Chapter 59: Acquiring a New Spell

"I've got it!"

Gu Mingxi suddenly stood up and shouted, giving both Xiaohua and Xiaobai, who were busy at work, a terrible start.

*Elder sister, what on earth has she thought of?*

*Why is she suddenly so excited?*

*Could it be that she has figured out how to use heavenly lightning?*

Xiaobai and Xiaohua hurriedly returned to Gu Mingxi's side.

However, paying no attention to them, Gu Mingxi muttered to herself, "Aren't heavenly lightning and ordinary lightning spiritual energy distinguished solely by the Law!"

"Lightning spiritual energy is essentially left to grow wild by the Heavenly Dao, whereas heavenly lightning is actively cultivated by it. Something left to grow wild will naturally touch upon nothing at all, but something personally and actively cultivated by the Heavenly Dao is bound to carry a trace of its essence—and the essence of the Heavenly Dao is precisely the Law."

Yet Gu Mingxi's joy did not last long, as her expression quickly clouded over with deep worry.

"The Law... but the Law can only be touched upon at the Nascent Soul stage. Do I really have to wait until the Nascent Soul stage before I can interact with these strands of heavenly lightning?"

No matter how she thought about it, she felt utterly unwilling. If she sat upon a massive treasure trove yet remained unable to use it, Gu Mingxi felt she would die of frustration.

She pondered for a long time without coming up with any useful solution.

With her thoughts wandering, her master, Yuchen, came to mind.

As the absolute peak of combat power in the present Qingyun Continent, had her master, Lord Yuchen, ever contemplated turning heavenly lightning to his own use?

According to Gu Mingxi's speculation, if the matter merely concerned the Law, Yuchen's comprehension of the Law was certainly more than sufficient. Had her master ever attempted it, and had he succeeded?

Gu Mingxi could not guess the outcome, but failing to guess didn't matter—she could simply go and ask her master directly.

Acting on the thought, Gu Mingxi left the spiritual space immediately to seek out Yuchen.

As it happened, Yuchen was still in the main hall of the Yaoyao Peak and had not gone out.

Upon hearing the purpose of Gu Mingxi's visit, Yuchen was quite astonished.

What surprised him was not that Gu Mingxi had set her sights on heavenly lightning, but rather that his disciple, at such a tender age, was already thinking of utilizing and subduing heavenly lightning. Truly, the student had surpassed the master.

Back in the day, it was only when Yuchen himself was at the Golden Core stage and had weathered the Golden Core tribulation that he had set his sights on heavenly lightning.

*(Author: It seems both master and disciple have pulled the exact same stunt. Truly, as the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together—you two are born to be master and disciple.)*

Yuchen said, "Back in my youth, when I was undergoing my Golden Core tribulation, I was just like you, setting my sights on heavenly lightning. I was audacious enough to think that heavenly lightning was still lightning, and lightning spiritual energy was also lightning. Since both were lightning, why couldn't it be used? It's just a pity that after researching it to the end, I discovered it wasn't a matter of the Law at all, but rather the lack of a single magical treasure."

Gu Mingxi was extremely puzzled. "A magical treasure? What magical treasure?"

Seeing that her little disciple was truly curious, Yuchen simply stated, "A Lightning Spirit Pearl! For a human cultivator wishing to absorb heavenly lightning with their physical body, even if they can successfully withstand its might, it cannot be used without the blessing of a Lightning Spirit Pearl."

A Lightning Spirit Pearl?

What a coincidence—she had one!

Yet she had already used the Lightning Spirit Pearl to store heavenly lightning and assist her in absorbing it; why hadn't she noticed any such utility?

Yuchen continued, "Legend has it that spiritual pearls like the Lightning Spirit Pearl are connected to the origins of each attribute of spiritual energy."

"Since they are connected to the origins, they naturally involve the matter of the Law. Therefore, the Lightning Spirit Pearl can serve as a medium between heavenly lightning and the human body to communicate better; such a method is both more perfect and much gentler."

Gu Mingxi had no intention of hiding the fact that she possessed a Lightning Spirit Pearl from her master. She had even told him about the Enlightenment Tree; what was there about a Lightning Spirit Pearl that she couldn't mention?

Besides, if she successfully refined heavenly lightning in the future, would she tell Yuchen about it or not?

If she told him, given Yuchen's intelligence, he would certainly deduce that she held a Lightning Spirit Pearl. If she didn't tell him, did that mean she would never use heavenly lightning in front of Yuchen for the rest of her life?

That was equally impossible!

Upon hearing that Gu Mingxi possessed a Lightning Spirit Pearl, Yuchen did not show excessive surprise.

What a joke—his little disciple could even take the Enlightenment Tree into her possession; could a mere Lightning Spirit Pearl possibly be more precious than the Enlightenment Tree?!

Now that he knew Gu Mingxi had a Lightning Spirit Pearl, it meant his thoughts from back then could finally be put to the test.

Yuchen suddenly asked, "Mingxi, which level have you reached in your cultivation of the Nine Heavens of Thunder?"

Gu Mingxi was startled for a moment, momentarily failing to react to Yuchen's abrupt change of topic.

After a brief pause, she replied, "I am recently preparing to cultivate the second layer of the Nine Heavens of Thunderfall."

Yuchen nodded. "I suppose so. Once you cultivate to the second layer of the Nine Heavens of Thunderfall, you should be able to figure out for yourself how to cultivate heavenly lightning."

Huh?

Was this cultivation technique given by her ancestor really that heaven-defying?

Having learned the solution, Gu Mingxi was no longer anxious and even had the leisure to ask Yuchen why he hadn't figured out a way to cultivate heavenly lightning back then.

Seeing her ask this, Yuchen haughtily raised an eyebrow.

"It's just heavenly lightning. If this path cannot be walked, this master has other paths to take."

With that, he beckoned to Gu Mingxi and led her outside the door.

Yuchen began to form hand seals, and in the blink of an eye, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky.

Gu Mingxi carefully sensed it and discovered that this bolt of lightning actually carried a chilling, icy aura.

Immediately afterward, Yuchen formed hand seals once more, and in an instant, another bolt of lightning plummeted from the sky.

Gu Mingxi carefully sensed it again and found that this bolt of lightning possessed a completely contrasting, vigorous and masculine energy.

Gu Mingxi turned her head to look at Yuchen in astonishment. "Master, are these two bolts of lightning spells you created yourself?"

Yuchen nodded. "The first bolt of lightning is called Yin Thunder, and the second bolt of lightning is called Yang Thunder. These two bolts of lightning are also innovations I created based on heavenly lightning, combined with other insights."

"What do you think of your master's Yin Thunder and Yang Thunder?"

Gu Mingxi praised admiringly, "With your cultivation level to execute these two bolts of lightning, I feel they are scarcely inferior to actual heavenly lightning."

"Originally, this master intended to pass these two spells on to you after you went out to temper yourself through trials, but I didn't expect you to set your sights on heavenly lightning so early."

Gu Mingxi's eyes lit up. "Then many thanks, Master!"

The names of these two spells were also extremely straightforward and unadorned: simply Yin Thunder and Yang Thunder.

These two spells consisted of only three layers and appeared quite simple, but if she wanted to master them thoroughly and practice them as well as Yuchen did, she would probably have to wait until she comprehended the Thunder Law.

Returning to her room, Gu Mingxi looked at the two spell manuals for Yin Thunder and Yang Thunder placed before her. After pondering for a moment, she decided to put them away first.

She resolved to first master the second layer of the Nine Heavens of Thunderfall. The Nine Heavens of Thunderfall was the foundation of her cultivation; no matter what spells she wished to practice, her foundation had to be laid firmly and securely first.