12: Chapter 12 Cultivation, Advancing One's Realm

When bidding farewell to Chen Nianchu, the warmth of the tea she had handed him still lingered on Zhang Wen's fingertips, but the surging excitement in his heart had already overwhelmed this slight coolness. He almost walked with the wind as he turned into a corner towards a cluster of abandoned old factory buildings. He pulled the rusted iron gate shut behind him with a loud clang, kicking up a cloud of choking dust. This place was filled with broken walls and covered in spiderwebs, making it an excellent secluded spot—after all, the energy fluctuations when absorbing a core were no ordinary matter, and it would inevitably cause trouble if he were stumbled upon by others.

Zhang Wen chose a relatively flat patch of concrete and sat down cross-legged with agile movements. He took a deep breath and traced a half-circle in the air before his chest. That azure Thunder Element Core then floated out from his Storage Pouch, its surface surrounded by dense electrical arcs that sizzled as if countless tiny snakes were slithering around. He focused his mind and calmed his breath, silently activating the Mind-Cultivation Technique mnemonics of the Myriad Force Thunder Guidance. In an instant, an invisible suction force seemed to erupt from within his Dantian.

The thunder-attribute energy within the core was like a flood that had found an outlet, surging frantically along his Meridians. At first, it was just a trickling stream accompanied by a numbing sting, but as the Cultivation Technique accelerated, the energy flood became increasingly turbulent. It felt as if countless claps of thunder were exploding within his blood vessels, causing the veins on his temples to bulge with pain, and cold sweat instantly soaked the clothes on his back. However, Zhang Wen gritted his teeth, and his eyes grew startlingly bright—though this power was violent, it was incredibly pure. Every shred of energy that merged into his limbs and bones was finely polishing and tempering his bones, blood, and even his Divine Soul.

After an unknown amount of time, when that Thunder Element Core turned from a full azure to a dull luster and finally dissipated into a wisp of blue smoke, a muffled roar suddenly echoed from within Zhang Wen's body!

"Boom!"

It was as if a dam that had accumulated a thousand tons of force suddenly burst. A surge of irresistible power rushed from his Dantian straight to the top of his head, then instantly flowed throughout his entire body. He snapped his eyes open, a deep flash of lightning flickering within them, as the air around him was stirred into a whistling frenzy by this power.

"Finally... a Breakthrough!" Zhang Wen slowly stood up and stretched his limbs, his joints letting out a series of crisp pops. He could clearly feel that the power within his body now was more than ten times what it was before. Every movement carried a Thunder Power-filled Aura; let alone dealing with ten of his past selves, even if there were twice as many, he had the confidence to crush them with a single punch!

With a thought, he held his palm upward, and a thick pillar of lightning rose in response. This was his talent, the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder. However, at this moment, the Tribulation Thunder was no longer the previous pale purple, but had turned into a deep, almost ink-like shade. The electrical arcs traveling through it carried a heart-palpitating Aura of destruction, and even the surrounding air was scorched by the lightning, emitting a burnt smell.

"This power..." Zhang Wen smacked his lips in satisfaction. He was just about to test other changes in his new Realm when a mechanical prompt suddenly sounded in his mind:

"Congratulations to the host for reaching the Initial Blooming Realm. You are rewarded with one Newbie Grand Gift Pack, which has been automatically stored in the System Space. Please check it at your convenience."

Zhang Wen's eyes instantly lit up. Before the joy of his Breakthrough could fade, this sudden reward made his heart race. He quickly focused his will and delved into the System Space, where he saw a golden, glowing gift pack lying quietly, as if hiding an immense surprise.

"Heh, this System really knows what I'm thinking." He rubbed his hands together, the corners of his mouth curling up uncontrollably, as he couldn't wait to find out what kind of treasure was hidden inside this gift pack.

Zhang Wen suppressed the churning excitement in his chest. As soon as his consciousness descended, a pale blue semi-transparent light screen manifested out of thin air before his eyes, and the unique cold texture of the System interface washed over him. He tapped the golden, glowing gift pack icon in the Void Realm with his fingertip, waiting almost breathlessly—after all, a Breakthrough gift pack for the Initial Blooming Realm filled him with great anticipation.

With a soft "crack," the gift pack burst open. Amidst the sky-filling golden glow, a line of dazzling, blood-red characters suddenly lit up: "Congratulations to the host for obtaining an SSS-Rank Cultivation Technique—'Thunder Prison Indestructible Body'!"

Immediately after, the detailed explanation of the Cultivation Technique flowed onto the light screen like a stream: "This technique uses lightning to cast the body, drawing in myriad Thunder Power to temper every inch of the Physical Body's texture. Upon reaching the entry level, one can condense the 'Thunder Prison Body Protection' Protective Aura. When activated, thunder arcs travel around the body like churning hellfire. It can increase the power of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder by thirty percent, and also passively reflect twenty percent of damage when hit. Furthermore, it can nourish the Meridians with Thunder Power, slowly recovering consumed thunder-attribute Origin Qi, making it the perfect choice for a battle of attrition."

"Hiss—" Zhang Wen sucked in a breath of cold air, his eyes instantly widening. His pupils seemed to have two clusters of lightning crackling within them. Body-tempering Cultivation Techniques were already a hundred times rarer than ordinary offensive Mind-Cultivation Techniques, let alone a top-tier SSS-Rank one! Although he previously had the Myriad Force Thunder Guidance to control Thunder Power, his Physical Body's strength had always been a weakness. Now, this Thunder Prison Indestructible Body was practically tailor-made for him. With offense, defense, and sustainability all in one, it was simply perfect!

He couldn't contain the wild joy in his heart and tapped the interface rapidly. As soon as the words "Open Cultivation Technique" disappeared, an ancient, jet-black tome with dark gold thunder patterns swirling on its cover floated into his palm out of thin air. Before the pages were even turned, a violent and heavy Aura of thunder rushed toward him, as if he were holding a confined, miniature thunderstorm.

Zhang Wen took a deep breath and quickly composed himself, carefully extending his Divine Sense from his brow into the tome. In an instant, countless profound runes seemed to come to life, surging into his mind along the flood of Divine Sense. They were sets of extremely precise body-tempering route maps, from skin and flesh to muscles and bones, from internal organs to bone marrow, with every location marked with the secrets of drawing lightning for tempering. There were also the condensation methods for the Thunder Prison Body Protection, the force circulation for reflecting damage, the heavenly cycles for Thunder Power recovery... Countless pieces of information were like a bursting dam, impacting his Sea of Consciousness, yet they were strangely orderly, allowing him to clearly capture every detail.

"This... this is simply Heaven-Defying!" Zhang Wen closed his eyes, feeling the cultivation diagrams becoming clear in his mind, his mouth grinning almost from ear to ear. He could imagine that once he mastered this Cultivation Technique, his Physical Body would be like a mobile Thunder Prison fortress. Combined with the dominance of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder, if he encountered a powerful enemy in the future, even if he couldn't beat them outright, he could wear them down to death!

He slowly opened his eyes. The tome in his palm had turned into a streak of light and entered his brow, completely undergoing Fusion with his Divine Sense. At this moment, he only felt his entire blood supply boiling because of that Thunder Power mark, and he wished he could immediately find a thunderstorm to begin Cultivating according to the diagrams.