26: Chapter 26 System Rewards

Upon returning home, Zhang Wen was extremely exhausted from the Secret Realm trip over the past few days, so he greeted his parents and went straight to bed.

Just as his consciousness was about to slip into darkness, a clear, mechanical voice suddenly exploded in his mind:

[Ding—Detected that the host has completed the hidden challenge "Protection and Breakthrough" in the Secret Realm. Overall performance rating: S-Rank.]

[Distributing S-Rank reward package:]

[1. S-Rank Spiritual Artifact—divine resonance piercing thunder spear (Bound)]

[2. Cultivation Technique "Jingzhe Thunder Scripture" Incomplete Manual (Volume 1)]

Zhang Wen opened his eyes abruptly, his fatigue instantly vanishing in his surprise. He sat up with a start, his bangs standing on end.

He blinked in disbelief, tentatively calling out in his mind, "System? Can you say that again?"

[Rewards have been placed in the System space; the host may retrieve them at any time. The divine resonance piercing thunder spear requires Qi to activate, and the "Jingzhe Thunder Scripture" can be loaded directly into the Divine Sense.]

"Hiss—" Zhang Wen gasped, his fingers grasping at the empty air as if trying to touch the nonexistent prize.

A Spiritual Artifact! And an S-Rank one at that! He remembered that the prize of his school's armory was only an A-Rank High Grade, and the top prize for the last district unified exam was merely a C-Rank alloy blade.

B-Rank Spiritual Artifacts could already fetch seven figures on the market, but S-Rank... that was practically legendary, enough to make a small Family rise to power instantly!

He excitedly threw off his blanket and paced around the room, nearly knocking over a chair as he stepped on his tiptoes. "divine resonance piercing thunder spear... the name alone sounds awesome! And an Incomplete Manual for a Cultivation Technique? 'Jingzhe Thunder Scripture'!"

[The host may choose to retrieve the Spiritual Artifact and Cultivation Technique immediately.] The System's voice remained flat and emotionless.

"Retrieve! Retrieve them now!" Zhang Wen rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining as if they held two stars.

The next second, a spear about seven feet long appeared out of thin air in his hand.

The shaft was a dull, dark gold, covered in fine lightning patterns, while the spearhead gleamed with a cold silver light, as if tiny sparks of electricity were flowing at the tip.

As soon as he gripped the shaft, he felt a domineering Thunder Element energy surge from his palm into his Meridians, making his hair stand on end, yet it felt so comfortable he wanted to sigh.

At the same time, a section of obscure text was branded into his Divine Sense; it was the general outline of the "Jingzhe Thunder Scripture".

Zhang Wen only glanced at it for a few moments before feeling his previously stagnant Qi begin to circulate wildly, the barrier of his Budding Peak showing faint signs of loosening.

"Hahaha! System, you are practically my savior!" He hugged the spear and jumped three times on the spot, then suddenly remembered something and quickly reined in his aura—if his parents heard him, they would think a madman had broken into the house.

The moonlight outside the window spilled in through the sheer curtains, landing on the youth's joyful face.

He stroked the cold spear shaft, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.

With this S-Rank Spiritual Artifact and Cultivation Technique, let alone being the Ningjiang college entrance exam top scorer, he was confident he could even take the top spot in the national exam.

Fatigue? It had long since been washed away by this overwhelming stroke of good luck.

Just as dawn broke, Zhang Wen appeared at the city center's Cultivation hall.

He first calmed his heart to polish the Rushing Thunder Delusion Breaking Fist.

The moment he stood firm, his Qi flowed like running water. He executed the first Move, "Startling Thunder Arises," the sharp sound of his fist tearing through the air accompanied by faint rumbles of thunder. The combat intuition honed between life and death in the Secret Realm was quietly integrating into the flow of the Move.

Moving to the second Move, "Thunder Net Locking Truth," his speed suddenly accelerated. His fist shadows were no longer just fast; they wove into an airtight net from tricky angles. As the fist wind swept past, the surrounding Qi particles trembled, as if an invisible Thunder Net had truly unfolded before him, locking down his opponent's evasion space while hiding a follow-up Move that used brute force to break finesse.

"It has more rhythm than before." As Zhang Wen withdrew his fist, the white mist condensing at his fingertips slowly dissipated, and his eyes brightened.

He walked to the combat power tester and pressed against the sensor area. As the device hummed, the data bar soared: when the screen displayed the assessment "Budding Peak (Top Tier), capable of fighting against the Initial Stage of the Formation Realm without falling behind," he simply nodded faintly—this result was expected.

What truly made his heart race was the "Jingzhe Thunder Scripture".

The moment he sat cross-legged, Zhang Wen submerged his Divine Sense into the Cultivation Technique Incomplete Manual.

Ancient runes seemed to come alive, surging into his Sea of Consciousness along with his intent, every word and sentence revealing the domineering nature of the Thunder Element Cultivation Technique.

"Thunder is the pivot of heaven and earth; when it Moves, all things awaken." This opening sentence made his heart tremble, and the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder within him seemed to have found its home, surging according to the guidance of the scripture.

Guiding the flow of power was initially somewhat sluggish, but when the runes and his Qi resonated completely, a vast force suddenly exploded—it felt as if thousands of lightning snakes were moving through his Meridians, bringing a mix of stinging pain and comfort, while his bones emitted a faint hum, as if being tempered by lightning.

He clearly felt the barrier of his Budding Peak loosening slightly under the impact of the power, ready to crack at any moment.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Wen opened his eyes abruptly, the Lightning Radiance in his gaze causing the air to smell burnt.

He lifted his hand and clenched it, condensing an inch of lightning thread in his palm that scorched a tiny black mark on the floor.

"This Cultivation Technique..." he whispered to himself, the lingering numbness of lightning on his fingertips, while his heart was stirred by turbulent waves.

It was not just an increase in power, but more importantly, an understanding of "Thunder"—it was as if what he held in his hand now was not just a fist, but the vitality and majesty of the heaven and earth awakening.

The moment he withdrew his fist, Zhang Wen felt the surging Thunder Power within him, and a confident arc appeared on the corners of his lips.

With his Budding Peak cultivation base, combined with the qualitative change in his Qi brought by the "Jingzhe Thunder Scripture," and the trump card of the divine resonance piercing thunder spear, he was fully confident he could fight—or even defeat—an opponent at the Initial Stage of the Formation Realm.

"The Formation Realm... doesn't seem that far out of reach."

He flexed his wrists, lightning threads flickering at his fingertips, but the next second, this high-spirited mood turned into a gentle concern, "Sigh, I wonder how Siyi is doing now."

At the same time, in the Ding Family Cultivation room.

Ding Siyi sat cross-legged on the floor covered with a Spiritual Plant mat, the pink-purple flames swirling around her body several times denser than usual, as if she were wrapped in a layer of flowing rosy clouds.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, and fine beads of sweat beaded on her forehead. A few strands of her ponytail had come loose, sticking to her flushed cheeks, making her look a bit disheveled but also adding a touch of stubbornness.

"Just a little bit more..." She bit her lower lip, and the Crimson Pearl Immortal Fire in her palm suddenly surged, enveloping a piece of red Ore floating in front of her.

That was the "Melting Heart Stone" she had found in the volcanic belt of the Secret Realm, and she was currently using the Crimson Pearl Immortal Fire to extract the Fire Element energy within it, hoping to use it to break through to the Late Stage.

The crackling sound of the flames burning the Ore was exceptionally clear in the quiet room. She could feel that the Immortal Fire within her was several times stronger than before she entered, especially after absorbing that thousand-year-old Jiangzhu Spiritual Plant; the flames now had a hint of the resilience of vegetation, though it was still somewhat sluggish when circulating.

"Zhang Wen must be secretly working hard again." She suddenly chuckled, and the flames in her palm softened a little, "When I break through, I'll go find him for a spar and let him see the power of my Crimson Pearl Immortal Fire..."

As she spoke, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes again.

In her Sea of Consciousness, the pink-purple flames gently enveloped the Melting Heart Stone, refining and absorbing the energy within it bit by bit.

Sunlight from outside the window filtered through the carved lattice, landing on her serene profile. The flames reflected on her slightly flushed earlobes, giving her a touch of moving, charming innocence that was even more pronounced than usual, and her cultivation base advanced to the Late Stage.