CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: WHEN I STEP DOWN, YOU WILL BE THE HEAD OF THUNDER SECT_1

Alright, fine. In truth, I wasn’t just here for a casual visit. I just happened to overhear Ji Jinglei. In fact, Ji Yan had already been crouched in the Wind and Thunder Tower, spying for a good while now. He was simply too embarrassed to show his face at first.

And why was that? Because of those good-for-nothing sons of his, of course. My word! He, the esteemed Head of the Thunder Sect, a Great Ability of the Emergence Stage, had emphatically promised to arrange the very best teacher for Wang Xiu. And what was the result? The intended mentor was Ji Ba, a peak Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. But he was mysteriously replaced by Ji Jinglei, who was merely at the first layer of the Core Formation Stage. The promised quality had been discounted to rock bottom.

The sheer shame of it! Even with his years of cultivation, Ji Yan could feel his old face burning with embarrassment. He was mortified! If word got out that he had let Ji Jinglei teach Thunder Techniques to repay a favor, his own favors would probably become worthless on the market.

At the time, Ji Yan had been furious. He sent a message directly to Ji Ba, only to have the blame passed down from one person to the next, until it finally landed on Ji Jinglei. Hmph. What could he even say? It left him completely speechless. There’s safety in numbers, as they say, and his damned rascals were getting far too skilled at exploiting that.

Letting Ji Jinglei teach Thunder Techniques was out of the question, not unless the Thunder Sect wanted a reputation as tarnished as the Divination Sect’s. However, the timing of his intervention was something that required careful consideration. If he showed up right away, he honestly wouldn’t know where to put his old face when he saw Wang Xiu.

So, Ji Yan decided to remain hidden and observe for a while. If he noticed the two youngsters running into any trouble while practicing the basic Thunder Techniques, he would make his move. At that point, he could descend like a hero, rescue them from their predicament, and smoothly resolve the whole embarrassing situation. Yes, that was his plan.

However, what did he end up seeing? He saw his own youngest son, whose cultivation level was so mediocre, acting so incredibly self-confident. The boy... he even dared to act as a master, teaching Wang Xiu the Thunder Talisman Sword Technique! Heh. The Thunder Talisman Sword Technique was a superior-grade legacy. Even a Perfected Person at the Golden Core Stage wouldn’t dare teach such an advanced technique casually, as losing control of the situation could easily lead to a fatality.

That disgraceful son! A mere first-layer Core Formation cultivator, daring to teach a superior Thunder Technique to someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage! Where did they get such nerve? For a moment, Ji Yan, hidden in the void, was so incensed he almost laughed. He made up his mind. The instant Wang Xiu showed the slightest sign of trouble practicing the Thunder Talisman Sword Technique, he would appear and give them a tongue-lashing they would never forget. Especially Ji Jinglei, that little bastard! If he didn’t flog him with the Thunder Whip until his own mother wouldn’t recognize him, then he’d have failed as a father!

But once again, the situation developed in a way that defied his expectations. One of them dared to teach, and the other dared to learn—and those two little brats actually succeeded in mastering the Thunder Talisman Sword Technique. It was so outrageous it was like outrageousness itself had kicked down the door and moved in. Even novels wouldn’t dare to write a plot like this!

But that wasn’t even the most outrageous part. What was even more insane was that after teaching the Thunder Talisman Sword Technique, that scoundrel Ji Jinglei dared to keep going! The Wind-Thunder Talisman Sword Art! The Thunderclap Exorcism Spell! The Flickering Lightning Steps! Every single one was a superior Thunder Technique, as dangerous as it was powerful. A single mistake in cultivation could lead to one’s body exploding. Only an expert like Ji Yan, a Great Ability of the Emergence Stage whose skill gave him courage, would dare to continue watching from the shadows. Any other Venerable at the Nascent Soul Stage would have broken out in a cold sweat seeing them fool around like this. This wasn’t just courting death; it was madness!

And yet, that still wasn’t the most ridiculous part. The truly unbelievable thing was that Ji Jinglei actually managed to teach Wang Xiu every single one of these superior Thunder Techniques. No, that wasn’t right. It would be inaccurate to say his son had taught Wang Xiu; Ji Yan knew perfectly well what his own son was capable of. This was entirely due to that boy Wang Xiu’s monstrous talent. He was essentially teaching himself these superior Thunder Techniques through sheer innate ability, and what’s more, he was subtly guiding Ji Jinglei and giving him a boost in the process!

Alas... He had intended to repay the favor his daughter owed by teaching Wang Xiu Thunder Techniques. But now, not only was that favor still outstanding, but his foolish son now owed the boy a favor as well. His children were going to be the death of him!

Still, even though Ji Jinglei had infuriated him, this wasn’t all bad news. The good news was that Wang Xiu’s talent far, far exceeded his expectations. After all, learning quickly under the tutelage of a Nascent Soul Stage Venerable or an Emergence Stage Great Ability was normal; there was nothing special about that. But to learn Thunder Techniques from a complete amateur and still progress so quickly and effectively? What did that imply? It meant that Wang Xiu was an absolute, once-in-a-generation prodigy at cultivating thunder-elemental Spells. He crushed other geniuses of his generation. Even if you placed him in the Thunder Sect during its peak nine hundred years ago, no one would have been his equal.

If he could just poach that boy from Spirit Turtle Peak and bring him to Thunderclap Peak... it would be an incredible gain for the Thunder Sect. He might even be the key to leading the Thunder Sect back to its former glory! Heh heh heh... As for Luo Binglan’s threats? Hah. Disciples were free to choose their branch; that was a Sect rule. No matter how brazen Luo Binglan was, she was still only one person. At worst, she could charge up Thunderclap Peak and give him another beating. And then what? If the thousands of disciples of the Thunder Sect swarmed her, could she really slaughter them all?

Just as Ji Yan, still lurking in the shadows, was contemplating what bait to use to lure Wang Xiu over, that smart-aleck son of his started trying to sell off his own sister. Ji Yan knew he had to show himself. If he didn’t, who knew what other nonsense that fool would come up with. He truly did want to recruit Wang Xiu. But he would absolutely not use his daughter’s happiness as a bargaining chip! Even if they were to get together, it would have to be after the boy had left the Divination Sect and was ready to build an honest life with Xiao Jiu. And even then, Ji Yan would put him through numerous trials before reluctantly giving his consent. The idea that he, Ji Yan, would use his own daughter as a chip to entice Wang Xiu? Not a chance!

...

"Dad!"

Seeing Ji Yan appear out of nowhere, Ji Jinglei instinctively flinched.

"Don’t call me ’Dad.’ I’m not your—"

"Bah!" Ji Yan cut himself off with a cold snort. "I have no such disgraceful son! Do you have any idea what your own level is? How dare you teach someone superior Thunder Techniques on your own initiative? Do you have a death wish?"

Who does he think he’s looking down on? A surge of indignation rushed to Ji Jinglei’s head, and he couldn’t help but talk back. "But I successfully taught Junior Brother Wang Xiu! And it only took two days!"

"Dad," he continued, "when you taught us Thunder Techniques, it took most of us more than half a month just to get the basics down. So from that perspective..."

Ji Yan said impassively, "From that perspective, what?"

Killing intent!

Ji Jinglei flinched again, forcing a dry laugh. "Nothing, nothing at all."

This old geezer! His own teaching is terrible, but he can’t stand anyone pointing it out. He’d rather ruin his students than lose face.

CRACKLE!

As if sensing his foolish son’s silent, indignant complaints, Ji Yan flicked his fingers into a spell sign. A bolt of lightning instantly shot down and struck Ji Jinglei.

ZAP!

The young man in silver robes instantly became a young man in blackened tatters. His hair stood on end as he coughed out puffs of black smoke. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed, unconscious.

...

"Now that the distraction has been dealt with," Ji Yan said, retracting his spell. He turned to Wang Xiu, his voice full of detached arrogance. "Your talent is impressive, young man. You are highly suited for learning the Thunder Technique. I shall make an exception and grant you an opportunity.

"Leave the Divination Sect and join Thunderclap Peak.

"I can accept you as my Closed-door Disciple and teach you everything I have mastered in my life. After I step down, you will be the new Head of Thunderclap Peak.

"What do you say?"