Qi Dian went out for a stroll. The crowd gathered at the entrance had not thinned; it had grown.
Everyone wanted to see whether anyone else would come out and pull another stunt.
The video of the Backpack Freak making an impassioned speech before getting struck by lightning had spread at lightning speed. Now Qi Dian's popularity on the local internet could finally just about rival Xing'er's. Countless people reposted the lightning-strike clip with the caption "Hahahaha"...
He had gained the attention he had always dreamed of, but Qi Dian did not feel happy.
He even felt a little hopeless.
"With an embarrassing video like this going around, how am I supposed to become a handsome Heavenly Prodigy idol someday..." He gazed up at the sky, wanting to cry but finding no tears.
"Look on the bright side. Even without this video, you couldn't have managed that," Xing'er kindly consoled him.
For some reason, after her consolation, Qi Dian actually started crying.
Yue Wen laughed. "This was a blessing in disguise. We found a new way to recharge your Heavenly Thunder Power."
"That's true." Qi Dian scratched his head. "It's not very dignified, but at least I won't have to wait an entire day when it counts."
Discovering that being struck by heavenly lightning amounted to recharging was indeed an unexpected windfall for him. Otherwise, as before, he would need another full day to build up power after one all-out fight.
Qi Dian had previously counted himself lucky that he had held on through the Third Night in Nightmare Town and secured a place in the top sixteen. That meant he only needed to fight once in the Breakout Tournament.
If he had to fight even two arena matches in one day, his Heavenly Thunder Power would not last.
Just