Chapter 45: The Wrath of Thunder Soul Seal! Teacher Jiang Han's Double Painful Soul Training!
"Since you are a student from the Northern Yin Region visiting our Imperial Capital Emperor Academy, you should also stay at our academy. How about returning with me?" Lin Tianming suggested after splitting the last of the Scarlet Flames fifty-fifty, proposing that they head back to the Imperial Capital Emperor Academy immediately.
Alice looked down at the single Scarlet Flame gauntlet in her hand. After a moment of hesitation, she agreed to Lin Tianming's proposal.
"Alright, I'll go back with you…"
[What exactly is Ming thinking right now?]
[Does he really not want to kill me for the treasure?]
[Will he find a place to kill and bury me on the way back?]
Having lost all her power, Alice felt that her life was completely in Lin Tianming's hands, subject to his whims.
Feeling anxious and uneasy, Alice followed Lin Tianming back the way they came.
Lin Tianming, aware of her fearful thoughts, chose not to reassure her verbally. He felt that even if he tried to comfort her, given their current level of trust, she might just suspect him of having ulterior motives.
Thus, Lin Tianming remained silent, hoping to prove his intentions through his actions.
Throughout the journey back, Alice remained anxious. When they safely returned to the Imperial Capital Emperor Academy without any harm from Lin Tianming, she found it hard to believe.
[I… I actually returned unharmed?]
[This Ming seems different from the one in my past life…]
[In my previous life, he deceived me, used my affection to enter the Mechanical Secret Realm, took my opportunity, and nearly caused my death. This time, even without a close relationship, he didn't harm me and even shared the treasure equally with powerless me…]
Alice felt a whirlwind of emotions, her view of Lin Tianming becoming more complex due to his adherence to his word and lack of harm towards her.
"Alice, now that we're safely back at the academy, let's part ways here," Lin Tianming said politely.
"Wait!" Alice immediately called out as Lin Tianming was about to leave.
"What's the matter?" Lin Tianming asked, puzzled.
After a moment's hesitation, Alice took out the Whipping Rod and the single Scarlet Flame Gauntlet from the space connected to her divine weapon.
"Ming, are these two divine weapons really mine? You can still take them back now, but once I regain my strength, I might not want to return them…"
Hearing Alice's question, Lin Tianming laughed carelessly. "Take them. Without you, I couldn't have entered the Mechanical Secret Realm. These two divine weapons are rightfully yours."
"Alright then… Thank you, Ming. Even though I attacked you the moment we met, you were still so generous…"
Hearing Alice's gratitude, Lin Tianming felt that his efforts tonight had not been in vain. At least his image in her mind had improved, no longer seen as utterly evil.
"I'm exhausted. It's already early morning. I'll head back now; if I don't get some sleep, my teacher will definitely scold me for being late tomorrow. See you, Alice!"
"See… see you…"
Watching Lin Tianming leave so casually, Alice stood there in a daze for a long time. By the time she came to her senses, Lin Tianming had already vanished into the darkness of the Imperial Capital Emperor Academy campus.
[Could the butterfly effect of my rebirth really change a person's character so much compared to their past life?]
Pondering this unanswerable question, Alice glanced again at the Whipping Rod and single Scarlet Flame Gauntlet that Lin Tianming had given her.
"Ming, next time we meet, it will be at the Global Higher Awakener Academy Tournament. Regardless of whether you've changed, I swear on the name of the Mechanical Goddess reborn, this time I will defeat you!"
Setting a goal to defeat Lin Tianming, Alice also returned to her temporarily assigned accommodation at the academy to rest.
...
The next day, at the Lightning Awakening field, Lin Tianming, with dark circles under his eyes, arrived for Jiang Han's one-on-one awakening training.
He was the only student at the Imperial Capital Emperor Academy without any classmates.
Noticing Lin Tianming's poor condition, Jiang Han frowned. "What were you up to last night?"
"Nothing much, Teacher Jiang Han, just couldn't sleep, haha!" Lin Tianming evaded the question, unwilling to reveal his adventure with Alice in the Mechanical Secret Realm.
Jiang Han could tell he wasn't being honest, but she didn't press him further. Instead, she got straight to the point. "I told you yesterday that today we would develop your unknown soul power, right?"
Hearing Jiang Han mention his psionic Ascender powers, Lin Tianming immediately perked up.
"Yes, Teacher Jiang Han!"
Seeing he remembered, Jiang Han smiled warmly. "Good. I'm going to use my special lightning ability to conduct targeted soul power training. Are you ready?"
"Ready!" Lin Tianming nodded eagerly.
He was excited to see if his psionic Ascender powers could become stronger or even awaken new abilities under Jiang Han's guidance.
Jiang Han gave him a meaningful look and cautioned, "Be prepared; this might be very painful."
[And it will be pain that reaches deep into your soul!]
Hearing this, Lin Tianming, who initially didn't think much of it, suddenly took a sharp breath. Was Teacher Jiang Han planning to use this class to exact some sort of revenge on him?
Before he could figure it out, his soul felt as if it was being electrocuted, the intense shock penetrating his very being, making him shudder all over.
Next, under his horrified gaze, Jiang Han condensed her lightning power into chains that pierced into his body.
His whole body trembled again, and though his physical body remained unharmed, the lightning chains violently pulled his soul out of his body.
Looking at his soul being pulled out by the electrifying chains, Lin Tianming stammered, "Am I… am I dead?"
Seeing his confused and fearful expression, Jiang Han smirked.
"Little Tianming, you're not dead. This technique is called Wrath of Thunder Soul Seal. It extracts part of the target's soul, manifesting it outside their body, causing intense soul pain. Do you feel the excruciating pain in your soul right now?"
Realizing he wasn't dead, Lin Tianming felt somewhat relieved despite the ongoing soul pain. He replied, "It does hurt a lot."
But Jiang Han's next words sent him into despair.
"What's coming next is even more painful. My lightning skill will strike your extracted soul, doubling the soul pain. Now… let the soul power training begin!"
With that, a bolt of lightning struck Lin Tianming's extracted soul, the doubled pain bringing unimaginable agony.
"What kind of training is this? Damn it! You're trying to electrocute me to death, aren't you, Teacher Jiang Han!"