15. Thunder Duel

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A small complaint stirred in her heart, but she dared not move. Speaking of this thunder method, surely it wouldn't level the place to the ground, would it?

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than a nearby tree was struck, snapping cleanly in half. Lin Jiuge’s brow twitched, and with a swift flash of movement, she dodged out of the way.

That was close—almost killed by lightning, and nearly crushed by the falling tree.

“Senior Brother, find a way to move Jiuge to the barren mountain. If this continues, the training ground at the back mountain won’t be usable for twenty years,” the sect leader said, wincing as he surveyed the chaos.

The golden sword hovering above Lin Jiuge’s head absorbed the lightning, its radiance dimming somewhat.

“Jiuge, take this. It will teleport you to the barren mountain, where you will undergo the tribulation,” Li Yun transmitted through sound.

The tremendous thunderclap roused Lin Lici, who had been sleeping soundly. She saw her sister leaping amid the lightning.

“Wow, is sister playing?” Lin Lici asked, feeling it looked so fun, with all the sparkling lights around.

“Ahem, little Fu, your sister isn’t playing—she’s working,” Li Yun replied helplessly, nearly choking on her words.

Without hesitation, Lin Jiuge took the teleportation talisman and vanished. The lightning paused briefly in the sky before swiftly brewing an even more terrifying storm. It was the first official mission, and someone had just run around under the very nose of the thunder tribulation!

Soon, the thunderstorm shifted to the barren mountain, unleashing three bolts of lightning in rapid succession. Lin Jiuge struggled to endure; the golden glow around the sword seemed ready to shatter at any moment.

“At such a young age to face such a dreadful thunder tribulation, with cultivation so low, this girl’s prospects look grim,” others sighed with concern.

“That’s not necessarily true. If she survives, her future achievements will be extraordinary,” a dissenting voice argued.

“Silence,” Li Yun shot a glare at the speaker, then comforted the somewhat frightened Lin Lici. Inwardly, she could not deny it—Lin Jiuge’s cultivation was too low, and suddenly encountering such an opportunity without the ability to receive it was indeed a near-death experience. Now, Li Yun was gambling on that single chance of survival.

Lin Jiuge tried to retract the golden sword but clearly felt that just two more bolts of lightning would finish her off—the odds were stacked against her. But she refused to give up; she had to live. Lin Lici was still waiting for her! If all else failed, Lin Jiuge clenched her fist.

As if understanding her resolve, an unknown sword in her spiritual sea emitted a faint hum, then lines of text appeared before her mind’s eye.

“Thunder Movement,” a body-refining technique forged through lightning. The stronger the thunder, the better the effect!

Lin Jiuge! Ha, was this the only way? She had no choice but to passively follow the method’s guidance and cultivate.

Unlike external realms, this technique worked from the inside out. If so, then from within—

“Golden sword,” Lin Jiuge whispered. Instantly, the golden sword materialized in her hand.

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Starting from the inside, what conducts electricity better than metal ore? No matter how bad the situation, it couldn’t get worse than this—she was not afraid.

Then the fourth bolt of thunder struck, channeling directly through the golden sword into Lin Jiuge’s body.

“Is Lin Jiuge crazy?” someone murmured.

“She definitely takes after her master and grandmaster,” another remarked.

Lin Jiuge’s master was a ruthless figure from the Azure Continent—harsh on herself, harsher on others, fiercely protective of her disciples, and had trained tough apprentices. This grand-disciple was clearly no pushover. Hah, the ruthless spirit was truly inherited!

As the lightning entered her body, Lin Jiuge had but one thought: she had been reckless. She spat out a mouthful of blood.

The unknown sword in her spiritual sea connected to her dantian, imposing a blade’s qi. The dantian remained intact, but her other internal organs suffered damage.

The first step was always to break before rebuilding. Gritting her teeth, Lin Jiuge forced her body to comply, slowly raising her arm like an old woman, refining her body.

“What is Jiuge doing?” the sect leader asked, puzzled.

“Looks like a cultivation method,” Li Yun guessed, though the way of training seemed excessively self-torturing.

“Is this how the golden sword’s technique works? No wonder it’s called the Sword of Guardians,” those unaware of the truth speculated.

As the technique progressed, Lin Jiuge’s movements became less sluggish. Following her motions, the golden sword shimmered with arcs of lightning. Her internal organs, meridians, blood, and skin gradually mended.

Just as she began feeling a hint of relief and before she could exhale, the thunder tribulation mercilessly unleashed three more bolts in succession. The golden sword slipped from her grasp.

“Jiuge!” rang out a fierce shout.

“A Yan, Jiuge is still alive,” the sect leader said, restraining Zhou Yan, who had just awakened and was about to rush forward. Indeed, Zhou Yan’s aura was cloaked, even his striking features seemed somewhat subdued. Though things appeared to be improving, the sect leader had an unshakable premonition that if Jiuge perished, this disciple would be ruined as well.

“Ahem,” as if responding to the sect leader’s words, Lin Jiuge coughed weakly.

Lin Jiuge lay facing the thunderstorm but refused to submit. Why should she? The heavens seemed to look down on her despite her small awakenings and lack of grievous offenses.

Trembling, she extended her right hand and made a friendly gesture.

“Is Jiuge provoking the thunder tribulation?” Master Wudao’s eyes widened. Such recklessness was unheard of among masters and braves.

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“No doubt about it,” Li Yun grimaced. What to do with such a reckless, self-destructive disciple? Li Yun held Lin Lici tightly. To save her sister, she had to act.

“Ji—”

“Boom!” A lightning bolt, twice as large as before, crashed down, enveloping Lin Jiuge completely.

“Jiuge!” came several desperate shouts.

As the lightning dispersed, only scorched earth and a single, glossy blackened shard of charcoal remained.

Zhou Yan stepped forward but was stopped.

“The tribulation clouds have not yet dissipated; it’s not over!” the sect leader shook his head. Observing Jiuge’s condition now, only a single breath remained.

The tribulation clouds seemed to be deliberating how to deliver the final blow.

“Why isn’t this tribulation number nine?” Master Wudao asked.

“Impossible to say right now,” Master Wudao shook his head.

Suddenly, the clouds moved and, with great speed and intensity, unleashed another massive thunderbolt.

“Why does it feel like the thunder tribulation is enraged?” Master Wudao wondered. Was thunderbolt temperamental?

“Old bookworm, you’re not mistaken,” Li Yun twitched. Had she not been sharp-eyed, she would have missed it. Why was the thunder tribulation so furious? Look at her disciple’s right hand—struck and immobile, yet still showing that friendly gesture! So the thunder tribulation had a temper after all. This lightning seemed like personal revenge.

“Rash one, Jiuge accepted many gifts, right? Why isn’t she using them?” Master Wudao recalled that Lin Jiuge had received presents from powerful figures—array formations, talismans, elixirs, all sorts of things.

“Ahem, maybe she just didn’t think of it,” Li Yun said embarrassed. Ever since Jiuge realized she was poor at magic, she had seemingly blocked out all those things! Even in this perilous moment, she hadn’t remembered or brought them at all.

Master Wudao! That’s not my fault!

“Golden sword.”