189 The Baole Cannon (1/2)

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.

So brutal! 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.

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! 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!

It's working! 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!”