Spirit's Awakening: The Path of Lightning and Water-Chapter 396: Lightning Sect’s Future Unveiled

Competitors stood beside their raised platforms, their constructs already in place, primed for inspection. Some disciples made last-minute adjustments, checking mana circuits and ensuring their inscriptions were flawless before the judges arrived.

For those too injured to return, their Elders stood in their place, having already carefully retrieved their disciples’ work from their magic pouches.

Elder Rlyis, Elder Eno, and Elder Sarrin moved through the exhibition space, approaching the first presentation. Their expressions remained unreadable as they studied the construct ahead.

From her position on the elevated platform, Ilyara clapped her hands together.

"Alright, first up—let’s see what you’ve brought to impress us." She gestured toward the first competitor’s platform after bringing up a larger view on the projection screen for the audience to watch along.

A disciple with a reinforced bracer on his left arm stepped forward to greet the judges, adjusting the clasps as he moved. With a flick of his wrist, a metallic construct no larger than a basin unfolded before him, its surface layered with interwoven lightning runes that pulsed in a synchronized rhythm.

"This," he announced, resting a firm hand on the device as he began to explain, "is the Thunderlock Barrier Core."

Elder Rlyis took an immediate interest, stepping forward. "And what does it do?"

The disciple grinned. "It is a self-reinforcing defensive core that actively adapts to incoming attacks by modifying its mana distribution in real time. Unlike standard formations, which apply a flat reinforcement to a barrier, this construct reads the impact type and reinforces weak points first. It is also completely insertable into any formation that has an available node to be placed into, which I believe will lead to a higher standardization of defensive barriers in the future. With this core, an Array Master can create it in advance and just pass along to the front lines to incorporate and expand the defenses when one might not be present."

He tapped a rune, and the core activated, generating a translucent dome of lightning mana around the platform.

Elder Eno tilted his head slightly, examining the inscriptions. "Show me an example."

Without hesitation, the disciple sent a concentrated lightning blast at the barrier. The moment the mana made contact, the barrier adjusted itself, condensing the reinforcement exactly where the impact landed.

Rlyis nodded, intrigued. "Good. But what happens under prolonged stress?"

The disciple swallowed but remained composed. He pulled out a small inscribed rod and activated a secondary demonstration mode.

The moment the rod emitted a barrage of mana bolts, the Thunderlock Core shifted dynamically, reinforcing each section of the shield that was struck. The mana distribution changed with perfect efficiency, ensuring no section became overstressed.

Elder Sarrin Vel finally spoke. "And the energy cost?"

The disciple hesitated. "…It operates at roughly 60% the efficiency of a standard array core of the same kind of design that is created on the spot. In prolonged engagements, it will require a dedicated external recharge to sustain itself indefinitely. Extra care will likely be needed due to its somewhat inefficient nature, but I’m hoping that it fills a niche for reactive battles when an Array Master won’t be present. Something like this would be better than nothing, in my personal opinion."

Sarrin gave him a single nod, stepping back. "Noted."

The disciple visibly exhaled, relieved that he at least completed the presentation without making a fool of himself.

The next competitor stepped forward to greet the approaching elders, his violet robes with gold embellishments shifting slightly as he presented a metallic disc inscribed with glowing runes. He held the device outward with confidence, though the faint stiffness in his stance betrayed a hint of nervousness.

He lifted the disc for the Elders to observe before carefully setting it onto the stone platform in front of him. The moment it made contact, arcs of crackling lightning spread outward, forming a circular field of interwoven electric currents. The air hummed with an unstable, high-frequency charge, drawing ambient lightning mana toward the array.

"This," the disciple declared, "is the Lightning Snare Array."

Elder Rlyis, arms crossed, gave him a flat look. "Explain."

The disciple straightened as he launched into his speech, "It is a battlefield control device. When placed, it passively gathers ambient lightning mana to create a binding trap. Any opponent who enters the charged zone will trigger the array, activating a web of lightning chains to bind their movement and restrict evasion."

There was a murmur from the other competitors—a battlefield trap?

Elder Sarrin, the sole maintainer of the entire headquarter’s most precious and strongest defensive and offensive array, gestured toward the array and commanded, "Show me."

The disciple was prepared. He flicked his fingers in a practiced motion along the activation points, and the array pulsed in response to his command. A test dummy—a humanoid construct embedded with simulated spirit pressure—was standing by next to the platform. He commanded it to move and it stepped forward.

The moment it entered the range of the trap, the lightning arcs flared to life.

Bolts of electricity lashed outward, converging into a net of crackling chains that wrapped around the dummy’s limbs. The construct jolted in place, its simulated movement faltering as the electric web constricted around its arms and legs. Energy discharge pulsed through its frame, forcing it into momentary paralysis.

A few disciples in the audience gave soft claps appreciatively.

Elder Rlyis tapped her chin. "Interesting. Limitations?"

The disciple hesitated just slightly. "The field must be pre-placed and requires a few seconds to fully arm before activation. Once active, it has three uses before it burns out and requires recalibration."

Elder Eno immediately scoffed. "Three activations? That’s pitiful."

The disciple tensed but nodded. "The energy expenditure per activation is high due to the required lightning chains it emits."

Elder Sarrin’s brow arched. "Then tell me—what happens if the Snare Array is triggered multiple times in quick succession?"

The disciple’s confidence visibly wavered. "…The mana pathways destabilize, and the array collapses early."

Elder Rlyis’s gaze sharpened. "Collapses early? Elaborate."

The disciple exhaled. "If activated too quickly, the lightning chains break prematurely before completing a full binding cycle. If an opponent repeatedly steps into the array and forces rapid activations, they can overload the system and render it useless."

There was a long pause.

Elder Eno’s expression twisted with open disdain. "So, not only is it severely limited in uses, but it’s easily exploited?"

The disciple visibly clenched his fists at the blunt criticism but kept his head low. "Yes, Elder."

Rlyis’s lips pressed into a thin line. "And you presented it anyway?"

The disciple bristled slightly but forced his voice to remain calm. "The core concept is viable, Elders. If the mana flow can be adjusted to allow for controlled energy redistribution, the flaw can be corrected."

Elder Sarrin tilted his head slightly. "Then why was that not done before this demonstration?"

The disciple flinched slightly but stood firm. "…I did not have sufficient time to refine the calibration."

Sarrin’s gaze hardened. "Then you should not have wasted our time presenting something incomplete."

A wave of tense silence spread through the audience.

Elder Rlyis exhaled sharply, clearly unimpressed. "A battlefield trap with less than five activations before failing is a liability. If a low-level cultivator can brute force their way through it, then what happens when a high-level opponent purposefully exploits its weakness?"

The disciple swallowed. "With the right adjustments, I believe I can—"

Elder Eno waved a hand dismissively. "No. You will. There is no ’believe.’ If you cannot fix its weaknesses, then this Lightning Snare Array is nothing more than an over-glorified ornament and waste of lightning mana."

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The disciple bowed quickly, his face pale. "Yes, Elder."

Sarrin’s voice was cold. "Refine the stability, increase the charge capacity, and ensure that it does not become a liability in prolonged engagements if you still wish to submit it after the competition for approval."

Rlyis gave one last disapproving glance at the array. "And fix the activation flaw. If this technique fails in the field, the user will not get a second chance."

The disciple bowed lower, knowing there was nothing else to say.

As the presentations continued, a vast array of constructs came to life.

A Lightning Gauntlet Interface, designed to allow direct control over automated constructs in battle—rejected because it lacked sufficient shielding, leading to potential easy damage in combat.

A Stormfield Suppression Array, meant to disrupt enemy formations by creating localized lightning interference—promising, but inefficient and lacking if a superior lightning cultivator just 1 stage higher was present on the field. This was particularly damning as a single spirit warrior like Lassim could render the entire thing useless just from a small tiny speck of his mana being released, which was tested in front of the entire audience and proven. Thus, points ultimately deducted from the disciple’s presented product.

A Shockwave Conductor, which converted excess mana from lightning-based attacks into kinetic force, allowing it to be redirected against opponents—hailed as one of the most efficient designs so far with lots of practical uses that Elder Sarrin saw in places like the headquarters or the Tempest’s Cradle where lightning strikes were excessively commonplace. .

One by one, the competitors presented their work, some receiving praise, others leaving with sharp critiques as the projector screen followed the deliberations as they moved from project to project across the arena.

Then—

A final competitor was approached.

Unlike the others, his construct was purposely left completely covered, hidden beneath an inscription-sealed tarp. Even before it was revealed, the air around it felt different, as though it was pulling mana toward itself in slow, deliberate pulses.

Ilyara adjusted her goggles, a slow grin forming.

"Well, well, well… this one’s already making a statement. Let’s see if it actually delivers."