Rise of the Wasteland in Cultivation

Leng San returned to his room, closed the door, and held the lightning-struck wood in his hand. A familiar feeling immediately welled up in his heart—the extremely domineering aura of lightning. Heavenly lightning is undoubtedly the most yang and powerful substance in the world, capable of cleansing all evil and filth, and causing demons and monsters to retreat.

Every cultivator can usually project their divine sense when they reach the fourth level of Qi Refining, at which point they can look for their natal magic weapon.

The so-called "natal treasure," as the name suggests, is a treasure intimately connected to your very being. It is intertwined with your destiny, sharing both joy and sorrow. It will become your best friend and closest brother, helping you overcome obstacles and forge ahead on your spiritual path.

Therefore, when choosing your natal magic weapon, firstly, it must be compatible with your attributes, and secondly, you must consider its affinity. The higher the affinity, the easier it is to refine, and the greater its power.

Leng San cultivates lightning-based techniques, which perfectly complement the lightning-struck wood attribute. Furthermore, they have developed a telepathic connection, so their affinity is naturally at the highest level.

Leng San is not yet able to project his divine sense, so he cannot "communicate" with this lightning-struck wood, nor can he control it, much less absorb it into his spiritual sea for nourishment and refinement.

However, it's still possible to repair the lightning-struck wood.

This piece of wood struck by lightning is really ugly; its surface is covered with cracks, making it look like a piece of burnt charcoal.

Leng San took out his dagger, intending to scrape off the carbonized layer on the surface of the lightning-struck wood. However, after only two strokes, the lightning-struck wood began to vibrate slightly with a buzzing sound. Then, with a flash of light, the carbonized layer on the surface automatically peeled off, turning into a shiny black stick that was smooth to the touch, instantly elevating its appearance by several levels.

Leng San was both surprised and delighted. It seemed that the spirituality of this lightning-struck wood was even higher than he had expected. He had truly struck gold this time.

As Chenxi watched everything unfold before her, her mouth agape in a rare "O" shape. She walked over and tried to touch the lightning-struck wood.

However, the lightning-struck wood began to hum and vibrate again, as if issuing a warning. Chenxi quickly withdrew her little hand, her curved eyebrows furrowing, clearly displeased.

Suddenly, with a soft hiss, an extremely sharp aura was released from the lightning-struck wood, and the small stool next to it silently broke in two.

Leng San was taken aback and hurriedly pulled Chen Xi behind him. This spirit creature has quite a bad temper. Hmm, this is... the aura of sharp metal. Could it be the Golden Thunderwood?

Leng San immediately became excited again. This lightning-struck wood actually contained the sharpness of metal, which was probably covered by the domineering aura of lightning before, and he had not noticed it.

Even in the cultivation world, Golden Thunderwood is a rare treasure. It only grows one centimeter every hundred years. The length of this lightning-struck wood in front of us is at least a meter. If it is really Golden Thunderwood, it means that it has grown for at least tens of thousands of years.

Strange, could it be that before the nuclear war, the spiritual energy of Earth was so abundant that it could support the growth of a rare treasure like the Golden Thunderwood?

Leng San cautiously reached out and grasped one end of the lightning-struck wood. The next second, the lightning-struck wood vanished into thin air.

Leng San's heart stirred, and he immediately looked inward at his dantian's spiritual sea, and sure enough, he found that the lightning-struck wood was quietly soaking in his spiritual sea.

Leng San was both surprised and delighted. This lightning-struck wood was far too spiritual. It didn't require him to communicate with it using his divine sense. It automatically entered his spiritual sea to be nurtured and refined. It was even more intelligent than artificial intelligence.

However, when Leng San tried to summon the lightning-struck wood, "Grandpa Wood" ignored him completely and remained comfortably immersed in the spiritual sea without moving.

This is a bit awkward; the master can't even control his natal magic weapon!

Leng San frowned and pondered for a moment, then quickly came to his senses. He was only at the second level of Qi Refining, and he couldn't even project his divine sense outwards yet, so it was normal that he couldn't control the Golden Thunderwood.

At this moment, Chenxi gently tugged at Leng San's clothes, her eyes seeming to ask, "Where did that terrifying stick go?"

Leng San patted the little girl's head and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, it won't hurt you, it's just a little temperamental."

…………

At Camp C-361, Lao Zhang and Sister Qin, two superhumans, arrived in front of Leng San's courtyard house.

"Hehe, looks like this kid's doing pretty well, living in a detached house." Old Zhang took off his sunglasses and chuckled.

This guy's head was already unusually large, and when he took off his sunglasses, revealing two round eyes, he looked even more like an octopus, and coincidentally, his surname was Zhang.

At this moment, Sister Qin also took off her sunglasses, revealing that her eyes were semi-transparent, which was quite eerie. She said calmly, "Being able to grow crops in the Gray Zone means you must have extraordinary abilities. Be careful, don't let yourself be caught off guard."

Old Zhang smiled dismissively and was about to reach for the lock on the door when Sister Qin quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't touch anything. This is the territory of the Scavengers' Alliance. Although we are not afraid, we shouldn't break the rules. Our Wanhua Group has a fairly good relationship with the Scavengers' Alliance. There's no need to make a scene. Just take the people and things away secretly."

Old Zhang's outstretched tentacles snapped back, and he chuckled, "Then we can only rely on you, Sister Qin."

Sister Qin reached out and put her arm around Lao Zhang's arm. Suddenly, their bodies became "blurred" and they passed directly through the doorway into the courtyard.

The two searched around the courtyard and soon found the plants in the east wing. However, since Chenxi was not there, the plants had not received any spiritual energy for two days, so they were not very energetic and looked a bit wilted.

Old Zhang reached out and picked a tomato, put it in his mouth, and after just one bite, his eyes lit up and he said, "It tastes really good, even better than the ones at our headquarters."

Hearing this, Sister Qin couldn't resist picking one to try, nodding and saying, "It's definitely even more delicious than the ones at headquarters. I wonder how that kid grew them. Hmm, why are the leaves a little wilted?"

Old Zhang said, "That kid went out; he probably didn't water the plants."

Sister Qin touched the soil on the surface of the potted plant and shook her head, saying, "No, the soil is still wet. It's not lacking water. Hmm, this kid must have some secret method. It needs someone to take care of it every day."

Old Zhang shrugged and said, "Who cares about any secret method? Just capture the person and hand him over to that old madman, and he'll figure it out naturally."

"That's true, we're only responsible for arresting people." Sister Qin nodded.

Old Zhang bent down to carry the potted plants away, but Sister Qin quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't move them. Let's take them with us when that kid comes back."

Next, the two passed through the wall and left. It was obvious that Sister Qin's ability was to pass through walls, and she could even take a living person with her through the wall. Her ability level was at least B.

With her special abilities and Lao Zhang's cooperation, she could indeed abduct people without them noticing.

…………

That night, intense sounds of "fighting" echoed from inside the room, finally subsiding after nearly half an hour. The door opened, and Zhang Ligang emerged wearing only a pair of shorts. He took two cans of cola from the refrigerator and returned to the room, handing one of them to Xu Xiaoxia on the bed.

The woman, her face still flushed and her eyes seemingly overflowing with desire, took the cola, took a sip, and said coquettishly, "You rascal!"

Zhang Ligang joked, "Is Bi Lang more capable, or am I?"

The woman tossed her hair with a flirtatious air and laughed, "Still jealous? Is it really that serious? Bi Lang and I have been divorced for many years."

"But she can't forget you. Today, because of this, she has refused to join the Alliance Guard." Zhang Ligang said, while casually observing the woman's expression.

"That's none of my business. But Bi Lang is pretty stupid; he actually refused to join the Alliance Guard." A hint of smugness flashed across the woman's face; she clearly enjoyed the feeling of men being infatuated with her and jealous of her.

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Ligang's eyes as he said calmly, "He's not stupid at all. If he joins the Alliance Guard, I'll slowly torment him to death sooner or later, just like your ex-husband."

Xu Xiaoxia threw off the covers, swayed her body as she walked towards the bathroom, turned on the shower and started taking a shower without locking the door.

Zhang Ligang downed the can of cola in one gulp and laughed, "Bi Lang just sold the nuclear batteries, he's got money in his hands. Do you think he'll buy some Tier 3 gene enhancement serum?"

The woman turned back and smiled charmingly: "Whether he buys it or not is none of my business. But you, Brother Gang, why don't you go buy a dose? Once you become a level three gene-enhanced warrior, the position of squadron leader might just be yours."

Zhang Ligang sneered, "You overestimate me. If Xiang Zhenlong doesn't get promoted, I have no chance. Besides, that third-tier gene enhancement drug isn't mature yet. I'm not going to be a free guinea pig for Wanhua Group. Heh heh, I actually hope Bi Lang gets selected. Who knows, he might be finished without me even lifting a finger."

The woman suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. No wonder your guards aren't very enthusiastic about the Tier 3 enhancement potion; it turns out it's only a semi-finished product."

Zhang Ligang watched the woman's retreating figure, a fiery glint in his eyes, and then slipped on his slippers and went into the bathroom.