On the eight stone pillars, thick silver metal wires, each as thick as a finger, were tightly wound, and those silver wires connected the pillars to each other.

　　In the vast stone cave, between the octagonally standing pillars, the crisscrossing silver wires formed a massive web, like enormous spiderwebs woven together.

　　"Boom! Boom! Boom! Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"

　　With the thunderous roar, a terrifying current surged in from the cracks in the cave ceiling, channeled into the eight stone pillars—narrow at the top and wide at the base—and then, through the silver wires coiled around the pillars, raced through the intricate web at the center, causing flashes of lightning to illuminate the cave as bright as day.

　　At the same time, outside above Medicine Mountain, thunder and lightning intertwined, deafeningly loud, with streaks of electric dragons rampaging across the sky.

　　Dense bolts of lightning crackled down, as if drawn by some mysterious force, stabbing into the protruding rocks at the mountain's peak, flashing and vanishing in an instant.

　　"Come on, even more fierce and violent!"

　　In the spacious stone cave, Ryan Carter's still somewhat youthful face was filled with excitement and exhilaration as he plunged headlong into the dense electric web at the center of the eight pillars.

　　"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"

　　The current in the interwoven silver wires, like splattering cold light, like sharp blades, all surged violently toward his seemingly frail body!

　　"Howl!"

　　Countless fine bolts of lightning shot toward him. Entering the state of no thoughts and no distractions, Ryan Carter felt as if his soul was being pierced by thousands of steel needles, unable to suppress a shrill, miserable scream.

　　Inhuman pain wracked Ryan Carter's body, making him convulse, yet a look of wild frenzy appeared in his eyes, like a fierce beast driven to the brink.

　　Enduring agony no ordinary person could withstand, Ryan Carter gritted his teeth and activated the Heavenly Thunder Annihilation technique. Once the fine lightning entered his body, which had previously rampaged chaotically, it now seemed to be manipulated by an invisible hand, swiftly coursing through his tough meridians and sinking into his flesh, bones, and blood.

　　An ordinary martial artist, even at the Kaiyuan Realm, would likely be killed instantly by such violent lightning entering their body, let alone channeling it into their meridians and deep into their flesh and bones.

　　Threads of lightning power shot rapidly through his meridians, guided by him, gradually moving toward his chest and abdomen.

　　Wherever the lightning passed, his meridians, bones, and flesh ached so much they nearly went numb. Yet he knew very well that amid the pain, the lightning was also tempering and forging his bones and flesh bit by bit, allowing his body to gradually adapt to the even greater intensity of Heavenly Thunder Annihilation cultivation.

　　For five years, using the power of the Nine Heavens' lightning, he had been tempering his meridians, flesh, and limbs little by little, slowly shifting his cultivation focus toward the even more vital internal organs.

　　Over the years, his meridians, muscles, arms, and legs had gradually adapted to the lightning entering his body. As long as he could also temper his internal organs, the solid foundation for Heavenly Thunder Annihilation would truly be established, and his entire body would be able to withstand the full force of the thunder's tempering.

　　By then, his cultivation of Heavenly Thunder Annihilation would reach a new level of height and intensity!

　　"Ah!"

　　The fine lightning finally followed the meridians of his limbs and entered his internal organs. Ryan Carter's body instantly convulsed, curling up like a prawn struck by electricity, letting out hoarse, anguished screams.

　　Torrential rain poured down, and the thunder over Medicine Mountain grew even more violent. Bolts of lightning, like giant dragons, dove down and crashed savagely into the cave.

　　The eight stone pillars suddenly shone dazzlingly bright, the current on each silver wire growing ever more terrifying. In the giant web of silver wires, Ryan Carter's entire body was charred black, trembling as he roared madly.

　　His roar, once high and wild, gradually became low and weak, until finally it faded away, and his body, covered in currents, ceased to move.

　　After the lightning passed, the rain did not stop; instead, it grew even heavier.

　　Heaven's wrath subsided, and no more thunder poured into the cave. The stone pillars inside grew dim, and the silver wires no longer shone.

　　No one knew how much time passed before the charred Ryan Carter slowly regained consciousness. He lay motionless on the silver web, silently sensing the state of his body.

　　With his mind sinking inward, he seemed to see faint currents still lingering in his chest, stubbornly moving through his organs and flesh, continuing to temper his internal organs so they could gradually adapt to the future ravages of lightning.

　　"Without the state of no thoughts and no distractions, the torment I have to endure is truly unimaginable for ordinary people. Fortunately, I've been cultivating like this for five years, and both my body and soul have long since adapted. Otherwise, even if my body could withstand it, my soul would not be able to bear such pain and would collapse instantly. If that happened, I really would become an idiot."

　　"Only the tempering of my organs remains. At this rate, in at most two or three months, the most difficult foundation of the early stage of Heavenly Thunder Annihilation will be firmly established."

　　After resting for a while and regaining some strength, Ryan Carter climbed down from the silver web, staggering to the back of one of the stone pillars.

　　"Two years ago, before Grandpa left, he said that when I next woke up, I should look at what he left for me..."

　　Behind the stone pillar was a square wooden box, unlocked, which Ryan Carter easily opened.

　　Inside the box was a letter, several exquisitely drawn maps, and a lifelike wooden figurine—carved in the exact likeness of his grandfather.