Chapter 31: Thunder Spirit Root

"Look, thunderclouds! Someone's about to undergo tribulation!" a male disciple shouted excitedly.

Within the secret realm, disciples resting in a dense forest all lifted their heads to gaze at the sky.

"That's right, it's definitely thunderclouds! Do you think it could be Senior Sister Ruyan? She already succeeded in building her foundation—could she be about to break through to the Golden Core stage?" a curious female disciple asked.

"It can't be anyone else. Senior Sister Ruyan is the personal disciple of the Daoist Sovereign Xuanqing. Let's hurry and take a look—the clouds are that way," another male disciple replied, his voice trembling with excitement.

So, this group of disheveled disciples from various sects rushed toward the thunderclouds together.

In recent days, they had encountered many spirit beasts within the secret realm. Though these creatures were not as powerful as the giant serpent, they were equally ferocious. And since these disciples had only recently entered their sects and their cultivation was still shallow, their journey had been fraught with hardship. Their talents, too, could not compare to Jiang Yan's, so their progress was naturally much slower.

After days of fierce battles, they had not only witnessed the sacrifice of their fellow disciples, but had also suffered their own wounds, forcing them to stop here to rest and heal.

When they arrived near Jiang Yan's location, the sight that greeted them was one they would never forget.

Some disciples, unaccustomed to such spectacles, stood with mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

"That's Jiang Yan! He’s the one facing tribulation!" a female disciple recognized him at a glance.

No sooner had she spoken than the first bolt of lightning split the sky and struck Jiang Yan.

The electric current coursed through him, leaving his whole body numb, but such force was nowhere near enough to break his chains.

Jiang Yan raised a single middle finger to the heavens and taunted, "Is that all you've got? Are you just scratching an itch?"

The thunder roared louder, and the disciples around him quickly covered their ears.

"Has Jiang Yan lost his mind?" a male disciple asked, confused.

"Who knows? Maybe all geniuses are a little odd," another replied, tapping his own temple for emphasis.

As Jiang Yan endured three bolts in quick succession, the thunderclouds gave him no respite.

The crowd watched as his body shook violently with each strike.

"Good heavens, that's terrifying!"

"That's already the fourth bolt. Isn't it supposed to be only three for the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"Could it be that Jiang Yan is facing the Golden Core tribulation? That would mean nine bolts!"

Under the unrelenting assault, Jiang Yan's body trembled, but he could sense the chains within him still held strong.

"Jiang Yan, should I pull you back?" Bai Tao called out.

Jiang Yan shook his head and continued to provoke the thunderclouds. "Is this all you can do? Are you even trying?"

This time, the tribulation was truly enraged. It would show this impudent human its might!

The sky thickened with even greater thunderclouds, and the thunder crashed five times, each more deafening than the last. Five bolts fell in rapid succession upon Jiang Yan.

He convulsed violently, his hair standing on end, his face blackened as if charred. He felt his energy surging erratically, pain stabbing through him. He spat a mouthful of blood and closed his eyes tightly.

The thunderclouds had yet to disperse, and no one dared approach. Still, they began to murmur among themselves.

"Why isn't he moving? Is he dead?" a female disciple who harbored affection for Jiang Yan asked tearfully.

"He's definitely alive; his chest is still rising and falling," a sharp-eyed male disciple replied.

"Why haven't the clouds dispersed? Wasn't that the ninth bolt already?" another wondered aloud.

Seeing Jiang Yan's condition, Bai Tao immediately dragged him back within the protective barrier of the secret realm's heart using a tree branch.

The onlookers were puzzled by Bai Tao's actions.

"Jiang Yan, are you all right?" Bai Tao asked, worry plain on his face.

Jiang Yan rested for a moment, then retrieved a bottle of healing pills from his storage pouch and swallowed several at once.

"I… I need to rest a while," he said, then sat in meditation to regulate his breath. When he checked within, he found that two chains had broken. Apparently, being struck by lightning was effective after all.

But the tribulation was furious that Jiang Yan had sought shelter. The thunder rolled again, as if forcing him to come out.

"Dragon Lord, do you know what's going on? Why hasn't the tribulation ended after nine bolts?" Bai Tao turned to the little dwarf dragon.

The little dragon answered, "Because there's still heavenly lightning! Jiang Yan skipped his original tribulation and broke straight through to the Golden Core. The laws of heaven will not permit that, so not only must he endure the tribulation he was meant to face, there will also be heavenly lightning to reckon with."

Jiang Yan heard the little dragon's words and felt a surge of anticipation—he still had chains to break. What was there to fear? Not even heavenly lightning could scare him.

Once his energy had recovered, he walked back toward the tribulation. The moment he stepped outside the barrier, another bolt struck him without warning.

The power of this heavenly lightning was immense, far greater than any before. Clearly, the laws of heaven were truly enraged.

Suddenly, Jiang Yan heard Xiaoxue's delighted voice, "Master, congratulations—you've broken another chain."

Jiang Yan could feel the energy within him growing even stronger. He struggled to sit up cross-legged, then raised a middle finger to the sky. "Come on, then. You think I'm afraid?"

No sooner had he spoken than another bolt came crashing down, but this time, Jiang Yan almost seemed to relish it, as if he were enjoying the baptism of lightning.

"Master, congratulations! You've gained the Lightning Spirit Root," Xiaoxue called out in excitement.

A Lightning Spirit Root? That meant he now possessed six spiritual roots! Was this not a stroke of extraordinary fortune? Apart from the Wind and Ice roots, he now had them all.

"Did any chains break this time?" Jiang Yan asked Xiaoxue in his spiritual sea.

"Not this time, Master," she replied regretfully.

"Ah, well. I suppose I'll have to wait for the next opportunity," Jiang Yan said with a sigh.

As the thunderclouds finally dispersed, the others crowded forward to offer their congratulations.

"Jiang Yan, you're incredible! You've already reached the Golden Core stage!"

"Yes, you must be the first among us new disciples to break through so quickly!"

"Truly a genius!"

Jiang Yan was a little embarrassed by the praise. "Hehe, you're too kind. I only advanced so fast because of diligent cultivation."

Because of his words, a seed of hard work was planted in everyone's hearts. In the days to come, the world of cultivation would become even more competitive. When asked why, they'd say: If even geniuses work this hard, what excuse do we have not to?

Jiang Yan found these disciples rather endearing. He realized that they were all living, breathing people—not mere cardboard cutouts, nor NPCs in a game.

"Jiang Yan, we've decided to leave the secret realm. What about you?" a female disciple asked shyly, hoping she might travel with him.

Before she had finished, her senior sister knocked her on the head. "What are you saying? We still have to wait for Senior Sister Ruyan and Senior Brother Ziyun!"

"Sorry, I plan to stay and train a few more days," Jiang Yan declined gently.

He had overheard—tsk tsk—Lin Ruyan had already cozied up to Li Ziyun, the fourth male lead? If the two were alone together, who knew what sparks might fly?

But he quickly put aside his gossipy thoughts. He had no desire to run into Lin Ruyan.

"Come on, Bai Tao, Little Dragon," he said.

With that, he took out his motorcycle, and the two of them, plus the dragon, sped away.