In a remote mountain forest.
A brilliant crimson streak of light descended from the sky, growing larger as it streaked directly toward the woods below.
In a matter of moments, the stream of light slowed its descent, landing atop the highest peak in the mountain range.
Zhou Changqing's feet touched the ground. Seeing the familiar surroundings, he broke into a heartfelt smile.
The summit of this mountain was a flat stone platform, as if its peak had been sliced clean off. This was the very place where Zhou Changqing had once lured lightning to temper his body. The groove in the center of the stone platform, where he had inserted the iron lightning rod, was still there.
Medusa scanned the area but found no traces of lightning strikes, which made her curious as to how exactly he had drawn the thunder down.
"Your Majesty, this is the place where I used to channel lightning," Zhou Changqing said, turning to Medusa after stepping forward and running his hand along the circular edge of the central groove. "Since there's no rain yet, allow me to set things up. We can begin when the storm arrives."
Medusa gave a slight nod, offering no objection.
And so, Zhou Changqing got to work, taking out the iron lightning rod and the metal coil, arranging them just as he had before.
Once his preparations were complete, Zhou Changqing invited Medusa down to the base of the mountain. There, he had previously carved out a cave to serve as his dwelling. Since he had returned, he had no intention of leaving anytime soon, so a place to live was essential. And with Medusa present, he would have to carve out another cave for her.
...
Time flew, and by the afternoon, a clap of thunder shattered the tranquility of the forest.
Zhou Changqing and Medusa were already waiting on the mountaintop. They knew it was going to rain the moment the sky began to darken, and neither was in the mood to remain cooped up in a cave.
By now, Zhou Changqing had connected the lightning rod and the coil. He sat cross-legged on the stone surface, one hand holding the metal wire, awaiting the descent of the heavenly thunder.
Medusa's stunning face remained as cold as ever, but her beautiful eyes held a hint of curiosity and confusion.
"That iron rod and wire coil... are these what he relies on to withstand heavenly thunder?"
It made sense, she supposed. Without some external aid, facing heavenly thunder directly would be a challenge even for a Dou Huang.
But Medusa couldn't understand how these two ordinary-looking objects could possibly diminish the power of a lightning strike. With this question in mind, she looked on with a sense of anticipation.
Zhou Changqing gazed up at the dark, oppressive sky, his eyes filled with longing as he watched the familiar bolts of lightning snake through the black clouds. He then shifted his gaze to the nearby coil. It was no longer the half-meter-tall coil he had started with, but now stood just over a foot high.
"This level is probably not my limit anymore. I'll likely have to adjust it after this."
With that thought, Zhou Changqing began to circulate his cultivation method, entering a meditative state as he waited.
As his physical body had grown stronger, the limit of heavenly thunder he could endure had gradually increased. When he was a Dou Shi, the coil had needed to be half a meter high to reduce the lightning's power to a level he could bear. After he became a Da Dou Shi, the coil's height had been shortened, centimeter by centimeter.
The coil's current height was set to the limit he had reached as a seven-star Da Dou Shi. However, his physical body at that time had already been comparable to a new Dou Ling, so it couldn't be measured by his Dou Qi cultivation alone. During his time with the Snake-People Tribe, his Dou Qi cultivation had progressed, but his physical strength had barely improved, stabilizing at the level of a one-star Dou Ling. Therefore, he needed to experience it firsthand to determine how much shorter the coil needed to be.
Soon, a heavy rain began to fall.
Large droplets soaked the mountain forest, bringing a sudden chill. Medusa erected a Dou Qi barrier, keeping the rain at bay. Zhou Changqing, however, let the downpour soak him completely. When he was being struck by lightning, he wouldn't have the spare concentration to shield himself with Dou Qi. Since he was going to get wet sooner or later, why waste the energy?
With a deafening roar, a bolt of heavenly thunder tore through the dim sky, striking downward. A blinding white flash illuminated the entire forest.
A sharp crack echoed as the lightning, seemingly drawn by some unseen force, slammed viciously into the iron rod on the summit.
"It's here!" Medusa watched, her heart tightening slightly with worry that Zhou Changqing might not be able to handle it. It wasn't that she had any particular feelings for him; it was simply that he was now the key to her stable evolution. If anything happened to him, she would be forced to resort to the dangerous method of using a Heavenly Flame.
In contrast to Medusa's anxiety, Zhou Changqing was ecstatic.
The lightning strike left the tip of the iron rod glowing red-hot. A terrifying electrical current surged down the rod, through the coil, and instantly poured into Zhou Changqing's body.
"Agh!"
The familiar sensation of numbing, tearing agony returned. It felt as if ten thousand red-hot steel needles were being driven into his body, piercing straight to the bone. The pain wrung a pained cry from his lips.
"Hahaha! Yes! This is the feeling! This is incredible!"
The cry of pain suddenly transformed into a wild, booming laugh. The sound, a mixture of agony and elation, reverberated across the mountaintop. Combined with the arcs of electricity dancing across his skin and the faint golden glow he emitted, Zhou Changqing appeared like a god or a demon, radiating an utterly frenzied aura.
Medusa, who had grown more concerned upon hearing his scream, fell into a stunned silence at his abrupt transformation.
"..."
She had never seen him in such a perverse, crazed state. Her eyelid twitched, and she was left both speechless and deeply shaken.
She was not unfamiliar with the sensation of lightning entering the body. Aside from absorbing the arcs of lightning condensed from Zhou Changqing's vast reserves of thunder energy every day, she had also fought against lightning-attribute Dou Huangs in the past. Even for her, the impact of their lightning-based Dou Techniques was intensely painful.
Therefore, Medusa could fully imagine the torment Zhou Changqing was currently enduring. It was little different from being submerged in lava, and with his bare flesh at that. Such pain was unbearable for an ordinary person, even for a Dou Wang.
Medusa simply could not comprehend how Zhou Changqing could be so monstrously abnormal, to the point of being able to laugh amidst such suffering. It was as if he wasn't experiencing pain at all, but was instead enjoying a hot spring.
If before she had merely marveled at his exceptional talent and acknowledged his potential, now, Medusa felt a genuine sense of admiration for the young man being struck by lightning before her.
"With such a resolute will, this boy is destined for greatness!"
While Medusa was lost in thought, Zhou Changqing had already finished refining the energy from that bolt of heavenly thunder. His physical strength, which had long been stagnant, was now increasing at a visible rate.
The feeling of growing stronger was, to Zhou Changqing, the most wonderful sensation in the world. Compared to that, a little bit of pain was nothing. In fact, he felt the pain wasn't intense enough; it wasn't his true limit.
"This won't do. I need to lower the coil's height before the next bolt strikes!"
Enduring the tingling numbness that wracked his entire body, Zhou Changqing pushed himself up and moved toward the coil. He would not let go of any opportunity to increase his strength.