Chapter 243: Chapter 243: The First Void Refinement Realm Disciple (Extra)
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Rumble rumble…
In the sky, dark clouds gathered densely, lightning snakes danced wildly, and thunder rolled in waves, foreboding the brewing of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.
A hundred li around, the sun and moon were lightless, and heaven and earth were dim, imposing an oppressive feeling.
Boom!
Suddenly, countless thunderstorms plummeted from the heavens, illuminating the world as if a white cascade of the Milky Way poured down from the nine heavens!
The first layer of the Heavenly Tribulation had arrived!
Lin Qingzhi’s Daoist robe fluttered noisily, his black hair flying about, and with a gesture, eighteen upper-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure Flying Swords that made up the three-layered Tiangang Sword Formation met the onslaught of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder.
The Nine Heavens Divine Thunder constantly bombarded the Tiangang Sword Formation, and occasionally, some Innate Spiritual Treasure Flying Swords dimmed, but Lin Qingzhi rapidly infused them with True Qi again, activating the Sword Qi of the Innate Spiritual Treasure Flying Swords.
From time to time, heavenly thunder affected the surrounding ground; huge rocks struck by lightning turned to ash and smoke.
“Junior brother, you must hang in there…”
Chen Yao’s bright eyes reflected the dazzling lightning, and her fingers were tightly interlocked as she silently prayed for Lin Qingzhi in her heart.
“Oh oh oh, so this is what a Heavenly Tribulation is like.”
Lu Qinglian folded her arms in front of her chest, shaking her head as if she understood completely.
She would soon be undergoing her Tribulation as well, so she was observing in advance.
Shen Xiaoyao and Ji Xuan, the two disciples, watched their eldest senior brother’s Tribulation with tension.
After the Dao Palace realm, every major boundary crossed would face a Heavenly Tribulation; numerous unparalleled geniuses had been turned to ashes in these tribulations, and some Mount Shu Sect Leaders were no exceptions.
However, Lu Changsheng saw that the Heavenly Tribulation attracted by Lin Qingzhi’s Everlasting Verdant Body was clearly weaker than the one his own Innate Taoist Body had attracted.
The first layer of the Heavenly Tribulation lasted for a quarter of an hour and was dissipated by Lin Qingzhi’s Tiangang Sword Formation.
Lin Qingzhi’s back was wet with cold sweat, and in accordance with his master’s orders, he hurriedly absorbed the Spiritual Energy of the Red Flood Dragon Gold Pill to replenish his True Qi.
The Tiangang Sword Formation was still revolving above Lin Qingzhi’s head, in preparation for the second layer of the Heavenly Tribulation.
The second layer of the Heavenly Tribulation was almost double in power!
Rumble rumble!!!
The splendid Nine Heavens Divine Thunder descended, shaking the earth and mountains, and it lasted for a full half hour!
Lin Qingzhi operated the Tiangang Sword Formation at full strength.
The eighteen Innate Spiritual Treasure Flying Swords, driven by the Taiqing Wuji Technique, cut through the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder and shattered the thunderbolts before they could strike Lin Qingzhi.
Although Lin Qingzhi did not possess an exclusive Immortal Artifact, the eighteen Innate Spiritual Treasure Flying Swords granted by Lu Changsheng, along with the Heaven Rank upper-grade Tiangang Sword Formation, were comparable to an Immortal Artifact.
Lin Qingzhi once again blocked the second layer of the Heavenly Tribulation with this Sword Formation.
The final layer of the Heavenly Tribulation was about to fall, and Lin Qingzhi consumed all the remaining potency of the Red Flood Dragon Gold Pill like a whale taking in water, all to withstand the third layer of the Heavenly Tribulation.
The third layer of the Heavenly Tribulation, seemingly capable of destroying heaven and earth, arrived with unceasing thunder and relentless lightning!
The Tiangang Sword Formation struggled against the third layer of the Heavenly Tribulation; the eighteen Innate Spiritual Treasure Flying Swords, from the continuous bombardment by the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, were occasionally forced out of the formation, and the formation seemed on the verge of collapse at any moment.
Beads of sweat covered Lin Qingzhi’s forehead as he multitasked, guiding the Flying Swords that had left the formation back into it.
The third layer of the Heavenly Tribulation also lasted for nearly half an hour.
Crack!
At the final moment of the third layer of the Heavenly Tribulation, one of the lower-grade Innate Flying Swords that made up the Tiangang Sword Formation, unable to withstand the continual attacks of the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, actually shattered!
“Not good!”
Lu Changsheng, who was acting as protector, was startled.
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The Tiangang Sword Formation indeed could resist the Threefold Heavenly Tribulation, but the inferior Innate Treasure Flying Swords that composed the formation couldn’t withstand the continuous onslaught of the Divine Thunder.
A bolt of Divine Thunder broke through the Tiangang Sword Formation and struck Lin Qingzhi.
Lin Qingzhi exerted all his strength to rotate the Taiqing Wuji Technique, forcibly using his massive True Qi to block the Divine Thunder.
“Puh.”
Lin Qingzhi spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.
He hadn’t undergone Body Tempering like his master, so his physical constitution was far from matching Lu Changsheng and Lu Qinglian.
Fortunately, Lin Qingzhi had a deep understanding of the Taiqing Wuji Technique, and with the Heavenly Silkworm Soft Armor rewarded by Lu Changsheng, he didn’t disintegrate into ash upon being struck by the Divine Thunder.
“The Heavenly Tribulation is about to end.”
Lu Changsheng could sense the dark clouds dissipating, and the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder faded away in fits and starts until it vanished completely.
Lin Qingzhi stood within the crater, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth while he retrieved the eighteen Flying Swords that had formed the Tiangang Sword Formation. One of the inferior Innate Treasure Flying Swords had been utterly destroyed during the Heavenly Tribulation, and seven other swords were damaged to varying degrees.
The Heavenly Tribulation triggered by Lin Qingzhi lasted a little over an hour, whereas the Tribulation Lu Changsheng faced lasted three hours, making Lin Qingzhi’s ordeal much less difficult and far less dire than Lu Changsheng’s had been.
You should know that during his Tribulation, Lu Changsheng was blasted into a bottomless pit by a Thunder Pond provoked by the Threefold Heavenly Tribulation.
“Master, your disciple has lived up to expectations and finally stepped into the Void Refinement Realm.”
Lin Qingzhi, dragging his weary body, came to report the good news to Lu Changsheng.
“Entering the Void Refinement Realm means you can use Immortal Artifacts, but for your master, this is just the beginning. Hereafter, guard against arrogance and impetuosity, and continue to practice diligently.”
“I will keep that in mind,” the disciple replied.
As Lin Qingzhi stepped into the Void Refinement Realm, he became increasingly aware of how formidable his master was, and his respect grew even more profound.
“Big Brother is so dedicated and focused; his rate of cultivation is truly astonishing. Alas, I wonder when I will be able to catch up with him,” Shen Xiaoyao lamented, with his hands behind his neck.
Lin Qingzhi was single-minded in his cultivation, utterly devoted—an approach Shen Xiaoyao couldn’t manage to emulate.
Shen Xiaoyao relied on his Pure Yang Qi and his Great Fortune.
Seeing that Lin Qingzhi had now entered the Void Refinement Realm, Chen Yao thought to herself that she needed to catch up to his level as soon as possible.
Otherwise, if Lin Qingzhi ascended to the Immortal Realm while she remained in the Mortal World, they would be worlds apart.
[Ding, your eldest disciple “Lin Qingzhi” is currently at the first level of the Void Refinement Realm.]
[For cultivators at the seventh level of the Void Refinement Realm or below, you may reward Eight-rank Elixir Pills, Eight-rank Talismans, lower-grade Immortal Artifacts, and other treasures.]
[For cultivators who achieve a Great Accomplishment in the Void Refinement Realm (from the eighth to ninth levels), you may reward Nine-rank Elixir Pills, Nine-rank Talismans, middle-grade Immortal Artifacts, and other treasures.]
[Note: If there is redundancy in the items rewarded to disciples, you will not be able to gift the same type of treasure for one month.]
[Current month’s return times for Immortal Artifacts: 1/2 (As disciples’ realms advance, the upper limit of return times for Immortal Artifacts per month will increase. With each additional Void Refinement Realm disciple, the limit increases by +1.)]
The notification from the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator echoed in Lu Changsheng’s mind. Now that his first disciple had reached the Void Refinement Realm, he could finally reward lower-grade Immortal Artifacts, as well as Eight-rank Elixir Pills and Eight-rank Talismans.
The number of times he could return Immortal Artifacts each month had also increased by one.
[Ding, your eldest disciple “Lin Qingzhi’s” realm has ascended from the Dao Palace Realm to the Void Refinement Realm. You have received a disciple advancement reward: Human Race Treasured Fragment ×1.]
Another Human Race Treasured Fragment?!
Lu Changsheng’s scalp tingled; this was the second Human Race Treasured Fragment he had obtained.
The two Human Race Treasured Fragments came from Chen Yao and Lin Qingzhi respectively.
“Could it be that by rewarding these two disciples, there’s a chance to gather the necessary fragments to form a complete Ultimate Treasure…”