The last wisp of thunderclouds dissipated over Cloud Hidden Village, and warm sunlight spilled across the quiet village once more, covering every inch of land that had just been baptized by heavenly thunder. Ye Chen stood quietly in the center of the village, his black clothes fluttering gently in the breeze. The faint purple-gold thunder light lingering around his body gradually sank back into his dantian, merging completely with the Chaos Thunder Seed hidden deep within. The violent spiritual energy between heaven and earth slowly calmed down, returning to the gentle and peaceful state that the village had maintained for hundreds of years. But for Ye Chen and every villager who had witnessed the thunder tribulation, everything had changed irreversibly.
The villagers, who had been hiding in their houses or crouching in the fields in terror, slowly emerged one after another. Their eyes were fixed on Ye Chen, filled with a mixture of awe, fear, and reverence. Moments ago, they had witnessed a scene they would remember for the rest of their lives: dark clouds covering the sky, thunder crashing down from the nine heavens, and the young man who had lived an ordinary life in the village standing alone in the face of devastating heavenly thunder—not only unharmed but actually absorbing the thunder's power to temper his body. For the people of Cloud Hidden Village, who had lived in seclusion far from the cultivation world, this was nothing short of a miracle, a true display of immortal power.
The elderly villagers, who had lived for more than a century and heard ancient legends about immortals, knelt down one after another, their bodies trembling slightly as they bowed deeply toward Ye Chen. "Immortal Master… Immortal Master!" The oldest elder in the village, with snow-white hair and a bent back, spoke in a trembling voice, his face full of respect. "We have lived in Cloud Hidden Village for generations, never daring to step into the outside world. We never imagined we would witness the power of an immortal with our own eyes. Thank you for not harming us, for protecting our small village from being destroyed by the thunder tribulation!"
The other villagers followed suit, kneeling on the ground and bowing repeatedly, not daring to lift their heads to look at Ye Chen. In their eyes, Ye Chen was no longer the ordinary young man who helped them with farm work and chatted with them on a daily basis. He was a powerful immortal who had descended to the mortal world, an existence they could only look up to.
Ye Chen looked at the kneeling villagers, a faint smile appearing on his face. He stepped forward slightly, raised his hand gently, and released a soft wave of spiritual energy that quietly lifted the bodies of all the villagers. "There is no need for such courtesy," he said in a calm and gentle tone, without the slightest arrogance of a powerful cultivator. "I am just someone who has embarked on the path of cultivation, not any immortal master. I have lived in Cloud Hidden Village for many years, and this village is my home. Naturally, I will not let any disaster harm this place."
His words were simple, yet they carried a reassuring power. The villagers stood up one after another, their fear fading and replaced by warmth and gratitude. They knew that even though Ye Chen had become a powerful cultivator, he had not forgotten his roots in this village and would still guard the peaceful life they cherished.
Ye Chen closed his eyes slightly, quietly sensing the changes in his body after the thunder tribulation. The Chaos Thunder Seed in his dantian spun rapidly, exuding steady and powerful thunder-attributed spiritual energy that circulated endlessly through his meridians. His cultivation base had firmly stabilized at the Peak of the Qi Refining Realm. Every meridian in his body had been widened and tempered by heavenly thunder, making them far tougher than those of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. His physical body had also undergone a radical transformation—no longer a fragile mortal shell, but a body baptized by heavenly thunder, with strength enough to easily resist ordinary attacks. More importantly, his soul had been sublimated in the thunder tribulation, becoming more solid and clear. His perception of the surrounding spiritual energy had grown extremely sharp, allowing him to easily capture the subtle flow of spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
He could clearly feel a huge barrier blocking his current cultivation: the barrier between the Qi Refining Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm. As long as he could break through this barrier, he would officially step into the Foundation Establishment Realm and become a true foundational cultivator in the cultivation world. But breaking through to Foundation Establishment was no easy task. It required an enormous amount of spiritual energy, a thorough understanding of the realm, and an unshakable will. The spiritual energy in Cloud Hidden Village was far too thin, nowhere near enough to support his breakthrough. He also needed to learn more systematic cultivation knowledge, master more powerful cultivation techniques, and understand the true rules of the cultivation world.
He knew full well that the small Cloud Hidden Village could no longer contain his growing strength or his path against the heavens. The peaceful life here was indeed precious, but his blood feud, his ambition to defy the Heavenly Dao, and his pursuit of eternal immortality all urged him to leave this secluded village and step into the vast and dangerous cultivation world. Only by wandering through the cultivation world, enduring countless trials, fighting powerful enemies, and seizing every opportunity to grow stronger could he break the shackles of fate, avenge his destroyed family, and eventually stand above the Heavenly Dao.
Just as Ye Chen made up his mind to leave Cloud Hidden Village and seek a renowned cultivation sect, a sudden change occurred in the sky above the village. Several streams of colorful spiritual light streaked across the sky from a distance, speeding rapidly toward Cloud Hidden Village. The spiritual light was bright and dazzling, carrying a strong and majestic cultivation aura—clearly from a group of formal cultivators.
The villagers of Cloud Hidden Village had never seen such a sight, and they all looked up at the sky in shock, their faces filled with surprise and unease. Ye Chen's eyes narrowed slightly, and his spiritual perception spread outward, quickly locking onto the several figures wrapped in spiritual light. He could clearly sense that these people possessed stable cultivation bases, all above the Middle Stage of Qi Refining. The leader was a middle-aged man in a blue Taoist robe, whose cultivation had reached the Late Stage of Qi Refining, only one step away from the Foundation Establishment Realm.
"They are cultivators from a proper sect," Ye Chen whispered to himself, his eyes calm and composed. He did not panic, for he detected no malicious killing intent from these people—only a sense of detection and exploration, as if they had been drawn by the fluctuations of the heavenly thunder tribulation that had just erupted here.
In the blink of an eye, the several streams of spiritual light descended from the sky and landed gently on the open ground at the entrance of Cloud Hidden Village. The spiritual light dissipated, revealing their figures. All of them wore uniform blue Taoist robes embroidered with cloud patterns on the cuffs and chests, their expressions dignified, carrying the unique pride of sect cultivators.
The middle-aged man at the front had a solemn face, a tall and straight figure, and sharp eyes that gently scanned the entire village. When his gaze fell on Ye Chen, he could not help but pause, a flash of surprise flickering in his eyes. He could clearly sense the powerful thunder-attributed spiritual energy lingering around Ye Chen's body, as well as the faint aura of heavenly thunder that had not yet completely faded. Although Ye Chen had deliberately hidden his cultivation, the unique aura of one who had survived a heavenly thunder tribulation could not be concealed from a discerning cultivator.
"May I ask: are you the one who triggered the heavenly thunder tribulation here just now?" The middle-aged man stepped forward slightly, looked at Ye Chen, and asked in a deep voice. His tone was relatively polite, lacking the contempt that some arrogant cultivators held for mortals.
Ye Chen lifted his gaze slightly, looked at the middle-aged man, and nodded calmly. "It was me."
As soon as his words fell, the several young disciples behind the middle-aged man all showed shocked expressions. They had followed the elder out to investigate the abnormal heavenly thunder fluctuations, originally expecting a rare natural treasure to be born or a high-level elder breaking through to a higher realm. They never imagined it would be a young man who looked no older than twenty, with a cultivation base only at the Peak of Qi Refining.
"How is this possible? A mere Qi Refining cultivator can trigger a heavenly thunder tribulation?" A young male disciple could not help but exclaim, his face full of disbelief. In the minds of ordinary sect cultivators, only cultivators breaking through from the Golden Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Realm, or those practicing certain heaven-defying techniques, would attract such a terrifying heavenly thunder tribulation. A Qi Refining cultivator triggering a thunder tribulation was simply unheard of.
The middle-aged man also felt ripples in his heart, but as an elder, he quickly calmed himself. He examined Ye Chen carefully from head to toe, the surprise in his eyes growing stronger. He could see that Ye Chen's body was filled with thunder spiritual energy, and his physical body had been tempered to an extremely strong level—clearly the effect of being baptized by heavenly thunder. The young man before him was definitely no ordinary person. He must possess a rare thunder root bone and practice a peerless heaven-defying technique.
"I am Elder Su from the Qingyun Sect, responsible for cultivation affairs in the surrounding regions and the selection of new disciples for the sect," the middle-aged man introduced himself, his tone softening considerably, with a hint of appreciation. "The heavenly thunder tribulation that erupted here just now had tremendous momentum, spreading for hundreds of miles, so we came to investigate. I did not expect to meet a young genius like you."
Qingyun Sect!
When the villagers of Cloud Hidden Village heard these three words, their faces all showed expressions of awe. Even though they lived in seclusion, they had heard of the Qingyun Sect's name. It was the largest cultivation sect within a radius of thousands of miles, a holy land for cultivation that countless mortal geniuses dreamed of entering. The cultivators of the Qingyun Sect were all immensely powerful, capable of moving mountains and filling seas, and were deeply revered by the surrounding mortals.
Ye Chen's heart also stirred slightly. He had naturally heard of the Qingyun Sect before. It was a top-tier sect in the region, with profound foundations, numerous cultivation techniques, and many powerful elders. For someone who had just stepped onto the path of cultivation like him, joining such a sect was undoubtedly the best choice. He could obtain systematic cultivation guidance, learn more powerful techniques, and gain enough resources to break through his cultivation base.
Elder Su looked at Ye Chen, his eyes full of appreciation, and spoke slowly: "Young friend, you possess an extraordinary root bone—a rare thunder attribute—and you were able to trigger a heavenly thunder tribulation at the Qi Refining Realm, which proves your unparalleled talent. My Qingyun Sect has stood for thousands of years and has always recruited geniuses from all over the world. With your talent, if you are willing to join the Qingyun Sect, you will receive the best cultivation resources, guidance from senior elders, and walk a smoother path on your journey of cultivation. Would you be willing to join my Qingyun Sect and become a direct disciple of the sect?"
As soon as these words came out, the surrounding young Qingyun Sect disciples were all shocked, staring at Ye Chen with envy and jealousy. Everyone knew that direct disciples of the Qingyun Sect were the core of the sect, enjoying far more resources and privileges than outer and inner disciples. Even geniuses from large mortal families had to pass layers of assessments to even become inner disciples. Yet Ye Chen was directly invited to become a direct disciple—a treatment only granted to the topmost geniuses.
Ye Chen looked at Elder Su, his heart unmoved by the enormous temptation. He understood that joining a sect was a major event that would shape his future cultivation path, and he could not decide hastily. He looked at Elder Su and asked calmly: "Elder Su, if I join the Qingyun Sect, will the sect restrict my cultivation path? Will it force me to obey all kinds of rules that go against my heart?"
He had embarked on the path of defying the heavens, and he would never allow anyone or any force to bind his path, let alone obey the so-called Heavenly Dao rules that the sect might advocate. If the Qingyun Sect was a sect that blindly obeyed the Heavenly Dao and suppressed those who defied the heavens, then no matter how powerful it was, he would not join.
Elder Su was slightly stunned by Ye Chen's question, then quickly understood his meaning. He smiled slightly and said: "Young friend, you may rest assured. The Qingyun Sect advocates cultivating according to one's heart and seeking the true path of immortality. We do not force disciples to obey rigid rules. As long as you do not betray the sect, harm innocent people, or violate the bottom line of the cultivation world, the sect will fully support your cultivation and will not restrict your path. The sect has a vast collection of cultivation techniques, including thunder-attributed arts, which can fully meet your cultivation needs."
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen's mind was finally at ease. He looked at Elder Su, his eyes firm, and bowed slightly: "In that case, I am willing to join the Qingyun Sect and follow Elder Su to cultivate."
A satisfied smile immediately appeared on Elder Su's face. He could foresee that the young man before him would definitely become a peerless genius who would shake the entire cultivation world in the future. Bringing him back to the Qingyun Sect would surely bring a great surprise to the sect.
"Excellent! From today onward, you are a direct disciple of the Qingyun Sect!" Elder Su laughed loudly, then waved his hand and said: "Let us go. I will take you back to the Qingyun Sect now, so you may officially begin your path of cultivation!"
Ye Chen nodded, then turned to look at the villagers of Cloud Hidden Village, his eyes filled with reluctance. He walked toward them and spoke softly: "Fellow villagers, I am leaving Cloud Hidden Village to go to the Qingyun Sect to cultivate. I will come back to visit you when I have the chance, and I will always guard this place."
The villagers looked at Ye Chen with reluctance, but they also knew that Ye Chen was a dragon among men, destined not to be trapped in this small village forever. They waved their hands one after another, watching as Ye Chen followed Elder Su and the others, stepping on spiritual light and rising into the sky, heading toward the direction of the Qingyun Sect.
As Ye Chen left, Cloud Hidden Village returned to peace. But everyone in the village would forever remember the young man who had triggered heavenly thunder, guarded the village, and embarked on the path of immortality. And Ye Chen, riding the wind and breaking through the clouds, headed toward a brand-new, vast, and dangerous cultivation world. His road against the heavens had officially taken a crucial step forward.