210: Thunder Pool

"The Heavenly Thunder Pool! Everyone in the Xuan Lei Sect goes there to Cultivate thunder techniques, but they mostly stay on the outskirts. This is because the closer you get to the center of the pool, the stronger the Power of Thunder becomes. Ordinary Disciples cannot get too close; they only dare to slowly move forward once their strength reaches a certain level."

"So that's how it is! That's great then. No one needs to fight over it; we Cultivate based on our own strength. Whoever is stronger can move further forward."

Seeing how full of confidence he was, Lei Ming still threw some cold water on him, saying, "Even though you've forged a Thunder Body, the power of the thunder pool will be even more terrifying than you imagine. It will still be quite difficult to enter the more central areas of the Heavenly Thunder Pool. You'll understand once you get there. First, go handle the entry procedures for new Disciples, collect your Disciple uniform, token, and such."

"Alright!"

Jiang Ye was very excited right now; the Heavenly Thunder Pool was definitely a good place for cultivation. Thus, he followed a Sect deacon to the new Disciple registration office to handle the relevant entry procedures.

Just as they arrived at the registration office, the deacon handling the procedures asked, "Whose lineage are you joining, and what rank of Disciple are you?"

Jiang Ye was suddenly a bit dazed. When Lei Ming recruited him, he hadn't mentioned whether he would be an Inner Sect or Elite Disciple!

"Uh... I'm joining under Vice Sect Master Lei Ming. I'm at the Seventh Stage of the Heaven Realm. What kind of Disciple can I be?"

"Hmm? You're the new Disciple Vice Sect Master Lei personally went out to recruit? Didn't he tell you whether you'd be an Inner Sect or Outer Sect Disciple?"

"No, but it doesn't matter. As long as I can enter the thunder pool to Cultivate, inner or outer doesn't matter!"

The deacon laughed, "Haha, that's not the same! Disciples of each rank have their own cultivation areas. Otherwise, if some low-strength Disciples entered the Heavenly Thunder Pool and wandered around without the protection of a Magic Array, they could be blasted into ashes by the Power of Thunder at any moment."

"I see. I reckon with my strength I can be an Inner Sect Disciple. Just issue me an Inner Sect Disciple token."

A third-stage Xuan Venerable Realm Inner Sect Disciple happened to be passing by. Hearing his words, he mocked, "A mere Heaven Realm like you wants to be an Inner Sect Disciple? Aren't you dreaming!"

Jiang Ye turned to glance at him, roughly guessing his strength. With a flash of inspiration, he said, "Senior Brother, if I can settle you in one move, can I become an Inner Sect Disciple?"

"What a joke! You, a Heaven Realm, settling me in one move?" The Venerable Realm Disciple was instantly enraged by such contempt.

Jiang Ye then said to the deacon, "Deacon, if I can settle him in one move, it should prove I possess Venerable Realm strength. Combined with the fact that I was personally recruited by Vice Sect Master Lei, granting me Inner Sect Disciple status shouldn't be making things too difficult for you, right?"

"Hahaha, then you two go ahead and have a little sparring match."

If it were said that a Heaven Realm could exchange a few moves with a Venerable Realm, he might believe it. But for a Heaven Realm to settle a third-stage Venerable Realm in one move, he couldn't believe it no matter what.

The Venerable Realm Disciple also said with disdain, "Then I'll give you a free move. Let's see how you settle me in one blow, hahaha!!"

At that moment, the sizzling sound of electricity rang out. A thunderball glowed in Jiang Ye's hand, continuously condensing and growing larger.

Everyone else present was shocked. Few Elite Disciples could reach this level, and the power of the thunderball in his hand was not only growing in size but also continuously becoming stronger!!

When the Venerable Realm Disciple saw the thunderball in his hand, which had grown larger than a human head in just a few breaths, cold sweat instantly poured down his back! This power wouldn't just settle him; it would blast him into oblivion.

The deacon handling the entry procedures also feared an accident and hurriedly said, "Stop! There's no need to compete. You'll kill him. Come over and I'll issue your Inner Sect Disciple token!"

Jiang Ye withdrew the thunderball and cupped his hands, "Thank you, Deacon!"

The deacon's previous attitude of disdain was gone, replaced by a smile of admiration. "Hahaha, someone who could make Vice Sect Master Lei personally recruit them is indeed extraordinary!"

"It's nothing. It just so happens that I also practice thunder techniques!"

Jiang Ye didn't want to be too high-profile and attract attention; he just wanted to finish the procedures and leave. He had to develop low-key for a while. He was only at the Heaven Realm; in such a massive Sect, relationships were bound to be intricate. If he offended someone with a powerful background, they could send a King Realm expert to crush him at any time.

Taichu Sect

Inside the main hall's meeting room, Xu Jiang said, "Zhang Liu, look at the fine mess you've made as Vice Sect Master! You drove away a Disciple who possessed an Emperor Realm Legacy, and his Realm had even reached the Xuan Saint Realm Fifth Stage. You'd better find a way to explain this to the Old Ancestors!"

Zhang Liu said dismissively, "He's just a mere Disciple. Just make him crawl back and hand over the Emperor Realm Legacy. What's all the fuss about?"

"Fine! Then you go to the Xuan Lei Sect and call him back. Otherwise, you can explain it to the Old Ancestors yourself!"

"You..." Zhang Liu frowned. He hadn't expected Xu Jiang to take the initiative. The people of the Xuan Lei Sect were not easy to deal with; not only did every one of them have a fiery temper, but they were also notoriously overbearing.

The next day

Zhang Liu had no choice but to bite the bullet and lead several Elders to the Xuan Lei Sect to negotiate with them and have Tian Hao returned to the Taichu Sect.

Inside a reception room of the Xuan Lei Sect

Grand Elder Liu Gang received Zhang Liu and the others. "Vice Sect Master Zhang, you might have made this trip in vain. We have an agreement with that Disciple to protect him for three years! If he is unwilling to leave, we cannot allow you to take action against him within the Xuan Lei Sect."

Zhang Liu said, "Elder Liu, he is but a single Disciple. Why damage the harmony between our two forces over this?"

"Hahaha, that's not how it works. Since we gave him our word, we must keep our promise. If we go back on our word, the reputation of my Xuan Lei Sect would be ruined!"

"Our Taichu Sect's three Old Ancestors are already aware of this matter. I don't think it's necessary for it to escalate to figures of their level coming here to negotiate, is it?"

Liu Gang heard the threat in his words and said disdainfully, "Hehe, my Xuan Lei Sect is not much inferior to your Taichu Sect. Even if your Old Ancestors come, the result will be the same. If there's nothing else, please leave. There's no need to continue wasting time."

"You... fine, we're leaving!" This result was within Zhang Liu's expectations. He could only return and report truthfully to the Old Ancestor of his faction.

Ten days later

Jiang Ye was very low-key within the Sect, acting like a non-entity. Every day, he quietly went to the Heavenly Thunder Pool to Cultivate. For the first few days, people were still discussing how he got into the Inner Sect Disciple cultivation area.

Gradually, seeing that he had adapted to the Inner Sect area, no one said anything anymore. Everyone was preparing for the Profound Realm Youth Competition in three months, trying their best to improve their strength a bit more.

After these days of understanding the Heavenly Thunder Pool, Jiang Ye had a new idea. He wanted to directly enter the central area to forcibly temper his Overlord Thunder Body and raise his own Power of Thunder to another height.

One early morning, while few people were cultivating in the thunder pool, Jiang Ye secretly rushed into the central area.

The Heavenly Thunder Pool was massive, and in its center were eighty-one Thunder-Attracting Pillars covered in complex array patterns. They continuously drew thunder from the sky to converge in one place. The Power of Thunder in the central area was terrifying! Even a Xuan Saint Realm expert would be instantly destroyed upon entry.

That power was comparable to the force that had struck down from the sky when Jiang Ye forged his Overlord Thunder Body! However, because of these eighty-one pillars, the thunder pool's power was being continuously replenished. With this advantage, Jiang Ye was confident he could achieve a massive explosion in his own Realm in a short time!

Two months later

People from the Taichu Sect had also come several times wanting Tian Hao back, but none succeeded. Taichu Sect Master Xu Jiang and their Ancestor Ming had also come together, attempting to play the emotional card to persuade him to return, but Tian Hao refused them as well.

Finally, with the Old Ancestor-level figures from both sides facing off, the Xuan Lei Sect Old Ancestor promised not to let Tian Hao represent them in the Profound Realm Youth Competition, which finally sent the Taichu Sect group away.

The day after they left, they issued an announcement stating that Tian Hao had betrayed the Taichu Sect and killed three Law Enforcement Emissaries, offering a heavy bounty for his head.

One day, in a tea room of the Xuan Lei Sect, Liu Gang and Lei Ming were drinking tea.

Lei Ming said, "The Disciple I brought back earlier—I haven't seen any sign of him lately. Have you seen him?"

Liu Gang shook his head. "I saw him cultivating in the Inner Sect Disciple area of the Heavenly Thunder Pool for the first few days, but I haven't paid much attention since. I don't know where he's run off to."

"Hmm? That doesn't make sense. It's been so long, and I haven't seen him come looking for me. It's impossible for him to leave the Sect; those people from the Heavenly Fiend Hall outside certainly wouldn't let him go."

"He definitely hasn't gone out. The gate Disciples have no record of him leaving. Since the day you brought him back, he's been inside the Sect."

Lei Ming frowned slightly, unable to figure it out. "That kid! My Xuan Lei Sect's Heavenly Thunder Pool is practically a cultivation ground tailor-made for him. There's no reason for him not to go Cultivate and hide away instead!"

Just as Lei Ming was still pondering, a Disciple rushed in and said hurriedly, "Vice Sect Master, Grand Elder, this is bad! Something has gone wrong with the Heavenly Thunder Pool. Sect Master Feng told you to get over there immediately!"

"What? Something's wrong with the Heavenly Thunder Pool?" Both were greatly shocked. The Heavenly Thunder Pool was the foundation of their Xuan Lei Sect's existence; this was a serious matter! They rushed over immediately.

At the outskirts of the Heavenly Thunder Pool, all Disciples had stopped cultivating and withdrawn from the pool's range. Sect Master Feng Chang and over a dozen core Elders stood in the air, thunder light flickering on their bodies as they watched the Thunder-Attracting Pillars, ready to act at any moment.

Lei Ming also arrived quickly and joined them, asking, "Sect Master, what happened to the Heavenly Thunder Pool?"

Feng Chang said, "The Power of Thunder in the pool suddenly began to weaken a few days ago. Until today, the Outer Sect Disciple cultivation area completely lost its Power of Thunder. Only then did the duty Elder realize something was wrong."

"How could it become like this? I don't see any signs of damage to the pillars inside!" Lei Ming said nervously, looking at the pillars in the central area.

"Hmm?" Feng Chang suddenly noticed something and said urgently, "Look at the center! All the thunder power being drawn down is being absorbed by that orb of light."

Everyone looked over immediately and was shocked!

Grand Elder Liu Gang said, "How does it look like a person is there?"

Lei Ming suddenly thought of something, his expression changing drastically. He suddenly shouted, "Could it be!!!"

Everyone turned to look at him. Feng Chang asked, "Vice Sect Master Lei, what's going on?"

Lei Ming calmed his breathing and said slowly, "The new Disciple I brought back two months ago has been missing lately. But there's no record of him leaving the Sect. I suspect that orb of light is him. I've looked into his past; that kid is incredibly bold and dares to do anything."

Feng Chang suddenly realized, but was still very puzzled. "You mean that Thunder Body you brought back ran inside? But... the Power of Thunder inside is so strong, even if he is a Thunder Body, he shouldn't be able to withstand it, right?"

"I'm not sure either, but the facts are right before our eyes. He's absorbing all the thunder power being drawn down. Looking at his state now, the absorption speed is getting faster and faster."

Everyone frowned. One Elder said, "Should we stop him? Will there be danger if he continues absorbing like this?"

Lei Ming said, "Probably not. If he dares to do this, he must have his own plans. Look, his aura is still very stable. Aside from the weakening Power of Thunder, there are no other strange changes in the pool. Let's wait and see."

Feng Chang said, "It's less than a month until the Youth Competition. Let's first distribute some other cultivation resources to the Disciples qualified to compete!"

"Alright! Then don't let other Disciples come here to Cultivate for these few days. I'll stay here and watch over him."