The moment Aladdin stepped into the cave, he didn't allow himself the luxury of rest. His body was battered, his strength nearly depleted—but he moved with purpose.
Without hesitation, he pulled out a small, glowing pill from his spatial ring. The Phoenix Ash Pill—a life-saving gift from Old Bao, meant for moments exactly like this.
He placed it in his mouth and swallowed.
Almost immediately, a wave of searing heat coursed through his veins. His body felt as if it were igniting from the inside out. The Phoenix Ash Pill, refined from the ashes of powerful fire-type spirit beasts, was known for its violent yet effective healing.
Aladdin clenched his teeth and endured.
And then, slowly, the flames within became warmth. His torn flesh began knitting back together. The chaotic flow of energy in his meridians stabilized. Strength returned to his limbs, and clarity to his mind.
He remained inside the cave for the next ten days, in complete seclusion. Time passed in silence, marked only by the rhythm of his breathing and the soft hum of recovering energy.
On the tenth day, Aladdin finally opened his eyes. They were sharp and calm—eyes of someone reborn.
His strength had returned. His internal and external injuries were nearly fully healed.
With steady hands, he retrieved the Thunderheart Pod Fruit from his spatial ring and studied it closely. Its electric-blue surface glowed faintly with condensed thunder essence, crackling softly in his palm.
A small smile touched his lips.
"This… this is it."
His Dragon Fang Fist had always felt incomplete. Powerful, yes—but lacking the elemental force it was meant to wield. Until now, he had only cultivated the wind attribute. But with this fruit, everything would change.
The Thunderheart Pod Fruit would open the path to thunder attribute cultivation—perfectly complementing his fighting style, enhancing his speed, and more importantly, completing the Dragon Fang Fist into its true, deadly form.
It would also prepare his body for future lightning tribulations—those terrifying trials that came with breaking into higher realms.
Aladdin took a deep breath, eyes fixed on the Thunderheart Pod Fruit in his palm. The electric-blue fruit pulsed softly, as though it were alive—lightning flickering beneath its skin, the essence of thunder waiting to be unleashed.
Without hesitation, he placed it in his mouth. The moment his teeth sank into it, a jolt of raw energy exploded through his body. Lightning surged along his meridians like a rampaging storm, burning, tearing, cleansing.
He gritted his teeth, veins bulging, eyes bloodshot.
The fruit's condensed thunder essence didn't simply merge—it invaded. It clashed against his wind-aligned spiritual foundation, a chaotic fusion of elements battling for dominance. His body convulsed as arcs of electricity danced across his skin, scorching the walls of the cave. Sparks burst from his pores, illuminating the space with flashes of violent light.
Day after day, Aladdin remained seated, cross-legged in absolute stillness, as the storm raged inside him.
Ten days passed before the thunder essence stopped tearing at him. By then, his meridians had adapted, stretched to accommodate the duality of wind and thunder. His internal foundation was being reshaped, reforged like a blade in a forge of lightning.
On the thirteenth day, something shifted. The Dragon Fang Fist began to react—his essence flowed more smoothly, faster, fiercer. The technique, once stunted by elemental incompatibility, now pulsed with life. The thrum of thunder synchronized with his heartbeat. It was no longer just a fist—it was a strike born of storm.
By the eighteenth day, he began to feel weightless. His speed enhanced, his reflexes sharpened. Lightning no longer felt foreign—it had become a part of him.
And on the twentieth day, Aladdin opened his eyes.
They glowed faintly with residual lightning. His aura was quiet, but it crackled beneath the surface like a dormant storm. He exhaled slowly, and for the first time since arriving on the Xuanlan Continent, he felt whole.
The Thunderheart Pod Fruit had not only completed his Dragon Fang Fist—it had transformed him.
He stood up.
It was time to leave the cave. Time to leave Kunlun Mountain.
And time to step into the world as something far more dangerous than before.
But before leaving Kunlun Mountain for good, there was one final task Aladdin had to complete—he needed to report the mission to Old Bao.
Just as he had planned, a full month remained before the end of his allotted time. But now, with the Thunderheart Pod Fruit having drastically enhanced his speed, the return journey would take far less.
Without delay, Aladdin set out from the heart of Arkania Valley—the treacherous land of endless thunder, lightning, and darkness. His movements were swift, fluid, and unhindered. He no longer needed to tread carefully; he had become a storm in human form, surging forward with every step.
Days passed.
The oppressive gloom of the valley gradually gave way to the dim light of the periphery. The air was lighter here, the ground no longer scorched by constant strikes of lightning. Aladdin paused at the edge, glancing back one last time.
That place, that hellish crucible, had changed him forever.
He wouldn't forget it.
Just as Aladdin prepared to continue his journey, his spiritual senses flared. Roughly two kilometers to the east—his intended route back to Old Bao—a battle was underway.
But it wasn't between beasts.
The clash of essence and the rhythm of the strikes told him clearly: cultivators.
Curiosity piqued, and since it lay directly on his path, Aladdin darted toward the disturbance. With his enhanced speed, it took him less than a minute to arrive at the scene.
What he found was a tense standoff.
Two young cultivators stood back-to-back, clearly outnumbered and breathing heavily. Their uniforms were sky-blue, adorned with a coiled dragon insignia—members of the Azure Spirit Sect.
Facing them was a group of five, each clad in black, the emblem of a serpentine dragon blazing across their chests—disciples of the Blackscale Thunder Sect.
At the head stood a tall, cold-eyed youth. His voice rang out with disdain.
"Wei Rongxian… Sui Meiran," he sneered, his tone mocking. "Just hand over your spoils peacefully. Your precious senior sister Xiao Mei isn't here to save you now. Do the smart thing—hand them over. Or don't blame us for what happens next."
The boy, Wei Rongxian, clenched his fists, sweat trickling down his temple. His voice, though firm, carried a hint of desperation. "Long Tianyu, don't be unreasonable. We fought for those resources. We're not handing them over."
Beside him, Sui Meiran tugged at his sleeve, her expression anxious. "Senior Brother Rongxian, let's just give it to them. We're not their match…"
The group in black closed in, grins spreading across their faces.
And from the shadows, Aladdin watched, silent. Observing.
Both Wei Rongxian and Sui Meiran were early-stage Martial Masters, their auras firm but clearly strained. Long Tianyu and two of his fellow Blackscale Thunder Sect disciples were also early-stage Martial Masters, but the remaining two behind them—silent, sharp-eyed—were at the peak of the Martial Adept realm.
The advantage was obvious, and so was the threat.
Long Tianyu sneered, arms crossed as if this situation bored him. "We're not in Dragon Gate City anymore. Your senior sister Xiao Mei went off to the heart of Arkania Valley, didn't she? And your masters aren't here either. So why act stubborn when you're clearly outnumbered?"
Duan Wuji, one of the other Martial Masters in black, cracked his knuckles and stepped forward with a cruel grin. "Brother Tianyu, why waste breath on these weaklings? Let's just beat them down and take the spoils."
Long Tianyu's gaze sharpened, voice cold and final. "This is your last chance. Hand them over… or die."
Wei Rongxian clenched his jaw, fury burning behind his eyes. But he wasn't a fool. He knew full well they couldn't win this fight—not while protecting Meiran. If it were only him, perhaps he'd take the gamble. But she stood beside him, biting her lip, trying to stay composed.
He couldn't risk her safety.
"Fine," Wei Rongxian said bitterly, voice low. He reached into his spatial ring and slowly retrieved the pouch containing their harvest.
Sui Meiran followed suit, hesitant, her fingers trembling as she prepared to hand over her share.
But just as their hands extended forward, a new voice sliced through the air—calm but laced with contempt.
"Are you using your numbers… to bully others?"
Everyone froze.
Eyes whipped toward the east. A figure stepped into view, walking with the quiet confidence of someone who didn't need to prove anything—Aladdin.
Dirt and dried blood still streaked his robes from the recent war against the Thunderclaw Drake Lizard, but his gaze was sharp, unflinching, and his saber hung at his side like it had tasted real battle.
Long Tianyu narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?"
Aladdin didn't answer right away. He just smiled faintly and walked closer.
"I was just passing by," he said. "But I can't stand cowards pretending to be strong."
The wind stirred lightly.
And the tension in the air turned deadly.