The announcement sent the sect into an expected frenzy of excitement, as disciples started to flock over to Thundderrealm Mountain in droves. Thunderrealm Mountain was located roughly eight miles from the sect center, and was a relatively isolated mountain.
It stood around ten thousand yards tall, and was covered in lush forests at the base which eventually turned into a snowy landscape. The top of the mountain was fully snowcapped, and seemed to have been flattened down by some unnatural force.
After hearing the announcement, John himself also meandered over towards the mountain. As there was no rush, he took his time walking through the sect and exploring new areas he had never visited.
After an hour of meandering, John found himself at the base of the mountain, in which thousands of disciples were streaming to every minute. There was a large winding pathway of steps that circled around the mountain, which eventually led to the peak.
John joined the other disciples, and used the steps to get to the top of the mountain. An absolutely excited and anxious atmosphere buzzed through the other disciples, who were fervently discussing the realm.
"I can't wait to go back inside," one of the disciples nearby John exclaimed.
"I know," another replied with much enthusiasm. "When I entered last year, I hardly obtained any opportunities. Hopefully my increase in strength will make this time more fruitful."
Both disciples were in the Half-Step Heaven tribulation realm, and were clearly second year disciples. John heard many similar sentiments amongst the other disciples as he climbed up the steps.
'It seems as though opportunities do not come easily in this realm, which is good I suppose. If they were easy to obtain, I'm sure all of them would have been snatched by now.'
The climb up the mountain took quite some time as it was done by foot, but John eventually arrived there half an hour later. He reached the top of the mountain, and the sight of tens of thousands of disciples came into view.
Clearly most had already gathered ahead of time, and he was one of the last disciples to show up. His vision swept across the large group of disciples as he took in their appearances, ages, and cultivation levels. He tried to spot Adam and Chase, but they were lost in the sea of tens of thousands of disciples.
'Half-Step Heaven Tribulation. Early Heaven Tribulation…only a handful of Middle Heaven Tribulation cultivators. In fact, it's the highest cultivation I see here.'
John fell into a deep contemplation upon scanning the cultivation levels of the other disciples. The handful of Middle Heaven Tribulation disciples all seemed to be fourth year disciples, and were roughly twenty one years of age. They each emanated incredible power, and at his current level of strength, John was unsure if he would win against them or not.
'Clearly the geniuses of the Divine Marital Continent are much stronger than those back on the Yuan Continent, not just in cultivation level, but also in combat prowess.'
Based on what he could tell from their naturally emanating aura, John wouldn't be surprised if these geniuses were able to jump a minor realm against those from the Yuan Continent. He was almost certain that the Middle Heaven Tribulation disciples would be able to hold their own against Late Heaven Tribulation Elders of the Yuan Continent, which surprised him slightly.
'I suppose I'll need to reassess just how many realms I can jump in this land. I used to be able to jump an entire major realm before, which is equivalent to four minor realms. However, I might only be able to jump three minor realms in this land. With that in mind, these Middle Heaven Tribulation geniuses are probably an even match for me at the moment.'
'I ȧssumed that the most talented fourth years would be in the Late Heaven Tribulation Realm, but it appears as though I was mistaken. Is the gap between our cultivation techniques truly so great?'
John cultivated the Primordial Extermination Lightning cultivation technique that Celestial Soulrend had given him, which allowed his cultivation speed to be incredibly quick. It was one of the primary reasons that he had been able to catch up to his peers so quickly, despite being so far behind in cultivation at the beginning.
When he had joined the Heavenly Lightning Sect, he had been allowed to study the main cultivation technique of the sect. However, upon inspecting it at the time, he had found it incredibly lacking when compared to his own technique.
Although he had not yet reached the Heaven Tribulation Realm, John was able to tell that his cultivation speed would be faster than these youths.
'At my current rate of cultivation, I'll probably reach the Middle Heaven Tribulation Realm in a year or so, three years before these youths. It's most likely only a matter of time before I blow past them cultivation wise, and the gap will most likely only keep growing….if only I could teach this cultivation technique to others.'
Although he knew how to use the Primordial Extermination Lightning cultivation technique, John did not know how to teach it to others. The technique was imprinted on his mind by Celestial Soulrend, and John's understanding of it was not great enough to impart the knowledge onto others.
If he could impart such a cultivation technique to the rest of the sect, it would most likely only be a matter of time until the Heavenly Lightning Sect dominated the entire world. Alas, he was unable to do such a thing, which caused him to sigh slightly in disappointment.
Bang!
A distant rumble from high above broke John out of his contemplative thoughts. He looked up towards the sky, and noticed the clouds were starting to gather and darken slightly. His body tensed up instinctively upon seeing this, but he quickly breathed out a sigh of relief.
'Its not tribulation clouds, just some other sort of storm.'
Bang!
Another streak of lightning flickered through the clouds, and the thunder rumbled over the land.
Suddenly, the Grand Elder appeared in the sky above the disciples, his appearance catching the attention of all.
"The time for the Thunder Realm to open has arrived," the Grand Elder spoke out for all to hear. "When the portal opens, you will have ten minutes to enter before it closes. The realm will remain stable for fourteen days, at which time you will all be expelled back to this location."
All the disciples paid attention to the Grand Elder's words, although the second through fourth years already knew the rules of the realm.
"There is only one rule within. No killing or crippling your fellow disciple. You can fight and dispute, but no lethal action may be taken. Failure to follow these rules will be dealt with severely."
The Grand Elder's tone was firm as he emphasized this rule. Although the sect did not have an issue with this normally, occasionally disputes over an incredible treasure would turn fatal, and they wanted to avoid such internal strife.
Bang!
A bolt of lightning struck down onto the mountain, just a short distance away from where the disciples were gathered. Many of them jumped in fight at the sudden bolt.
Bang!
Several more bolts slammed down onto the same location, as a glowing blue rune slowly started to become visible. It grew in strength with each bolt that slammed against it, and after several more bolts, it suddenly emanated an incredibly profound spatial power.
Boom!
A muffled boom echoed out as the rune suddenly flared its power, and a spatial portal appeared before all.
"The portal has opened," the Grand Elder instructed.. "You may now enter."