Chapter 289: Titled Douluo-Level Attack - Thunderbolt Eight Extremes Break
In the early morning, sunlight spilled through the valley's eastern crack, illuminating the dim valley. Inside the small wooden cabin, Lu Si stood behind Dai Yao, carefully combing his long golden hair.
Watching his own reflection with his waist-length hair in the mirror, Dai Yao's gaze grew thoughtful, and he spoke softly.
"Lu Si, cut it short for me."
Lu Si's hands froze mid-comb, and her smile faltered. After a few breaths, she managed to force a smile, her fingers trembling slightly as she responded, "Master, long hair suits you so well. Why cut it?"
When Zhu Zhuqing and Feng Wutong were still here, the task of fixing Dai Yao's hair had been left to Feng Wutong. Now, with Feng Wutong away, Lu Si had finally gotten a chance to take on this task, cherishing the brief closeness with Dai Yao. However, with his hair short, she'd lose her chance for this daily contact.
"It's too long, and it affects my training," he replied with a smile.
He was about to immerse himself in training by combining his fourth spirit skill with Eight Extremes Break. Just as he had in the past, he would be training beneath the waterfall. Long hair would get soaked, and sticking to him would be a nuisance.
"O-okay…" Lu Si answered with reluctance.
From her storage ring, she retrieved a set of hair-cutting tools, and with meticulous care, began to trim his hair. With each "snip" and "snap," the golden strands fell to the floor, revealing the mirror's image of Dai Yao with a new, shorter cut.
Though she felt a pang of disappointment, Lu Si carefully perfected every detail of his hair. After two quarters of an hour, she finally completed her task.
Running a hand through his freshly cropped hair, Dai Yao felt an unexpected sense of novelty as he looked in the mirror. "Not bad."
His simple words of approval made Lu Si's heart race, and she replied, trying to hide her excitement, "It's what I'm here for, Master."
As Dai Yao rose, he turned and looked over the statuesque Lu Si. She was nearly a head taller than him, with impossibly long legs that somehow appeared proportionate.
Dai Yao was well aware of the thoughts each of his attendants harbored. Lu Si was the most straightforward, and though clever, she was the least calculating. His other attendants were equally committed but with more complex motives. The proud Kong Que respected his strength, while Du Juan was ever vigilant, a pawn of Bibi Dong. Zhe Gu was quietly poetic, though efficient in her duties.
Any one of them would readily join him, even as a concubine. Still, he had no intention of allowing any rivalry or jealousy between his attendants and the three women he held in higher esteem—Zhu Zhuqing, Dugu Yan, and Feng Wutong.
Patting Lu Si on the shoulder, he said, "With your height, bending down like that must be hard work. Focus on your own training too; don't neglect your spirit power."
"Yes, Master," she answered earnestly. "Being by your side has boosted my training progress. In just four and a half years, I'm nearly at forty-ninth rank!" Her voice was bright, her spirit force apparent.
Watching the sunlight pour in, Dai Yao remarked, "Time has flown. It's already been four and a half years since you all joined me."
"To serve you is our greatest honor," Lu Si replied passionately. Since becoming Dai Yao's attendant, not only had her training speed increased, but her family had also prospered, attracting kindness from other families. Her loyalty was unwavering.
Nodding slightly, Dai Yao opened the cabin door, took off his upper robe, and stepped outside. His sculpted physique gleamed in the morning light, which brought a blush to the faces of his attendants as he prepared to train.
With a deep breath, Dai Yao leaped down beneath the waterfall. The relentless torrent pummeled his body, merging with the roar of the falls.
"Stand back!" he called out.
The technique he was about to practice was powerful and potentially dangerous. Should he lose control, his attendants could be at risk.
Kong Que bit her lip, nodding to the others. As the highest-ranking of his attendants, she led them to a safe distance from the waterfall.
As soon as they had cleared the area, Dai Yao released a slow breath, feeling a surge of excitement.
"It's time to get serious," he murmured. "Tang San, get ready for a surprise."
With a focused mind, he activated his spirit energy. A series of yellow, purple, and black spirit rings appeared, shimmering around him. The fourth ring, a dark one, pulsed with power, causing streaks of blue-violet lightning to crackle around him.
"Fourth Spirit Skill, White Tiger Thunder Strike," he whispered, feeling the familiar tingle of energy. It had been a long time since he'd used this technique, and he felt nostalgic remembering how it had once dazzled the audience in the Soul Master Tournament.
This spirit skill, originating from the terrifying Thunderclap Hell Vine, was challenging to control. Thunder was a volatile element, vast and explosive by nature. Combining it with Eight Extremes Break seemed impossible to most.
He concentrated, summoning the Thunderclap Hell Vine within his spirit, and a vision of the purple vine appeared before him, beautiful and dangerous. She opened her ethereal eyes, gazing at him with a calm detachment.
"Why have you summoned me?"
At dawn, Dai Yao stood by his small cabin, greeting the Thunder Prison Vine spirit within him and explaining his intent. To merge his fourth spirit skill with the Eight Extremes Collapse, he'd need its cooperation.
Barely halfway through his explanation, the Thunder Prison Vine's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Are you insane?! Do you have a death wish?" it exclaimed.
"Your fourth spirit skill is already vast and overbearing, and I've seen your Eight Extremes Collapse—it's as explosive as your fourth skill. They're impossible to merge!"
"Is it really impossible?" Dai Yao asked calmly, a hint of a smile on his face.
His right arm began to pulse as he compressed his spirit power, and the fourth spirit ring emitted a faint glow. Moments later, a flash of silver lightning split the sky, striking Dai Yao's right arm. At that precise moment, Dai Yao activated Eight Extremes Collapse. As the silver lightning coursed through his arm, he swung forward, sending a wave of explosive force interwoven with elemental lightning crashing toward the top of the waterfall.
The deafening roar of air being sliced apart mingled with the crackling of lightning, echoing through the valley. The waterfall momentarily reversed, pushed back ten meters, creating a dry gap in the cascade. Water surged up in defiance of gravity before plummeting back, splashing violently upon impact and stirring waves that lapped against the riverbanks.
Watching in astonishment, the Thunder Prison Vine stared as Dai Yao, wearing a faint smile, explained.
"Though I spent the past year not directly training, I was immersed in study at the library, and that knowledge has yielded more than years of rigorous practice."
"For this technique, I researched extensively on elemental lightning and spirit power compression theory. By learning and analyzing, I understood that even lightning is simply a form of spirit power. Summoned with spirit energy, it's ultimately discharged as lightning."
"If lightning is a form of spirit power, and if Eight Extremes Collapse is a technique relying on compressed spirit power, then why can't I combine the two?"
"With a bold hypothesis and careful testing, I began cautiously experimenting with the smallest skill power possible for each. The results were dangerous, yes, but worthwhile."
He gestured to the aftermath of his strike, satisfied.
The Thunder Prison Vine was left speechless, awestruck. "You're truly a genius…" it muttered.
Dai Yao shook his head. "Not at all. I'm merely standing on the shoulders of those who came before me. Countless scholars have developed theories on lightning elements and spirit compression—I only had the right physical capabilities to apply them."
The Thunder Prison Vine seemed to consider this deeply, then murmured, "Even if they had your physical abilities, they wouldn't have your courage, would they?"
Born with the bloodline of a lightning god, the Thunder Prison Vine had always stood atop the spirit beast hierarchy by nature alone. Yet Dai Yao, though powerful among his peers, persisted in pushing his limits and creating techniques that were previously inconceivable. This inspired a profound reflection within the vine: its kind had faced certain death without question for centuries, plunging headlong into battles they couldn't win.
Instead of persisting in what seemed to be futile sacrifice, perhaps there was a way to evolve, as Dai Yao had. After a contemplative silence, it spoke up.
"By the way, what exactly do you need from me?" it asked.
"I've managed to merge the two abilities at minimal power," Dai Yao replied, "but as the power level increases, the uncontrollability also skyrockets. So, I'd like you to handle summoning the lightning while I focus solely on merging the skills."
"Understood," the Thunder Prison Vine responded, agreeing after a pause.
As the days passed, summer gradually gave way to autumn, with a golden hue settling over the valley. Day after day, lightning fell around Dai Yao, scorching the rock walls around the waterfall until no vegetation remained.
Then, on one fateful day, the sky, though it was midday, darkened as if night had fallen. Within the roiling black clouds, flashes of lightning flickered, and a terrifying force gathered.
"The final and most powerful strike is ready!" warned the Thunder Prison Vine.
"Understood!" Dai Yao closed his eyes, concentrating fully on his right arm, now pulsing with spirit power compressed to its utmost limit.
His right arm had visibly swollen, and the sleeve had shredded under the force. Even the surrounding space seemed distorted, radiating an aura that was unnerving even to look at.
Finally, the Thunder Prison Vine released a bolt of lightning, striking Dai Yao's arm. His arm absorbed the energy, swelling even more as lightning arced around it, crackling with raw power. Though resistant to lightning, the sheer volume of energy caused an intense, almost painful tension.
"It's time!" he roared, eyes flashing.
He knew that if he didn't release the strike soon, the forces within him would lash back, causing severe injury. Thrusting his arm upward, the eightfold-compressed spirit power surged forth, wrapped in immense lightning. The resulting force screamed through the air like a thunderous dragon, blasting straight up along the waterfall.
The entire hundred-meter waterfall shattered under the impact. Water droplets sprayed upward, only to fall again as a torrent. When the thunderous force finally dissipated into the sky, the waterfall slowly resumed its natural flow, though its majestic descent now seemed diminished compared to the explosive display.
"Finally, an attack on the level of a Titled Douluo!" Dai Yao was drenched, but his eyes glowed with satisfaction. The pain and hardship had paid off.
Though it only brushed the threshold of a Titled Douluo's power, this technique was still on their level.
"Since it merges the power of lightning and compressed spirit energy, I'll call it the Thunderbolt Eight Extremes Collapse," he declared, feeling a new level of strength within him.
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