Chapter 17

Lei Xingfeng was seeing the old man laugh so strangely for the first time. He said, "Grandpa, what are you laughing about?"

The old man couldn't suppress his joy, which still showed on his face. He said, "Xingfeng, during this time... take good care of your little sister at home. I need to go out for a while."

Lei Xingfeng was surprised. "Grandpa, where are you going?" Since he came to this world, his grandfather had never left Hucliff Castle. Suddenly hearing the old man was going out made him a bit anxious. Although he was almost at the level of a Thousand Wheel Master, the old man was his stabilizing force, something he couldn't do without.

The old man said, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon. Xingfeng, don't leave Hucliff Castle before I return. The terrain here is rugged, making it easy to defend and hard to attack, so it's relatively safe."

Lei Xingfeng said, "But... Grandpa, we just started stockpiling food. We won't have enough to get through the cold season!"

The old man said, "Don't worry about that, I'll bring it back."

Lei Xingfeng calculated. The meat from the wild bulls he hunted was substantial, all of it cured and hung under the eaves to dry. He also had two complete wild bull hides and horns, which could be exchanged for a lot. Additionally, with the old man gone, there would be one less mouth to feed. With this, they could barely make it through the cold season. He said, "Alright, Grandpa, if you can come back soon, I can go hunting again."

The old man said, "I'll be back soon. Xingfeng, take care of your little sister, and don't worry about anything else."

Lei Xingyao said, "Grandpa, I and my brother will wait for you obediently at home."

Lei Xingfeng got up, feeling sore all over. He smiled bitterly, "This aftereffect is not light, damn, my whole body hurts!"

The old man said, "Go practice once, and you'll be fine. There's too much lightning power accumulated in your body. You need to convert it into Wheel Lightning Power."

Lei Xingfeng nodded. "Alright, Yoyo, go to Aunt Qing's house. I'll go practice."

The little girl knew that practice was important. She nodded obediently. "Okay, I'll go play with Sister Xiangxiang."

The old man tidied up and said, "Xingfeng, accompany Grandpa for a bit. I have something to say."

Lei Xingfeng nodded. "Alright, I have a lot of questions to ask."

...

At the practice spot on the cliff, the grandfather and grandson sat down. The old man said, "Start practicing first, and resolve the lightning power in your body. Hehe, this time you should be able to break through to Thousand Wheel Power and reach the level of a Thousand Wheel Master."

The Violent Lightning Technique started, and instantly, countless electric arcs appeared on Lei Xingfeng's body.

The old man stepped back a bit, watching Lei Xingfeng practice carefully, his smile growing wider.

This time, Lei Xingfeng's practice felt different. The Wheel Lightning Power began to surge wildly, and in less than an hour, it had smoothly broken through to Thousand Wheel Power, reaching 1,800 Wheel Lightning Power before slowing down.

The old man waited for Lei Xingfeng to open his eyes, the silver glow around his body fading. He then said, "How was it?"

Lei Xingfeng was delighted. "It exceeded, Thousand Wheel Power exceeded!"

The old man nodded and smiled. "As I expected. The next step is to refine the Wheel Lightning Power, forming it into a Lightning Ring..." He began to explain in detail.

Lei Xingfeng listened carefully, occasionally asking questions, which the old man patiently answered. Forming Wheel Lightning Power into a Lightning Ring is a concrete manifestation of it. When you reach the level of a Thousand Wheel Master, the Wheel Lightning Power forms a Lightning Ring, which can protect your body.

The old man said, "There's also... the compression of Wheel Lightning Power. Each unit of Wheel Lightning Power needs to be compressed. You don't need to set aside specific time for this; you can do it whenever you have time. One unit of Wheel Lightning Power forms one Lightning Ring. Remember this compression technique; it's my unique method, so be careful not to let it out."

Lei Xingfeng nodded. "Okay."

The old man taught with all his heart, and Lei Xingfeng memorized everything. This kind of teaching cannot be recorded; it must be memorized. Especially this unique method, it cannot be spread. This is the unique cultivation tradition of the Lei family.

Lei Xingfeng tried to refine one unit of Wheel Lightning Power. Indeed, after a few minutes, he successfully refined a loose unit of Wheel Lightning Power into a ring. If the original Wheel Lightning Power was a loose bundle of steel wires, after refinement, it had become a tightly wound steel cable. Just this change in form increased the power level. This refinement can be done at any time, so Lei Xingfeng didn't continue.

The old man said, "This is just the basic method. In the future, there will be advanced methods. Wheel Lightning Power needs to be refined in various ways until it forms Wheel Seal Power. Of course, talking about Wheel Seal Power is a bit premature. For now, focus on refining Wheel Lightning Power and try to increase it as quickly as possible. This is the foundation stage, and the quality of the foundation determines how high you can reach in the future. Don't be careless."

They talked for a while, and the old man said, "That's it for today. From now on, you need to come practice every day. I'm off."

Lei Xingfeng accompanied the old man to the cliff entrance. The old man got into the basket and descended to the bottom of the cliff. Lei Xingfeng then left the cliff and returned home.

...

Lei Bao stepped out of the basket, waved to the top, and the basket slowly rose. He took a deep breath, having been confined in Hucliff Castle for nearly forty years. He always thought he would die in this small place, but he never imagined he would have a chance to leave.

Despite his aged appearance, if a few hunters came, they wouldn't be his match. In his prime, he was a famous expert. If not for his injury, he wouldn't have come to this small place to raise his descendants and pass on his bloodline.

Soon, Lei Bao disappeared into the forest.

Lei Bao's goal was clear: find a thunderstorm. He needed a lightning strike to stimulate himself. According to his senses, he headed north.

Relying on his instinctive sensitivity to lightning, Lei Bao moved through the dense forest. Two days later, he found a suitable spot. Looking at the rolling dark clouds in the sky, the old man smiled. Without hesitation, he found a huge ancient tree and climbed it like a monkey. He knew lightning very well. After climbing to the treetop, he swung his axe and cut off the top of the tree. A few minutes later, the treetop broke off.

Lei Bao brought two weapons: an axe and a steel spear. He inserted the steel spear into the broken part of the tree, looked up at the sky, and then sat on a branch near the break. He tied himself to the branch with a rope and waited quietly for the storm to arrive.

Crack! Boom...

A bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, followed by a thunderclap. Even Lei Bao felt a chill. He cursed under his breath but knew he had to take the risk. If he succeeded, everything would be fine. If he failed, he probably wouldn't survive.

This ancient tree was extremely tall, and even with the top cut off, it was still much taller than the other trees, standing like a flagpole in the forest. The steel spear was a perfect lightning attractor.

Boom!

A distant ancient tree was struck by lightning and burst into flames. The old man felt a bit uneasy. He muttered, "Damn, the first lightning strike should be small. If it's too big... I don't know if I can handle it... Damn, it's powerful!"

Raindrops the size of mung beans pattered down, and in a few moments, Lei Bao was drenched.

The old man held the steel spear with both hands, staring at the sky. The rain grew heavier, and thunder roared continuously. Lightning flashed across the sky. Finally, a bolt of lightning struck the steel spear.

Boom!

Instantly, the old man became a glowing entity.

Countless bolts of lightning surged into him. Even with his eyes closed, he felt the silver-white light piercing his eyes. At this moment, he began to activate the Violent Lightning Technique, which he had created by combining many cultivation methods.

In this instant, the old man realized he had made the right bet. He had regained control of a secret of lightning.

The withered Wheel Lightning Power, which had been dormant for decades, began to surge. It was like a dried-up river in the desert suddenly filled with water, surging instantly.

This surge was different from Lei Xingfeng's. A single bolt of lightning instantly elevated the old man to the level of a Secret Wheel Master, with almost no waste. The old man stood up abruptly, and the rope binding him snapped. He roared to the sky, holding the steel spear, "Come on, come on, the more the better! Ha ha, ha ha ha!"

Boom! Boom!

Continuous lightning strikes hit the steel spear, causing steel shavings to fly. The old man held the spear tightly, absorbing the lightning power, and his cultivation began to soar. The Wheel Lightning Power gradually converted into Wheel Seal Power, or Wheel Seal.

For a whole day, when the dark clouds dispersed, the old man shook his head in regret. A few more lightning strikes, and he could have recovered 40% of his strength. With 60% of his strength, he would have Wheel Seal Power, or Thunder Seal, making him a top-tier expert in the world.

After a moment, the old man smiled. Being able to recover to this level was already satisfactory. He thought, "A few more times, and I should be able to recover 60% of my strength, enough to take Xingfeng and Yoyo away from this place."

He pulled out the steel spear and noticed it had thinned by a circle. The spear was still usable. He lifted it and flew into the air, chasing the receding dark clouds.

...

Lei Xingfeng returned home and saw the clan leader Hu Cangya and several hunting team leaders, including Ke Dashan. He was surprised. "Clan leader, Uncle Ke, why are you here?"

Hu Cangya said, "This time, we came to discuss something."

Lei Xingfeng said, "The room is too small. Let's meet in the yard." He moved a few large stones. "Everyone, please sit. Clan leader, what's the matter?"

Hu Cangya smiled bitterly. "This time, Hucliff Castle suffered heavy losses. If it weren't for you, Xingfeng, driving away the Eagle Clan's people, we would have been finished. I represent the hunters of Hucliff Castle to thank you."

Lei Xingfeng said, "No need to be polite. I am also a member of Hucliff Castle. It's my duty."

He knew in his heart that the clan leader had more than just gratitude in mind for coming to his home.