A World Worth Protecting

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The sight stunned Wang Baole, sending him into a daze. That was his first time here, and he was shaken by the strangeness of the place. He noticed the silhouette of a cultivator perched on each of the surrounding seven to eight towering pagodas; they were all disciples from the Upper Academy Island who were there seeking advancement in their cultivation.

Lightning flashed, and thunder resounded. The seven to eight people fought back to various degrees. A few withstood the onslaught while others, under the force of the assault, immediately activated the teleportation device and fled the place.

<em>So brutal! </em>Wang Baole’s eyelids twitched fiercely. He hesitated, then gritted his teeth. He ignored the people around him and, with a sudden sway of his body, leaped onto one of the nearby pagodas. Standing atop the highest point, he raised his head and looked towards the heavens.

<em>There are in total forty lightning bolts… each strike is stronger than the previous one. For every eight lightning bolts one withstands, he’ll be able to unravel a mystic technique from within the lightning! </em>The brief description he had read on the Spirit Intranet appeared in Wang Baole’s mind. He sucked in a deep breath and circulated his cultivation.

It was then that thunder howled in the heavens. A stray bolt of lightning that had been traveling the skies suddenly swerved and tore itself loose. With startling speed, and an intent to destroy everything, it descended; Its target… Wang Baole!

It was too quick. Just as Wang Baole caught sight of it, the lightning bolt, like a huge arc of electricity, struck—landing directly on Wang Baole.

A thundering roar resounded in the air. Wang Baole’s eyes widened in an instant, and his body shook uncontrollably as he heard buzzing in his head. The lightning bolt was like a golden snake spirit, passing through him instantaneously and wandering within his body without rest. It agitated the Spirit Qi crystal, sending it into tremors and causing its rapid breakdown!

<em>It’s working! </em>Wang Baole was thrilled. His body trembled, his hair started to stand, and his eyes were wide open; he was electrified.

The lightning was powerful but tolerable to Wang Baole, who was frequently electrocuted in the hallucination realm. He found himself caring less about the pain, especially after feeling the crystal breaking down.

As the crystal broke up under the assailing lightning, considerable Spirit Qi spread out, immediately filling Wang Baole’s entire body. It surged through his meridians and the streams of Spirit Qi, and gradually broadening the streams into wide rivers.

As the crystal broke up and released Spirit Qi, Wang Baole’s physical body, under the lightning bolt’s stimulation, began to absorb the Spirit Qi for nourishment. His physical body started to strengthen at the same time.

That drove Wang Baole into further excitement and glee, and his breath quickened. He lifted his head to the skies abruptly, his finger pointing heavenward in a hook, baiting.

“Strike again, if you dare!”

His words rang out. A few of the surrounding disciples withstanding the thunder strikes heard him and looked over, startled. They couldn’t spare further attention on him though, quickly refocused on resisting their own lightning bolts.

Soon, as lightning descended, crashing, Wang Baole received his second lightning bolt. It was multiple folds stronger than the first wave, landing a straight hit on him.

Wang Baole’s body shook. He felt the breaking up of his crystal and was thrilled, enduring the agonizing pain stubbornly. Gradually, the third bolt and the fourth, descended, one after another.

The sensation of the lightning bolt traveling through his body was akin to a knife scraping inside him. The pain intensified as the lightning bolts grew more powerful.

When the fourth lightning bolt landed, Wang Baole could take it no longer. Despite his thick skin and thicker flesh, and his brimming Spirit Qi, he gave up and teleported out of the Lightning Domain mystic realm. He returned to his cave abode, sat down cross-legged, activated his skills, and immersed fully in absorbing the Spirit Qi released from his crystal.

A few days passed. Wang Baole brimmed with energy and could feel the tremendous leap in his cultivation levels. Invigorated and in high spirits, he headed for the Lightning Domain mystic realm again.

Day after day passed in that manner. The cycle repeated itself as Wang Baole continued challenging the Lightning Domain mystic realm, often withstanding a few bolts of lightning and breaking up his crystal further. He would hold on until he reached the limits of his tolerance before returning hastily to absorb the released Spirit Qi.

Gradually, as his cultivation level heightened and physical body strengthened, the intensity of the thunderbolts he suffered grew stronger. The number of bolts he could withstand crept steadily from five to six, then to seven!

His presence in the Lightning Domain mystic realm started to draw attention. Indeed, to many, Wang Baole’s resistance of six, even seven thunderbolts, was a feat of astounding proportions.

After all, most of them could only withstand two, at most three, lightning strikes, and they wouldn’t attempt a second round until quite some time had passed; however, the time between Wang Baole’s visits, from the initial three to four days, shortened until he was frequenting almost every day…

Everyone who witnessed that was incredulous.

“Why is he coming every day?”

“How does his body take it?”

“Look at the strange expression on his face. It’s like… damn it, why does it feel like he’s enjoying himself!”

Under the shocked gazes of the crowd, Wang Baole indeed was growing more and more comfortable. Especially at the end, as the lightning intensified. Although the pain persisted, it was eased by the Spirit Qi released from the breaking up of the crystal. The advancement of his cultivation also energized him and increasingly strengthened his immunity against the thunderbolts.

The cycle repeated itself over the course of the month. Finally, the day arrived when Wang Baole withstood seven consecutive lightning bolts. The crystal inside him quaked and unleashed a surge of Spirit Qi, pushing his cultivation straight into the next level!

From the second tier of the True Breath realm, it broke through and reached the third tier!

As his cultivation broke through, the Spirit Qi laying within the meridians inside Wang Baole’s body morphed from slivers of streams into wide river channels. They surged in a torrent and coursed through his body, and his spirit energy surged. He didn’t choose to teleport away; instead, with an eager glint in his eyes, Wang Baole awaited… the eighth incoming bolt of lightning!

The eighth lightning bolt stood apart from the rest. A tinge of crimson colored it. When it landed, shocked gasps arose from the disciples who had been cultivation in the area. They watched as the crimson-tinted lightning rushed through the heavens and crashed directly into Wang Baole.

Wang Baole’s body spasmed. It felt as if his body was on the verge of being torn apart, and he felt the extensive breaking up of the crystal in his body. In the same instant, techniques describing how one could wield the lightning appeared in his mind.

It was as if those lightning-wielding techniques were seared directly into his body, and branded straight onto his soul, transforming in his mind as an incomplete rune!

The rune glimmered. The uninitiated wouldn’t understand, but Wang Baole, after allowing the sensations to sink in, seemed to grasp the meaning behind the rune intuitively.

It… was the first of the five mystic techniques of the Lightning Domain mystic realm!

Amidst the thundering roars, Wang Baole could hold on no longer. He instantly teleported away from the Lightning Domain mystic realm. As he stumbled out, staggering, a splatter of bright blood spilled from his mouth. His eyes were bright with exhilaration, and he lifted his face towards the sky and let loose a loud burst of laughter.

<em>I’ve done it! </em>Wang Baole climbed to his feet excitedly, patted his behind and raising his right hand. With a wave, an arc of lightning appeared instantly over his fingers. It looked tiny, but the electrical energy contained within the tiny lightning bolt sent many disciples clustering around the entrance of the mystic realm reeling in shock. Some even gasped aloud.

“Flash Arc!”

Flash Arc was the first of the five mystic techniques found in the Lightning Domain mystic realm, and few on the Upper Academy Island attained it. As a result, the appearance of a new wielder always attracted much attention!

Wang Baole appeared smug amidst the crowd’s startled gasps. He didn’t try to show off further, though. Instead, he happily retrieved his droplet-shaped cruiser and returned to his cave abode at the Dharmic Armament Pavilion. He watched as his palm flipped over and out came a Flash Arc; then flipped over again and out burst a burning flame. He was excited beyond measure. He felt that he had already become very powerful.

<em>I have three great killer moves now—Heated Burst, Flash Arc, and Cloud Finger! </em>His heart filled with great satisfaction, Wang Baole felt the Spirit Qi rushing through his meridians like a great river, and at the same time felt his strengthened physical body. He laughed out loud uncontrollably.

<em>True Breath realm, third level! </em>Invigorated and spirits enlivened, he took out some Ice Spirit Water and guzzled down five bottles in one go. Then, he wiped his mouth, gave his stomach a pat, and sat down cross-legged. He pulled out the Dharmic Artifacts needed for the enhanced Fire God Cannon, his eyes ablaze with vigor.

<em>Next, to complete the Numinous Treasure required for the Armament Soldier assessment! </em>Wang Baole took a deep breath and suppressed the joyous emotions in his heart. After he gradually eased into a calm composure, he began the fusion of the Numinous Treasures.

Time inched by slowly and half a month passed. One week before the start of the Armament Soldier Assessment, one late night, the door to Wang Baole’s cave abode opened suddenly, and he dashed out from within.

His hair was a mess, and he looked spent, but his eyes shone brightly. Excitement overwhelmed him. He boarded his cruiser and sped away from the Upper Academy Island towards the wilderness beyond Ethereal City.

Wang Baole stood on his cruiser, suspended in mid-air above the expanse of wilderness. He raised his right hand and waved once. A long pipe with the thickness of an arm appeared in his hand. The pipe was pitch-black in color and looked like a cannon pipe, exuding an eerie aura as well as an intense spirit force.

<em>This is the enhanced Fire God Cannon that I have refined! </em>Wang Baole caressed the cold cannon pipe, lugged it up excitedly, and aimed at a hill below him. The Spirit Qi within his body surged forward and exploded.

A blinding light grew within the cannon instantly. With an earth-shattering roar thundering across the skies, an overwhelming backlash from the firing hit Wang Baole’s shoulder. The cruiser he was in was pushed many yards back. A purple blast of light surged from within the cannon.

It raced towards the hill. As explosions resounded in the air and the hill trembled. It was hit from the top at an angle, and shot straight through with a blast that created a gigantic hole two meters wide!

Wang Baole stared at the destruction wrought by the enhanced Fire God Cannon and looked blown away—disbelief filled his eyes.

<em>Such power… it’s exceeded a perfected third-grade. It can even be ranked as a fourth-grade!</em>

<em>I’ve even thought of a name. Let’s call it… the Baole Cannon! </em>Wang Baole stood on the cruiser, brimming with pride. He raised the Fire God Cannon to the sky with one hand and laughed loudly.

“At the Armament Soldier assessment, who dares to cause strife when the Baole Cannon appears!”

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