Chapter 7 – Lightning Unleashed
The second month arrived. The spiritual mist in the Zhi Region began to thin, and the aura that had long been hidden started to grow stronger, as if something was awakening from a long slumber.
On the western side of the region, in a valley full of cracked black stones and air humming faintly, Fang Sei stood with both hands touching the ground. His body trembled slightly. He had long suspected that this place held something more than ordinary energy. But this time, everything changed drastically.
Zzzhhhkk....BRRAKKK!!
The sky above cracked with light, and lightning struck from above to a point right in front of him. The ground split. Then, from those cracks, ten Lightning Spiritual Fruits emerged at once, floating in the air like condensed bolts of electricity.
Fang Sei's eyes widened. "Ten...? This is insane," he muttered. But the shock only lasted a moment. A thin smile formed on his face. His hands clenched into fists.
"If this is the challenge, I will conquer them all." He began to move quickly, yet cautiously. The wild energy from the fruits could strike anyone reckless enough to approach carelessly.
Meanwhile, in the southern part of the region...
Jia Wei and Jia Yuwei, two sisters from the Jia Family, stood on flat rocks overlooking a valley shrouded in grayish purple mist.
"Do you feel it?" asked Jia Wei, her expression serious.
Yuwei nodded slowly. "The energy... it is like lightning dancing in the air. But faint. Far away."
"If the Lightning Spiritual Fruits have truly appeared there, we cannot fall behind."
Without waiting any longer, the two of them began to move, sliding down the cliff with light and practiced movements. Several other disciples in the area also began to show signs of restlessness. The Lightning Aura was faint to most of them, but enough to make some start moving toward its source.
Elsewhere in the region, We Jita was still struggling. Although he had been close to one Heavenly Spiritual Fruit since last week, the place was guarded by an incredibly tight natural formation. Sharp winds kept swirling, and the guardian tree with fine thorns seemed alive, rejecting anyone who approached.
"Almost... just a little more..." he muttered while holding back the sting from a wound on his shoulder. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind. But even the smallest step in that area could trigger waves of repelling energy.
In various other spots, disciples who approached the Heavenly Spiritual Fruits also faced similar difficulties. The higher the level of the fruit, the greater the obstacles.
Somewhere else within the Zhi Region...
Yuji Daofei stood at the mouth of a large cave hidden behind a waterfall. The air around him was thick with spiritual mist, but his sharp instincts detected a strange pulse, like a heartbeat within the stone.
"This is unclear… but it is close."
He stepped forward cautiously, studying the cave walls. His heartbeat quickened, but his mind remained calm. The Heavenly Spiritual Fruit was still elusive, like a ghost teasing at the edge of awareness.
Not far from there, Yun Xiwe walked alone in a silent bamboo forest, as if time itself slowed in that place. Her steps made no sound. Leaves floated but did not fall.
"I can feel it…" she whispered.
"So close. But where?"
She turned slowly, trying to find its source. Not above, not below, only... hidden. As if the world itself guarded that place.
The sky above the Zhi Region began to show strange natural signs. Clouds formed a spiral, and the wind flowed with an unusual rhythm.
The signs were becoming clearer. The Lightning Spiritual Fruits had awakened.
And in the distance... the whispers of the Heavenly Spiritual Fruit grew stronger, for those who could hear them.
The atmosphere in the cracked stone valley grew more intense. The air around Fang Sei was filled with sparks of wild energy, each step closer making his skin feel as if pricked by lightning. He was now very close to one of the Lightning Spiritual Fruits floating in the air, slowly rotating with a glowing blue aura.
"Just a little more…" he whispered while reinforcing the protective energy layer on his body.
Suddenly, from the distance behind him about a thousand feet to the south, two figures leaped between the charred tree remains. Jia Wei and Jia Yuwei.
They halted briefly, looking ahead. In the distance, Fang Sei's silhouette could be seen closing in on one of the ten lightning-filled fruits.
"He is ahead of us," muttered Jia Yuwei, slightly annoyed.
Jia Wei pressed her lips together. "We can still take the rest. But if he takes more than one... we seize it."
They began to move quickly, agile between rocks and sandy ground, their aura starting to rise. Yet the sound of their steps was still faint, not enough to disturb Fang Sei's concentration.
However, Fang Sei, who had sharp instincts as a member of the Fang family, sensed something faint from behind. He paused briefly, sharpening his hearing, then glanced slightly backward.
"The Jia sisters... Tch, they are after me."
Not wanting to lose the moment, Fang Sei immediately quickened his pace. He pushed with all his strength to secure the Lightning Spiritual Fruit so he could begin cultivating.
Meanwhile, other disciples started to arrive. Some had realized that this was no ordinary area.
"There are ten Lightning Spiritual Fruits here," whispered one disciple.
"And Fang Sei, Jia Wei, and Yuwei arrived first... We should wait or we will become victims," said another.
Even so, some still decided to advance. Ambition had overshadowed their fear.
In another part of the Zhi Region, the atmosphere was far calmer. Some disciples had managed to obtain the Earth Spiritual Fruit. Beneath an old tree whose roots coiled around a large rock, a disciple named Tan Wulien sat cross-legged, steadying his breath.
The golden-brown fruit with a gentle aura was held tightly in his hands.
"Done... I succeeded." He looked at the fruit with relief.
However, he did not leave immediately. "Li! I got it! Where are you?"
From the distance came a reply, "Wait for me, I am almost done!"
This phenomenon was nothing unusual. Several other disciples also chose to remain, waiting for their friends and kin.
On a hill, two disciples from Luwe Village watched each other. One already held an Earth Spiritual Fruit, yet stayed. "We leave together. No one is left behind."
The sky began to change color. But the contest was not over. In the lightning-sparked area, ambition continued to burn.
And behind the rocks, the figures of Jia Wei and Yuwei grew closer...
While Fang Sei would not give up so easily.
Three months had passed since the beginning of the first stage selection in the Zhi Region. Hundreds of candidates had scattered, some having found the Earth Spiritual Fruit, others pursuing the Heavenly Spiritual Fruit. But only a few were bold and talented enough to challenge the search for the Lightning Spiritual Fruit.
Among them, Fang Sei had become a focus. His body was slender yet flexible. His movements were agile, full of focus. Now, he was only a few steps away from the tall trees glowing faint blue, where ten Lightning Spiritual Fruits hung serenely.
Fang Sei's breathing was ragged, yet his eyes remained fixed ahead.
Behind him, Jia Yuwei and Jia Wei kept closing in. Now, the distance between them was only five hundred feet. They moved quickly yet stayed in formation, guarding each other. Several scratches on their legs and arms marked the rough path they had traveled.
"He is almost there," whispered Jia Wei, her eyes sharp.
"We are not too late," replied Yuwei, her voice calm yet tense.
From the left side, two other unknown but tough-looking disciples also began to approach. They clenched their teeth, looking at Fang Sei with eyes full of ambition.
However, no one dared to attack. They all knew one important thing.
Without cultivation, they were only ordinary humans with slightly stronger bodies and sharper instincts. Fighting each other could waste energy and even end their chances.
Several other disciples who had initially followed chose to stop. They were exhausted, hungry, and their morale was shaken by the harshness of the competition. Some turned toward other areas believed to hold Heavenly Spiritual Fruits.
"He is too fast..."
"There is no way we can beat those three..."
"Let us just look for another..."
These whispers could be heard from behind the bushes and rocks, followed by the sound of heavy steps moving away.
But ahead, Fang Sei kept going. His legs were unsteady, yet his determination was firm. The blue light from the Lightning Spiritual Fruit gradually bathed his sweat-covered face.
His right hand lifted, just inches away from touching the fruit.
Suddenly
CRAAAKK!!
A small bolt of lightning shot from the air above the tree, striking the ground only a few feet from where Fang Sei stood.
"Tch!" Fang Sei flinched. The ground beside him was partially scorched, emitting thin smoke. Though the strike was not too powerful, its sound and flash were enough to startle.
He stepped back reflexively, then held his breath, trying to steady his suddenly racing heartbeat.
"That... is not a good sign," he murmured softly.
In the distance, Jia Wei and Yuwei, who saw the event, also stopped briefly.
"Is the fruit... rejecting touch?" asked Yuwei.
"Or just giving a warning?" replied Jia Wei, frowning slightly.
The other disciples who still remained also watched warily. The lightning aura from the fruit now felt more tangible, as if testing who was truly worthy to claim it.
Fang Sei clenched his fists.
"I have come this far... I will not retreat just because of a little lightning."
His steps advanced again, more cautiously, yet without hesitation.