Come on, Strike Me with Lightning

Lu Changsheng stood in front of his cave abode, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

From what he could sense, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy around his cave abode had grown somewhat denser. Was it just his imagination?

No!

He knew his cave abode inside and out.

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy near his cave abode was now at least three times denser than usual.

Something was definitely going on!

Lu Changsheng grew more wary.

He stepped inside.

The moment he entered the cave abode, he froze.

There was someone inside.

A woman dressed in white.

Her nearly perfect figure curved alluringly beneath her robes, and paired with her breathtakingly beautiful face, she was impossible to look away from.

Yunxiao!

Lu Changsheng had never expected Yunxiao to show up at his cave abode at this hour.

He also found the reason the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy around the cave abode had grown denser.

Yunxiao had set up an array inside the cave abode to gather spiritual energy.

At that moment, Yunxiao sensed his arrival too.

She turned around, and the instant she saw Lu Changsheng, her pretty face went blank.

She had almost failed to recognize him.

At that moment, Lu Changsheng was charred from head to toe, his flesh torn and blood-red. He looked absolutely horrific.

"What happened? How did you get so badly hurt?!"

Yunxiao hurried over to him, her eyes full of concern.

Setting aside their relationship as Dao Companions, they were fellow disciples.

Who would dare hurt a Jie Sect Disciple like this?!

Lu Changsheng looked at Yunxiao's worried expression and smiled.

"I'm fine. They're just flesh wounds."

That was true enough.

Though the Lightning Body Tempering of the Indestructible Thunder God Body wasn't complete, he had made it through most of the process.

His body had been tempered by lightning, increasing its recovery speed several times over.

During the time since he'd returned from Lingganhu, his injuries had already healed quite a bit.

He only looked frightening. In truth, they weren't nearly as serious as they seemed.

"You came to see me out of the blue. Did you miss me?"

Lu Changsheng's words made Yunxiao falter.

In a few short breaths, the tips of her pale ears turned slightly red.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

What did he mean, did she miss him? Lu Changsheng really had some nerve.

"Then what brings you here?"

Yunxiao froze.

Actually, she had come to discuss ending their relationship as Dao Companions.

After all, she and Lu Changsheng had never had any real feelings for each other.

And lately, because of their relationship, she hadn't been able to settle her mind and focus on cultivation.

That was why she had even helped Lu Changsheng set up a Spirit Gathering Array.

Though it couldn't compare to the array on Three Immortal Island, it was more than sufficient for Lu Changsheng, an Earth Immortal.

She had planned to offer the array as compensation before bringing up the matter of their relationship.

But she hadn't expected Lu Changsheng to be so badly injured.

In these circumstances, she didn't know how to bring it up.

No, this had to be resolved!

Yunxiao bit her red lip.

"I came here to..."

"Wait a moment!"

Lu Changsheng suddenly remembered something.

A flash of light flickered in his right hand, and a pale yellow flower appeared in his palm.

"This flower is for you."

Come to think of it, Yunxiao had arrived at just the right time.

The System's rewards required him to raise his Dao Companion's affection for him.

Even if Yunxiao hadn't come, he would have had to make another trip to Three Immortal Island.

And when it came to raising someone's affection, giving gifts was surely essential.

Wasn't the Xuanlinghua perfect for the occasion?

Lu Changsheng's gesture caught Yunxiao off guard.

She stood frozen, staring at his right hand.

The bloodied, blackened palm stood in stark contrast to the pale yellow petals.

A gift from Lu Changsheng?

"With your cultivation, most of my things would be useless to you."

"Flowers are meant for beauties. This Xuanlinghua is a token of my affection."

Lu Changsheng smiled.

[System Prompt: Your gift has activated the System's Hidden Function: Critical Strike Rebate]

Critical Strike Rebate?!

With a thought, Lu Changsheng brought up the System Panel.

[System functions now available: Insight, Treasure Hunting, Critical Strike Rebate]

The question marks that had previously obscured the features now had specific answers.

Could this Critical Strike Rebate be what he thought it was?

[System Prompt: You gifted your Dao Companion one Xuanlinghua, triggering a hundredfold Critical Strike Rebate. You have received one Spirit Capturing Pearl.]

The System's reward notification confirmed Lu Changsheng's guess.

After reading the Spirit Capturing Pearl's description, Lu Changsheng was even more overjoyed.

The Spirit Capturing Pearl was a Xiantian Lingbao!

With the Spirit Capturing Pearl, he could gather all the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy nearby.

Though both it and Yunxiao's array gathered spiritual energy, the Spirit Capturing Pearl was far more powerful.

And gathering Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy to aid cultivation was only one of its functions.

It could also store spiritual energy inside the pearl, which could be turned into a Spirit Shield to protect him in a pinch.

It was a Xiantian Lingbao that combined cultivation and self-protection.

He'd only meant to give her the Xuanlinghua and see how difficult it would be to raise her affection.

He hadn't expected such a delightful surprise.

Wait...

What if he gave Yunxiao the Xuanling Fruit too? What would the System give him in return?

Another Xiantian Lingbao?

[Host, please note: Critical Strike Rebate is subject to probability. Not every gift will trigger a rebate.]

The System's reminder instantly put an end to Lu Changsheng's daydream.

Never mind. He'd better hold on to the Xuanling Fruit and use it to cultivate.

After all, he needed its effects to break through to True Immortal.

If he got lucky and triggered a Critical Strike Rebate, that would be great. But if he didn't, he'd lose the fruit for nothing.

Immersed in thoughts of the Critical Strike Rebate, Lu Changsheng failed to notice just how deeply the Xuanlinghua had shaken Yunxiao.

She had never seen an Xuanlinghua, but she had certainly heard of it.

The Xuanling Fruit's ten thousand years of cultivation and its ability to improve comprehension were highly effective for anyone below the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

The Xuanlinghua wasn't as precious as the Xuanling Fruit, but its value depended on the person.

Its ability to dispel distractions and calm the mind was useless to cultivators who could control their thoughts and focus entirely on cultivation.

But for those who couldn't control themselves and were easily distracted, the Xuanlinghua was remarkably effective.

It could perfectly solve the difficulty Yunxiao was currently facing in her cultivation.

Along with her shock, Yunxiao felt a little more guilt and gratitude.

She was the one who couldn't focus and whose mind was unsettled, hindering her cultivation.

And what had she done?

She'd wanted to end her relationship with Lu Changsheng.

And what had Lu Changsheng done?

He'd given her an Xuanlinghua!

Looking again at Lu Changsheng's injuries,

Yunxiao suddenly understood.

He must have gotten hurt while picking the Xuanlinghua.

It seemed Lu Changsheng had more going for him than just his handsome looks.

[System Prompt: Your Dao Companion Yunxiao's affection has increased by thirty. Current affection: thirty (Indifferent)]

Lu Changsheng was delighted.

Her affection had increased!

He'd always thought of Yunxiao, the eldest of the Three Immortals, as a mature, strong-willed, confident, and aloof beauty.

A woman like that wouldn't be easy to pursue. That was why he'd chosen Bixiao as the one to confess to in the first place.

But now it seemed he'd misunderstood Yunxiao.

Her cultivation was high, but when it came to matters of the heart, she was a novice too.

That meant raising her affection might be easier than he'd imagined.

"Thank you!"

Yunxiao accepted the Xuanlinghua. She had no reason to refuse it.

"I came mainly to see if you were having any difficulties with your cultivation, and whether there was anything I could help with."

She'd abandoned the idea of ending their relationship. Now she needed a reason for her visit. She couldn't exactly admit she'd come because she missed Lu Changsheng, could she?

Lu Changsheng's eyes lit up. As it happened, there was something he needed Yunxiao's help with.

"Yes!"

"Can you use Shangqing Divine Thunder?"

Yunxiao nodded without thinking.

"Of course."

"Good. Come outside with me."

Yunxiao followed Lu Changsheng out of the cave abode.

Lu Changsheng said, "Come on, strike me with lightning."