The terrifying power of the Jiuxuan Jinlei had been personally experienced by Xiao Yan just moments earlier. Even a single bolt of lightning emitted by it had propelled Xiao Yan from mid-stage to late-stage of a Five-Star Battle Saint. Although, during the preceding month, Xiao Yan had absorbed numerous Black Mage Lightning, bringing him only one step away from a breakthrough, that single step—had it been achieved through normal cultivation—would have required several months. Yet, just moments before, that entire duration of months had been condensed and completed within mere minutes. Observing this, it is evident that the true form of the Jiuxuan Jinlei must be even more formidable. Yet every advantage has its disadvantage. With high risk comes high reward. If Xiao Yan manages to secure the Jiuxuan Golden Thunder, not only might he be able to refine it and achieve the rank of Six-Star Battle Saint, but even merely holding onto it would prove to be a powerful asset—should he face a foe of Seven-Star Battle Saint caliber, the Jiuxuan Golden Thunder would serve as a decisive strength in his arsenal. The allure of such a formidable weapon, despite the inherent risks, is enough to stir profound enthusiasm. Though Xiao Yan’s current strength has already reached the pinnacle of the continent, his adversaries are far from easy opponents. Each additional reserve card in his hand is equivalent to an extra life. "Ah, fortune is found in risk..." The tremor in his heart gradually subsided. Xiang Yan's eyes flickered, fixed on the depths of the thunder sea. After a brief inner struggle, he decided to pause—should the opportunity arise, he would act. But if even in its weakened state, the Jiuxuan Golden Thunder proved too formidable to subdue, then retreat would be his only choice. With this decision settled, Xiang Yan steadied his mind, his gaze locked firmly on the colossal golden dragon erupting with successive thunderstorms upon the vast body of the Jiuxuan Golden Thunder. As the golden dragon roared with growing urgency and anguish, the surrounding Black Demon Thunders scattered far away, no longer driven to pursue Xiang Yan. Instead, they circled at a thousand paces beyond the golden dragon, instinctively sensing that this was a pivotal moment for the Jiuxuan Golden Thunder—despite lacking intelligence, their innate awareness guided them. "Crack!" A golden thunderstorm, nine parts of the Nine Immortal Golden Thunders in size, violently erupted across its body surface, with golden lightning arcs bursting forth, brimming with destructive power. Amidst this internal counter-explosion, even the formidable Nine Immortal Golden Thunders could only struggle ceaselessly. Yet, as it struggled fiercely, subtle traces of spiritual energy began to gently seep into the pair of cold, emotionless dragon eyes, infusing the creature with a renewed vitality and no longer appearing as lifeless as a sculpture. Witnessing this scene, Xiao Yan couldn't help but lick his lips. He hadn't expected the Nine-Heaven Golden Thunder to endure such fierce counter-reactions as it developed spiritual awareness. Yet, as long as it managed to withstand them, it would surely become an exceptionally formidable entity in the future. The world is full of wonders—much like the Bodhi ancient tree, which, though merely a tree, once faced off against legendary Battle Emperors in its prime. Similarly, the Bodhi tree didn't possess particularly strong spiritual intelligence. The stronger the celestial and terrestrial treasures, the more difficult it became for them to develop spiritual awareness—just as the Bodhi tree does, so too does the Nine-Heaven Golden Thunder. Boom! Boom! When strands of spiritual energy began to emerge within the Jiuxuan Jinlei Dragon's eyes, the internal counteraction intensified dramatically, resonating with deep, thunderous booms that continuously echoed from within its body. Each devastating explosion sent shivers down Xiao Yan's scalp. Under the relentless force of these explosions, the spiritual energy within the Jiuxuan Jinlei Dragon's eyes was being violently dispersed. "Such a powerful counteraction! It's no wonder the Bodhi Ancient Tree struggles to develop spiritual awareness—if it experienced this level of resistance, the intensity must be unimaginable..." Observing further strands of spiritual energy being scattered within the Jiuxuan Jinlei Dragon's eyes, Xiao Yan was left speechless. It now seemed clear that the Jiuxuan Jinlei Dragon might not succeed in achieving spiritual awareness after all. "Ugh!" As this thought flashed through Xiao Yan's mind, the surrounding vast expanse of black demonic lightning seemed to sense something—instinctively—thereby emitting a peculiar, mournful sound throughout the entire sea of lightning. Immediately, countless black demonic lightning surged forth, one after another, relentlessly pressing against the Jiuxuan Golden Lightning. Upon making contact with the Jiuxuan Golden Lightning's body, countless black demonic lightning instantly transformed into fine threads of black current, seeping into the latter's interior. As these currents penetrated, the intense explosions within the Jiuxuan Golden Lightning gradually softened, as if the black demonic lightning were using their own bodies to resist the counterattacks from within the Jiuxuan Golden Lightning. Under this relentless assault, the spiritual essence within the Jiuxuan Golden Lightning's eyes grew increasingly rich and concentrated. Yet simultaneously, its originally radiant, golden-bodied form grew progressively dimmer, weakened by the counterattacks. ... "Roar!" "Amidst the piercing roar of the Jiuxuan Jinlei, the black demonic lightning deep within the sea of thunder surged wildly, charging fiercely and unyieldingly into its core. Yet as the spiritual essence within the Jiuxuan Jinlei dragon's eyes grew increasingly dense, the explosions within its golden body intensified dramatically. The waves of destruction radiating from these blasts were so powerful that even Xiao Yan, standing far away, felt his heart race with awe. 'It seems this creature is going to fail...' As an observer, Xiao Yan remained remarkably calm. With a slight glance, he shook his head. The counter-attacks within the Jiuxuan Jinlei were multiplying exponentially. Given this trend, no matter how many waves of black demonic lightning came forward, they could not contain the escalating bursts of internal lightning. Once those bursts overwhelmed them, the delicate spiritual intelligence the Jiuxuan Jinlei had painstakingly cultivated would be shattered once again. Having clearly seen the outcome, Xiao Yan also sighed lightly. This Jiuxuan Golden Thunder had endured countless ages before finally taking shape. Now, with the gathering of spiritual energy failing, it truly seemed a pity—though heaven had granted it powerful strength, it had also stripped it of another vital right. "The spirit gathering failed..." Xiao Yan shook his head, his feet hovering in the void as his body flashed through the air, appearing directly within the depths of the Thunder Sea, gazing closely at the massive golden Thunder Dragon, stretching over several thousand paces. The latter, with its pair of notably dimmed eyes, merely glanced at him and failed to launch any further attack. "Hoo!" Faced with Xiao Yan's renewed intrusion, the Black Magic Thunder surged with anger, roaring forward in fierce gusts, intent on pressing in. Yet, as little Yi rose from Xiao Yan's shoulder, the advancing formations abruptly halted, as if deeply afraid. "Bestow your power to me, and I will aid you in gathering your spirit essence," Xiao Yan's body floated before the Nine-Heaven Golden Thunder, appearing small and insignificant, like an insect. Yet his calm voice stirred subtle ripples within the dimmed eyes of the great dragon. "Strong power is actually the greatest obstacle to your spiritual gathering..." Xiao Yan gently pressed his palm onto a dragon scale located between the two eyes of the Jiuxuan Golden Thunder. Immediately, a rosy flame surged from his fingertips, then he sharply and firmly pulled it back. Instantly, brilliant golden lightning was drawn out of the Jiuxuan Golden Thunder's body, coalescing into a colossal dragon of lightning stretching about a hundred paces in length. Extraction proved surprisingly smooth. First, Jiuxuan Jinlei was now profoundly weakened, and second, it showed absolutely no resistance—seeming to have understood Xiao Yan's words, willing to sacrifice its strength in favor of its intelligence. It had grown weary of this sense of uncertainty and hesitation. Xiao Yan flicked his fingertip, sending a streak of blood soaring forth, which swiftly formed an array on the fire net. Immediately, the flames surged violently, causing the fire net to tightly contract around the golden lightning dragon, eventually compressing it into a miniature lightning dragon that plunged into Xiao Yi's body. Only Xiao Yi's fiery spirit body could withstand such devastating force. After completing this, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply, his gaze shifting to the Nine-Heaven Golden Lightning Dragon, whose body had shrunk into a slender golden dragon about ten zhang long due to the depletion of its strength. Gently stroking the dragon's head with his palm, Xiao Yan changed his hand seal, and in moments, the ambient spiritual qi rapidly gathered, coalescing into a seed of pure spirit energy that slowly seeped into the dragon's body. Now, the Nine-Heaven Golden Lightning Dragon was likely equivalent to a Battle Sovereign rank. With this renewed spiritual infusion, the risk of counter-reaction was entirely eliminated. Gazing at the Jiuxuan Jinlei within the dragon's eyes, now bursting with vibrant spiritual energy, Xiao Yan smiled slightly and effortlessly chose to relinquish his strength, gaining spiritual awareness—something that came naturally. "From now on, you shall be the sole Jiuxuan Jinlei in the heavens and earth endowed with spiritual awareness..." Xiao Yan once again tapped the Jiuxuan Jinlei, then firmly turned around, his form transforming into a radiant arc, swiftly darting toward beyond the thunder pool.