Supreme Dragon Lord

"Second Elder!"

"Third Elder!"

Upon the arrival of Lei Changshan and Lei Yujing, the eyes of the Jinglei Sect disciples lit up. One of them pointed at Lei Man and said, "Second Elder, Third Elder, it’s this woman! She dared to impersonate the Great Elder and tried to sneak in—"

"Shut up!" Lei Yujing interrupted sternly before he could finish.

The man was stunned. The other disciples were also confused, their gazes all focusing on Lei Yujing.

"Are you all blind?" Lei Changshan suddenly rebuked. "This is your Great Elder!"

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, all the Jinglei Sect disciples present were stunned. They looked at one another, seeing the profound shock in each other’s eyes. Then, they all instinctively knelt and kowtowed to Lei Man. "Great Elder, forgive us! We were blind not to recognize you. Please spare us!"

Lei Yujing explained to Lei Man, "These disciples joined the Sect after you left, so it’s understandable they didn’t recognize you immediately."

Seeing the disciples kneeling on the ground and begging for forgiveness, Lei Man simply waved her hand dismissively.

Seeing the gesture, Lei Yujing lowered her head and said to the disciples, "You’re lucky the Great Elder isn’t holding it against you. Hurry up and thank her!"

"Thank you!"

"Thank you, Great Elder!"

The Jinglei Sect disciples sighed in relief, thanking Lei Man profusely before quickly getting up and moving aside.

"You’ve finally come back!" Lei Yujing said, a smile gracing her face.

Lei Man asked, "Has everything been alright here during my absence?"

"Everything is fine!" Lei Yujing said with a smile. "The Sect has had no problems. For all these years, you were the only one missing. Thankfully, you’ve finally returned."

Lei Man smiled faintly. "After so many years, none of you seem to have changed much. By the way, how has the Sect Master been lately?"

"The Sect Master is well, but he is currently in seclusion," Lei Yujing replied, then asked, "Where have you been all these years?"

A serious look flashed across Lei Changshan’s face, but he chimed in with a smile, "Indeed! You were gone all those years without any news. You had us worried to death! We are so incredibly happy to see you have returned."

"That’s a long story." Lei Man smiled slightly, then turned to introduce Chu Lingjun. "These are the Second and Third Elders of the Jinglei Sect."

Hearing this, Chu Lingjun simply nodded without any particular reaction.

Lei Yujing and Lei Changshan had also noticed Chu Lingjun. After a glance, they curiously asked Lei Man, "And this is?"

"Her name is Chu Lingjun. I specifically brought her back to the Sect," Lei Man explained, then added, "Let’s go inside and talk."

"Of course." Lei Yujing and Lei Changshan nodded.

While catching up, the group made their way toward the grand hall. The news of Lei Man’s return spread quickly through the Sect, filling the hearts of many disciples with excitement. Soon, a group of elite disciples came forward to pay their respects.

After arriving at the grand hall, Lei Man gestured for Chu Lingjun to take a seat. Once she was seated as well, Lei Man couldn’t help but sigh. "After being away for so many years, it feels best to be back in the Sect. The place has changed quite a bit, though."

"Of course. How can the outside world compare to the Sect?" Lei Yujing smiled. "Now that you’ve returned, I believe our Jinglei Sect will only get better and better."

Meanwhile, Lei Changshan was studying Chu Lingjun intently. He couldn’t help but ask Lei Man, "Who is she?"

"She is the reason I was able to return to the Sect," Lei Man smiled.

Just as she was about to say more, a hearty voice suddenly echoed from outside the hall. Upon hearing it, Lei Man and the two elders were startled and immediately stood.

A middle-aged man entered with his right hand tucked behind his back and his head held high. He wore a smile that didn’t diminish his air of authority. His presence was incredibly powerful, clearly that of someone who had long held a high position.

This person was none other than the Sect Master of the Jinglei Sect, Lei Zhen.

"Sect Master!" The three of them greeted him with a clasped fist salute.

Lei Zhen walked straight to Lei Man and helped her up. "Great Elder, you’ve finally returned!"

"Yes, I have." Lei Man smiled, then asked, "Sect Master, weren’t you in seclusion?"

"Seclusion is hardly as important as seeing you," Lei Zhen smiled faintly. "For years, we’ve sent disciples to search for you, but there was never any news of your whereabouts.

"We feared some misfortune had befallen you. To see you return safe and sound is truly a blessing for our Jinglei Sect!"

"I’m ashamed to say that I originally went out seeking a fortuitous encounter and ended up worrying all of you. It wasn’t my intention to disappear; I was trapped."

"Where?" Lei Zhen was curious. With Lei Man’s strength, any place that could trap her had to be extraordinary.

"Within a spatial rift. I was only rescued thanks to her."

Hearing this, Lei Zhen’s gaze shifted to Chu Lingjun.

"Chu Lingjun," she said.

Lei Zhen nodded slightly, sizing her up. "This young lady is quite extraordinary," he said with a smile. "Exceptionally talented. A person of great potential indeed!" His eyes lit up. "I wonder, would you be interested in joining our Jinglei Sect?"

His face was full of expectation, clearly worried she might refuse and the Jinglei Sect would miss out on a genius.

Seeing Lei Zhen’s eagerness to recruit a talent, a smile touched Lei Man’s lips. "Sect Master, please don’t be so hasty. I brought her back to our Sect this time with the intention for her to stay."

"That’s wonderful!" Lei Zhen laughed heartily, very pleased with this outcome.

"Sect Master, please sit," Lei Man gestured. "I have something important to discuss with all of you."

"Alright." Lei Zhen sat down. He, along with the other two elders, looked at Lei Man expectantly and asked, "What is it?"

Lei Man glanced at Chu Lingjun before recounting everything that had happened in the spatial rift.

"The Holy Thunder Technique?!"

"She actually succeeded in cultivating it?"

"If I remember correctly, the records state that this is a Cultivation Technique passed down from Ancient Times!"

Upon learning that Chu Lingjun had successfully cultivated the Holy Thunder Technique, astonishment appeared on the faces of all three men.

"Exactly," Lei Man nodded with utmost certainty.

A surge of excitement rose in Lei Zhen’s heart. He looked at Chu Lingjun and couldn’t help but praise her, "I truly wasn’t wrong about you! I never expected you could master even a Cultivation Technique from Ancient Times. Your talent far exceeds my imagination!"

"It was a fluke," Chu Lingjun said.

"You’re being too modest," Lei Zhen laughed. "You are truly capable."

Lei Man then said to Lei Zhen, "Sect Master, there is another important reason I brought her back to the Sect."

"What is it?" The attention of Lei Zhen and the others once again focused on Lei Man.

Lei Man said gravely, "Although Spirit Monarch has successfully cultivated the Holy Thunder Technique, she ran into some problems at the final juncture."

The moment she spoke, Lei Zhen understood the implication. He stated directly, "Since Spirit Monarch has agreed to join our Jinglei Sect, she is one of our own. No matter what, we will use the full power of the Sect to help her completely master the Holy Thunder Technique."

After a moment’s pause, he continued, "When the time comes, I will open the seal deep within Shenmo Mountain, and you can concentrate on cultivating inside. The Great Elder and I will personally oversee things and help you complete this task!"

He was well aware of the indescribable importance of the Holy Thunder Technique to the Jinglei Sect. If the technique could be completely mastered and disseminated throughout the Sect, their power would grow immensely. Even if many disciples couldn’t fully comprehend it, simply cultivating the technique would be a huge boost to their strength.

"With your word, Sect Master, I can rest easy." Saying this, Lei Man looked at Chu Lingjun. "I will see to the matter you requested shortly. As for when you can emerge from Shenmo Mountain, that will depend on when you complete this great fortuitous encounter."