Undercurrents Rise Again

The clamor from the qualifiers' end had yet to fully dissipate when Lin Feng's communicator received an encrypted message from Lei Lie's official residence, summoning him immediately.

It was the same tranquil courtyard, shaded by green bamboo, where Lei Lie stood with his hands behind his back beneath the Lightning Attracting Wood, his aura as deep and steady as an abyss.

"Teacher," Lin Feng bowed respectfully.

Lei Lie turned, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over Lin Feng. He nodded slightly, "Not bad. Your foundation is stable, your aura condensed, and your True Meaning of Thunder grows purer. You performed admirably in the Cloud Climbing Ladder and Phantom Beast Alley, exceeding my expectations."

"It's all thanks to your cultivation, Teacher," Lin Feng replied, neither humble nor arrogant.

"No need for formalities," Lei Lie waved his hand, his expression turning serious. "I've called you here for two matters. First, regarding your future path."

He produced a gilded letter, imprinted with the Beichen star emblem and emitting faint energy fluctuations, and handed it to Lin Feng.

"Beichen Martial University has sent a special recruitment invitation. You don't need to participate in the provincial trials; you'll be directly admitted to the 'Thunder Institute' and promised resources on par with a core disciple, including the first three stages of a low-grade Earth-tier lightning cultivation technique, the Purple Firmament Astonishing Thunder Canon."

Earth-tier technique! Core disciple treatment! Direct admission!

These terms were undeniably generous! Enough to make any genius's heart race! Beichen Martial University, as a top institution nationwide, and its Thunder Institute, were renowned for producing powerful lightning cultivators.

Lin Feng took the letter. Its touch was smooth and warm, conveying sincerity and energy. He remained silent, not immediately responding.

Lei Lie watched him, a flicker of understanding in his eyes, and continued, "The second matter is a warning. Your performance in the qualifiers was too brilliant; it has already attracted some unwanted attention."

"Shadow Kill Pavilion?" Lin Feng looked up.

"More than that," Lei Lie's eyes sharpened. "Shadow Kill Pavilion is merely the knife held in the open. The real trouble lies with the hand wielding it. The Zhang family's collusion with certain forces in the Provincial Capital is deeper than we imagined. They cannot stop you openly, but in the chaotic arena of the provincial trials, they have plenty of ways to cause your 'accidental' demise. It's even possible... that the 'Cleaners' have already infiltrated through this opportunity."

Cleaners! The scavengers of cosmic civilization!

Lin Feng's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected that a mere provincial-level Martial Arts Examination could involve such terrifying powers.

"Your choice concerns your life and death, as well as your future path," Lei Lie's voice was low. "Accepting Beichen's special recruitment will allow you to temporarily avoid the spotlight and grow safely under the university's protection, but you might miss certain opportunities in the provincial trials and lose your edge. Participating in the provincial trials means facing all open and hidden attacks directly; the risk is immense, but if you can break through, it will be an unprecedented tempering of your will and strength."

A brief silence fell upon the courtyard, broken only by the rustling of bamboo leaves in the wind.

Lin Feng rubbed the gilded letter in his hand, flashes of the extreme pressure on the Cloud Climbing Ladder, the mental combat in Phantom Beast Alley, the absolute dominance on the arena stage... and the murderous intent lurking behind the scenes like a venomous snake, crossing his mind.

Grow safely? No, that was not his path.

His path was the thunderous, sky-reaching Dao forged with his fists through life-and-death struggles!

He slowly placed the letter back on the stone table before Lei Lie, his gaze firm as rock.

"Teacher, I choose to participate in the provincial trials."

His voice was not loud, but it carried an unyielding decisiveness.

Lei Lie's eyes blazed with astonishing brilliance, and a genuine, hearty smile spread across his face. "Good! This is truly the disciple of Lei Lie! How can one who fears hesitation wield thunder and cleanse the universe?!"

He waved his hand, taking back the letter. "Since that is your decision, you will stay in the Thunder Listening Pavilion for these ten days! I will personally guide you in refining your techniques and tempering your Thunder Gang! Allowing your strength to advance further before the provincial trials!"

"Thank you, Teacher!" A surge of warmth and pride welled up in Lin Feng's heart.

For the next ten days, Lin Feng was completely immersed in the rich Thunder Spiritual Energy environment of the Thunder Listening Pavilion. With the personal guidance of Lei Lie, a peak Martial Master, his understanding of the Thunder Foundation Establishment Chapter and the second stage of the Nine Heavens Thunder Blade advanced by leaps and bounds.

Lei Lie did not teach him higher-level techniques but focused on "solidifying the foundation" and "tempering the intent."

"Your True Qi volume is sufficient, but its quality is not pure enough! Compress! Compress further! Let every wisp of True Qi contain explosive power!"

"Thunder Gang is not a shield; it is an extension of destruction! Imagine it as the sharpness of your fist, capable of breaking anything!"

"To draw upon the world's thunder spiritual energy is not to forcibly seize it, but to resonate! Feel their 'breath'!"

Under Lei Lie's scolding and guidance, Lin Feng repeatedly exhausted his True Qi, only to recover quickly beneath the Lightning Attracting Wood. His Thunder True Qi was tempered to become purer and more condensed. The dark purple Thunder Gang, initially a thin layer, became slightly thicker and more stable, its color deepening considerably.

[Thunder Foundation Establishment Chapter proficiency greatly increased, Thunder True Qi purity +15%.]

[Nine Heavens Thunder Blade second stage mastery increased to 18%, Thunder Gang stability and power slightly increased.]

[Strength: 998kg] [Agility: 53m/s] [Spiritual Power: 39]

Ten days of arduous training, and his strength was already approaching the peak of the mid-stage Martial Artist, just one breakthrough away from entering the late-stage Martial Artist!

On the eve of the provincial trials, as Lin Feng concluded his training and prepared to return to the city, Chen Wu's encrypted communication came through again, his tone more urgent and furious than ever.

"Brother Lin! I've found out! Those scumbags from the Zhang family were up to no good!"

"They used their connections in the Provincial Capital to hire two people with a hefty sum! One is a monster from the neighboring 'Jiangbei Province' named 'Blood Hand' Tu Gang. He's a late-stage Martial Artist, rumored to practice evil techniques and known for his brutality. He committed many murders in Jiangbei and was on the run. Somehow, the Zhang family found him!"

"The other is even more troublesome. He's a rogue cultivator from our own Jiangnan Province named 'Shadow Fox' Mo San, a peak Martial Artist extremely skilled in stealth and poison. He's one of the Shadow Kill Pavilion's outer elite gold-medal assassins! Both of them used fake identities and have entered the provincial trials' main competition list!"

"The Zhang family's goal is to find an opportunity in the chaos of the provincial trials to kill you! Even if they can't kill you, they want to cripple your cultivation! And I suspect the Shadow Kill Pavilion might have sent even more powerful individuals to hide in the shadows, ready to intervene personally if Mo San fails!"

Tu Gang! Mo San! One is an open attack, the other a hidden arrow! And possibly a backup from the Shadow Kill Pavilion!

Lin Feng's eyes instantly turned as cold as ten thousand years of ice. To eliminate him, the Zhang family was truly sparing no expense, colluding with criminals from other provinces, hiring elite assassins – it was utterly insane!

"Is the information reliable?"

"About eighty percent sure! Tu Gang's whereabouts were confirmed by friends in Jiangbei. Mo San's identity was deduced by an old enshrinement expert from our escort agency based on his poisoning methods; it's basically correct!" Chen Wu's tone was certain.

"Good, I understand. Thanks, brother," Lin Feng said in a deep voice.

"Brother Lin, please be extremely careful! The provincial trial arena is not like the city; there are too many rules, and they will definitely exploit loopholes!" Chen Wu reminded him worriedly.

Lin Feng stood in the courtyard of the Thunder Listening Pavilion after ending the communication. He gazed at the sparse stars in the night sky, his aura like a volcano on the verge of eruption, suppressed yet terrifying.

He slowly raised his hand, a wisp of dark purple lightning, condensed to its absolute limit, dancing at his fingertips, emitting faint yet heart-palpitating crackles.

"Tu Gang... Mo San... Shadow Kill Pavilion..."

"You want to use me as a stepping stone? Or fish on a cutting board?"

A cold, cruel curve formed on his lips.

"Then come."

"Let's see who is hunting whom!"