M49S Vol 1 Chapter 46. The Malice Of Man

Wang Ziling let out a trembling breath. He looked like a balloon that had been struck by lightning and left leaking air, slumped helplessly on the ground. Around him, teasing glances and idle chatter poked at him like needles, but they only suited the mood of the moment and no longer had the power to hurt him.

His whole body ached, and he was too exhausted to spare a thought for what others might be saying.

The Lion Banquet Meng Qiqi had arranged for him was not without effect. Most of the cultivators here had benefitted from it. No matter how much they looked down on Wang Ziling, they would hold themselves back to some extent.

Qing Gu paid even less attention to such things. She tried to pull Wang Ziling up, but he quickly waved his hand. “Great Grandaunt, no. Just let me sit here a while. I’m fine like this.”

“But you’re sitting right in the middle of the terrace. Aren’t you going to move?” Qing Gu was confused. Wang Ziling looked absolutely miserable. If he stayed there, was he planning to let everyone keep watching him like some sideshow?

When cultivators used the Wind and Thunder Technique, they would normally fly out over the lake to avoid harming others. Wang Ziling, however, had remained on the terrace, and the lightning had struck straight down on him. Fortunately, this was Wang family territory. Even if Wang Ziling destroyed the terrace, no one would say a word.

Wang Ziling looked up at the clouds flickering with lightning and muttered, “One more bolt…”

Qing Gu blinked. “One more and you’ll be well done.”

Wang Ziling had drawn just one bolt, and it had already left him in this wretched state. Even so, he had not run. That alone was worth some respect. But now he wanted to summon a second bolt. Was he out of his mind?

Qing Gu suspected the lightning had knocked something loose in his head. She reached out to sling his arm over her shoulder and drag him into the tower for treatment. But just as she did, thunder began rumbling overhead.

“Move,” Wang Ziling pushed her aside. His gaze remained fixed on the clouds, where flashes of lightning flickered in and out of view. Qing Gu caught the unwavering light in his eyes and felt a faint tremor in her heart.

His eyes were clear. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Qing Gu swiftly stepped aside. Just as she did, a thunderclap crashed down from the sky. Lightning twisted around Wang Ziling like a living snake, wrapping his body from head to toe without leaving a single gap.

Cries of shock erupted across the terrace. Tu Youqiong and the other two were so startled that they ran over from a different platform just to get a better look. Who could possibly be summoning lightning like this? It looked more like a tribulation than a tempering technique.

Xiao Yu’er, sharp-eyed as ever, spotted Qing Gu and ran over to ask, “Senior Sister, what’s going on?”

“Wang Ziling is using lightning to temper his body. Stay here and keep watch. I’ll be back in a moment.” There was a trace of worry in Qing Gu’s eyes. She turned and headed into the building, leaving Xiao Yu’er and the others staring at each other in astonishment.

That figure wrapped in lightning, was really Wang Ziling?

“What is he…” Tu Youqiong’s jaw dropped. That pale, plump good-for-nothing Wang Ziling had actually summoned such a powerful bolt? It was unbelievable.

The other cultivators, once the initial shock passed, began to realize what this meant. Very few people had successfully drawn lightning so far. Aside from those from prestigious sects who were still holding back, most had failed to comprehend the spell and suffered backlash, vomiting blood in the process. But not only had Wang Ziling succeeded, the lightning he summoned had been overwhelmingly powerful.

“It’s getting windy,” someone said.

Suddenly, Master Yinian pressed his palms together and began chanting a sutra.

The wind howled to life. Gusts swept across the lake, stirring its surface into waves. Leaves flew through the air, tangled with arcs of lightning. The sky darkened without warning.

The Wind and Thunder Technique contained both lightning and wind. If there was thunder, then the wind was bound to follow.

How could someone like Wang Ziling possibly pull this off? It had only been a short while since the technique was made public. How could a good-for-nothing like him grasp it so quickly? Unless he had been hiding his strength from the beginning.

The cultivators began to whisper among themselves. Not long after, someone suddenly understood. “Of course. The Wang clan must have shown him the technique ahead of time. That’s why he was able to execute it so smoothly.”

“But this is completely out of control, isn’t it? I saw it clearly just now. That lightning didn’t go through Wang Ziling’s weapon at all. It went straight into his body. If anything goes wrong…”

“Enough talking. The wind is picking up. Stay steady,” Zhong Wu from Nandao shouted, interrupting the rising chatter. In the next instant, he moved to the edge of the terrace, standing across from Master Yinian.

Chen Boxi took a quick glance and his eyes lit up. “Calming the Wind and Waves!”

Master Yinian stood with his eyes closed. Golden light glowed between his palms and fingers, and a circle of prayer beads spun slowly around him. His presence radiated solemn calm. All at once, he opened his eyes. One hundred and eight prayer beads shot out toward the edges of the terrace, forming a complete barrier around it.

In the blink of an eye, the wind died down, and the flying leaves dropped from the air. They spun gently as they brushed past the rotating prayer beads, falling silently to the ground.

The Buddhist path shows compassion. It calms the storm but does not take life.

Zhong Wu had originally intended to act, but seeing this, he simply scratched his nose and stepped aside. Standing next to him were Tu Youqiong and the other two. Hearing Tu Youqiong express concern over Wang Ziling’s condition, he interjected, “He won’t die. This isn’t a tribulation. It’s just body tempering through lightning. At most, he’ll—”

“Ah—!”

A sudden cry of pain cut Zhong Wu off. All four of them turned at once, watching Wang Ziling writhe and roll in the lightning. Their scalps went numb.

The atmosphere on the terrace turned tense in an instant. Every gaze locked on Wang Ziling. Some shocked, some anxious.

But inside the tower, there was still no response.

Qing Gu leaned out from the sixth floor to take a look. One glance was enough. She turned back at once and went to find Wang Wan’nan.

“Uncle, are you really not going to step in?”

Wang Wan’nan lounged lazily in a grand armchair, still cradling a small zisha teapot in one hand. He opened one eye and teased, “What good fortune that little fatty has, to have such a pretty, sweet girl worrying about him.”

“Uncle, don’t joke about Qing Gu like that. What if Master hears you and comes to hit you?” Qing Gu replied with a smile.

“You little brat,” Wang Wan’nan muttered and sat up. His gaze drifted toward the thunderclouds that had yet to disperse. He was still weighing whether he ought to intervene.

Wang Ziling was the Wang clan’s young heir. At this moment, so long as Wang Changlin refrained from acting, no one else inside the tower could overstep and make a move on his behalf. No one except Wang Wan’nan.

But if he stepped in now, it would be as good as declaring to the world that Wang Ziling had his protection. Even if he meant it as a moment of kindness, neither Wang Changlin nor Wang Jing would believe that.

Wang Wan’nan turned the teapot in his hand and slowly sank into thought.

Qing Gu, however, was growing anxious. If Wang Ziling really were struck to death by lightning, her master would probably go pick a fight with the heavens themselves. That could not happen. She could not let anything go wrong.

Qing Gu made up her mind in an instant. She placed one hand on the railing, ready to jump down and drag Wang Ziling out of the lightning by force.

Just as she was about to move, Wang Wan’nan grabbed her by the arm. His gaze swept across the crowd below and called out, “No one move.”

Qing Gu stopped. Master Yinian, Zhong Wu, and the others had also been on the verge of stepping in, but the shout froze them where they stood. When they looked up and saw that it was Wang Wan’nan, their nerves settled somewhat, though Wang Ziling’s cries of pain still made their skin crawl.

Vital force surged like crashing waves. Wang Ziling was still curled on the ground in agony, but his aura continued to rise, climbing steadily as he pushed through one minor realm without stopping.

From the first minor perfection stage, he advanced all the way to the peak of the major stage, and still, it did not stop.

“He’s trying to break through,” Zhong Wu exclaimed.

Throughout history, countless cultivators had been stuck at the peak of the first major stage, unable to make progress for years. But Wang Ziling had just broken through to that level and was already attempting to ascend further. That kind of speed was unheard of.

But before the shock could even ripple outward, his qi began to destabilize. Wang Ziling had already lost consciousness, and everyone present knew exactly what it meant when a cultivator attempting to break through lost control of their body.

The thunderclouds slowly began to clear. The last streak of lightning vanished behind Wang Ziling’s tightly shut eyes. His brows were furrowed in pain as he lay on the ground, as if trapped in a hell of suffering, enduring countless forms of torment.

He was drowning in that sea of pain. The lightning force and elemental energy within his body, no longer restrained, began to surge wildly. They rampaged through his meridians without direction, slamming against the barrier of the second major realm again and again. Each impact was like a dozen blunt knives slicing into his flesh.

The pain was too much. Even in unconsciousness, tears and mucus streamed down Wang Ziling’s face. His body was coated in a layer of scorched, sticky residue. He looked utterly miserable.

Wang Wan’nan hesitated no longer. His heavy frame dropped straight down from the upper floor, landing beside Wang Ziling. He spread his fingers wide and pressed his palm over the crown of Wang Ziling’s head. Thick vital force split into several strands and entered his body to guide the flow.

The surroundings fell silent.

Master Yinian stood with one palm raised, quietly chanting a sutra. Qing Gu bit down on her silver-white teeth, hoping Wang Ziling would make it through. Whether he would rise like a dragon or collapse like a worm, they would know soon enough.

But at this moment, time seemed to lose all meaning. A brief pause stretched into an eternity.

The young disciples from Gushan huddled together, whispering among themselves. Wang Wan’nan’s gaze darkened. He sat down behind Wang Ziling, pulled him upright, and pressed both palms to his back. Vital force poured steadily into Wang Ziling’s body, expanding his dantian, which was already filled to the brim with energy and lightning.

Cold sweat burst from Wang Ziling’s forehead and back. Blackened fluid trickled down his cheeks. In his daze, he brushed against the copper coin Meng Qiqi had given him inside the secret realm. The chill of that touch brought back a sliver of clarity.

He felt like he was dying. But he did not want to die.

There was an old saying that a dying man speaks only kindness, but to Wang Ziling, that was nonsense. He was at death’s door, and where was that so-called kindness? He had offered kindness to the world, but who had ever returned it to him?

Kindness, his ass.

Kindness was nothing but a lie.

He was about to die, and he still hadn’t broken Wang Ziqian’s legs. He still hadn’t thrown Wang Changlin into Mochou Lake to feed the fish. What kindness could he possibly have left?

“Ah—!” Wang Ziling was jolted awake by a surge of pain in his dantian and the fury that boiled in his chest. He gasped for air in great ragged breaths, but by sheer luck, he managed to regain control of his body.

“Slow down. Regulate your breath,” came Wang Wan’nan’s steady voice from behind him.

Wang Ziling followed his instructions one by one. There was still a mouthful of fury lodged in his chest, and he held on with everything he had.

He was covered in scorched filth, his face twisted with rage and pain. At that moment, he looked like a demon that had crawled out of hell.

For a brief of moment, Tu Youqiong and Xiao Yu’er felt as if they were seeing the Wang Ziling from that stormy night in the secret realm again, the one who had shattered his shell of cowardice and weakness and become someone else entirely.

About the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a powerful wave of force once again spread out from Wang Ziling’s body. He had broken through to the second great realm.

Tu Youqiong was so stunned he could hardly close his mouth. Wang Ziling, who had been called a good-for-nothing for nearly twenty years, had survived the lightning tempering and advanced two full realms. It was truly… truly…

“Did you comprehend anything?” a low, magnetic voice sounded in his ear.

Tu Youqiong turned and saw Chen Boyan. He opened his mouth but had no idea what to say.

Chen Boyan did not press the question. He glanced at Chen Boxi and Xiao Yu’er and said, “Cultivation is a path you must walk yourselves. In this world, there is no real difference between genius and mediocrity. There is only whether you are willing or not, whether you act or not.”

Tu Youqiong thought he was about to be lectured again. But to his surprise, Chen Boyan’s tone was calm, without a trace of rebuke.

“Master once told me, no matter what schemes or plots are out there, the only way to stay undefeated is to have enough strength. So I’m going to get really strong, strong enough to protect Master and Senior Sister. No matter how much I suffer, I’m not afraid.” Xiao Yu’er said quietly.

Chen Boyan gave a barely perceptible nod. He was, after all, Meng Qiqi’s disciple. His will was unlike that of ordinary people.

“Go on,” Chen Boyan said.

“Okay!” Xiao Yu’er took off running. Wang Ziling’s transformation had inspired him deeply. He couldn’t wait to try the Wind and Thunder Technique for himself. He was going to become stronger and stronger. He was sure of it.

Tu Youqiong watched as Xiao Yu’er jumped onto the terrace railing and leapt out. In midair, he reached over his shoulder and swiftly unhooked his longbow.

“Whoosh—!” An arrow shot straight into the thunderclouds.

Tu Youqiong gritted his teeth and took off after him. “Xiao Yu’er, wait for me. I’m coming too, okay?”

If they were going to get struck by lightning, then they’d do it together. That was what real brothers did.