What do you mean I'm a cultivator?-Chapter 36

Jiang Cheng exhaled as he set the massive tree down, its weight barely registering now that he had reinforced himself with Qi. A few villagers murmured in amazement, their whispers drifting through the morning air like wind through leaves.

"He lifted it like it was nothing..."

"Truly an immortal..."

Jiang Cheng ignored them, his silver eyes scanning the remains of the well. The tree’s impact had done more than just block the opening. It had shattered the stone lining and likely disturbed the deeper structure beneath.

The once solid stone walls of the well had partially collapsed, jagged edges of rock jutting out unevenly. The top few layers had crumbled, but what concerned him more were the cracks running deep, disappearing into the darkness below.

He stepped forward, crouching at the edge. The smell of damp earth and old stone drifted up from within. He could see faint glimmers of water at the bottom, but it was murky and still, a far cry from the clear, life giving well the village once relied on.

"This isn't just a matter of removing the tree, Huh?" Jiang Cheng muttered to himself.

Elder Yaozhi stepped beside him, hands clasped behind his back. His expression was grim. "I feared as much." he admitted. "If the foundation has been damaged, restoring it will not be easy."

Jiang Cheng nodded absently, running his fingers along the broken rim. He would have to descend into the well and inspect the full extent of the damage. If the cracks ran deep enough, it could have disrupted the underground water veins, and that…

That would be a much bigger problem. But that was unlikely. The tree wasn't THAT heavy.

Without another word, he swung his legs over the edge and dropped in.

The villagers gasped.

"He’s going inside?"

"Won't he get stuck?"

"He’s an immortal! Nothing can trap him stupid!"

Their awed voices faded as Jiang Cheng descended. He let himself fall freely for a few Zhang before kicking off against the stone, slowing his descent in a controlled motion. His hands brushed against the damp, uneven surface, feeling where the impact had left its mark. Some of the stones had simply shifted, but others had fractured completely.

When he landed at the bottom, he was knee deep in water. Water that was somehow stinging. Almost like static electricity.

Jiang Cheng’s brows furrowed as he took in the scene. The well was deeper than he expected, at least fifteen zhang down. Normally, a well of this depth should have held clean, flowing water, but the liquid here was stagnant, carrying an odd, almost metallic scent.

He crouched, dipping his fingers into the water. A faint ripple spread outward, distorting the reflection of light from above. He focused, sending a pulse Qi into the water, feeling for anything unnatural.

Almost immediately, he felt a strange resistance.

Something was off.

A deep crack ran through the stone floor of the well, and though he couldn't see the full extent of it, the energy within the water told him enough.

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The remnants of the lightning strike had seeped into the earth, altering the flow of Qi underground. That explained why the tree had retained traces of energy. But what effect had it had on the well itself?

Jiang Cheng frowned. If the underground water source had been affected, the well might not just be damaged. It could be tainted. The villagers wouldn't be able to use it until he either purified the source or redirected the flow entirely.

A low breath left him.

This was going to be more troublesome than he thought.

Jiang Cheng’s silver eyes flickered as he examined the bottom of the well more closely. At first glance, the damage seemed mundane. Broken stones, stagnant water, cracks in the earth. All it seemed, was that the tree had damaged the well. Nothing more.

But then, as he forced more Qi within the pulse traveling through the water, he sensed something.

Nestled among the fallen debris, half submerged in the water, was a chunk of wood unlike anything else in the well.

It was completely black, not in the way burned wood might be, but something deeper, unnatural. The surface was smooth, almost polished, despite being cracked at the edges where it must have broken off from the fallen tree. More than its appearance, Jiang Cheng could feel it. The moment his gaze landed on it, his Qi stirred instinctively.

He took a slow breath.

This was the source. This was why the water felt so tingly down here.

The tree had absorbed the lightning, and somehow, a portion of that energy had been sealed within this fragment. It pulsed faintly, resonating with his own Qi, like the ghost of a storm still lingering in the wood.

Jiang Cheng crouched, reaching out carefully. The moment his fingers brushed the surface, a sharp static shock ran up his arm. He hissed, jerking back. His entire palm tingled, a faint burning sensation lingering where the energy had tried to surge into him.

He couldn't just leave it there. As long as the fragment remained, the well’s Qi flow would remain disrupted, making it impossible to purify the water. The problem was moving it.

If he had a proper containment tool, perhaps he could seal the energy away. But he didn’t. Nothing on him could store something this volatile. Definitely not a simple cloth wrapping.

That left him with only one option.

Jiang Cheng let out a slow breath, rolling his shoulders as he prepared himself.

If he couldn’t store it, he’d have to absorb it. Sure, it would probably push his cultivation by a lot, but this was a stupid way of doing so. However, he was reluctant to tell the sect about it's existence. That would only lead to his newfound treasure being taken away.

His Qi surged, flowing through his body, strengthening his body in preparation. His cultivation technique was not specialized for handling Lightning Qi, but he had no choice. He could either seize control of the energy and integrate it into his own, or risk it running wild inside him.

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His fingers twitched.

No hesitation.

With a sharp exhale, Jiang Cheng grasped the wood firmly.

The reaction was instant.

A surge of raw, crackling power shot through his arm like wildfire. His muscles locked, his Qi roaring in protest as the foreign energy tried to invade him. Sparks danced along his skin, flickering white and violet. His vision blurred for a moment as the pressure built, too much, too fast. It was not like any Qi he had tried to control. It felt wild. Like pure lightning. This was a dense source of pure lightning Qi.

No. Cheng thought, gritting his teeth. Control it. Guide it.

He forced his own Qi to move, wrapping around the invading force, shaping it, breaking it before it could tear through his body.

It was like wrestling a living storm, his dantian flaring as he redirected the energy, absorbing what he could and dispersing what he couldn’t.

Lightning raked through his veins, but he endured. For those seconds, he knew nothing but pain. Overwhelming pain, its intensity far beyond anything he had ever felt.

He didn't know this, but this experience would prove invaluable to his future.

But soon enough, it stopped. The charred wood piece felt like ordinary wood, and he pocketed it.

He moved his tight shoulders, wincing at the pain.

It was like he had been hit by a truck. Huh. Weird saying. What was even a truck?

Jiang Cheng staggered, breath coming fast, his body still buzzing with residual sparks. The stagnant air of the well felt charged, the last remnants of the storm lingering within him.

Then, silence.

The moment the fragment was gone, the water beneath him shifted. The unnatural stillness broke, the murky depths rippling outward. Slowly, the energy that had been disrupting the flow of Qi faded, returning to a more natural state.

It was done.

Jiang Cheng exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow. He glanced at his hands. Tiny arcs of Lightning Qi still danced across his fingertips before fading.

He had broken through to the Eleventh stage of Qi condensation. And more than halfway to the next stage.

This was not how he imagined breaking through into late stage Qi condensation, but he'd take it.