Cultivation Begins with Daily Intelligence Reports

268: Thunder MarkThe Thunder True Intent, which had initially been somewhat weak and illusory after just beginning, rapidly solidified and grew stronger under such frantic Body Tempering and absorption.

From a faint sensation, it gradually became clear and condensed, like a thunder seed about to break out of its shell.

Time passed, unknowingly.

”Buzz...”

A low yet clear hum sounded, not from the thunder, but from the Jade Talisman embedded in his Formation Plate.

The violent thunder vortex above his head began to slow down noticeably, the electric sparks became sparse, and the deafening thunder gradually subsided.

The two-hour daily usage limit for the Lightning Guiding Formation had arrived.

The Formation completely ceased, no longer able to draw any Thunder Qi from the Nine Heavens for his Cultivation.

The Immortal Cave instantly fell into an eerie silence, with only the lingering ozone smell in the air and the residual tingling sensation on his body proving that the frantic Cultivation just now was not an illusion.

Lin Jingyu slowly opened his eyes, the brilliant electric light in their depths gradually receding, a hint of lingering regret flashing across his face.

That feeling of walking on the edge of life and death, constantly sensing his own rapid transformation and strengthening amidst pain, was truly too wonderful and intoxicating.

For ordinary Cultivators, two hours of thunder Body Tempering was already the limit, and could even damage their Foundation.

But for him, with the recovery power of the Evergreen Art, the control of the Spirit Refining Art, and the nascent Thunder True Intent, two hours were far from enough.

He was confident he could even endure six hours.

Helpless, he could only temporarily suppress the yearning in his heart.

He got up and stretched his still sore and stiff muscles and bones. The Evergreen spiritual Qi slowly circulated within him, nourishing his damaged Meridians and Physical Body.

Afterward, he took out a warm Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch, which was the Legacy brick obtained from the Taihao Elixir Canon.

He immersed a part of his Divine Sense into the Jade Slip, continuing to absorb the vast amount of alchemy knowledge, Cultivation Techniques, essential formulas, and records of strange items within it, all of which were part of his own Foundation.

Another part of his Divine Sense remained immersed in the mysterious Realm of the Spirit Refining Art, constantly reviewing, analyzing, and digesting every insight gained during the two hours of thunder Cultivation.

He deeply imprinted those subtle understandings of thunder and the vague cognitions of destruction and vitality into the deepest parts of his memory, transforming them into true instincts.

The last Divided Soul was used to stabilize the Foundation, which had become unstable due to the rapid increase in Cultivation before.

The next day, when the Formation recovered, he immediately stopped studying the Jade Slip and once again fully devoted himself to the thunder Cultivation, which he both loved and feared.

Days and nights passed unnoticed in the Immortal Cave, seasons changing without him realizing.

Aside from occasionally taking Medicinal Pills to replenish his consumption and drinking some clear water, Lin Jingyu spent almost all his time on this repetitive and frantic Cultivation.

His Physical Body continuously strengthened through destruction and Rebirth, his true essence became purer and more condensed through repeated tempering, and his Divine Sense became tougher and sharper under the baptism of thunder.

Day after day... the lightning flashed incessantly.

Finally, after countless cruel baptisms and reconstructions by thunder, during one astonishingly powerful electric serpent piercing his body, the extreme pain almost tore his Divine Soul apart.

An unprecedented enlightenment, like a flash of lightning cutting through the dark sky, suddenly exploded in his heart.

He saw the tyrannical and ruthless nature of thunder, tearing apart everything and incinerating all things, and also at the core of that ultimate destructive light.

He perceived a faint yet incredibly tenacious opportunity, representing the cleansing of impurities and the birth of new life.

He understood why a spring thunderclap awakens hibernating insects and brings withered trees back to life.

Destruction and new life, death and revival, are inherently two sides of the same cosmic cycle, interdependent and recurring. This is the ultimate truth of the Heavenly Dao.

”Boom!”

Under the combined effect of this deep understanding and countless thunder temperings, the deepest part of his Dantian Qi Sea.

The originally somewhat illusory, perfect Dao Foundation phantom, which was between tangible and intangible, began to vibrate violently, slowly solidifying at a visible speed.

Although it was still as distant as a sea of stars from the truly perfect Foundation Establishment Realm, its Foundation undoubtedly became more robust and solid.

The Dao rhyme it emitted also became more profound and ancient, as if carrying fragments of some supreme Law.

Immediately after, a sudden ”boom” resounded in Lin Jingyu’s mind, as if a purple lightning bolt, splitting heaven and earth, suddenly tore through his undeveloped Sea of Consciousness.

That initially subtle and merely nascent Thunder True Intent suddenly surged, compressed, and condensed frantically.

Finally, it transformed into an incredibly clear, complex, and profound Thunder Origin Imprint, shining with dazzling purple electric light, deeply branded into the core of his Divine Soul!

At this moment, the Thunder True Intent was truly considered to have entered its initial stage, gaining preliminary recognition from the Origin of the Thunder Law in this world.

It was no longer a vague sensation, no longer borrowed power, but had truly become a part of his own Dao Foundation, as easy to command as an arm, and connected by thought.

”Buzz!”

He suddenly opened his eyes, and an inch-long, condensed purple electric light actually shot out from them, like a tangible substance, illuminating the dim cave chamber for an instant.

His aura erupted uncontrollably, a sharp and fierce, yet strangely containing a contradictory pressure of vitality born from destruction, flashed and disappeared.

With a slight thought, he pointed his fingers like a sword, and without even consciously circulating spiritual Qi, fine, net-like purple electric arcs naturally generated out of thin air from his fingertips.

They danced and intertwined joyfully, emitting crackling sounds and heart-pounding explosions, exuding a pure and domineering thunderous aura.

This was not a Spell, but an inherent manifestation of True Intent, integrated into his instincts! Thunder followed his thoughts!

At this moment, he no longer needed to cautiously conserve that weak Thunder True Intent as he did before.

Furthermore, every strand of spiritual Qi within his body seemed to have been imbued with a trace of thunderous attribute. With a thought, it could carry the might of thunder, fierce and violent, dispelling all evil.

His combat power had more than doubled!

”I succeeded...”

Lin Jingyu slowly exhaled a long breath of turbid air, which even carried faint, flickering electric light before dissipating into the air.

He carefully felt the surging power within him, as vast as a tide yet as easily controlled as his limbs, and the pure true essence, condensed like mercury and emitting a faint thunderous glow.

He felt the powerful Physical Body, tempered by countless bolts of thunder and far tougher than those of his peers, as well as the dazzling Thunder Origin Rune deep within his Divine Soul, intertwined with his very life.

A genuinely satisfied smile finally appeared on his face.

The gains from this Cultivation on Thunder Mountain far exceeded his expectations!

He slowly reined in the surging aura around him, and the electric light shooting from his eyes gradually receded, returning to his usual calm.