Returning to the cramped low-rent apartment, Lin Feng locked the door behind him, completely shutting out the noise and congratulations from outside.
He first carefully put away the case containing five hundred thousand Federal Currency and three vials of intermediate Gene Repair Fluid. This huge sum of money and these resources were enough to ensure that he would not need to worry about making a living or basic cultivation for some time to come.
Only then did he solemnly take out the Black Card, cool to the touch and etched with silver lightning patterns. His fingertips brushed over the tiny line of words on its back—"I look forward to meeting you. —Lei Lie."
The director of the Martial Arts Bureau, one of Jiangnan City's foremost experts in the public eye, had personally invited him.
What did that mean? Appreciation? Recruitment? Or had Lei Lie... seen through some of his secrets? Such as the system, or the anomaly of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade?
Lin Feng frowned slightly as he rapidly weighed matters in his heart. Risks and opportunities coexisted. Refusal was impossible; that would be no different from giving himself away. His only choice was to face it calmly.
He hesitated no longer and used his old communicator to dial the number on the card.
The call was answered almost the instant it rang. A steady, capable male voice came from the other end. "Mr. Lin?"
"It's me, Lin Feng."
"The director is waiting for you at Thunder Listening Pavilion. The address has been sent to your communicator. When would it be convenient for you?" The other party's tone was respectful, his efficiency remarkable.
"Now." Lin Feng did not like dragging things out.
"Very well. A car will arrive downstairs in five minutes."
After ending the call, Lin Feng looked at the address on his screen, located at the foot of a mountain on the outskirts of the city, and his gaze tightened slightly. He had heard of Thunder Listening Pavilion. It was Director Lei Lie's private cultivation grounds, a place ordinary people had no chance of entering.
He changed into clean casual clothes, let his still-unhealed right arm hang naturally at his side, drew a deep breath, and adjusted his state of mind. Before such an expert, neither servility nor arrogance could earn respect.
Five minutes later, a low-profile black sedan with sleek lines, clearly specially modified, glided silently to a stop downstairs. A driver in casual clothing, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, stepped out and opened the door for him.
"Mr. Lin, please."
The car drove steadily out of the city and into the densely forested Western Hills. At last, it stopped before a tranquil courtyard backed by mountains and facing water, surrounded by Green Bamboo. Above the gate hung an ancient wooden plaque, bearing the three vigorous characters: Thunder Listening Pavilion.
The moment Lin Feng stepped out of the car, the courtyard gate opened automatically. An old man in a gray cloth robe, his aura restrained, gave him a slight nod. "Young friend Lin, the director is waiting for you beneath the Lightning Attracting Wood. Please follow me."
Passing through the elegant courtyard and around a pool of emerald water, Lin Feng sensed that the spiritual energy here was far denser than outside, even several times richer than that of the Beginner Training Room at the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. He could not help but feel secretly astonished.
Deep within the courtyard stood an ancient tree so thick that three people would need to link arms to encircle it. Its entire body was charred black, yet it still grew tenaciously, its branches stretching toward the sky like coiling dragons. Beneath the old tree, Lei Lie stood with his hands behind his back in loose training clothes, looking up at the blackened trunk as though listening to the thunder lingering in the wind.
Hearing the footsteps, he slowly turned around. His gaze was calm, yet it carried a power that seemed to see into one's heart as it settled upon Lin Feng.
"Student Lin Feng greets Director Lei." Lin Feng clasped his fists and performed a standard martial artist's salute, neither humble nor overbearing.
A faint smile appeared on Lei Lie's face, and he waved a hand. "No need for such formalities. There are not so many rules here." His gaze swept over Lin Feng's right arm, fixed in a splint. "How is the injury?"
"Thank you for your concern, Director. It is no longer serious. A few days of rest will suffice," Lin Feng replied.
"Mm." Lei Lie nodded and did not beat around the bush, going straight to the point. "Do you know why I asked to see you alone?"
After pondering for a moment, Lin Feng said, "Because of this student's performance during the assessment, and... the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade?"
"Yes, but not entirely." Lei Lie walked beneath the charred ancient tree and reached out to touch its rough bark. "This Lightning Attracting Wood has stood here for three hundred years. It endured ninety-nine strikes of heavenly lightning without dying, and instead nurtured a trace of Thunder Vitality. I can sense that your Fist Intent contains a trace of True Meaning of Thunder that shares the same origin as this, yet is purer and more violent."
He turned around, his eyes like lightning as they stared directly at Lin Feng. "That incomplete Nine Heavens Thunder Blade manual sat in the library for more than a decade, and no one ever truly entered its gates. Not only did you master it, you comprehended its true meaning in such a short time and even managed to draw upon the power of the Thunder Wolf Fruit... Tell me, how did you accomplish that?"
The air seemed to freeze at that moment. The old servant silently retreated into the distance.
What was meant to come would come eventually. Lin Feng's thoughts raced. He went over the explanation he had prepared long ago, then raised his head to meet Lei Lie's probing gaze and answered calmly:
"Reporting to the Director, this student's meridians were blocked from childhood, making cultivation difficult. Yet because of that, my control over my own blood, qi, and strength exceeds that of ordinary people. After obtaining the incomplete Nine Heavens Thunder Blade manual, I discovered that its methods of exerting force faintly matched my own condition. So I attempted to combine it with my understanding of the perfect-grade Basic Body Tempering Technique, adjusting and completing it. As for the True Meaning of Thunder... perhaps I was fortunate enough to comprehend a trace of it at the brink of life and death, when facing the pressure of the Wolf Emperor."
He attributed most of the system's contributions to his own "special circumstances" and "insights gained at the edge of life and death." It was the most reasonable explanation, and also the hardest to disprove.
Lei Lie listened silently, his gaze deep and unreadable. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "Perform a move of Thunderclap Break for me."
Lin Feng's heart tightened. He knew this was the most crucial moment. He drew a deep breath, disregarded the injury to his right arm, clenched his left fist, and mobilized his blood and qi. Though the intermediate Gene Repair Fluid had healed more than half of his injuries, forcibly exerting himself still brought tearing pain.
His eyes sharpened as he turned the pain into strength, and his left fist blasted forward! Screech!
Though he had not gone all out, clear arcs of electricity still leapt and flickered around his fist. A violent, pure, unstoppable thunderous intent spread outward. It was weak, but its essence was extraordinarily high!
After throwing that punch, Lin Feng's face turned even paler, and his left arm trembled faintly.
A terrifying gleam suddenly burst from Lei Lie's eyes. He stared fixedly at the dispersing arcs around Lin Feng's fist and the lingering intent. The calm on his face was finally shattered, replaced by a mixture of shock, realization, and intense admiration!
"Good! What splendid True Meaning of Thunder! Utterly pure, pointing straight to the origin!" Lei Lie clapped his hands in praise, looking at Lin Feng with blazing eyes. "I understand now! It is not that you are suited to the technique; it is your 'intent' that awakened the technique's essence! You possess a Dao Comprehension Physique, one in ten thousand! No wonder! No wonder you could adjust the technique yourself and comprehend true meaning in a desperate situation!"
Dao Comprehension Physique?
Lin Feng was slightly stunned, then understood. Lei Lie had found the most reasonable—and most enviable—explanation for his abnormal performance! It was more convincing than any excuse he could offer.
"Director, you flatter me. This student was merely fortunate," Lin Feng said, going along with it as relief filled his heart. He had passed this trial.
"There is no need to be modest." Lei Lie was in excellent spirits, looking at Lin Feng as though he were an uncarved piece of peerless jade. "A Dao Comprehension Physique, one in ten thousand, is a gift from heaven to the martial path. For you to awaken it while still a martial apprentice is even rarer!"
He walked up to Lin Feng, his expression turning solemn. "Lin Feng, I met with you today for two reasons. First, to confirm your talent. Second, to extend you an invitation."
"Please speak, Director."
"I wish to accept you as a Registered Disciple and impart the Nine Heavens Thunder Spirit Art to you without reserve, helping you truly set foot upon the great path of thunder!" Lei Lie's voice was deep and steady, filled with utmost sincerity. "Are you willing?"
Lin Feng's heart jolted. A Registered Disciple! The Nine Heavens Thunder Spirit Art! Just from its name, he knew it was a supreme technique far beyond the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade! Lei Lie intended to nurture him as a true successor!
It was a temptation he could not refuse. Not only would he gain a top-tier technique and the guidance of an expert, he would also receive the protection of Lei Lie and even the entire Jiangnan City Martial Arts Bureau. The threat from Zhang Kuang's family would vanish like smoke in the wind.
Yet he did not agree immediately. Instead, he asked calmly, "Director, what must this student give in return?"
The approval in Lei Lie's eyes deepened. Neither arrogant nor impetuous, and knowing how to weigh matters—this boy's temperament was exceptional as well.
"You need give nothing. You need only promise me two things." Lei Lie raised two fingers. "First, once you achieve success in your studies, you must protect the peace of Jiangnan City. Second, you must not use strength to bully the weak and tarnish the name of our righteous thunder path."
These two conditions were fair and reasonable. They could even be called a martial artist's duty.
Lin Feng hesitated no longer. He took a step back, bowed, and said solemnly, "Disciple Lin Feng greets Master!"
"Good! Good! Good!" Lei Lie laughed loudly, his voice shaking the courtyard as he appeared immensely delighted. "From this day onward, you are my, Lei Lie's, Registered Disciple! Once you officially enter the realm of martial artist, I will hold your initiation ceremony and pass on the true teachings of the Nine Heavens Thunder Spirit Art!"
He stepped forward and helped Lin Feng up, finding him more pleasing the longer he looked.
"Your injuries have not healed. Go back and recuperate properly for now. You may come to Thunder Listening Pavilion to cultivate whenever you wish. Also, take this card." Lei Lie handed him another silver card, bearing the symbol of the character "Martial" wreathed in lightning. "This is a secondary card for my authority. It allows you to access some resources of the Jiangnan City Martial Arts Bureau, including the Advanced Training Room, the Gravity Zone, and certain Ancient Texts Libraries not open to the public. Make good use of them and prepare for the martial arts examination!"
"Yes! Thank you, Master!" Lin Feng accepted the card, his heart surging. This was undoubtedly timely help in the middle of a snowstorm!
With Lei Lie's support and these resources, he was confident that before the martial arts examination, he could raise his strength to an entirely new level!
When he left Thunder Listening Pavilion, the setting sun was just right. Golden afterglow covered the mountains.
Lin Feng sat in the car, turned back to look at the courtyard hidden amid the Green Bamboo, and tightly gripped the silver card in his hand.
A new journey had already begun.
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