After leaving Yuelu Hall and bidding farewell to the two red-robed men,
Mid-flight, his thoughts drifted to the matter of refining the Foundation Establishment Pill as he gazed down indifferently at the rolling hills beneath his feet. Suddenly, a tremendous rumbling boom rose from below, startling him so much that he reflexively focused his eyes downward to get a better look.
On a small hill below, he could see flashes of lightning and crackling electricity, along with faint sounds of cheering and shouting from a crowd. His curiosity thoroughly piqued, Han Li descended on his magical tool and landed near the source of the commotion, then walked toward it on his own.
"Brother Murong, do another one! Let us see it again!"
"Yeah, this is the first time I've seen lightning up close — it's terrifying!"
…
As soon as he reached the hilltop, Han Li heard the clamor of voices ahead, and the address "Brother Murong" immediately caught his attention.
"Those newly admitted genius brothers with Thunder Spirit Roots — aren't they surnamed Murong? And with those explosions just now, could it really be these much talked-about brothers showing off their abilities?"
By now he could make out roughly thirty to forty disciples of varying ages gathered on the hilltop, standing in a loose circle around two eleven- or twelve-year-old youths at the center, pointing and talking excitedly.
On the ground inside the circle were several charred, blackened craters. The edges of the crater walls had been melted smooth by intense heat and still trailed faint wisps of blue-gray smoke. A light breeze carried a pervasive acrid, burnt smell in all directions.
Seeing this scene, Han Li hurried over and carefully studied the two youths. They had delicate, clean-cut features and fair, tender skin, looking remarkably alike. But in the blink of an eye, their gazes would flash with a lively, mischievous gleam — the very picture of bright, cunning little monkeys.
Flushed red with excitement from the crowd's attention and praise, the two boys exchanged a glance, then simultaneously began forming hand seals and chanting. Crackling bolts of light flickered between their hands before two slender bolts of lightning shot outward, striking the ground nearby. Two more thunderous booms erupted along with a dazzling burst of white light, and two fresh craters appeared in the earth.
"So this is the Palm Thunder of the thunder element! Whether in power or in sheer sound and spectacle, it absolutely dwarfs techniques like the Fire Bullet Technique or Ice Spike at the same level. It truly lives up to its reputation as the most destructive thunder-attribute spell!" Han Li marveled inwardly, feeling a strong surge of envy toward the brothers' Spirit Root attribute.
Clearly, Han Li was not the only one harboring such feelings. Most of the surrounding disciples regarded the two boys with looks steeped in jealousy, lamenting why heaven had not blessed them with such coveted, envy-worthy supreme-grade Spirit Roots.
The brothers, encouraged by the crowd's cheers, cast the lightning technique several more times but soon began to show signs of exhaustion. After all, they were still quite young.
"What's so great about that? Thunder Spirit Root isn't all that impressive — I'd say my Wind Spirit Root is better!" At that moment, a rather sour male voice cut through from the crowd opposite Han Li, drawing everyone's glances.
A young man and woman stood side by side. The man was handsome and tall, the woman beautiful and elegant — an obvious pair of lovers. The young man wore a look of haughty disdain, seemingly unimpressed by the Murong brothers' Palm Thunder, while the woman, caught under the gaze of so many people at once, blushed slightly and looked bashful, which only added to her charm.
"Who is that guy? What arrogance!"
"Wind Spirit Root? Isn't that another type of variant Spirit Root? Does this guy have one too?"
"I know him — that's Senior Brother Lu. He really does have a variant Spirit Root attribute. His wind-attribute techniques are incredibly powerful!"
"Even if he has a variant Spirit Root too, why say something like that?"
"Probably jealousy. Before, he was the only one among the low-ranked disciples with a variant Spirit Root. Now suddenly two brothers appear with even better aptitude — of course he feels bitter about it!"
"Really? That petty?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down — don't let him hear you. He holds grudges. If he sets his sights on you, you're in trouble!"
…