A few days later, in the afternoon as the sun was setting.
"Boom!"
The first thunder of early spring echoed through the sky, waking Yang Yunhai from cultivation inside his single dorm room.
"I didn't think it would really come." His face lit up with joy. He leapt from his bed and ran outside.
"Xiao Hai, it's thundering! What are you doing outside!?" The village chief, Changgong Tai, who had been calling children indoors with his cane, was startled.
"Grandpa, I want to do an experiment!" Yang Yunhai shouted as he dashed into the courtyard.
'At worst, I'll die. I've already died once, what's there to be afraid of?'
Thunder roared overhead, the dark clouds flashing brightly, but no lightning struck.
"Nothing?" The village chief froze, then saw Yang Yunhai's eyes brighten as he sat cross-legged right where he was.
"Xiao Hai, what are you doing!?" The chief's face changed again. Sitting in the yard to cultivate under a storm? It was dangerous.
"Boom!" As he thought this, a lightning bolt as thick as an arm struck Yang Yunhai square in the back.
It was like being pierced by a thousand needles, a burning pain flooding through every nerve. "Hiss!" Veins bulged on his forehead, but he clenched his teeth and endured.
Forcing his soul power to circulate, he guided the scorching energy through his meridians.
Then—"Boom!"—a second bolt struck. His mind went blank.
With a thud, his body collapsed to the ground, leaving a charred black patch beneath him.
"Boss!" the children screamed.
"Xiao Hai!" The village chief's expression turned grim. He looked up at the clouds where lightning still writhed, but no more bolts fell.
He hurried over, grabbed Yang Yunhai by the collar, and dragged him under the eaves.
The children rushed over, helping turn his body.
"Boss!" they cried out again. His veins bulged dark purple across his entire body, and his skin had curled up at the edges, pale and dry like tree bark.
"This…" The chief's eyes reddened. He leaned close, pressing his ear to the boy's chest.
"Thump… thump…" Slow and weak, as if the heart might stop at any moment.
His face changed again. "Children! Quickly, help me carry Xiao Hai inside!"
Four children grabbed his arms and legs. Together they carried him inside and laid him on the bed. Changgong Tai sat beside him, ear against his chest again.
"Thump… thump…" The heartbeat was steadier now, stronger.
The old man exhaled in relief, then looked at the children. "Everyone, go home. Your Brother Xiao Hai is fine. He just needs rest."
---
The next morning, inside the dorm.
"Hiss!" A groan broke the silence as Yang Yunhai opened his eyes.
"So painful!" Just shifting his body sent waves of pain through him. His muscles were tight and stiff, and his meridians felt torn.
Since awakening his Martial Soul, he could now sense his meridians through soul power.
'Damn, why does drawing lightning while cultivating hurt so much more than just being struck passively? I couldn't even last two bolts. Is it because active absorption leaves more lightning energy behind in the body?'
He fell silent, gave up on moving, and closed his eyes to sense his condition.
Moments later, his eyes opened with joy.
'It actually worked!' The growth was tiny, but his soul power had clearly increased.
'Let's check the Martial Soul.' Forcing through the pain, he lifted his right arm. The morning light revealed skin like dried bark. "What the—!?" he blurted, shocked.
Frowning, he summoned his Martial Soul.
Blue Silver Grass appeared in his palm. It looked much the same, but the blade had changed. Instead of drooping softly, it stood rigid, angled upward, almost like a hard leaf from some wooden plant.
'Why does it feel stiff, like it's paralyzed?' He reached with his other hand. It was indeed hard, no longer flexible.
Yang Yunhai fell silent. He didn't see this as a good sign. Instead, it reminded him of the tragic fate of the Thunder Hell Prison Vine.
That soul beast almost always exploded between twenty and fifty thousand years of cultivation, unable to surpass fifty thousand. In all history, none had reached a hundred thousand years.
Why?
'It's not just the plane's suppression—it's their own problem.'
Every lifeform carried some degree of life attribute. For plant soul beasts like Blue Silver Grass, bloodline determined whether they were ordinary, king, or emperor. The difference between them was clear in the original story. The same applied to other species, like swans.
Soul beasts were like Martial Souls: there were ordinary and ultimate types.
The Thunder Hell Prison Vine was a special case, a plant with both life and lightning attributes.
Its fate of self-destruction could be explained simply: its body wasn't strong enough to hold the lightning it gathered. Or, more deeply: its life attribute was too weak, lightning too strong, breaking the balance. Lightning was unstable and destructive—once out of balance, it exploded.
It was the same for other extreme-attribute beasts. Too much fire: spontaneous combustion. Too much earth: petrification.
'So, is my Martial Soul like this because I absorbed too much lightning at once, throwing its life and lightning attributes out of balance?'
'Life attribute is gentle. Having more of it only makes you more energetic. But too much lightning attribute… that could make me blow up like the Thunder Hell Prison Vine.'
'Or maybe the life attribute will be squeezed out completely, leaving me with only lightning.'
'But a Martial Soul isn't the same as a soul beast.'
He sighed, dismissing the Martial Soul. "Forget it. Life attribute is too valuable to lose."
'For now, I'm only stiff and rigid. It's not too serious. If I stop lightning cultivation and just train normally, my life attribute will grow with my soul power. Training in a place with more Blue Silver Grass should boost it faster.'
'Eventually, the balance will return. My Martial Soul and body will recover.'
At that thought, he couldn't help but mutter, "So my Martial Soul is just a beggar's version of the Thunder Hell Prison Vine?"
"But… it's not without advantages." His eyes brightened. "The vine, as a soul beast, can only rely on natural growth to improve its life attribute. But I, as a soul master, can also hunt life-attribute soul beasts, absorb their soul rings, and strengthen it. Like the Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone."
"Or the Blue Silver Emperor itself… or the immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Those are plants too. Maybe I should try?"
He paused, collecting his thoughts.
'For life attribute, plant-type soul beasts are the most common. My Martial Soul is plant-type as well. Absorbing plant-type rings will improve both life and toughness. Going down a control path might be the best choice…'
'But then, which plants should I target in the early stages? How should I pair my soul skills?'
'And another problem… if cultivating outdoors draws lightning on cloudy days, then what happens if I'm absorbing a soul ring during a storm? Wouldn't that be disastrous? Can I control it? Or is there a way to avoid it?'
He fell deep into thought.
(End of Chapter)
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