Chapter 102: The Twelve Strikes of Heavenly Lightning, Wish Power

Jun Wudi heard the chatter around him and cast a glance outside.

Noticing they had left the Demonic Beast Forest and they were starting to approach some villages, Jun Wudi twisted his right hand behind his back and sent a pulse of spirit qi toward the control room. The vessel surged forward, accelerating.

"We're finally out of the Demonic Beast Forest."

He touched the vial nestled against his chest. Inside was the Yuanyang Heaven-Union Herb he had obtained in the secret realm. It was his only hope of restoring his broken foundation, and Jun Wudi now carried it with him at all times.

A determined glint flashed in his eyes as he murmured, "I won't fail this time. Yan'er... wait for me. It's time to strike back. All the debts from the past will finally be repaid."

Turning back to the cultivators below, Jun Wudi's demeanor hardened, carrying a commanding weight. His voice thundered across the cabin, "We've left the Demonic Beast Forest. Once we fly north for five more days, we'll return to the Heavenly Mandate Hall. But before that, today marks the day we sever ties with the past."

Silence fell instantly as countless eyes turned toward him.

His gaze swept over the crowd and paused on Lu Chen. "Lu Chen is now the Chief Disciple of the Serene Void Academy. You've all witnessed his strength and his character. With him leading you, I believe you'll reach greater heights than ever before."

He channeled his spirit qi, drawing three bowls of sake from below the arena.

"From this day on, I will no longer forbid you from competing against the other academies. Push yourselves. Whatever was taken from you in the past, fight and reclaim it! Today, I raise my cup to celebrate cutting away the past."

With that, Jun lifted the three bowls before him and drained them in one go.

In return, the crowd roared the chant three times before raising their own bowls and drinking with Jun Wudi.

"Sever the past! The top of the six academies! Sever the past! The top of the six academies! Sever the past! The top of the six academies!" The shouts mixed as the cultivators grew excited.

Jun Wudi laughed heartily. "

Hahaha

, you are all fine sons of the academy. It's in your hands now."

With that, he smashed his porcelain bowl to the ground and prepared to close the arena with a sweep of his spirit qi.

Before Jun Wudi could do so, Lu Chen leapt onto the arena with Nantian Yijian at his side. "Uncle Jun, wait for me! There's something I must say."

Jun Wudi stopped what he was doing and looked at Lu Chen and Nantian Yijian. "

Hm?

Do you have any questions?"

"Uncle Jun, you once asked me what I wanted. I've found the answer."

"So soon?" Jun Wudi's curiosity deepened. "Tell me then—what do you desire?"

Instead of answering, Lu Chen took out a spatial pouch and tossed it onto the platform.

Jun Wudi narrowed his eyes, intrigued. "A spatial pouch? What are you planning?"

The cultivators below also got confused and murmured, "What is Senior Martial Brother Lu showing a spatial pouch for?"

One cultivator below recognized it and said, "That looks like the spatial pouch used to store the spoils of the earlier battles. I have personally handed one to Senior Martial Brother Lu before. But what exactly does he intend to do?"

Lu Chen bowed first to Jun Wudi, then to the cultivators below. As he rose, a faint ripple of spirit qi swept over him, smoothing the battle-worn robe he had yet to change.

He said, "Uncle Jun, I've handed the opportunity to make a wish to Little Jian. This time, I'll let him speak for himself."

Jun Wudi's curiosity was piqued. He said patiently, "You only have one chance at a wish. Once you give it to him, it's gone. Are you sure about handing over this opportunity?"

Lu Chen nodded. "I don't need anything. He'll make better use of it than I ever could."

"Very well." Jun Wudi turned to Nantian Yijian. "The opportunity to get a wish granted is yours now. Speak."

"Uncle Jun, please wait a moment."

Nantian Yijian opened the spatial pouch and released everything inside.

When Lu Chen had handed him the pouch earlier, he had secretly slipped in additional treasures from the small world within the medallion to ensure there were enough resources for everyone. Now, as Nantian Yijian emptied the pouch, more than two hundred bags of spoils spilled across the platform.

Jun Wudi looked at the spoils, puzzled. "

Hm?

What are you trying to do?"

He recognized them as the hard-won gains of Lu Chen and Jun Laoye from the earlier battles.

The cultivators below stared intently at Nantian Yijian, eager to see what he intended to do. Those who had heard Nantian Yijian say he wished to return the spoils widened their eyes in disbelief. "He really put it all out... Brother Nantian is a true man."

Many had thought he might give back a portion, but none ever dreamed he would return everything.

Nantian Yijian bowed solemnly to Jun Wudi. "I have had my resources stolen before. I know how important they are to a cultivator."

Jun Wudi narrowed his eyes. "And what do you intend to do?"

Recalling Nantian Yijian's earlier words, Jun Wudi already had some ideas.

Nantian Yijian turned to the cultivators below and declared, "Uncle Jun, brothers of the academy... after discussion with my boss, I have decided I no longer need these spoils. I wish to return them to you all."

"These should be enough for each of you to have one."

He locked eyes with Jun Wudi and declared with firm resolve, "I want everyone within the Serene Void Academy to have the resources to cultivate."

"What...?"

The cultivators in the arena erupted in astonishment at Nantian Yijian's words. None of them could fathom his state of mind at this moment.

Jun Wudi furrowed his brows as he looked at Nantian Yijian. "Don't you want to use these resources for yourself?"

Nantian Yijian clenched his fists, each word firm and deliberate, "The world should not be like this. Ordinary people should not be trampled upon. Every cultivator deserves a chance to change their fate. I will train without rest. I will dedicate my life to reclaiming the Heavenly Dao, so that all may cultivate their gifts. If I cannot achieve it in this lifetime, then my descendants will inherit my will and continue the search forever!"

He sounded calm and measured, yet every word landed like a hammer, striking the hearts of everyone present.

At that moment, a unique aura surged from his body, piercing through the ship's defenses and shooting into the sky.

Thunder rumbled overhead, muffled yet oppressive. Bolts of lightning crashed down, slamming into the airship one after another. The vessel trembled violently, as if it might tear apart at any moment.

The cultivators inside the ship were unable to withstand the thunder. Blood spilled from their seven orifices, and their senses went numb.

The lightning struck twelve times in total and faded as fast as it came, as though it were merely sending a signal.

The lingering echoes gathered around Nantian Yijian.

With each word he spoke, the lightning's power surged through his body, running wild in his veins. Arcs of electricity crackled across him. His veins burst, and his blood evaporated under the violent current, yet his eyes blazed with fury. Detached from the outside world, his face remained calm and unyielding as he poured out his heart.

Jun Wudi murmured in shock, "A heaven and earth phenomenon!"

The sudden lightning had startled him so deeply that his concentration wavered, forcing the protective mechanism of his enchanted artifact to snap him back to focus. He stood frozen, his gaze locked on Nantian Yijian, utterly astonished. Never in his wildest imagination had he thought that someone who hadn't yet truly stepped into the cultivation world could summon such a phenomenon to empower himself.

The instant Lu Chen heard the muffled thunder, the Green Sovereign Divine Tree had already moved to protect Lu Chen, shielding him from being consumed by its force.

Jun Wudi caught sight of Lu Chen's steady, unclouded eyes and called out to him. Lu Chen gave a faint nod and awakened Wind Dragon, his attention fixed firmly on Nantian Yijian.

There was no time for explanations. Jun Wudi, sensing instinctively that certain truths were better left unspoken for now, chose instead to observe quietly.

Wind Dragon, roused from slumber, gazed at the lightning encasing Nantian Yijian. Then he surged forward, greedily drawing in its essence. "The Twelve Strikes of Heavenly Lightning... This is Wish Power!

"This should have vanished long ago... Why is it appearing again now? And on an ordinary human, no less? What is happening to this world? It's just one strange occurrence after another..."

He scrutinized the phenomenon intently, drawing a portion of the lightning into himself, then channeling its information back to his true body through a stream of spirit qi.

Seeing Nantian Yijian completely numbed and covered in blood, Lu Chen asked, "Wind Dragon, is this a good thing... or a bad thing? Shall we stop him?"

"There is no need," Wind Dragon answered, his voice calm and steady. "This might actually be beneficial for him. Just watch. I'll explain to you what the Wish Power is later."

Lu Chen nodded. "Alright."

He continued observing Nantian Yijian.

As Nantian Yijian finished speaking, the final echo of thunder transformed into a transparent sword that pierced his brow.

At the same time, the blood shed by the cultivators throughout the ship lifted into the air. Guided by the sword, it streamed toward Nantian Yijian's forehead, merging into him.

A chaotic pattern of scar-like marks appeared on his forehead, lingering briefly before fading away.

The sharp pain at his brow snapped Nantian Yijian fully back to awareness. "My forehead... it hurts"

He instinctively reached for his face, only to find nothing amiss.

𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Why is it so quiet...

ah... ugh...

my body hurts so much."

Sensing the eerie silence, he rubbed at his sore spots and glanced around, only to find Jun Wudi staring at him in shock. Nantian Yijian moved toward him slowly.

He held out his hand in front of Jun Wudi and said, "Uncle Jun... What I did... it doesn't violate the rules, does it?"

Jun Wudi jolted back to his senses at the words. "No, no. It doesn't."

As he looked at Nantian Yijian, elation welled up within him. When he had first accepted Nantian Yijian as a disciple, he had not thought much of the boy's talent. His decision had been made for Lu Chen's sake and because of Nantian Yijian's family name.

But now... Nantian Yijian's determination and willpower, as well as his talent and resolve in changing destiny, apparently far surpassed Lu Chen's. Moreover, he seemed to possess a unique affinity with the Great Dao of Heaven itself.

At that moment, Jun Wudi felt a certainty blossom in his heart.

Nantian Yijian would inevitably find the Heavenly Dao.

Through him, Jun Wudi's unfulfilled dream from his youth would finally be realized. And through him, the plight of ordinary cultivators, bound by their birth and struggling just to survive, would at last be overturned from its very roots.