Outskirts of Notting City, Lonegrass Village.
Morning sun rose over the eastern sky, casting a soft, cleansing warmth—like a gentle face wash. A light breeze rustled through the air, while cotton-like clouds drifted lazily across the horizon.
"Children, follow your uncle inside."
At the village's central square stood a pointed wooden house with a triangular roof, a sword-shaped insignia carved above its door. In front of it, an elderly man leaned on a cane, turning slowly to the line of children behind him, a warm smile on his face.
"Yes, Grandpa Village Chief!" the children responded sweetly, nodding in unison.
The middle-aged man standing beside the elder also smiled. "Alright, kids—stay in line."
He pushed open the door and stepped inside. The children followed, orderly and calm.
Their pace was steady but slow. Above them, clouds drifted in with the morning breeze, casting growing shadows across the ground. The light dimmed.
SuddenlyCRACK!A blinding bolt of white lightning split the sky, thunder rolling right after.
"It's lightning!"
With a piercing scream, one of the boys collapsed instantly, his body hitting the ground with a dark scorch mark beneath him.
"Boss! Xiaohai!"Shouts of alarm echoed as the other kids instinctively jumped back.
Their reactions were genuine and full of concern.
"No way—that was a bolt from the blue!" Villagers nearby were also stunned, quickly stepping back in shock. Their eyes darted to the boy lying face-down on the ground, legs twitching slightly.
It looked like he wasn't dead yet.
BOOM!Another bolt of lightning struck—directly at the same spot.
This time, the boy's body jolted violently before falling still.
"Did Xiaohai just get struck to death?" a villager murmured.
"Surely not? Hasn't he been hit by lightning before?" another woman replied uncertainly.
Villagers shared their thoughts in hushed tones but none dared to approach.
The clouds churned in the sky, sunlight breaking through in scattered beams, casting a glow over the fallen boy.
Two seconds passed. No third lightning strike.
Whoosh!The middle-aged man burst out of the doorway, sprinting.
In a flash, he reached the boy's side and, with a practiced swoop, grabbed him by the waistband and rushed back into the building.
Moments later, a voice from inside called out with relief,"He's just unconscious. Everyone come in."
"I knew it! Boss is blessed by the heavens—of course he's fine!" The kids' tension instantly melted into joy.
"Come along, children," the elder said, visibly relieved, his eyes glowing with faint delight.
Maybe Xiaohai's awakening will reveal a powerful spirit... he thought, stepping inside.
The children lined up again and followed.
Inside the spacious wooden house, they stood in a neat row. At the front, the middle-aged man stood tall. To the side, on a wooden bench, Xiaohai—still unconscious—lay peacefully, with the white-haired elder seated beside him.
Soon, the awakenings began.
"Blue Silver Grass. No spirit power.""Broom. No spirit power."
Each declaration fell like a blow. One child after another stepped aside in disappointment.
"Boss will definitely awaken something strong," one child whispered, glancing toward the boy still lying on the bench.
His skin was slightly tanned, facial features angular—not exactly handsome, but not ugly either.
The elder beside him looked down thoughtfully.
Yang Yunhai a child he had found years ago while serving as a steward at the Notting City Spirit Hall. He had discovered the boy lying under a poplar tree, with swirling clouds above like a sea of mist—hence the name "Yunhai" (Cloud Sea). He took him in and raised him at Lonegrass Village Orphanage.
The village was named with purpose: "Lone" for orphans, and "Grass" as a metaphor for resilience—like the hardy Blue Silver Grass. Originally, it was an orphanage jointly supported by the Spirit Hall and the Empire. Over time, as the orphans grew up, many stayed and built homes nearby, turning it into a small settlement.
The elder himself was once an orphan. At age six, he awakened a Longbow spirit with Level 2 spirit power and embarked on the path of a Spirit Master. Though he never surpassed Level 29 to become a Spirit Elder, he eventually joined the Spirit Hall as a steward. Upon retirement at 60, he returned as village chief, also serving as orphanage director—giving back to the place that raised him.
Yang Yunhai was found a year before his retirement.
And strangely, the boy seemed to possess a unique physique:
Every time he went out on a rainy day, he got struck by lightning.
For safety—his and others'—the elder forbade him from going out during bad weather. But weather changes unexpectedly—like earlier that very morning, when a sunny sky suddenly turned stormy.
In six years, Yang Yunhai had been struck by lightning dozens of times.
But every time, he survived—usually just passing out for a bit before bouncing back full of energy.
Because of that, the elder believed the boy might awaken a rare lightning-type spirit, perhaps not as powerful as the famed Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon passed down in one of the continent's top clans—but still impressive.
He had even investigated the boy's background.
Apparently, Yang Yunhai had been abandoned by another village. On the night of his birth, a fierce storm had broken out. The moment he was born, lightning struck, splitting an ancient tree and setting their house on fire. Thanks to the rain, it didn't spread—but the villagers took it as a bad omen. He was declared a cursed child and left on the roadside outside Notting City.
The more bizarre the story, the more convinced the elder became:This boy was special.
Though his birth parents had weak spirits—one Blue Silver Grass, the other Bamboo, both without spirit power—he couldn't shake the possibility that a mutated lightning-type spirit was hidden within.
With hope in his heart, he taught Yang Yunhai everything from spirit beasts to spirit master lore, even sharing a spirit beast encyclopedia his son had created while working in the Spirit Hall.
Yang Yunhai had a sharp mind and a love for learning. He could read and write from a young age and even mixed bedtime stories with beast lore, creating "monster tales" that enchanted the other kids.
His stories were hits—earning their admiration and giving the elder's wife a much-needed break from bedtime duties. Everyone won.
The elder's sons lived in the city now. His grandson had gone to a Spirit Master academy two years ago. So the orphanage children had become his joy, his responsibility.
Among them, Yang Yunhai stood out.Smart, kind, and full of potential.
As for the truth of his past... the elder decided to wait until Yang Yunhai was older to tell him. Knowing he had been abandoned—labeled a curse—might leave deep scars.
Just then, another child stepped forward for awakening.Still no spirit power.
Now only two children remained.
A soft groan came from the bench.Yang Yunhai slowly opened his eyes.
"Xiaohai, how do you feel?" the elder asked quickly.
"I'm okay, Grandpa Tai. Just a little numb," he replied, lifting his stiff arm. Pale red lightning-like markings ran across his tanned skin like spider webs.
It was the aftereffect of the lightning—what he recognized from his old world as Lichtenberg figures.As a former electrical engineering student who ran a failing repair shop, Yang Yunhai knew a thing or two about electricity.
These markings were caused by high-voltage current rupturing blood vessels during a strike. They usually didn't fade easily. His body now bore dozens of them—scars hidden under long hair grown to cover the ones on his neck and forehead. Luckily, his face had been spared.
Most strikes hit his back. Why? He didn't know.
Still, surviving dozens of lightning strikes?That was a miracle.
Perhaps the world's rules were different here—spirit power, spirit beasts—it all pointed to another realm. A fantasy world.
He wasn't just struck by lightning—he had been reborn here.And what was more—this was the Love Continent—the very world from his favorite middle-school manhua.
He remembered every detail about the lightning spirits described there. Back then, he was a diehard fan.
In college, though, he reread it and found plot holes that turned his love into critique. He even studied the source material deeply, declaring himself a self-made expert and challenging online fans in heated debates.
Third Brother's honor must be upheld!
After all—if gods had strength limits of a million jin (500 tons)—that's a crane in his old world.So getting struck by lightning and living? Seemed par for the course.
Maybe he really did have a lightning spirit.Maybe his body was a natural conductor.
Or maybe... his soul was unique—able to resonate with thunder.
"Well, that's good," the elder's voice brought him back.
"The ceremony is almost done. Rest a bit longer—you'll go last."
"Okay, Grandpa Tai,"