Thunder Element Magic and Nine-Layered Thunder Blade

On the evening he received the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade manual, Lin Yun began his training without a moment's delay.

In the Swallowed Star World, inside the villa training room of Bright Moon Residential District, he gripped his Blood Shadow Battle Blade and practiced the eighteen basic techniques of the first layer of the Thunder Blade over and over. He strove for precision in every strike and pondered every movement until sweat soaked his training suit and his arms grew so sore they could barely be lifted.

Meanwhile, in the small woods behind the Ernst Institute in the Coiling Dragon World, his other body was doing the exact same thing.

Under the moonlight, Lin Yun held a Refined Iron Short Blade, sweating profusely in a clearing within the woods. The memories of two worlds converged and merged in his mind; practicing the same blade technique with two bodies simultaneously felt incredibly miraculous—it was as if one person possessed twice the time, twice the practice volume, and twice the opportunities for insight.

"First move, Thunder First Appearance—the blade slashes out diagonally from the waist, the power generated from the feet, passing through the legs, waist, back, and arms, connected joint by joint, finally converging at the blade's edge."

Lin Yun recited the essentials of the blade technique in his heart as his body moved in sync. The battle blade tore through the air with a soft "chi" sound. He closed his eyes, carefully sensing the path of the power flowing through his body—rising from the soles of his feet, passing through his calves, thighs, waist, back, and shoulders, finally reaching his wrists before pouring into the blade's edge.

He put his full strength into this strike.

Yet, he could feel that the power was being lost during the transmission process. Just like water flowing through a winding riverbed, there was always some dissipation. From his feet to the blade, at least thirty percent of this force was lost. If he could utilize this dissipated portion, the power of the blade would increase by at least thirty percent.

This was the problem the first layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade aimed to solve—using special force-generating techniques to "recover" the dissipated portion during the transmission of power and stack it onto the next strike, forming a second layer of force.

The principle sounded simple, but executing it was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Lin Yun practiced over and over, from dusk until late at night, and from late at night until dawn. He practiced each of the eighteen blade techniques no fewer than a hundred times. But that feeling of a "second layer of force" never appeared.

"No need to rush." Lin Yun stood with his blade sheathed and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

Thunder God had stated in the manual that cultivating the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade required immense patience and comprehension. Countless Warriors across the globe chose this blade technique, yet many couldn't even master the first layer. He had only been practicing for one night; what was there to rush?

The body in the Coiling Dragon World stopped its blade practice, sat cross-legged, and began to meditate. Meanwhile, the body in the Swallowed Star World continued to practice in the training room.

Two worlds: one body rested while the other practiced; one body consolidated insights while the other put them into practice. This was the greatest advantage of dual-world cultivation—time was doubled for him.

After three consecutive days of practice, Lin Yun's progress remained limited.

He had mastered the eighteen blade techniques until he could perform them fluently and in one breath. However, he still hadn't touched the threshold of that "multi-layered force" sensation. He could feel the power flowing within his body, but he couldn't trigger a second layer of force after emitting the first.

"Where exactly is the problem?" Lin Yun sat cross-legged on the floor of the training room, eyes closed, repeatedly recalling every word Thunder God had written in the manual.

"The fundamental essence of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade is speed. But speed is not the goal; it is the result. The true core is the force-generating technique—allowing power to form resonance within the body, one layer after another, stacked in tiers."

"Resonance..." Lin Yun murmured, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossing his mind.

Resonance. Wasn't this one of the most basic concepts in physics? When two objects with the same frequency vibrate, one will cause the other to vibrate as well. If this principle could be applied to generating force—letting different parts of the body vibrate at the same frequency—the power could be stacked layer by layer instead of canceling each other out.

"But how can I make different parts of the body vibrate at the same frequency?" Lin Yun fell into deep thought.

His gaze landed on the sky outside the window. Lightning occasionally streaked through the clouds, and thunder rumbled across the horizon.

Lightning.

Thunder.

Lin Yun suddenly remembered something. He closed his eyes and shifted his consciousness to the Coiling Dragon World.

In the Coiling Dragon World, in the small woods behind the Ernst Institute, Lin Yun opened his eyes and stood up. He didn't pick up his battle blade; instead, he raised his right hand and began to cast Thunder Element magic.

"Thunder Arrow!"

A purple arc of electricity shot from his fingertips, striking a large tree in front of him and blasting a fist-sized hole into the trunk.

"Thunder Chain!"

A purple chain of lightning flew from his hand, wrapping around another tree. The current ravaged the trunk, emitting a "crackling" sound.

"Thunder Prison!"

Countless bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, covering an area of several dozen meters with astonishing power.

Lin Yun cast Thunder Element magic over and over, from the lowest-level Thunder Arrow to the sixth-level Thunder Prison, practicing every spell tirelessly. He was sensing the power of lightning—that violent, swift, and unstoppable force.

What was the essence of lightning?

It was speed. How fast was lightning? Three hundred thousand kilometers per second. In this world, nothing was faster than lightning.

It was eruption. The voltage of a single bolt of lightning could reach hundreds of millions of volts, and the current could reach hundreds of thousands of amperes. That instantaneously erupting power could pierce the air, split trees, and make the earth tremble.

It was resonance. Lightning was not a single energy, but a superposition of multiple frequencies. As lightning struck, it generated electromagnetic waves of different frequencies; some were audible to the human ear, while others were completely imperceptible. But regardless of the frequency, they all erupted at the same moment, stacking together to form a world-destroying power.

"Speed... eruption... resonance..." Lin Yun murmured, a glimmer of realization flashing in his eyes.

He picked up his battle blade again, closed his eyes, and simulated the power of lightning in his mind—that swift, erupting, stacked power.

Then, he struck.

"Chi!"

The battle blade tore through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound. But this time, Lin Yun didn't stop. The moment the first strike was launched, he violently urged the power within his body, attempting to emit the second layer of force—

"Pa!"

The blade traced an arc in the air, and the sound of the air being torn was sharper than the first strike, as if something had exploded on the edge of the blade.

Lin Yun opened his eyes, his gaze filled with pleasant surprise.

The second layer of force! Although it was very weak, not even enough to increase the blade's power significantly, it was indeed the second layer of force! He had felt it—the moment the first strike was launched, he had captured the "node" where the power flowed back, and then triggered a second wave of power at this node. The two forces stacked on the blade's edge, forming a small eruption.

"I succeeded!" Lin Yun clenched his fists, his heart beating violently.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down. This was just the beginning. The first layer required two layers of force to stack; he had only just touched the threshold of the second layer of force, and he was still a long way from true "stacking."

But he had found his direction.

In the days that followed, Lin Yun adjusted his training regimen. He no longer practiced his blade techniques in isolation, but instead began to combine his Thunder Element magic with the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade—

When practicing blade techniques in the Swallowed Star World, he would simultaneously cast Thunder Element magic in the Coiling Dragon World, using his insights into the magic to verify the force-generating mechanics of his blade work.

When practicing magic in the Coiling Dragon World, he would simultaneously practice blade techniques in the Swallowed Star World, using the mechanics of the blade to reverse-engineer the essence of his Thunder Element magic.

Two worlds, two types of power, were perfectly fused together at this moment.

The Thunder Element magic gave him a deeper understanding of the essence of "lightning"—speed, explosive power, and resonance. Meanwhile, the force-generating mechanics of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade allowed him to translate these understandings into actual combat effectiveness.

The results were immediate.

Three days later, Lin Yun successfully mastered the first layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade. He could now trigger a second wave of force while swinging his blade; with the two forces combined, the power increased to 1.4 times the original.

"Good!" Lin Yun sheathed his blade and stood tall, exhaling a long breath.

But he did not stop. The first layer was only the beginning; he wanted the second, the third, and even higher. Moreover, in the process of practicing his blade techniques, he vaguely felt that his understanding of Thunder Element magic was also deepening.

It was a strange sensation—when casting Thunder Element magic, he no longer merely invoked magical power; he could "perceive" something deeper contained within the lightning.

That something was what the Dragonblood Warrior clan referred to in their secret manuals as "Momentum."

What was "Momentum"?

Lin Yun scoured the notes of the Dragonblood Warrior clan until he finally found a vague description.

"Momentum is the embryonic form of the Laws. When a warrior or mage reaches a certain level of understanding regarding a specific power, they can touch the threshold of 'Momentum.' Momentum is neither power nor technique; it is an intuition regarding the essence of power. Those who have mastered Momentum can achieve a state where mind and blade are one, where person and magic are one, allowing them to unleash power far beyond their peers."

"The reason peak Saint Realm powerhouses are so strong is that they have not only mastered Momentum but have also grasped the surface of the Laws through it. As for God-level powerhouses, they have fully mastered one or more profound mysteries of the Laws."

Lin Yun closed the manual, his heart surging with irrepressible excitement.

Momentum—the threshold of the Laws.

His current understanding of Thunder Element magic had reached a critical point. When casting, he no longer needed to deliberately chant incantations or mobilize magical power; with a mere thought, the lightning would arrive as commanded. It felt as if the lightning were a part of his own body, an extension of his will.

Was this Momentum?

To verify his judgment, Lin Yun went to the small woods behind the mountain and unleashed a Thunder Element spell with all his might.

"Thunder Prison!"

Countless bolts of lightning struck down from the sky, covering an area of several dozen meters. But this time, Lin Yun did not stop. The moment the lightning descended, he swung his battle blade—

"Thunder Blade, First Layer!"

The instant the blade swung, a purple arc of electricity erupted from the edge, weaving together with the lightning falling from the sky. The two forces collided and fused, erupting in a dazzling display of light.

"Boom!"

The ground in front of him was blasted into a massive crater, with gravel flying and dust billowing into the air.

Lin Yun stood in place, gasping for air, yet his eyes shone with uncontrollable excitement.

He had done it.

That strike just now was not merely the force-generating technique of the first layer of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade; it was the integration of Thunder Element magic into his blade work. The speed, explosive power, and resonance of the lightning combined perfectly with the mechanics of the blade, creating power far exceeding that of simple blade techniques or magic alone.

More importantly, in that instant, he clearly felt the existence of "Momentum."

It was a profound and mysterious feeling—the lightning was no longer a spell he cast, but a part of his body; the battle blade was no longer a weapon in his hand, but an extension of his will. With a thought, lightning was born; with a thought, the blade light rose. Lightning and blade became one in his hands, inseparable.

"This is Momentum," Lin Yun murmured, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

In the original story, Linley only reached this realm while traveling through the Magic Beast Mountain Range toward the O'Brien Empire as a Level 8 warrior and Level 8 mage. Yet he, currently only a Level 8 mage and Level 6 warrior, had touched the threshold of "Momentum" ahead of schedule.

This was not just a matter of talent, but the advantage of dual-world cultivation. The cultivation systems of the two worlds verified and promoted each other, allowing him to walk the path of understanding the essence of power faster than anyone else.

"However, this is still just the beginning." Lin Yun put away his battle blade and took a deep breath.

Momentum is merely the threshold of the Laws. Only by crossing this threshold can one truly touch the surface of the Laws. And above the Laws, there are profound mysteries, there is fusion, and there is... becoming a god.

The road ahead was still long.

But he was not in a hurry.

Two worlds, two bodies, one path to becoming stronger. He had time, he had patience, and he had advantages that others could never reach.

Lin Yun closed his eyes and switched his consciousness to the Swallowed Star World. In the training room of the Bright Moon Residential District, his other body had also just finished a day of cultivation.

"Continue," he told himself.

The next morning, before dawn, Lin Yun appeared once again in the small woods behind the mountain. Holding his battle blade, he practiced the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade over and over, while continuously casting Thunder Element magic to fuse the two powers together.

Having mastered the first layer, he began to assault the second.

The core of the second layer was to trigger a third wave of force on top of the first. In other words, while swinging the blade, he had to not only stack the second wave of force but also trigger a third wave the moment the second exploded. With three forces combined, the power increased to 2.1 times the original.

The difficulty was more than doubled.

Lin Yun tried again and again, failing time after time. But he was not discouraged. He knew that such a technique could not be mastered in a day; it required day-after-day accumulation and refinement.

His advantage was that he had two bodies and two worlds to practice in simultaneously.

His body in the Swallowed Star World trained hard in the blade techniques in the training room, while his body in the Coiling Dragon World practiced magic in the small woods. The insights from both worlds converged, collided, and fused in his mind, allowing his progress to far outpace that of an ordinary person.

He firmly believed that it would not be long before he broke through to the second layer, or even the third or fourth.

And more importantly, as his understanding of the Nine-Layered Thunder Blade deepened, his insights into the Laws of Thunder were also rapidly improving. The realm of Momentum was only the first step. He would go further on the foundation of Momentum to truly touch the threshold of the Laws.

By then, his strength in both worlds would undergo a qualitative leap.