34: Sect Reward, Thunder Pool Body Refining

The mountain path leading to the Lightning Pool was not made of stone steps.

Instead, it was scorched black rock, carved out by endless years and heavenly lightning.

The higher one ascended, the thicker the air became.

Each breath carried a heavy, oppressive feeling, like lead and mercury.

The sky had long lost its clear blue and white.

Thick, inky tribulation clouds perpetually hovered over the mountain peak, forming a colossal, slowly rotating, terrifying vortex.

At the center of the vortex was pure, destructive lightning.

Silver-white electric snakes wildly weaved through the clouds, each flash accompanied by a dull roar that struck directly at the Divine Soul.

The air was filled with the acrid smell of burnt rock and the strong, metallic scent of lightning.

Tiny electric arcs, like living insects, uncontrollably jumped on Lin Gou's robes and in his hair, emitting faint crackling sounds.

His skin felt a stinging sensation, like being pricked by needles.

And this was only halfway up the mountain.

【Comfortable.】

【This feeling is like walking into a top-tier SPA, every pore is cheering.】

Lin Gou's face wore a perfectly appropriate expression of solemnity and awe, as he walked steadily, one step at a time.

His eyes, filled with "reverence," gazed at the thunderclouds on the mountain peak.

But his heart was already an ocean of revelry.

【Are these free-floating electric arcs in the air just an appetizer?】

【What kind of feast will the main course be then!】

【System, please don't disappoint me!】

At the end of the mountain path was a massive, flattened platform.

On the edge of the platform stood an ancient stone tablet, inscribed with two bold, blood-red characters, written in Dragon and Phoenix style: Lightning Pool.

The characters contained faint traces of the true meaning of lightning, and just a glance made Lin Gou's eyes sting.

In the center of the platform, an old man sat cross-legged.

The old man wore a gray deacon's robe, his face stern, his eyes tightly closed, his entire being like an unchanging ancient rock.

As if sensing Lin Gou's arrival, his sharp, hawk-like eyes suddenly opened.

A substantial gaze pierced directly at Lin Gou.

"Token."

His voice was dry, cold, and devoid of any emotion.

Lin Gou dared not delay, respectfully offering the token engraved with lightning patterns with both hands.

The old man beckoned, and the token flew into his palm out of thin air.

His Divine Sense swept over it, confirming its authenticity.

His sharp eyes once again scanned Lin Gou up and down, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Qi Refining Stage, Eighth Level.

His Qi was indeed a bit more solid than that of an ordinary Qi Refining Stage, Eighth Level Cultivator, but... that was all.

Another fool who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, foolishly attempting to ascend to the heavens in one step.

Over the years, he had seen too many such young people.

They always thought they were destined, capable of achieving what their predecessors could not.

But the Lightning Pool was the most impartial place in this world.

It never cared about one's status, talent, or grand ambitions.

Under the might of heaven, all beings were equal.

In the end, their fate was always the same.

"The Lightning Pool is divided into outer, middle, and inner layers, with vastly different powers."

The old man's voice remained cold.

"As a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator, you can only move about in the outer layer."

"You must come out after one hour."

He paused, his tone carrying an undisguised warning.

"Otherwise, you will bear the consequences."

Having said that, he closed his eyes, no longer sparing Lin Gou a glance.

It was as if he had already foreseen his fate of being struck into ashes.

"Thank you, Elder, for your guidance, Disciple understands."

Lin Gou bowed deeply, his attitude extremely humble.

【One hour?】

【Elder, you are truly too generous!】

【This isn't a one-hour experience coupon; this is clearly an all-you-can-eat buffet card with unlimited uses!】

【Enough for me to die dozens of times!】

He turned around, facing the true forbidden zone of lightning in front of the platform.

A massive, circular mountain valley.

Within the valley, there was not a single plant, not a trace of life.

Only endless, violent lightning.

It was as if all the lightning in the sky had been entirely seized by an invisible giant hand, then fiercely smashed into this small valley.

Boom!

A silver lightning bolt as thick as a water bucket descended from the sky, striking fiercely in the center of the valley.

The earth trembled violently.

The destructive energy shockwave, visible as ripples, spread outwards.

Even standing on the edge of the platform, Lin Gou could feel a terrifying pressure rushing towards him, making it almost impossible to breathe.

His heart was pounding frantically.

Not out of fear.

But because of extreme, uncontrollable excitement!

He took a step, crossing the boundary of the platform.

Buzz—!

It was as if he had stepped into another world.

The violent power of lightning, like a flood finding its outlet, instantly surged into his body from all directions!

His Meridians, his flesh and blood, his bones, all groaned under the immense pressure at this moment.

An ordinary Disciple would undoubtedly be channeling all their Spiritual Qi, fighting to the death to resist.

But Lin Gou did not.

He didn't hesitate in the slightest.

He even bothered to activate the most basic protective Spiritual Qi.

He ignored the areas where the lightning was relatively sparse, walking directly towards the outer layer of the valley, where the lightning was most dense.

There, the lightning bolts struck one after another, almost without pause.

He stopped.

He looked up.

A lightning bolt as thick as a child's arm was tearing through the dark clouds, bringing with it an aura of destruction, striking directly at him!

The Guardian Elder of the Lightning Pool slightly lifted his eyelids, peeking through a tiny slit, and glanced with the corner of his eye.

Then, he saw a scene that would be unforgettable for the rest of his life.

That Inner Sect Disciple, who didn't know his own limits, not only didn't dodge, didn't defend.

Instead, he spread his arms.

On his face, there was an almost devout expression, as if embracing a miracle, as he actively welcomed that heavenly lightning bolt, powerful enough to melt steel.

"Fool!"

These two words flashed through the Elder's mind.

"This isn't how you seek death!"

Boom—!

Blinding white light swallowed everything!

In the astonished eyes of the Guardian Elder.

That figure couldn't even last for a single breath.

Instantly, he was blasted by the violent lightning into a human-shaped lump of charcoal.

The charcoal stood still for a moment.

Then, a mountain breeze blew past.

With a rustle, it scattered into a pile of black powder, emitting wisps of smoke.

Annihilated in both body and soul.

The Elder snorted coldly and closed his eyes again.

Another one.

He was already too lazy to remember how many Disciples had died in the Lightning Pool.

However, the moment he closed his eyes.

A heavenly sound echoed in Lin Gou's mind.

【Ding! Host has died!】

【Method of death: Struck head-on by the peripheral aftershock of the Nine Heavens Divine Lightning!】

【System evaluation: C+ grade! Died very creatively, with a strong sense of ritual, worthy of encouragement!】

【Congratulations to Host, for acquiring a special Physique: Lightning Affinity (Weak)!】

【Congratulations to Host, for acquiring Lightning Resistance +10%!】

【Congratulations to Host, for a slight increase in Cultivation!】

The next second.

At the edge of the platform at the entrance, at the anchor point designated as a safe zone by the Elder.

Lin Gou's figure silently re-condensed into form.

He moved his limbs, feeling the changes in his body.

Faint, tingling currents flowed through his limbs and bones.

Not only was there no pain, but it brought an indescribable sense of comfort.

The electric arcs in the air that had stung his skin now became much gentler, even... carrying a hint of familiarity.

"Lightning Affinity..."

Lin Gou clenched his fist, feeling the Spiritual Qi within him, which was now more solid than before, and was so excited he almost laughed out loud.

【A C+ grade death gets this kind of reward?】

【If I die in the core zone, wouldn't I Ascend on the spot?】

【Again!】

He didn't linger for a moment, turning around and once again rushing into the lightning-flashing valley.

The Guardian Elder seemed to sense something.

A ripple appeared in his calm state of mind.

He frowned and slowly opened his eyes.

He thought he was seeing things.

He even subconsciously rubbed his eyes.

Because he saw.

The Disciple who had just been struck into a pile of ashes.

Now, was alive and kicking again, rushing into the Lightning Pool!

The same posture.

The same direction.

The same, completely defenseless.

Boom!

Another lightning bolt struck.

That figure was once again accurately hit, turning into a cloud of ashes.

Elder: "..."

He was stunned.

On his stern face, for the first time, an expression of bewilderment appeared.

An illusion?

Had he been guarding this place for so long that the Evil Qi of the lightning had affected his mind?

But just as he was questioning his sanity.

At the entrance, light and shadow flickered.

That Disciple appeared again.

He patted off non-existent dust from his body, and once again, full of vigor, rushed in!

Boom!

Ashes +1.

Elder: "..."

His mouth was slightly agape.

For the next quarter of an hour.

The Guardian Elder witnessed the most bizarre and worldview-shattering sight he had seen in his two hundred years of Cultivation.

That Disciple named Lin Gou.

Began to seek death in various ways.

Sometimes he would use his head to meet the lightning, as if to test which was harder, his skull or the heavenly lightning.

Sometimes he would strike a Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg pose, attempting to attract lightning with one foot.

Sometimes, at the moment the lightning struck, he would slide-tackle past it, as if trying to give the heavenly lightning a big surprise.

Each time, he died swiftly and completely, leaving no suspense.

Struck into charcoal.

Electrocuted into particles.

Vaporized into smoke.

But after each death, within ten breaths, he would reappear at the entrance, lively and energetic, then adopt a new posture and continue his charge.

He never tired of it.

The Guardian Elder's worldview began to crack.

The expression on his face went from bewilderment, to shock, to blankness, and finally, to an extreme confusion, as if looking at a prehistoric monster.

He had lived for so long, yet he had never witnessed such a bizarre event.

Rising from the dead?

Possession?

Or some kind of... secret art he couldn't comprehend?

"This... what kind of monster is this?!"

He finally couldn't help but utter a dreamlike whisper.

He watched the figure that had "refreshed" at the entrance once again, feeling his Divine Soul tremble.

But at this moment, Lin Gou was somewhat dissatisfied.

【Ding! Struck dead by lightning! Evaluation: D grade! Reward: Lightning Resistance +1%!】

【Again?】

【System, are you stuck? Can you give me something new?】

He found that as his lightning resistance increased, the rewards he received from dying under the lightning in the outer layer were becoming less and less, and the evaluation had dropped from C+ all the way to D grade.

The lightning here could no longer kill him.

At least, it couldn't kill him in a valuable way anymore.

It was time to change maps.

Lin Gou stopped.

He cast his gaze into the distance.

Towards the invisible boundary that separated the outer and middle layers.

Beyond that line.

The lightning in the sky was no longer silver-white.

Instead, it displayed an eerie, heart-pounding pale purple.

The lightning pressure there was several times that of the outer layer!

Each flicker of a purple electric arc carried a true aura of destruction, enough to make even Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators change their expressions.

The Guardian Elder followed his gaze.

A terrifying thought uncontrollably rose in the Elder's mind.

No... it couldn't be, could it?

Does he still want to... In the Elder's ashen-faced expression.

Lin Gou licked his somewhat dry lips.

A brilliant, expectation-filled smile appeared on his face.

Then, step by step, he firmly walked towards the middle layer of the Lightning Pool.