100: Return to Xuanlei Island and practice breakthrough

Xuanlei Island. Two years later, Lin Feng's (Lin Feng's alias) figure once again pierced through the thick, perennially unmoving layer of thunderclouds surrounding the island and set foot on this familiar land.

The island was still shrouded in dull thunder, and the air was filled with a strong ozone scent and violent thunderous power. The natural thunder field in the central area, with silver snakes dancing wildly and electric light raging, seemed even more active than he remembered.

However, before Lin Feng could carefully experience this familiar yet strange environment—

“Squeak, squeak, squeak! Chirp, chirp, chirp!!”

A golden light, moving at extreme speed, shot out like lightning from a dense ironwood forest deep within the island, carrying a monstrous amount of resentment, and accurately slammed into Lin Feng’s chest!

Lin Feng's current Cultivation and Divine Sense were far beyond what they once were, but he did not dodge, merely watching the golden light with a smile.

Bang!

With a muffled thud, the golden light hit his solid chest, was slightly bounced back, and revealed its true form—it was none other than the Treasure Seeking Rat, Yin Bao, whose entire body was golden, with sleek, shiny fur, and a physique that was more than a circle fatter than two years ago!

The little fellow showed no joy of reunion at this moment. Instead, he stood up on his hind legs at Lin Feng's feet, his two small paws on his round waist, his black, mung bean-sized eyes wide open, filled with endless grievance, anger, and accusation! He tilted his small head back and unleashed a rapid, sharp, and melodious torrent of rat-speak at Lin Feng:

“Squeak! Chirp, chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp!!”

(Translation: You heartless scoundrel! You utterly heartless one! You finally remembered to come back?! Two years! A full two years, three months, and eighteen days! Do you know how I spent these more than seven hundred days and nights?! Huh?!)

“Squeak, chirp! Chirp, squeak, squeak!”

(Stuck on this broken island, thunder rumbling like crazy, not even a single soul to talk to! I'm almost sick of eating spirit fruits! That stupid queen bee just buzzes and makes honey all day, it's so boring!)

“Chirp!!!”

(Do you have another rat outside?! Were you bewitched by some vixen, forgetting that there's a cute little Treasure Seeking Rat at home, crying for food, looking forward to your return, and keeping herself pure for you?!)

“Squeak, squeak, squeak… chirp…”

(As he cursed, perhaps due to overwhelming emotion, or perhaps genuinely feeling wronged, the little fellow's voice actually became tearful, his bright black eyes misted over, and his small nose twitched. He looked exactly like a little resentful wife abandoned by a heartless man, guarding an empty room for two years!)

Lin Feng looked at its dramatic yet adorably amusing appearance, and the slight sense of estrangement from their long separation instantly vanished, replaced by warmth and a helpless amusement. He squatted down, extended his index finger, and gently tapped the Treasure Seeking Rat Yin Bao's damp little nose.

“Alright, alright, it's my fault, I was wrong,” Lin Feng's voice carried a gentleness and smile he didn't even notice himself. “There were too many things outside, and I got delayed. See? Haven't I returned? And I've brought you lots and lots of good things you've never eaten before.”

As he spoke, he pulled out several jade boxes he had prepared from his Storage Pouch. Upon opening them, they revealed several spirit fruits brimming with Spiritual Qi and emitting an enticing, unusual fragrance—there were "fire pattern pepper" (though spicy, full of Spiritual Qi) obtained from the Golden Scale Merchant Guild, several special spirit fruits gifted by the Liu family, and even a small, carefully cut piece of dried Yao Beast meat containing rich Qi and blood.

The rich, unusual aroma instantly conquered the Treasure Seeking Rat Yin Bao's small nose. His tearful, resentful expression instantly froze. He sniffed hard, his eyes widened even more, staring intently at the delicacies in the jade boxes, almost drooling. The inner struggle was clearly written on his face: should he continue to maintain his aloof, angry posture, or succumb to the power of delicious food?

Ultimately… the foodie's instinct triumphed over his acting.

“Chirp!” He let out a short, excited squeak, then hugged a fire pattern pepper larger than his body, buried his small head in it and gnawed. He was instantly so spicy that he hissed and stuck out his tongue, yet he couldn't bear to let go. His comical appearance made Lin Feng burst into laughter.

After pacifying the Treasure Seeking Rat Yin Bao, Lin Feng's gaze swept across the island. The simple protective Formation he had set up before leaving was still intact, and the spiritual plants he had planted were growing quite well, thanks to Xuanlei Island's unique environment and the occasional Rain Prayer he performed to nourish them.

The ironwood forest was denser and thicker, and several first-order "thunder-struck wood" saplings had shot up significantly, with tiny electric arcs flickering on their leaves. Even more surprising to him was that the Azure Jade Spirit Peach Tree he had transplanted was now lush and leafy, with over a dozen verdant, spirit-filled spiritual peaches hanging from its branches, clearly not far from ripening.

“Good, good.” Lin Feng nodded with satisfaction. He didn't rest, immediately setting to work, taking out various spiritual plant seeds and branches he had acquired during his travels.

The branches of the "Dao-Containing Ancient Tea" exchanged from the Liu family were carefully planted by him next to a spiritual eye, where the island's Spiritual Qi was densest, near the edge of the thunder field but not directly struck by lightning. He set up layers of Spirit Gathering and protective Restrictions, and even luxuriously buried more than a dozen Mid-Grade Spirit Stones as nourishment.

“Rain Prayer!”

With a thought, Divine Power -1!

Above the island, dense, life-filled green clouds instantly gathered! This time, the clouds seemed even more condensed than before, and their scope was wider, encompassing the newly opened spiritual fields and all the spiritual plants! A gentle drizzle of green spiritual liquid fell silently, precisely nourishing every inch of land, every spiritual plant!

Under the nourishment of the sweet dew, the newly sown seeds broke through the soil and sprouted tender shoots at a visible speed; the newly planted tea tree branches burst with vitality, and the two tender leaves at their tips slowly unfurled, shimmering with faint traces of Dao charm; the azure jade spiritual peach and crimson flame jujube pear trees greedily absorbed the spiritual liquid, their branches and leaves becoming even more verdant, and their Spiritual Qi even more abundant…

One rain of sweet dew saved several years of hard work!

In the days that followed, Lin Feng completely settled down and began his secluded Cultivation on Xuanlei Island.

Every dawn and midnight, when the power of the thunder field was most active or purest, he would delve into the edge of the thunder field, circulate the Ming Wang Purgatory Skill, and draw the power of thunder into his body!

Every day, as soon as the sky began to turn a fish-belly white, and undercurrents surged beneath the sea surface, nurturing the first ray of purple Qi, Lin Feng's figure would already appear at the outer edge of the central thunder field of the island.

Here, the free-floating electric ions in the air made his hair stand on end, and the deafening thunder was no longer a dull rumble from afar, but a deafening explosion close at hand. Each boom made his internal organs tremble faintly. On the ground, charred pits were everywhere, marks left by the violent thunder.

Lin Feng removed his upper robe, revealing his strong upper body, though not bulky, with distinct lines and explosive power. He took a deep breath of the air, heavy with the smell of ozone, his eyes as firm as iron, and stepped into the edge of the thunder field.

“Draw thunder, Body Tempering!” He muttered inwardly, and the Ming Wang Purgatory Skill roared into operation. The Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Spiritual Qi in his Dantian was like ignited dynamite, instantly surging towards his limbs and bones. A faint earthy yellow halo appeared on the surface of his skin, with faint rock-like patterns emerging.

Almost at the moment he circulated his Cultivation Technique—

Crack!

A twisted, silver electric snake, as thick as a child's arm, like an enraged ancient thunder spirit, tore through the air, carrying an aura of destruction, and slammed down! Its speed was so fast that there was no time to dodge!

“Ugh!” Lin Feng grunted, his body trembling violently! The thunder struck precisely on his spine! The instantaneous sharp pain was as if thousands of red-hot steel needles simultaneously pierced his bone marrow, or as if he had been violently struck by an invisible giant hammer, almost making his vision go black and causing him to faint!

His skin instantly charred and carbonized, emitting a pungent burnt smell. But he endured the excruciating pain, frantically circulating the Rock Body Tempering Art, guiding the violent and rampant thunderous power, like taming a runaway wild horse, forcibly integrating it into his own flesh and blood, Meridians, and even bones!

Crackling! A subtle but dense crackling sound came from within his body. That was the thunderous power destroying the old, relatively fragile tissue structures, and then, under the effect of the Cultivation Technique, using them as nourishment to stimulate the growth of stronger, more vibrant new tissues!

Each destruction and Rebirth was accompanied by unimaginable pain, but it also made his physique visibly stronger at a visible speed.

This was just the beginning.

After one bolt of thunder, there was often a second, a third… He was like a human lightning rod, attracting the relatively weaker, yet sufficient to temper Foundation Establishment Cultivators, scattered thunder from the thunder field. His body turned red from constant twitching and trembling, like a cooked shrimp. Sweat evaporated from his pores as soon as it seeped out due to the high temperature, and his body was covered in a layer of grime mixed with carbon ash and salt stains.

Two hours later, when the sunlight completely dispelled the sea fog, Lin Feng staggered out of the thunder field's edge. Smoke rose from his body, and many areas of his skin were charred and cracked, oozing tiny blood beads, but his eyes were astonishingly bright. He could clearly feel that the power contained deep within his flesh and blood had solidified further, and his resistance to thunder had also increased slightly.

When night fell deeply and the starlight dimmed, the thunder on Xuanlei Island not only did not cease, but became purer and more restrained. The thunder at this time had less of the violent flamboyance of the daytime, and more of a subtle and penetrating quality.

Lin Feng came to the thunder field again, this time sitting cross-legged on a relatively flat, charred boulder. What he was circulating was no longer the Ming Wang Purgatory Skill, but his main Cultivation Technique, the Overturning Sea Sword Art.

The thunderous power at midnight was more focused on tempering Spiritual Qi than on strengthening the Physical Body.

He relaxed his body and mind, no longer deliberately resisting, but instead used his Divine Sense as a guide, carefully drawing in wisps and strands of pure but cold night thunder Qi, like a sponge absorbing water, into his Dantian Qi Sea.

This process was equally dangerous.

The night thunder Qi was bone-chillingly cold, yet it carried the unique dominance of thunder. A slight carelessness could freeze his Meridians, or even cause his Spiritual Qi to riot. Lin Feng was fully concentrated, his Divine Sense highly focused, meticulously controlling every wisp of the foreign energy entering his body, slowly refining it, removing its violent nature, leaving only the purest essence of thunder to merge into his own liquid Spiritual Qi lake.

In his Dantian, the originally calm liquid Spiritual Qi, under the continuous infusion and tempering of the night thunder Qi, was like ice cubes thrown in, stirring up layers of ripples, constantly churning, compressing, and purifying. The total amount of Spiritual Qi grew slowly, but every drop of spiritual liquid became heavier and more condensed, shimmering with faint, imperceptible silver electric arcs, its quality far surpassing that of Cultivators of the same stage.

Every other day was the time to check the results of his Cultivation and harvest "resources."

Lin Feng would choose the afternoon, when the Yang Qi was strongest and Yao Beasts were relatively active, to come to the rocky beach at the edge of the island. He calmed his mind, his consciousness sinking into his Sea of Consciousness, and activated the Jushou Divine Ability.

Divine Power -1!