Chapter 48

She gradually absorbed the lightning striking her body into her meridians, attempting to merge it with her different flame. While thunder and fire could be compatible, if the cultivator were of the lightning spiritual root, merging with a different flame would undoubtedly be much easier. For one with a fire spiritual root to integrate lightning, even with the aid of a different flame, was no simple feat.

The pain was excruciating, as if scraping flesh from bone. Blood trickled from the corners of her mouth, and the onlookers quickly noticed the change.

“What’s going on? She can’t hold on any longer?”

Ba Yicheng frowned deeply, sensing something was amiss. The girl’s courage was truly remarkable; this was only the fourth bolt of heavenly tribulation, and the subsequent ones would grow ever more powerful. Expending her spiritual energy at this stage would do her no favors later.

By contrast, Elder Longbrow nodded in approval. Having guarded the Tribulation Platform for over a century, he’d seen a few such cultivators, though most possessed thunder or metal roots. Not to mention distant examples, even within reach was the Wei family’s young man—his tribulation wasn’t just one set of nine bolts; at the Golden Core stage, he faced three sets of nine; at the Nascent Soul stage, it would be six. When he advanced to Soul Transformation, they’d likely have to rebuild the Tribulation Platform at Kunlun.

To absorb the might of thunder was a boon for any cultivator. Though difficult, with sect protection, it posed little true danger. Most assumed the best time to absorb thunder was during the final three strikes, but in reality, the optimal moment was during the first set of nine, starting with the third and fourth bolts, when the force wasn’t yet overwhelming. Robust cultivators could endure, and the tempering benefited them greatly. This girl seemed willing to push herself ruthlessly; after this, Kunlun would surely gain a new Golden Core expert. By the time of the centennial competition, even at early Golden Core stage, she’d be able to challenge those at the middle and later stages.

Seeing her determination, as an elder, he was duty-bound to support her. He activated another layer of the outer formation, holding back the fifth tribulation bolt so she could finish absorbing the thunder, then let the rest in. Nine bolts—neither too many nor too few—but enough to make one feel as if dying and being reborn over and over.

After the final bolt, the spiritual energy in the air grew noticeably denser. Many disciples began to meditate and absorb it. Examining her dantian inwardly, she saw that where once her spiritual energy had been liquid, there now appeared a golden core the size of a soybean, spinning rapidly. Upon closer look, it bore the mark of flame; uniquely, Li Mengze’s core was not only golden but veined with purple, evidence of the thunder’s power. From now on, her fire would carry traces of thunder, greatly enhancing her combat strength.

With the successful formation of her core, radiant clouds blossomed in the sky, as mystical birds of all kinds danced and gradually gathered into a seven-colored bridge.

Most were absorbed in cultivation, only a few noticing this rare spectacle. The younger ones didn’t understand its meaning; normally, the celestial phenomenon at core formation involved spiritual beasts, at best divine beasts, but rarely manifested as scenery. Thus, most assumed the birds were the usual omens.

But the few Nascent Soul level cultivators present were not so ignorant. Elder Longbrow exhaled in relief—Kunlun would not lack Soul Transformation cultivators for the next five centuries. Heaven bless Kunlun!

Li Mengze opened her eyes, the first thing assailing her senses being a stench strong enough to make one faint, tinged with a faint bean-like smell. She immediately blocked her sense of smell, cast a cleansing spell, and then stepped out of the formation, bowing respectfully to the Nascent Soul elders.

“Disciple Li Mengze of Hidden Sword Peak thanks the elders for their protection.” She knew them all well from childhood; her uncle had even carried her around to receive meeting gifts from each. Although some elders were more amiable than others, they were all ancient beings, and none would take advantage of a junior like herself. She merely had to observe propriety.

As expected, the elders nodded kindly and each gifted her something generous, letting her reap a small fortune. Elder Longbrow, speaking on behalf of all, congratulated her on her advancement, urged her to return and stabilize her cultivation, and informed her that the sect would host a grand ceremony in her honor, along with further rewards.

The concentrated spiritual energy from her core formation would linger for three days, so lower-ranked disciples would remain to cultivate, but having formed her core, she no longer needed to stay.

She did, indeed, need to stabilize her realm, as she sensed her haste in absorbing the thunder’s power had left her spiritual energy insufficiently compressed, making her foundation less stable and requiring further consolidation.

Bidding farewell to the elders, she prepared to return to Hidden Sword Peak for seclusion, just in time to run into Wei Qingtong and Ba Yicheng. “Senior Brother, Martial Uncle!”

Both understood this was no time for pleasantries and urged her to retreat quickly. As she turned to leave, Wei Qingtong remarked, “The centennial competition is only three years away.”

She was puzzled. The centennial competition was a grand event for all cultivators, whether rogue or sect disciple, with rich rewards for every stage from Qi Refinement to Nascent Soul. The prizes for this round hadn’t been announced yet, but given the pattern of previous competitions, this year’s rewards would surely be even greater. Everyone was eager to prove themselves.

Yet for elite disciples like them, such prizes weren’t particularly rare; even if they were, there was no guarantee of winning. She couldn’t guess why he’d specifically remind her.

Unable to make sense of it, she set the thought aside. Instead of returning to her own courtyard, she chose the Spirit Gathering Cave on the side of Hidden Sword Peak—a place known to be quiet and rich in spiritual energy, ideal for breakthrough and retreat.

With her elite disciple’s token, and for only ten mid-grade spirit stones per month, she secured a cave mansion complete with all amenities, including meal delivery if desired.

Paying for a year in advance, she chose a cave at the outer edge, near a cliff; the surrounding caves were unoccupied, so she was alone.

Before entering seclusion, she sent voice transmissions to her parents and uncle, explaining her situation so they wouldn’t worry, then began her retreat.

People often say that living in complete isolation leads to twisted or abnormal personalities. In her opinion, that only applied to those who hadn’t experienced the cultivation world. Here, three or five years in seclusion was common, thirty or fifty years was reasonable, and even a century was not unheard of. When one is absorbed in cultivation, who cares about the passing of time, let alone loneliness?

She had never heard of anyone taking a servant into seclusion just for conversation. Anyone who did probably wouldn’t achieve much in cultivation. Environment, after all, shapes character.

Leaving Li Mengze to her cultivation, stabilizing her realm, the story turned to Li Yunran and his wife. Lady Li had just emerged from several years of seclusion and wanted to visit the daughter she’d entrusted to her brother-in-law, only to receive Li Mengze’s transmission. Upon hearing its contents, she became unsettled.

“Yunran, if I’m not mistaken, our daughter has been cultivating for less than twenty years, hasn’t she?” She herself was well into her second millennium, while her daughter was still in double digits, and only half her own starting age. Now, her daughter was only one major realm behind her. If she didn’t work harder, her daughter would soon surpass her!

She could already imagine her straight-faced daughter chasing her with a little whip—oh, no, she didn’t want that!

Li Yunran, however, felt differently. His daughter was exceptionally gifted. Golden Core at just over twenty wasn’t unheard of, but she’d also absorbed and refined the power of thunder. What was she planning? How could she ever play with her peers again? Her friends in the same realm would soon avoid her, leaving her all alone!

And now, with her entering seclusion again, who knew when she’d emerge? He’d thought that now his wife was out, they could finally visit their daughter and reunite as a family—perhaps even bring her back from Kunlun to live with them. But just as his wife exited seclusion, his daughter entered it. Would it be years before they saw her again?

By the time his brother emerged, their family reunion would be postponed indefinitely.

Li Yunzhan, having recently emerged from seclusion with his cultivation advanced by a small realm, learned of his niece’s advancement and nodded in satisfaction. Her rate of progress was outstanding, even among the great sects of Kunlun, and worthy of praise.

No sooner had he emerged than the sect master summoned him to the main hall. He thought it urgent, but it was all about Ze’er’s advancement. He took the opportunity to press for a grand core formation ceremony for his niece, but returned with a dark expression.

Ba Yicheng and his junior sister wanted to ask, but seeing their master’s face, thought better of it and kept their distance.

Li Yunzhan’s dark mood was due to the cancellation of his niece’s Golden Core ceremony, though he had secured even better rewards for her. What truly soured him was that True Lord Xiangyun had taken the chance to revive the matter of his son’s marriage, seeking his master’s approval. Though he knew it was best for his niece, he used her parents as an excuse to defer the matter.

Ba Yicheng had planned to invite his junior sister out for a meal, but halfway there received a summons from his master and had to return, watching helplessly as that brat from Sword Testing Peak eagerly escorted her down the mountain.

He arrived at his master’s hall, and upon looking up, saw his master’s youthful, handsome face. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—was there no justice? It was bad enough to be born into a good family, but must he also be so good-looking, so talented, and, worst of all, of a higher seniority? There was simply no comparison—how was one supposed to live?

Though these thoughts swirled in his mind, he dared not show a hint of them, and after greeting his master respectfully, stood quietly to the side.

Ever since True Lord Xiangyun had taken his master’s favorite chair, there was no seating in the main hall of Hidden Sword Peak. Even his master sat only on a meditation cushion now, so Ba Yicheng stood obediently in the corner.

“What celestial omen appeared during your junior sister’s advancement?” Li Yunzhan pressed his lips together, his face solemn.

It hadn’t been that long ago, just over a month, but Ba Yicheng dared not be careless, fearing something had gone wrong. He furrowed his brow and recalled carefully before answering: “When junior sister formed her core, the tribulation was a single set of nine bolts. The lightning was purple tinged with black, likely due to her different flame. During the tribulation, she drew the thunder into her body to temper herself, using no magical artifacts. Elder Longbrow was present and activated the platform’s defensive array, so there were no issues. The celestial omen was a bit unusual: not only did spiritual birds appear, but also a five-colored bridge. Afterwards, the spiritual energy became abundant, indicating a smooth tribulation. Junior sister advanced to Golden Core, and some disciples stayed to cultivate.” After finishing, and finding nothing amiss, he saw his master still frowning and asked instinctively,

“Is something wrong, Master? Did something happen with junior sister’s advancement?” That couldn’t be—afterwards, she’d seemed only slightly unstable in her realm, but her aura was calm and gentle, clearly with strength to spare.

Ba Yicheng was the chief disciple of Hidden Sword Peak, most beloved and trusted by Li Yunzhan, and future heir to the peak. He had been personally raised and taught by the master himself, so there was no question of affection.

At this, Li Yunzhan sighed deeply. “That old fox from the Wei family has come to propose marriage again—still about dual cultivation with your junior sister.”