Chapter 0553: Lightning Forge

When Lu Ming opened her eyes again, the electric mud had receded. She could feel that her body had become more supple and stronger.

Lifting a hand curiously, she flexed her fingers. The faint lightning power shot down her bicep and flared up on her palm with a hum.

Lu Ming lowered her head to look at her reflection in the pool.

"Thunderpeal Avatar..."

She pressed her hand to her chest, and she could sense what felt like a lightning chamber within her.

This lightning forge was the source of the Thunderpeal Avatar's power.

Once it was activated, the lightning forge would send a pulse of energy through the user's entire body, spreading through the muscles, veins, organs, and bones, granting a sudden surge of superhuman strength.

Lu Ming walked out of the Imperial Fluxpool, and the lightning mud fell away from her body.

She looked over at Li Luo's side and saw him still cocooned in the mud. He was glowing brightly.

The purity of the lightning energy made her sigh with envy.

The Thunderpeal Tree was extremely clear with its reward. It had probably given 70 to 80 percent of the energy to Li Luo. Probably not even the rulers of the Blackwind Empire had experienced this sort of treatment before.

He would definitely benefit greatly from such pure energy.

Lu Ming did not disturb him, instead waiting patiently by the banks of the Imperial Fluxpool.

Half a day passed.

Rumble.

Finally, the electric light faded away from Li Luo, and his body was clearly in sight.

There was an afterglow around him that faded away a moment later. Then his eyes slowly opened.

Boom!

A spark leaped out of his eyes, and there was a ray of light shining out on them that landed on the wall he was looking at. After a few moments, that ray of light faded away as well.

Li Luo stood up slowly from the Imperial Fluxpool.

His body had been well-nurtured in the pool, and his skin was dancing with lightning, making him look like a sparkling jewel.

He could feel the changes within, most clearly in his physical strength.

Clenching his fist, he could feel a surge of strength, only this time it was from his actual muscles, and not just granted by the Onyx-Elephant Blade.

After his time in the pool, his physical strength had gone up by more than a notch.

Furthermore, his resonant power had also been enhanced.

He was now properly a Fourth Changing cultivator.

That was a happy surprise. He had thought that the Imperial Fluxpool would only train his body.

On top of all that, Li Luo found something else inside his body.

He saw a lightning forge pulsing with power within him.

The forge was almost like a living being, expanding and contracting gently in rhythm with his breathing. At the same time, the gentle hum of a machine came from within him. Li Luo could feel that it was in harmony with his flesh, veins, and bones, making them tingle with life.

"This lightning forge... does it power the Thunderpeal Avatar?" Li Luo made this assumption based on his senses.

When fully activated, it would grant his body immense strength and speed.

Li Luo was extremely satisfied with the outcome.

It was like a three-for-one sale. Not only was he a Fourth Changing and one step closer to the Earth Fiend Tier, but he had also gotten a physical buff and the Thunderpeal Avatar.

If he fought Jing Taixu again now, he was confident he would crush him easily. "Enough self-admiration, let's get back," Lu Ming called out to him impatiently.

Her voice was beautiful and melodic, but Li Luo sensed a bite of irritation within it.

Regardless, he nodded and leaped out of the Imperial Fluxpool.

"You're a Fourth Changing now?" Lu Ming asked enviously when she sensed his aura.

So he had gotten a resonant power boost as well.

She bit her lip, suppressing her frustration. When she had first met him not long ago, he was behind her in terms of power. But now he was a step ahead.

Still, she was not one to bemoan her fate. She vowed to catch up to him in the near future. "And it looks like you have the Thunderpeal Avatar as well. But let me warn you that the lightning forge is a double-edged sword. The pulse that it sends through your body will make it stronger, but if you overload your body, you will be injured badly.

"That is why the Blackwind Empire’s royal family calls the Thunderpeal Avatar the Five Sonic Pulses Body. Of course, we cannot reach the maximum level yet. At most we are capable of using the One Sonic Pulse level."

"Five Sonic Pulses Body, huh..." Li Luo made careful note of that information.

"You can remember the information... but you might not get to use it," Lu Ming said with a hint of sympathy.

"What do you mean?" Li Luo frowned.

"The lightning forges within our bodies have just been constructed. To bring the Thunderpeal Avatar to its full effect, one needs to continuously refine it with lightning resonant power. Otherwise, the lightning forge's energy will be depleted with each use. When all of it is gone, the lightning forge will disappear as well. Understood?"

Li Luo was aghast. This meant that without a lightning resonance, it was a consumable without any real long-term increase to his strength.

"Still, don't be too discouraged. Even though it might be temporary, you've gotten many other permanent improvements here as well," she added hastily, regretting that she might have been too harsh.

He nodded cheerfully. Lu Ming immediately felt irritated again. “Is he not at all discouraged? Or does he simply hide his emotions well?”

In any case, it was not a question she could ask, so she changed the subject. "Shall we go up, then?"

He answered yes, and so she turned to lead the way.

Li Luo followed, watching her lithe form leap up and away. He smiled and opened his palm. On it sat a silver fruit, covered with electrical cracks.

This was the final gift to him from the Thunderpeal Tree, placed into his hand while he was in the Imperial Fluxpool. He could feel a latent and incredibly pure lightning energy within it.

He gently caressed the skin, and a speculative look crossed his eyes.

“Lightning resonant power... lightning resonance, huh.” It was not out of the question.

He grinned to himself.

It seemed like he had an idea of what his third acquired resonance was going to be now.