Five Years Later

He opened Thunder and Lightning to the first page.

There was only one sentence before him.

"Those who come after me, understanding Thunder and Lightning isn't as easy as you might imagine. If you haven't crossed the threshold of both the Lightning Law and the Time Law, and don't have at least half your lifespan left, I advise you to give up on Thunder and Lightning and find another path.

—Lei Huan."

"Lei Huan?" Li Yilin raised an eyebrow. "Was he the creator of Thunder and Lightning?"

He didn't linger and continued to the next page.

An hour later, Li Yilin closed the book and rubbed his brow.

"As expected." He let out a soft sigh.

The book Thunder and Lightning was much like the Combat Secret Technique Drifting Blood that Luo Feng cultivated in the original story. The difference was that Drifting Blood was a secret technique created on the basis of the Nine Universes Chaos Stele, which focused on Gold-Space, while Thunder and Lightning was created based on Thunder Time.

How did he know? Because the book said so.

"Those who come after me, I created Thunder and Lightning based on the first five lightning illustrations of the Qiheng Chaos Stele during my thirty thousand years of secluded cultivation in Chaos City. If you get the chance to cultivate in seclusion in Chaos City, choose the Qiheng Chaos Stele. Perhaps it can help you master Thunder and Lightning more quickly.

—Lei Huan."

"Chaos City." Li Yilin mused.

It seemed he had no choice but to go to Chaos City.

Once his clone was born, he'd go to an auction and bid for a slot to cultivate in Chaos City.

After finishing his secluded cultivation there, he'd head straight to the Outer-Domain Battlefield to test his theory.

His clone would be born in less than twenty years.

Soon, soon!

Suppressing his excitement, Li Yilin settled down again and immersed himself in the secret technique.

Although Thunder and Lightning was a basic secret technique, it was also a Combat Secret Technique.

Its 108 sets of spear techniques encompassed all 108 fundamentals of the Time Law, putting them to practical use.

"Spear techniques. Looks like I'll have to practice with a spear!"

Time slowly passed as Li Yilin cultivated Thunder and Lightning.

Five years later.

Virtual Universe.

Killing Space.

Atop the peak of a massive mountain that soared into the clouds, Li Yilin stood suspended in midair. A close-fitting Black Battle Armor wrapped tightly around his entire body, leaving only his sharp, bright black eyes exposed.

He held a metal spear about as tall as he was in a reverse grip. Its double-edged spearhead was sharp, and purple lightning coiled and flowed around it.

Standing opposite Li Yilin was a Fighter clad from head to toe in white armor. He held the exact same weapon as Li Yilin.

"Kill!"

The white-armored Fighter roared. Purple lightning spread from his body, forming in an instant a massive field of lightning that covered an area a hundred li across.

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward and vanished into the densely packed purple lightning.

Li Yilin's gaze sharpened, and he swung his spear without hesitation. It swept across like a whip, the howling wind stirring the air around him as a piercing boom rang out across the entire space.

"Clang!"

A piercing clash rang out like a signal, and the two fighters closed in, locked in combat.

In their hands, the spears moved as naturally and deftly as their own limbs.

"Die!" The white-armored Fighter thrust his spear like a dragon, leaping into the air before slamming it down. Purple lightning accompanied the fierce spear light, cleaving through heaven and earth.

Li Yilin dodged to the side, evading the strike that could split a mountain. His wrist turned, and the spearhead quivered, leaving a blur of afterimages that dazzled the eye.

The spear blade met the spear light, and a violent tide of energy erupted in every direction. The enormous shock wave shook the rugged ground, splitting it with pitch-black cracks as thick as a forearm and so deep their bottoms were impossible to see.

"Boom!"

A thunderous explosion shook the mountain. Purple lightning crackled through the sky, blasting rocks and billowing clouds of dust wherever it struck. The two fighters darted through it all, every spear thrust aimed at a vital point as they ignored the sand and stones flying around them.

Li Yilin stared intently at the white-armored Fighter.

"Shk!" He thrust in a flash, his spear blade darting forward like a venomous snake.

"Whoosh—"

The white-armored Fighter bent backward to dodge the thrust aimed at his face, then lashed a long leg upward like a whip, targeting Li Yilin's lower legs.

"Heh. Dirty!"

Li Yilin sneered and quickly swept a hand across his waist. A dagger appeared in his hand. He flipped it in his palm, its double edge pointing down, and gripped it tight. As he bent his knee to block the lethal kick, he slashed hard with the hand holding the dagger.

"Scrape—" A harsh, teeth-grinding screech rang out as the dagger slid across the armor, leaving a clear mark.

A glint passed through the white-armored Fighter's eyes. After gauging the distance between them, he abandoned his spear without hesitation and swept a hand across his waist. Two daggers appeared in his hands.

As he closed in on Li Yilin, he swung them rapidly.

The blades crossed, a flash of cold light passed, and sparks burst from Li Yilin's arm.

His expression changed, and he retreated several meters without hesitation.

The white-armored Fighter didn't press his advantage. Instead, he stamped hard on the ground and shot into the air, bellowing, "Thunder Dragon—"

The field of lightning flipped over and covered the sky. A massive purple Thunder Dragon head poked through the clouds, lightning gathering in its open jaws. Its blazing purple light grew increasingly deep and ominous.

"Roar!"

"Fall!"

The low rumble of thunder nearly drowned out the white-armored Fighter's voice.

A massive lightning sphere one meter in diameter followed a strange arc, crossed layer after layer of space in the blink of an eye, and appeared right in front of Li Yilin.

Li Yilin's expression changed drastically. He only had time to raise his spear and brace it in front of him before the enormous lightning sphere hit him.

"Boom!"

Amidst the lightning filling the sky, Li Yilin vanished in an instant.

Defeat!

Li Yilin opened his eyes and couldn't help touching his chest. The terror of lightning piercing his armor and blowing his body apart, blasting him into nothingness, vanished the moment he felt his heart beating.

What was false remained false. No matter how real it felt, it was still an illusion. His heart wouldn't fear it, much less be left with any trauma.

"But experiencing what it feels like to really die once sure wasn't pleasant!" Li Yilin stood up and looked out the window at the garden, lush with life.

Several dainty little sprites flitted through the garden, tending to the plants that had grown too wild.

"Five years, and I still haven't mastered the first set of spear techniques from Thunder and Lightning. My comprehension really is terrible!" Li Yilin let out a long sigh, though he didn't feel discouraged.

He'd always known his talent wasn't anything special. Without the system repeatedly improving his talent and enhancing his comprehension, reaching Domain Lord Level would already have been a reward from the heavens for all his hard work.

"My Thunder Dragon Bloodline is still too weak. If I had more, my comprehension might improve even further." He raised his hand toward the dazzling light of the star outside the window and slowly clenched it into a fist.

Beneath his smooth, almost translucent pale skin, purple veins showed clearly. As he turned his wrist, a faint purple glow became impossible to miss in the dazzling starlight.

"If my Thunder Dragon Bloodline reaches 100%, will I become a real Thunder Dragon?" The thought came to him out of nowhere, but Li Yilin quickly pushed it aside.

Whether he'd change or not was no assumption he could make when he had only 2% Thunder Dragon Bloodline.