Chapter 411: The Captain Takes You Flying

The Sakuman disciples below were all craning their necks to watch. The Rose squad had entered first, but since they slowed down, before even entering the dark cloud zone, all five were overtaken by Gule’s group. The Sakuman team knew very well that even Gule and his group couldn’t truly reach the very top "arena." So this contest was about endurance, not speed. Of course, no matter the criteria, given Rose’s showing, they were doomed to lose.

The storm clouds loomed low overhead, and after ascending about a few dozen steps, they were already in the thunderstorm zone veiled in thick clouds. Once the Rose squad stepped into that area, those below could no longer see what was happening inside.

The steps were rugged and uneven, scarred by lightning strikes, appearing broken and dilapidated. Some even had two or three consecutive steps shattered, revealing the dark, iron-like ground beneath, intertwined with the tangled roots of iron trees. The special material of these areas made them even more prone to attracting lightning. Even without active strikes, these iron roots crackled with currents, snaking arcs of electricity dancing across them, a spine-chilling sight.

Ah Xi had already taken a jolt when he stepped on them earlier, his hair standing straight up, his scalp buzzing from the shock.

Frankly, this level of current was quite shallow. A Tiger Peak expert could shrug this off with soul power alone. But this clearly wasn’t the main challenge of the first segment of the steps. The real danger here was the oppressive thunder energy filling the air.

Now deep in the storm clouds, with the naked eye, they could clearly see the natural currents flickering in the air. They crisscrossed unpredictably, occasionally colliding with a deafening boom, transforming into terrifying bolts of lightning that were drawn downward by the iron ground, slamming down like blades!

Even without collisions, these omnipresent currents passed through everyone’s bodies almost every second. A single current didn’t form a devastating lightning strike, but it carried strong paralyzing and electric properties, accumulating large amounts of charge on the body’s surface, turning you into a walking lightning rod, primed to blow.

Gule’s squad of five breezed through effortlessly. They had already cleared the first segment of steps when they first enrolled, let alone now.

On Old Wang Squad’s side, Kela, Winnie, Mapeier, and Old Wang were keeping pace. Though slightly slower than Gule’s team, they were still progressing smoothly.

Kela’s innate resistance to lightning was high, and the flickering currents in the air seemed to have little effect on her. She might as well have been rubber—untouchable—this level of current couldn’t penetrate her body, let alone accumulate, drawing surprised looks from Gule’s crew.

Winnie and Mapeier relied purely on skill. Both had incredibly refined control over their soul power, which could guide or dissipate the currents. Though the air’s currents continuously converged on them, their soul power circulation constantly repelled them, keeping themselves shock-free.

Old Wang used a similar method, expelling the currents with soul power, but he appeared even more relaxed than Winnie and Mapeier. After all, he was a true technical expert—when it came to soul power control, few Tiger Peak experts in the Nine Heavens Continent could match him. In the past, he lacked soul power, but now, with two Heavenly Soul Pearls providing an endless supply, he didn’t have to worry about depletion. His soul power cycled quickly, and without concern for efficiency, he naturally seemed more at ease.

But Ah Xi was in a sorry state… He was already about seven or eight steps behind the group. He’d gone full Tai Chi Tiger mode, but his body was still accumulating large amounts of current. He tried to mimic Old Wang’s method of repelling the currents with soul power, but the results were clearly lacking.

In terms of sheer soul power, Ah Xi in his Tai Chi Tiger state wasn’t inferior to Old Wang, Winnie, or the others. But when it came to fine control over soul power… that was truly not his forte. He was all brute force, no finesse.

"Ah Xi, go back," Old Wang suddenly spoke up.

"It’s fine, I feel—" Ah Xi’s words were still slurred, but it didn’t hinder his movements. He was still persisting—he didn’t want to be the first to turn back. That’d be humiliating.

But before he could finish—BOOM!

Two currents in the air collided, forming a lightning bolt that, as if drawn to the charge covering Ah Xi’s body, struck him squarely with a deafening crash.

The stench of burning instantly filled the air. When they looked at Ah Xi again, he had turned pitch-black, his hair standing in an explosive mess, reeking of burnt chicken wings.

Ah Xi stood there, stiff as a board, for two or three seconds. Then, the burnt bandage wrapped around his chin suddenly snapped, his jaw slackened, his mouth opened, and a puff of smoke drifted out—thoroughly roasted, crispy on the outside and tender inside.

This was equivalent to a full-force strike from a Tiger Peak Thunder Mage. The only reason Ah Xi could endure it was his formidable soul power foundation. Though he was already injured, he somehow still seemed to be holding on.

"I—I damn well!" The intense paralysis seemed to numb even the pain in his mouth. Ah Xi gaped and cursed, "That felt amazing!"

"Want another one?" Winnie scoffed at him. Talk about toughing it out—though, given his size, he was already packing extra padding.

Ah Xi shuddered. Another strike like that would be unbearable. Besides, his whole body was paralyzed now, and as he watched the others continue ascending without pause, the gap between him and the group—originally seven or eight steps—had now widened to twenty or thirty. The dark clouds above were so thick that soon, he could only vaguely make out their silhouettes.

"Go back," Old Wang’s voice came from above. "Wait for us at the mountainside!"

He could no longer see them, and with the currents already beginning to accumulate on his body again, Ah Xi didn’t persist this time. He could only shout in the direction of their vanished figures, "You guys go for it!"

Then, stiff-legged, he shuffled back down the steps.

......

The steps of the Thunder Path weren’t completely straight but slightly slanted, extending continuously to the left, winding upward around the thunderous mountain.

After walking about five or six hundred steps through the dark, cloud-covered staircase, they cleared the first leg.

Although it was only the first rotation, Mapeier was already starting to struggle by the end. The further they ascended, the denser the currents and thunder pressure became. The rate of electrical accumulation on her body grew increasingly rapid, and relying solely on Soul Power to repel it was proving insufficient. This was a trial meant for Thunder Mages—someone with no knowledge of thunder magic reaching this point purely through Soul Power was already impressive.

Winnie’s control over Soul Power wasn’t as refined as Mapeier’s, but she kept murmuring something under her breath, like a protective chant. A faint blue aura of soul energy formed over her body, clearly different from an ordinary soul shield—it actually absorbed some of the lightning. The Li family’s unorthodox techniques were truly something else.

Kela and Old Wang were still in good shape, leading the way at the front. Suddenly, it felt as though they had stepped out of the dark cloud layer and into a relatively bright platform.

It was an open space about a hundred square meters in size. Though traces of thunder energy could still be felt, it was noticeably weaker, similar to what they had experienced halfway up the mountain. This was likely the endpoint of the first rotation of the Thunder Path.

When Old Wang and Kela arrived, they saw that Gule and his team had already been resting there for some time. Spotting Wang Feng, Gule gave him a faint smile and a nod in greeting.

"Two actually made it up," Deputy Captain Akjin chuckled, only to see Winnie and Mapeier panting heavily as they followed shortly after.

"Four..." Akjin thought with contempt. As a member of Sakuman, he knew all too well how difficult it was for non-thunder practitioners to reach this point. Any one of these four was likely stronger than he could handle alone. What luck—what luck that they had chosen to take the Thunder Path. "Look at you all, exhausted like dogs. How many of you can even finish the second rotation?"

"Watch your damn mouth! You wanna die right here?" Winnie was still catching her breath. These cursed steps were frustrating enough without this idiot mocking them. "You think I won’t take you down right here?"

Akjin grinned. It was five against four now, and their opponents were gasping for air while his team was still in peak condition. Plus, they were on the Thunder Path, where the dense lightning amplified a Thunder Mage’s power by more than just a little. If a fight broke out... Though it wasn’t the perfect moment, he wouldn’t mind it at all. He raised an eyebrow, ready to fire back at Winnie, when a cold voice cut in.

"Akjin, shut up!" Gule said sharply. "How many times must I remind you? Respecting your opponents is respecting yourself."

"Yes, Captain..." Akjin smirked, exchanging a glance with Xijin and the others behind him before falling silent.

The captain’s authority still held weight. As Sakuman quieted down, Gule looked at Wang Feng and said coolly, "Wang Feng, remember what I said. Make sure your people save enough strength to walk back. Don’t push yourselves."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and called to his teammates, "Let’s go!"

The Sakuman team quickly vanished into the second stretch of dark steps. Winnie didn’t dwell on the earlier hostility, instead focusing on the booming thunder from the second rotation—already at least twice as intense as the first. Just the sound of it was enough to send chills down her spine.

"Old Wang, there’s no one around now. What’s your plan? Spit it out already so I know what to expect!" Winnie was at her limit. She doubted she could make it through the second rotation.

"Just walk up," Old Wang said with a grin. "We just need to go farther than Gule and his team."

"That’s your plan?" Winnie’s eyes widened. "I can’t do it! I’m struggling just thinking about the second rotation!"

"Not with this." With a casual wave, two flashes of white light appeared, and suddenly, two figures stood beside Old Wang.

They were...

Upon closer inspection, they weren’t real people but two humanoid golems. Their bodies and skin were nearly identical to a human’s—the only difference was their smooth, featureless faces.

"What manner of creation is this?"

"Alchemy Golems. My masterpiece!" Old Wang grinned. "Tempering through thunder on the Thunder Path is beneficial even without other opportunities—it strengthens resistance to witchcraft. That’s why I brought you up here. Just do your best. The second rotation likely marks the limit for non-Thunder Mages. If you can’t go on, just head back. Leave the win or loss to me. Like I said, today, your captain’s got your back!"

"Will this really work...?" Winnie was both shocked and delighted. She should’ve known Old Wang had a backup plan. Unable to resist, she reached out to touch one of the golems. Its skin was smooth and soft, just like a human’s—even dressed in clothes. If not for the blank face, she might’ve mistaken it for a real person.

She wasn’t the only one. Kela and Mapeier also curiously reached out to feel them. They weren’t unfamiliar with puppets, but ones with human-like skin? That was new. Weren’t puppets supposed to be made of hard, metallic materials?

But how would these two golems help them on the Thunder Path?

"Time waits for no one. Let’s move." Old Wang didn’t explain further. After summoning the golems, he immediately started up the second rotation’s steps. "Their purpose will become clear as we ascend."

Having rested enough, the group quickly followed.

The second rotation of the Thunder Path was noticeably more intense than before. The moment they stepped in, the atmospheric thunder pressure alone was twice as strong as below. The lightning was also far more aggressive and violent, as if the overall power had qualitatively transformed.

Mapeier had only taken three or four steps before her body was completely covered in crackling currents. Countless arcs of lightning crawled over her, impossible to disperse with Soul Power.

She dared not continue, stopping in place without a word so as not to distract Wang Feng’s concentration. She simply watched as Kela and Winnie, one after the other, followed Senior Brother Wang Feng further up the path.

Amidst the backdrop of the inky illusion, a faint soul-force tether could be seen connecting Old Wang to the two puppets. Any stray currents in the air that touched Old Wang were immediately diverted through the soul energy to the two puppets.

The two puppets clearly possessed extremely high lightning-resistant properties. Their special material was inherently a powerful lightning insulator, even surpassing Kela's lightning resistance. Moreover, with both puppets simultaneously conducting the energy, the lightning's intensity was further dispersed.

Winnie stopped after climbing another forty or fifty steps. By this point, her blue soul shield had gradually lost its defensive capability against the increasingly violent currents around her, becoming as good as nonexistent. Large amounts of electricity gathered on her body, and she was at constant risk of being struck and "detonated" by the accumulating lightning in the air.

Winnie had roughly estimated that once her body was fully charged with current, she could withstand at most one more strike. At this point, she had to turn back. If she continued upward, she couldn’t guarantee she’d survive a second hit and make it back to the platform to recover.

"Old Wang, Kela, I can’t go on! I’m heading down! Good luck!" she shouted. Ahead, Old Wang turned and waved at her with a grin, while Kela didn’t look back. Her supposedly "insulated" body was now visibly accumulating currents, and she had even been unlucky enough to take a direct hit earlier, sustaining minor injuries. She gritted her teeth, focusing entirely on using her soul energy to disperse the gathering electricity, too preoccupied to respond to Winnie.

The Old Wang Squad was down to just two members. Soon, they spotted Sakuman’s Carterdo retreating downward, looking covered in soot. Clearly, being a lightning witch didn’t guarantee safety here—the violent lightning strikes were indiscriminate, regardless of one’s affinity. His face blackened by soot and body still smoking indicated he’d taken a heavy hit. For a core member of Sakuman to fail to complete even the second rotation of the Thunderous Path was downright embarrassing.

As they passed each other, Carterdo caught sight of the two puppets accompanying Wang Feng and looked puzzled, not understanding but impressed. But he only spared them a brief glance—having chosen to retreat, his remaining stamina was too low to linger on the path.

By now, Kela had begun to grasp some of the rules of the thunder zone. Hunching over or crawling wouldn’t reduce the chances of lightning passing through her—it only made her less agile. She avoided damaged sections of the steps; the entire Thunder Mountain was laced with ironwood that attracted lightning, including its roots underground. The steps themselves provided some protection, partially insulating against the lightning’s pull. Exposed areas where the steps had been struck were the most vulnerable to attacks.

Another rule was to avoid lightning focal points. The lightning formed by colliding currents in the air wasn’t particularly strong—what was truly terrifying were the spots where electricity accumulated without release. Once accumulated to a certain degree, they would unleash colossal thunder strikes, leaving no room to dodge within their range.

This was Kela’s biggest headache. While her witchcraft insulation granted her strong lightning resistance, it also dulled her sensitivity to these convergence points. If not for Old Wang’s warnings, she might have stumbled straight into a deadly thunder zone.

With about two hundred steps left in the second rotation, the end was faintly visible. But Kela couldn’t go further. Despite her resistance, without the ability to sense convergence points in advance, descending safely would become nearly impossible if she pushed on.

"Head down, Kela," Old Wang said. "Going further isn’t training anymore—it’s gambling with your life."

Panting heavily, Kela stopped. She’d realized this over a dozen steps ago, but she was worried about Old Wang—not his ability to traverse the Thunderous Path, but the four Sakuman enemies still ahead. She feared they might resort to dirty tricks or outright ambush him mid-path. While Gule seemed honorable, appearances could be deceiving. If Sakuman was willing to exploit the Thunderous Path, who knew what else they might do? If she stayed by the captain’s side, at least she could watch his back.

"I’ll be fine!" she insisted stubbornly, trying to press onward, but Old Wang held her back.

"Trust me," he said with a smile. "If I dared come up here, I’m confident I can make it back alive. Just wait for me at the halfway point."

Kela hesitated. "But—"

Old Wang waved her off, not even waiting for her to finish. "Go back. I’m moving ahead!"

With that, Wang Feng suddenly strode forward, taking two steps at a time as if climbing the most ordinary staircase. The surrounding currents and thunder pressure had no effect on him, and even the thunder zones that had terrified Kela earlier were traversed as if strolling on level ground.

This speed…

Only then did Kela realize Old Wang had been slowing down for her all along, patiently keeping pace. And here she’d thought she was helping him—instead, she’d been weighing the captain down.

With a wry laugh, Kela raised her fist and shouted upward, "Go for it, Captain!"

The remaining two hundred steps of the second rotation would’ve taken twenty or thirty minutes at Kela’s pace, but Old Wang alone covered the distance in mere minutes.

At the top was another vast platform. Expecting Sakuman to have long since advanced further, he was surprised to find—aside from Gule—the other three still waiting there.

Hankler looked particularly worse for wear, his body charred from heavy strikes. He seemed to have taken a potion and was now meditating, channeling soul energy as faint lightning flickered across him—not just recovering, but tempering the lightning energy harvested from the zone to advance his cultivation.

As Wang Feng ascended with his two puppets, Deputy Captain Akjin, who had been resting, and the other three, including Hankler, all stood up. Akjin smirked and asked, "Where’s your team? Did they all give up?"

"Didn’t yours?" Old Wang chuckled. "Otherwise, why aren’t you moving forward? Oof, you all look pretty beat up."