Hours passed slowly within the depths of the Fire Mine. The cavern echoed occasionally with the crack of bursting blisters, the hiss of boiling blood, and the heavy bubbling of the crimson medicinal bath.
Li Yan remained seated motionlessly inside the cauldron.
By the third hour, impurities buried deep within his skin gradually surfaced. Thin black filaments drifted through the crimson liquid like ink dissolving slowly into wine.
The body must be reborn through flame…
Like steel, it must be hammered, melted, and reforged.
The words from the Body Cultivation scripture resurfaced quietly in his mind as the medicinal force relentlessly tempered every inch of his flesh.
Time continued to pass.
By the sixth hour, the violent trembling throughout his body gradually disappeared. His muscles adapted steadily beneath the pressure while his veins no longer pulsed chaotically beneath the skin.
Instead—
His body began greedily absorbing the medicinal essence.
The herbal liquid disappeared into his flesh at an increasingly rapid pace as though every cell within him hungered for further strengthening.
By the ninth hour, Li Yan's nerves had completely adapted to the torment.
The pain itself never lessened.
He simply dominated it.
His expression remained calm despite the violent medicinal reactions continuously erupting throughout the cauldron while steam endlessly rolled upward into the cavern.
Hours blurred together.
By the sixteenth hour, the first batch of herbs had completely lost its potency. Without hesitation, Li Yan refined and added a second batch directly into the medicinal bath.
The crimson liquid darkened further.
Its pressure intensified instantly.
Days gradually replaced hours.
The passage of time lost meaning beneath the constant cycle of pain, refinement, adaptation, and rebirth occurring within the cauldron.
Finally, on the third day—
A sudden ripple of Martial Energy exploded outward from Li Yan's body.
The crimson medicinal liquid splashed violently against the edges of the cauldron while gray-red energy pulsed faintly beneath his skin.
His veins glowed subtly crimson beneath the surface.
Skin Tempering Realm (Stage-1).
Li Yan slowly opened his eyes.
"Not enough."
His voice remained calm and flat.
Without hesitation, he changed the old water with new and refined another batch of herbs before pouring them directly into the cauldron once more. After that, he used refining fire again to heat the herbal liquid.
The medicinal bath reacted violently.
The liquid roared and bubbled like an enraged beast resisting containment beneath the cauldron's metal walls.
Li Yan closed his eyes again.
And continued.
By the fifth day, hallucinations gradually began clawing their way into his consciousness beneath the endless torment and exhaustion overwhelming both mind and body.
Fragments from his previous life resurfaced violently.
Glass skyscrapers.
Boardrooms.
His company's towering logo reflected across polished windows high above the city skyline.
Then betrayal.
Gunfire.
Pain.
Darkness.
Soon after—
Yan Tian's memories followed.
Fear.
Loneliness.
Rejection.
The helpless final moments before death swallowed everything completely.
The visions surged endlessly against his consciousness, clawing at his sanity while the medicinal bath continuously tore apart and reforged his flesh beneath the surface.
Yet Li Yan never broke.
His will remained terrifyingly steady.
Pain could shake the body and made him grit his teeth.
But not his resolve.
On the seventh day, he reached the Skin Tempering Realm (Stage-2), yet he continued till the eleventh batch of herbs finally exhausted itself completely beneath the relentless refinement process.
Then—
Li Yan slowly stood.
Steam erupted upward around him instantly.
A faint cracking sound echoed softly throughout the cavern as layers of burned, brittle skin peeled away from his body like ash crumbling from cooling steel.
The figure emerging from the medicinal bath no longer resembled the one who entered it seven days earlier.
His skin carried a faint crimson sheen beneath the Fire Mine's dim glow, as though tempered steel had been hidden beneath living flesh.
Veins shimmered faintly like threads of molten fireglass beneath the surface.
Even his eyes appeared sharper now.
Colder.
More refined.
Li Yan stepped barefoot from the cauldron calmly while dark medicinal liquid trembled behind him, thick with expelled impurities removed from his body during refinement.
The Fire Mine had fallen completely silent.
Only the occasional drip of condensation echoed faintly through the cavern while steam continuously rose from Li Yan's skin in thin wisps.
He inhaled deeply.
"As expected…"
"Stage-2 took far more time than Stage-1."
His voice sounded steadier now.
Heavier.
More grounded than before.
Li Yan calmly retrieved a towel from his storage ring and dried the remaining moisture from his body. Shortly afterward, he dressed himself once more in clean robes.
Then his gaze sharpened quietly. "Alright."
"It's time to return."
With a wave of his hand, the cauldron, herbs, and remaining supplies disappeared back into his storage ring before Li Yan calmly began walking toward the teleportation portal leading out of the Fire Mine.
The searing heat of the Fire Mine still clung faintly to Li Yan's skin as he stepped through the teleportation portal into the open area. Steam curled subtly from his shoulders before fading into the cool mountain air.
A full week of relentless body cultivation had left him exhausted yet strangely invigorated. Every movement carried newfound weight and stability, as though his flesh itself had been reforged beneath the flames.
His footsteps remained calm and steady as he headed toward the sect entrance, where food stalls usually gathered near the lower pathways of the valley.
For the first time in seven days—
He felt hunger.
Not the ordinary discomfort of an empty stomach, but a deep craving born from exhausting both Martial Energy and physical vitality continuously throughout his body cultivation.
Yet before he reached the bustling pathways below, something shifted within the atmosphere around him.
Li Yan slowed slightly.
The wind had changed.
Above the valley, dark clouds churned violently across the heavens with unnatural momentum, spiraling inward like a massive vortex gathering directly over the sect.
The sunlight dimmed rapidly.
The air grew heavy.
Electric tension spread invisibly across the valley, pressing against the skin like invisible needles while faint thunder echoed endlessly through the mountains.
Li Yan lifted his gaze toward the sky.
At first glance, it resembled an approaching storm.
But after only a moment—
His expression sharpened immediately. "Heavenly Tribulation…"
The words escaped softly from his lips.
A rare phenomenon he had only encountered within cultivation texts since arriving in this world. Yet now, for the very first time, he was witnessing one unfold before his eyes.
This pressure was not natural weather.
It was divine.
The heavens themselves had awakened.
According to the records he studied, Heavenly Tribulation only descended when a cultivator attempted to step beyond mortal limits and enter the Transcendent Mastery Realm—the realm known as Qi Ancestor.
Thunder rumbled once more.
Deep.
Ancient.
Like celestial drums echoing across the world.
Throughout the valley, disciples gradually stopped what they were doing. Some stared upward nervously while others whispered among themselves with shock and disbelief spreading rapidly across the sect.
Their attention focused on a single figure suspended high above the valley beneath the swirling storm clouds.
Crimson light radiated from the sky.
Li Yan narrowed his eyes slightly as he followed their gazes upward.
Then the murmurs around him answered his question.
"Isn't that Senior Kang Ming?!"
"Senior Kang Ming… he's finally breaking through?!"
Shock rippled through the gathered disciples immediately.
High above the valley's center, Kang Ming floated alone beneath the violent heavens, crimson Qi wings spread wide behind his back like blazing banners of fire.
The surrounding air distorted continuously around him beneath the terrifying pressure gathering within the storm clouds overhead.
Even from this distance, Li Yan could feel it clearly.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Dangerous.
Kang Ming—the Black Rank senior disciple responsible for managing disciple records and cultivation verification within the Core Hall—was now challenging the heavens directly.
Then suddenly—
BOOM!
A radiant bolt of lightning split apart the heavens like a divine spear descending from the sky itself.
Li Yan's pupils contracted sharply. "The First Strike…"
"Primal Spark." The lightning crashed downward instantly.
A blinding explosion erupted around Kang Ming as the strike collided against his defensive Qi shield directly in midair.
The shockwave expanded violently across the valley.
Trees trembled.
Stone pathways cracked faintly.
Several weaker disciples staggered backward under the pressure, while others instinctively covered their heads or dropped to one knee.
Yet Kang Ming remained standing.
Encased within a glowing crimson Qi barrier, his silhouette endured the strike head-on beneath the wrath of heaven itself. His teeth clenched visibly while the shield trembled violently under the impact.
But it held.
Slowly, the lightning dispersed.
A collective breath escaped from countless disciples throughout the valley.
"He survived it…!"
Excitement and disbelief spread rapidly among the crowd.
Yet Li Yan's gaze remained sharp.
Calm.
Calculating.
"This is only the beginning."
Above the valley, the storm clouds churned even more violently than before, growing darker and denser while spiritual pressure increased rapidly across the heavens.
Then came the second sign.
Blue lightning surged throughout the clouds like raging rivers of electricity spreading endlessly through the sky itself.
Li Yan's eyes narrowed faintly. "The Second Strike…"
"Spirit Surge."
Unlike the first strike, this tribulation did not merely test physical strength. According to the ancient texts, Spirit Surge directly assaulted the cultivator's meridians, soul, and Qi pathways.
Its purpose—
Transformation.
A cultivator attempting to enter the Transcendent Mastery Realm needed meridians capable of containing Ancestor-level Qi. The heavens themselves testify that through its own way.
RUMBLE!
RUMBLE!
Thunder exploded continuously throughout the valley like war drums shaking the mountains themselves.
Then the lightning descended.
Not one bolt—
But many.
Each streak sharper, faster, and more violent than the last.
Kang Ming reacted instantly.
A new Qi shield formed around him while his hand swept outward decisively. In response, a massive defensive artifact materialized before him in midair.
A Tier-7 shield.
Ancient runes glowed brightly across its massive surface, while powerful defensive Qi erupted continuously from within the artifact.
Then—
The blue lightning struck.
BZZZZZT!
The impact was terrifying.
Kang Ming's Qi shield shattered immediately upon contact, fragments of crimson light scattering violently through the air before disappearing entirely.
The Tier-7 shield received the full force of the heavenly lightning directly.
Its surface blackened instantly.
Runes flickered violently across the artifact while steam erupted from its scorched surface beneath the overwhelming pressure.
Yet—
It endured.
Barely.
Blood leaked slowly from the corner of Kang Ming's mouth while his expression twisted under the strain, but he never retreated.
He endured it completely.
Then gradually—
The storm clouds began dispersing.
The oppressive spiritual pressure blanketing the valley slowly faded as sunlight once more pierced the retreating darkness above.
The Heavenly Tribulation had ended.
Silence lingered briefly across the valley.
Li Yan exhaled slowly. "So that's what Heavenly Tribulation looks like…"
There was no fear within his eyes now.
Only focus.
And anticipation.
High above the valley, Kang Ming's crimson Qi wings gradually dissolved into mist before disappearing entirely. Yet despite losing the support of Qi wings, his body remained suspended effortlessly within the air itself.
A clear sign.
He had succeeded.
The aura surrounding him had changed completely.
Deeper.
Heavier.
Profound beyond comparison.
He was no longer merely a cultivator standing at the peak of the previous realm.
He had stepped beyond it.
Transcendent Mastery Realm.
As the disciples throughout the valley erupted into excited murmurs and celebration, Li Yan remained standing silently beneath the fading storm clouds, his gaze fixed thoughtfully upon the heavens one final time.
"Only two strikes…"
"So his potential is considered mid-tier." The conclusion surfaced calmly within his mind.
According to the ancient cultivation records he had studied, Heavenly Tribulation did not merely test strength—it judged potential. The number of strikes reflected how threatening the heavens considered a cultivator's future growth.
Those who received only a single strike possessed ordinary talent, or call it Low-Tier Potential.
Two strikes marked someone with notable potential, also called Mid-Tier Potential.
Three strikes belonged to true prodigies capable of shaking their generation with High-Tier Potential.
And four—
Four-strike tribulations belonged to monsters capable of defying fate itself with their Peak-Tier Potential.
Li Yan's eyes narrowed faintly. "The heavens test geniuses more severely because they fear what they might become."