Chapter 81: Trail of Elemental Conquest
ZZZZZZRRAK!
Lightning raged.
It tore across the battlefield like a beast unchained—blinding, chaotic, divine. At its heart was Lei Feng, a streak of blue fury that blurred through the storm like a phantom born of thunder itself.
His blue eyes gleamed beneath the static-filled air, twin vortices of stormlight. Lightning flickered through his irises, matching the crackle of power that coiled around his limbs. His sword blinked in and out of sight, reappearing only when necessary—each swing swift, decisive, and fatal.
"Lightning Slash!"
His voice rang like a war cry. A crackle. A flash. His blade cleaved clean through the neck of a hulking golem, severing its head in one seamless motion. Sparks erupted from the monster's stone body before it crumbled with a groan of fractured earth.
Before the dust could even fall, Lei Feng vanished.
"Lightning Flash!"
In a burst of raw voltage, he reappeared behind another target—a monstrous, muscular creature of stone and jagged teeth. The creature turned, but too late. A brilliant streak of blue carved through its spine, silencing it instantly.
Lei Feng's approach was tactical—ruthless yet calculated. He relied only on his lower-tier lightning techniques and swift swordsmanship: Lightning Flash for movement, Lightning Slash for execution. These were his lower-profile techniques, masked beneath a stormborn edge, enough to dominate without revealing the deeper mysteries of his class. If anyone was watching—and Lei Feng was sure someone was—he wasn't about to flaunt his true strength. Not yet.
ZZZAAAAAK—CRAAAACK!!!
His blade carved a crescent of blinding energy. The arc shimmered like the scythe of a vengeful god. Two stone golems fell—split cleanly down the center. Their bodies sizzled, glowing from within as if fire had bloomed in their cores, before falling silently to the ground, still twitching as smoke curled from their charred remains.
Then—silence.
Lei Feng reappeared in the far distance, standing on a ridge of crumbling rock. The wind howled around him, flicking strands of his dark hair across his sharp gaze. His lips curved into a smile of thrill and control.
"Just five more to go," he murmured, eyes scanning the field.
Below, the battlefield had become a graveyard. Splintered limbs of rock and burning cores littered the jagged plains. The air smelled of scorched stone and ozone, thick with tension. The final five earth avatars emerged, eyes glowing with that same programmed frenzy. Surrounded by their fallen kin, they charged forward, not a single trace of hesitation in their expressionless faces.
Their movements were mechanical, desperate. Not driven by instinct... but by programming. They were constructs—avatars of elemental wrath built to test, not to survive.
Lei Feng raised his sword, and lightning surged up his arm like a living serpent, coiling and crackling with anticipation.
[Title: Stormborne Activated]
Resistance to lightning and wind damage increased by 50%.
Passive intimidation aura of storm active.
All skill effectiveness increased by 20%.
The storm responded to his will.
BOOOOM!!!
With a thunderclap, he vanished, leaving only a scorch mark behind. Lightning Slash tore through the air like divine judgment. Five arcs. Five flashes. Each one blurred past the enemies like a phantom of light.
KRAAA-KOOOOM!!!
The air split with violent force, as if the heavens themselves had cracked. Silence fell once again—eerily still. Then...
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
One by one, the five avatars collapsed. Each one cleaved clean in half, their bodies falling apart like broken dolls. Their expressions twisted—not in pain, but confusion. They died without ever understanding how or when they were struck.
Lei Feng clicked his sword back into place, the hilt locking with a satisfying snap. He stood tall, expression serene, surrounded by the chaos he had just unleashed.
---
Elsewhere...
Deep within the Awakeners Association, inside a monitoring room layered in glowing runes and flickering screens, Leo stared at the display in open disbelief.
His mouth hung slightly ajar. "T-This... This isn't a battle," he muttered, voice low. "It's an execution."
Golden eyes narrowed as he studied the feed. "That's pure lightning control... Precise, efficient, refined. He's not just strong—he's terrifyingly efficient."
He began flipping through the data on the tablet in his hand. "From the records, he was a discarded commoner. Abandoned by the Ling Family with zero high-grade training. So how—how did he even obtain those skills?"
Leo's expression darkened.
"Unless... he has a master." His mind raced. "Someone who forged those skills for him. Someone... powerful. Dangerous."
He tapped the screen. A new prompt appeared.
> [Subject is suspected to have a powerful backer. Proceed with caution.]
---
Back on the battlefield, the storm faded.
Lei Feng stood at the edge of a crumbling cliff as the environment began to break down. The scorched plain dissolved, and the stone corpses of the avatars fragmented into embers—tiny, glimmering sparks that drifted upward like fireflies and vanished into the sky.
It was as if reality itself unraveled.
"One minute..." he said to himself, exhaling calmly. "I still have fourteen more to go."
Suddenly, space itself rippled.
Cracks formed across the battlefield like shattered glass. Then—
SHHHHHHHHHHHK!
The world fractured.
The rocky plains shattered, giving way to a vast glacial domain. Towering ice mountains loomed in every direction like frozen titans, their jagged peaks stabbing into the gray sky. A glacial plain stretched before him—flat, cracked with veins of blue frost. Jagged spears of ice rose from the ground like natural barricades. Above, snow fell softly, brushing against his hoodie, while the howling wind carried flakes like razors.
The temperature dropped sharply. Lei Feng inhaled deeply, and white mist billowed from his mouth.
He stood at the frozen heart of the landscape, his breath steady, his eyes narrowed.
Then a familiar voice echoed.
"Welcome to the Glacial Forge, where the second wave of attack will begin," a calm AI voice intoned, crisp and clear—Synthia.
"Synthia?" Lei Feng raised an eyebrow.
> "To pass, you must survive five waves. Each wave introduces a new elemental avatar. Fail even one… and the exam ends."
A countdown appeared before him, numbers glowing in pale blue:
10... 9... 8...
Lei Feng took position, gripping his blade tightly. His boots dug into the frost-bitten ground.
"Let's see what's next."
---
SWOOOOOOOSH!!!
The wind howled.
It swept across the battlefield like a hurricane—ice shards and snow crashing through the air. Visibility dropped to near-zero.
"What the hell—?!"
Lei Feng shielded his face with both arms, barely holding his stance.
SLIIIIIICK!
A thin piece of ice sliced across his hand—drawing blood. Then another. And another. Razor-sharp flakes pierced the air like blades, stinging every inch of exposed skin.
He grit his teeth and endured the onslaught.
And then—
Silence.
The wind stopped. The air was still, but in its place a dense mist rolled in, curling around the landscape like creeping fog.
Lei Feng exhaled.
"Of course... a cinematic entrance," he muttered. "That dramatic wind just ate two minutes of my time."
He stepped forward, cautious. The mist clung to him, chilling his bones. Then—thud. Thud. THUD.
Footsteps. Heavy. Rhythmic. Ominous.
Through the mist, three towering silhouettes emerged. As the fog cleared, their full forms revealed:
Ice Giants.
They stood like mountains—hulking forms of sculpted ice and ancient power. Their skin shimmered with runic carvings, glowing faintly beneath the frost. On their broad shoulders sat smaller, nimble figures.
Seven of them.
Petite. Feminine. Pale-blue skin. Elongated ears. Slender bows made of frozen mana. Quivers of glowing ice arrows slung across their backs. Their eyes were predatory, glowing with cold intent.
Lei Feng's gaze narrowed.
"Goblin Archers?" he muttered.
No... Not quite.
These weren't just goblins. Their features were too graceful, too sharp. Their bodies radiated elegance, not filth. Their expressions were calm—refined, even—yet cruel.
"Frost Goblins," Lei Feng named them. "Yeah... let's go with that."
Three Ice Giants. Seven Frost Goblins.
He tensed, raising his sword. "It's just like before. Time to—"
CRUNCH.
The snow shifted.
New figures rose from the white. Ten of them. Round, stubby forms with stick arms, wide grins—and glowing blue eyes.
"What... the actual hell?" Lei Feng muttered.
Snowmen.
Deadly snowmen.
They shimmered with icy mana, each holding short, curved daggers of enchanted ice. The blades pulsed like fangs eager for flesh.
He had no time to think.
They attacked.
"Looks like they're done playing nice. Let's see how serious this test gets."
With a defiant grin, Lei Feng surged forward, lightning already dancing across his body.