The sky above the Sky-Frost Institute didn't just darken; it died. A suffocating pressure descended, causing the spirit beasts in the forest to howl and the air to hum with a heavy, electric tension.
Deep within the Inner Courtyard, Dean Mo Jinghong—a man at the Peak of the Nascent Soul Realm—stepped out of his meditation chamber. Beside him, Elder Zhao and Elder Feng watched the horizon with growing alarm.
"A Thunder Tribulation in the outer residential district?" Elder Feng asked, his brow furrowed. "Is one of our Outer Elders attempting a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage without reporting it?"
They blurred through the sky, landing on a nearby roof to witness the source. Their eyes widened. It wasn't an elder. It was a young man standing in a scorched courtyard, his aura clearly at the Peak of Foundation Establishment.
"That's a disciple!" Mo Jinghong gasped. "The Heavens are sending a Calamity for a Foundation practitioner? This is unheard of... it's as if the world itself is trying to prevent him from taking another step."
Lin Chen stood below, his breathing heavy but his gaze steady. BOOM! BOOM! The first two bolts of violet lightning hammered into him. The force was enough to level a mountain, but Lin Chen held his ground. He felt the lightning coursing through him—a wild, destructive energy that should have turned him to ash.
However, as the energy surged through his body, his unique physique reacted instinctively. He didn't feel like he was being erased; he felt a strange connection to the power.
He looked up at the swirling clouds, a spark of realization in his eyes. "I can actually devour the tribulation's thunder," Lin Chen whispered to himself, his voice filled with quiet determination. "If I can survive this and devour this power, I may be invincible the same realm."
Knowing that standing still would eventually break him, Lin Chen took a leap. He pushed off the ground, shooting upward like a golden arrow into the heart of the violet vortex. He wasn't being arrogant; he was fighting for his life and his future.
The Heavens roared at his defiance. His actions might have angered the heavens. The violet clouds instantly transformed into a ghostly, brilliant White. This was White Celestial Thunder, a force far more potent than the last.
Lin Chen plunged into the white core. The pain was immense, but he gritted his teeth and focused. He didn't use the energy to fix his foundation; instead, he opened his meridians to the limit, using his Devouring Physique to catch and hold the white lightning. He was weaving the thunder directly into his soul, birthing a brand new Thunder Attribute within his spiritual roots.
The white light exploded, illuminating the entire Institute like a second sun.