Chapter Twenty-One: The Rare Thunder Tribulation

Upon hearing this, everyone was completely convinced and began to shower Xu Ning'an with praise.

"An'an, you truly have such a broad perspective. Just this alone puts you leagues ahead of that narrow-minded, venomous woman."

"After your bone-cleansing, An'an, your aptitude has improved significantly. To have successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage at such a young age, and with a spirit beast as rare as a Blazing Yama Sparrow—you are destined to be the most outstanding cultivator among the younger generation of Snow Crane Peak!"

Xu Ning'an acted a bit bashful. "It’s just that I’ve had good luck, and more importantly, my master and senior brothers dote on me, using all the best resources on me. Otherwise, I’d still be stuck in the Qi Refining stage."

"Luck is a form of strength, too. Being as lovable as you are is a talent in its own right," a fellow disciple quickly chimed in.

"Exactly. The heavens have eyes; they know who deserves good fortune and will never let those with crooked intentions benefit."

The conversation thus drifted back to Jiang Heng. They took turns mocking and insulting her, while urging Xu Ning'an to place her bet quickly.

"An'an, go ahead and bet on this. We’ve tried divining it, and the odds of winning are very high."

"Yes, we'll all be happy if you win. Just think of the spirit stones as pocket money for snacks."

Unable to refuse, Xu Ning'an smiled, took out a spirit stone, and placed it on the spot they had indicated.

She made sure to clarify, "I don't actually think Senior Sister would pretend to fail her seclusion at a time like this; I’m just doing this to join in the fun with everyone. Please don’t misunderstand."

"Sigh, I actually feel quite sorry for her. To go to such lengths just for vanity..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the sky suddenly shifted. Dark clouds gathered, and the low rumble of thunder began to roll in from the horizon.

A violent gale swept through, kicking up sand and stones. A pale golden halo appeared in the sky, gradually intensifying until it radiated a light so brilliant that people were forced to squint.

A quick-witted disciple from the peak cried out in shock, "A lightning tribulation? Which senior in the sect is attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul or Spirit Severing stage??"

In this realm, such phenomena typically only occur when a cultivator at the Golden Core stage or higher makes a breakthrough.

Breakthroughs below the Golden Core stage, even if they occasionally draw lightning, are usually fleeting and lack such earth-shaking momentum.

The crowd scrambled to return to their respective dwellings, some of the more timid ones even deploying all their defensive artifacts to protect themselves thoroughly.

Although the lightning from a breakthrough tribulation wouldn't intentionally harm bystanders, the secondary effects were another matter.

As disciples at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stages, their bodies were not yet tempered to the point of being invulnerable, and taking a stray bolt would be no laughing matter.

Outside Jiang Heng’s dwelling.

Han Jie looked at the celestial anomaly, feeling the surging, overwhelming fluctuations of spiritual energy emanating from within the dwelling, and a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes.

It was only a breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, so why...

Inside the dwelling, Jiang Heng sat in meditation with her eyes closed, her expression as calm as a stone statue.

Yet, black and golden light radiated from her body, dazzling and intense.

The spiritual energy within her was colliding and converging in a fierce struggle; two torrents of light, one black and one white, clashed and surged in a violent, roaring battle!

Jiang Heng was known for her high tolerance for pain, but at the moment her Golden Core was about to take shape, she still furrowed her brows, nearly losing focus.

It felt as though her body were being torn apart by countless invisible hands—the pain was excruciating!

Yet, she could neither cry out nor move; she had to grit her teeth and endure it.

After an unknown amount of time, the overwhelming tide of pain receded. Jiang Heng suddenly felt light, and her consciousness was pulled into a strange space.

It was a place of singing birds and fragrant flowers, bathed in warm sunlight, her body cradled in a sea of soft, scented blooms.

Her abdomen felt warm and buoyant.

As Jiang Heng breathed in the fresh, fragrant air and looked down in a daze, she discovered a tiny Golden Core floating within her sea of spirit...

Just as many in the sect were speculating about which senior had successfully crossed their tribulation, Jiang Heng slowly opened her eyes and stepped out of her dwelling.

Having anticipated this, Han Jie smiled. "Congratulations, Junior Sister Jiang."

Jiang Heng returned the gesture. "Thank you, Senior Brother Han, for guarding me. If you don’t mind, I would like to treat you to a drink at the Drunken Immortal Tower."

The Drunken Immortal Tower was the most popular establishment in Green Rock Town among cultivators.

Those who practice immortality reach a state where they no longer require food after Foundation Establishment; eating and drinking were purely for pleasure and enjoyment.

The spirit wine brewed at the Drunken Immortal Tower was famous far and wide for its sweet, mellow flavor, rich spiritual energy, and subtle purifying properties.

Green Rock Town, situated between several cultivation sects, was a hub where immortals and mortals mingled—a place for disciples to relax and for mortals to try their luck in seeking a path to immortality.

Han Jie gladly accepted. "Very well. But before that, let us go report your successful Golden Core formation to the sect. From now on, there are many protocols regarding your elevated status that must be addressed."

Jiang Heng nodded.

The Golden Core stage was the true watershed for a cultivator's status within the sect. Once a Golden Core was formed, one became a pillar of the sect, a high-level cultivator sought after by other factions, and one finally gained the legitimate qualification to take on disciples.

In a renowned sect like the Myriad Spirit Sect, there were only about thirty Golden Core cultivators, which spoke to their rarity. As for those at the Nascent Soul or Spirit Severing stages, they were legendary figures rarely seen.

As they rode Han Jie’s flying vessel toward the Elders' Hall, Jiang Heng looked at her palms, her heart struggling to remain calm.

After the first level of the "Vile Rakshasa Path" reached its peak, she had eagerly begun her breakthrough to the Golden Core.

During the process, she deeply realized the heaven-defying power of the "No Retreat" state.

Her first three attempts at forming the Golden Core had failed. At the time, it appeared as though her cultivation would regress, but under the influence of the Vile Rakshasa Path, it had the opposite effect, forcing her closer to perfection each time until she finally succeeded on the fourth attempt.

In other words, what was a high-risk gamble for others was, for Jiang Heng, a near-guaranteed path to success.

If she didn't succeed once, she would try twice or three times; each attempt accumulated the probability of success, making a breakthrough merely a matter of time!

With such a powerful tool, the higher her cultivation level, the more terrifying its potency.

Falling during a breakthrough tribulation was considered a "failure" and did not fall under the definition of "death." The "death" in the Vile Rakshasa Path referred to death caused by other factors.

The so-called "No Retreat" meant she could not fail, and therefore could not die during a tribulation—a concept that was a taboo fear for many high-level cultivators.

The mere fact that she could not fail or perish during a tribulation was enough to leave countless other cultivators trailing in her wake, unable to ever catch up!

The deeper her understanding of the Vile Rakshasa Path, the more Jiang Heng realized its terrifying power, and she felt a sense of awe.

When the two reached the Elders' Hall, an elder and several peak masters were already waiting inside.

They were chatting joyfully, marveling at the excellent geomancy of the Myriad Spirit Sect, noting that another great talent had emerged.

Though they didn't know who it was, the celestial signs suggested it had to be at least a Nascent Soul or Spirit Severing expert; the reputation and strength of the Myriad Spirit Sect would surely rise significantly.

When they learned that it was Jiang Heng who had achieved the breakthrough, they were all incredulous, thinking they had misheard.

Elder Lu stammered, "Y-you mean to say that the lightning tribulation just now... was the result of a breakthrough to the Golden Core?!"