The entrance to the Cindralore Outer Academy's Trial Arena loomed ahead—tall basalt gates adorned with silver flame-etched carvings. Jiǎng Mùchéng approached at a jog, still catching his breath from the morning run, half-expecting the place to be mostly empty.
He just wanted to look around.
Maybe see how others summon their beastpulse. Maybe pick up a few tricks...
But as the gates creaked open—
He stopped dead.
Crowds. Dozens of students. Silence thick as iron.
The entire arena stood still, all eyes locked onto the center dueling platform.
On the elevated combat ring, an elemental storm raged.
A bolt of pure lightning split the air, followed by a tremor of roots and emerald vines erupting in defense.
The clash was not between students.
It was a teacher and a student.
Jiǎng's gaze narrowed as he slowly moved forward to find a better view.
That's when he saw them.
Clustered near the inner ring, standing like carved statues, were eight figures—each wearing the elite flame-embroidered robes of high-rankers.
He recognized them instantly.
Huǒ Chén—the one Jiǎng had defeated. Still pale from recovery.
Fēng Yùxiāo—the one who had tried to help.
And beside them—six others, all radiating strong elemental pressure.
📜[SYSTEM SCAN – ACTIVE]
Detected: Top Ranks of Cindralore Outer Academy
Ranks: 2 through 9 present
Status: Observing a demonstration duel
But their focus wasn't on the fight.
They were all watching one man.
The one standing alone at the front, arms folded, silver eyes glowing like stormfire.
His robe flared with thunderthread embroidery, and his breath crackled with voltage.
Even the ground around him was faintly scorched from passive discharge.
📜[TARGET IDENTIFIED: Léi Xuánzi (雷玄子)]
▪️ Rank: #1 – Outer Academy Champion
▪️ Cultivation Level: Level 5 · 9-Stars – Pulse Control Stage
▪️ Age: 20
▪️ Elemental Affinity: Thunder (⚡)
▪️ Elemental Beastpulse: "Thunder Wyrmlion Sovereign" (雷狮蛟皇)
▪️ Trait: Unknown – High Voltage Suppression Field detected
Jiǎng's breath caught.
This wasn't a duel between kids.
This was a war dance between titans.
And then the system chimed again—
📜[Opponent: Mù Bǎifēng (木百枫)]
▪️ Age: 49
▪️ Cultivation Level: Stage 6 – Pulse Control ★★★★★★★★★
▪️ Elemental Affinity: Wood (🌿)
▪️ Elemental Beastpulse: "Verdant World-Treader" (苍森踏界兽)
▪️ Domain Signature: "Rooted Harmony Grove" – Spatial wood compression + rapid regeneration
Jiǎng's eyes widened.
"He's fighting… a Stage 6 instructor?"
Another thunderclap struck down, tearing across the vine-wrapped ring.
Electricity surged in radiant arcs across the stone floor, and the teacher blocked it—barely—by raising a wall of greenwood that instantly cracked under the weight.
Léi Xuánzi didn't even flinch.
He was calm. Controlled. And terrifying.
Even the Top 2–9 students remained silent, none daring to interrupt.
Jiǎng's fists clenched unconsciously.
So that's what a peak Level 5 looks like…
And he's not even breaking a sweat against a teacher.
This was no ordinary trial.
This was a reminder—that in Cindralore… the top rank was no accident.
The thunder in the air began to hum—not loud, not wild, but heavy… like stormclouds holding back their wrath.
In the center of the Trial Arena, Léi Xuánzi stood tall, his left hand resting calmly on the hilt of a crackling thunderblade at his hip. The light in his silver eyes dimmed as he respectfully bowed toward his opponent.
"Thank you, Instructor Mù Bǎifēng, for accepting this sparring request. I hope I won't disappoint."
The instructor, robed in greenwood silk, folded his arms and sighed.
"Xuánzi… I've taught dozens of thunder cultivators in my time. You're the only one who carries it without arrogance."
He extended his hand toward the arena floor. Vines coiled beneath his feet.
"But this won't be easy. I won't insult you with restraint. If you don't use all your strength…
You won't even get the chance to strike twice."
The ambient pressure spiked.
A stone bell tolled.
"Five minutes. Begin."
Outside the arena, Jiǎng Mùchéng stood among the observing crowd. He didn't try to stand out—but people noticed him anyway.
Especially the group directly next to him.
"Shhh! He's going to move—watch closely!" one whispered.
Then another said:
"Léi Xuánzi… They say he's already strong enough to fight Inner Academy students. Some even say he nearly matched the elders-in-training last year."
A third voice joined:
"Yeah, but he missed the Phoenix Ascent Trials last year because of his sect duties. If not for that, he'd already be in the Inner Academy."
Jiǎng's ears perked up. Phoenix Ascent Trials?
"This year, there are only five open Inner spots. You know he'll claim one."
The first guy whispered more carefully:
"By the way, did you hear about that fat guy who beat Rank 3? What was his name again… Jiǎng what?"
Jiǎng Mùchéng took one step forward. His presence, enhanced by his solid frame and sharp aura, was impossible to ignore now.
They turned, blinking.
"…Eheheh. Oh—uh—hello."
Jiǎng's voice was calm. "Do you think Léi Xuánzi will win?"
The tallest among them chuckled nervously. "W-Well, hard to say… but Léi Xuánzi is from the Skyveil Arcanum Hall (天幕雷宗)—one of the biggest sects in Cindralore Capital."
Another added quickly, "His Beastpulse is something else. A Supreme Ancient Beastpulse. They say it hasn't even fully evolved yet."
Jiǎng narrowed his eyes. He whispered internally.
"Hey CORE-AI... What's a 'Supreme Ancient Beastpulse'?"
📜[SYSTEM RESPONSE – EDUCATIONAL MODE ENABLED]
📖 Beastpulse Classification Breakdown:
▪️ Normal Beastpulse – Common in all cultivators. They offer a single trait and stabilize qi flow.
▪️ Rare-Class Beastpulse – Slightly enhanced forms, with one or two special abilities. Often appear in noble lineages.
▪️ Legendary Beastpulse – Strong, unique types that grant powerful techniques. These usually require specific contracts or bloodlines.
▪️ Supreme Ancient Beastpulse – A special class of Beastpulse known for their evolution potential.
– These beastpulses are born from remnants of divine beasts that once ruled the Beastpulse Realm.
– Their strength grows with their host. At peak, they can ascend alongside the cultivator into near-divine form.
🐲 Note: Léi Xuánzi's "Thunder Wyrmlion Sovereign" is likely a hybrid of Divine Thunder Lion and Heaven-Wyrm bloodline, classified as evolution-capable.
Jiǎng's lips curled into a faint smile.
"So I'm not the only one with a freak-class beastpulse…"
Inside the arena—
Mù Bǎifēng slammed his palm down. The floor cracked open as a forest of emerald pillars burst from the arena tiles—twisting, forming walls of wood infused with life force.
Léi Xuánzi responded not with panic—but with a breath.
He slowly stepped forward, letting lightning trail behind his feet like cracking threads of energy.
The real fight… was about to begin.
The instant the bell tolled—
Léi Xuánzi moved.
He vanished in a burst of thunder—no buildup, no windup—just pure velocity.
BOOM!
His fist blazed with lightning as he charged forward, thunder spirals coiling along his knuckles like serpents of raw qi.
Instructor Mù Bǎifēng didn't blink. Roots twisted beneath his feet as he slid backward, intercepting the blow with a heavy sweep of his open palm wrapped in dense, wooden qi.
CLASH!
The shockwave tore across the ring—dust and light scattering like shattered glass.
Then came the next strike—
Fist! Knee! Elbow! Palm!
Ten exchanges—lightning and roots colliding in perfect rhythm. Every strike Léi Xuánzi threw was met with a counter. Every dodge timed to the blink of breath.
But the gap between Level 5 and Level 6... was still vast.
Mù Bǎifēng's body twisted effortlessly as his wooden qi thickened, vines wrapping around his forearms, creating bark-like gauntlets.
BAM!
A backhand made of compressed wood slammed into Léi Xuánzi's shoulder, sending him flying back twenty meters.
He hit the ground, sliding to the edge of the ring, thunder flickering around his form like a dying corona.
The instructor exhaled calmly.
"Four more minutes," he said, voice booming through the arena. "Don't disappoint me, Xuánzi."
Léi Xuánzi slowly rose.
His breath drew in like lightning gathering before a storm.
Then—he focused his qi into his Star Nexus Core.
The entire arena darkened.
Thunderclouds began to coil above the ring. The ground trembled with low-frequency pulses as electric arcs danced around his shoulders.
📜[Beastpulse Summon: Supreme Ancient Class – Initiating]
Species: Divine Thunder Mutant
Name: Thunder Wyrmlion Sovereign (雷狮蛟皇)
Lineage: Hybrid of Storm-Jiao Dragon × Lightning Lion
Size: 30m long, 18m tall at shoulder
Lightning spiraled into a vortex behind him—
And from within the storm:
A monstrous silhouette emerged.
A long, coiling body lined with draconic thunder-scales, four leonine legs striking the ground like thunderbolts, and a mane of lightning tendrils that screamed with electrical wrath.
KA-BOOOOOOM!!
The moment it appeared, the air became electrified chaos.
Every single Top 2–10 student activated defensive qi shields on instinct.
The audience did the same.
Even the formations around the arena flickered, struggling to stabilize.
Jiǎng Mùchéng could barely stand still. His skin prickled. His breath came faster.
"That… that's a Beastpulse?!"
But Mù Bǎifēng's face?
He smiled—genuinely.
"Good. Good, Xuánzi. This is what I wanted."
He, too, gathered his power.
Green light surged behind him. A pulse of life radiated outward.
From the cracks of the arena floor, ancient roots twisted upward—summoning from the earth not a storm... but a forest.
And then—
📜[Beastpulse Summon: Legendary Divine-Class – Initiating]
Species: World-Treader Elk of the Sacred Roots
Name: Verdant World-Treader (苍森踏界兽)
Size: Towering 12m tall
Form: Majestic elk of moss-fur, tree-trunk legs, and antlers shaped like a forest canopy
Domain: Control over life-bound terrain
With a rumble like mountains breathing, the Verdant World-Treader stepped forward, antlers glowing with orb-shaped seeds of pure life energy, each one pulsing like stars.
The beast roared softly—a sacred sound, like nature itself awakening.
And with that cry—
The storm's pressure dropped by 90%.
Roots and vines encased the arena, forming a spatial stabilization zone. The audience could breathe again. The thunderclouds rolled higher into the sky, suppressed by a forest older than the heavens.
Léi Xuánzi narrowed his eyes.
He's still suppressing me. Even with this form...
He looked at his beastpulse—and they locked gazes.
Then he let it go.
"Go," he whispered. "Let's show him."
The Thunder Wyrmlion Sovereign roared, charging at the Verdant World-Treader.
The instructor did the same.
**Two divine beasts collided—**one a storm of fury, the other a forest of timeless calm.
And then—Léi Xuánzi drew from his spatial ring—
⚡⚔️ Stormpiercer Fang – Vajra Thunder Spear (裂天神矛 · 霹雳獠牙)
Form: 2-meter divine spear forged from Heavenly Skyiron, fused with a divine thundercore
Aura: Pulsating with layered thunder seals, designed for divine beast combat
His aura surged.
He rushed forward, spear in hand, lightning coursing down the shaft like a starforge railgun.
Instructor Mù Bǎifēng grinned—then drew his own weapon:
🌿🗡️ Verdant Oathwood Halberd (誓林神戟)
Form: Living halberd forged from Worldroot Tree, fused with serpent-beast fang and spiritual jade vines
Aura: Breathes with shifting rootlife; blade curved like a crescent of jade flame
The two collided.
Spear met halberd.
Lightning met life.
Every clash shook the arena with a divine quake.
Even Jiǎng Mùchéng—standing back among the crowd—couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Is… this what real cultivators are like…?"
He clenched his fists.
He knew he was strong now.
He had beaten Huǒ Chén.
He had unlocked a divine technique and reforged his body.
But watching this—
He felt small.
No… not small. Aware. Of the mountain ahead.
He spoke quietly.
"AI… If I fought Léi Xuánzi right now, what are the chances I'd win?"
📜[SYSTEM CALCULATING…]
▪️ Comparative Power Analysis:
– Jiǎng Mùchéng: Level 2 · 0-Stars – Pulse Embodiment
– Léi Xuánzi: Level 5 · 9-Stars – Pulse Control
– Experience, Technique Library, Beastpulse Evolution, Weaponry…
💥 Win Probability: 5.03%
Jiǎng fell silent.
The lightning above flashed, reflected in his quiet eyes.
He didn't flinch. Didn't panic.
He just… exhaled.
"Then I'll just make that 5% grow. One percent at a time."
The thunder cracked again—but this time, it wasn't from the heavens.
It came from within Léi Xuánzi.
After a brutal series of clashes—fist to halberd, thunder to bark—his hands trembled.
His grip on the Stormpiercer Fang – Vajra Thunder Spear loosened.
Small arcs of lightning flickered, uncontrolled, down his arm.
His lips tightened.
"So this is… the weight of a single level above," he whispered.
Across from him, Instructor Mù Bǎifēng stood tall, calm, the Verdant World-Treader beside him breathing like an ancient mountain.
The elder's voice echoed with controlled breath.
"Three minutes have passed. Two remain."
"Is this all you've got, Léi Xuánzi?"
The crowd murmured. Some held their breath. The tension was not just on the battlefield—it was in every pulse of the arena's air.
Léi Xuánzi inhaled. Deep. Centered.
Then he smiled—not with arrogance, but with resolve.
"Teacher."
"I won't disappoint you."
He leapt back—a clean ten meters, landing like thunder itself.
The ground beneath him sizzled from residual energy.
He looked up—and then turned his back.
His Thunder Wyrmlion Sovereign descended from the skies above, standing majestically behind him, its mouth glowing with compressed lightning qi.
Then—the beast gathered its energy, forming a dense electric orb in the air, like a thunder heart.
The orb spun faster and faster, then rushed toward him.
Léi Xuánzi turned, extended both palms—
—and caught it.
His hair blew back from the shock. His veins flared silver-blue.
The orb spun into his Star Nexus Core with a deafening boom.
The entire arena dimmed for a moment—then flickered bright white.
He raised his eyes.
"Teacher... this is my trump card."
"Please—take it head-on."
The instructor's face finally changed.
His eyes narrowed. His stance shifted.
"Léi Xuánzi… are you going to enter your Rampage Mode?"
The crowd gasped.
Even the Top 2–10 students stirred, activating passive defenses on instinct.
Mù Bǎifēng stepped forward, raising his right hand.
"Then I shall meet you properly."
He called out to his beastpulse again.
The Verdant World-Treader lifted its antlers and released a deep, harmonic call.
From the roots beneath, a vibrant orb of pure wood qi emerged and spiraled toward the instructor.
He caught it with one hand.
His qi surged. A vibrant jade aura wrapped around his shoulders like a mantle of leaves.
Two energies. Two cultivators. One final act.
👣 Elsewhere in the crowd...
Jiǎng Mùchéng had walked directly up to the front-row group of elite students.
The moment he appeared, Fēng Yùxiāo turned in surprise.
"You're here too?!"
Huǒ Chén—arms crossed, silent—glanced over. His fist clenched. His jaw tightened. But this time… he said nothing.
Jiǎng simply nodded. "What are they doing?"
Yùxiāo turned back to the ring. Her voice lowered.
"Léi Xuánzi… he's going into Rampage Mode."
Jiǎng raised an eyebrow. "Rampage?"
She nodded. "It's dangerous for most. But for someone like him... it's different."
"Once a cultivator reaches Level 5 – Pulse Rampage, they can enter that state. Their strength, speed, qi—it multiplies tenfold."
"But they lose control. Mind gives way to instinct. Some even shatter their own bones... or their beastpulse."
Jiǎng blinked. "Then why use it?"
She glanced at him. "Because when you're desperate, it's the only way to win."
"But Léi Xuánzi isn't just anyone."
"He's already at the threshold of Level 6. He can control it."
Jiǎng whispered: "AI, give me more. Break it down."
📜[SYSTEM – PULSEFORGING ASCENSION DATA]
🧬 Level 5 – Pulse Rampage (狂脉 – Kuángmài)
– "Instinct reigns. Power explodes."
– Temporary fusion with beastpulse instincts.
– Physical and elemental stats boosted x10.
– Mental clarity drops. Combat becomes feral.
– Unstable. Duration: short. Risk: high.
🧬 Level 6 – Pulse Control (御脉 – Yùmài)
– "The beast obeys."
– Full synchronization with beastpulse.
– Switch between human form, beast form, and merged form freely.
– Rampage Mode becomes controllable.
– Elemental qi flows refined. Can suppress others at will.
Jiǎng slowly nodded.
"So… I'm still far, far behind."
His voice wasn't bitter.
It was focused.
He clenched his own fist—much smaller than Léi Xuánzi's thunder-bound form in the distance.
"But I'll catch up. No matter what it takes."
On the battlefield—
Lightning and Verdant Qi surged.
Two auras, two divine beasts.
The sky cracked with thunder.
The earth trembled beneath rootlight.
And then—
They charged.