Chapter 262
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 262: The Two Ends
In the art of digging tunnels, Wang Chen had attained a level of mastery that bordered on the divine.
He had also amassed a wealth of experience over the years.
Yet, he had never encountered rocks capable of withstanding his Perfected Level Earth and Stone Technique!
Beneath Thunderstorm Valley, however, a vast expanse of such rocks severely impeded Wang Chen’s progress deeper into the valley.
These rocks bore a bluish-gray hue, their surfaces finely textured. Upon touch, they emitted a tingling sensation, with faint sparks of lightning flickering at his fingertips.
Undoubtedly, these stones harbored the power of thunder.
It was this thunderous energy that resisted or disrupted the Earth and Stone Technique, halting Wang Chen’s advance.
After a moment’s contemplation, Wang Chen decided against altering his course to circumvent the obstacle.
Instead, he retrieved a pickaxe from his storage bag.
Mining, too, was one of the myriad arts of cultivation, and the pickaxe was a tool specifically crafted for ore extraction.
The pickaxe Wang Chen wielded was no ordinary implement.
It was a trophy of his, its original owner lost to time, yet its quality was remarkable, adorned with intricate runes that lent it an air of grandeur.
Though not a professional miner, Wang Chen had seldom used this pickaxe since acquiring it.
Now, he sought to test its might.
Crack!
The dark golden pickaxe struck the bluish-gray rock with a resounding force.
The violent clash between metal and stone sparked flashes of electricity, a spectacle truly beyond description.
Wang Chen felt a peculiar force surge through the handle, instantly flooding his body, permeating his internal organs and every limb!
Every hair on his body stood on end, and he shivered involuntarily.
"Exhilarating!"
This sensation defied description; it tingled and electrified his very marrow, causing his scalp to prickle and his body to swell.
He nearly lost his grip on the pickaxe!
Thud!
A rock the size of a fist fell, striking Wang Chen squarely on the foot.
The area before him, imbued with thunderous power, erupted in a cascade of lightning, and a strange energy coursed through the entire tunnel.
Wang Chen’s strike had not only breached the rock’s surface but also unleashed the energy contained within!
As the first to bear the brunt, he felt as though he might "explode."
Yet, Wang Chen remained composed. He promptly sat cross-legged and activated the Five Suns Thunder technique.
He began to absorb the thunderous power that saturated the surrounding space.
This was the method he had employed during his training on Lightning Strike Peak in Da Qian, back in the Mortal Realm.
Although Lightning Strike Peak paled in comparison to Thunderstorm Valley, Wang Chen was not at the heart of Thunderstorm Valley at the moment. The energy emanating from this "Thunder Stone" was just perfect for him.
It was a stroke of luck!
Wang Chen seized his chance without hesitation, clearing his mind of all distractions. He swiftly entered the optimal state of forgetting both self and the world, drawing the surrounding energy into his body in a continuous flow.
The experience points for Five Suns Thunder gradually increased.
Time seemed to blur, and when Wang Chen finally opened his eyes, he noticed that the once-solid rock before him had crumbled into powder, causing a partial collapse.
Wang Chen felt a surge of exhilaration.
This session of cultivation had boosted his Five Suns Thunder lightning technique by a full 5 experience points.
The results were remarkable!
Given these outcomes, Wang Chen impulsively altered his original plan.
He ceased digging forward and instead focused on the depleted Thunder Stone, searching the vicinity for similar rocks.
Soon, Wang Chen unearthed the second, third, fourth…
Thunder Stones!
Drawing on his prior experience, Wang Chen wielded the pickaxe to crack open the outer shell of another Thunder Stone, extracting the thunderous power within to further his cultivation.
These so-called "Thunder Stones," named by Wang Chen himself, were actually large boulders that had tumbled down from the cliffs surrounding Thunderstorm Valley.
Having endured years of wind and thunder in the valley, they had slowly sunk into the earth.
Even if Wang Chen hadn’t broken them, the thunderous energy within the rocks would have eventually faded over time.
Now, they served a purpose akin to spirit stones, becoming an invaluable resource for Wang Chen’s practice of Five Suns Thunder.
They were as crucial as Vajra Ghee was to the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method!
And the best part? They were absolutely free.
The cultivators from Wufeng Mountain, who dominated Thunderstorm Valley, likely never imagined that the true culprit behind the loss of their Golden Core seeds was secretly cultivating right beneath their domain.
Meanwhile, as Wang Chen immersed himself in relentless cultivation beneath Thunderstorm Valley, a group of menacing intruders arrived at his home in Dongwu Town.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A burly cultivator, with a hand as large as a fan, pounded heavily on the door.
"Wang Xiu, open up!"
Silence was the only response from within the house, with no one coming to answer the door.
The burly cultivator knocked even more urgently: "Wang Xiu!"
Were it not for orders from above, his temper would have driven him to break down the door and seize someone.
He would have smashed the door to splinters!
Creak—
The courtyard gate opposite Wang Chen’s house opened, and Chen Qi timidly peeked out. "Wang Xiu went to visit relatives a couple of days ago; he won’t be back until after the New Year."
He didn’t want to intervene, but out of gratitude for Wang Chen’s assistance, he steeled himself to explain.
Otherwise, Wang Chen’s home might have been torn down by these Wei Hall enforcers!
"What? He went to visit relatives?"
The burly cultivator turned, his eyes wide as copper bells. "You’re not lying to me, are you?"
Chen Qi forced a smile, "Even if you gave a young cultivator three guts, he wouldn’t dare!"
"Hmph!"
The burly cultivator waved his hand in frustration. "Let’s move on to the next house!"
As he departed, he spat on the ground and muttered, "Consider yourself lucky."
After the group left, Chen Qi wiped the cold sweat from his brow, relieved.
But he felt no peace; instead, he sensed an impending storm.
Indeed, Chen Qi’s intuition was correct.
As December wore on, the continuous snowfall ceased, but the chill in people’s hearts deepened.
The city lord’s office in Dongwu Town issued a summons, demanding a large number of cultivators with fifth-level Qi Training or those with unique skills to report for duty.
This task was carried out by the expanded Dongwu Wei Hall, which deployed elite forces to forcibly recruit cultivators. Those who refused or resisted were met with force!
Additionally, an influx of outside cultivators into Dongwu Town made the situation in this loose cultivator town increasingly chaotic.
Many loose cultivators were forcibly conscripted; unable to resist the Wei Hall, they had no choice but to comply.
Yet, the simmering anger among these cultivators, fueled by certain instigators, turned Dongwu Town into a potential powder keg.
All it would take was a single spark to ignite an instant explosion!
