CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33 DRAGONHIDE DESTINY, SON OF FORTUNE JI JINGLEI (SECOND UPDATE)_1

Today, the wind in Heavenly Tribulation Valley blew with a desolate chill.

"You, you wait a moment."

Looking at the junior brother before him who claimed to be a disciple of the Divination Sect, Ji Jinglei couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his brow.

Rumor had it that Spirit Turtle Peak was an inauspicious place, cursed by the Heavenly Dao. Anyone associated with the Divination Sect was doomed to suffer misfortune and a bloody calamity. But Brother Eighty-eight promised me this was a simple task! Just teaching the basics of Thunder Techniques to a new junior sister from Thunderclap Peak? How did it get tangled up with the accursed Divination Sect?

At this thought, Ji Jinglei, his face a mask of sorrow and indignation, immediately dialed Ji Eighty-eight’s communication number.

After Ji Eighty-eight understood the situation, his expression instantly twisted into one of equal sorrow and indignation.

"Well, isn’t this just great?" he whined. "I knew something was off! So it’s connected to Spirit Turtle Peak. No wonder Brother Eighty-one pawned this task off on me!"

"That bastard! He screwed me over!"

"Ninety-eighth Brother, don’t you feel wronged. I had no idea about this, so it has nothing to do with me!"

"You just wait!"

"I’ll go find Brother Eighty-one and demand justice for you!"

...

"HISS..."

I knew something was off! So it’s connected to Spirit Turtle Peak. No wonder Brother Seventy-four passed this task on to me! That bastard! He screwed me over! Eighty-eighth Brother, don’t you feel wronged. I had no idea about this either; it has nothing to do with me! You just wait! I’ll go find Brother Seventy-four and demand justice for you!

...

...

...

「In the Devil Wolf Valley.」

A young man clad in a Qilin Robe watched the communication token at his waist vibrate frantically. His pupils constricted. He immediately formed a spell seal, setting the token to an unreachable status and automatically disconnecting all incoming calls.

The world was finally quiet.

...

"Brother Twenty-one, Brother Eight’s communication token is unreachable. He might have met with a mishap."

"But I heard him say that Dad gave him this task, so... you might have to see it through."

"After all, you’re the one who took the biggest cut of the money Brother Eight handed out."

"If you try to pass the buck, Dad will probably beat you, and Brother Eight might beat you too."

"I have to go!"

"The demon I was lying in wait for has appeared. This is a battle of life and death, so I can’t be distracted. Your brother is signing off."

...

"Brother Thirty-six, Brother Thirteen’s communication token is unreachable. He might have met with a mishap."

"But I heard him say that Dad gave him this task, so... you might have to see it through."

"After all, you’re the one who took the biggest cut of the money Brother Eight handed out."

"If you try to pass the buck, Dad will probably beat you, Brother Eight might beat you, and Brother Thirteen might beat you as well."

"I have to go!"

"The demon I was lying in wait for has appeared. This is a battle with slim chances of survival, so I can’t be distracted. Your brother is signing off."

...

...

...

"You bastards," Ji Jinglei muttered, "this is just too much."

Looking at the series of dimmed portraits on his communication token, his face fell, as if he were grieving for over a dozen deceased brothers.

Wait, that’s not right! If a dozen of my brothers actually died, why would I feel sad? That should be a cause for celebration! I only got 1,000 Spirit Stones! Just 1,000! And for that, you want me to teach some jinx from Spirit Turtle Peak the Thunder Techniques until he masters them? How is that something I can get done in a few days? And you won’t even let me throw in the towel, saying I pocketed the biggest share of Brother Eight’s money. If I quit, a dozen of my brothers and my old man will all gang up to beat me? They’ll beat me until I’m screaming for mercy. SOB, SOB... doing tens of thousands of Spirit Stones’ worth of work for a mere thousand. My life is so hard!

After a while, having explained the general situation, Ji Jinglei said helplessly, "Junior Brother Wang Xiu, that’s pretty much it. My dad and all those brothers of mine have gone radio silent."

A small smile played on Wang Xiu’s lips. He didn’t feel the slightest bit upset; in fact, he almost wanted to laugh.

So the ’best teacher’ I had envisioned turned out to be a half-baked Core Formation Stage senior brother. It actually doesn’t affect me much. All of Thunderclap Peak’s inherited Thunder Techniques are right here in this Wind and Thunder Tower. With or without a guide, I can study and master them on my own. Ji Yan, on the other hand... He promised to arrange the ’best teacher’ for me, only to be played by his own sons, ending up with Ji Jinglei by a twist of fate. I wonder if Ji Yan will blush when he finds out. The thought alone is exciting! After all, people who get angry from embarrassment easily lose control of their emotions. It’ll be that much easier to bait him into making some boasts.

"It’s no trouble at all," Wang Xiu said with a broad smile. "To learn Thunder Techniques from Senior Brother Jinglei is my greatest honor."

"I have long heard that Senior Brother Jinglei of Thunderclap Peak is a man of peerless style and magnificent bearing, a once-in-a-century cultivation prodigy of the Thunder Sect."

"Now that I’ve met you, I finally understand that seeing you in person is far better than merely hearing of your reputation."

"As a disciple from Spirit Turtle Peak, I know a thing or two about physiognomy."

"Senior Brother Jinglei, your features are truly extraordinary. Your brow is broad and square, a sign of great presence, and your life-lines converge into the shape of a dragon. This is the supremely noble Dragonhide Destiny! Its nobility is beyond words, simply beyond words!"

Ji Jinglei stared, taken aback. "Are you... serious?" he asked faintly.

"Of course," Wang Xiu said earnestly. "A poem attests to it: ’A golden-scaled fish is no creature of the pond; upon meeting wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon.’"

"Senior Brother, you may be facing some setbacks now, but don’t be discouraged or pessimistic. Just as a snake sheds its skin to become a flood dragon and a fish leaps a gate to become a true dragon, how can one see a rainbow without first weathering the storm?"

"Believe me, Senior Brother Jinglei."

"You are a chosen one of this era, the future protagonist of all Nanzhou, and perhaps even the entire Cultivation World! The great responsibility of slaying demons, exorcising evil, and maintaining world peace rests upon your shoulders!"

"However," he added, leaning in conspiratorially, "the nature of one’s destiny is a heavenly secret. And as they say, heavenly secrets must not be revealed. You must keep the matter of your Dragonhide Destiny a closely guarded secret. Do not speak of it, or you risk provoking the backlash of fate."

"Not only would the hidden dragon fail to ascend, but it would face the peril of being trapped in shallow waters."

Junior Brother Wang Xiu!

Gazing at Wang Xiu’s sincere, earnest face, Ji Jinglei felt tears welling up in his eyes.

Prejudice! Utter prejudice! The rumors other branches spread about the Divination Sect are nothing but blatant, ugly prejudice! Who says their divinations are inaccurate? This face-reading... isn’t it spot-on? And they even slander them, saying contact with the Divination Sect will bring a bloody calamity? If it weren’t for Junior Brother Wang Xiu’s reminder, I would never have known just how vital I am to maintaining world peace!

"Rest assured, Junior Brother!" Ji Jinglei thumped his chest. "I’ll keep my lips sealed about the Dragonhide Destiny. I won’t breathe a word to anyone."

"Although I am still in my ’dormant dragon’ phase, I have indeed mastered all the fundamental Thunder Techniques of the Thunder Sect."

"Guiding you in the cultivation of these basic techniques will be no problem at all."

With that, Ji Jinglei formed a spell seal. A Void Vortex immediately materialized on the wall of the Wind and Thunder Tower. A Jade Slip flew out from the vortex and landed gently in Wang Xiu’s hands.

"Junior Brother," Ji Jinglei said, "the most fundamental of our Thunder Sect’s Spells is this Palm Thunder Technique. It allows you to convert your own mana into the power of thunder and condense it in your palm."

"When you encounter demons or ghosts, you simply hurl the Thunder Ball from your palm to inflict explosive damage."

"It sounds simple," he cautioned, "but do not take it lightly, Junior Brother. The power of thunder is extremely volatile."

"A novice practicing the Palm Thunder Technique without the guidance of a master can easily lose control of their mana, causing the thunderforce to run rampant."

"At that point, you will harm yourself long before you can ever harm an enemy."