Chapter Twenty-Five: When I Bloom, All Other Flowers Wither

Su Ye immediately activated the thunder source within him.

At once, the heavenly thunder inside his body seemed to be stirred by his will, swirling and shifting like storm clouds.

"Thunder, come—"

He clenched both hands, and torrents of heavenly thunder gathered in his palms. Raising his arms above his head, he crossed his wrists and brought them together with force, unleashing a deafening thunderclap!

Boom—

Above Su Ye’s head, a streak of heavenly thunder exploded, the sound reverberating like a roar, and the power of the thunder struck downward with unstoppable force.

Everyone present, including Ning Shuang, the head of the Ning family, and Ning Qiu, were caught completely off guard. The thunder overhead startled them so much they instinctively ducked, squatting down and shielding themselves with their hands.

Boom!!

After the thunder faded, Su Ye was the only one still standing.

Everyone else's ears rang, and they stared at Su Ye in utter shock, unable to utter a word for a moment.

The Ning family was one of Yang City’s prominent clans. Even with precious talismans, they could only summon a modest bolt of lightning, useful for scaring off restless spirits on a normal day.

But they all knew that the methods of invoking thunder used by celestial masters paled in comparison to the thunder Su Ye had just summoned. It was like comparing heaven to earth.

"Heavenly thunder? Is that truly heavenly thunder? Is he actually a person with the thunder vein?" The aged celestial master was the first to cry out in astonishment.

The head of the Ning family stood up, his expression conflicted as he eyed Su Ye’s display. His attitude had shifted dramatically. In a deep voice, he said, "Impressive! Su Ye, little brother, has your thunder vein truly recovered? Wonderful! Our Azure Thunder Purification Flowers might be saved!"

Ning Qiu’s face changed drastically; he glanced nervously at the ceiling, afraid Su Ye might summon another bolt of thunder. "Could this just be coincidence? How—how could he summon thunder without a talisman?"

Ning Shuang scolded sharply, "Three years ago, Su Ye was the genius who shocked the entire city. Everyone knew he possessed the thunder vein! Hmph, just because you can’t do it doesn’t mean others can’t. If you dare to offend Su Ye again with your words, you’ll bear the consequences!"

Everyone remembered then that Su Ye truly had the power to help them.

The head of the Ning family straightened, clasped his hands, and said, "Su Ye, little brother, heh, our family and the Jiang family are old friends. Lately, I’ve been troubled by these matters, which is why I spoke so rudely earlier. I hope you won’t take offense. Now that Shuang has invited you here, I hope you can help save our Azure Thunder Purification Flowers."

The celestial master hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, yes, please come among the Purification Flowers and use your thunder technique!"

Su Ye sneered—he would never obey the orders of these two old men.

Besides, he had just broken through his second acupoint. The thunder he had unleashed looked formidable, but its power was greatly diminished at a distance, and more importantly, he couldn’t repeat it endlessly.

"My cultivation is limited. You’d best seek help elsewhere," Su Ye said, turning to leave.

This startled everyone. Just a moment ago, they’d been eager for Su Ye to leave; now, each wore a smile and hurried to stop him.

"Su Ye, little brother, don’t go! Let’s talk it through! As the head of the family, I apologize for my earlier rudeness," the Ning patriarch said with a forced smile.

The celestial master set aside his pride as well. After all, Su Ye was their only hope. "We won’t let you work for nothing. Whatever you desire, name it! Anything is negotiable!"

Ning Shuang was torn, caught between her family and the Su Ye she’d personally invited, left with nothing to do but look anxiously from side to side.

Su Ye knew he had made his point. His demonstration was just to vent his anger. In less than three months, he would face Yu Zhisha in battle, and he wasn't even among the top thousand in the academy’s acupoint rankings. He couldn’t afford to squander his efforts.

He stopped and said, "I can try, but I have conditions! I’ve heard your Ning family is famous for its elixirs. Even with money, many rare pills cannot be bought. I need you to prepare twenty ‘Thousand Absolute Acupoint Pills’ for me!"

"What? Twenty? You—" Ning Qiu was the first to cry out. Those pills were the family’s most prized treasures.

They were renowned for opening acupoints—each pill could unlock one acupoint. Their worth was in no way less than the Azure Thunder Purification Flowers.

Su Ye knew he was being demanding. After all, Ning Shuang had once saved him from the sea. Now he was asking for benefits, but the moment was different. If not for the Ning family’s attitude earlier, he wouldn’t have acted so. More importantly, time was short—he needed to break through his acupoints as quickly as possible.

The celestial master’s face was grim. "We do have some Thousand Absolute Acupoint Pills, but only four or five remain. Not nearly enough!"

"Is that so? Three years ago, the Yu family bought over thirty from you. Now I ask for twenty, and you say you don’t have them?" Su Ye was not convinced.

The Ning patriarch was decisive. He gritted his teeth and declared, "So, you truly intend to stand against Yu Zhisha. Good! I hope you can overshadow her in the coming battle. The Yu family has forgotten their debts, and I’ve long wanted to repay them in kind. These twenty pills—I will support you!"

Su Ye trembled at his words and replied in a low voice, "Thank you, patriarch!"

With the deal set, the only thing left was for Su Ye to act.

Among those present, the only one with some thunder-based skills was Ning Qiu, so he led Su Ye to the patch of Azure Thunder Purification Flowers.

Barely a hundred meters in, Su Ye felt waves of thunder energy pulsing in the air.

He knew that in many elixir families, rare medicinal plants were cultivated, most of them fire, water, or earth based. Thunder-type herbs were exceedingly rare.

"There are three hundred seventy-seven Azure Thunder Trees here, each tree bearing a single flower. I hope your thunder arts truly work," Ning Qiu said, still unwilling to accept reality.

Su Ye examined one of the trees; its flower bud had not yet bloomed, but was already wilting. He reached out and gently grasped the branch, sensing the thunder energy within.

Ning Qiu cautioned, "Be careful! If a martial artist using other techniques approaches, it can disrupt the flowers. If they absorb a foreign energy, they may die instantly. They crave thunder energy, but if it’s too fierce, the petals will shatter, and all will be lost."

Su Ye had barely grasped the branch when his brows furrowed. Instantly, the flower withered and died.

Ning Qiu’s expression changed dramatically. If not for the Ning patriarch and others calling out to restrain him, he would have exploded in anger. He gritted his teeth several times, barely holding himself back.

But then, as if testing the patience of every Ning clan member, Su Ye continued, withering seven Azure Thunder Purification Flowers in succession.

Ning Qiu was furious. "You’re nothing but a fraud! Destroying so many, and still dreaming of getting the Thousand Absolute Acupoint Pills—never!"

Even the celestial master lost his composure, declaring, "This won’t work! Clearly, even with thunder arts, he can’t heal them. Let’s forget it!"

But Su Ye ignored them and persisted.

Ning Qiu struck Su Ye’s shoulder, grabbing him tightly. "You scoundrel, here just to cause trouble? A useless fraud, deceiving Ning Shuang and trying to freeload off our family—get out!"

Su Ye’s eyes turned cold. He grabbed Ning Qiu’s hand in return, thunder power surging through him. With a shout, he threw Ning Qiu hard to the ground in an over-the-shoulder toss.

Ning Qiu crushed countless Azure Thunder Purification Flowers as he fell.

Su Ye stepped forward, pressing his foot to Ning Qiu’s chest. "I, Su Ye, do what I wish. Who are you to dictat