42: Chapter 42 Ascetic Training and the Thunder Whip

Time flew by in bitter cultivation; in the blink of an eye, it had been two months since his return from Cloud Mist Valley.

Lin Xuan's life was so regimented it was almost mechanical: he would Cultivate the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art in the early morning, refine the Thunder Flash Step in the morning, temper the Palm Thunder in the afternoon, and spend his evenings studying books on Formation and Materials, training the Pangolin, and finding time to tend to the medicinal garden.

This high-intensity Cultivation yielded remarkable results.

The Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art progressed steadily. Nourished by his Thunder Gathering talent and increasingly pure Thunder Spiritual Energy, his cultivation base had stabilized at the Early Stage of Qi Refining Level 2 and was steadily advancing toward the Middle Stage.

The Qi vortex within his Dantian had become increasingly dense, and his total amount of Spiritual Energy had increased by thirty percent since his initial Breakthrough.

The Thunder Flash Step had finally reached the Minor Achievement stage.

Now, he could complete a lightning-fast short-range dash within a range of three zhang!

When he took a step, lightning would faintly appear on his legs, leaving a pale purple afterimage behind him that lasted for about half a breath; not only was it fast, but it also disrupted an opponent's judgment.

Combined with the standard movement of the Wind Control Technique, his movement style became strange, erratic, and difficult to predict.

The price was that he strained the muscles in his right leg twice more, and his Meridians throbbed with pain from the excessive bursts of speed.

Yet he gritted his teeth and pushed through. The Body Tempering effects of the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art and his resilient will were his greatest assets.

The power of the Palm Thunder was also no longer what it used to be.

At this moment, Lin Xuan stood in the stream valley, facing a piece of bluestone a zhang thick. He took a deep breath and gripped his right hand in the air, causing Thunder Spiritual Energy to rapidly rotate and compress in his palm.

A fist-sized, deep purple thunderball with electricity swirling inside quickly formed, emitting a low "humming" sound.

"Go!"

The thunderball shot out, its speed so fast that it left only a purple streak behind!

"Boom—!"

The bluestone was struck head-on, blasting out a circular hole the size of a millstone with charred, smooth edges!

"Not bad power." Lin Xuan walked forward to examine the hole in the bluestone and nodded with satisfaction.

The power of this strike was enough to threaten the defense of a Qi Refining Level 3 Cultivator. Moreover, the preparation time had been shortened to about one breath, which was enough to seize an opening in actual combat.

He would occasionally practice the most basic Lightning Strike Technique.

Although this Spell was not as powerful as the Palm Thunder, it had the advantage of being instantaneous and consuming very little energy, making it useful for harassment, finishing off opponents, or attacking multiple weak targets.

These three types of lightning Spells formed his preliminary offensive and defensive system.

Of course, all of this was done in secret.

He chose a sufficiently remote place to Cultivate and would always use the Breath Concealment Technique to cover his tracks.

Occasionally, a Disciple would see the lightning flashing from afar, but they would only assume some fellow Disciple was bitterly practicing lightning Spells and would not pay it any mind.

Although there were few Disciples on Emerald Bamboo Peak who Cultivated lightning Spells, it was not unheard of.

During this period, Chen Hao came to find him once.

The guy was still his usual impetuous self; as soon as he entered the courtyard, he shouted, "Lin Xuan! Watch this move of mine!"

Without waiting for Lin Xuan to respond, he retreated into the courtyard, formed hand seals with both hands, and crimson Spiritual Energy surged, actually condensing a foot-long, solid blade of flame in his palm!

"Flame Blade! I just mastered it!" Chen Hao waved it triumphantly, and the fire blade slashed out, cutting a dead wooden stake Lin Xuan usually used for practice into two, leaving the cross-section charred and neat.

"Good power, and the control is very stable." Lin Xuan praised.

"Of course!" Chen Hao retracted the Spell and leaned in. "Senior Brother Zhang Meng had a Breakthrough a while ago, reaching Qi Refining Level 3! Now our team has more confidence when taking on missions. What about you? How is your new Spell training going?"

Lin Xuan smiled and flicked his fingertip, and a tiny electric arc flashed with a "crackling" sound: "Still exploring; it's far worse than your Flame Blade."

"Lightning Spells are difficult to begin with, so take it slow." Chen Hao patted his shoulder. "By the way, there have been a lot of good things in the market recently. I heard Artifact Refining Peak released a batch of new Magical Artifacts, some of which are suitable for a Thunder Cultivator. Do you want to go take a look?"

Lin Xuan's heart stirred, and he noted this information.

After chatting for a few more sentences, Chen Hao left, still seemingly unsatisfied, saying he needed to go back to consolidate his Spell.

Lin Xuan saw him to the courtyard gate and watched Chen Hao's receding figure, feeling a warmth in his heart. This friend had never changed.

His Contribution Points were slowly decreasing due to daily consumption and the occasional purchase of Medicinal Pills and Materials, but Lin Xuan already had a plan in mind.

He inquired again through the channels he had traded with before and learned that a Senior Brother surnamed Han from Artifact Refining Peak would soon be selling a batch of Tier 1 Medium Grade Magical Artifacts in a small-scale sale within the Inner Sect.

Among them was a "startling thunder whip," which was perfect for a Thunder Cultivator in the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.

Lin Xuan managed to contact that Senior Brother Han—through two trusted brokers—and expressed his interest in purchasing it.

Three days later, in a quiet private room of a teahouse in the market, Lin Xuan met Senior Brother Han.

The other party was a lean man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a cultivation base of Qi Refining Level 6. His finger joints were thick, bearing the scorched marks left by years of Artifact Refining. He did not talk much, but his eyes were sharp.

"The startling thunder whip, Tier 1 Medium Grade. The main material is a thirty-year-old lightning-struck wood core, wrapped with 'soft gold wire' mixed with a small amount of thunder-patterned iron. The whip is twelve feet long. After injecting Spiritual Energy, the whip body naturally carries the sound of thunder; it can attack at medium to long range, and it can also coil and bind. It provides about a twenty percent boost to the power of lightning Spells." Senior Brother Han was concise and placed a folded, dark purple long whip on the table.

Lin Xuan picked up the long whip. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, but lighter than he had imagined. The whip body was woven from countless fine, dark purple metal wires, and one could faintly see the wooden texture inside. The handle was wrapped in non-slip black beast skin, making it comfortable to hold.

He injected a wisp of Thunder Spiritual Energy.

"Zzzzt—"

The whip body instantly lit up with dense silver runes! A faint sensation of electric current traveled up his arm, but it was not uncomfortable.

The entire long whip seemed to come alive, vibrating slightly and emitting a low hum, like distant, muffled thunder.

"A good whip!" Lin Xuan praised sincerely.

"Two hundred Contribution Points, no bargaining." Senior Brother Han stated the price directly. "The Materials aren't top-tier, but the quality is good; it's worth the price. If you think it's expensive, you can wait for the next batch with better Materials, but the price will at least double."

Lin Xuan knew the other party wasn't lying. For a Tier 1 Medium Grade Magical Artifact, a normal one was over 150 points, and a boutique one for two or three hundred was normal. This whip used solid Materials, had exquisite craftsmanship, and even had targeted runes; two hundred points was indeed fair.

He gritted his teeth: "I'll buy it."

He swiped his identity jade token across the Formation Plate, and his Contribution Points dropped directly from 587 to 387—recently he had sold some more resources obtained in Cloud Mist Valley, and combined with the monthly resources issued by the Sect and the Contribution Points from the Qinglin Medicinal Garden mission, he had managed to accumulate a few hundred points.

Senior Brother Han accepted the Contribution Points and pushed the startling thunder whip over, rarely showing a hint of a smile: "Is Junior Brother from Emerald Bamboo Peak? Being a Thunder Cultivator isn't easy; use it well. This whip is simple to maintain; just nourish it with Thunder Spiritual Energy once a month, and avoid soaking it in filthy water for long periods."

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Lin Xuan solemnly put away the long whip.

Back at the small courtyard, he couldn't wait to start practicing.

The startling thunder whip was completely different from the qingyun sword.

Sword techniques were straightforward—slashing, stabbing, lifting, and wiping—emphasizing precision and speed. Whip techniques, however, were strange and erratic—whipping, sweeping, and coiling—emphasizing the transmission of force and trajectory control.

At first, Lin Xuan was extremely clumsy. When he whipped out, either the force was scattered, or the trajectory was out of control, and he almost whipped himself.

Soft weapons required "soft strength" and "clever strength," which was quite different from the rigid and fierce style of lightning Spells he was used to.

But he calmed his heart and started practicing from the most basic sweeping motions. Standing in the courtyard, he whipped toward the hanging wooden stakes one by one, experiencing the complete process of force being transmitted from his waist and abdomen to his arm, then to his wrist, and finally being lashed out through the whip body.

Next, he practiced coiling. He aimed at branches and stones, trying to coil around them precisely with the tip of the whip, then applying force to pull or flick them away.

Combining it with the Thunder Flash Step was even more difficult. Whipping while dashing required re-adapting to the force, angle, and timing.

But he was patient.

Every afternoon, in the stream valley, in addition to the flashing lightning, there were now crisp whip cracks and the low sound of thunder.

Ten days later, he could skillfully whip and break a tree branch as thick as a bowl.

Half a month later, he could use the tip of the whip to coil around a stone flying past from three zhang away and then flick it in a designated direction.

A month later, he was able to initially combine the dash of the Thunder Flash Step with the whipping and sweeping of the startling thunder whip. When he whipped out, it was like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue—swift, vicious, and ruthless—with the thunder sound of the whip body exploding, possessing quite a bit of might.

He didn't exchange the qingyun sword for Spirit Stones either, keeping it in his Storage Pouch as a backup weapon. Sword techniques like straight stabs and slashes still had their irreplaceability in certain situations.

On this day, the sun was setting.

Lin Xuan retracted the whip and stood still, looking at the giant boulder in the distance that was covered in whip marks and patches of char from the startling thunder whip, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

With the startling thunder whip in hand, the Thunder Flash Step mastered to the entry level, the Palm Thunder at Minor Achievement, his Qi Refining Level 2 cultivation stabilized, his Thunder Gathering talent continuously effective, the Pangolin's injuries mostly recovered, the Thunder-Light Bug and the thunder-attracting vine symbiotic relationship going well...

Unknowingly, his strength had undergone a earth-shaking change.

Although there was still a gap between him and those true Genius Disciples, he was chasing and surpassing them with steady and firm steps.

The mountain wind blew, and the bamboo forest rustled.

Lin Xuan looked to the west—that was the direction of Thunderfall Ravine.

In his eyes, flames were dancing.