Chapter 112: Thunder in the Palm

Lu Chenyuan studied his palms, savoring the lingering sensation of the Palm Thunder he had just unleashed.

Moments ago, Young Master Chu had demonstrated the technique for him. With a delicate flick of her fingers, the surrounding air seemed to coalesce, pulled by an unseen force into a leaping sphere of golden radiance in her palm—the very essence of the world’s most rigid and pure thunder. With a graceful snap of her wrist, she sent the golden orb flying into a piece of bluestone in the courtyard. A crisp "crack" echoed out, and the stone shattered into countless fragments, scattering in all directions—a display of truly formidable power.

Shangguan Chuci explained that this thunder technique was a staple for cultivators of the Demon Suppression Division, naturally repelling malevolent spirits and ghosts. It was particularly effective against the corrupted remains of fallen Daoists or the sorcerers of treacherous cults, doubling the results with half the effort. However, the technique had its nuances. While it could be cast at a distance, the light would disperse, diminishing its impact. To unleash its true potency, one had to apply the thunderous imprint directly onto the enemy’s body during close-quarters combat.

Yet, Lu Chenyuan’s version was different from the others. This was not entirely unexpected, as his constitution was far beyond the measure of conventional logic. They were both curious: what would this technique, typically defined by its majestic righteousness, look like when channeled through him?

Lu Chenyuan took a deep breath. Following Shangguan Chuci’s guidance, he sank his consciousness into that ink-wash landscape within his mind. As he had not formally embarked on the path of cultivation, he could not sense the Yang thunder energy of the heavens. He could only rely on the ink-wash heart-fire he had obtained from Wei Zhuo to forge a fragile connection with the lightning in the void. This was a task as difficult as scratching an itch through a boot or viewing flowers through a fog; without immense natural talent, it would be impossible. It was not like talisman craft, which only required memorizing patterns and mimicking them. Sensing and condensing were metaphysical arts; if one could not perceive the energy, no amount of explanation would suffice.

Fortunately, he possessed a certain aptitude for this. He slowly raised his right hand, pressed his index and middle fingers together, and tapped lightly at the empty air before him.

*Szzzt—*

Several arcs of ink-black lightning erupted from his fingertips, twisting and coiling in the air, though they failed to extend very far. In terms of sheer presence, it was significantly weaker than Shangguan Chuci’s golden flash. Witnessing this, a brilliant light sparkled in her eyes, and she couldn't help but tease him, "As expected of a man who was once an Immortal Emperor—truly gifted!"

To determine the nature of this lightning, Shangguan Chuci volunteered to test it herself. She even cast her own Palm Thunder repeatedly to compare, calling it a "controlled variable" experiment, claiming that without such rigor, one could not fully grasp its properties. According to her findings, when the ink-black arcs touched her, she felt as though she had fallen into a nightmare; her limbs became unresponsive, reminiscent of the oppressive sensation of a sleep paralysis demon. While similar to ordinary thunder techniques, the numbing effect was more intense, laced with a malevolent, soul-corrupting energy that induced an inexplicable sense of nausea.

After several more trials, they identified three unique traits: first, while the raw power was lower, the paralytic effect was stronger; second, it could corrupt the victim’s soul; and third, most crucially, the ink-lightning was less susceptible to ordinary interference and could be steered by the caster’s will.

Shangguan Chuci praised it endlessly, remarking, "This lightning may look like a 'medium cup' now, but it has the potential to be 'extra large.' Its true power depends entirely on your intent, Brother Lu."

Lu Chenyuan didn't understand the cup-size analogy, but he had grown accustomed to Shangguan Chuci’s way of speaking and knew how to extract the essence: the mastery of this technique lay in his own insight. To improve his practical application, she patiently explained the principles of conductivity, noting how all things in the world had varying affinities for lightning, and urged him to practice daily to master the element of surprise.

As Lu Chenyuan withdrew the arcs from his fingertips, he felt that today’s training was less like cultivation and more like the lessons in reading and writing he had received from Situ. He shook his head and sighed to himself, "I never imagined the path of cultivation held so many intricacies. Not only must one sense the heavens, but one must also investigate the nature of things like a scholar to grasp its true mystery."

Lost in thought, he heard voices drifting from the inn’s main hall. His heart stirred, and he made his way toward the front. Upon entering, he found several familiar faces gathered together: Young Master Chu, the young woman from the Demon Suppression Division, Lin Jianyan, the brother and sister from the Hundred Refinements Sect, and even the young monk, Zhifei, who had recently checked in.

As he walked out from the courtyard, the group’s expressions shifted. The siblings from the Hundred Refinements Sect stiffened, becoming visibly restrained. Brother Cheng, in particular, looked at Lu Chenyuan with a bizarre intensity—a gaze filled with both trepidation and an inexplicable, indefinable envy. Lu Chenyuan found it strange but chose not to dwell on it.

Seeing him, Shangguan Chuci smiled. "Perfect, Brother Lu has arrived. We need to reach a decision, so let us discuss it here." She looked around, noting the serious expressions of Lin Jianyan and Cheng Xiaoshan, then gave her white jade folding fan a gentle flick. "However, before we proceed, we are all strangers here. To work together, we should first exchange names so as not to remain distant. What do you all think?"

Since the matter involved the demon fish and the safety of Zhenhai River, Lin Jianyan’s participation was expected, and as the sister from the Hundred Refinements Sect was a witness, it was only natural for her to listen in. As for the monk, Zhifei, though less involved, it did no harm to have him present—more people meant more ideas and more strength.

With Lu Chenyuan present, no one opposed the suggestion. The young official bowed gracefully and said softly, "I am Lin Jianyan. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

The siblings also introduced themselves: the brother, Cheng Xiaoshan, and the sister, Jiang Yingxue. Lu Chenyuan gave his own name, but Shangguan Chuci remained as mysterious as ever, simply smiling and calling herself "Young Master Chu."

Upon hearing the name Jiang Yingxue, Lu Chenyuan found it both cold and poetic, and he couldn't help but praise it sincerely: "Miss Jiang, what a refined and elegant name."

To his surprise, Cheng Xiaoshan’s expression changed instantly. He lunged forward, shielding his sister, and sighed heavily, "Master Lu, you are too kind! While my sister’s name may be pleasant, her life is one of great hardship. She has suffered from a deep-seated illness since childhood, leading to a profound corruption of her Daoist essence. Now, her appearance is marred, and she must hide her face behind this cloak daily. It is truly unsightly, and I feared she might disturb the others or, worse, stain the eyes of a person of your stature, Master Lu!"

He spoke with such earnestness that one might think his sister was the most hideous creature on earth. Jiang Yingxue frowned, feeling both angry and bewildered. *Why is my brother acting so strangely today?* she thought. *He is usually most sensitive about mentioning this corruption of my essence. Why is he shouting about it in front of all these strangers? It is as if he is terrified that Master Lu might not know of my affliction and is desperate to ensure everyone knows.*

With her quick mind, she caught the flickers of fear and vigilance in her brother’s eyes. Remembering his erratic state earlier that day, her curiosity grew. What exactly had her brother seen in the dead of night to cause such a drastic change in his demeanor?