A full year had passed since Lei Qi had first stepped into the Thunder Clan's ancestral land.
In all that time, he hadn't made any big moves. He remained on the first floor, the place he called his "birthplace."
During that year, Lei Qi had encountered plenty of puppets — most of them no stronger than Dou Zhe. They weren't terrifying, but they were relentless and completely indifferent to pain.
Perfect sparring partners.
Day after day, his battle experience sharpened. His movements grew cleaner, sharper, deadlier.
And after a year of relentless cultivation, Lei Qi had reached the rank of Nine-Star Dou Shi.
The energy on this level was no longer enough to push his cultivation forward. But as time went on, he realized that the real purpose of this place wasn't just cultivation — it was to forge combat experience through battle.
Every fight gave him more insight than any number of sparring sessions with Lei Dong ever had.
Still, he didn't rush to the second floor. He preferred to master every inch of the first.
"Zzzzzzt…!"
Bolts of lightning streaked through the air, occasionally striking down from above like silver whips. Even those born with the Lightning attribute would have to be cautious here.
But Lei Qi… he had been struck so many times that the power of this first level barely even hurt anymore.
"Woooo—!"
The sound of wind preceded a heavy blow.
A puppet's iron fist slammed into his ribs, but Lei Qi barely flinched. A year of thunder baptism had turned his body into tempered steel.
"Boom!"
He spun around, lightning surging through his veins, and struck out with both palms.
Thunder Palm!
Crack! Two fighter puppets shattered like fragile porcelain.
But before he could relax, two Doushi-level puppets closed in on him.
"Thunder Whip!"
A long whip of crackling lightning condensed in Lei Qi's hand. With a sharp swing, it lashed across the head of a puppet with a loud crack. Unlike the weaker ones, this one didn't shatter.
Bang!
The second Doushi puppet smashed into him, sending Lei Qi sprawling across the ground. Sparks of lightning flared from his body as he skidded backward, his muscles tingling with pain.
This was different from fighting Dou Zhes.
Gritting his teeth, Lei Qi rolled to his feet as the puppets surrounded him again.
He attacked — and just like before, he destroyed two of the weaker puppets, only to be pushed back again by the remaining Doushi puppet. Even prepared, the impact stung.
If this continued, he'd be crushed eventually.
Retreat wasn't an option — the puppets would chase him down. Hiding wasn't an option either.
Then there's only one choice.
Lei Qi's gaze locked on the stronger puppet. A spark of resolve flashed in his eyes.
"Thunderbolt Dance!"
A sharp purple light erupted from the tip of his finger.
Bang!
The thunderbolt pierced clean through the puppet's skull, followed by a deafening boom as its head exploded into fragments of crackling light.
But the price was steep — nearly half of Lei Qi's fighting spirit drained in an instant.
Thunderbolt Dance was an intermediate Earth-tier technique. Even using a fraction of its power consumed a frightening amount of energy.
As the puppet crumbled, Lei Qi noticed something glittering within the remains.
A spear.
He suddenly remembered what Clan Leader Lei Ying had said — countless treasures were hidden inside the puppets.
The inheritance wasn't handed out. It had to be fought for.
Without hesitation, Lei Qi snatched the spear and spun on his heel.
Swish!
The spear, coated in his lightning, cleaved through the air like a streak of thunder and smashed into the nearest puppet's head.
Crack—BOOM!
Five or six puppets exploded in quick succession.
Lei Qi's eyes widened. Even with just a simple swing, the power behind this spear was terrifying.
"Nice stuff…" he grinned. "An inch longer, an inch stronger."
With a few precise sweeps, the remaining Fighter puppets fell like straw before a storm.
Only one remained — the Doushi puppet.
The same one that had knocked him flying.
Bang!
The puppet lunged, its thunder-charged fist flying toward him.
Lei Qi's reflexes, honed by countless battles, kicked in. The spear came up just in time.
The impact bent the shaft slightly, but to his delight, it straightened again with a metallic hum.
"Excellent spear!"
With a single thrust, Lei Qi drove the lightning-forged tip through the puppet's skull.
BANG!
The last Doushi puppet collapsed into the dust.
Breathing heavily, Lei Qi looked down at the spear in his hand. Its lightning danced faintly, as if recognizing its new master.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"This place just got a lot more interesting."