Li Luo and Lu Ming ascended the stairs, which seemed to go on forever. When they finally arrived at the top, they spotted a speck of light, and they quickened their pace eagerly.

Soon, they could see their destination.

Both immediately saw a lake of silver a few dozen meters below them.

No, not really a lake.

It was not filled with water, but rather a silvery mud imbued with lightning. Electricity jumped and sparked merrily within, cracking with a cheery sound.

"It's the Imperial Fluxpool!" Lu Ming said in a reverent half-whisper. Her eyes were as round as they had ever been.

"Imperial... Fluxpool?"

Lu Ming nodded vigorously. "I researched the Blackwind Empire's Thunderpeal Tree before. It's said that the Imperial Fluxpool is the true prize of the tree. The fluxpool is made of the concentrated essence of lightning that the tree produces. The royal family can only be awarded Thunderpeal Fruits, no matter how great their achievement. Only the ruler alone can open the tree and cultivate in the Imperial Fluxpool."

"Sounds like pretty obscure information. How'd you know all that?" Li Luo asked admiringly.

"Because I have a lightning resonance, so of course I'm interested in anything that might be useful to me. The Thunderpeal Tree is one of the few rare entities that would benefit me. However, the Blackwind Empire has never let outsiders onto Thunderpeal Mountain, so it was always a faraway dream for me. I heard that anybody who bathes in the Imperial Fluxpool will be able to cultivate the Thunderpeal Avatar!"

Li Luo cupped his fist in gratitude to all four directions. "Many thanks, brother tree."

Clearly, the Thunderpeal Tree was not as fussy as its human guardians. Of course only the best reward was appropriate to repay its rescuers.

Li Luo and Lu Ming immediately moved to the bank of the Imperial Fluxpool without hesitation.

Li Luo squatted down, running his hand through the goop. His palm felt a thrilling tingle, as though his muscles and blood were energized by the current.

"This is some good stuff!" Li Luo exclaimed. Just a simple pass-through, and he could already sense its potency. It would really bulk up his body.

"If I can cultivate properly in this place, I might be able to pull off Level Two Divine Elephant power without my arms turning into mush every time," Li Luo thought happily to himself. If not for his triple-healing powers, he would not have been able to pull off such a physically demanding move.

Still, healing should always be a plus, not the basis of him pulling off his moves. Which was why strengthening his body had always been high on his priority list.

The Imperial Fluxpool would do just that.

"Li Luo, I really have to thank you for this," Lu Ming said a little self-consciously.

She knew that following Li Luo into Thunderpeal Mountain had led her to a big break. The Imperial Fluxpool was a godsend for a lightning resonance cultivator like herself, far outstripping what rewards Li Luo would get from it.

Which was why she felt like she owed him one.

But given her proud and aloof nature, that was not an easy thing to admit.

Li Luo waved it off easily. "No need to feel indebted. You saved my ass back there as well. We made a good team.

"But if you really want to thank me, can you forget about that poisoning incident?"

Lu Ming flushed and did not say more.

"I'm going in," she said.

"Wait," Li Luo suddenly said. She turned to him.

"Don't we need to take our clothes off? I mean, it's a bath, right?" 

Lu Ming blushed furiously. "In your dreams!"

She waded in and sat down huffily in the lotus position.

The silver sludge leaped up to cover her in strange spikes, almost like a ferrofluid. The electricity crackled deafeningly around her.

Lu Ming looked unaffected, as though there was not much of a sensation.

She looked like she was being deep-fried, but the actual sensation seemed mild enough. Satisfied, Li Luo walked around to the other side of the pool and hopped in.

Plop.

The silver sludge came surging to him as well.

And then he felt the sizzling power attack his pores like a swarm of miniature bees, their stings relentlessly drilling deep into his flesh. He cramped. He spasmed. He yelped.

It was a titillating feeling, a shocking sensation that left him feeling more alive than ever. But damn if it didn't hurt like hell.

"I've been pranked!"

As he squirmed in agony, he inwardly cursed Lu Ming.

Meanwhile, she had cracked open an eye to look at him. “Strange. Why does the guy look like he is in a pot of boiling oil or something?” She only felt a pleasant tingle on her skin.

“But from the way he is screaming, it doesn't seem like he is faking it.”

Her lightning affinity gave her the answer. She could see the flow of energy—most of it was going to Li Luo's position.

It made a gradient in the electrical intensity, and Li Luo's side was much richer than hers.

She understood, looking over at Li Luo enviously.

"The Thunderpeal Tree is really a discerning one," she thought to herself. The tree was the only one that could control the energy flow in the pool. It knew that Li Luo had done the heavy lifting in this rescue, and so it was sending more of the reward his way.

"This guy really doesn't know how to appreciate a good thing," she grumbled to herself. Although Li Luo might feel like he was currently being tasered, she would switch places with him in a heartbeat if she could.

It was a rare privilege to be granted that pain.

Lu Ming contented herself with her own reward, closing her eyes again to focus on her own cultivation.