Brothers Murong

1,400 words

Han Li left Yuelu Hall and bid farewell to the two men in red. He urged his magical tool into the air, heading back toward the Hundred Herbs Garden.

As he flew, he brooded over the matter of refining the Foundation Establishment Pill, his gaze drifting absently over the rolling hills below. Suddenly, a series of rumbling explosions erupted from beneath him, startling him. He focused his eyes and looked down.

On a small hill below, flashes of lightning and arcs of electricity were streaking through the air, accompanied by the indistinct sound of a crowd cheering. Curiosity piqued, Han Li brought his magical tool down to a halt near the commotion and quietly approached on foot.

“Brothers Murong, do it again! Let us see it one more time!”

“Yes! This is the first time I’ve seen lightning this close. It’s terrifying!”

…

By the time Han Li reached the top of the hill, he could already hear the clamor from ahead. The address “Brothers Murong” made his heart stir.

“The recently admitted twin geniuses with the Lightning Spiritual Root are named Murong, aren’t they? With that thunderous noise, could it really be those highly anticipated brothers putting on a display?”

When he arrived, he saw thirty or forty disciples of varying ages gathered in a loose circle. They were pointing excitedly at two youths of around eleven or twelve in the center, chattering animatedly.

Within the circle, several patches of scorched earth marred the ground. The edges of the blackened pits appeared melted from the heat, with faint wisps of blue smoke still rising. A gust of wind carried the acrid smell of burning everywhere.

Han Li hurried over and took a careful look at the youths. Both had delicate, fine-boned features, fair skin, and looked very alike. Their eyes darted with a lively, clever glint, giving them a mischievous air.

Basking in the attention and praise of the onlookers, the boys’ faces were flushed with excitement. They exchanged a glance, and in unison formed hand seals and began to chant. A crackling light flickered in their hands, and two thin bolts of lightning shot out, striking the ground nearby with twin explosions and a blinding white flash, leaving two more craters behind.

“So this is the Lightning Palm technique of the lightning attribute? In terms of both power and spectacle, it’s far stronger than other spells of the same level, like the Fireball Technique or Ice Spike. Truly worthy of being called the most destructive type of thunder magic,” Han Li marveled inwardly, feeling a surge of envy for the brothers’ spiritual root constitution.

He was not the only one with such thoughts. Many of the other watching disciples stared at the brothers with undisguised, envious looks, silently lamenting why they had not been blessed by Heaven with such a coveted, top-grade spiritual root.

The brothers launched a few more lightning strikes to the crowd’s cheers, but they were beginning to tire. After all, they were still very young.

“What’s the big deal? The power of the Lightning Spiritual Root isn’t all that impressive. I’d say it’s not as good as my Wind Spiritual Root!” A somewhat jarring male voice cut through the noise from the opposite side of the crowd, drawing everyone’s attention.

A young couple stood side-by-side. The man was tall and handsome, the woman beautiful. They were clearly a pair of lovers. The man wore a proud, dismissive expression, while the woman, under the sudden scrutiny of so many, blushed slightly, her shyness only adding to her charm.

“Who is that guy? So arrogant!”

“The Wind Spiritual Root? Isn’t that also a type of mutated spiritual root? Does that mean he has a mutated root too?”

“I know him. That’s Senior Brother Lu. He does have a mutated spiritual root, and his wind magic is very powerful.”

“So what if he also has a mutated root? Why does he have to say something like that?”

“Probably jealousy. Before this, he was the only inner disciple with a mutated spiritual root. Now two people with an even better aptitude have suddenly appeared. It must sting his pride.”

“What? He’s that petty?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down. If he hears you, you’re in trouble. He holds grudges.”

…

The man’s appearance sparked a flurry of whispers. It seemed his reputation among his peers was poor.

“Hmph, little brats. Let me show you what a true mutated spiritual root can do!” the man said, his face darkening at the murmurings around him. He strode into the center of the circle and announced arrogantly:

“You two, go ahead and attack me with your lightning spells. If I take a single step to dodge, I’ll kneel down and apologize to you!”

The Murong brothers’ faces turned pale with anger at this Senior Brother Lu’s unprovoked disrespect.

“You won’t dodge?” “Of course not.” “And you won’t use magical tools?” “Fine.”

True to their nature as twin brothers, they laid out the terms in a single exchange, each finishing the other’s sentence. The man, puffed up with pride and not the least concerned with the children, agreed without any objection.

“Alright, then we brothers will take you on!” the youths shouted in unison, their voices fierce.

“Senior Brother Lu, are you sure this is a good idea?” the man’s girlfriend asked, a worried look on her face.

“Heh, what’s there to worry about against two little kids? Rest assured, Junior Sister Chen!” The man waved his hand dismissively and then stood across from the Murong brothers, looking very pleased with himself.

The brothers exchanged a glance. Suddenly, they moved closer together and clasped one hand each, forming a connection. With their other hands raised toward the sky, they began chanting the exact same incantation in unison.

The man sneered at this and casually cast a defensive spell. A green light shield materialized around him, completely enveloping his body.

“Heavenly Chain Lightning Strike!”

The twins’ chant concluded. They pointed their free hands directly at the man’s head. A cloud of dark energy, about ten feet in diameter, coalesced above him. A white light flashed within the cloud, and a lightning bolt as thick as a finger shot down, striking the green barrier. The shield trembled violently, and the man’s expression changed, clearly not expecting the lightning to be so powerful.

But this was only the beginning. From the black cloud suspended overhead, bolt after crackling bolt of identical lightning descended, hammering the shield. The barrier flickered and dimmed, on the verge of collapse.

The man’s expression darkened. His hands became a blur of movement as he formed a complex series of seals. With a low growl, he pressed both palms firmly against the inner surface of the light barrier. The barrier suddenly flared with brilliant green light, not only restoring itself to its former state but seeming even denser than before.

The Murong brothers were not willing to give up their advantage. They fired a flurry of magical techniques into the cloud, causing it to expand to a diameter of several dozen feet. The lightning bolts that fell grew thicker and more frequent.

Caught off guard by the brothers’ fierce assault, Senior Brother Lu felt a mixture of shock and fury. He had never expected such young children to have mastered a mid-level chain lightning technique. He found himself unable to break free from the attack to retaliate. To be forced into such a passive position in front of so many people was a humiliating loss of face.

And so it went. On one side, the brothers strained to maintain the cloud’s continuous barrage of lightning. On the other, the man struggled to hold his defense, constantly reinforcing the green barrier. The contest had unexpectedly become a battle of attrition.

Logically, the attacker has the advantage in such a standoff, as launching attacks requires less mana than sustaining a defense. However, the Murong brothers had already expended a significant amount of their energy during their earlier demonstration. More importantly, Senior Brother Lu was much older; his qi was far more refined and abundant than the newly-initiated brothers. In a war of attrition, the brothers were at a clear disadvantage.

Thus, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, after releasing its final few bolts of lightning, the black cloud dissipated into nothing. The brothers, their mana exhausted, were forced to end their assault first.

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Reading Guide Decoding

The Spark of Jealousy

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

This chapter is a masterclass in the Xianxia concept of ‘Elemental Hierarchy’ and ‘Combat Attrition.’

First, the Elemental Hierarchy. In Xianxia, the five standard elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) are considered balanced. However, ‘Mutated’ or ‘Variant’ Spiritual Roots like Lightning, Wind, and Ice are universally considered superior. They often possess greater offensive power and unique properties. The chapter explicitly states the Lightning Palm is stronger than standard spells like Fireball or Ice Spike, reinforcing this class system. This isn’t just flavor; it’s a hard-coded game mechanic of the universe. The story is telling us that these twins were born with a cheat code. The older cultivator’s Wind Root is also a variant, but it’s weaker in pure damage output, which is why he gets so defensive.

Second, Combat Attrition. The duel perfectly illustrates the principle of ‘Quantity has a quality all its own.’ The twins have a ‘nuke’ (the chain lightning), but they lack the mana pool to fire it for long. Senior Brother Lu, with his thicker internal energy reserves, can simply turtle up and wait for them to run out of gas. This isn’t a moral victory; it’s a cold, hard logistical one. Han Li, the ultimate pragmatist, would immediately recognize this lesson: Raw power is useless if you can’t sustain it. It subtly reinforces the value of his own strategy—resource management and efficiency over flashy bursts.

Heaven's Chain Lightning Strike

A mid-level lightning spell, requiring two cultivators to cast in tandem, unleashing a sustained barrage of lightning bolts from a summoned storm cloud.

Elemental Hierarchy

In Xianxia, spiritual roots are not equal; mutated forms like Lightning, Wind, and Ice are considered superior to the standard five elements in raw power and unique effects.

Chapter Overview

Brilliant clashes of lightning and spite. Chapter 157 takes a sharp detour from Han Li’s private scheming to toss us right into a public (and very petty) turf war between the sect’s newest darlings—the Murong twin geniuses—and a bitter, older rival. It’s a breathtaking display of raw elemental power that serves as a stark reminder of the class divide in the cultivation world. The brothers show off a terrifyingly powerful mid-level technique; their rival, a wind-attribute cultivator, proves that age and experience can still trump raw talent in a drawn-out duel. But beneath the fireworks, Han Li is watching, calculating, and realizing just how far he still has to go. It’s a scene that delivers spectacle while quietly stoking the fires of the protagonist’s ambition.

Key Plot Points

Flying back from Yuelu Hall, Han Li is drawn to the sound of thunder and a crowd, discovering a public exhibition of magical power.
The Murong twins, the newly admitted Lightning Spiritual Root geniuses, are showing off their ‘Lightning Palm’ technique, causing considerable awe and envy among the gathered disciples.
A prideful older disciple, Senior Brother Lu, a Wind Spiritual Root cultivator, steps up to challenge them, openly belittling their talent.
The twins accept his challenge on their terms (no dodging, no magic tools), showcasing their tactical cleverness despite their young age.
The brothers unleash a combined mid-level technique, ‘Heavenly Chain Lightning Strike,’ forcing Lu onto the back foot and into a pure defensive posture.
The battle turns into a contest of attrition; despite their powerful attack, the twins’ youth and lower mana reserves cause them to exhaust themselves first, forcing a draw.
The scene ends with the magical duel unresolved, but serves as a powerful demonstration of the gap in the cultivation world between Heaven’s favored and ordinary disciples, and a source of intense reflection for Han Li.

Reading Guide

Alright, fellow Daoist, put down your scroll and watch the fireworks! This chapter is a pure spectacle chapter, and it’s glorious. Think of it as the cultivation world’s equivalent of a high school jock crushing on a couple of middle school mathletes—except the mathletes can call down lightning from the sky. The tension is delicious, and the petty jealousy is so relatable it hurts. Pay close attention to the crowd’s reaction and how Senior Brother Lu’s face crumbles when his “easy win” turns into a desperate stare-down. It’s a perfect slice-of-life moment that reminds us these lofty cultivators are still just petty humans with big egos and bigger grudges. More importantly, keep your eyes on Han Li. His silent awe and envy are the emotional core of the chapter. He’s not just watching a magic show; he’s benchmarking his own power. The stark reminder that some people are just born better is a heavy weight, and it’s one he’s going to have to carry for a long time.