175: Thunder

After completing all the external assistance he could provide for Xiong Nian within the stipulated time, what happened next was entirely up to Xiong Nian himself.

At the center of the Thunder Urgency Platform, the thunder gathered from the eight surrounding peaks struck Xiong Nian's body again and again, intense pain accompanied by a tingling numbness coursing through his entire body.

Aside from the pain brought by the thunder, on the other hand, although the items Xu Yan sent over were all beneficial for Xiong Nian's bloodline breakthrough, good things didn't necessarily mean they were easy to absorb.

Furthermore, due to time constraints, Xu Yan skipped certain steps when making the spirit food and potions, including aspects like flavor and post-consumption discomfort. With these internal and external factors superimposed, the Bear Cub truly felt quite unwell.

However, due to his powerful Spiritual Power, while enduring the agony transmitted through his physical body, Xiong Nian's Spiritual Power, which covered his entire body, keenly detected the changes these pains were bringing to his physique.

His physical strength and resilience rapidly increased during the process of resisting the thunder and absorbing various resources, and his own Spiritual Power simultaneously grew due to the feedback loop resulting from the increased physical strength.

Most importantly, the barrier restraining his bloodline gradually began to crack under the tempering of the thunder and various resources, expanding little by little as time passed. Xiong Nian could even foresee the definite future where the barrier limiting his bloodline would be broken open.

It was precisely because of this understanding of his body's changes that Xiong Nian, when facing the thunder and pain, not only showed no fear or desire to give up but even hoped they would strike more fiercely, allowing him to gain greater improvements.

Just as Xiong Nian was immersed in the frenzy of continuous bloodline and strength enhancement, a familiar bear paw once again landed on his forehead, accompanied by a voice transmission expressing disappointment.

"Bear Cub, are you that cowardly? Just taking hits without fighting back? Does my Profound Thunder Battle Bear clan have a bear with such a good temper? What's going on, can mutation change your personality? Or has the time spent away with that human been so comfortable that you've been domesticated and fallen so low that you don't even dare to resist?"

Xiong Nian, who had been struck by a sudden bear paw, was momentarily stunned before he heard the content of the voice transmission.

Although the message was unpleasant, filling Xiong Nian with anger, it also reminded him that when facing the continuous thunder descending upon him, he wasn't limited to passive endurance; he could actively counterattack.

He hadn't thought of this before, but now that he had been prompted and realized it, executing it was not a difficult task.

Watching the thunderbolts crashing down on him from all directions, Xiong Nian leaped up, his bear paw infused with Spiritual Power meeting the strike head-on.

To Xiong Nian's surprise, the thunder, which should have been an energy body, gave him the sensation of hitting a solid objecta feeling of his paw connecting with fleshwhen he hammered it.

Moreover, compared to passively enduring the thunder, when he actively met it and dispersed it, the scattered energy merged directly into Xiong Nian's body. Not only did it feel less uncomfortable than before, but the resulting improvement for Xiong Nian was also much greater.

As if enraged by Xiong Nian's actions, the thunder descending from the sky became more violent, carrying a greater might of heaven and earth, and striking down towards Xiong Nian's location with higher frequency.

At the same time, the water in the Thunder Pool beneath the Thunder Urgency Platform began to resonate with the thunder in the sky, transforming into streaks of electric light that coordinated with the descending thunder, launching a pincer attack on Xiong Nian from above and below.

After realizing the clear benefits brought by directly shattering the thunder, Xiong Nian was not alarmed but delighted by the change in intensity of the Thunder Urgency Platform and the Thunder Pool. With eyes full of desire to grow stronger, he charged towards the descending thunder.

As time passed, the thunder descending from the sky became increasingly ferocious as Xiong Nian shattered it repeatedly.

Xiong Nian went from being able to effortlessly shatter the thunder with a casual punch without injury to needing to invest more and stronger power to fight it, and his body sustained a certain degree of damage in every confrontation.

Initially, both Xu Yan and Xiong Nian regarded this situation as normal, even welcoming it; the stronger the thunder's intensity, the greater the benefits Xiong Nian could gain from it.

However, as time progressed and the confrontation between Xiong Nian and the thunder became increasingly difficult, the power of the thunder descending from the sky showed no sign of stopping its increase, continuously growing stronger.

Furthermore, even if Xiong Nian stopped adopting a confrontational stance and instead stood passively on the Thunder Urgency Platform, enduring the thunder's descent as he did at the very beginning, the thunder's power showed no signs of ceasing its increase.

Just as they considered temporarily retreating, the familiar voice once again sounded in the ears of Xu Yan and Xiong Nian.

"The more thunder you endure, the greater the benefits you receive. If you leave the Thunder Urgency Platform, the thunder will cease, and this stage will conclude immediately. There may be life-threatening danger; how far you can go depends on your choice."

Xu Yan, who had originally been worried and uneasy about the change in the thunder's intensity, instantly relaxed upon hearing the content of the voice transmission.

Choice?

Xu Yan stated that while he might not excel at other things, seizing the right moment? That was his strong suit!

Thinking this, Xu Yan activated Heavens Mandate Guidance once more.

Following the old rule, he first verified the authenticity of the voice transmission. After confirming it was real, he immediately applied a Heavens Mandate Guidance to both himself and Xiong Nian. The one on Xu Yan was used to determine the exact moment to retreat, while the one on Xiong Nian was used to assist him in countering the descending thunder.

Although Heavens Mandate Guidance did not provide Xiong Nian with attribute boosts, it could help him optimize his methods for resisting the thunder, reducing the consumption and damage sustained during the confrontation.

Just like that, with the assistance of Heavens Mandate Guidance, Xiong Nian, who was already nearing his limit, managed to endure five or six more bolts of thunder before reaching his maximum threshold again.

After shattering the incoming thunder with all his strength once more, even with the assistance of Heavens Mandate Guidance, Xiong Nian reached his limit state again.

Looking at the even stronger thunderbolt descending upon him, even though every cell in his body was frantically warning him that he couldn't withstand it, Xiong Nian, having received no instruction from Xu Yan to leave the Thunder Urgency Platform, showed no panic or fear. He leaped up once more and charged towards the descending thunder.

Just as Xiong Nian's body was about to make contact with the thunder again, the white airflow that had been circulating around Xu Yan vanished and struck Xiong Nian before the thunder did.

The moment of contact, Xiong Nian's aura instantly surged significantly, and the thunder, which should have exceeded his endurance limit, was directly shattered by a single paw strike.