Inside the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone, Lin Xiao’s bloodied body rapidly healed.
Standing abruptly, he resembled a thunder god, with thunderous energy swirling around him. Clenching his fist, a bolt of lightning exploded in his hand, disintegrating into thunderous dust that sprayed outward.
At that moment, Lin Xiao felt an explosive power coursing through him, as if a single punch could shatter mountains and split the earth.
The vital energy in his dantian was vast as an ocean, countless times denser and more potent than before.
“I’ve finally done it—I’ve reached the Martial King realm!” Lin Xiao’s face lit up with wild joy. His core had formed, his cultivation stepping into the Martial King realm, marking his entry into the ranks of the truly powerful.
Martial King was a dividing line, the threshold to becoming a powerhouse, a barrier that stopped countless others.
Once, this realm had seemed impossibly distant to him. Now, he’d achieved it.
He also felt his physique had undergone a qualitative leap, reaching an extraordinarily robust state.
In that moment, he felt capable of snapping weapons with his bare hands.
“Three thousand contribution points for one entry to the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone, with unlimited cultivation time. Leaving now would be a waste. I’ll consolidate my first-rank Martial King cultivation before going.” Calming down, Lin Xiao gave a faint smile, sat cross-legged, and resumed cultivating.
Outside the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone, Baili He arrived in the sky above.
Seeing Baili He, everyone, including Lai Shufeng and Xia Jianren, showed shock. They hadn’t expected this commotion to draw the first core elder, Baili He.
Baili He merely glanced below, standing in the void without speaking.
But his heart was roiling. Inside the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone, only Lin Xiao remained, cultivating unscathed, his aura already at the Martial King realm.
The one who drew heavenly lightning into his body was Lin Xiao?
“Whoosh!” “Whoosh!” “Whoosh!”…
At that moment, several figures flew in, led by Wei Sheng, the peak Martial Venerable elder guarding the Quiet Cultivation Zone.
Wei Sheng, another core elder, was second only to Baili He in status.
“Elder Baili!” Seeing Baili He already present, Wei Sheng nodded to him, then turned his gaze to the group on the ground. “What happened here?”
“Reporting to Elder Wei, Elder Baili, we were cultivating inside when the thunderous energy gradually weakened, then suddenly vanished entirely. Then, heavenly lightning struck, and we don’t know why,” Lai Shufeng bowed respectfully to both, answering.
“Oh?” Wei Sheng paused. Thunderous energy vanishing from the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone, followed by divine lightning?
Instinctively, he thought of something but shook his head, dismissing the idea as impossible.
Baili He glanced at Wei Sheng, then spoke, “The array has encountered some issues. All of you, leave for now. Return to the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone in ten days.”
The five on the ground were stunned. The array was faulty, meaning they’d waited all this time for nothing?
But with the first core elder speaking, they didn’t dare disobey.
Nor did they doubt him. Even Lai Shufeng and Xia Jianren had been blasted out. If they entered and another heavenly lightning struck, they might lose their lives.
“Elders, there’s still a Heavenly Martial kid inside the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone, probably…”
At that moment, someone recalled the situation inside and reported honestly.
They remembered Lin Xiao was at the centre of the zone, exactly where the heavenly lightning had struck.
“Fate decides life and death. All of you, leave,” Baili He waved dismissively, appearing utterly unconcerned.
To the disciples’ ears, this meant something else.
They couldn’t see through the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone, but they knew a Martial Lord could easily view its interior.
If Baili He said this, it meant he’d confirmed Lin Xiao’s death.
Otherwise, Baili He wouldn’t stand by and let someone die.
“I warned him earlier, sigh…” Beside Wei Sheng, the young disciple who’d guided Lin Xiao sighed regretfully. Seeing Lai Shufeng and Xia Jianren’s state, he’d already suspected Lin Xiao was in grave danger.
“He brought it on himself!” The two who’d guarded the entrance muttered darkly.
They’d tried to stop him, but that kid arrogantly ignored them. He’d lucked out surviving five days when the thunderous energy weakened, only to be obliterated by heavenly lightning.
He’d reaped what he sowed.
They also felt some regret, unable to personally vent their anger on Lin Xiao.
But they didn’t dwell on him. Weak, arrogant disciples like him died by the dozens every year.
Only Baili He and Wei Sheng truly understood the situation. Wei Sheng nodded to Baili He, then addressed the patrolling disciples, “For ten days, prohibit access to the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone.”
The disciples quickly nodded. They were still on duty for those ten days.
The group left one by one. Though the incident spread, it didn’t cause much of a stir, only sparking some curiosity.
So, the Thunder Array Zone could malfunction? This made many warier of it.
The Thunder Array Zone could boost cultivation, but it clearly came with risks.
During those ten days, no one saw Lin Xiao emerge from the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone. The patrolling disciples were now certain he’d died inside.
Even without incidents, top-tier third-rank Martial King powerhouses like Lai Shufeng and Xia Jianren couldn’t last ten days. A Heavenly Martial cultivator enduring fifteen days? He must be charred to ash, deader than dead.
On that day, the five first-rank Martial King disciples who’d planned to cultivate arrived. After waiting so long, they could finally enter the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone.
“We waited a whole half-month to enter the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone. Now we can finally go in.”
“Right, with the grand competition nearing, we need to boost our strength quickly to climb the rankings.”
“I kind of want to go in and see what that kid looks like after being charred by the heavenly lightning.”
“Haha, that guy? I bet he’s burnt to ash!”
Amid their chatter, mentioning Lin Xiao, the group burst into laughter.
But the next moment, a perfectly intact young man calmly walked out of the fourth-rank Thunder Array Zone.
His face was clean, not a trace of soot, dressed in fresh white robes, looking vibrant and refreshed.
It was none other than Lin Xiao.
“Eh, you lot still here?” Upon exiting, Lin Xiao addressed the five.
The five looked as if they’d seen a ghost, their faces blank with shock, barely able to process.
“Nothing else to do, I’m off.” Seeing their expressions, Lin Xiao guessed their thoughts, gave a faint smile, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.
“Bloody hell, he’s not dead!”
“Ten days—another ten days inside, and he’s not dead!”
“This is unreal!”
Their emotions took a long time to settle.
