On the other side, Lin Xiao, who had just exited seclusion, sat idly in his small bamboo house on Lingyun Mountain, staring blankly at the disciple panel in his system.
Name: Tong Jialiang
Gender: Male
Bone Age: 20
Talent: Sharp Insight, One Thought to God or Demon
Cultivation: Mortal
Sect Rank: Ordinary Disciple (modifiable)
Sect Role: None (modifiable)
Note: Body of Thunder Stone Conduit
Having spent a year in seclusion, Lin Xiao really had no desire to return to cultivation just yet. However, the rest of the sect was preoccupied, leaving him with no one to alleviate his boredom.
The first person he sought out was his father, but all he got was a dismissive glance and a suggestion to go find a cool spot to relax so he wouldn't get in the way of the farming team. Today, the entire farming team was fully mobilized to showcase their finest work to the new disciples. Lin Xiao was notorious for being unreliable in minor matters, and his father, Lin Dayou, feared that if he were left to his own devices, he might just pull off a stunt like making the entire spiritual field vanish. The team could not afford such a catastrophe.
Even Jiang Youfu, who was typically the most carefree and who enjoyed hanging around Lin Xiao, was extremely busy. After all, he was in charge of preparing dinner for over a hundred new disciples.
Thus, Lin Xiao, the only idle person in the entire sect, had no choice but to hole up in his bamboo house, browsing the disciple panel to pass the time. He figured he might as well use the time to get familiar with the new recruits.
He scrolled through a dozen names, finding nothing particularly outstanding or unique—most of them had above-average talent. A few were quite ordinary, but overall, the new disciples' quality was solid. Since a person's talent could evolve over time, Lin Xiao didn't dwell on it.
However, when he reached Tong Jialiang's profile, he paused.
Good heavens.
This profile was different from the others! The talent of "Sharp Insight" was understandable, but what was this "One Thought to God or Demon"? Was it really what he thought it was?
And then there was a section that had never appeared before: Note. What was this "Body of Thunder Stone Conduit"?
Thunder? Could this be related to the Thunder Stones? Lin Xiao mused.
It made sense. If anything was linked to Tong Jialiang, it would certainly involve the Thunder Stones. However, he still didn't fully understand what it meant by "Thunder Stone Conduit."
Reflecting on the earlier incident on the Heart Trial Path, Lin Xiao was confident that Tong Jialiang's character was trustworthy. Otherwise, the Heart Trial Path wouldn't have allowed him to pass, and the system itself hadn't issued any warnings.
"System, what does this 'Body of Thunder Stone Conduit' mean?" Lin Xiao asked.
After three years of getting used to each other, the system no longer resisted answering him on certain matters. It promptly responded:
Due to Tong Jialiang's exposure to Thunder Stone energy in the Thunder Stone Mine, his consciousness was invaded by this energy. Over the past three years, he fought against it, preventing it from completely overtaking him. Upon receiving a baptism of pure heaven and earth energy during the host's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, the residual energy within him was purified, and his damaged consciousness was repaired. However, the Thunder Source and his body fused, resulting in a mysterious mutation, thus forming the 'Body of Thunder Stone Conduit.'
A Body of Thunder Stone Conduit is immune to the interference of Thunder Stones. If cultivated normally, he will be able to convert spiritual energy directly into yuan energy. Additionally, he can cultivate using Thunder Stones to absorb thunder energy.
Whoa. Lin Xiao inhaled sharply.
This was the proverbial ability to thrive in both light and darkness! Tong Jialiang was practically hacking the system!
Still, Lin Xiao felt this was justified, given all the suffering Tong Jialiang had endured over the years.
However, this special body needed to be kept under wraps. The Thunder Stone issue had already stirred the immortal realm into turmoil millennia ago. Although there hadn't been any recent news on Thunder Stone activity over the past three years, both in the immortal and mortal realms, Lin Xiao knew this peace was merely temporary. If the immortal realm had fully resolved the Thunder Stone crisis, they would have broadcasted it everywhere. The fact that there was no news at all was suspicious.
Moreover, the mortal realm's coalition army still hadn't captured the runaway former national teacher from a few years ago.
If news of Tong Jialiang's unique physique got out, he could be taken away for all sorts of unknown experiments.
As for trying to replicate the conditions that led to Tong Jialiang's unique physique, Lin Xiao deemed that an impossible task. The circumstances were far too specific and dangerous. The success of Tong Jialiang's body transformation involved many uncertain factors, such as the precise balance between Thunder Energy and yuan energy during his breakthrough.
One misstep in the process could ruin someone's life.
This truth, Lin Xiao decided, was something he would take to the grave.
However, one question still lingered in his mind.
"What happens if the Thunder Energy fully invades someone's consciousness?"
The system was silent for a moment before responding in a detached tone:
World Encyclopedia System (Temporary) at your service: The path of cultivation is full of challenges. As the leader of a great sect, if you grow strong enough, all your questions will eventually be answered. Exploring the unknown is part of the cultivation journey.
Before Lin Xiao could say anything further, the system abruptly buzzed:
Notice: Part of the system is undergoing automatic upgrades. Voice and text prompts will be temporarily disabled, but other functions, including personal storage, will remain available. For the next 24 hours, no questions will be answered, no tasks will be assigned, and no notifications will be issued.
Lin Xiao: ...
Nightfall.
Over at the new disciples' living quarters, Liu Yunan and the other sect members hadn't made another appearance. They wanted to give the newcomers some space to get comfortable without feeling monitored.
In front of the grass huts, a few resourceful individuals had already gathered some dried branches and leaves to start a bonfire. The sect's main areas on the mountainside had street lamps, but there were none on the path leading up to the disciples' quarters. The new recruits would have to take care of this area themselves, planning and building as needed. If someone hadn't been clever enough to start a fire, they would all be stumbling around in the dark right now.
As more and more bonfires were lit, people started gathering around them. Some of the new disciples had brought dried rations for the journey, while others, having eaten all their provisions or not brought any due to the short distance they traveled, found themselves hungry.
Those with food shared what they had with those who didn't, creating a sense of camaraderie among them.
Suddenly, someone who had been gazing up at the sky pointed excitedly and shouted, "Look! What's that up there?"