the rule on the streets of the Holy City, forget the monsters on the Human Star Ranking, even random passersby would have countless people knocking them down.
“Are you looking to die?” The yellow-robed youth’s brows shot up, anger flashing across his face.
“Heh, these newbies, they come in all sorts. Not only does a Heavenly Martial dare show up at the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone, but he’s got the gall to talk to us like that. Truly clueless,” the thick-browed youth beside him sneered, his face dripping with disdain.
“Kid, get lost!” The yellow-robed youth, a Martial King, added with a curse, his second-rank aura pressing down, carrying a heavy threat.
“Heh!” Lin Xiao, unfazed, gave a calm smile. “May I ask, do you two dare to attack a lower-cultivation disciple? And here in the Quiet Cultivation Zone, do you dare make a move?”
The two youths’ eyes narrowed slightly. The yellow-robed youth snorted coldly, “Hmph, in the Quiet Cultivation Zone, we indeed can’t act. But once you’re out of here, someone will settle the score with you. If you want to stay safe in the Holy Origin Academy, kowtow and apologise now, then get out of the Quiet Cultivation Zone. Otherwise, you’ll regret it!”
“Hahaha…” Lin Xiao’s face broke into a deeply sarcastic smile. “Well, since neither of you dare to act, I’ll just head in.”
With that, Lin Xiao stepped forward, passing between the two, and under their stunned gazes, entered the thunder array.
“Bloody hell!”
The five behind were practically blinded by shock. This kid had completely ignored the two.
That’s right, this Heavenly Martial eighth-rank newcomer hadn’t just ignored them, but the two as well, not even giving Xia Jianren and Lai Shufeng any face, brazenly walking past two second-rank Martial King disciples.
If this wasn’t sheer audacity, then he was an idiot.
In their view, Lin Xiao was definitely the latter, using the Quiet Cultivation Zone’s no-fighting rule to disregard the two.
But didn’t he realise that once he left the Quiet Cultivation Zone, the two would come for him?
If not for that, why would the five of them, first-rank Martial King veteran disciples, be waiting out here instead of going in?
Not only were the five stunned, but the two were dumbfounded as well.
Even if their strength wasn’t top-tier, with Xia Jianren and Lai Shufeng’s names behind them, who would dare not give face just by mentioning them?
Aside from the top-ranked few, whom they knew and wouldn’t bother stopping, who else would dare defy Xia Jianren and Lai Shufeng’s names?
As for Human Star Ranking disciples, they’d head to the fifth-rank Thunder Array Zone, not here. The two had guarded this spot for five days, and no one stronger than them had dared to enter.
Yet now, a Heavenly Martial eighth-rank kid had walked in without a care?
This was far beyond their expectations.
“You! You’ll regret this!” The yellow-robed youth roared, furious at being ignored by someone as weak as an ant, a first for him.
“Heh, he might not know the situation, but there’s something else he doesn’t get. At Heavenly Martial eighth-rank, he won’t last an hour before crawling out in a mess, or even dying in there!” The thick-browed youth sneered. At his words, the yellow-robed youth felt some relief, knowing it wouldn’t be long before the kid came stumbling out.
“I bet this kid won’t even last an hour!”
“Forget an hour, probably not even half!”
“No idea how this idiot scraped together three thousand contribution points. He’s just asking for trouble!”
The five behind muttered curses, eager to see Lin Xiao humiliated.
“Who’ll stay longer this time, Xia Jianren or Lai Shufeng?” After cursing Lin Xiao, the five quickly shifted their focus back to the two. In their eyes, Lin Xiao was just a clown.
“Hard to say. Let’s wait and see. They should be out soon. And we’ll get to watch that idiot make a fool of himself—he’ll definitely come out before them,” one youth said, the others nodding in agreement.
Lin Xiao paid no mind to the voices outside. After stepping into the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone, rolling thunderous energy enveloped him.
It felt like being struck by lightning, his entire body jolted by powerful thunder forces surging from his skin into his body, causing sharp stabs of pain.
“As expected, it’s much stronger than the third-rank Thunder Tower!” Lin Xiao mused to himself.
But having mastered the first two forms of the Thunder Triad, successfully condensing thunder essence, and tempered by the Gravity Palace and other trials, his physique had grown stronger. It didn’t take long for him to adapt to the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone.
Reaching the centre of the array, Lin Xiao sat cross-legged, actively tempering his body with the thunderous energy, absorbing it into his dantian to refine his thunder essence.
The fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone was a miraculous formation, drawing endless thunderous energy from some unknown source, unlike the Thunder Tower, which relied on thunder beads for power.
The thunderous energy here never diminished. As Lin Xiao absorbed some, the surrounding energy flowed towards him, and the array mysteriously generated more, maintaining a constant total.
For others, the thunderous energy was used to temper their bodies and dantian to boost strength.
But Lin Xiao was different. Having mastered the Thunder Triad, the thunderous energy was like a tonic to him, especially this inexhaustible supply.
Unlike others, he wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the stinging shocks after a short time.
Circulating the Thunder Triad, it didn’t take long for Lin Xiao to enter a wondrous state of comprehension. Waves of vital energy surged into his dantian, condensing.
Following the first two forms of the Thunder Triad, Lin Xiao began progressing towards the third.
The Thunder Triad was extraordinary and extremely difficult to cultivate. The first two forms, condensing thunder essence, were already near impossible, stumping ninety-nine percent of the Holy Origin Academy’s geniuses.
The third form was exponentially harder, with only a handful in the academy’s history ever mastering it.
The third form, called Thunder Judgment, required drawing heavenly lightning into the body, condensing and wielding it to attack enemies. This technique was almost heaven-defying, akin to controlling spiritual energy as one would natural forces.
To control spiritual energy, one had to merge it into the mind.
To draw heavenly lightning into the body, one needed an indestructible thunder-forged physique, or else the lightning would reduce them to ashes before they could strike.
In essence, the Thunder Sword Technique contained an intensely powerful and domineering thunder-forging body technique.
That’s why Lin Xiao had chosen this martial skill without hesitation, though its difficulty was immense. Typically, only those born with thunder attributes could cultivate it, yet he had miraculously condensed thunder essence.
