The flying ship paused mid-air, and the surrounding became still as the three of them looked at each other silently.
“…” Bing Rong.
“…” Ling Yue.
“…” Shen Yuan.
Yue Lan looked at Shen Yuan with a ridiculing gaze.
[Haha, you all are truly morons.]
His eye twitched a little. ‘Oh, so great Yue Lan, why didn’t you remind me about this if you had remembered it?’
[Now where is the fun in that?] Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire
She laughed before turning into flower petals and went back inside Shen Yuan’s Sea of Consciousness.
Shen Yuan shook his head, and a moment later, he coughed and descended above the forest. “Let’s wait here for them. It shouldn’t take long for them to come back here. We will stay here till evening. And you,”
He paused and turned to Ling Yue. “You should undergo your tribulation to ascend to the Mortal Tribulation Realm while we wait for them.”
Ling Yue nodded, looking both nervous and excited as she had succeeded in her little mission to delay her return to the pagoda.
They had just halted above the forest, which they had yet to leave. Below them, a clearing in the forest provided them enough open space for any tribulation that might descend.
Shen Yuan turned toward Bing Rong, who stood at his side. “Big Sis, will you give her some pointers on the Mortal Tribulation Realm? I recall you mentioned you had to endure a particularly nasty set of trials at that stage.”
Bing Rong pushed a strand of icy-blue hair behind her ear, looking at Ling Yue with a faint smile. “Sure,” she said, her voice warm despite her cool aura. She gestured for Ling Yue to follow her to a quieter corner of the deck. “Let’s chat.”
Ling Yue complied and followed after her, yet her senses remained on Shen Yuan, not wanting to leave him out of her sight. Her tail swished anxiously, the tip trembling in anticipation.
Once they found a spot near the ship’s railing, Bing Rong rested her palm lightly on a sturdy post.
The wind at this altitude carried a sharp chill. “So,” she began, “the Mortal Tribulation Realm is about tempering your Dao Core with heavenly tribulations. Each breakthrough requires surviving an ever more brutal test from the heavens.”
Ling Yue nodded, recalling what she already knew about the sub-realms:
Tribulation One – The initial forging of a Mortal Tribulation body.
Tribulation Two – Strengthening the body’s meridians further.
…
And so on, up through Tribulation Nine, the pinnacle before stepping into the next realm—Nascent Soul Stage.
“I’ve read a little,” Ling Yue said softly. “Every tribulation cleanses your Qi, expands your internal sea, and forces your Dao Core to become more stable—if you survive.”
Bing Rong gave a wry smile. “Yes, ‘if you survive.’ That’s the key phrase. The Heavenly Dao doesn’t let cultivators freely climb the ladder of power without cost.”
She glanced at Shen Yuan, who remained by the control panel of the ship, calmly looking at them. “For someone with a strong foundation like yours—strength already in the Mortal Tribulation Realm—your first tribulation will be harsher than normal.”
Ling Yue swallowed, determination filling her eyes. “I’m prepared. My bloodline, plus the improvements granted by Young Master, should give me a decent chance.”
Bing Rong studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Remember these few points during your tribulation—
“Before provoking the tribulation, circulate your Qi evenly through every meridian. Any imbalance will become a weak point the heavens can exploit.”
“During the tribulation, it’s not uncommon for your bloodline or special physique to flare up unexpectedly. Embrace it—don’t fight. The tribulation is meant to refine, not annihilate, so harness every advantage you have.”
“For the first tribulation, lightning or elemental strikes can be quite violent. Don’t rush to counterattack them. Focus on surviving each wave until the intensity subsides. If you weather the storm, you’ll naturally find yourself on the other side, having passed the trial.”
“The Heavenly Dao tests willpower. Don’t let fear or doubt sway you mid-tribulation. Keep your will firm, ‘to serve Shen Yuan, to grow stronger’ or something else. That clarity can help shape the tribulation’s flow.”
Ling Yue listened intently to each point, her tail tip slowing down from nervously flicking everywhere to calmly swaying. She bowed respectfully. “Thank you, Mistress Bing Rong.”
Bing Rong’s cheeks tinged pink at the new title, but she pretended not to notice. “No problem.” She glanced at Shen Yuan, then back to Ling Yue.
“He’ll watch over you, I’m sure—but remember, external help during a tribulation can bring even harsher backlash. I won’t allow him to step into the tribulation just because of you, for even he might die from a tribulation of this magnitude. He still does not understand that mortals can’t interfere with tribulations.”
Ling Yue’s gaze flickered toward Shen Yuan before she took a deep breath. “I understand. I won’t let Young Master put his life in danger.” Despite saying this, a subtle warmth spread through her chest at the thought of Shen Yuan’s care.
…
Shen Yuan slowly approached them, having finished adjusting the ship’s protective arrays to shield them from the stray energy of the tribulation. He nodded at Bing Rong, then turned his attention to Ling Yue. “Are you ready?”
She inhaled and exhaled slowly, forcing her Qi into a steady circulation. “Yes, Young Master. I’ll start now.”
“Go below,” he advised, pointing to a small clearing at the forest’s edge they’d spotted. “We’ll descend with you, but keep enough distance that we won’t interfere with your tribulation. Once you trigger your tribulation, lightning or elemental strikes will appear. Bing Rong and I will observe from the sidelines.”
Ling Yue nodded, her heart pounding with both excitement and tension. Together, the three stepped off the flying ship, descended into the clearing.
Tall trees surrounded them, but Shen Yuan created a safe ring by releasing a brief wave of his Fire Qi, clearing the undergrowth and preventing it from catching fire or interfering with tribulation energy.
“Stand in the center,” Shen Yuan said. “We’ll be some distance away from you.”
Ling Yue did as instructed, taking her position on the slightly scorched ground. She closed her eyes, focusing inward.
In her dantian, a total of ten cores glowed with vigorous energy—her foundation built painstakingly inside the Ancestral Pagoda. Now it was time to sharpen them with the Heavenly Dao.
…
A hush fell over the clearing. Shen Yuan and Bing Rong watched from some distance away, each of them looking worriedly in case the tribulation became too chaotic.
Above the sky, dark clouds began to gather unnaturally, swirling in concentric rings. A static charge filled the air.
Ling Yue spread her arms, raising her Qi to its peak. Before beginning, she fused two of her cores inside her dantian. It was this moment that triggered the tribulation thunderously.
It was a subtle mechanism—like giving a silent invitation to the heavens to come test her. Almost at once, an oppressive weight pushed down from the sky above, making her breath catch. Crackles of electricity danced through the clouds.
A sharp fork of purple lightning arced across the sky, followed by a rumble of distant thunder. Ling Yue’s eyes snapped open. ‘Finally.’