At that moment, the sky transformed dramatically. Dark clouds gathered like surging waves, instantly obscuring the sun and moon, turning the bright day into a gloomy night. Spiritual energy converged towards the Dan Peak of the Dao Sword Sect, stirring up fierce winds and causing the mountains to roar.
Chasing the Wind, who had been napping on the cat tree, was awakened by the thunderous clash of clouds. He opened his eyes to find that day had turned to night.
"It's dark? Did I oversleep again? I don't feel like I slept that long," he mumbled groggily. "I haven't had dinner, and I'm feeling a bit hungry."
He stood up, stretching, and noticed the howling winds around him. There were people above the Sword Washing Lake, not just his father and Long Qiqi, but also the usually reclusive Tushan Youyou.
"Dad, did you save any food for me?" he asked with a yawn. "Looks like it's going to rain, Dad. You should bring in the laundry..."
As he finished speaking, he noticed Long Qiqi giving him a look as if he were an idiot.
"What?" Chasing the Wind was confused.
"Keep an eye on Li An and your Aunt Yu Chi Zhen," Qin Ran casually assigned him a task.
"Keep an eye?" Chasing the Wind was suddenly alert. Was this scene before him some kind of enemy attack?
He cautiously asked Qin Ran, "Dad, what's going on?"Qin Ran glanced at him, nodding towards the old spirit locust tree, and said, "Shiyin is about to undergo her tribulation."
Chasing the Wind looked over and saw the sky seeming to press down like a black curtain, with rolling thunder and flashing lightning. It looked like doomsday, striking fear into one's heart!
He also noticed the ancient spirit locust tree on Dan Peak, which had grown for thousands of years, swaying uncontrollably in the darkness and fierce winds, its branches and leaves flying wildly. He worried the old tree might not withstand the storm and break.
Amidst this terrifying scene, a graceful figure quietly appeared at the top of the old spirit locust tree.
She sat cross-legged, slowly rising from the treetop towards the sky. Her black hair and white clothes fluttered in the wind, giving her an ethereal appearance. A sharp, concealed sword intent flickered around her, pressing down on the surroundings, making even Chasing the Wind's face sting.
"Oh, undergoing tribulation," Chasing the Wind nodded, suddenly unconcerned.
He looked up at the sky above him and realized it was the same scene as where Li Shiyin was.
Then he noticed stars twinkling in the sky, all the stars in the dark sky blinking at the same frequency, creating quite a spectacular sight. He looked towards Li Shiyin, knowing that the frequency of the stars' blinking matched the flickering sword intent around her body.
The stars in the sky resonated with the sword intent around her.
Yu Chi Zhen appeared on the second-floor corridor of the small wooden house, holding Li An. Mother and son watched Li Shiyin in the air with confused and worried expressions.
Chasing the Wind swished his tail, transformed into a small cat, and darted to the corridor railing. He said to Yu Chi Zhen, "Auntie, don't worry. It's just a cultivation tribulation, a simple matter."
"Mm, yes," Yu Chi Zhen smiled perfunctorily at Chasing the Wind, then continued to watch the sky with concern.
Li Shiyin kept floating upwards until she stopped high above Dan Peak. She opened her eyes, which were filled with purple sword energy, making them appear purple.
She looked down at Qin Ran on the surface of the Sword Washing Lake with her purple eyes, her voice as cold as sword energy, and asked, "Master, I've reached the limit of Qi Condensation. I can form my core at any time now. However, I sense that there's still a path to walk after Qi Condensation. Master, should I form my core?"
From Li Shiyin's perspective: There was still a path to walk after Qi Condensation, meaning that if she didn't form her core and instead walked that completely unfamiliar path, she might pioneer a brand new cultivation path for future generations.
This would be an immeasurable merit!
And for such a choice, she asked her master.
From Qin Ran's perspective: He knew that if one continued with Qi Condensation without forming a core, that would lead to becoming a Qi Practitioner of the Celestial Sea Realm. This wasn't a new cultivation path, but an old one. The Golden Core and Nascent Soul were the new cultivation paths.
Between old and new, there was no definitive answer as to which path was better.
However, in the Lingnan Region, without a doubt, following the new cultivation path was better. Because this path had already developed sufficiently well and matured in the Lingnan Region.
So Qin Ran's answer was not unexpected.
"Form your core," he replied with just these two words.
"Alright," Li Shiyin responded cleanly and decisively, then closed her eyes to form her core.
Qin Ran's expression remained calm, casually deciding Li Shiyin's future cultivation path as if it were an ordinary matter.
In his heart, he only worried about this lightning tribulation, because he clearly recognized the colorful lightning within the dark clouds as the sign of the Nine Layers of Lightning Tribulation.
"Nine Layers of Lightning Tribulation?"
It was within expectations, yet beyond reason. He knew Li Shiyin might very likely face the Nine Layers of Lightning Tribulation, but he didn't want her to.
Six years ago, the Devouring Extreme Demon Willow had undergone this type of tribulation.
The difference was, one was the Nine Heavens Divine Dragon Tribulation, the other was the Nine Layers of Lightning Tribulation; one was an Ascension Tribulation, the other was a Golden Core Tribulation.
Ordinary lightning tribulations, from the Jingxiao Heaven Thunder Tribulation, Mysterious Heaven Thunder Tribulation to the Jade Firmament Divine Thunder Tribulation, and Divine Heaven Thunder Tribulation, had a total of nine levels, with Jingxiao being the weakest and Divine Heaven the strongest.
The tribulation clouds would match according to the cultivator's personal strength and luck, providing a corresponding level of lightning tribulation.
... Golden Core Tribulation, Nascent Soul Tribulation, Deity Transformation Tribulation, Ascension Tribulation, etc., all underwent the Nine Layers of Lightning Tribulation. The only difference was in the specifics, such as Golden Core Jingxiao Lightning Tribulation, Nascent Soul Jingxiao Lightning Tribulation, and so on.
As for tribulations like the Nine Layers of Something Something Lightning Tribulation, it meant that the cultivator undergoing the tribulation was no ordinary person. A single type of lightning tribulation couldn't satisfy them; all nine types had to come together to suffice. Nine types, hence Nine Layers.
Regarding the Nine Heavens Divine Dragon Tribulation and the Nine Layers of Lightning Tribulation, the Divine Dragon and Celestial Lightning were merely variations of the Nine Layers of Lightning Tribulation. There were also things like the Nine Layers of Mysterious Lightning Tribulation, Nine Layers of Divine Lightning Tribulation, Nine Layers of Chaos Lightning Tribulation, and so on.
Generally speaking, the Nine Layers of Lightning Tribulation was the ultimate lightning tribulation that cultivators could encounter. While it was a test, it also represented the recognition of the cultivator's talent and strength by the will of heaven.
As for the Sanjiu Disaster Tribulation that Qin Ran faced when forming his core, that was because his soul came from another world, and the will of heaven in this world rejected him, intentionally making things difficult for him.
Although he was confident in Li Shiyin's strength, this was still the Nine Layers of Lightning Tribulation after all, so Qin Ran couldn't help but worry.
To draw a comparison, it was like knowing your child is a top student but still worrying about them failing their college entrance exams.
Especially for Qin Ran, with his cautious personality, he always tended to think of the worst-case scenario. He constantly worried about Li Shiyin failing her tribulation.
If there was any sign of trouble in the sky, he would intervene immediately.
"What are you doing..." Tushan Youyou looked at Qin Ran juggling so many items and laughed, "Are you undergoing the tribulation or is she?"
...When Qin Ran himself underwent tribulation, his heart was as steady as an old dog's.
Long Qiqi pouted and teased, "Sister Youyou, you just don't understand. This is called 'anxiety born from care'!"
Qin Ran glanced at these two, ignoring them.
Forming a core takes some time. And Li Shiyin causing such a commotion naturally drew the attention of other cultivators in the Dao Sword Sect, especially those familiar with Dan Peak.
So, one by one, cultivators appeared in the sky above Dan Peak:
"Sword Peak's new talent Tian Wenjin, Sword Peak's senior brother Liu Baixuan, Dao Sword Sect's number one Lu Junxing, the keeper of the Geniuses Ranking Dong Zhongyuan, the Sect Leader, the chief elders of various peaks, the elders of various peaks..."
They watched the sky with various expressions. There was worry like Tian Wenjin's, admiration like Liu Baixuan's, appreciation like Lu Junxing's, and gratification like the Sect Leader's. As for the displeasure from Qi Peak and the jealousy from Sword Peak, there's no need to elaborate.
In the sky, the lightning tribulation changed in correspondence with the progress of core formation. The clouds rolled, the tribulation lightning gathered, and the first bolt of lightning slowly formed. It became increasingly apparent, moving back and forth within the clouds as if it were alive, looking at Li Shiyin sitting cross-legged in mid-air below with an eager anticipation.
At a certain moment, a profound and mysterious aura, with Li Shiyin at its center, rippled outwards like waves on water.
Instantly, the expressions of the Nascent Soul cultivators changed. They knew this meant the core had formed, and they knew that the grand show was about to begin!
Li Shiyin suddenly opened her eyes in mid-air. In an instant, this world felt a powerful sword intent. This sword intent was extremely proud, looking down from above, reigning over all, causing the world to submit. The world stood still, the fierce winds stirred by spiritual energy fluctuations halted, and the lightning tribulation eager to strike in the sky was subdued.
The apocalyptic clamor quieted in an instant.
She stood up in the air, causing wind and clouds to move with her. In the dark sky, stars appeared, becoming extremely bright as she rose, as if replacing the light shed by the sun and moon.
Thousands of stars showered down light, converging into a pillar of light from the heavens, shining upon her like a spotlight on a stage.
The great wind rose again! Spiritual energy surged forth.
Starlight strengthened her physical body, while spiritual energy filled the void in her dantian.
Stars illuminated her from the sky; great winds blew towards her from all directions.
And then, the tribulation lightning...
Fell!
"Boom!!!"
It struck her at the center of the world.
Tribulation lightning, fierce winds, and starlight - all focused on her at this moment.
Her clothes fluttered gently, a faint purple light appeared around her, and her face, cold as frost, remained calm. She regarded the lightning tribulation as nothing. She was a sword immortal descending from the heavens, untouched by any tribulation.
The purple light was sword radiance. As the purple light slowly faded, so did the first pale blue-white Jingxiao Heaven Thunder Tribulation.
In the afterglow of the lightning tribulation, under the starlight, amidst the fierce winds, she turned to look at her master. Her sword-sharp eyes and frost-cold face revealed a mischievous, sweet smile.
"Master..." She didn't care about her image or the occasion, she just wanted to shout loudly. The affection in her voice was evident to all as she called out, "I'll go catch a lightning snake for you."
Seeing his foolish disciple pass through the first lightning tribulation so easily, Qin Ran had just begun to calm his worried heart when he heard her say this to him.
Realizing what she meant, he exclaimed in alarm, "Li Shiyin, stop right there!"
But how could his foolish disciple listen to him?
She raised her hand and grasped, instantly condensing the beam of starlight shining upon her from the sky into a sword of starlight that penetrated heaven and earth.
Wielding the star sword, she took flight, soaring up towards the tribulation clouds in the sky.
Spiritual energy continued to pour into her body, so the fierce winds did not cease. The winds embraced her, accompanying her as she charged into the tribulation clouds high in the nine heavens!
"What is she trying to do?" Liu Baixuan exclaimed in shock, unable to understand Li Shiyin's actions.
Lu Junxing looked back at him and smiled, saying, "This is where you fall short in vision!"
Smiling, he took out a jug of wine from his Universe Bag, took a big drink, and tossed it to Liu Baixuan. He declared loudly, "We cultivators defy the heavens and contend with fate. How can we always let the heavenly tribulation punish us? It's time to rise against the heavens, wield our swords, and cleave this treacherous sky with one strike.
"How exhilarating! Ha ha ha... Let's drink to this!"
Only then did Liu Baixuan understand what Li Shiyin was trying to do. She wasn't going to passively endure the tribulation; she was going to kill it. Instead of waiting for the lightning tribulation to strike her, she was actively seeking to battle the lightning tribulation in the tribulation clouds.
He couldn't help but gape, his mouth hanging open for a long time. He held the wine jug in his hand but didn't take a single sip for quite a while.
How grand must one's vision be to dare to actively attack the nine heavens?
At least Liu Baixuan couldn't do it; he wouldn't even dare to think of it.
On this day, Li Shiyin, wielding her sword of starlight, attacked the nine heavens above, charging into the birthplace of tribulation lightning. She slew countless lightning bolts, drank deeply from the lightning pool, and captured a colorful Nine Heavens lightning snake.
The black tribulation clouds were swept away by her star sword qi, and the all-encompassing fierce winds were calmed. As bright sunlight reappeared in the world, a white-robed sword immortal slowly descended from the azure sky, one hand holding the star sword, the other grasping the Nine Heavens divine lightning. She passed through the Dao Sword Sect's mountain-protecting formation and Dan Peak's mountain-protecting formation, landing before her master.
The star sword in her hand disappeared. With both hands, she presented the Nine Heavens divine lightning "colorful ribbon" to her master. Her face beamed with a radiant smile, her eyes as bright as stars, as she said, "Master, the lightning snake."
Her master stared at her in a daze for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter. After laughing, he looked towards the Yin Sha Extreme Climbing Snake beside the Devouring Extreme Demon Willow, above the Sword Washing Lake. Pointing at the lightning snake in Li Shiyin's hands, he said with a smile, "Qiqi, that's your nemesis."
"How boring!" Long Qiqi rolled her eyes at the master-disciple pair and left in a huff.
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