[Chapter 265: Celestial Presence Stage]
After taking golden elixir, Linton realized his fate was no longer controlled by destiny.
Achieving the golden elixir meant stepping into a new stage. From this point, Linton's powers surged dramatically. He could command the wind and rain across local regions with just a wave of his hand, and effortlessly wield elements. As his power improved, he even learned to summon a flame that could incinerate anything.
His spiritual awareness expanded greatly, covering a radius of 20 kilometers and penetrating 400 meters underground. His entire estate lay within the reach of his spiritual sensing.
His lifespan increased enormously; barring unexpected events, Linton could now live on easily for 800 years.
Regarding offense, at his full power, he could level a city without issue, and topple a small mountain with some effort.
A hallmark of this Celestial Presence stage was the ability to fly unaided.
In defense, ordinary firearms and even sniper rifles became nothing but annoyances. Missiles and artillery still posed some threat, but his speed made him very hard to target.
However, a barrage of cruise missiles or rocket launchers would overwhelm him, no matter how fast he moved.
Especially drastic weapons like lasers, cluster bombs, nuclear and hydrogen bombs rendered him defenseless and lethal on contact.
Still, Linton was confident no one would dare deploy such weapons against him alone in the wild.
More importantly, in this stage he gained an Earth based movement ability -- allowing him to vanish and reappear anywhere globally.
[T/N: Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu / Earth Style: Underground Move Jutsu]
He had become incredibly powerful, more so than ever before. Now he was eager to test his new abilities thoroughly.
But it wasn't enough; after surviving a Thunder Trial, he would be rewarded with a rain that swiftly healed injuries and consolidated his powers.
The dark clouds above gradually parted, a surge of energy formed a colorful cloud overhead.
Within half an hour, with him as center, spread a sparse rainfall in a 500-meter radius, thinning toward the edges.
The raindrops bathed Linton's body in a refreshing comfort. It was indeed a potent tonic.
He didn't hold back his spiritual consciousness and absorbed all the rain from the sky. His injuries almost instantly healed, and his power visibly strengthened, stabilizing his Celestial Presence stage.
Alas, the rainfall ended in under five minutes, totaling less than a bucketful.
Thankfully, his Thunderstorm Protection Array shared most of the Thunder Trial's power, causing only minor skin injuries. Otherwise, that small amount of rain wouldn't have sufficed.
This differed greatly from what he expected -- perhaps because his injuries were minimal, the rain was intelligent enough to modulate accordingly.
That question would remain unanswered. But since the rain had fallen, and he had introduced significant Thunder Trial underground, chances were the spiritual energy generation was steady.
He sent his spiritual senses 10 meters below ground to investigate.
Each copper pipe buried suffered from powerful destructive energy intertwined with hints of vital energy.
Over time, the destructive energy dissipated while vitality grew. The energy seeped into surrounding soil, which was undergoing mysterious changes.
Linton was confident the energies underground were transforming the soil, enriching it with spiritual energy.
His spiritual sense extended 1.5 kilometers even 10 meters underground. Interestingly, the energy around each copper pipe extending from the iron tower remained consistent, rather than fading outward.
He flew along the copper pipes, reaching 2 kilometers quickly and noted the energy remained stable along the way.
Given copper's superb conductivity, this was expected.
This was great news, meaning the transformation touched much of the farmland.
Repeated flights helped Linton master flying techniques and measure his top speed, reaching 350 kilometers per hour.
Next, he inspected the copper pipes beneath the river and saw how the energy seeped into the riverbed, forecasting it would enter the water within days. Even though the icy surface froze, water beneath still flowed.
He felt the spirit gathering formation must be completed soon, or the unusual energy downstream would cause problems.
Five hours had passed without notice. Linton decided to return and meet his three women to continue celebrating and replenish his power. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel[f]ire.net
But before leaving, he had to cover his tracks, especially beneath the iron tower. He had cleared snow before the trial and would restore it now.
Fortunately, after the rain, the clouds dispersed and light snow began falling. By morning, snow would hide all traces.
To be extra safe, since his power surged dramatically, he caused a large snowfall over dozens of kilometers around his farm, erasing any evidence.
The thunder from his trial was so loud it echoed across Montana's winter skies, visible and audible for hundreds of kilometers -- an impossible miracle sure to draw heavy attention.
Tomorrow, many forces -- media, meteorologists, military, and security -- would flock to investigate this unnatural phenomenon.
Luckily, satellite tech in 1993 wasn't advanced enough for thorough observation, and the law forbade military satellites from spying on domestic soil.
If it were a decade later, every move might have been caught on satellite footage.
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