Lin Shu’s so-called “mysterious place” was naturally the mountainside of Qingluan Peak, the same spot where Lu Zhiyun had first entered the secret realm.
In the dim cave, three figures stood together.
“Senior Brother… can this really be used?” Lu Zhiyun asked tremulously, pointing at the massive magical treasure before her.
“Of course it can. Although it looks a bit intimidating, you can definitely do it, Junior Sister!” Lin Shu laughed.
“No! I can’t! I’m scared!” Lu Zhiyun squeezed out two teardrops, attempting to awaken some sympathy in the “evil cultivator.”
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid! Senior Brother is here!” Lin Shu grabbed Lu Zhiyun’s hand, preparing for the next step.
Fortunately, Sanqing Fairy stepped forward in time to punish evil and promote good.
“Stop! You beast! What are you trying to do to Little Lu?” she questioned.
“Developing Junior Sister’s Lightning Spirit Root, obviously!” Lin Shu replied, sounding baffled.
Lin Shu turned to look at the massive wheel-shaped magical treasure behind him. Intricate arrays and runes were carved around its circumference, and the interior of the large wheel was just big enough to accommodate one person.
The Thunder Mouse Type Running Wheel was forged by Lin Shu’s Senior Sister.
Of course, Lin Shu didn’t have much to do with it this time; the instructor was Lin Yingxue from the neighboring Shuiyun Peak.
The method of using this magical treasure was also very simple.
One only needed to have a cultivator with a Lightning Spirit Root run inside it. The array would then generate electricity, stimulating the activity of the Lightning Spirit Root through the cultivator’s movement.
The process was just a bit strenuous. Even those with better talent would need to run continuously for 1 week.
Lin Shu estimated that given his Junior Sister’s talent, it would take at least 1 month.
There was no helping it; cultivating with three spirit roots was indeed difficult. Only cultivators truly understood the hardships of immortality.
After hearing Lin Shu’s explanation, Sanqing Fairy and Lu Zhiyun finally understood.
“Oh! I thought you were… So that’s how it is!” Sanqing Fairy gave a bashful smile.
“What else would it be?” Lin Shu pursed his lips and then urged Lu Zhiyun to get inside quickly.
When Lu Zhiyun heard she would have to run for 1 month straight, her face turned pale. she hurriedly acted spoiled. “Senior Brother, isn’t there an easier way?”
“Let me think… There is!” Lin Shu rubbed his chin and replied.
“Really?” Lu Zhiyun said in surprise. “What way?”
“You just need to mooch off a Lightning Tribulation!” Lin Shu answered.
A cultivator’s Lightning Tribulation could essentially stimulate the activity of a Lightning Spirit Root, and the effect was excellent.
“I just need to mooch off one?” Lu Zhiyun blinked.
It didn’t sound too difficult.
“Of course! Just a little mooch!” Lin Shu laughed. “However, Lightning Tribulations aren’t that easy to find. No matter how many people there are in the Heaven Vault Sect, it’s not like someone is transcending a tribulation every day!”
He thought that by saying this, his Junior Sister would obediently resign herself to running the marathon. Unexpectedly, the Fairy stepped forward again.
“A Lightning Tribulation? Simple! I can simulate one!” Sanqing Fairy snapped her fingers.
“For real?”
It was the first time Lin Shu had heard of someone being able to simulate a Lightning Tribulation.
A Lightning Tribulation wasn’t just ordinary electricity; it served to temper the body. Getting hit by regular lightning would only turn someone into an idiot.
However, considering that Sanqing Fairy was an older female cultivator with vast experience, he figured she might know some ancient method.
“Hmph! Surprised, aren’t you?” Sanqing Fairy put her hands on her hips proudly. “Come! I’ll take you to see it for yourself.”
With that, the three of them went to the clearing outside the cave dwelling.
“Get back! I’m going to start!”
Sanqing Fairy waved the two of them away, took a deep breath, tilted her head toward the sky, and shouted with all her might:
“Heavenly Dao, I f— your—”
Before she could finish, a bolt of lightning struck down from the cloudless sky toward Sanqing Fairy. Its power was comparable to the Nine Heavens Divine Lightning used when ascending to the Tribulation Transcender Stage.
Wait, no—that actually *was* the Nine Heavens Divine Lightning, wasn’t it?
‘Is this how you “simulate” it?’
They agreed on a simulation, so why did it turn into the real thing?
Lin Shu had already pulled his Junior Sister into his protection. After all, believing the Fairy was reliable was less likely than believing pigs could fly.
“Impressive! So you can summon a Lightning Tribulation like that!” Lin Shu clapped.
“Right? Hehe!” Sanqing Fairy giggled.
“Hehe my foot!” Lin Shu said irritably. “That thing is even a struggle for a Tribulation Transcender Stage cultivator. How is Junior Sister supposed to endure it?”
Lu Zhiyun’s legs had already gone weak with fear. She leaned against Lin Shu, her lips losing all color.
It was impossible!
Forget about taking a direct hit; even the aftershocks could turn her into ash and scatter her to the wind.
“Fairy… is there… is there a more dignified method?” Lu Zhiyun asked with a trembling voice.
“It seems there isn’t!” Sanqing Fairy pondered for a moment.
“The Heavenly Dao is actually quite open-minded. This Lightning Tribulation strikes based on the cultivator’s realm. I am an immortal, so the lightning that comes is relatively powerful.”
“Really?” Lu Zhiyun was pleasantly surprised.
Now that she felt reassured, she intended to try cursing at the sky too.
“Junior Sister, you’re only at the Foundation Establishment Stage. You won’t trigger a Lightning Tribulation,” Lin Shu reminded her.
“Huh? Then… what will happen if I curse at it?” Lu Zhiyun asked curiously.
“It just adds to the prize pool. You’ll have a good idea of what’s coming when you advance to the Golden Core Stage!” Sanqing Fairy replied.
‘I see. It’s the “definitely going to be struck to death” kind of idea.’
It seemed that given the current situation, she had no choice but to obediently run for 1 month.
Lu Zhiyun resigned herself to her fate and prepared to return to the cave to become a hardworking “hamster.”
Just then, a figure transformed into a streak of light and sped through the woods toward them.
“Senior Brother! Junior Sister! Why was there suddenly Nine Heavens Divine Lightning? Is someone from our peak transcending a tribulation? Who got struck?”
Wu Qinglong was drenched in sweat, clearly having pushed his spiritual energy to the limit to get here.
“No! Junior Sister needs to practice lightning arts, so I was trying to help her!” Lin Shu replied.
Before Wu Qinglong arrived, Sanqing Fairy had already hidden back inside Lu Zhiyun’s spiritual world. After all, her identity was special and couldn’t be revealed to just anyone.
“Is that so?” Wu Qinglong lowered his head, sounding a bit disappointed.
‘Why didn’t anyone get struck?’ He wanted to study the Lightning Tribulation to help with his own future breakthroughs.
After confirming that everything was fine, Wu Qinglong and Lin Shu chatted for a while. When the “hamster” running wheel was mentioned, Wu Qinglong waved his hand dismissively.
“That thing was phased out long ago!” Wu Qinglong said. “Senior Sister has already made a new magical treasure. It’s version 2.0!”
“I have a bad feeling about this…” Lin Shu remarked.
“Don’t be like that! It’s very safe! Junior Sister, do you want to try it?” Wu Qinglong asked.
“I… I’ll do whatever Senior Brother says!” Lu Zhiyun raised her hand.
“Then let’s go!” Lin Shu waved. “The things your Senior Sister invents are usually relatively normal!”
“O-Okay!” Lu Zhiyun followed obediently.
Come to think of it, Lu Zhiyun hadn’t seen the Peak Master or the eldest Senior Sister since she came up the mountain. She didn’t know what kind of people they were.
Under Wu Qinglong’s lead, the group soon reached a cave that looked like an abyss from the outside.
Upon entering, the space suddenly opened up. The cave was filled with dense, complicated arrays—far more intricate than the Thunder Mouse Type Running Wheel. Lu Zhiyun felt dizzy just looking at them.
In the very center of the runic arrays sat a luxurious chair. It looked like a throne, shrouded in mystery.
“This is?” Lin Shu asked curiously.
Wu Qinglong pointed at the chair in the center. “Junior Sister, go ahead and sit down!”
“According to Senior Sister, if you sit there for a bit, your Lightning Spirit Root will be activated!”
“Truly?” Lin Shu arched an eyebrow.
“Try it! Senior Sister’s inventions have never disappointed anyone.” Wu Qinglong arched his eyebrow back.
Lu Zhiyun walked around the chair twice and leaned in to sniff it. After confirming it seemed safe, she sat down and squeezed her eyes shut.
A moment later, it seemed as if nothing had happened. She opened her eyes.
Strangely, Lin Shu and Wu Qinglong, who had just been there, had vanished.
“Senior Brother! Mmph…”
Just as Lu Zhiyun was about to stand up, the armrests and legs of the chair suddenly came to life. Immortal Binding Ropes sprouted from them, wrapping tightly around her.
At that point, Lu Zhiyun was effectively offline.
***
It was a trap!
Lin Shu looked at Wu Qinglong, who had dragged him out of the cave, with a speechless expression. “Junior Brother, what kind of stunt are we pulling?”
“Senior Brother! This magical treasure is divided into two parts! The activation end is on the other side of Qingluan Peak,” Wu Qinglong explained.
“Then why couldn’t you tell Junior Sister?” Lin Shu asked, puzzled.
“If I told her, she wouldn’t have gone!” Wu Qinglong smiled mysteriously.
When the two arrived at a place where a massive metal cylinder stood, Lin Shu saw the exact same runes as the ones in the cave beneath it and immediately understood what was going on.
“You mean?”
“Correct! Senior Sister said this magical treasure can adjust the energy of a Lightning Tribulation to its minimum, allowing a cultivator to stimulate their Lightning Spirit Root without doing anything at all!”
“Then here’s the question: do you have a way to summon a Lightning Tribulation?” Lin Shu asked.
Wu Qinglong fell into deep thought. At that moment, he realized why this magical treasure, while convenient and simple, wasn’t used as often as the Thunder Mouse Type Running Wheel.
“How about… I go catch a few junior brothers or sisters who are about to transcend their tribulations?” Wu Qinglong whispered.
Lin Shu kicked him. “We are righteous cultivators! How can we do such a thing!”
“However, I do have a way!”
“What way?”
Lin Shu suddenly thought of the Fairy’s “simulation.” He turned around and patted Wu Qinglong’s shoulder. His eyes were full of lingering affection, like an old father sending his son off to the battlefield.
“Junior Brother, do you want to experience a Lightning Tribulation in advance?”
“Huh? Can I really?” Wu Qinglong was shocked.
Lin Shu nodded. Then, he wrote something on a piece of paper, folded it, and cast a True Word Incantation—the user would unconditionally recite the contents of the paper.
“Take this! Go under the antenna and open it!”
“Thank you, Senior Brother!”
Wu Qinglong excitedly took the paper, ran beneath the metal cylinder, and opened it.
1 hour later, Lin Shu looked at the blackened but fragrant, unconscious Wu Qinglong and nodded with satisfaction. He looked toward the other end of the peak.
With this, his Junior Sister could finally practice lightning arts!