Chapter Thirty-Six: The Sword's Strange Stirring

Crackling bolts of lightning flashed wildly, and beneath the Thunder Pool, liquid celestial thunder energy had already condensed. The moment Lin Hao leapt down, the fiercely pure and yang-infused lightning surged into his body like a tidal wave.

Hiss!

This sudden, overwhelming impact made even Lin Hao, with his supreme constitution, gasp sharply and moan in pain.

But soon after, the supreme divine meridians within him began to pulse vigorously. Nine of these meridians, like nine resurrected azure dragons, opened their blood-red maws wide, ravenously devouring the thunder energy within the pool.

Endless torrents of lightning power permeated every organ and limb in Lin Hao’s body.

“Ah, this invigorating pure yang lightning power—it’s as if it was tailor-made for my supreme constitution,” Lin Hao nearly shouted in excitement. Electric sparks flickered even in his eyebrows and hair, and he appeared as though bathed in a sea of thunder.

He could sense tremendous changes unfolding within himself—his flesh and bones were being tempered at an astonishing speed by the lightning energy. Countless cellular tissues in his muscles split and recombined continuously, steadily increasing his physical strength and resilience.

“The Ling Clan’s foundation truly is formidable. This single Thunder Pool alone has spawned countless geniuses. As long as one has some talent, undergoing the pool’s baptism can elevate one’s innate aptitude by leaps and bounds,” Lin Hao couldn’t help but praise.

Bathed in the Thunder Pool’s power, his body underwent a profound transformation; his foundation and fundamentals grew ever more solid, and his cultivation began to soar. Within a short while, Lin Hao successfully broke through to the fourth level of the Qi Sea Realm.

Then, Lin Hao discovered something even more exhilarating.

“This lightning energy not only tempers my body but can also be stored within me, granting my body a new attribute. This is incredible,” Lin Hao exclaimed, mouth agape. The difference between merely tempering the body and storing energy internally was immense. This essentially bestowed upon him a lightning attribute, heralding the possibility of mastering all secret arts related to the Dao of Thunder.

“It must be thanks to the supreme constitution. From supreme fire to lightning energy, my body can now accommodate two elemental attributes. This supreme constitution is truly a treasure trove, waiting to be unlocked. I wonder what other miracles it will bring,” Lin Hao thought with quiet delight. “The lightning energy here is vast. If I make good use of it, I might be able to awaken even more potential in my supreme constitution, pushing my cultivation to the peak of the fourth Qi Sea level—or even the fifth.”

For cultivators, good resources were invaluable, especially when one could harness the enemy’s resources to strengthen oneself—that feeling was beyond words.

Just as Lin Hao was reveling in this, he suddenly felt numbness in his fingers. Then, a beam of light shot out from the Qian Kun Ring on his finger, heading straight toward the center of the Thunder Pool.

“Damn it!” Lin Hao shouted in shock, leaping three feet into the air within the pool, his eyes nearly popping out.

It was the broken sword!

It had flown out from the Qian Kun Ring.

Still battered and shattered, the sword now seemed imbued with some kind of spirit as it danced joyfully, leaping up and down within the Thunder Pool.

“Damn, it really isn’t an ordinary object. The clan chief didn’t deceive me,” Lin Hao said, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the sword swimming through the thunderous waters.

Buzzing…

Suddenly, the broken sword trembled violently, as if a primeval beast slumbering inside it was about to awaken.

In the next instant, the Thunder Pool began to change drastically.

Rushing and roaring, the energy within the pool swirled like a gale, all converging crazily toward the broken sword.

In just a moment, half of the Thunder Pool’s lightning energy was absorbed by the sword, even the liquid energy beneath the pool surged toward it.

And this seemed only the beginning.

The broken sword looked like a bottomless pit; if this continued, it would suck the entire pool dry.

Realizing this, Lin Hao’s expression twisted wildly as he sprinted forward desperately.

“Damn it, stop! Stop right now!” Lin Hao screamed, nearly losing his mind.

“Damn broken sword, you’re going to kill me,” he muttered bitterly.

Where was this place?

This was the Ling Clan, and the Thunder Pool was their most treasured site, a secret land passed down for generations, nurturing countless geniuses. Without exaggeration, the pool’s importance to the entire clan was paramount.

The energy inside the pool, especially the liquid lightning power, had accumulated over countless years. If today it was all drained by the broken sword, the consequences would be disastrous.

If the pool were depleted, the clan elders would surely be alarmed—but today, Lin Hao was the only one here; he had no one to blame if things went wrong.

“Brother Sword, you’re trying to kill me,” Lin Hao said, unleashing his Divine March Technique and instantly closing in on the broken sword. He stretched out both hands, firmly clutching it.

“Big brother, please stop,” Lin Hao pleaded, almost in tears. Though he also wished to tap into the Thunder Pool’s power, he knew he couldn’t recklessly drain it. He threw everything he had at suppressing the sword—including summoning the supreme fire.

Seemingly sensing Lin Hao’s sovereign essence and his intent, the broken sword showed a flicker of affection and briefly ceased its movements.

Seeing this, Lin Hao exhaled with relief. Without a moment’s hesitation, he leapt up, clutching the still-pulsating broken sword, and jumped out of the Thunder Pool.

Holding the sword tightly, he turned to look back at the pool, heart pounding with lingering fear.

“Luckily, not much of the liquid lightning energy was absorbed. With the guiding lightning stones below, this Thunder Pool should recover quickly. As long as its foundation isn’t disturbed, the clan elders won’t notice anything,” he muttered.

Without lingering a second longer, Lin Hao hurried away from the pool.

“This Thunder Pool is like a natural heavenly thunder chamber. One day, I’ll take the whole thing away—including the guiding lightning stones,” Lin Hao vowed through gritted teeth.

He longed to deal a crippling blow to the Ling Clan, but his strength did not yet permit it. Now, deep in the tiger’s den, every step had to be cautious. One slip, and it would mean annihilation.

Outside the grand hall, Ling Wu was still waiting. Seeing Lin Hao rush out in a panic, he was stunned.

“So soon?” he asked.

Lin Hao had barely gone in a moment and was already back—that was incredibly fast.

Men sometimes acted too quickly; it wasn’t always a good thing.

But Ling Wu soon noticed Lin Hao’s cultivation had reached the fourth level of the Qi Sea Realm, and he muttered to himself, “Already advanced this fast? The Thunder Pool’s effects are ridiculously good now. I should go in and test it out myself to see if I can regain my prime.”

“Master Tianbao, you really did advance a bit too fast,” Ling Wu said.

“The energy was too intense. I’ve been weak since I was young—I couldn’t withstand such a shock,” Lin Hao quickly explained, grabbing Ling Wu’s arm and pulling him away, afraid Ling Wu would investigate the pool and expose him.

After returning from the Thunder Pool, Lin Hao immediately retreated to his quarters, shutting himself in to await the Ling Clan’s secret realm trial.

Inside the room, Lin Hao took out the broken sword again, scrutinizing it, but still saw no sign of anything unusual. It looked exactly as it had when the clan chief first gave it to him.

But now Lin Hao no longer thought of it as just a broken sword. Half of the Thunder Pool’s energy had truly been absorbed by this weapon.

“This sword must have a spirit. Earlier, it sensed my thoughts and even showed some recognition of my supreme constitution. Why is it now so silent, showing no reaction at all?” Lin Hao wondered, gripping the hilt and shaking the broken sword vigorously.

Suddenly, a voice came from within the sword: “Stop shaking me, damn it!”