90: Chapter 90 Success, Tribulation Lightning - Baichuan

To better achieve the Fusion of his two talents, Zhang Wen came to the Secret Realm Hall once again.

Hundreds of Secret Realm jade plaques hung from the dome of the Secret Realm Hall, with flowing light dancing between them, making the cloud-patterned floor tiles flicker with light and shadow.

Zhang Wen stopped in front of a crystal pillar in the corner, his fingertips brushing over the engraving "S-Rank Secret Realm" — this Secret Realm was named "Rift River Abyss."

It was said that the remnants of the convergence between an ancient Thunder Pond and a terrestrial water eye were located within, which was exactly the place he was looking for.

As he injected spiritual power into the jade plaque, a few low chuckles came from nearby.

"Zhang Wen? You're going to brave the Rift River Abyss all by yourself?" The speaker was Student Union Vice President Wang Hao, with whom he had previously had a conflict, followed by two companions.

"This Secret Realm requires the cooperation of three people, and it's best if they are all at the Subtle Realm or higher to pass it steadily. Don't tell me you want to break the record on your own?"

Zhang Wen did not turn back, and the jade plaque already shone with a cyan light. The moment he stepped into the teleportation array, he heard Student Union Vice President Wang Hao sneer.

"I'm afraid he really thinks he's invincible just because he won the New Student Grand Competition last time."

When the sensation of weightlessness faded, a bone-chilling cold wrapped around his limbs first.

Zhang Wen opened his eyes; beneath his feet was a half-frozen river surface, with undercurrents rolling beneath the ice. On the cliff walls above, purple Tribulation Thunder struck down from time to time, smashing against the ice and exploding into spiderweb-like cracks.

He took a deep breath, lightning patterns dancing on his fingertips, and drew down a bolt of Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.

The lightning condensed into a purple-black orb of light in his palm, carrying a destructive pressure.

At the same time, he leaned down and pressed his hand against the ice, mobilizing the momentum of Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean — the water flow beneath the ice instantly boiled, transforming into a silver-blue water Dragon that surged into the air.

"Merge!" Zhang Wen shouted in a low voice, attempting to make the lightning orb and the water Dragon fuse.

But the moment the purple lightning touched the water, it emitted a harsh screeching sound. The water Dragon was smashed to pieces, and the lightning orb also dissipated into electric sparks filling the sky.

The backlash force made him stagger backward, crushing the thin ice beneath his feet.

The cold river water flowed over his ankles. Zhang Wen stared at the residual lightning patterns and water marks on the surface of the water, his brows tightly locked.

Lightning and water are meant to aid each other through "vitality," but the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder carries the violence of the Heavenly Tribulation.

The momentum of Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean hides the heavy stillness of the earth's veins; one wants to break, the other wants to guard, and he simply could not find a fulcrum for balance.

He raised his hand to wipe away the blood from the corner of his lips and once again drew lightning and summoned water.

This time, he tried to slow down the speed of the lightning, letting the water flow wrap around the lightning orb first, but the moment the pliable water flow touched the lightning core, it was instantly evaporated.

When he tried letting the lightning pierce deep into the water flow, it would be neutralized by the soft power of the water, leaving only a faint numbness.

He did not know how much time had passed; the Thunder Pond on the cliff walls became increasingly violent, and the water eyes beneath the ice began to surge, the pressure of the Secret Realm continuously climbing as time went on.

Zhang Wen's spiritual power was more than half depleted, his clothes soaked with sweat and icy water, and his arms were covered in marks from lightning burns and water flow impacts.

However, the Fusion of lightning and water still remained at the "collision" stage and had never truly achieved "symbiosis."

"Boom—" A purple lightning bolt as thick as a bucket slammed down beside him, and the ice surface completely collapsed.

Zhang Wen used the force to leap onto a piece of floating ice, watching the surging torrent beneath his feet and the lightning web interwoven in the air.

Perhaps Fusion was never meant to be a "forced combination," but rather allowing the two powers to find a node where they could benefit each other?

He tried again. This time, he did not deliberately make the lightning and water collide, but instead let the lightning patterns wander along the trajectory of the water flow, letting the water momentum rise and fall with the rhythm of the lightning.

The purple lightning wove through the silver-blue water flow, but just at the moment when they were about to fuse, the violence of the lightning broke through the tolerance of the water, failing once again.

The floating ice shattered beneath his feet, and Zhang Wen used his last bit of spiritual power to mobilize the lightning and water.

He built a temporary barrier in front of him, blocking the last wave of elemental turbulence before the exit of the Secret Realm.

When he staggered out of the Secret Realm, the Elder guarding the exit frowned and recorded.

"Rift River Abyss, solo clearance, took 3 hours, record not broken."

Zhang Wen stood outside the Secret Realm Hall, looking at the sunset in the sky, his fingertips still retaining the burning pain from the collision of lightning and water.

He looked down at the fading lightning patterns in his palm and suddenly smiled — at least this time, he had touched the edge of that "balance."

Perhaps he would succeed soon; he couldn't rush it, he had to take it slowly.

Over the next month, Zhang Wen's figure was almost constantly fixed within various Secret Realms.

He specifically chose to drill into those Secret Realms where lightning and water elements were interwoven, from the ice-lightning river channels of the Rift River Abyss, to the violent lightning deep pools of the Thunder Pond Valley, and then to the living water-lightning veins of the Hidden Dragon Ravine.

He broke through one after another, all to find the opportunity for the Fusion of Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder and Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean.

In the deep pool of the Thunder Pond Valley, he had let Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean induce the pool water to form a vortex, and then injected Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder into it.

At first, the lightning force was fierce and violent, instantly tearing apart the water flow, and the backlash when the vortex collapsed made his Qi and blood surge.

Later, he tried to restrain the lightning power, letting the lightning transform into fine threads, moving along the veins of the water flow.

But the inclusive power of Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean would soften the lightning threads, causing them to lose the dominance of the Tribulation Thunder.

When he arrived at the Hidden Dragon Ravine, he dove into the hundred-meter-deep living water layer, letting the water flow induced by Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean wrap around his entire body, while simultaneously drawing the power of the lightning veins hidden at the bottom of the ravine into his body.

The two forces collided and tore at each other within his Meridians; several times it was so painful he almost fainted, but he always gritted his teeth and refused to stop.

After one bout of intense pain, he suddenly noticed something unusual — when the lightning force traveled to his Dantian, the water momentum of Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean actually spontaneously orbited the lightning core for half a circle.

Although it was only for an instant, it allowed him to capture that fleeting sense of balance.

After that, he became even more focused, adjusting the force of the two talents over and over again in the pure elemental environment of the Secret Realm.

Letting the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder have one part less violence, and letting the Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean have one part more agility.

It was like building a bridge between lightning and water, allowing both to maintain their true nature while being able to borrow each other's strength.

Finally, at the underground river of the "Mist Hidden Marsh," when he once again mobilized the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder.

And simultaneously guided the living water of the underground river with Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean, the purple-black lightning did not tear apart the water flow, and the silver-blue water momentum did not soften the lightning force.

The lightning meandered along the path of the water flow, and the water flow surged while wrapped in the power of the lightning; the two completely different forces were like symbiotic vines.

Intertwining as they rushed out of the water surface, transforming into a light pillar interwoven with lightning and water, piercing straight into the sky.

"It's done..." Zhang Wen looked at the lightning and water patterns stably circulating within the light pillar, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Suddenly, the voice of the System rang in his mind, clear and flat.

"Congratulations to the host for the Fusion of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder and Ten Thousand Rivers Return to the Ocean talents. Rewarding one SSS-rank Cultivation Technique 'Tribulation Thunder · Hundred Rivers', which has been stored in your Divine Sense."

Zhang Wen was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously focused his mind to investigate, and sure enough, he perceived the outline of a Cultivation Technique deep within his Divine Sense.

The words were ancient and simple, yet carried the rhythm of interwoven lightning and water; it was indeed "Tribulation Thunder · Hundred Rivers."

Apart from this, there was no other movement — no sudden surge of power, no strange sensations in his body.

The lightning-water light orb in his palm still maintained its previous state, not a bit more, not an inch less.

He tried to circulate the lightning-water power at his fingertips; it was still the familiar sense of balance, and it had not changed in the slightest due to the appearance of the Cultivation Technique.

It was as if this Cultivation Technique was just a mark lying quietly in his Divine Sense, waiting to be actively studied and refined.

Zhang Wen raised his eyebrows, then immediately felt relieved.

Fusion was inherently a gradual process; no matter how good the Cultivation Technique was, in the end, he still had to ponder and apply it himself.

He thought no more about it, turned, and walked toward the exit of the Secret Realm, his steps a bit lighter — with this Cultivation Technique specifically created for lightning-water Fusion, the road ahead might be walked more steadily.