13: Chapter 13 Lightning Vine Seedlings

The night was as dark as ink, with only the bean-sized halo of a bronze oil lamp flickering in the corner of the Quiet Room.

Lin Xuan did not sleep; instead, he immersed all his focus into his Sea of Consciousness, monitoring the changes within the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

The dying thunder-attracting vine seedling was placed in a corner of the barren sandy land.

Several days passed, and under the influence of the spirit control tower's own faint energy, which seemed to possess some sort of nourishing power for the Origin, its grayish-purple stem did not continue to wither; instead, it barely managed to maintain a sliver of vitality.

A few curled leaves unfurled slightly. Although the charred edges had not faded, the faint purple Spiritual Qi deep within the leaf veins was a tiny, imperceptible bit brighter than when it was first moved in.

The change was extremely slow, so slow that it was almost impossible to detect without careful observation.

But this was enough to set Lin Xuan's mind at ease—as long as it could survive, there was hope.

He withdrew from his internal vision and began his nightly, unwavering practice of the Qi Guiding Art.

As the Cultivation Technique circulated, the Spiritual Qi within his Dantian slowly moved, absorbing the thin and elusive Thunder Spiritual Energy in the air.

Due to the limitations of his Spiritual Root Aptitude, most of the attracted Spiritual Qi dissipated before entering his body, and the amount that could truly be refined was very little.

Just as he was focused on guiding a wisp of Thunder Spiritual Energy that he had managed to introduce into his Meridians, a strange sensation suddenly came from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.

The spirit control tower, that ancient, suspended tower shadow, had actually produced an extremely faint resonance with the circulation of the Thunder Spiritual Energy in his Dantian—a resonance that would be impossible to detect if not for their spiritual connection!

What surprised him even more was that within the space inside the tower, the thunder-attracting vine seedling seemed to have been awakened by this resonance; its few leaves moved without wind, and the flow of the faint purple Spiritual Qi within its leaf veins accelerated.

With it as the center, those even thinner and more violent Thunder Spiritual Energy factors in the air, which had dissipated due to Lin Xuan's Cultivation and were not fully absorbed, were actually being attracted and gathered bit by bit!

Although the amount gathered was minuscule, and it was converted into nutrients for its own growth after being absorbed by the thunder-attracting vine.

Yet, in this process of absorption and emission, the thin-to-the-point-of-nonexistence Spiritual Qi within the originally dead and barren space inside the tower seemed to have gained a trace of an extremely faint, yet relatively "docile" Thunder-attribute aura!

This change was too subtle; if Lin Xuan were not the master of the spirit control tower, he would never have been able to perceive it. Yet, he keenly captured this slight difference.

"The thunder-attracting vine... it can actually indirectly absorb the energy that dissipates when I Cultivate through my connection with the spirit control tower, and nourish the space in return?"

Lin Xuan was shaken. This meant that as his Cultivation level improved and the thunder-attracting vine grew, the environment within the Spirit-Taming Tower Space might gradually improve!

It might even be possible to transform it into a place suitable for Thunder-attribute creatures to Cultivate in the future!

This discovery greatly boosted his spirits. In the following days, he Cultivated even more diligently.

Whenever he operated his Cultivation Technique, he would divert a wisp of his focus to monitor the changes inside the tower.

The gathering effect of the thunder-attracting vine was indeed weak, but many a little makes a mickle; after a few days, the trace of Thunder Spiritual Energy in the space had indeed become an insignificant bit denser.

The changes were not limited to the space. The Herb-Seeking Mouse, which stayed in the tower for long periods and was occasionally let out by Lin Xuan for fresh air, also seemed to have been affected by this micro-Thunder environment.

At the roots of its grayish-brown fur, a very faint purple luster was vaguely visible, which was almost imperceptible without close inspection.

What was more obvious was that its sensitivity to the Thunder-attribute aura seemed to have improved by a notch.

Once, when Lin Xuan was holding a piece of almost depleted lightning-struck stone debris, the Herb-Seeking Mouse became restless from a zhang away; this would have been impossible before.

With the indirect, weak "nourishing" assistance of the thunder-attracting vine, coupled with his persistent "stone and herb combined" method, Lin Xuan's Cultivation finally made progress again.

Half a month later, the Thunder Spiritual Energy in his Dantian had accumulated to eighteen strands. Although it was still a long way from the thirty-six strands required for Level 1 Qi Refining, every step forward made his Foundation more solid.

With a slight improvement in his Cultivation, Lin Xuan began to shift some of his energy to practicing Spells.

While accumulating Spiritual Qi, Cultivators at the Qi Refinement Stage also needed to master corresponding Spells to protect their Dao.

Previously, at the Dharma Transmission Pavilion on Emerald Bamboo Peak, he had used his identity Jade Slip and meager contribution points to exchange for the Jade Slips of the three most basic and highly demanded Spells: the Wind Control Technique, the Lightning Strike Technique, and the Golden Armor Technique.

The Wind Control Technique was the Foundation of movement techniques for controlling airflow to assist in movement and evasion. Although it could not allow one to truly ride the wind and fly, practicing it to proficiency could significantly improve speed and agility.

The Lightning Strike Technique was the most basic Thunder-attribute attack Spell; it involved condensing Thunder Spiritual Energy at the fingertips or palms and firing it out, with its power depending on the strength of the Spiritual Qi and the precision of control.

The Golden Armor Technique involved using Spiritual Qi to condense a simple layer of Spiritual Qi armor in front of oneself; its defensive power was limited, but it might save one's life in a critical moment.

When exchanging, the Deacon Disciple guarding the Dharma Transmission Pavilion took a look at the Lightning Strike Technique Lin Xuan had chosen and rarely offered a reminder: "Thunder-attribute Spells have decent power, but they consume a lot of Spiritual Qi and are not easy to control. Your Spiritual Qi is shallow, so you must be extra careful when practicing, lest you injure your Meridians."

The tone was flat, but it was still a sign of goodwill. Lin Xuan thanked him respectfully.

In the bamboo forest clearing behind his small courtyard, Lin Xuan practiced every day.

The Wind Control Technique was relatively easy to learn, mainly requiring the coordination of Spiritual Qi circulation with footsteps and breathing.

He tried again and again to mobilize his weak Spiritual Qi, infusing it into his legs and feeling the lift of the airflow.

At first, he often felt powerless or unbalanced, but after falling a few times, he gradually got the hang of it. Although he was still far from being as fast as the wind, he was already much lighter and more agile in his movements than simply running.

The Lightning Strike Technique was much more difficult. Compressing the violent Thunder Spiritual Energy, guiding it to his fingertips, and releasing it stably required extremely strong control.

The first few times, the Thunder Spiritual Energy would either run wild in his Meridians, making him grimace in pain;

or it would fail to form at his fingertips and dissipate, only emitting a small puff of electric sparks;

When he finally managed to release it once, a crooked, hair-thin, faint purple electric light shot out three feet before dissipating; its power couldn't even pierce a single bamboo leaf.

But he was neither impatient nor anxious; every time he practiced, he was fully focused, carefully experiencing the subtle differences in the flow of Spiritual Qi. Gradually, he found some feeling, and the success rate and stability of his releases slowly improved.

The armor condensed by the Golden Armor Technique was as thin as a cicada's wing, and while it lasted for a very short time, the consumption was not small.

Lin Xuan knew this was because his Spiritual Qi was insufficient and he was not proficient enough, so he did not force it; he just practiced diligently every day, ensuring he could use it in a critical moment.