Trial Success
In the blink of an eye, we had already flown eighty kilometers, with only twenty kilometers left. Success or failure hinged on this moment.
Newt Scamander watched from behind, his palms sweating. He knew all too well how much effort Tom had put in these past few days.
If we lose again, are we really going to have to feed this Thunderbird into a fat pig?
Tom wasn't willing to waste his efforts, so he raised his hand and shot a spell into the sky, shattering half of the thunderclouds and greatly reducing the number of times he was disturbed.
But the little Thunderbird became even more anxious, and the thunderclouds instantly gathered again. Tom could only fly while unleashing his ultimate attack on the sky.
His magic was being depleted rapidly, and his face was turning pale.
Finally, the banner representing the 100-kilometer finish line (which Tom had temporarily hung up) appeared before them.
After so many days of competition, even the Thunderbird knew what this meant. It let out a high-pitched cry, its speed suddenly increasing, and it was about to overtake.
Tom went all out, using his recently developed magic burst technique to significantly increase his magic output per unit of time.
Although the two flight spells haven't perfectly merged yet, there have been quite a few gains.
The man and the bird raced side by side, and just a second before crossing the finish line, Tom suddenly swooped down, breaking Andros's flight spell.
With the help of gravity and the thrust of the airflow, the speed increased again, and the Thunderbird was swayed slightly by the airflow.
Ultimately, he crossed the finish line first with a one-body-length advantage!
[Fourth Trial - Lightning, Completed.]
The moment it crossed the finish line, the fourth palace shone brightly, so dazzling that it was impossible to open one's eyes.
But Tom didn't have time to look; he was rushing too fast and couldn't stop in time.
He rolled on the ground for dozens of meters before he could dissipate all the force, leaving him dazed and disoriented.
Fortunately, he was physically fit enough that, apart from dizziness, he was not injured at all.
Before he could even catch his breath, the reward for the fourth trial arrived: thunderclouds many times larger than before gathered.
Like a boundless sea of lightning, the dark clouds were entwined with countless bolts of lightning, a truly terrifying sight.
Thunder roared overhead, and a thick bolt of lightning struck Tom squarely, followed by a second and a third.
Each one thicker than the last, as if Tom had committed some heinous crime, and heaven and earth were venting their fury.
Newt Scamander turned pale and tried to rush over, but Thunder blocked him from doing so.
Through the lightning, he could still make out that Tom was a human being, with his hands and feet twitching occasionally.
He wasn't being electrocuted, so he was able to calmly observe the situation. The lightning struck a full twenty times before stopping.
The thunderclouds were still rolling around, but they didn't strike again. Tom opened his eyes and felt that the sky had become more welcoming.
My whole body felt tingly and numb, much more comfortable than the last time I bathed in dragon blood. I couldn't feel the pain of my body being modified at all.
He no longer had the mindset of "challenging the sky"; instead, he felt that the sky was his territory.
Before the Supernatural Mode ended, Tom suddenly had a flash of inspiration and finally understood why the two flight spells couldn't be perfectly combined.
Andros's flight spell repels all external forces, but why does he want to repel them?
Instead, try to control this force and use it for your own benefit, like manipulating air currents, turning a disadvantage into an advantage.
The vanished wings of light reappeared, and this time, he spread his wings once more.
The black feathers are still there, but white feathers make up almost half of the body.
With a thought, he appeared on another mountaintop in the blink of an eye. With another movement, he flew back, his speed leaving afterimages.
Thunderclouds followed him relentlessly, striking him with lightning. But Tom wasn't satisfied, so he charged into the sea of lightning, actively absorbing its energy to transform himself.
A Thunderbird cry came from afar, and twenty adult and nearly adult Thunderbird, including the little Thunderbird that had competed with Tom, were drawn to the thunderclouds.
They rushed in to absorb the remaining energy, tumbling and chirping in the lightning, their feathers shining even brighter than before.
Newt Scamander, watching from the side, couldn't resist the urge. He looked up at his own small arms and legs, then shrank back.
With my small frame, I'd probably be roasted alive before I even got close, so I could only hide at a distance, pull out my notebook, and quickly jot down everything in front of me.
Ten minutes later, the deafening roar gradually subsided, and the thunderclouds slowly dissipated.
The Thunderbird, having eaten and drunk their fill, circled in the sky. Tom slowly landed on the ground, Newt Scamander rushed to greet him.
The biggest change in Tom was immediately noticeable: he was so white! Even whiter than the feathers of Thunderbird.
Even her skin had a glow, making her look completely different.
Tom looked down at the back of his hand; it was whiter and smoother.
He touched his face. "It's probably from being burned by lightning."
Newt Scamander shook his head. "It wasn't baked." He couldn't explain, so he waved his hand. "Anyway, it looks better than before."
Tom's good looks are undeniable; the reason Newt Scamander and Tina Goldstein both genuinely like him is precisely because of his face.
Even later on, his good looks became a major asset for him.
A cute and sensible child is much more endearing than those ordinary-looking, quiet little ones.
Tom's skin has never been fair; it's a healthy bronze color.
These past few days, I've been exposed to the scorching sun every day in the Gobi Desert, and my skin has darkened even more, almost to the point of looking like the local indigenous people.
As a result of being struck by lightning, the boy is now practically glowing white.
With his flawless features and proportions, he looks like an elfin boy straight out of an oil painting.
"Did it get a layer of skin off from being struck by lightning?" Newt Scamander muttered softly, his voice not loud, but Tom heard him precisely.
The boy's smiling face froze instantly, and his lips twitched. "Uncle Newt Scamander, how can you be so superficial? Don't just look at the surface, take a closer look!"
Newt Scamander blushed, feeling a little embarrassed by what he'd been told, and quickly calmed down to observe carefully.
Tom cooperated by unleashing his full power, Newt Scamander, who had been deeply involved in the world of Fantastic Beasts for many years, immediately sensed that something was wrong.
The auras of a fire dragon and Thunderbird were simultaneously present on a single human, both pure and intense, without any conflict.
"I really don't know how to describe your talent," Newt Scamander exclaimed sincerely. "The challenge was truly difficult, but the reward was incredibly generous."
Newt Scamander is just not good with fancy words, otherwise he would definitely have blurted out the phrase "dragon and phoenix-like appearance, heavenly countenance".
The fire dragon is a dragon, Thunderbird is a close relative of the phoenix; this description is perfectly accurate.
Tom smiled and said, "Whether it works well or not, we'll have to try it to find out. Please wait a little longer."
After saying that, the boy leaped into the air and soared into the sky again. This time, his Thunderbird bloodline was different from his Dragon Blood.
The Dragon Blood was gradually developed as he grew, but the Thunderbird bloodline was unlocked almost entirely from the start, thanks to the improvement in his life essence and soul essence.
The sky, which had just cleared up, was instantly shrouded in dark clouds again, gathering faster than the Thunderbird could work together.