After returning from the library, eating, and chatting, night fell, and it was once again time for cultivation.
The two of them sat cross-legged on the bed facing each other as usual. However, Zhang Ye did not immediately begin cultivating; instead, he looked at Nan intently.
“What’s wrong?” Nan asked, feeling a bit unsettled by his gaze.
“A-Nan, how much do you know about your constitution?” Zhang Ye suddenly asked.
Nan’s pupils constricted sharply before immediately relaxing.
Forcing himself to remain calm, he asked, “Why are you asking that?”
“I want to understand your constitution to find a way for you to cultivate without any burden. I consulted the records in the library and found that the legendary Divine Lightning Punishment consists of purple lightning, which is very similar to yours.”
“I think your lightning might have some connection to the Divine Lightning Punishment.”
“I’m not certain, though, so I came to ask you. After all, it’s your body; you should know it best,” Zhang Ye said seriously. “I don’t want to see you exhausted and drenched in sweat every time we finish cultivating in the morning.”
Upon hearing this, Nan felt a surge of warmth in his heart alongside his surprise.
Zhang Ye had actually gone out of his way to research materials and find a solution just so Nan could cultivate without a burden. Honestly, Nan never expected Zhang Ye to go to such lengths.
The key was that Zhang Ye had actually found a connection, and all of this was solely because of that non-existent “cultivation burden.”
Nan’s gaze softened, carrying a hint of hope as he spoke. “My constitution...”
However, the moment the words left his mouth, he paused.
He couldn’t... he couldn’t tell anyone else. That was what his father had strictly instructed him.
Furthermore, this concerned the entire Thunderclap family. He had no choice... no choice...
The hope in his eyes vanished, replaced by a dull, lifeless shadow.
He slowly shook his head. “My constitution... I don’t know either. I was born this way...”
“I see...” Zhang Ye felt a bit disappointed.
Seeing Zhang Ye’s disappointed expression, Nan’s heart trembled, and he couldn’t help but add, “But my lightning is more powerful than other people’s... That’s all I know.”
Zhang Ye nodded and smiled. “It’s fine. I’m sure we’ll find a way.”
“Mhm...” Nan nodded slightly, but the light in his eyes grew even dimmer.
There is no way... This is my fate...
Zhang Ye could sense that Nan’s mood seemed a bit low. Although Nan remained expressionless, Zhang Ye could just feel it.
It was an intuition.
Nan likely knew something, but... perhaps there were hidden circumstances.
Though the iceberg showed signs of melting, the ice remained cold and hard.
But that’s fine, I’ll melt you eventually!
“Let’s begin cultivating.”
“Mhm.”
The two closed their eyes. This time, however, Zhang Ye did not enter a full state of cultivation. While guiding the two mana circulation paths, he also split off an imperceptible, tiny strand of mana and quietly probed toward Nan’s mana source.
Zhang Ye thought that perhaps this way, he could find the special trait of Nan’s constitution.
Sure enough, under Zhang Ye’s cautious and meticulous control, Nan didn’t notice his little maneuver at all. Nan was completely open to Zhang Ye’s mana, allowing that tiny strand to swim toward his mana source.
Zhang Ye also attached a small portion of his Divine Sense to that tiny strand of mana.
He couldn’t probe directly with Divine Sense, or Nan would notice.
The moment he found Nan’s mana source, Zhang Ye’s pupils constricted.
In the vision of his Divine Sense, a person’s mana source was a sphere filled with mana. The higher the rank, the higher the quality of mana. It started as a misty form, and as the rank increased, the mana within the mana source would appear as fog, then liquid, and finally solid.
If the mana within the mana source completely converted from fog to liquid, one could advance to Saint-tier.
However... Zhang Ye didn’t see Nan’s mana source. He only saw a sphere wrapped in layers!
Was that Nan’s mana source?!
It had to be, because there was a gap at the top of the sphere that wasn’t covered, through which the translucent mana source could be seen. The mana source was filled with purple fog, looking as if it were just one step away from turning into liquid!
That surging mana was pouring into Nan’s mana source through that gap in the sphere.
Nan had such an incredible mana absorption and cultivation speed through just a tiny gap; what if the entire mana source were fully exposed?
Zhang Ye controlled his mana to slowly draw closer, finally seeing clearly what was wrapping Nan’s mana source.
Shackles!
Thousands upon thousands of shackles!
Countless purple lightning shackles bound the mana source tightly.
The closer he got, the more Zhang Ye felt a sense of palpitations.
These purple lightning shackles gave him an inexplicable feeling of oppression. He felt that this was not a good thing.
Could Nan’s burden come from these shackles?
Indeed, absorbing such a massive amount of mana through that tiny gap—while the efficiency was still high—made Zhang Ye feel a sense of suffocation, like trying to breathe with a stuffed nose.
These shackles were binding Nan’s mana source and stifling his mana absorption speed!
If these shackles could be undone, would Nan’s cultivation speed skyrocket and his burden vanish?
However, without understanding the situation, Zhang Ye didn’t dare to act rashly. He could only control his mana to approach the purple lightning shackles bit by bit, trying to see if he could discover anything.
Yet, when the mana attached with Zhang Ye’s Divine Sense approached within a certain range of the shackles, one shackle suddenly shot out, biting toward that mana and the Divine Sense on it like a lightning snake!
In the next instant, the Divine Sense vanished, and Zhang Ye felt a splitting headache.
He, who was so afraid of pain, nearly cried out loud.
But to prevent Nan from noticing, he endured it by force.
The intense pain in his mind made Zhang Ye’s whole body tremble. However, Nan, who was also trembling due to the pleasure of cultivation, did not notice and remained immersed in that tidal wave of comfort.
Zhang Ye endured the pain and continued the dual cultivation, but he didn't dare to probe Nan’s mana source with his Divine Sense again.
That strike just now made Zhang Ye feel as if his head had been slammed with a club; the pain was excruciating.
Moreover, this time, he could truly feel that his mental strength had decreased.
If his perception range had originally reached fifteen kilometers, it might only be ten kilometers now!
It had been weakened by a third!
What on earth was going on?!
That lightning snake... it seemed to have its own consciousness!
The sensation of the Divine Sense being wiped out by the lightning snake lingered. Zhang Ye desperately tried to feel it, desperately tried to recall it, even though it made his head hurt more. He felt this was a turning point, that he might be able to grasp something.
That feeling... that feeling...
It was like Devour?!
Yes, Devour!
The lightning snake seemed to have eaten his Divine Sense!
Not only that, it had clearly only eaten a tiny bit of Divine Sense that Zhang Ye had attached to the tiny strand of mana, yet Zhang Ye’s mental strength had dropped by a third in an instant!
This was illogical!
Ella, Ella!
“I already know.” Ella flew out and looked at Zhang Ye solemnly. “Don’t do that again!”
“Though I don’t know what that lightning snake is either, even though it only ate a tiny bit of your Divine Sense just now, in that instant, a power managed to wound your soul!”
“Wound my soul?” Zhang Ye was shocked.
He suddenly remembered that the growth of his mental strength was precisely because he had devoured soul energy.
His soul had been injured, which was why his mental strength had been weakened so much all at once.
And!
Divine Lightning Punishment could also attack the soul!
Simply because of a tiny bit of mana and Divine Sense that even Nan hadn’t noticed, it had traced its way back to wound his soul. Zhang Ye became increasingly certain—that was Divine Lightning Punishment!
At the very least, it had some kind of connection to Divine Lightning Punishment!
It was just that the Divine Lightning Punishment was attached to Nan’s mana source in the form of lightning snake shackles.
The lightning snake shackles attacked Zhang Ye, yet Nan didn’t feel a thing. Did that mean the lightning snake shackles and Nan were not actually one entity?
Nan’s own constitution was a Lightning Body, and the purple lightning was actually due to that Divine Lightning Punishment existing in the form of lightning snake shackles?
That was why the system detected Nan’s constitution as a Lightning Body and not a Divine Lightning Punishment Body!
That was very likely the case!
Zhang Ye felt he had found the key.
“Your soul is currently damaged and needs rest. Stop cultivating for now,” Ella said with concern as she looked at Zhang Ye, who was breaking out in a cold sweat from the splitting headache.
Zhang Ye smiled faintly and replied to her in his mind, “It’s fine. I won’t delay A-Nan’s cultivation progress; he’s rushing to break through. At worst, I’ll just ask Big Nana for a day off tomorrow and sleep the whole day.”
Ella couldn’t help but say, “But if you continue cultivating, you’ll have to endure the pain of mental tearing the whole time. Is that really okay?”
“A-Nan isn’t even afraid of pain; I have to learn from him,” Zhang Ye grinned through gritted teeth.
“You guy, you’re just spoiling him!” Ella said.
“Yeah, if I don’t spoil him, who will?” Zhang Ye nodded.
Nan had an eccentric personality, disliked crowds, and didn’t have many friends. It surely had something to do with his family background.
He’s very lonely; I’m the only one who can spoil him.
Ella was speechless and could only say, “Whatever you want!”
With that, she disappeared.
Zhang Ye was a bit puzzled; Little Ella seemed a bit angry.
Was it because she was worried about him?
Zhang Ye smiled slightly, calmed his mind, and continued cultivating.
...
On the other side, Leona, who was also cultivating, suddenly opened her beautiful eyes.
She felt the mana she had left inside Zhang Ye’s body suddenly vibrate.
Little Ye is hurt?!
She immediately appeared in the air above the dormitory, her Divine Sense sweeping through.
She found Zhang Ye and Nan cultivating, and he didn’t seem to have suffered any physical harm. It was just this cultivation method...
Seeing this scene, Leona suddenly felt a bit angry.
This guy was actually cultivating with Nan like this!
Doesn’t he know Nan is... oh right, he really doesn’t seem to know.
At that thought, the rising anger in her heart slowly dissipated.
It was fine that he didn’t know, but...
In the future, I have to make Ye try dual cultivation with me!
Thinking this, she flew back.
She had already advanced from the mid stage to the late stage of Three-star Saint-tier. With her deep foundation and the consolidated power from absorbing Demon Realm power, her cultivation was soaring. Now was the crucial period to charge toward the Three-star Peak and Four-star Saint-tier; she had to cultivate with every second she could spare!
...
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