In the days that followed, Lü Zhong’s life returned to its usual routine.

His days were spent meditating and refining his Qi. He diligently absorbed Star Yang Gang and continued to practice the Second Layer of his Flame Manipulation Mantra. As expected, his progress was incredibly slow, something he could only chip away at with patient, persistent effort.

As for the Second Layer of the Jade Vein Technique, he had to set it aside for now. The required Spirit Medicines were exorbitantly expensive, and the main ingredient was especially hard to find.

His life was simple and peaceful, which was exactly how Lü Zhong liked it.

「Three years passed in a flash.」

After nearly five years of study, he had finally gained the ability to decipher the Silver Tadpole Script.

Starting with the basic characters and applying the grammar he had learned from the old cultivator, he analyzed and translated the Silver Tadpole Script on the Silver Plate symbol by symbol, ultimately producing a manuscript nearly one hundred thousand words long.

"Wood Thunder Skill?" Lü Zhong’s body trembled, his breathing suddenly growing ragged.

Wood gives birth to thunder; this was a Yang Thunder Skill.

In the Cultivation Realm, there was a common saying.

Among Artifact Cultivators, Sword Cultivators reigned supreme.

And among Magic Cultivators, Thunder Cultivators were the strongest.

The two were widely acknowledged as the apex of physical and magical attacks, respectively.

’To think the Silver Plate actually recorded an extremely rare Thunder Skill!’ Lü Zhong suppressed his excitement and continued reading, but his expression suddenly soured. He slapped his forehead in frustration and gave a wry smile. "I forgot about the differences between the ancient and modern Cultivation Realms. This Wood Thunder Skill must be an Ancient Cultivation Technique, which follows a completely different cultivation philosophy than today’s Magic Skills..."

Over such a long period, the Cultivation Realm had naturally made progress.

Whether it was abandoning difficult-to-learn and hard-to-master scripts like the Golden Seal and Silver Tadpole, or changing the cultivation process for Magic Skills, these were all concrete examples of this evolution.

Pills, too, had been gradually improved over time.

According to ancient records, Pills from antiquity were called "Great Pills" by later generations. This wasn’t because the Pills were as large as goose eggs, but because their medicinal potency was far higher than modern Pills—often three to four hundred times stronger.

It would take at least two or three years to completely refine and absorb such a Pill.

In the present day, such Pills no longer suited the lifestyle of modern cultivators. After all, the resources and Spiritual Objects in the current Cultivation Realm couldn’t compare to those of ancient times. To acquire sufficient resources, cultivators had to delve into the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, such as Talisman Making or cultivating Spirit Plants.

As a result, little pills—which were more affordable and could be refined in as little as one day or as long as three to five—began to gain popularity in the Cultivation Realm, gradually replacing Great Pills.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back to the present, Lü Zhong looked at the description of the Ancient Cultivation Technique and couldn’t help but smile wryly.

’This Wood Thunder Skill is powerful, no doubt about it.’

’If I can master it, it will undoubtedly become a superior Guardian Skill, one I might be able to rely on for the rest of my cultivation journey.’

’The problem is, the cultivation requirements go beyond ’demanding.’ I haven’t heard of or seen a single one of the required Spiritual Objects. They’re all impossibly rare treasures.’

This was the difference between Ancient Cultivation Techniques and modern Magic Skills. Ancient Cultivators learned the most simple and direct skills, without the aid of auxiliary tools like Technique Mantras and Hand Seals. Because these skills were intrinsically aligned with the Celestial Dao, they were easier to grasp, but one could only learn them with the help of external Spiritual Objects.

"Thunder Stone, Illusory Immortal Orchid, Silver Marrow... What in the world are these things!"

Sighing, Lü Zhong flipped to the end of the manuscript, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

’There’s a minor skill attached at the end! Let me see... This Palm Thunder Magic Skill is relatively simple to learn. I just need to temper the meridians in my palm with lightning, causing a Thunder Seal to condense. Once I do that, I’ll have mastered Palm Thunder.’

The process for learning Palm Thunder was characteristic of an Ancient Cultivation Technique. There was no need to learn complex Spell Hand Mantras; to use it, one simply had to will it, gathering Magical Power in their hand to activate the skill.

When used properly in combat, Palm Thunder could produce unexpected results.

The only problem was where he would find lightning to practice with.

...

「Three days later, at Thunder Accumulation Mountain outside the city.」

This mountain was located south of Lingyue Immortal City. Its rock was dark and it had few trees. It was invariably struck by lightning during thunderstorms, which led to suspicions that it hid some Exotic Treasure. Many cultivators had come to investigate, but no one ever found anything, and eventually, the mountain was forgotten.

Just then, a Flying Ship flew in from the distance, circled once, and landed on the summit.

Lü Zhong surveyed his surroundings. Seeing the ground covered in scorch marks from lightning strikes, he revealed a satisfied smile. He had already checked no fewer than ten other locations, and this was by far the most suitable place to practice Palm Thunder.

Seeing that the basic conditions were met, he slapped the Storage Bag at his waist, releasing nine purple Array Flags and eighteen Purple Copper Pillars engraved with numerous complex Prohibitions. This was a Tier One Thunder Attraction Array he had specially prepared for this purpose. He had even carefully modified it—the Purple Copper Pillars could control the intensity of the attracted lightning.

Controlling the lightning’s output was crucial. If the attracted bolt was too powerful, he would be instantly blasted to ashes. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

After arranging the array, Lü Zhong also made sure to set up a safe shelter nearby, lest an accident happen while attracting the lightning, leaving him with nowhere to escape.

Soon, all his preparations were complete. He then settled down in his shelter, closed his eyes, and began to rest, waiting for a thunderstorm to arrive.

On the twenty-third day, dark clouds finally blotted out the sun as the sky filled with the rumble of thunder and flashes of lightning.

His face filled with anticipation, Lü Zhong flipped his hand over to produce a Token. He channeled several Technique Mantras into it and gave a low shout.

"Thunder Attraction Array, activate!"

Instantly, the nine Thunder-Attracting Array Banners flared with brilliant light. They rose one by one into mid-air, their surfaces flickering with blue arcs of lightning that linked together to form a Thunder Array. A moment later, an even more dazzling blue light erupted as a powerful Spiritual Energy Pillar shot toward the heavens, piercing straight into the clouds above.