The Lightning Spirit reveled in its dominion, until Wang Lin’s gaze pierced through its very essence, reaching the heart of its Thunder Soul. A surge of ancient will, a legacy of untold ages, erupted within, threatening to unravel its being. A wail escaped its spectral form as it shuddered violently.

The sweeping advance halted, reversed by an unseen force. Instinctively, the Lightning Spirit recoiled, as if struck by a power it could not withstand.

Wang Lin closed his eyes, dismissing the spirit. He sensed that this was but a fragment, a splinter of the true guardian of the Thunder Immortal Realm. The true spirit, he knew, would possess a majesty far beyond this.

The Lightning Spirit, eyes wide with dawning terror, retreated. Its nascent sentience had held these mortals in contempt, but in that fleeting moment, it had felt the presence of an ancestor, a primal progenitor.

This feeling was etched into its very soul, a memory passed down through countless generations, from before its birth.

In the primordial age, the heavens themselves bestowed the power of thunder upon the Thunder Dragon. Born of lightning, it was the spirit of all storms, and every crackle of energy in the cosmos belonged to it.

Yet, the Thunder Dragon was not immortal. Born of lightning, it would also perish within it, dissolving into a chaotic force, returning to the void.

However, within the Thunder Immortal Realm, one spirit had defied this fate. Through the machinations of forgotten immortals, it had persisted, becoming the guardian beast of that celestial domain.

The Lightning Spirit of Thunderpeak Hall was but a fragment of this immortal guardian. Encountering Wang Lin, it felt a primal shock, a resonance it had never known.

Thankfully, Wang Lin, now with closed eyes, no longer radiated the ancient power of the Thunder Dragon. Instead, he began to absorb the ambient lightning, allowing the spirit a moment of respite. With a suppressed roar of fury, it turned its attention to the other mortals that trespassed upon its domain.

Hidden within the swirling shadows, Xu Ting witnessed this scene, his eyes wide with disbelief. This Xu Mu, he thought, was utterly, impossibly astounding.

“Impossible! He merely glanced at the spirit, and it cowered! It acted as if a junior clansman facing his venerable ancestor!”

Shen Gonghu, too, observed this exchange. His eyes burned with fervor, his mind flashing back to his first encounter with Wang Lin within a lightning-wracked prison. He could never forget the figure who emerged from that storm, black hair dancing with electric energy, eyes that held a power that threatened to shatter his very being.

That memory would forever be etched into his soul.

“Venerable Master!” Shen Gonghu whispered, his devotion unwavering.

Zhan Konglie drew a sharp breath, remembering the day he and Shen Gonghu clashed within that very same thunderous prison. It was under Wang Lin’s tutelage that Shen Gonghu had grasped, however faintly, the fundamental laws of lightning.

They were not alone. Others among the assembled cultivators had also witnessed this exchange, their faces etched with shock and bewilderment.

Wang Lin remained oblivious, lost in his meditation, seeking the essence of thunder itself. He was slowly immersing himself in its power, oblivious to the turmoil around him.

A thousand paces distant, on his meditation cushion, Qing Shui’s lips curved into a knowing smile.

Yan Leizi, seated beside him, chuckled wryly. He had forgotten that Xu Mu had nearly become a Lightning Spirit, had it not been for his intervention. This trial, he suspected, would prove not a challenge, but a stroll through his own garden.

“Very well,” Yan Leizi muttered. “Let it be a repayment for the beast of thunder, and perhaps it will soothe the tensions between Qing Shui and myself.” With a shake of his head, he chose not to interfere.

The enraged Lightning Spirit, humbled and furious, vented its frustrations upon the other cultivators. Like a scolded child lashing out in anger, it roared and charged.

Its first target was the cousin of Xi Zifeng, a handsome man clad in emerald robes. He frantically wove hand seals as three jade talismans hovered before him, absorbing the onrushing lightning.

The Lightning Spirit bellowed, slamming into him with the full force of its frustrated power. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the Thunder Pool.

The three talismans shattered instantly, exploding into a cloud of jade shards. The emerald-clad man coughed up a mouthful of blood, retreating swiftly. But the Lightning Spirit, in its unbridled rage, pursued him relentlessly, its gaping maw crackling with electric energy.

The man fled with all his might, barely escaping the confines of the Thunder Pool. He shot a venomous glare at the pursuing spirit, which then turned its attention to its next victim.

The drums of the trial thundered. The sixteenth, seventeenth, and then the eighteenth strike echoed across the land.

With a cacophonous boom, the drums seemed to drive the majority of the remaining cultivators from the thousand-pace Thunder Pool.

The Lightning Spirit, still roaring, changed targets, causing Shen Gonghu and Zhan Konglie to flee in hasty retreat, eager to avoid the wrath of the infuriated creature.

Even the Big-Headed Child and the Six-Fingered Monk, upon hearing the nineteenth drumbeat, chose discretion, unwilling to provoke the agitated spirit further.

And so, within the thousand-pace Thunder Pool, only two figures remained!

The body of Xu Ting was enveloped in a swirling shroud of dark mist. Within this three-pace radius, the fog grew dense, completely suppressing the volatile rays of thunder.
Across the chasm of a hundred paces, Wang Lin sat serenely amidst the crackling expanse of the Thunder Pool. His eyes, closed in deep meditation, were encircled by a tempest of raw power, each bolt of lightning dancing around him like loyal familiars. His long hair swayed in the electric winds, painting him in the hues of a true Thunder Ascendant.

Xu Ting, on the other hand, silently cursed his fate. The chaotic energies of the pool grew thicker with each passing moment, threatening to overwhelm even his formidable resilience. Yet, when he dared to glance at Wang Lin, a bitter resentment festered within his heart.

“How can he endure for so long?” he seethed, his face contorted in frustration. “I strain with every fiber of my being just to survive, while he… he appears as if he were born within this tempest, untouched by its fury! I refuse to accept this!” The dark miasma emanating from his brow intensified, a visible manifestation of his envy.

Suddenly, the Thunder Spirit, Jioling, spun around. Fearful of challenging Wang Lin, its ancient eyes fixated on Xu Ting. With a guttural roar, it surged forth, its hundred-foot form weaving through the pool. A torrent of raw, concentrated lightning erupted, engulfing Jioling, imbuing it with the primordial might of storms long past. It lunged, its jaws agape, intent on devouring Xu Ting whole!

The dark energies surrounding Xu Ting withered under the Spirit’s assault. His face drained of color, he had no choice but to retreat, stumbling back a dozen paces, until he was cast sputtering from the Thunder Pool’s edge.

“I refuse to accept this!” Xu Ting roared, his voice echoing with indignation. “This Xu Mu cheats! He must!”

The Thunder Spirit, momentarily sated, glanced scornfully at Xu Ting, then turned its gaze back to Wang Lin. Confusion flickered within its eyes, yet it maintained a wary distance, its low growls a testament to the unknown power it sensed radiating from him.

Wang Lin opened his eyes, and at that moment, two bolts of pure lightning erupted from his pupils, striking the air with deafening cracks. He rose, and after a moment of quiet contemplation, he strode towards the very heart of the Thunder Pool, watched by all.

Earlier, in his meditation, he felt on the cusp of understanding some profound truth. Now, at the Pool’s heart, he settled into a meditative pose once more, and closed his eyes.

A collective gasp rose from the assembled cultivators.

“This… this Xu Mu remains untouched by the lightning’s fury, indeed, he acts as if he welcomes it! What forbidden art does he practice?”

“The Thunder Spirit clearly fears him. Something is amiss here. This Xu Mu… he is far from ordinary!”

Even Xu Ting, his face etched with awe, turned and fled. He had finally grasped the truth: this trial held a different meaning for Xu Mu than it did for him.

Above, the drums of judgement continued their relentless rhythm. Wang Lin remained still, undisturbed. The Thunder Spirit circled, its ancient eyes burning with predatory hunger. A primal instinct, rooted deep within its soul, screamed for it to devour him. This impulse swelled with each passing moment, threatening to consume its every thought.

“Devour him, and you shall become a Dragon of Thunder!” A voice, seemingly born from the depths of its very being, howled in its mind. The promise of such power sent tremors through its serpentine form. With another furious roar, the Thunder Spirit unleashed its might, drawing all the chaotic energies of the pool into itself. The earth trembled, and cracks spiderwebbed across the ancient stones.

“Haaaaa!” With a final, earth-shattering cry, the serpentine form of the Thunder Spirit lunged, driven by a ravenous hunger and the desperate hope of ascension.

It struck like a tempest, the very essence of the Thunder Pool coalescing into a wave of unimaginable force that bore down upon Wang Lin. In that instant, a flash of lightning erupted from Wang Lin’s brow, and the ancient primordial spirit of the Thunder Dragon tore free from its prison.

The Thunder Dragon, the apex of all thunder-kind, the ancient progenitor. Wang Lin had not yet mastered its power, but even this fleeting glimpse granted him unimaginable strength. When fully melded, all thunder would bow to him.

The appearance of the Dragon was as if to say, “This is the way.”

The Thunder Spirit recoiled, a tremor of primal fear coursing through its being. A force of unyielding authority emanated from Wang Lin’s spirit form, stifling its will, a feeling transmitted through the blood of its ancestors.

It could devour any mortal, but before the Dragon’s presence, its courage crumbled into nothing. Yet, within its soul, the maddening voice persisted, growing ever more insistent!

“Devour him, and you shall become a Dragon!”