Chapter Three: The Coming of Thunder

“It seems there will be thunder tonight!”

With a bang, Su Ye slammed the car door shut. He lifted his gaze, staring toward the night sky over Bay Park where thick clouds gathered, and felt as if his very blood were beginning to boil.

Without pausing to consider the sensation, he hurried inside. The gang of bikers led by Jiang Shao and Brother Hong, who had been chasing after him, had been intercepted by the traffic police thanks to the detour he’d instructed his driver to take. But who knew how much longer that would keep them at bay?

“The usual spot, then! At this hour, there shouldn’t be anyone around.”

Listening to the rhythmic sound of the tide, Su Ye found a large rock, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes. This was the most basic cultivation posture; it was taught not only in their Spiritual Energy Class but also by his family—a family he preferred not to think about.

“I once possessed nine Thunder Veins, but in the end, they were just bloodlines within the human body. Over the past three years, the thunder I’ve heard is the true pulse of heaven! The way heavenly thunder tears through the sky matches the distribution of the celestial veins. If Jiang Liuying hadn’t mentioned it by chance, who knows how much longer it would have taken me to realize this?”

At first, Su Ye cultivated using the family’s method, progressing rapidly and hailed as a genius. But after his nine Thunder Veins were stolen, even the family’s techniques were useless to him. Not even the school’s famed “Thousand Severance Heart Method” or “Foundation of Meridian Assault” had any effect.

This was why, despite repeating his studies for three years, he had yet to break through any meridian points.

He recalled the peals of thunder he’d heard before, and gradually, the sound of heavenly thunder began to rise within him—a vague, elusive resonance, yet it seemed to echo through his entire body.

Having once harbored the “Nine Thunder Veins,” he naturally understood this was the thunder source coveted by countless martial clans. That woman, Yu Zhisha, had stolen his Thunder Veins for this very reason.

“Jiang Liuying, at the very moment I awakened the thunder source, I gave you some with a kiss. That should count as repaying you, shouldn’t it?”

Su Ye sighed, thinking Jiang Liuying probably only felt he’d taken advantage of her. But now was not the time to be distracted.

“It’s coming—”

Suddenly, his heart trembled. After three years of listening to thunder, he was intimately familiar with every nuance. No sooner had he sensed the thunder source than the night sky above began to gather the power of heavenly thunder.

Crack!

A flash of silent lightning flickered across the black clouds.

A buzzing filled Su Ye’s mind. For others, witnessing heavenly thunder was nothing out of the ordinary, but what he saw was like glimpsing an ancient map.

It was as if he beheld some place beyond the heavens, or perhaps the intricate interweaving of countless bloodlines.

In that instant, the thunder source within him seemed to swell, its color growing faintly pale.

Unfortunately, the heavenly thunder vanished too quickly.

Drenched in sweat, Su Ye sat motionless, head raised, staring skyward.

“Again! Once more!”

Unable to contain himself, he called out, desperate for another bolt of thunder to split the sky.

Boom!

As if in answer to his plea, a bolt of thunder ripped through the heavens, this time accompanied by a deafening peal that shook the earth.

“Ah… Is this… Is this a cultivation method?”

Su Ye’s pupils dilated to an astonishing degree. Witnessing the might of the thunder and hearing its roar, he realized the path traced by the lightning resembled a colossal, sky-shattering stone stele.

Or rather, it was a true celestial monument!

The branching thunderbolts followed bizarre strokes etched upon the stele, and the thunder’s rolling voice seemed to recite the ancient characters carved there.

“What is this?”

As Su Ye gazed upward, his body began to undergo subtle changes.

Suddenly, two more bolts of thunder resounded. A stabbing pain shot through his eyes, forcing him to lower his head as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He felt something wet on his lips and thought, “Is it raining?”

He touched his face—no, it was a nosebleed.

Roughly wiping away the blood, Su Ye marveled at the price of peering into cultivation secrets and eavesdropping on the thunder’s truth. But what of it?

“Come on! Show me—what kind of technique is this?”

Boom. Boom.

Again and again, thunder crashed—seventeen times in all. At last, Su Ye could endure no more; the force of the celestial thunder was too great. His ears rang, and his vision blurred until only distant lights remained.

If he continued, he might go deaf and blind.

But the thunder he’d heard was enough to ignite transformation within his body, opening a vast, boundless door before him.

He had seen advanced techniques in his own family, and the school boasted its own, but now he could tell at a glance: none could compare to the method imparted by the heavenly thunder.

They weren’t even on the same level.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a jumble of panicked cries reached his ears.

“Ah! A ghost! Help!”

“Master Ning Shuang, there’s another one over here!”

With great effort, Su Ye opened his eyes, but his vision was still a blur. He could just make out the flicker of a bonfire ahead and the frantic shapes of several people scattering in terror.

Out on the water, a small burning boat drifted.

Suddenly, Su Ye’s pupils contracted—he saw three fierce spirits in hot pursuit of the fleeing group.

Leading them was a woman called Master Ning Shuang—a striking beauty, dressed in a unique uniform, a bell hanging from the front of her chest, its contents unknown, ringing out with a constant “coo-coo” sound.

Such a graceful figure, yet here she was, locked in combat with those vengeful spirits.

As the group stumbled and screamed, they half-carried an old man, fleeing in Su Ye’s direction.

Ning Shuang’s heart had sunk. Because of her family’s reputation, she was often called “Little Priestess.” Most days, she’d tell fortunes, offer prayers, or perform blessings for the guests.

The Ning family was famous for exorcism, and with Ning Shuang’s beauty, business was good.

Recently, however, she’d landed a big job: three clients possessed by vengeful spirits. She brought them to the seaside to “send off the spirits.” She’d done this before, though never for so many at once.

Everything had gone smoothly at first. She’d even set the spirit-ferrying boat alight, but for some unknown reason, the three spirits suddenly went berserk.

All her usual methods failed her.

She was thrown into chaos.

Clutching the bell to fend them off, Ning Shuang cursed herself under her breath. If she hadn’t been so lazy, she wouldn’t be so helpless now.

Losing business was one thing—losing the family’s reputation was another. But if their lives were lost, how could she live with herself?

“Master Ning Shuang! There’s another one ahead!” Suddenly, the bespectacled old man pointed at Su Ye in alarm.

By now, the group was utterly exhausted. Seeing Su Ye, they instinctively halted, huddling together in fright. Some were even weeping.

The old man was the calmest of the lot. Trembling, he said, “I, Xu Yufeng, have lived a long life and fear death no more. I’ll hold them off—those who can run, run!”

Su Ye curiously touched his face. Did he really look that much like a ghost?

Then he understood. His face was covered in blood, his eyes swollen from gazing into the ancient thunder method—no wonder he looked terrifying.

“Demon! How dare you commit evil in the mortal world!” Ning Shuang shouted, turning and preparing to fire a wooden stake at him.

“Stop!” Su Ye cried. “What kind of exorcist are you? Can’t you tell a human from a ghost?”

Despite knowing the three spirits were close behind, Ning Shuang couldn’t help but spare Su Ye a glance, surprised. “You’re human?”

“Of course I’m human!” Su Ye’s voice rose in indignation.

Anyone else would have been terrified, but he’d spent his childhood among his family, so ghosts and demons held no fear for him.

Besides, he’d just glimpsed the secrets of heaven’s thunder—why would he fear three mere spirits?

Old Xu Yufeng heard his voice and shouted, “A living person? You’re a child? Come down, don’t be afraid! Run with us!”

Ning Shuang was exasperated. She was already struggling to cope; the others were wasting time. Her lovely face flushed with anger, her ample chest heaving with indignation. “What are you doing out here at night? Still standing around? Run!”

Even as she spoke, the three vengeful spirits lunged.

It was as if Ning Shuang had been struck by something solid. With a thud, she was knocked to the ground…