Tang Lan summoned the Divine Wind Ark, lifting both himself and Tang San into the sky.
Then, he called out to the lazy, napping little Thunder Spirit.
"Find the location of the inheritance site."
Yawning, Little Thunder took over control of the Divine Wind Ark.
Hearing the words "inheritance site," Tang San's eyes widened in shock!
"An inheritance site…"
"No matter how you look at it, this has to be something extraordinary!"
Could it be—
Tang Lan had found a place similar to Seagod Island or the City of Slaughter…
Specifically prepared for him?!
The more Tang San thought about it, the more excited he became!
Yes!
It had to be!
Big Brother loved him so much—
There was no way he'd let him fall behind everyone else!
Watching Tang San's increasingly thrilled expression,
Little Thunder felt utterly confused.
Through the soul spirit connection, he privately spoke to Tang Lan.
「Little Thunder: Master, does your brother not realize that the Thunder God's inheritance requires an Extreme Thunder Attribute?」
Tang Lan shrugged and spread his hands in response.
「Tang Lan: He just enjoys making up stories in his head. Let him have his fun for now.」
Little Thunder let out a snort of laughter.
This…
This was a truly unique mindset.
Fortunately, the Thunder God's inheritance site wasn't far from the City of Slaughter.
Cross-referencing his inherited memories, Little Thunder quickly pinpointed the entrance.
Guiding the Divine Wind Ark, he dove straight down into a narrow, vertical tunnel.
Oddly enough—
Even though they were deep underground, the surroundings remained bright as day.
That alone made it suspicious.
After about ten minutes of flight, they finally came to a stop.
"Master, this is the entrance to the inheritance site. There are Thunder God trials ahead, so the Divine Wind Ark can't proceed further."
"Good work." Tang Lan nodded. "We'll go on foot from here. You can go back and continue napping."
"Alrighty!"
Little Thunder instantly zipped back into Tang Lan's body.
Tang Lan stored away the Divine Wind Ark and walked deeper inside.
Tang San followed closely, cautiously asking—
"Big Brother, did you find this Thunder God's inheritance site for me?"
Without turning back, Tang Lan nodded.
He didn't want Tang San to see the huge smirk on his face.
Thankfully, Tang San wasn't completely blinded by excitement.
He still had a bit of self-awareness.
"But Big Brother… I don't have a thunder attribute. Would the Thunder God even choose me?"
Tang Lan paused for a second, then quickly turned back and gave Tang San a very strange look.
Like he was staring at an idiot.
Tang San immediately started thinking harder.
Then—
A sudden realization!
Right!
Big Brother didn't have a water attribute, and he only gained ice later on.
But he still became the Seagod's chosen successor!
That meant—
He had a chance too!
"Big Brother, what level of god is the Thunder God?"
"Thunder is such a powerful attribute—it has to be a First-Class God, right?"
"But I already have the Seagod's Black-Level trials. Wouldn't this cause a conflict?"
"Can I just… abandon my current trials?"
Tang San rapid-fired a bunch of questions.
But Tang Lan remained silent.
Instead, he simply led Tang San to the end of the passageway.
At the end of the passage—
There was nothing grand or elaborate.
Just a plain earthen platform.
And embedded into it was a square-forged forging hammer.
At that moment, a booming voice echoed inside Tang Lan's mind—
"Lift the Divine Artifact, Thunder God's Hammer, to begin the Nine Thunder Trials!"
Thunder God's Hammer?
Tang Lan's eyebrows twitched.
Why did all these Thunder Gods have a thing for hammers?!
He turned to look at Tang San—
Only to find Tang San staring back at him.
"Big Brother, did you hear something?"
Tang Lan immediately shook his head.
"What? I didn't hear anything."
Tang San's face lit up with joy!
If he was the only one who heard the voice…
Didn't that mean he was chosen?!
"Big Brother!"
"A voice just told me that if I lift this Thunder God's Hammer, I can begin the Nine Thunder Trials!"
"Since you didn't hear it, should I try it first?"
Even as he asked, Tang San was already moving forward.
Tang Lan watched quietly, smirking inside.
He even helpfully activated his Evil Eye to mark Tang San.
After all—
This little fool didn't have the Vast Sea Soul Barrier.
The Black-Level trial imprint on his forehead was glaringly obvious.
Tang Lan stood by, watching silently.
If Tang San got fried to death, he could still try to save him.
"Zzzzzzt—!"
A dense web of lightning erupted from the Thunder God's Hammer,
Turning the five-meter radius around it into a miniature lightning pool.
The crackling thunderclaps were deafening,
Causing Tang San to instinctively stop in his tracks.
But then—
His eyes grew determined.
"A trial!"
"This must be a test from the Thunder God!"
Taking a deep breath,
Tang San summoned his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul—
Weaving armor-like vines around his body.
Then, he reinforced it with ice,
Strengthening his defenses against the lightning.
With resolute determination, he stepped into the lightning pool.
ZAP!
"Crackle-pop—!"
The vine armor on his feet charred black instantly,
But it wasn't completely destroyed.
It blocked most of the lightning,
Only allowing a small amount to leak through.
Even so—
Tang San still trembled violently!
Clenching his teeth,
Tang San circulated his Mysterious Heaven Skill,
Forcing himself to shuffle forward step by step.
He continuously wove new ice-vine armor to resist the never-ending thunder strikes.
Despite the short distance,
Tang San took a full half-hour to reach the Thunder God's Hammer.
His heart pounded with excitement.
With his shaking right hand,
He grabbed the hammer's handle without hesitation.
BOOM!
A gigantic bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the cave ceiling!
It obliterated Tang San's ice-vine armor instantly,
Leaving him completely exposed in the lightning pool.
With nowhere else to go,
The overwhelming lightning energy surged into Tang San's body!
Tang San's entire body smoked,
Giving off a noticeable charred-meat aroma.
"…Did he just get fully cooked?"
Even so—
Tang San gritted his teeth and refused to let go!
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"I will not—cannot—let it slip away!"
Perhaps it was this unyielding determination…
Or perhaps the trial had been completed…
The storm of lightning suddenly stopped.
All the energy returned to the Thunder God's Hammer.
"Huff—huff—"
Tang San gasped for breath for over thirty seconds before recovering.
With tremendous effort,
He raised the Thunder God's Hammer,
Excitedly waving it toward Tang Lan.
"Big Brother!"
"I did it!"
"The Thunder God's Hammer has acknowledged me! I received a trial!"
"The content of the trial is—"
Mid-sentence—
Tang San suddenly went silent.
His face twisted into pure disbelief.
Tang Lan, however, was completely relaxed.
According to Little Thunder,
The Thunder God's inheritanceonly accepted those with the Extreme Thunder attribute.
The Seagod's trials didn't have attribute requirements because the Seagod ascended through faith—
He wasn't actually a water-based god.
A trident martial soul had nothing to do with water.
But the Thunder God?
No exceptions.
Even if Tang San passed the trial,
At most, he'd be granted a "High Priest" position—
tasked with finding a proper inheritor.
So Tang Lan wasn't worried at all.
After a few more minutes,
Tang San finally regained his composure.
His expression was… not great.
"My trial content is…"
"Obtain the Extreme Thunder Attribute to unlock the Nine Thunder Trials."
"Or… find someone with the Extreme Thunder Attribute and bring them here to unlock the Nine Thunder Trials."
His voice grew weaker and weaker.
Because he realized something.
Tang Lan had the Extreme Thunder Attribute.
But his method of obtaining it…
Was through the million-year Lightning Hell Prison Vine's sacrifice.
How was Tang San supposed to replicate that?!
Despite his despair,
Tang San clung to a final shred of hope.
He turned to Tang Lan and asked—
"Big Brother, do you know where I can find another million-year thunder-type beast?"
Tang Lan's response—
A massive eye-roll.
"Do you think million-year soul beasts grow like cabbages?"
"And you want one with a thunder attribute?"
"No. Not happening."
"As far as I know, the only million-year soul beast alive right now is the Deep Sea Demon Whale King."
"Sure, it has a thunder attribute, but it leans more toward water."
"Besides, it doesn't have the Extreme Thunder Attribute. Even if it sacrificed itself to you, how would that give you what you need?"
Tang San staggered backward, dropping onto the ground.
The Thunder God's Hammer slipped from his grip, landing beside him.
Seeing this, Tang Lan stepped forward and pulled him up.
Casually, he picked up the Thunder God's Hammer, weighing it in his hand.
"Feels just right. This would probably be amazing for smashing people."
Tang San numbly nodded in agreement—
Then immediately realized—Wait!
His head snapped up, staring at Tang Lan—
Who was standing in the midst of roaring lightning, yet completely unaffected.
The Thunder God's Hammer lay obediently in his grip, behaving like a regular hammer.
"Wait… I…"
"He…"
"It…"
So after all that suffering,
After getting electrocuted into a roasted meal—
The same feat that took every ounce of his strength…
For Tang Lan, it was as easy as breathing?!
The gap was soul-crushing.
Tang San felt himself mentally shutting down.
But before he could wallow in despair,
He suddenly realized something crucial!
Tang Lan had the Extreme Thunder Attribute.
He lifted the Thunder God's Hammer.
Which meant—
🔥 Tang San's palm burned hot.
A voice echoed in his mind—
"Find someone with the Extreme Thunder Attribute and bring them here to unlock the Nine Thunder Trials—
Trial Completed!"
"Reward: Instant level-up to the next rank barrier, plus an Ultimate Soul Ring!"
⚡ BOOM! ⚡
The Thunder God's Hammer in Tang Lan's hand discharged an explosive wave of lightning,
Engulfing Tang San once more!
The entire cave rumbled,
Electricity snaked around Tang San's body, crackling wildly.
Activating his Vast Sea Divine Pupil,
Tang Lan peered through the lightning to check inside.
The bolts of lightning weren't harming Tang San.
Instead—
They were transforming into pure energy,
Forcibly raising his soul power level.
The process looked painful,
But overall, it was a good thing.
So this was a reward from the Thunder God—
For Tang San "completing" his trial.
Seeing this, Tang Lan relaxed,
Deciding not to trigger the mark he had placed on Tang San.
Instead, he focused on checking his own rewards.
💥 Ding!
[Host has obtained the Nine Thunder Trials, causing Tang San to lose the position of Thunder God. Stole a massive portion of Tang San's destiny!]
[Reward: "."!]