As the thunder faded and the elders dispersed, Fēng Yùxiāo turned her head, searching the crowd.
"…Jiǎng?"
But he was already gone.
🌙 In the quiet shadows of Cindralore…
Jiǎng Mùchéng moved through the flame-stone corridors without a word.
His steps were heavy—not from exhaustion, but resolve.
Inside his mind, the AI was already responding.
📜[CORE-AI ACTIVE]
"You wish to grow like Léi Xuánzi… then start here."
"Right now, you must focus on your Elemental Body Absorption Technique."
"If you stabilize your absorption to Stage II, your physical body will surpass most Level 4 cultivators—allowing you to bridge the gap before your cultivation catches up."
📊 Power Surge Analysis: Combat Resonance Extraction
– Thunder-Type Energy Absorbed: 100% strength echo from Léi Xuánzi
– Wood-Type Energy Absorbed: 100% resonance echo from Instructor Mù Bǎifēng
▪️ Stored Energy Potential: ⚡🌿
Enough to push Elemental Body Absorption into Stage II
Jiǎng sprinted into his room, sealing the door behind him.
With a wave of his hand, the stored energy formed into ten glowing pills—
thicker, denser, and wilder than the last batch.
"…Let's do this."
He swallowed the first pill.
🔥⚡🌿 Elemental Body Absorption: Stage II Breakthrough
Pill 1 – Lightning arced through his chest.
A sharp spike of thunder pain shot across his heart—
His veins surged, muscles twitched uncontrollably.
"GAAAHHH!"
Pill 2–4 – Still painful, but manageable.
His pulse stabilized. Lightning moved smoother.
His nerves adapted—bones starting to absorb static pulses.
Pill 5–7 – The fire and thunder qi began to layer, compressing muscle fibers into steel cords.
Pill 8 – A new sensation—
Wood energy surged through his meridians.
His arms swelled with green light.
Vine-like tendrils expanded through his flesh from the inside out.
"W-What is this?!"
Pill 9 – The wood-qi replaced his veins, momentarily reshaping them into spiritual vines—so thick he couldn't feel his limbs.
Then slowly… it all retracted, refining into deep rooted vitality.
Pill 10 – Final surge.
His bones cracked.
Lightning was pulled into the marrow.
Crimson glow faded—replaced by flickering silver-blue light across his entire skeleton.
💥 A Shockwave Burst
From Jiǎng's room, a wave of elemental force exploded outward, shaking the windows of Dorm #73.
📜[BREAKTHROUGH COMPLETE]
🔺 Elemental Body Absorption – Stage II
🔹 Acquired Body Types:
– 🔥 Fire Core Reinforcement
– 🌿 Wood Vein Adaptation
– ⚡ Thunderbone Inlay
💬 AI: "Congratulations. This surge was equivalent to over one month of cultivation time. You've advanced more in ten minutes than in all of your training to date."
Jiǎng slumped to the ground—body steaming, eyes wide, breath ragged.
"Then it's not enough…"
He sat up.
"If I want to reach Level 4... maybe even 5... by the Crimson Star Ascension Trials... I need a path."
📜[Training Schedule: 6-Month Plan for Breakthroughs]
🧬 Goal: Level 3 · 0-Stars (Pulse Merge) to Level 5 · 0-Stars (Pulse Rampage)
📅 Time Limit: 180 Days
🔹 Key Training Elements:
Refine Absorption Technique – Elemental body must be trained daily (Qi Resistance + Pain Endurance + Elemental Flow Control)
Elemental Law Meditation – Wood · Thunder · Fire comprehension every morning and night
Cultivation Focus Training – Pill refinement + Qi cycling + Beastpulse resonance sync
Combat Immersion – Hunting Quests against powerful beasts
Energy Intake – Absorb battlefield ambient qi during high-level duels
📜[OPTIONAL MISSION – Hunting Quest Unlocked]
🎯 Quest Title: "Echofang Hunt"
🌄 Location: Mount Zhenlan (震岚山) – Thunderwood Mist Range
🐾 Target Beast: Stormhide Echofang (雷皮回音兽)
▪️ Beast Rank: Level 3 – Pulse Merge
▪️ Elemental Type: Thunder · Wind
▪️ Reward: Return its Pulse Core to gain access to the Astral Qi Chamber (星元灵殿)
📍 A sacred energy hall used by Outer Academy elites to rapidly ascend levels
Jiǎng's eyes flared.
"Then that's it."
He stood, body still sparking from within.
"My next step…"
"Mount Zhenlan. The Stormhide Echofang. That core… will be mine."
The storm inside Jiǎng Mùchéng finally calmed.
His body glowed with quiet power. Thunder veins pulsed beneath his skin. His breath carried the scent of scorched earth and ancient trees.
And just as he exhaled—feeling the new strength coursing through him—
📜[SYSTEM REWARD – ISSUED FOR STAGE II BREAKTHROUGH]
🎴 New Item Acquired: Dual Elemental Card (1 Minute Use)
A rectangular card materialized before him in midair, hovering just above his palm.
It shimmered with radiant energy—flame patterns on one corner, thunderbolt sigils etched in the center, root-vine lines spiraling the edges, and at the back: the cold gleam of iron.
Card Name: Elemental Override – Dual Channel Prototype
🧬 Duration: 1 Minute
🔓 Function: Unlocks dual-elemental fusion abilities temporarily
🔄 Based on current active Elemental Body Absorption traits
🔹 Eligible Elements:
Iron – His native core: defensive, crushing, relentless
Flame – From battle observation: explosive, purifying, aggressive
Thunder – From Xuánzi's aura: swift, piercing, storm-carving
Wood – From Mù Bǎifēng's roots: flexible, regenerative, binding
📊 Combination Possibilities (Examples):
Iron + Flame → Molten Burst Armor – short-range burst defense with searing backlash
Wood + Thunder → Vineflash Chains – paralyzing roots with shock feedback
Flame + Thunder → Blazing Storm Arc – rapid fire-lash combined with lightning shockwave
Iron + Wood → Rooted Steel Wall – regenerating barrier of metallic vines
📜[Note: Elemental fusion during this minute will bypass elemental control mastery. However, excessive misuse may cause internal qi turbulence. Use wisely.]
Jiǎng stared at the glowing card in his hand.
"One minute…"
And with the reward stowed and his strength pulsing through his newly transformed body, he stood—
His next path clear.
"Time to hunt."
"Mount Zhenlan. Stormhide Echofang.
I'm coming for you."
Whisper of Legends and the Road to Thunder
The sun was halfway down the crimson sky, staining the mountains in a fiery hue.
Jiǎng Mùchéng marched along the cracked lava roads leading out of Cindralore's Outer Academy, his body still resonating faintly from his recent breakthrough.
The wind carried the scent of burnt ash and distant rain.
Ahead lay Mount Zhenlan—the Thunderwood Mist Range.
As he jogged, he opened his mind's link.
"AI... Tell me something."
"Why in this world... do cultivators usually have only one element and one beastpulse?"
"And why... can I already use four elements?"
The AI, quiet for a heartbeat longer than usual, finally responded.
📜[SYSTEM HISTORICAL ARCHIVE: ANCIENT ERA – UNLOCKED]
💬 "It's a long story, but you deserve to know it now."
The voice softened—a rare hint of seriousness.
📖[Ancient Elemental Truth]
"Long ago—before nations rose, before the sects of today were even born—there existed a man who transcended all limits."
"His name was Lóng Yán (龙焱)."
"The God of Elementals. The Sovereign of Beastpulse."
Jiǎng's heart thudded.
"God…?"
The AI continued:
"Lóng Yán was the first and only being to ever awaken control over all elemental forces simultaneously—flame, thunder, earth, shadow, ice, and beyond."
"He wasn't merely strong—he was evolution itself."
"His beastpulse was beyond divine; a creation of pure elemental pulse. After he became a true god, he founded an ancient sect at the very heart of this world."
"In the center of the Five Continents—rises a sacred island suspended in the sky:
Aetherhold (以太圣岛)."
"At its peak lies the Elemental Convergence Temple, home to six ancient sects."
Jiǎng slowed his steps.
"And Long Yan's sect?"
"It still exists."
📜[Long Yan's Sect: Lóng Shén Zōng (龙神宗) – Dragon God Sect]
▪️ Status: Hidden in Aetherhold, veiled from mortal eyes.
The AI hesitated briefly.
Then it added:
"After Lóng Yán's ascension, no mortal has naturally wielded dual or multiple elements again."
"But rumors survived."
"It is said one of the rival ancient sects—Crimson Abyss Sect (绯渊宗)—produced two dual-element cultivators after Long Yan, descendants tainted by echoes of his bloodline... though none have matched his myth."
"In today's world, possessing even two elements is seen as divine fate."
Jiǎng was silent for a long moment.
The crimson sunset bathed his figure in molten gold.
"Then... why me?"
"Why can I control more than one?"
The AI responded without pause:
"Because… you are not from this world."
"This world… without Lóng Yán's presence… is decaying."
"A disaster is coming—one so vast it will consume the Five Continents if left unchecked."
"You were brought here to prepare, to awaken the possibility of elemental evolution once more."
"You were chosen because your existence defies the cycle."
Jiǎng's throat tightened. His hands clenched.
The AI's voice grew softer:
"Also—"
"Your Beastpulse… the one sleeping within you… it is not ordinary."
"It is intertwined with me."
"When you reach Level 3, your Beastpulse will awaken its true self—and guide you personally."
"Only then… will you understand your true destiny."
The wind howled across the hills.
Jiǎng stared at the distant outline of Mount Zhenlan, its peak cloaked in rolling thunder.