Chapter 77: Baptism by Thunder

“Father, shall we go take a look?”
Dongfang Han cast a glance at his two sons before turning to the master of Qingyang, who stood before him. “Brother Qingyang, what do you think?”
Master Qingyang pondered for a moment and replied, “Permit me a short absence—I shall return soon...” Before his words had finished, his figure had already vanished.
At the same moment, several streaks of rainbow light soared up from within the city of Chang'an, rushing toward the direction of the thunderclouds.
Meanwhile, Lin Cheng lay sprawled on his back, limbs askew, embedded in the mountainside. His entire body was stained red with blood, his breath ragged and disordered, looking as if he were on the brink of death.
“Here it comes again!”
He had barely caught his breath when another barrage of lightning crashed down.
Boom!
Despite his best efforts to dodge, a bolt struck him squarely, tearing the flesh of his arm and exposing glimpses of bone.
Ignoring the searing pain, he scrambled to his feet and darted into the dense forest ahead, hoping to obscure himself from the sight of the heavenly tribulation.
But this was no more than a futile gesture; the thick foliage offered no protection. The thunder above still locked firmly onto him, and another round of lightning struck.
His back was hit once more, splattering blood across the ground.
Catching sight of a cave entrance ahead, he wasted no time and slipped inside.
Within, the thunder seemed to subside, and Lin Cheng was overjoyed.
Hurriedly, he pulled out a handful of pills and swallowed them all, circulating the power of the Five Elements Sword Body to mend his wounds.
“Did you think hiding in a cave could help you escape the heavenly tribulation?”
At the sound of the long-missed voice, Lin Cheng nearly broke down in tears. “Uncle, you’re finally awake... If you had slept any longer, I’d be a goner for sure....”
“You brat, can’t you ever let me have a peaceful rest? All this thunder and lightning is enough to drive a man mad....” The white-robed swordsman’s voice sounded again.
“Uncle, you’re blaming me unjustly. I was struck by lightning for no reason at all...”
“Look at me—I nearly died....” Lin Cheng pulled a bitter face, looking thoroughly wronged.
The white-robed swordsman replied, “Isn’t being struck by lightning perfectly normal? Back in my day, I went through the same thing....”
Lin Cheng: ........
“Uncle, I only just broke through to the Spirit Realm. Why would a heavenly tribulation descend on me?”
The white-robed swordsman explained, “Heavenly tribulations come in two varieties. One is the thunder punishment that descends upon reaching the highest realms. The other comes upon those with extraordinary constitutions or objects—each time they break through a major realm, heaven and earth respond with a tribulation....”
“You, possessing the Five Elements Body, are fated to encounter heavenly tribulations whenever you break through. You’ll have plenty more to enjoy in the future....”
Listening to this explanation, Lin Cheng finally understood why he’d been struck by lightning the moment he’d stepped outside.
“Oh, Uncle, then why did the tribulation stop when I hid in the cave....”
“Has the calamity passed?” Lin Cheng asked.
The white-robed swordsman snorted, “Passed? ...You really are dreaming. I merely shielded you from heavenly detection, nothing more....”

“It seems you haven’t properly studied the Deceiving Heaven Array I gave you. If you understood even a fraction of it, you wouldn’t be in such a pitiful state.”
“Can the Deceiving Heaven Array even conceal a heavenly tribulation? That’s... that’s incredible!”
“Heaven exists to be defied....” The swordsman’s words carried a boundless arrogance that made Lin Cheng gulp.
“Uncle, you’re truly formidable!”
“But, though the secret arts within the Deceiving Heaven Array can temporarily conceal you from heaven’s sight, they cannot prevent the tribulation itself....”
“The moment you expose your aura, the lightning will descend in an instant.”
“So this calamity is one you must endure yourself....”
Lin Cheng truly did not wish to face that thunder.
But after hearing the swordsman’s words, he knew there was no escape—he would have to fight.
He focused on healing.
Seeing Lin Cheng choose not to flee, the white-robed swordsman’s eyes flashed with a hint of approval.
“Though the power of this thunder tribulation is fierce and destructive, it’s also excellent for tempering the body....”
“You might try using the Five Elements Sword Art to absorb and refine it, to temper your sword body. You may find unexpected benefits....”
Hearing this, Lin Cheng’s eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, feeling his body mostly healed, he signaled for the swordsman to lift the restriction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The restriction had barely been removed when hundreds of bolts of lightning rained down.
In an instant, the cave where Lin Cheng hid was transformed into a crater.
At its center, Lin Cheng lay as stiff as a charred eel.
He’d overdone it!
Lightning crackled and danced across his body, threatening to snuff out his life.
Damn!
This was endless.
He activated the Five Elements Sword Art, and the lightning that entered his body was quickly transformed into sword energy.
Seeing the method succeed, Lin Cheng was overjoyed.
It seemed even the power of lightning was not beyond the scope of the Five Elements.
After converting all the lightning within him, he laughed aloud and shot into the sky.
Come on!!!
Beneath his feet, the Breeze Sword seemed part of his very being as Lin Cheng soared up into the clouds.
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A thousand miles away, those who had just arrived saw only a dark shadow shooting up from the mountains.

Next, peals of thunder resounded from the storm clouds above, lightning flashing as the dark figure was completely engulfed.
“Alas, what a pity....”
“Such a prodigy, gone just like that...”
“Don’t speak too soon. What if he survives....”
“With your cultivation, could you survive such a tribulation?”
The man questioned fell silent in embarrassment.
Another voice spoke, “Even you, a master of the Profound Pill Realm, could not withstand this. And yet he rushed straight into the heart of the storm.... It is nothing short of suicide.”
“But why didn’t he flee, instead of rushing to his death?”
“Flee? If escape were possible, it wouldn’t be called a heavenly tribulation. I think he knew there was no hope and chose to go out in a blaze of glory....”
“Judging by his aura, he’d only just broken through to the Minor Spirit Realm, yet he drew forth such a world-shaking tribulation. How many can claim such talent?”
“It truly is a loss. If he lives, our Zhao Kingdom is sure to see a great figure rise in the future....”
By now, more and more people were arriving.
Watching the churning thunderclouds in the distance, some sighed in regret, others gloated, and still others seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
------
None could have imagined that, within the storm clouds, Lin Cheng was sitting cross-legged.
Supported by the Breeze Sword, he sat calmly with his eyes closed, unmoving as the lightning struck him again and again.
After a brief period of adaptation, he realized the tribulation was not so terrifying; any bolt that struck his body could be quickly absorbed and transformed, used to temper his flesh.
Though the pain and injury brought by each strike could not be avoided, with each wave of lightning, his body gradually developed resistance.
Each time his flesh was torn open, the absorbed lightning would swiftly heal and restore him, over and over in a cycle.
If one could see through the thunderclouds, they would find Lin Cheng’s entire body glowing with blue electric light, the crackling arcs swirling around him as if he were a god of thunder descended to earth.
Bathed in lightning, he let out a long howl.
His tattered robes were blasted to dust, revealing a glass-like body wreathed in blue radiance.
Feeling the diminishing force of the tribulation above, Lin Cheng was almost reluctant for it to end.
By now, the remaining strikes could do him no harm at all.
“Boy, you’d best make your escape as soon as this is over....”
Just as he was reveling in the electrifying sensation, the white-robed swordsman’s voice sounded.
Lin Cheng paused, then nodded thoughtfully.
“There are at least a dozen powerful cultivators around who you cannot yet contend with. I needn’t tell you what their intentions are....” the swordsman warned.
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