Over the next two months, with Bi Ji's help, even though the lightning in the storm clouds grew stronger each time Yu Hengqing attracted it, he no longer had to worry too much about being injured so badly that he couldn't recover.
[Second God Trial, Thunder Body Tempering] [Completion Progress: 42/49]
Looking at the God Trial that was nearly complete, Yu Hengqing estimated the current strength of his body.
I can withstand five bolts without a problem, but if I want to take seven, I'll have to risk it.
Then Yu Hengqing thought, with Bi Ji here to treat him, why not take a little more of a risk?
Lately, Yu Hengqing had clearly felt that the storm clouds were appearing less often. The last time they had appeared was a week ago.
"Leiyi, I'll need you to repair my Thunder Armor with all your strength in a moment. I'm going to try attracting seven bolts and complete the Second God Trial all at once."
In the mental space, Leiyi was thinking about how to turn his skills into Self-Created Soul Skills.
Hearing that Yu Hengqing planned to attract seven bolts at once, he didn't object and merely nodded.
He knew perfectly well whether Yu Hengqing could withstand seven bolts. Yu Hengqing hadn't taken the risk before because he wanted to play it safe. Now that Bi Ji was there as a safeguard, the occasional risk was bearable.
Besides, no one knew when the storm clouds would appear again.
If Yu Hengqing couldn't finish this time, he would waste a long time waiting, especially since his cultivation speed hadn't recovered yet.
With Leiyi's agreement, Yu Hengqing headed toward the camp to tell Bi Ji and the others what he had decided.
"Oh, you're back from training, junior!"
Dugu Yan had been preparing poison when she heard a noise. As soon as she looked up, she saw Yu Hengqing coming in.
Over the past two months,
whenever Dugu Yan had free time, she would come to Thunder Valley to spar with Yu Hengqing, relying on his lightning to clear the toxins that had built up inside her.
It was Dugu Bo who had told Yu Hengqing that his lightning could cleanse toxins, after learning about the Soul Core method.
Now that no toxins were building up inside her, Dugu Yan had changed completely.
Her shoulder-length, deep-purple hair had turned light purple, and the sharp-edged look she'd once had had softened somewhat.
"No, I need to speak with Senior Bi Ji."
Although Bi Ji had become Yu Hengqing's protector, she spent most of her time away from Thunder Valley. Yu Hengqing could naturally guess that she had gone out to treat Soul Beasts.
"All right, I won't bother you, then."
Seeing that Yu Hengqing wanted to speak with Bi Ji, Dugu Yan lowered her head and continued preparing poison.
Ever since the toxins inside Dugu Yan had started to diminish, Dugu Bo had stopped holding back when it came to poison.
As long as Dugu Yan could prepare it, Dugu Bo would teach her how, leaving her both delighted and tormented.
After chatting briefly, Yu Hengqing headed toward Bi Ji's tent.
As soon as he reached it, the fragrance of medicine drifted out and brushed past his nose.
"Yu Hengqing, come in!"
Before Yu Hengqing could say a word, Bi Ji called for him from inside.
Yu Hengqing lifted the tent flap and went in. A pile of ordinary medicinal herbs came into view, neatly arranged on the table by Bi Ji.
Turning his head, he saw Bi Ji cutting up some herbs.
"Senior Bi Ji, I'm going to complete the God Trial all at once in a moment. I'll need you to stand by and be ready to treat me right away."
Yu Hengqing was curious about why Bi Ji had started learning human methods of using medicine, but completing the God Trial came first. The other matters would have to wait.
"You still need seven bolts to complete it, don't you? If you try to finish all at once, there's a very high chance you'll be seriously injured."
Bi Ji put down the herbs in her hands and asked Yu Hengqing, puzzled.
Not long after she had first arrived, Bi Ji had offered to help Yu Hengqing complete the God Trial, but he had politely declined.
"The storm clouds have been appearing less and less often. I'm afraid that if I wait any longer, I'll just be wasting time."
"All right, then. Let's go. It's about to thunder."
At that, Bi Ji stood up, washed her hands, and followed Yu Hengqing out of the tent.
When they reached the clearing, Yu Hengqing immediately summoned his Martial Soul and began gathering lightning within his body.
Bi Ji, standing to one side, grew serious as well. She circulated her Soul Power, ready to support Yu Hengqing at any moment.
After using it for the past two months, Yu Hengqing had become exceptionally proficient with the Lightning Attraction Technique. In just a few breaths, he had gathered the lightning.
The storm clouds overhead seemed to have grown accustomed to Yu Hengqing's presence.
Faced with his Lightning Attraction Technique, the cloud lightning was no longer as sensitive as it had been at first. It paid him no mind for the moment, silently building up its own lightning, ready to "strike him dead" with a single blow.
Once the storm clouds had fully formed, a bolt as thick as a forearm struck Yu Hengqing in an instant.
But with the Thunder Armor formed from Cangming Lightning protecting him, the bolt accomplished nothing. It didn't even singe a single hair on Yu Hengqing's head.
Seeing this, even Bi Ji, who had witnessed many talented Soul Masters, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"In just two short months, you've made your Thunder Armor so sturdy. You truly are the Thunder God's successor."
After absorbing the first bolt, Yu Hengqing immediately summoned a second.
The second bolt was clearly a ring thicker than the first. When it struck Yu Hengqing, even the lightning that splashed away blasted a bowl-sized black crater into the ground.
Mm, as expected, my Thunder Armor can easily withstand lightning like this now.
After confirming that the Thunder Armor hadn't sustained the slightest damage, Yu Hengqing continued using the Lightning Attraction Technique.
The third bolt didn't shake the Thunder Armor, and neither did the fourth.
Only when the fifth bolt, thick as an upper arm, struck Yu Hengqing did the Thunder Armor develop a few cracks. But in the blink of an eye, Leiyi had repaired them.
Before attracting the sixth bolt, Yu Hengqing paused to check the God Trial's progress.
[Thunder God Trial, Second Trial] [Completion Progress: 47/49]
"Senior Bi Ji, I'll be counting on you from here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a bolt as thick as a calf struck Yu Hengqing with a crash.
This time, the Thunder Armor, which had remained composed until now, was blasted apart by a third. If Leiyi hadn't kept repairing it, it would have suffered even more damage.
Yu Hengqing circulated his Soul Power with all his might, gradually repairing the damaged sections of the Thunder Armor.
[Completion Progress: 48/49]
As the Thunder Armor was being repaired, Yu Hengqing looked up at the storm clouds, where lightning churned incessantly.
Once again, he began to suspect that something hidden in Thunder Valley was beyond his knowledge. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the strange phenomena of late.
As Yu Hengqing used his Soul Power to mend the final crack in the Thunder Armor, the seventh bolt shot toward his face in an instant.
This seventh bolt was already as thick as a thigh. The moment it touched Yu Hengqing's body, the Thunder Armor fractured in several places.
Inside the mental space, Leiyi had already used all the energy at his disposal, yet he still couldn't repair the Thunder Armor in time.
"Alas, converting my energy into Soul Power really is too inefficient. And now Yu Hengqing's body won't allow me to store Soul Power. This is truly troublesome!"
The seventh bolt struck Yu Hengqing for less than half a second before its immense force sent him flying into a nearby tree.
The moment he hit the ground, Yu Hengqing violently spat out a mouthful of blood. The Thunder Armor on his body had already vanished.
Bi Ji stood beside Yu Hengqing, continuously treating the internal organs that had been knocked out of place with her Soul Power.
[Thunder God Trial, Second Trial: Thunder Body Tempering] [Completion Progress: 49/49 (Completed)] [Reward now being issued: Skin of Thunder]
The moment the reward was successfully issued, a thin layer of lightning armor appeared over Yu Hengqing's skin.
[Skin of Thunder: Automatically generates lightning armor on the surface of the skin, reducing physical damage by 10%. It can be strengthened with Thunder Power through God Trials. For every additional bolt of lightning refined, its effect increases by 10%.]
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