Chapter 157 - 99: Truly Mastering the Thunder Power
The rain poured down in sheets, and the wind howled. The world had dissolved into a chaotic swirl of gray and white.
Anya asked in a low voice, "Where do we go now?"
As she spoke, her gaze first swept over Mo Ning before landing on Reina’s pretty face.
Rain pattered against the Dazed Girl’s waterproof hood, sliding swiftly down its curve without leaving a single drop behind.
The girl’s warm breath formed a faint layer of mist inside the hood, but it dissipated in an instant. It didn’t condense into droplets on her visor or obstruct her vision.
This was the unique "breathing" function of a high-Quality hood—it allowed water vapor to escape from the inside while preventing rain from seeping in.
Anya’s glance was clearly asking Reina if her [Intuition of the Right Direction] could offer any guidance.
The Dazed Girl understood the meaning in her companion’s eyes and shook her head slightly. "I’m not getting any feeling!"
She paused, her gaze shifting toward the forest, her tone growing more serious. "But I feel like something’s not right in those woods."
Anya added in a low voice, "My [Crisis Sensing] is also telling me there’s something a little dangerous in the forest."
Those words, "a little dangerous," implied the level of danger wasn’t too high.
Despite this, the two girls were still reluctant to enter the forest.
In a Gale and downpour like this, the most important thing was to find a safe place to take shelter from the rain and conserve their strength.
Once the storm passed, they would inevitably have to travel a long distance—crossing muddy plains, climbing slippery hills, and wading through swollen streams. The whole process would consume a great deal of stamina.
This was the most logical assumption—the academy wouldn’t let them just sit around comfortably until the assessment was over.
But there was danger in the forest. They would be on edge the entire time, having to keep their ears peeled even just to take a sip of water. How could they possibly rest well there?
Anyone with enough experience understood this principle: in the wilderness, stamina and energy were life.
The two girls exchanged a look, and then their gazes fell in unison on Mo Ning.
The boy who had been standing quietly between them was looking up at the sky from under his transparent visor.
Mo Ning’s expression was strange. His pupils were slightly contracted as if he were tracking something only he could perceive.
Anya seemed to notice something and followed his gaze up to the dim sky. Leaden gray clouds hung low like a lid, with rain pouring from their cracks and the occasional bolt of lightning rolling deep within them.
She brought her gaze back down and couldn’t help but ask, "Is there something in the sky?"
Mo Ning nodded, his voice so low only the two girls could hear. "There are Hunters circling up there. I can sense greedy eyes staring at the new recruits in the assessment."
That word, "greedy," made the two girls’ pupils tremble for an instant.
In truth, Mo Ning had intentionally concealed a key piece of information: the power of thunder had conveyed a message to him.
’This sounds completely unbelievable.’ Even he himself found it hard to believe, but it was the truth.
When that strange, tree-shaped bolt of lightning "drew" a blazing trajectory of light across the sky, a stream of information, as if carried by the lightning itself, poured from deep within the clouds into the depths of his consciousness: something was circling, watching, and waiting in the sky.
Mo Ning guessed this was also likely related to the Phantom Carved Divine Statue.
To be precise, the Phantom Carving had undergone a miraculous transformation in the Meditation World, forging a wondrous, invisible bond between him and the thunder.
Reina’s expression grew a little tense. She subconsciously fired off a series of questions: "Are there powerful monsters in the sky? What kind, specifically? How many are there?"
Any competent Adventurer knew that detecting hidden monsters in advance and knowing information about them would greatly increase their chances of survival.
Mo Ning shook his head, his voice still calm. "The rain is coming down too hard. I can’t see what’s in the sky clearly. I can only sense a certain presence, but I can’t tell what it is."
With a thought, he quietly released an [Insightful Secret Eye].
The illusory eyeball swiftly rose to a height of ten meters, taking in the sky, the forest, and the figures of the other new recruits struggling in the mud.
It would closely monitor the surroundings, capturing every trace of abnormality.
Anya’s pretty face was grave. "It seems this is the academy’s first test. We’ll be attacked if we enter the forest, and we’ll be attacked if we stay outside. No matter which path you choose, you’ll be assaulted."
Mo Ning nodded. "That’s probably it."
The assessments set by the academy were always extremely difficult. An arrangement like this was very much in line with its style.
At this very moment, the vast majority of new recruits were braving the Gale and downpour, heading toward the forest several hundred meters away to seek shelter.
It was currently late summer and early autumn. The vegetation in Mist Valley was exceptionally lush, and the wild grass on the ground was generally more than half a person’s height. Drenched by the downpour, it was as slick as if coated in oil, offering no grip.
On top of that, the ground was slippery and their boots were caked with mud. Every step required a great deal of effort just to pull their feet free, making it incredibly difficult to walk.
Mo Ning’s gaze flickered as he made a timely decision. "We’ll follow the others but stay on the edge of the forest. We’ll wait for the first wave of attacks to pass, then find another place to shelter from the storm."
Reina’s eyes lit up when she heard this. "Great idea!"
If their squad left the main group, they would definitely be targeted first by the monsters in the sky. That was absolutely the worst move.