Vol 2 Chapter 65: Mutation
Old Man Bai sat in the chair, wearing a pair of black gloves. Two wires extended from the gloves, connecting to a nearby transformer.
He fidgeted restlessly, twisting left and right, occasionally lifting his hands to inspect the metallic conductive plates on the gloves.
"Are you sure this is safe?" he muttered toward Zheng Fa.
"Relax, Grandpa," Zheng Fa replied with a grin. "This magical tool is my personal secret creation. You're only the second person in the world to try it!"
“…I checked the reviews. Not even two hundred ratings."
“…”
“They give you ten bucks back for a five-star review."
“…Scared, Grandpa?” Zheng Fa gave him a sidelong glance.
“Who’s scared?” Old Man Bai curled his lip. “I’m just asking, that’s all.”“The voltage starts low—perfectly safe. Besides, didn’t I already teach you the first level of the Five Thunder Body Technique?” Zheng Fa reassured him.
Old Man Bai pressed his lips together and said nothing more.
Zheng Fa plugged in the transformer.
“If something happens to me…” Old Man Bai suddenly asked, “will the insurance pay out?”
“…Seriously?”
“Maybe I should think it over. You know, I just realized I’m not that into electromagnetic induction after all—”
Zheng Fa twisted the knob.
Old Man Bai’s lips trembled, his tongue stiffened, and he couldn’t utter another word.
“Channel your spiritual power according to the Five Thunder Body Technique!” Zheng Fa reminded him urgently. His eyes stayed fixed on the old man, his hand hovering over the knob, ready to cut the power if needed.
He wasn’t entirely at ease.
On one hand, Old Man Bai was up there in years. Although he had trained in the Linghe Body Technique, his physique wasn’t what it used to be.
On the other hand, this was his first time practicing the Five Thunder Body Technique, and Zheng Fa worried he might struggle with it.
But to Zheng Fa’s relief, the old man seemed genuinely interested in the technique. Despite his initial fear, he quickly entered a meditative state.
Only after observing for a long while did Zheng Fa slip quietly out of the room, leaving the old man to his practice.
“Eh? Where’s Zheng Fa?”
Old Man Bai waddled out with a wide, swaggering gait, clearly feeling pleased with himself.
He searched around for Zheng Fa but only found Tang Lingwu.
“You’re done cultivating already?” she asked.
“Yep! First time, but I feel like this technique was made for me!”
“I heard from Zheng Fa that you were pretty nervous…”
“Nervous? Hah!” Old Man Bai immediately cut her off. “That was just fear of the unknown! I tell you, I felt amazing afterward—completely refreshed! Honestly, the voltage was too low for my liking!”
“…”
“Too low?” Zheng Fa appeared, carrying a large cardboard box. “Perfect timing! The high-voltage DC power supply I ordered just arrived. Want to give it a go?”
“…”
Watching Old Man Bai’s sudden silence, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but shake his head. He placed the box down and began unpacking.
Inside was a white metal unit with several small displays and buttons.
“So, how high can this one go?”
“Up to 30 kilovolts,” Zheng Fa replied after checking the manual.
“That’s… way too high. Are you really planning to use it?”
“We’ll start low and work our way up. I’ll stop if it gets too much. Just help me control the output,” Zheng Fa said calmly.
The old transformer maxed out at 300 volts—far too low for his Five Thunder Body Technique cultivation needs.
This high-voltage DC power supply was like a treasure to him. Adjustable high-voltage transformers weren’t easy to find—not because they couldn’t be made, but because demand was so low.
Zheng Fa had asked several shops. Either they didn’t stock it, or they required a custom order.
Then he stumbled upon this unit and decided to give it a shot.
He slipped the gloves on himself, sat cross-legged in the chair, and glanced at Old Man Bai.
The old man nodded, flipped the power switch, and started adjusting the output voltage.
The numbers on the screen quickly climbed past 400 volts.
Old Man Bai looked at Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa shook his head.
800 volts.
Zheng Fa’s hands began to tremble, but he still shook his head.
At 1500 volts—
The two of them could hear his teeth chattering.
“J-Just… a bit… higher…” Zheng Fa managed through stiff lips.
When the voltage hit 2100 volts—
Zheng Fa’s tense expression eased, and he sank fully into his cultivation state, absorbed in the Five Thunder Body Technique.
“Grandpa Bai… don’t you think Zheng Fa’s been acting a little… off lately?” Tang Lingwu suddenly asked.
“…So you noticed too?”
“What’s wrong with him?”
“Something’s got him in a tight spot,” Old Man Bai muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“A tight spot?” Tang Lingwu was puzzled. “What kind of trouble could he be in?”
Old Man Bai glanced at the numbers on the screen. His brows furrowed deeply before he spoke.
“When a man is this hard on himself, there’s usually only one explanation…”
“What is it?”
“…Heartbreak.”
“???”
Within Zheng Fa's internal vision, his bones trembled, undergoing a mysterious transformation.
As powerful currents surged through his body, he saw the surfaces of his bones turn charred black, as if scorched and carbonized by the intense heat.
But in the next moment, his spiritual power, following the circulation path of the Five Thunder Body Technique, began to nourish those charred areas.
Gradually, faint golden specks flickered within the blackened bones.
At first, the golden light was weak—like tiny cracks glowing faintly in the darkness.
But then, the gold expanded, weaving into a dense web of shining filaments.
Finally, the black surface was completely replaced by a radiant golden sheen—his bones now appeared to be coated in a thin, golden film.
Zheng Fa slowly opened his eyes.
Before him, Old Man Bai and Tang Lingwu stared anxiously.
“How did it go?”
“It’s done!” Zheng Fa replied firmly.
With the appearance of that golden layer, he knew he had broken through to the third level of the Five Thunder Body Technique—Bone Tempering.
Old Man Bai and Tang Lingwu exchanged a glance, their faces breaking into smiles.
Zheng Fa stood from the chair, carefully sensing the changes in his body.
Something felt different—though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
“Hey… did you get taller?” Old Man Bai suddenly said.
He spread his palm flat at his own forehead, then measured against Zheng Fa, comparing their heights. After double-checking, he nodded with certainty.
“You did get taller.”
Zheng Fa was startled. He walked to the bathroom and stood before the mirror.
The change was striking.
Before he practiced the Linghe Body Technique, he wasn’t short—but he had been scrawny, with the malnourished look of a kid who didn’t eat well growing up.
After cultivating martial arts and the Dao, his appearance had gradually improved—his skin became healthier, and his frame more muscular.
But certain body proportions—like head-to-shoulder ratio or leg-to-torso ratio—were typically fixed by genetics and rarely changed.
Yet now...
Staring into the mirror, he noticed:
His legs seemed longer.
His shoulders broader.
His entire physique had gained a symmetrical, harmonious beauty.
“Here, let me measure!”
Old Man Bai walked in holding a soft measuring tape, his curiosity piqued. Without waiting for permission, he began measuring Zheng Fa’s proportions from head to toe.
Tang Lingwu, standing to the side, watched with sparkling eyes.
When Old Man Bai finished measuring and did some quick calculations, he suddenly muttered:
“This technique… seriously reshaped you into golden proportions?”
“…”
“Any other changes?” he asked eagerly.
“Why are you so interested, Grandpa?” Zheng Fa narrowed his eyes.
“Well, I’m practicing the Five Thunder Body Technique too!”
“…”
“How about you strip down, and I’ll measure properly?”
“I suddenly remembered I have something urgent to do—”
“Hey, hey, hey!”
Zheng Fa bolted from the room, leaving Old Man Bai behind, who clicked his tongue in regret.
Then, noticing Tang Lingwu still watching Zheng Fa’s retreating back with a peculiar expression, Old Man Bai squinted at her.
“What are you staring at?”
“His legs—uh, I mean, nothing!” She quickly averted her gaze.
“…Tsk.” Old Man Bai shot her a sideways look, clicking his tongue again.
“What now, Grandpa Bai?”
“I’m just thinking…” Old Man Bai said with a smirk, “with that kid looking like that, he’ll probably never get dumped in his life.”
“Cultivation… It’s like a controlled form of life evolution,” Zheng Fa mused after fully assessing his bodily changes.
“Life evolution…” Tang Lingwu, who had been listening quietly, suddenly slapped her forehead as if something clicked. “Oh! I almost forgot—I found something!”
“What is it?”
“Come with me!”
With that, she dashed out of the room, her footsteps quick and excited.
Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai exchanged a glance, then hurried after her.
They arrived at an open clearing.
Tang Lingwu had previously mentioned that some landscape plants had been delivered, and she had fenced off this area—both for privacy and to hide their activities from prying eyes.
The ground here was clean and well-maintained. It was also where Zheng Fa had practiced the Lingshan Method.
“Look!” Tang Lingwu pointed toward a corner of the clearing.
Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai turned their heads—and saw a small patch of weeds growing there. It seemed the workers had been lazy and hadn’t fully cleared the area.
“What’s the deal?” Old Man Bai asked, puzzled.
“These weeds… they’re different!” Tang Lingwu said firmly. “I checked around the area—same species—but these here are taller and bigger.”
“…”
Zheng Fa and Old Man Bai locked eyes, immediately catching her meaning.
They crouched down, carefully examining the patch of weeds.
Then, they pulled up a few other weeds from around the area for comparison.
Sure enough—there was a difference.
The weeds in this patch were clearly more robust. Their leaves were broader, a richer green, and their roots extended deeper into the soil.
“This is…” Old Man Bai spoke Zheng Fa’s thought aloud. “A mutation from exposure to spiritual energy?”
Zheng Fa nodded slightly.
Same hillside, same environment, and same species of plant.
The only unique factor was that he had been practicing the Lingshan Method here—infusing the surroundings with traces of his spiritual energy.
“Such a drastic change… in such a short time?” Old Man Bai frowned. “Not sure if this is good or bad. You should be careful when practicing the Lingshan Method from now on.”
“…Yeah,” Zheng Fa agreed with a serious nod.
“We really need an agricultural expert,” Old Man Bai grumbled, half to himself.
“…”
“Seriously,” he continued, “do we know anyone in that field?”
Zheng Fa gave him a look. “You’re obviously thinking about Teacher Tian.”
“Speaking of Teacher Tian—” Tang Lingwu suddenly chimed in, pulling out her phone. “She messaged me a couple of days ago. Said if I’m in Jingcheng, I should stop by for dinner.”
Old Man Bai froze. “Wait, what? She invited you?”
Tang Lingwu glanced up. “Yeah, why?”
“I told her I was in Jingcheng too…” Old Man Bai’s face twisted in disbelief. “How come she didn’t invite me?”
“…”
“…Anyway,” Old Man Bai coughed, changing the subject with zero shame, “we really do need an agricultural expert.”
As if he had completely forgotten about a certain Teacher Tian.
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