Not only did he enter the elite general realm but he also learned the 'Thunder law'.
Learning laws is one of the three main steps to enter the king realm.
To enter the king realm, be it a human or an elemental spirit or a spirit beast, learning laws related to their element is the hardest thing.
Many cultivators fulfilled the first condition to reach the king which was reaching the peak elite general realm.
However, the second condition and third conditions are related. Without the second condition which was to learn a law relating to their affinity element, they can't condense a soul which was the third condition to enter the king realm.
Even though some cultivators in the Zrochester province were lucky to learn a law after many years of reaching the peak elite general realm and before they could learn to condense the soul, they would either die due to old age or their potential to enter the king realm will be over.