Chapter 130: The Hidden Dangers of the Palm Thunder

Heart-Island, rocky terrain.

Qi Xiu sat cross-legged upon the protruding hillside, a steady and profound aura radiating from his person.

With a calm and gentle voice, he imparted his insights and experiences regarding the cultivation of the Heavenly Heart Palm Thunder.

His pace was unhurried, starting from the very basics.

He patiently explained complex concepts.

And expounded upon them using accessible, everyday language.

By citing various examples, stories, and practical experiences, he rendered the abstract and obscure Dao approachable and easy to comprehend.

Below him, Zhu Mo and the seven brothers of the Yan family listened in thoughtful silence, digesting Qi Xiu's words.

Then, they integrated these experiences into their own cultivation.

This discourse lasted for seven full days and seven nights.

Qi Xiu felt no fatigue,

while Zhu Mo, Yan Baizhe, and the others were utterly entranced, hanging on his every word.

Guided by Qi Xiu’s teachings,

it was as though a pioneer holding a bright lamp was illuminating the path ahead across a pitch-black wilderness.

As long as they followed this forerunner, they could steadily advance along this winding and rugged road.

Having poured out the perceptions and realizations from his heart like a cascading torrent, Qi Xiu fell silent upon uttering the final word.

A long, deep exhale escaped his nostrils.

With this breath, the aura surrounding his body grew increasingly steady and restrained.

While lecturing Zhu Mo and the others on his insights and experiences,

Qi Xiu had also been reflecting, looking back along his path to check for any flaws or improper methods.

It could be said that he himself was a beneficiary of this discourse.

Empowered by Qi Xiu's instruction, Zhu Mo and Yan Baizhe's group immediately entered a state of profound contemplation, deep in thought.

In terms of natural talent and comprehension, none of them were weak.

Otherwise, they would not have attained the peak of Dao-entry and the convergence of the Three Flowers at such a young age.

It was simply that the Thunder Arts were more obscure and difficult to comprehend than other dharmas.

What they lacked was not talent or comprehension.

Rather, it was the destined opportunity.

Now, Qi Xiu was the catalyst that ushered them into the path of the Thunder Arts.

"There are still seven months left, which should be about enough."

Leaping down from the slope, Qi Xiu found a flat rock to sit upon and slightly opened his palms, where a trace of vermilion thunder light flickered in and out of existence.

Palm Thunder.

The foundational introductory thunder art of the Divine Firmament Sect.

It was also the prerequisite for practicing subsequent profound thunder scriptures and secret manuals such as the *True Art of the Five Thunders Heavenly Heart*, *Hidden Book of Innate Thunder Crystals*, and *Great Dharma of Cavern-Mystery Jade Pivot Thunder*.

The Palm Thunder belonged to the category of human thunder.

Its might was born from the human body.

Using the [Thunder Formula] as a guide,

one set the qi of the five viscera into motion, gathering a wisp of the miraculous essence of the thunder dao.

Each of the human's five viscera possessed its own strong leading force, and one must take precedence as supreme.

Having practiced the profound mysteries of the *Hundun Dragon-Tiger True Scripture*, my yang qi is exuberant, my heart palace is grand and upright, and I remain a pristine virgin.

Therefore, my heart-qi took the lead in generating it, ruling over the five viscera.

Thus, my Palm Thunder is grand and sweeping, fierce and matchless, belonging to the most standard and orthodox Palm Thunder art.

Gazing at the vermilion thunder light in his palm, Qi Xiu's expression remained calm.

The Divine Firmament Sect set this *Palm Thunder* as the content for the second round of trials.

They were not truly so generous as to freely gift a thunder dao dharma to so many candidates.

Once this thunder art was practiced,

a thunder rune would condense within the body.

This thunder rune would constantly vie for true gang-qi to sustain its own existence.

The higher the mastery of the Palm Thunder, the heavier the thunder rune.

Although this thunder rune could transform true gang-qi into thunderbolts,

its consumption was immense.

Furthermore, even when not actively operating the thunder art on ordinary days, the thunder rune would still consume gang-qi, placing a heavy burden upon the cultivator.

And if one wished to resolve the endless consumption of the thunder rune,

the method most likely lay within the subsequent thunder art scriptures.

However, such scriptures would inevitably only be imparted to those who formally entered the Divine Firmament Sect as disciples.

Therefore, should they fail the trials,

these candidates who had practiced the Palm Thunder without obtaining the subsequent scriptures would have no choice but to find a way to destroy the thunder rune themselves. Otherwise, if the thunder rune remained in their bodies for long, their cultivation might regress rather than advance.

As for the scriptural content of the Palm Thunder, the Divine Firmament Sect had also set restrictions upon it.

Should anyone dare to reveal even a single word,

the scripture would instantly transform into a bolt of thunder, piercing straight through their brain.

Unless one actively erased this passage of the Palm Thunder scripture from their memory, could they eliminate all future troubles.

"The might of the Thunder Arts is indeed terrifying.

Yet the consumption is also extraordinarily heavy.

My Hundun True Gang requires a hundred strands just to unleash a single Palm Thunder.

I imagine non-thunder-dao gang-qi would have a similarly comparable consumption.

Therefore, even a peak Dao-entry cultivator who has forged nine hundred and ninety-nine strands of true gang-qi could only strike out nine times with the Palm Thunder.

The personal disciples of the Divine Firmament Sect must possess special methods to increase their own amount of true gang-qi and break through the limit of Dao-entry true gang-qi.

Much like my Hundun Pearl.

Otherwise, if the consumption of an introductory-level Palm Thunder is this massive, their thunder dao gang-qi might consume slightly less,

but it certainly won't be easy.

At this rate, wouldn't a higher-level thunder art drain all their true gang-qi in a single strike?"

Feeling the formidable might contained within the trace of vermilion thunder light in his palm, Qi Xiu's eyes flickered.

The Thunder Arts were universally acknowledged in the cultivation world as heavy artillery.

The destructive power contained within this Palm Thunder in his hand

was nearly comparable to the combined assault of ten Formless Sword Qi Piercing the Body!

However, this did not mean the Formless Sword Qi Piercing the Body was inferior to the Palm Thunder.

Rather, the Formless Sword Qi Piercing the Body followed the path of insidious sneak attacks.

It was shadowless and formless, and specialized in piercing through protective true gang-qi.

It was suited for surprise ambushes rather than head-on confrontations.

Meanwhile, the Palm Thunder was an imposing and majestic orthodox thunder art that could sweep across a thousand armies.

Its motto was not to strike lightly, but when it did strike, it would be earth-shattering.

"With this Palm Thunder, when fighting others in the future, I finally have a means for fierce frontal assaults," Qi Xiu nodded slowly.

Previously, he only possessed the [Formless Sword Qi Piercing the Body]. During combat, if the surprise attack failed, he would find himself somewhat inadequate.

Although the [Suck-Star Technique] was formidable, it was far too sensitive.

It was not suitable to be exposed in public, lest it invite the envy and hatred of others.

......

A month passed.

Sitting cross-legged upon the rock,

Qi Xiu's brows lifted slightly as he opened his eyes.

Faint wisps of thunder light gradually manifested around the bodies of Yan Baizhe and the seven brothers, who had set up the Great Righteousness Aligned Heart Array.

These wisps of thunder radiance were extremely faint,

yet they radiated an aura of thunder art that was dignified and profound.

Clearly, they had already caught a glimpse of the threshold of the Palm Thunder.

Noticing that the Dali Wolf Cavalry had successfully entered the threshold, Qi Xiu shifted his gaze toward Zhu Mo on the side.

Lacking the miraculous array enhancement of the Great Righteousness Aligned Heart Array,

Zhu Mo's progress lagged significantly behind.

Moreover...

"The yang qi of his heart and lungs fails to generate, has Old Zhu broken his chastity?"

Under the Qi-Observation Technique, Qi Xiu clearly saw that the five qi within Zhu Mo's body were circulating, but the yang qi of his heart and lungs was stagnant, sluggish, and refused to generate.

If this continued, he feared he would be unable to cultivate the Pure Yang Thunder Art.

"To think this fatty is no virgin; I wonder which cabbage patch he managed to root up."

Smiling helplessly, Qi Xiu stood up and walked to Zhu Mo's side, pressing a hand against his back and transmitting his voice in a low murmur:

"Fatty, your physical yang state has been broken, and the yang qi of your heart and lungs is stagnant and sluggish, failing to generate. You cannot cultivate the same Yang Thunder as I do."

Upon hearing these words, Zhu Mo, who was deep in meditation, suffered an instant turbulence in his aura. His eyelids twitched, and an abnormal flush appeared on his face.

"Fatty, do not panic.

Change your perspective. Since the yang qi of the heart and lungs cannot come forth,

you should first let the yin qi of the kidney-water generate. Once the yang qi has replenished the leak, you can then refine it.

In this way, you can also cultivate the Palm Thunder

by taking another path."

Combining his own realizations, Qi Xiu swiftly synthesized an alternative path for thunder art cultivation and transmitted it to Zhu Mo.

Prompted by Qi Xiu's reminder, Zhu Mo's aura gave a start, and his turbid, bewildered mind instantly seized upon the crucial point.

His chaotic qi flow stabilized once more.

Just as Qi Xiu was helping Zhu Mo clear his thoughts,

azure-blue and deep-purple fireworks suddenly burst open across the firmament amidst booming claps of thunder.

[There are still six months remaining until the end of the trials!]

[Starting today, Jade Thunder Nectar will randomly appear within Heart-Island. Those who consume it can increase their thunder runes; candidates may gather and use it at their own discretion.]

The resounding and majestic voice echoed once more.

And this time, apart from reminding the candidates that half the time had passed with only six months remaining,

it also revealed that a miraculous item called Jade Thunder Nectar would appear on Heart-Island.

Consuming Jade Thunder Nectar could advance one's cultivation of the Palm Thunder.

"A trap!"

Hearing the reminder of this majestic voice, these two words involuntarily arose in Qi Xiu's mind.

It seemed to reduce the difficulty for candidates to master the Palm Thunder within a year,

but in reality, it was merely playing with word games.

Consuming it could increase thunder runes... but there was a preceding premise omitted here, which was that only those who had already forged thunder runes and entered the threshold of the Palm Thunder could consume it.

For those who had not yet entered the threshold of the Palm Thunder to rashly consume it would undoubtedly spell disaster.

Furthermore, the voice did not specify how much Jade Thunder Nectar existed.

Clearly, it intended to once again incite conflict among the candidates on the island.

And just as Qi Xiu saw through the dark intentions of the Divine Firmament Sect and had no intention of venturing out to search for the so-called Jade Thunder Nectar,

the solid and stable rock ground suddenly split open.

A gently swaying lotus flower, deep azure and crimson throughout, coquettishly emerged from the ground.

As its petals unfolded, upon the lotus pedestal pierced with nine holes, crystal-clear Jade Thunder Nectar containing hidden thunder radiance emitted an intensely rich and alluring fragrance.

"Jade Thunder Nectar?"

Gazing at the bewitching and vibrant lotus flower, Qi Xiu's expression froze.

Such a coincidence?

Yet when he inhaled that heavy fragrance that refused to dissipate within his nasal cavity, a bad premonition suddenly rose in his heart.

This Jade Thunder Nectar was far too fragrant. With a scent this heavy, it was practically pointing the way for wolves whose eyes had turned green with hunger.

Taking a stride to the side of the thunder-light lotus, he flicked his sleeve and unleashed streams of [Suppression Talismans], which transformed into sealing runes to trap and block the fragrance of the Jade Thunder Nectar.

"Brother, don't hide it, I saw it all."

At the corner of the nearby woods, a man squatting on a tree branch spoke lazily.

This man was wrapped entirely in pale cloth strips, with not even his face spared, leaving only a single left eye exposed, which radiated an eerie, bizarre brilliance.

Leaping down from the tree, the bandaged man drifted slowly forward.

In this place where earth-escaping techniques and flying lights were sealed, he was actually still capable of levitating off the ground.

"Hand it over. You cannot keep this item; clinging to it will only bring you a fatal disaster.

Those few little arrays of yours won't protect you for long."

Arriving at the edge of the formation, the bandaged man spoke indifferently, looking down from his single eye at Qi Xiu with admonishing advice.

While he was still speaking these words, several figures with heavy auras and grim, terrifying presence had already rushed over, sweeping their sharp and oppressive gazes across him as if they intended to crush Qi Xiu to pieces on the spot.

"See? Those who know the times are wise. I can still speak to you nicely, but the others might not necessarily do the same."

Just as the bandaged man was still self-righteously trying to persuade Qi Xiu,

the latter had already expressionlessly plucked the thunder-light lotus, casually tossed it straight toward the bandaged man, who caught it out of sheer reflex.

"I've given the item to him, you guys can go find him instead."

Pointing at the bewildered bandaged man, Qi Xiu shrugged with an innocent expression, and said to the bandaged man:

"Nothing I can do, my greatest virtue is that I always listen to advice."

......

(End of this chapter)