Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 370: Progress Toward Peak Spirit Ascension

The storm winds howled against Lassim’s figure as he crossed the jagged cliffs. Zaphy had hovered nearby, her wings periodically releasing faint bursts of lightning that harmonized with the dense storm.

Though Varen’s explanation about Spirit Transcendence had given Lassim clarity, it had also created an equal amount of questions that truly had no answer until the moment he reached the peak of Spirit Ascension and attempted to advance.

The reality of compressing his lifelike Leviathan constellation—something he knew would be so solid, stable, and refined—was troublesome.

Just like the last advancement, he knew instinctively that everything in the future would face this same problem. The challenges ahead were sure to be unique at each peak.

He glanced at Zaphy, her golden crown of feathers glinting as she chirped softly. "[Back to the East Grove?]" she asked.

Lassim nodded. "[There’s no time to waste. If I want to even attempt Spirit Transcendence in the coming months before the Summit, we need to push our cultivation to its limit.]"

Zaphy took that moment to returned to the stormy inner heart world within Lassim as the next moment he began to move swiftly, using [Storm’s Dance] and folding the space between this orbiting floating island and the main one beyond the storm wall that was the Tempest’s Cradle.

His direction was the unprotected terrain of the East Grove. The transition through the clouds was seamless, the harsh winds and blinding lightning a welcome greeting that carefully escorted him as Lassim eventually stepped into the grove.

~~~~

Weeks quickly turned into months as Lassim dedicated himself entirely to cultivation.

There were no longer any mornings filled with distractions from working on the Teleportation Devices, except from the occasional updates from Rlyis and Eno that they’d received the regular shipments of Astrium Veinstone and were carefully creating and storing the gateways until Lassim was ready to unveil it to the world.

They had also mentioned a list of priority locations and bases within the Southern Continent to install them, and the duo had made plans to first suggest and offer the gateway to the underwater rulers of Sinalta a gateway, as well. There was still a bit of tension between the coastal cities and the merfolk and Rlyis and Eno thought it might do well to offer this premiere technology to smooth things over and also provide extra assistance for when Abyssal Portals appear.

Lassim fully agreed with the suggestion and said he’d be willing to help set up the gateways in the future, but his focus was almost completely on his meditation and growing inner heart world’s mana density.

The East Grove, once an unforgiving environment upon his first entry, had become a second home. He didn’t even bother returning to Skybound Village except for the occasional shower and meal.

The relentless lightning storms that once scorched and burnt his body now seemed to embrace him and wish to gently support him. Each bolt that struck towards him resonated with his storm-like presence and spiritual pressure, becoming fully absorbed as he further refined and mentally progressed the [Void Storm] ideology, blending with the fused mana within him.

Meditating beneath the ancient roots of his favorite Storm Leaf tree, Lassim closed his eyes and allowed his spirit to sink deep into his Inner Heart World on a day nearly three months from the time he’d assisted Varen with the thunderbird pair.

The changes within were quite noticeable as he’d advanced and begun progressing through the final Spirit Ascension stage, Level 9.

The once barren landmass floating at the heart of Lassim’s inner heart world now felt subtly transformed. The one-kilometer-wide rocky expanse, though still bare and solid, seemed more stable, its surface suffused with the dense and refined mana Lassim had painstakingly cultivated over the past months.

The storm clouds above, thick and turbulent, churned with a heavier, more deliberate energy. Their density had grown from the constant influx of fused mana he drew into them.

Within the dark mass of clouds, faint streaks of violet and gold flickered like distant signals, reflecting the delicate balance of his void and lightning elemental affinities.

Beneath the landmass, the whirlpool of fused mana had deepened, its swirling movements more vivid and concentrated. The iridescent currents of fused mana shimmered with a starry brilliance due to the spatial mana’s influence. However, each rotation caused the glimmering to appear with a sharper clarity.

Lightning threaded through the whirlpool like veins of molten violet, accentuating the swirling mana’s celestial and boundless quality. The rotation had become steadier and faster, pulling energy inward at an increased rate, a supreme force that anchored the entire space instead of disrupting everything above it.

Above the storm clouds, the mystical hole connecting to the heavens remained unchanged, its presence as enigmatic as ever since it first appeared.

Through the opening, the constellation’s faint light shone down steadily through the hole, the starlight and void mana flowing into Lassim’s heart world as they always had, undisturbed and constant. The connection felt timeless, but was the only aspect that felt completely unchanged by his progression and building cultivation.

What was new to the inner heart world space, however, was the faint mist gathering along the edges of the landmass.

A thin layer of condensation began to spread, drawn from the densely packed storm clouds above and the whirlpool below.

Normally the mist that rose and condensed the clouds completely ignored and bypassed the landmass entirely, but nearly a month ago when he advanced he noticed the beginnings of the current phenomenon.

This mist clung to the rocky surface like a veil, subtle and delicate. He was unsure what it marked in the progression of his cultivation efforts, but it was clear that it was some sort of an indication that his inner heart world was nearing a threshold for some sort of transformation awaiting him when he reached Spirit Transcendence.

As usual, in the outside world, Lassim focused on absorbing the surrounding lightning mana, pulling it into his body and channeling it toward his whirlpool while using his halberd and progenitor marks as a catalyst to hasten the absorption, reinforcing his cultivation base.

Zaphy and Mari worked in tandem with him from their places in his inner heart world, guiding the flow of energy within his Inner Heart World, ensuring it remained balanced despite the growing intensity.

As his cultivation session stretched into its sixth hour for the day, Lassim’s thoughts wandered back to the noticeable changes, not just to himself, but to the East Grove itself.

The storms grew fiercer in the grove, their lightning strikes more concentrated and precise and aimed at him. The winds howled with a sharper edge that attempted to cut him, as if the environment was responding to Lassim’s presence, but only aided his mentality in the [Void Storm].

At first, Lassim dismissed the changes since he’d actually completely forgotten about the Lightning Elemental from all those months ago. The teleportation device had distracted him and he’d spent so much time outside of the Skybound Village that the initial gossip surrounding him regarding it had completely died out.

But as the storms continued to intensify, he began to suspect something more was going on.

That evening, as he meditated beneath the Storm Leaf tree, he felt a sudden shift in the air. The storm above crackled with an unusually high amount of lightning mana, causing the lightning to take on a darker hue.

Zaphy let out a low, cautious chirp, her feathers bristling from within the inner heart world as she noticed the sudden shift. "[Brother, do you feel that?]"

Lassim opened his eyes, casually slowing his absorption efforts while his gaze snapping to the sky. The clouds above churned violently, arcs of red and black lightning cutting through the darkness.

His heart sank. "[It’s him again.]"

The black and red King Lightning Elemental had been silent for so long now, its presence a distant memory. But now, it had returned, its form partially obscured within the actual Tempest’s Cradle storm that surrounded the island this time instead of that mental lightning kingdom that he was kidnapped into in the past.

Lassim rose to his feet, grasping his halberd with both hands and preparing the swirling mini-storms around his feet as he readied [Storm’s Dance].

The elemental’s aura pressed forward as he stood and it was just as equally overwhelming as the last time he remembered it, an ancient and primal force that pressed against Lassim’s spirit pressure despite the divine nature of his own mana.

Its crimson eyes glowed faintly within the swirling mass of black and red clouds, fixed directly on him.

"It’s been awhile," Lassim muttered, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. "What do you want this time?"

The elemental did not respond—at least, not with words. Instead, the storm above intensified, the lightning strikes growing more frequent and erratic.

Zaphy let out a sharp screech of joy as she zipped and zapped around his heart world, her feathers flaring as she brushed past her sister Marinelle, causing Mari to roll her eyes, "[Woo! Brother another fight! Let’s show him how much you’ve improved since then!]"

Lassim tightened his grip on his halberd, his storm-like pressure flaring to meet the elemental’s oppressive aura.

The elemental’s form began to descend from the storm, its massive silhouette becoming more defined. It was no longer just a massive, nondescript cloud being.

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Within the swirling mass, Lassim could make out the jagged, humanoid shape he had encountered once before in the mental realm—arms of lightning, a torso of churning storm, and those piercing crimson eyes—except much closer to Lassim’s size and more defined.

The tension in the air was almost unbearable as Lassim stood his ground, his gaze locked on the approaching elemental while he waited for it to make the first move.

"What is it you want?" Lassim demanded, his voice firm. "Are you here to bother me again for thinking I’m here to absorb the storm or become its ruler? Or what?"

The elemental’s eyes seemed to flicker, as if considering his words. But instead of answering, it raised one of its lightning-formed arms, a jagged bolt of red and black energy crackling to life.