Chapter 121: A Breakthrough That Shook The Heavens Pt 2

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: A Breakthrough That Shook The Heavens Pt 2

Stanley stopped in surprise.

"What was that?" he said.

"The weather forecast said it would be clear all day. Where did that thunder come from?"

Frowning, he turned toward the windows. The moment he looked outside, however, the words died in his throat.

The entire classroom fell silent.

Only a few minutes earlier, the sky had been clear and blue.

Now, a gigantic mass of dark clouds had appeared to the north of the academy, swirling violently as though an invisible force were twisting them into a colossal vortex.

The cloud formation hung less than five hundred meters above the ground.

Purple lightning flickered inside it, branching through the darkness like enormous serpents.

Yet the strangest part was the sky surrounding it. Beyond the cloud formation’s outer boundary, the heavens remained perfectly blue.

The transition between the two was so sharp that it almost seemed as though the dark clouds belonged to an entirely different world.

Stanley stared at the spectacle, unable to make sense of what he was seeing.

Then he remembered the example he had used moments earlier.

The Star Sea Realm. A lightning tribulation.

Those thoughts flashed through his mind, and the same realization gradually spread among the students.

"Teacher Stanley," one of them asked hesitantly, "which teacher at our academy is attempting to break through to the Star Sea Realm?"

Stanley’s expression stiffened. He had only been trying to motivate his students!

He knew the academy’s teachers well enough to understand that none of them were currently on the verge of such a breakthrough.

Even Vice Principal Johnny had long since stopped entertaining the possibility of reaching that realm.

How could his casual remark have coincided with something like this?

And more importantly, was that really an ordinary lightning tribulation?

The oppressive clouds and the terrifying purple lightning suggested something far more frightening.

Could it be a heavenly tribulation? Was someone attempting to enter the Star Sea Realm, or were they actually challenging the Divine Power Realm?

Another deafening thunderclap rolled across the heavens.

Stanley flinched instinctively. Even from such a distance, the destructive aura radiating from the lightning made his heart pound.

He could scarcely imagine what it would be like to stand beneath those clouds.

"If that lightning strikes the ground directly," he muttered, his face growing pale, "the entire academy might be wiped off the map."

He had never witnessed anything remotely comparable.

Whatever was happening beyond the academy, it was certainly not an ordinary breakthrough.

Across Arcadia Academy, teachers rushed to their windows and stared toward the northern sky.

The terrifying thunder left even experienced martial artists trembling.

Some felt an inexplicable pressure weighing on their chests, while others could barely conceal the fear in their eyes.

For a moment, the entire academy seemed to be waiting for a disaster to descend.

Meanwhile, on the secluded hill behind Arcadia Academy, Xavier was smiling.

The surrounding landscape had been utterly transformed.

Hundreds of meters of ground had been blasted into scorched earth, and a gigantic crater stretched across the hillside.

The destruction resembled the aftermath of a devastating explosion, with almost nothing left untouched.

Yet Xavier stood at the center of it all, completely unharmed.

Not a single tear marred his clothes. When the lightning had struck, the chaotic energy within his body had reacted instinctively.

It surged outward and formed a dense protective barrier around him, shielding him from the terrifying force of the tribulation.

The lightning had landed directly on him, but it had failed to inflict even the slightest injury.

At that moment, the transformation within his body was nearing completion.

All nine of his Spirit Platforms had shattered during the breakthrough.

Their fragments had dispersed throughout his body, forming nine hundred ninety nine separate spatial fragments that resembled countless stars scattered across an endless night sky.

Then, a wisp of chaotic energy entered the first fragment. The dim space suddenly began to shine.

Its star gate opened, revealing an independent inner world that was no larger than one of Xavier’s former Spirit Platforms.

It was the beginning of a remarkable transformation. The chaotic energy seemed to have discovered its perfect destination. It rushed toward the newly formed star with astonishing enthusiasm, pouring into it until its radiance grew brighter and brighter.

The second star followed. Then the third. One after another, nine stars awakened, each becoming a stable center of power.

They connected in a line, resembling the roots of a towering tree spreading through the darkness, illuminating a small region of the boundless starry sea within Xavier’s body.

Just as the transformation reached this stage, a third bolt of tribulation lightning began gathering in the clouds.

Purple electricity coiled together, growing thicker and more violent until the resulting bolt was as wide as a tree trunk.

It descended toward Xavier.

However, the chaotic energy covering his body responded before the lightning could reach him.

A protective layer appeared once again, this time far denser than before. Its aura was so concentrated that it almost seemed tangible, despite being barely visible to the naked eye.

The enormous bolt struck the barrier. A tremendous explosion shook the hillside, yet the lightning failed to break through. It shattered against the thin layer of chaotic energy as though it had collided with an indestructible wall.

The final bolt had exhausted the remaining power of the tribulation.

The dark clouds gradually weakened, their violent rotation slowing as the purple lightning faded into the distance. At last, the terrifying phenomenon began to dissipate.

Xavier had successfully crossed the threshold.

He had officially entered the Star Sea Realm!

Before he could properly examine the changes within his body, however, he sensed several unfamiliar auras rapidly approaching the hillside.

He immediately withdrew his attention and disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, he was already moving toward Arcadia Academy at an astonishing speed.

He had not activated Phantom Step. He was relying entirely on his physical speed.

The distance that would once have required considerable effort to cross vanished beneath his feet in moments.

His surroundings blurred as he accelerated, and before long, he had returned to the academy.

Only then did Xavier realize that his first supernatural ability had awakened during the breakthrough.

It was a speed enhancement ability!

His new power allowed him to move at more than ten times his previous speed.

Combined with his already formidable physical foundation, it granted him a frightening advantage in combat.

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

"Among all the martial arts in the world, speed is the one advantage that’s hardest to overcome," he murmured.

"If you’re fast enough, you can decide when to attack, when to retreat, and when to end a fight."

He was extremely pleased with the ability.

With his current strength and newly enhanced speed, very few opponents would be capable of keeping up with him, let alone stopping him from striking first.

However, his satisfaction did not last long. As Xavier turned his attention back toward the academy, he noticed something unusual along the surrounding wall.

A towering black barrier had appeared behind him, rising hundreds of meters into the sky.

He stared at it in surprise.

Whatever had created that barrier, it was clearly connected to the extraordinary phenomenon that had just unfolded during his breakthrough.

The enormous black barrier expanded rapidly, forming a dome that resembled an inverted bowl.

In the blink of an eye, it sealed off the entire Arcadia Academy, blocking out the sunlight and plunging the campus into darkness.

Only moments earlier, teachers and students had been discussing the terrifying lightning tribulation that had appeared beyond the academy.

Now, they stood frozen in confusion, staring at the strange barrier that had suddenly surrounded them.

Nobody knew what was happening or what kind of power could create such an enormous structure.

In Class One, Stanley Crook was the first to react.

"Everyone, leave the classroom immediately! Gather on the playground!" he shouted, his voice ringing through the room, jolting the students out of their stupor.

Stanley could not explain the black barrier, but the ominous feeling it gave him was enough to put him on high alert.

As an experienced martial artist and the students’ homeroom teacher, he knew better than to waste time investigating something so dangerous.

He immediately activated the academy’s emergency response procedure.

The playground offered a wide, open space where the teachers could organize the students and coordinate their defense.

If an enemy had infiltrated the academy, gathering everyone there would give them a better chance of protecting the younger martial artists.

"What is going on? How did that thing appear out of nowhere?" one student asked.

"Stop asking questions and follow the teacher’s instructions! Get downstairs!" another snapped.

"I don’t like this. Something terrible is about to happen. We need to leave now!"

Amid the commotion, the students hurried toward the classroom exit.

Then someone noticed that Calvin Stone, a quiet student who rarely attracted attention, was still standing motionless beside his desk.

"Calvin! What are you waiting for? Move!"

When Calvin didn’t respond, a male student named Shawn Ward grew impatient.

He turned back, grabbed his classmate, and tried to drag him toward the door.

The moment Shawn approached, Calvin’s expression changed. A strange smile spread across his face.