Thunder Arts Taking Shape

The news Four Eyes had brought was like a stone cast into a still lake, sending ripples through Mo Yuan's heart.

The Three Sects Tournament was highly valued by the sect, and the opponents would be formidable. It was both a test of his cultivation achievements and immense pressure.

He turned that pressure into even greater motivation.

Apart from his unwavering daily visits to the Scripture Pavilion to absorb knowledge, he devoted nearly all his remaining time to comprehending and cultivating the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Scripture.

Though the Ancient Thundercloud Mark he had obtained from signing in was faint, it was like a silent teacher. Whenever he encountered obscure and difficult passages while comprehending thunder arts, it would always grant him a flash of insight, allowing him to seize that profound and elusive true meaning of lightning.

Outside the Listening Thunder Abode, deep rumbles of thunder could often be heard. They did not come from the skies, but from Mo Yuan's meditation chamber.

The lightning dancing at his fingertips gradually changed from pale, fragmented sparks into something tinged with a deep purple hue. Its power and his control over it grew by the day.

On this day, Mo Yuan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed inside the meditation chamber. Floating before him was a special talisman paper made from the heartwood of Hundred-Year Thunder-Patterned Wood.

Highly compressed purple-gold spiritual power gathered at his fingertips. With utmost concentration, he carefully traced an incomparably complex rune—the prototype of a powerful thunder talisman recorded in the Qi Refinement section of the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Scripture, the "Purple Firmament Thunder Talisman."

The drawing process consumed an enormous amount of mental focus and spiritual power, demanding extremely precise control over one's divine sense.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from Mo Yuan's forehead, but his arm remained steady as stone. The essence of the scripture and the insights brought by that thread of the Ancient Thundercloud Mark echoed ceaselessly through his mind.

Just as he was about to complete the final stroke, when his spiritual power needed an exquisitely subtle turn and explosive release, inspiration suddenly struck. He drew upon the thread of Innate Spiritual Energy that had long lain dormant within him.

Though it was only a trace, it was like a drop of cold water falling into boiling oil, instantly providing crucial guidance and stability!

"Buzz—!"

The purple-gold rune on the talisman paper suddenly lit up, erupting with blinding lightning. A heart-palpitating aura of destruction spread through the room before swiftly withdrawing and finally stabilizing.

Thunder patterns flowed across the talisman, accompanied by the faint sounds of wind and thunder. Its spiritual radiance was pure and brilliant!

The Purple Firmament Thunder Talisman was complete!

Though it was only at the lowest "initial completion" grade, its power was absolutely several times greater than that of an ordinary lightning-drawing talisman.

More importantly, this meant that Mo Yuan had truly crossed the threshold of the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Scripture and mastered its unique method of drawing thunder talismans!

Mo Yuan let out a long breath, and a weary yet delighted smile appeared on his face.

Successfully drawing the Purple Firmament Thunder Talisman not only represented a great leap in his mastery of thunder arts, but also gave him a new understanding of his control over his own power—especially his use of that thread of Innate Spiritual Energy.

"System, sign in!"

[Ding! Sign-in successful! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: High-Grade Spirit Stone x2, Lightning-Struck Jujube Wood Core (Three Hundred Years) x1, <Minor All-Heavens Cloud Restriction Secret Method (Fragment)> x1, residual aura from the Primordial World: a thread of pure Innate Gengjin Thunderous Fiend Energy!]

[Lightning-Struck Jujube Wood Core (Three Hundred Years)]: A thunder-element spiritual material of even higher quality than Thunder-Patterned Wood, containing even more powerful lightning energy.

[<Minor All-Heavens Cloud Restriction Secret Method (Fragment)>]: A fragment recording a profound technique for spiritual power confinement and sealing. It may be used against enemies or to seal treasures.

[A thread of pure Innate Gengjin Thunderous Fiend Energy]: A special fiend energy containing Gengjin's sharpness and lightning's destructive power. It can be integrated into thunder arts or artifact refining, greatly increasing attack power and evil-dispelling effects. (Warning: This fiend energy is fierce and violent. Refine it with caution.)

"Innate Gengjin Thunderous Fiend Energy!"

Mo Yuan's heart jolted. This was simply a perfect match for his Gengjin Sword Qi Secret Arts and thunder arts! If he could successfully refine and integrate it, his attack power would undergo a qualitative leap.

He carefully guided the thread of fiend energy, which emitted sharp platinum lightning, into his Dantian. He slowly wrapped and nurtured it with Innate Spiritual Energy and Dragon Essence, in no hurry to absorb it.

After successfully drawing the Purple Firmament Thunder Talisman, Mo Yuan did not stop there.

He began trying to incorporate his insights into thunder arts into his own spell system.

The improved version of the "Fire Snake Art" became even more powerful, carrying the explosive properties of thunderfire. When he used the Ghost Shadow Footwork, it occasionally left behind nearly imperceptible sparks, making him faster and his movements even harder to predict. During sparring, he even tried to conceal a thread of lightning power within the punches and kicks of the Dragon Snake Eight Styles, catching his opponents off guard.

With natural accumulation reaching its limit, his cultivation finally broke through the shackles of the seventh level of Qi Refinement and firmly entered the eighth level.

The spiritual power in his Dantian became even more abundant, faintly showing signs of liquefaction. The range of his divine sense expanded again, and his absorption rate of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy increased by several degrees.

However, just as Mo Yuan immersed himself in cultivation and his strength steadily improved, the atmosphere within Stone Bamboo Shoot Mountain quietly began to change in subtle ways.

One day, when he went to the Treasure Hall to exchange some ordinary talismans he had drawn and contribution points earned from completing sect missions for auxiliary materials used to make thunder talismans, he vaguely sensed several hostile gazes watching him from the shadows.

Those gazes did not belong to familiar fellow disciples, but to several young men standing in a corner. Their auras were cold and gloomy, and their clothing differed slightly from that of the other inner disciples.

"I heard he's the one who received the key teachings of the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Scripture personally bestowed by the Sect Leader?"

"Hmph. He's only been in the sect for half a year, yet he's relying on a bit of fortune and his master's backing to climb over our heads."

"One of the Three Sects Tournament slots should have belonged to Senior Brother Zhao, but he took it from him..."

Though the murmurs were quiet, they could not escape Mo Yuan's sharp divine sense.

His expression did not change. After exchanging for the materials he needed, he left directly, but his heart sank.

It seemed that his path within the sect had not been entirely smooth. Martial Grand-Uncle's favor and his rapidly growing strength had already drawn the jealousy and exclusion of certain people.

That "Senior Brother Zhao" whose tournament slot had been replaced was likely the person backing Zhao Gan, whom he had defeated before.

After returning to the Listening Thunder Abode, he told his master, Uncle Nine, about the matter.

Uncle Nine, Lin Jiu, gave a cold snort upon hearing this. "The tree may wish for peace, but the wind will not cease. The sect is not some spotless pure land either. Remember this: in the cultivation world, strength is ultimately supreme. There is no need to pay attention to mere gossip.

But if anyone dares use underhanded tricks during the tournament or behind your back, there is no need to endure it. Your master and Martial Grand-Uncle will naturally stand up for you.

For now, your highest priority remains improving your strength. As long as you display sufficient talent and value at the tournament, all those petty people will naturally shut their mouths."

His master's words reassured Mo Yuan. He nodded, his gaze becoming even firmer. He had never been someone to shrink back in fear. Since trouble had come looking for him, he would face it.

Just as master and disciple were speaking, Martial Uncle Qian He hurried over with a somewhat grave expression.

"Senior Brother Lin, Nephew Mo Yuan."

After sitting down, Qian He lowered his voice. "I just returned from outside and heard some rumors. The Black Fiend Sect's recent activities seem to have become more secretive, but they have not stopped.

Moreover, there are signs that they may have joined forces with several other evil cultivator factions. Also, rumors that Nephew Mo Yuan possesses an extraordinary treasure and may have obtained an ancient dragon clan inheritance have somehow begun spreading through certain small circles. I fear... they may draw unwanted covetousness."

Uncle Nine frowned deeply. "The Black Fiend Sect refusing to abandon its evil intentions is no surprise. But these rumors about Mo Yuan... where did they begin?" His sharp gaze turned toward Qian He.

Qian He shook his head. "The source is difficult to trace, and the rumors have spread very discreetly. But they are likely related to what happened in the Provincial City that day, as well as the unusual phenomena revealed by Nephew Mo Yuan's cultivation technique and magical artifacts.

The Sect Leader has surely learned of it as well. Making an exception to grant the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman Scripture this time may also have been intended to deter petty schemers and make the sect's stance clear."

Mo Yuan remained silent, thoughts racing through his mind.

A tree that rises above the forest is bound to be battered by the wind. He had grown too quickly and carried too many secrets. In the end, he had drawn the attention of all sides.

The Black Fiend Sect's threat had yet to be eliminated. Undercurrents ran through the sect, while potential coveters waited outside... The road ahead seemed covered in thorns.

Yet he did not feel afraid. Instead, a restless excitement rose within him.

The greater the pressure, the greater the motivation! The Three Sects Tournament would be the best stage for him to break through this deadlock and intimidate all sides!

He clenched his fist, feeling the surging spiritual power within him and that thread of Innate Gengjin Thunderous Fiend Energy slowly being refined.

"Come, then. Let me see just how fierce the storms on this path of cultivation can be!"