Thunderfire Hall

“Good news, good news, great news!”

In the inner courtyard of the Thunderfire Hall, the tightly shut gates were suddenly pushed open with a loud bang. A young girl's voice, filled with joy and excitement, drifted into the courtyard, instantly waking the youth who was deeply immersed in his cultivation.

The youth was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a tall, straight posture and a spine as straight as a spear. He wore the crimson uniform of the Thunderfire Hall, embroidered with patterns of lightning and fire. Although his face still carried a hint of boyish innocence, his eyes seemed to have been tempered by thunder and fire, appearing exceptionally bright and steady.

Lu Ming opened his eyes, a breath of thunder and fire energy seemingly flowing between his nostrils. He looked at the figure rushing into the courtyard with a face full of excitement. It was a little girl under ten years old, with her hair tied in pigtails, her small face round and fair.

“Lu Mengmeng, what's the good news?” Lu Ming finished his cultivation, stood up, and asked with a smile.

This Thunderfire Hall was founded by Lu Ming's grandfather, Lu Jin. The old man had two sons: the eldest, Lu Qingyan, and the second, Lu Jinglei.

Lu Qingyan had a son and a daughter—Lu Ming and the little girl before him, Lu Mengmeng.

Lu Mengmeng said excitedly, “Brother, Senior Brother Zhang Yue is back! He made it into the top ten in this year's Divine Ability Hall tournament in Fengyang Prefecture!”

“Oh?! He made it into the top ten?!”

Hearing this, a look of surprise couldn't help but appear on Lu Ming's face.

The so-called Divine Ability Halls were academies that taught divine abilities. For example, their Thunderfire Hall was one of the only four Tier 3 Divine Ability Halls in Qingyuan Ward.

And the Zhang Yue they spoke of was the most outstanding genius in their Thunderfire Hall.

This was because he possessed an Upper-grade Divine Ability Bone.

In the path of divine abilities, once one cultivated to the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm, an “extraordinary bone” would germinate from within their flesh. The world called it the “Divine Ability Bone,” and those who possessed it were known as Divine Ability Users.

The Divine Ability Bone could bear and engrave divine abilities. It was the source of all divine abilities, helping its possessor reach the peak of this path.

The path of divine abilities was like a vast divine sea, and the Divine Ability Bone was the only vessel to cross it.

Just as people were divided into geniuses and mediocre talents, the Divine Ability Bone, which was crucial to the path, was also divided into different grades—generally categorized into Upper, Mid, and Lower grades.

The vast majority of people in the world only produced Lower-grade Divine Ability Bones. Being born with a Mid-grade Divine Ability Bone was enough to be considered a pillar of strength in many Divine Ability Halls or sects. As for an Upper-grade Divine Ability Bone, it earned one the title of a peerless genius.

It was said that above the Upper grade, there was also the Heaven-grade Divine Ability Bone, but that was too rare. None had appeared in Qingyuan Ward for over a century.

Thus, when Zhang Yue first manifested his Upper-grade Divine Ability Bone in the hall, it had caused quite a sensation.

Later, Lu Ming's grandfather, Lu Jin, personally stepped in to take Zhang Yue as his personal disciple. Since then, the cultivation resources of the entire Thunderfire Hall had been tilted toward him, nurturing him with all their might.

For this reason, even the cultivation resources of his own two sons, Lu Qingyan and Lu Jinglei, were reduced. Sometimes, the two of them would even leave Qingyuan Ward to enter the periphery of the “Black Rain Zone” to earn cultivation resources for Zhang Yue.

The so-called Black Rain Zone was a place where black rain fell from the heavens. It was a bizarre and perilous region of the world where strange creatures bred, which people called “Rain Abominations.” The rain zones were extremely dangerous; even a Divine Ability Master risked losing their life upon entering.

And just a few hundred li away from their Qingyuan Ward lay such a perilous land.

However, although the Black Rain Zone was dangerous, it also held opportunities. It even contained high-level cultivation resources that were beneficial to Divine Ability Grandmasters. If one was lucky enough to obtain them, they could become wealthy overnight. Consequently, there were many specialized teams in Qingyuan Ward that made a living this way.

But compared to the stable and safe method of running a hall and collecting tuition fees, entering the Black Rain Zone was undoubtedly like licking blood from a blade.

Yet, there was no other choice. After all, their Thunderfire Hall was only a Tier 3 Divine Ability Hall, and its foundation was not very strong. To ensure that a genius with an Upper-grade Divine Ability Bone would not slow down in his cultivation due to a shortage of resources, they naturally had to tighten their belts and budget carefully.

However, Lu Ming was not actually very close to this Senior Brother Zhang Yue. Ever since the latter revealed his Upper-grade Divine Ability Bone, not to mention the younger generation of the Lu family, he had even put on airs in front of Lu Jinglei and Lu Qingyan, completely losing the humility he had when he first entered the Thunderfire Hall.

Thus, Lu Ming sometimes secretly found it hard to understand why his grandfather, Lu Jin, valued Zhang Yue so highly. The old man had founded the Thunderfire Hall single-handedly and had met countless people and experienced many things; he shouldn't have been so short-sighted, right?

Yet Zhang Yue indeed did not disappoint. In just a few short years, he had advanced from a “Bone Refining Realm” practitioner who had just opened his Divine Ability Bone to the “Dharma Inscription Realm,” becoming a powerful Divine Ability User who was famous even within Qingyuan Ward.

In the entire Thunderfire Hall, apart from Lu Jin, who was a Divine Ability Master, only Lu Ming's father, Lu Qingyan, and his second uncle, Lu Jinglei, had reached the Dharma Inscription Realm. However, both of them were much older than Zhang Yue, so their future potential could not compare.

This time, Zhang Yue had even represented their Thunderfire Hall to go to Fengyang City to participate in the Divine Ability Hall Tournament.

Fengyang Prefecture governed twenty-eight wards, and their Qingyuan Ward was one of them. Therefore, there were over a hundred Divine Ability Halls participating in this tournament. For Zhang Yue to achieve a top-ten finish was the best result the Thunderfire Hall had achieved since its founding.

Their Thunderfire Hall would also be able to boost its reputation because of this, which was indeed a joyous event.

“Come, let's go take a look,” Lu Ming said with a smile, then quickly led Lu Mengmeng toward the main courtyard of the hall.

As they walked through the hall, joyful conversations filled the air. Clearly, the good news had already spread, and many disciples could not suppress their excitement.

The two entered through the back courtyard corridor and slipped into the main hall of the courtyard where meetings were held.

The hall was spacious and bright, with dust motes dancing in the beams of light.

However, to the surprise of Lu Ming and Lu Mengmeng, the hall was not filled with the laughter and chatter they had expected. On the contrary, an oppressive and silent atmosphere drifted through the room.

This caused Lu Ming, who had just walked in, to immediately stop Lu Mengmeng from speaking out in confusion.

Something was wrong!

Lu Ming looked toward the main seat of the hall. Sitting there was an old man with white hair and beard, wearing the crimson robes of the Thunderfire Hall, adorned with patterns of flowing fire and lightning.

The old man's face was aged, and his body was slightly emaciated, but his eyes were extremely piercing, as if fierce thunder and fire were constantly clashing within them.

This was Lu Ming's grandfather, and also the Hall Master of the Thunderfire Hall, Lu Jin.

Standing on either side of Lu Jin were two male figures. The man on the right was slender, with a handsome face and a relatively gentle and steady expression. This was Lu Ming's father, Lu Qingyan.

The man on the left was tall and muscular, with a fierce countenance. A breath of thunder and fire occasionally emerged from his nostrils, giving off a sharp, oppressive feeling.

This was Lu Ming's second uncle, Lu Jinglei.

However, Lu Ming noticed that the usually steady Lu Qingyan had a gloomy and angry look in his eyes at this moment.

Since even Lu Qingyan was like this, there was no need to mention the hot-tempered second uncle, Lu Jinglei. At this moment, a fiery red glow was even rising from the surface of his body, the scorching heat making the living room increasingly stifling.

Lu Ming's heart skipped a beat.

What on earth was going on?

With doubts rising in his mind, Lu Ming turned his gaze to the center of the room. Standing there was a tall, slender young man with handsome features. His eyebrows were slightly thin, like sword blades, and his eyes were slightly deep-set, making his face appear more chiseled and rather charming.

This familiar figure was indeed the Zhang Yue he and Lu Mengmeng had been talking about earlier.

However, at this moment, this Senior Brother Zhang Yue stood in the hall with an expression that seemed somewhat unnatural.

Just as Lu Ming's doubts deepened, the furious voice of his hot-tempered second uncle, Lu Jinglei, rumbled through the room like thunder, causing the tables to vibrate slightly.

“Zhang Yue, what did you say?!”

“You want to leave the Thunderfire Hall?! Say that one more time, and see if I don't cripple you right now!”

Hearing Lu Jinglei's furious roar, Lu Ming's expression also changed dramatically. He stared in disbelief at Zhang Yue, who was standing in the hall. This genius, who had consumed countless resources of their Thunderfire Hall and forced everyone to tighten their belts, actually wanted to leave the hall at this time?!

How did he dare?!

One had to know that Zhang Yue was not an ordinary disciple of the hall, but a personal disciple who had submitted an apprenticeship petition to Grandfather Lu Jin!

“Hehe, have the people of this Thunderfire Hall cultivated to the point where fire has gone to their heads? Their tempers are so grand, wanting to cripple someone at every turn.”

Just as the atmosphere in the meeting hall became oppressively suffocating, a casual young woman's voice suddenly drifted in from outside. The coldness and contempt in that voice abruptly broke the tension.

Whoosh!

Instantly, all eyes turned toward the outside of the hall.

There, a female figure walked in first. The woman looked to be only around twenty years old, wearing a golden-yellow dress embroidered with Golden Crows poised to take flight, looking luxurious and noble. Her face was beautiful, and between her delicate eyebrows lay a trace of arrogance.

Behind her followed an expressionless middle-aged man.

Looking at this uninvited guest, everyone from the Thunderfire Hall frowned.

“Who are you? Since when is it your turn to comment on the affairs of our Thunderfire Hall?! Get out!” Lu Jinglei was already filled with rage from Zhang Yue's previous words. Seeing a strange woman talking big here, his face instantly turned cold as he barked.

The golden-dressed woman sat down somewhat disdainfully on a chair near the door. Then, raising her eyes, a voice filled with coldness escaped her rosy lips: “Uncle Lian, slap his mouth.”

Boom!

The moment the words left her mouth, a startling ferocity erupted from the eyes of the middle-aged man behind her. Powerful golden primordial energy burst from his body, and with a flash of golden light beneath his feet, his figure crossed dozens of feet, appearing directly in front of Lu Jinglei.

At the same time, his right palm slapped out, a blinding golden light emerging, carrying a piercing sound of breaking wind as it aimed for Lu Jinglei's face.

“How dare you!”

Lu Jinglei was furious. He was, after all, a powerful Divine Ability User of the Dharma Inscription Realm, a famous figure in Qingyuan Ward. How could he endure being slapped in public like this?

With a fierce roar, Lu Jinglei thrust out his right palm. Crimson primordial energy roared out, actually transforming into a foot-long blade of fire between his palms.

Lower Divine Ability, Flame Blade!

The flaming blade glowed dark gold, scorching and violent, its fiery edge slashing directly at the middle-aged man.

Yet, facing Lu Jinglei's counterattack, the middle-aged man's expression remained indifferent. He simply curled his fingers inward, and a restrained golden light condensed at his fingertips, faintly emitting a soul-shaking clear hum.

As the golden light flashed, it actually tore through Lu Jinglei's Flame Blade the moment they made contact.

Lu Jinglei's face changed drastically.

But the middle-aged man did not hold back at all. His claw-like hand, sharp as a blade, shattered the air and savagely tore toward Lu Jinglei's face.

If this strike landed, judging by its power, it would probably tear Lu Jinglei's face to shreds.

Boom!

But at this critical moment, a piercing clap of thunder suddenly erupted. An emaciated fist imprint tore through the air, with violent lightning roaring atop it, fierce to the extreme.

Mid Divine Ability, Palm Lightning!

Sensing the ferocity of this punch, the middle-aged man finally frowned slightly and had to withdraw his attack. His golden claw light, resembling a golden bird, collided with the lightning fist imprint with a clear hum.

Boom! Boom!

A violent torrent of primordial energy surged and exploded in the hall, forcing the onlookers to retreat. Lu Jinglei, who was closest, felt his blood boil from the shock. An aftershock of golden light grazed his cheek, cutting a bloody gash, and blood immediately began to flow down his jaw.

The middle-aged man turned his head, looking at the emaciated old man sitting in the chair, and said slowly, “As expected of the Hall Master of the Thunderfire Hall. This Palm Lightning of yours is indeed quite overbearing.”

The one who had intervened was indeed the old man, Lu Jin.

At this moment, Lu Jin's aged face was cold and solemn. His eyes, flowing with thunder and fire, stared at the middle-aged man as he said, “This is the Upper Divine Ability, Golden Crow Profound Light... You are from the Great Golden Crow Hall.”

The moment the words “Great Golden Crow Hall” were spoken, the faces of everyone present changed dramatically.

Lu Ming also sucked in a cold breath in his heart. A Tier 5 Divine Ability Hall, the Great Golden Crow Hall?!

That was one of the top Divine Ability Halls in the Great Luo Territory. It was said that its Hall Master was even a Divine Ability Grandmaster who had entered the fourth realm of divine abilities, a figure who shook the entire Great Luo Territory!

And Fengyang Prefecture, where their Qingyuan Ward was located, was merely a corner of the Great Luo Territory.

The middle-aged man smiled faintly, and with a flash of golden light beneath his feet, he returned to stand behind the golden-dressed woman.

The golden-dressed woman merely lowered her head to admire her slender fingers, saying flatly, “This young lady's surname is Jiang, given name Ling. My father is Jiang Feng, the Great Hall Master of the Great Golden Crow Hall.”

Everyone's heart shook. The woman before them was actually the daughter of a Divine Ability Grandmaster?!

Such a background could not be considered anything but illustrious. No wonder she carried herself with such immense arrogance.

The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat silent.

Inside the meeting hall, Zhang Yue, who had been standing the entire time, curled his lips in an almost imperceptible smirk upon seeing the reaction of the Thunderfire Hall's members.

Finally, Lu Jin asked slowly, “Then, has Miss Jiang graced our Thunderfire Hall with her presence this time for the sake of Zhang Yue?”

The noble lady named Jiang Ling finally raised her head slightly. Looking softly at the handsome and elegant Zhang Yue in the center of the hall, she said with a smile, “Otherwise? What else in this shabby, impoverished hall of yours could possibly attract me?”

Lu Jin fell silent for a few breaths, then looked at Zhang Yue in the hall and asked, “Zhang Yue, do you wish to join the Great Golden Crow Hall?”

Meeting the old man's gaze, Zhang Yue seemed a bit embarrassed as he said, “I am deeply grateful for the Hall Master's high regard and years of nurturing. However, since Ling insisted on inviting me, it would be difficult for me to refuse. I only hope to achieve success in the future and return to repay the Hall Master.”

Lu Ming curled his lip and sneered in his heart. When Zhang Yue was consuming their resources in the past, he called him ‘Master’ with every breath. Now, it had suddenly changed to ‘Hall Master’...

Lu Jin nodded expressionlessly. Without asking further, he said directly, “Since you have this wish, our Thunderfire Hall naturally will not force you to stay. I will return your previous apprenticeship petition to you. You may go wherever you wish.”

“Father!”

Beside him, Lu Jinglei, who was clutching his bleeding face, couldn't help but grit his teeth. His eyes spit fire. Zhang Yue had consumed so many resources of their Thunderfire Hall over the years. Were they really going to let him leave so easily? This was far too easy on him!

Furthermore, if word of this got out, how would their Thunderfire Hall establish a foothold in Qingyuan Ward?

“Second Brother, be quiet. Let Father decide everything,” Lu Qingyan frowned slightly, stopping his hot-tempered and impulsive brother.

Right now, Zhang Yue had Jiang Ling backing him. The situation was unfavorable, and their Thunderfire Hall had no leverage to negotiate. The most urgent matter now was to send this harbinger of trouble away first.

As for the loss of those resources, they could only write it off as feeding a dog.

Hearing this, Jiang Ling said with a smile, “Hall Master Lu is indeed very sensible.”

She paused for a moment, then suddenly shifted her tone: “However, my personal visit this time is not just to have your Thunderfire Hall return Brother Zhang Yue's apprenticeship petition.”

“What else do you want?” Lu Jin raised his eyes and asked.

Jiang Ling said with a smile, “I also want respectability.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lu Qingyan asked in a deep voice.

Jiang Ling said leisurely, “Brother Zhang Yue did, after all, submit an apprenticeship petition to the Thunderfire Hall. If he joins the Great Golden Crow Hall just like this, busybodies will inevitably say he lacks respect for his teacher. Brother Zhang Yue has an extraordinary future ahead of him; how can he be burdened by such an ill reputation?”

“Therefore, I hope Hall Master Lu will give him this face. I will announce to the public that it wasn't Brother Zhang Yue who actively left the Thunderfire Hall, but rather that the Thunderfire Hall was short-sighted, failed to recognize talent, and coveted the resources I offered, thus using Brother Zhang Yue as a bargaining chip to trade him to the Great Golden Crow Hall.”

“The Thunderfire Hall must not dispute this. That way, naturally, no one will speak ill of Brother Zhang Yue.”

“I wonder if Hall Master Lu is willing to show some respect and grant us this favor?”

How vicious!

Lu Ming pursed his lips tightly, rage rising in his heart. This Jiang Ling was truly overbearing and vicious. Not only did she want to take Zhang Yue away, but she also wanted to pour a bucket of filthy water over the Thunderfire Hall's head. One could imagine that the higher Zhang Yue's future achievements in the Great Golden Crow Hall, the filthier this water would become on the Thunderfire Hall.

Zhang Yue would keep his reputation clean, while their Thunderfire Hall's reputation would be completely ruined.

“Miss Jiang's actions are a bit too excessive!” Even the steady Lu Qingyan could not help but show his anger at this point.

Jiang Ling's eyes gradually turned cold as she swept her gaze around the room. “Excessive? It's not like I don't have other methods. For instance, if one day the Thunderfire Hall is destroyed and your entire family is wiped out, then with no Thunderfire Hall left, Brother Zhang Yue can still join the Great Golden Crow Hall without any burden.”

Her crisp voice carried a chilling coldness and indifference that made one's skin crawl.

Standing beside Lu Ming, Lu Mengmeng trembled in fear from the bone-chilling coldness in Jiang Ling's words.

Lu Ming quickly reached out to pat her trembling back to comfort her. In his lowered eyes, a cold, angry light also flashed.

This Jiang Ling had truly pushed bullying others with power to the absolute extreme. Just because she had a Divine Ability Grandmaster behind her, could she really be so unscrupulous?

“You!” Lu Jinglei roared, his face contorted in rage.

Lu Jin remained as silent as dead wood for a few breaths. Slowly standing up, he stopped Lu Jinglei's roaring. His aged face showed little emotion or anger as he simply nodded at Jiang Ling and said calmly, “As you wish.”

Only then did Jiang Ling reveal a satisfied smile. She laughed, whether in praise or mockery, “An elder in the house is like a treasure indeed.”

Then, with a flick of her finger, she sent an object flying onto the table beside Lu Jin. It was a perfectly round pill emitting a strange fragrance.

“This Upper-grade Bone Refining Pill shall serve as compensation for the resources your Thunderfire Hall spent.”

Lu Ming stared at the Bone Refining Pill. This was a cultivation pill needed during the Bone Refining Realm. Compared to the cultivation resources the Thunderfire Hall had poured into Zhang Yue, the gap was obviously vast.

Yet the noble lady of the Great Golden Crow Hall clearly did not care about such things. In her eyes, a Tier 3 Divine Ability Hall had no right to speak of fairness in front of her.

“Let's go, Brother Zhang Yue.”

Jiang Ling did not bother with the thoughts of the Thunderfire Hall's members. She turned her gaze to Zhang Yue, her voice softening.

Zhang Yue seemed to sigh with some regret, but his footsteps did not falter for a moment. He turned and walked away side-by-side with Jiang Ling.

As they departed, the atmosphere inside the meeting hall was so oppressive that it felt like solidified amber, gradually suffocating everyone.

But Jiang Ling clearly did not care.

Walking out of the Thunderfire Hall with Zhang Yue, a brilliant smile blossomed on her beautiful face. “Brother Zhang Yue, I've extracted you from this Thunderfire Hall beautifully just as you requested, and even kept your reputation intact.”

“Thank you so much. It's just that making a fairy-like figure like you play the villain truly fills me with guilt,” Zhang Yue said apologetically.

Jiang Ling smiled sweetly. “Brother Zhang Yue, your Divine Ability Bone is born with the ‘Golden Crow Pattern,’ which is a rare mutated Upper-grade bone. It is most suitable for our Great Golden Crow Hall's divine abilities. In the future, you are bound to have a shot at becoming a Grandmaster. For a future Divine Ability Grandmaster, what does it matter if I play the villain?”

“Then I shall accept your auspicious words.”

Zhang Yue smiled and nodded, then sighed as if talking to himself, “With my departure, I fear Hall Master Lu's dream of upgrading to a ‘Tier 4 Hall’ will be difficult to fulfill. I truly feel uneasy about this.”

Jiang Ling's eyes rippled with light. Clever as she was, she naturally understood the deeper meaning behind Zhang Yue's words. Instantly, gentle words escaped her red lips: “Rest assured, Brother Zhang Yue. It's just a tiny Thunderfire Hall. If they stay quietly in this Qingyuan Ward, that would naturally be best. But if they develop some foolish ambitions and try to offend your eyes, then our Great Golden Crow Hall wouldn't mind showing them the might of a Grandmaster.”

“Besides... upgrading to a Tier 4 Divine Ability Hall is not that easy, hehe. Among the other three Tier 3 Divine Ability Halls in Qingyuan Ward, one of them happens to be an affiliate of our Great Golden Crow Hall.” Saying this, she winked playfully at Zhang Yue, looking cute and charming, with not a trace of the arrogance and condescension she had displayed toward the Thunderfire Hall's members earlier.

Clearly, this noble lady of the Great Golden Crow Hall was highly skilled at tailoring her attitude to the person before her.

A satisfied smile flashed in the depths of Zhang Yue's eyes. He cupped his hands to Jiang Ling, then turned his head one last time to glance at the Thunderfire Hall's plaque, smiling faintly.

A Golden Crow does not dwell in a muddy pond.

For a tiny Thunderfire Hall to be able to provide him with several years of cultivation resources was already their good fortune.

At first, Zhang Yue didn't really want to use the Great Golden Crow Hall to suppress the Thunderfire Hall in exchange for his freedom. However, he truly could not be bothered to waste any more time in a Tier 3 Divine Ability Hall. After all, he knew very well that the Thunderfire Hall's foundation had already been completely drained dry by him over these years.

To him, the Thunderfire Hall no longer held any value.

Therefore, he could only let the Thunderfire Hall suffer a bit more.

At worst, once he became a Divine Ability Grandmaster in the future, he would bestow some opportunities and favors upon them, treating it as compensation for the slight grievances they had suffered.