Geng Xin Vast Thunder Skill

At this point, five months had passed since Nalan Yanran broke off the engagement. And I had finally advanced from the peak of the sixth stage of Dou Qi to a One-Star Fighter!

After that, I rested in the courtyard for two days. Dad, Mom, and my uncles praised me to the skies and gave me quite a few gifts.

And of course, there was little Sun Er. Things had been a little awkward between us before, and I had been too lazy to deal with it. Yet only a few days later, she came running over to play with me on her own, having cast aside our previous unpleasantness.

Now that she knew I had become a Fighter, she was overjoyed. Tugging on my arm, she blinked up at me, her eyes full of admiration.

"Brother, you're amazing! You became a proper Fighter at sixteen. Sun Er wants to be just as amazing as you someday!"

I laughed heartily and reached out to pat her head. "Then you'll have to cultivate seriously from now on if you want to walk side by side with me."

"Walk side by side?"

Sun Er tilted her head and unconsciously bit her finger, a puzzled look appearing on her little face.

I nodded, my expression exceedingly serious. "That's right, walk side by side. You must cultivate diligently in the future and keep up with my cultivation if you want to stand beside me."

"Otherwise, you'll only be able to follow behind me..."

I looked out the window. Before my eyes, a hazy immortal mountain seemed to appear, and atop the Back Mountain stood a moon-white figure looking down at me, her gaze calm and cold.

I pressed my lips together, then turned back and drew Sun Er into my arms. "Sun Er, don't be like her. Too lofty, too cold. It's not good, not good at all..."

On the morning of the third day, my body had fully recovered. Brimming with vigor, I headed once more to the Skill Transmission Yard.

On the outer training grounds, the shouts and cries seemed never-ending. Groups of young men and women sweated desperately here, cultivating with everything they had... because they had nothing else. They could only give it their all.

I walked around them, silently watching, and could not help asking myself, what did I have?

A father who was a clan elder.

A grandfather with the cultivation of a Dou Ling.

It seemed I had a great deal. Even if I did not work hard at cultivation, I could still become some middle-ranking steward in the future, and my son could become a low-ranking steward... but by the time it came to my grandson, perhaps he would fade into obscurity among the masses?

Then my grandsons and granddaughters would only be able to train day and night on these grounds like these ordinary clansmen, all for one tiny, pitiful chance to rise above the rest...

I shook my head, a brilliant smile spreading across my face. How could I possibly slack off? I was now... a One-Star Fighter!

When I saw Nalan Tiedan again, perhaps time was crueler to the elderly. Four months had passed, yet this old man in the twilight of his years seemed to have aged four years.

The moment he saw me, he stopped me from bowing. After frowning in thought for a long while, a kindly smile finally appeared on his face. Pointing at me, he said, "You are... Nalan Ye?"

I smiled back and bowed. "Chief Instructor, your memory is truly excellent. This grandson is indeed Nalan Ye."

Nalan Tiedan looked very pleased, perhaps because he felt he had not yet gone senile and his memory remained sharp. Only then did he ask about me. I told him that I had broken through to Fighter and had come to test my attribute and choose a cultivation skill.

He was not overly surprised. That made sense. As the clan's Chief Instructor, he must have seen many geniuses over the years.

For instance... Nalan Yanran! She was already a Three-Star Fighter at fifteen, while I had only become a One-Star Fighter at sixteen. Compared to her, I seemed somewhat insignificant.

The test took place before a Testing Magic Stone Tablet. Several guards watched from nearby, while Nalan Tiedan personally accompanied me.

I stepped forward and raised my hand to touch it. The Testing Magic Stone Tablet was rough and cold. I slowly poured in my Dou Qi, and immediately, four large words lit up upon the tablet.

"Fighter, One Star."

Beneath those four words were two strange patterns. Nalan Tiedan leaned closer and studied them for a long time before turning to look at me, his gaze somewhat strange.

My heart tightened, and I hurriedly asked, "Chief Instructor, what is it?"

Nalan Tiedan shook his head and sighed. "What a pity. You have a mutated attribute: Lightning Attribute mixed with a trace of Wood Attribute. What a pity..."

My heart sank, and my expression turned extremely ugly. An Alchemist needed Fire Attribute and Wood Attribute. Did that mean... I could not become an Alchemist?!

"Chief Instructor, you... didn't see it wrong, did you?"

I asked in a trembling voice. Becoming an Alchemist was very important to me. At the very least... if I did not become an Alchemist, how was I supposed to stomp that Liu Ling bastard underfoot?!

Nalan Tiedan shook his head without getting angry. "I have been an instructor for nearly twenty years, and Chief Instructor for another ten. How could I possibly be mistaken?"

I bit my lip and said nothing more. A sharp pain came from my palm. Looking down, I found that my nails had somehow dug deeply into it.

Nalan Tiedan walked over and patted my head. "Little one, come choose a cultivation skill with me. There is a surprise waiting for you too!"

"A surprise?"

I looked up at Nalan Tiedan and gave a bitter laugh. "What surprise could possibly be better than becoming an Alchemist?"

Nalan Tiedan shook his head without speaking, simply walking ahead. Helpless, I could only follow. Since my attribute was unsuitable and I could not become an Alchemist, I might as well see what surprise there could be.

We walked in silence all the way to a pavilion at the very end. Looking up, I saw that it stood six stories high. It was neither delicate nor magnificent, and the paint on its gate had long since become mottled and worn, never having been renewed. Yet this only made it appear more solemn and ancient.

Who knew how many storms this building had weathered here?

Perhaps it had endured alongside the Nalan Family, for hanging above the pavilion was a plaque, upon which three bold, silver-hooked characters were written:

"Scripture Pavilion!"

Nalan Tiedan stepped forward with a solemn expression and pushed open the heavy doors of the Scripture Pavilion, leading me all the way to the fifth floor. Then he turned to me and said, "The Skill Transmission Elder is on the sixth floor. Go up yourself."

I looked at Nalan Tiedan, fell silent for a moment, then stepped onto the stairs without a word. Upon reaching the sixth floor, I looked around and found that most of the level was empty. There were not many things there, only an old man sitting cross-legged in the center.

I knew that this was likely the Skill Transmission Elder, Nalan Che. I slowly walked over and bowed. "This grandson, Nalan Ye, greets the Skill Transmission Elder."

Nalan Che opened his eyes and examined me for a few moments. His expression was complicated as he sighed. "You little fellow are quite fortunate."

I was already in a bad mood, and hearing that made me even more irritated. Hah, I had no talent for becoming an Alchemist. What fortune did I have?!

"What is so great about an Alchemist?!"

Nalan Che seemed to know what I was thinking. He gave a disdainful snort, said nothing more, and merely asked, "Do you know how many ranks Dou Qi cultivation skills are divided into?"

I was utterly confused. What was going on? Did all these Old Guys like talking like this?

My mind was in turmoil, but this Skill Transmission Elder possessed the cultivation of a Dou Ling, so I could only obediently answer, "Reporting to Elder, Dou Qi cultivation skills are divided into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. Each rank is further divided into High, Middle, and Low grades, for a total of twelve grades."

Nalan Che asked again, "And what attributes can Fighters possess?"

I answered once more, "Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, along with Wind, Lightning, Light, and Darkness, for a total of nine attributes."

Nalan Che nodded, then shook his head. Rising to his feet, he walked to a shelf, picked up an ancient wooden box, and gazed at it with an inscrutable expression.

"Little fellow, do you know that our Nalan Family possesses two clan-defending cultivation skills?"

He turned to look at me. "One is called the 'Yi Wood Skill,' and the other is called the 'Geng Xin Vast Thunder Skill.' Now you should know just how fortunate you are, right?"

I nodded heavily, my body beginning to tremble. The "Geng Xin Vast Thunder Skill" was clearly a Lightning Attribute cultivation skill, and I... was Lightning Attribute, was I not?

At last, I understood the surprise Nalan Tiedan had mentioned and the good fortune Nalan Che spoke of!

I swallowed, unable to hide my excitement as I asked in a trembling voice, "Elder, may I ask what grade the 'Geng Xin Vast Thunder Skill' is?"

Nalan Che gently stroked the wooden box and murmured, "Earth Low-Rank."

He looked at me again and sighed. "Only the Wood and Lightning Attribute cultivation skills of our Nalan Family are Earth-rank. The highest for the other attributes is merely Mysterious High-Rank... If I had possessed an Earth-rank cultivation skill back then, perhaps... I too could have broken through to Dou Wang?"

Nalan Che's face was filled with sorrow. Though I was wildly excited, it would have been improper to burst into laughter. I could only take a deep breath, suppress my excitement, and stand to one side with my head lowered.

Hah, an Earth-rank cultivation skill? An Earth-rank cultivation skill!

In a small place like the Gamma Empire, how fortunate was it to possess an Earth-rank cultivation skill?! And I, Nalan Ye, was about to have one!

Hahahaha...

"Little fellow, you're laughing your heart out inside, aren't you?"

At that moment, Nalan Che looked at me again, a faintly amused expression on his face. My heart skipped a beat. Could there be some other condition?

That was right. How could a clan-defending cultivation skill, an Earth-rank cultivation skill, be given to someone to cultivate so casually?!

I took a deep breath and bowed. "Please enlighten me, Elder. What must this grandson do to cultivate the 'Geng Xin Vast Thunder Skill'?"

Nalan Che shook his head. "That is not for me to decide. I must report it to the clan and convene an elders' assembly... Hmm, and your grandfather, is he that old fellow Nalan Tie? Your grandfather and those other old fellows must attend as well."

"At least half must agree before you can cultivate the 'Geng Xin Vast Thunder Skill'... Otherwise, there are quite a few Mysterious-rank Lightning Attribute cultivation skills in this Scripture Pavilion. You may choose any one of them to cultivate..."

My brows furrowed deeply. The conditions for cultivating the "Geng Xin Vast Thunder Skill" were simple in one sense, yet difficult in another!

One Clan Leader, one Old Clan Leader, eight elders, and several remaining old immortals with the cultivation of Dou Ling—more than a dozen people in all. At least half had to agree.

For an ordinary clansman, unless their talent rivaled Nalan Yanran's, they should not even dream of it. The vote would not even be called.

But for me, it did not seem that difficult?

After bidding farewell to the Skill Transmission Elder, I returned to my courtyard while pondering the matter. My father and grandfather made two votes.

Then there was the Old Clan Leader, who did not have a bad impression of me. Adding the Clan Leader, that made another two votes.

I had presented the Alchemy Elder with a poison manual, and the Skill Transmission Elder from just now had shown no ill will toward me either... that was another two votes.

If my father and grandfather went to canvass for votes as well, then my chances of cultivating the "Geng Xin Vast Thunder Skill" seemed almost certain!