Inside the cave abode.
Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged on the stone bed. The entire cave abode was violently shaking, frightening Chu Jing, Nangong E, Lin Chuan, and Jin Lang into staring at him in shock.
They could feel the spiritual energy inside the cave abode surging madly toward Li Qingqiu. This left them confused, unable to understand what was happening.
Li Qingqiu opened his eyes. A strange light appeared in his pupils, making the three ghosts and one demon think their eyes were playing tricks on them.
He stood up and directly used the Supreme Movement Art, shifting out of the cave abode.
He arrived at the peak of Qingxiao Mountain. The moment he appeared, spiraling air currents formed around him, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth poured toward him.
He had finally found the opportunity to break through to the Awakening Spirit Realm. As this opportunity appeared, he felt a terrifying pressure from heaven.
Yes, it was heavenly might!
This was the first time he had ever felt such a thing. In the unseen depths, it felt as if some supreme force was watching him, pressing down on him.
Following the instinct in his heart, he came to the mountain peak. With no mountain mass blocking him, he could feel the heavenly might even more clearly.
Under his gaze, dark clouds continuously emerged in the sky, rapidly gathering together. The clouds gradually turned black, growing heavier and more oppressive.
Li Qingqiu actually felt a hint of panic.
This was his first time facing a heavenly tribulation.
The Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra recorded methods of crossing tribulations. On the path of immortal cultivation, every major realm breakthrough would face a heavenly tribulation. If one passed, they would undergo transformation. If they failed, their future path would be cut off. Even if they survived, it would be very difficult to return to their peak state.
Li Qingqiu summoned the Dao Lineage panel and looked once more at his Fate.
[Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root: A rare single-attribute spiritual root with extremely outstanding talent in lightning-attribute Dao arts. Lightning tribulations are instead a form of assistance for the Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root]
Assistance!
Li Qingqiu's heart steadied slightly, though he still felt somewhat uneasy.
Just because it was said to be assistance did not mean he would not be injured.
No, he could not be careless!
Li Qingqiu took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged. His gaze fixed on the dark clouds above, waiting for the heavenly tribulation to begin.
Qingxiao Mountain was still trembling, though the magnitude was gradually decreasing. However, thunder began to rumble at the mountain peak. The vast dark clouds continued expanding, drawing the attention of disciples on the mountain and below. Even disciples on nearby mountains looked over in shock.
Li Qingqiu sensed people rushing toward Lingxiao Courtyard. He recognized the auras of Zhang Yuchun, Li Dongyue, and Yuan Qi.
Before they could get close to Lingxiao Courtyard, he spoke, "No one is allowed to approach the mountain peak. I am undergoing a tribulation."
His voice was thunderous and carried far.
Zhang Yuchun and the others who were climbing the mountain, as well as all disciples who heard the voice, froze in place.
Undergoing a tribulation?
They instinctively thought they had misheard.
Boom—boom—boom—
A deep, muffled thunderclap resounded, jolting the disciples who were still stunned.
Zhang Yuchun took a deep breath, turned to Yuan Qi and the others following him, and said, "Spread the word immediately! Especially at Ziyang Peak. No disciples are allowed to fly on swords near the peak of Qingxiao Mountain!"
Everyone immediately acknowledged and rushed down the mountain, spreading the message that the Sect Master was undergoing a tribulation.
Every disciple who heard the news felt shocked and confused.
What tribulation?
Li Dongyue looked toward the mountain peak. From her position, the sky had already darkened. Within the thunderclouds, strands of lightning intertwined like dragons and serpents, striking fear into the heart.
"Senior Brother…"
Li Dongyue could not tell whether undergoing a tribulation was a good thing or a bad thing. The overwhelming heavenly might made her uneasy, and she worried something might happen to Li Qingqiu.
Zhang Yuchun did not comfort her. He also turned and went down the mountain to take control of the situation and prevent Qingxiao Mountain from falling into chaos.
Li Qingqiu ignored everything else. His entire focus was on the heavenly tribulation.
Jin Lang suddenly leapt onto his shoulder and looked up at the sky together with him.
"Why did you come up here?" Li Qingqiu asked in surprise.
Jin Lang replied, "To live and die together with Master."
Its voice was cold and resolute, yet carried a hint of youthfulness, like a 15 or 16-year-old boy.
Li Qingqiu did not expect it to say such words. He felt deeply moved.
A demon's emotions were no less profound than a human's.
"What do you mean live and die together? This is a good thing. I'm about to break through a major realm. Go down and wait. I can withstand it. You can't."
Li Qingqiu grabbed Jin Lang and tossed it backward.
He glanced at Lin Chuan, Nangong E, and Chu Jing and said, "You too. Heavenly lightning will harm you even more. Stay farther away."
Seeing that Li Qingqiu was not joking, the three ghosts could only retreat down the mountain with Jin Lang. They kept looking back. Under their gaze, the meditating Li Qingqiu actually began to float.
Li Qingqiu himself was also surprised, but he quickly calmed down. He could not let anyone see him falter.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth lifted him into the air, as if an invisible hand was holding him up, forcing him to face the heavenly tribulation.
The heavenly might continued to brew, and the thunder grew louder and louder.
At the same time, news of the Sect Master about to undergo a tribulation spread down the mountain. More and more disciples climbed onto rooftops and treetops, gazing toward the mountain peak.
At the foot of the mountain.
Xu Hong and the Xu family mother and son had just crossed the Xi River. They looked toward the peak of Qingxiao Mountain, saw the oppressive thunderclouds, and frowned.
"It's going to rain. We need to hurry," Xu Hong said.
Madam Xu nodded and hugged her son tighter as she quickened her pace.
Boom—boom—boom—
A thunderclap exploded, frightening Madam Xu's son, Li Huaizhen, into curling tightly into his mother's arms.
When they reached the mountain gate at the foot of Qingxiao Mountain, they saw that Qingxiao Sect disciples were also watching the mountain peak and had not gone to find shelter from the rain.
One disciple after another stepped on swords and flew out from the mountain forest. They quickly passed through the mountain gate and headed toward Ziyang Peak.
"The Sect Master is about to undergo a tribulation. No one is allowed to fly on swords into the air!"
These disciples kept repeating the same words, leaving the gate-guarding disciples stunned.
Xu Hong and Madam Xu were also frozen in place. They suspected they had heard wrong.
Could the thunderclouds in the sky really be related to Li Qingqiu undergoing a tribulation?
…
Li Qingqiu sat cross-legged in midair, surrounded by spiritual energy. His robes billowed violently. He had already set aside all stray thoughts and fully immersed himself in cultivating the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra.
Suddenly.
He opened his eyes. Almost instantly, a bolt of heavenly lightning struck down, crossing hundreds of zhang in distance and landing directly on his body.
Numb!
That was Li Qingqiu's first sensation. He felt no pain at all, which slightly eased his mind.
It seemed that the Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Root truly was effective.
Down the mountain.
Shen Yue and Xu Ning stood atop treetops, separated by 10 zhang. When they saw lightning strike Li Qingqiu, their hearts both jolted. Then they realized that Li Qingqiu's figure did not shake, nor did he fall. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
"Immortal cultivation tribulation… is this what it means to fight against heaven? I wonder what realm one must reach to face a lightning tribulation."
Shen Yue sighed inwardly. The heavenly might was so terrifying that even he felt fear. He found it hard to imagine how Li Qingqiu could endure it head-on.
He decided to observe carefully and prepare for his own future tribulation.
Xu Ning shared the same thought. As the second strongest cultivator in the sect, she could more clearly see the connection between the heavenly tribulation and the Primordial Harmony Sutra.
Looking further down the mountain from where they stood, many figures could be seen standing on treetops, rooftops, and rocky ledges.
Zhao Zhen, Xue Jin, Li Yang, Han Lang, Ji Ya, Yang Jueding, Cheng Canghai, Chai Yunshang, and many others. The number kept increasing.
They watched bolt after bolt of heavenly lightning strike the mountain peak, all of them trembling with fear.
They could not see Li Qingqiu himself, but this was their first time seeing lightning repeatedly strike a single mountain peak. The scene was truly spectacular.
Boom! Boom! Boom…
Bolts of heavenly lightning kept falling and striking Li Qingqiu. His robes continued to billow violently, yet they showed no damage at all.
It was not because the material of his robes was extraordinary. Rather, the heavenly lightning directly bypassed his robes and drilled into his body.
The lightning seemed to target only the tribulation taker. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth lifted Li Qingqiu up, preventing the mountain peak from being devastated.
The lightning strikes came faster and faster. Li Qingqiu felt his entire body go numb. At the same time, an itching sensation arose inside him, as if insects were crawling through his tendons and bones.
He had no choice but to close his eyes again and begin circulating the mental method of the Supreme Purity and Primordial Harmony Sutra.
By repeatedly guiding and smoothing the flow of energy through the technique, he gradually adapted to the abnormalities within his body. He even began to enjoy them.
After a while, Li Qingqiu clearly felt his Awakening Spirit growing stronger. Even with his eyes closed, the world of heaven and earth became increasingly clear before him.
Suddenly.
Li Qingqiu's Awakening Spirit entered another world.
He actually saw everything inside his own body.
Blood vessels, flesh, internal organs, bones, and more.
He could even push his vision further and see the mysteries hidden within the blood itself.
This sensation felt novel to Li Qingqiu. He thought to himself, 'Could this be the legendary inner vision?'
It was as if he were holding a clearer microscope with no blind spots, observing everything inside his body. Vital energy surged like a vast ocean. Tendons and bones were like mountains. Within flesh and blood were small worlds upon small worlds.
The transformation of his Awakening Spirit gave Li Qingqiu a deeper understanding of his physical body.
Not only that, he clearly felt that his Awakening Spirit was condensing from a formless perception into a tangible force.
He moved his Awakening Spirit outside his body and fixed it on a stone below. With a single thought, the stone rose into the air, moving as easily as if it were an extension of his arm.
So this was the true Awakening Spirit Realm?
Li Qingqiu was exhilarated, as if a door to a new world had been opened. While enduring the tribulation, he simultaneously manipulated his Awakening Spirit.
As he grew excited, the over 10,000 disciples of Qingxiao Sect all held their breath for him.
Even disciples at the foot of the mountain could see flashes of lightning in the sky. The clouds could not fully conceal it.
The commotion of this heavenly tribulation was simply too great, sparking intense discussion among the disciples.
At the Martial Platform, Ye Nan sat cross-legged on the ground, circulating energy to heal his injuries while staring at the mountain peak. His face was filled with fear.
What kind of tribulation was the Sect Master undergoing?
Yang Xuan stood nearby, also gazing toward the mountain peak.
At that moment, a disciple flew down on a sword and shouted loudly, "The Sect Master is using his physical body to undergo heavenly lightning tempering!"
Boom!
The disciples there grew even more excited. The discussions became louder and louder. Yet no matter how loud their voices were, they could not drown out the sound of the heavenly thunder.
The thunder roared with earth-shaking force, echoing through the mountains and sending wild beasts in the forests fleeing.
After enduring dozens of heavenly lightning strikes, Li Qingqiu clearly felt himself step into a completely new realm. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged madly into his body, converting into vital energy at a far more efficient speed.
As the vital energy surged explosively, its very nature also underwent transformation.
The Awakening Spirit Realm!
Only after truly stepping into this realm did Li Qingqiu understand how extraordinary the Awakening Spirit Realm was. Even his physical senses were being enhanced along with it.