Translator: AnubisTL
Three days later, Li Qing emerged from Old Man Jian's cave abode, having spent thirteen thousand merit points in the blink of an eye.
In return, he now possessed eighteen spirit pills, each the size of a jujube pit. These were Dustfall Pills, capable of washing away the lower realm aura clinging to his body.
"The success rate is quite high," he mused. "The spirit realm's pill refiners truly are extraordinary."
"Taking one pill daily for fifteen days will completely cleanse the lower realm aura, allowing me to fully integrate into the spirit realm."
"All necessary expenses, I suppose!"
With that, Li Qing returned to his own cave abode and entered a state of focused cultivation. He had no intention of venturing anywhere until his mana was fully restored.
Life within the city remained peaceful and orderly. Before he knew it, fifteen days had passed.
Boom!
A powerful aura erupted from Li Qing's cave abode. His cultivation and mana had not only fully recovered but had also advanced further!
His mana had grown significantly denser, bringing him noticeably closer to the mid divine transformation realm.
Li Qing had already consumed all fifteen Dustfall Pills, completely purging the lower realm aura from his body. Now, no one could discern his identity as an ascended being.
But with this purification came the heavenly tribulation!
Having restored his cultivation, Li Qing soon sensed an ominous premonition. He flew out of Profound Ancient City and gazed at the gathering yin clouds in the sky.
The minor heavenly tribulation had arrived!
Cultivators in the divine transformation realm faced this trial every three hundred years. This was Li Qing's first encounter with the minor heavenly tribulation since his ascension. After observing the situation for a moment, he soared into the air and flew toward the city's outskirts.
The initial minor heavenly tribulations weren't particularly terrifying. However, if one failed to advance to the void refinement realm by later trials, each subsequent tribulation would become increasingly perilous, transforming into a life-or-death ordeal.
The aura of the tribulation clouds in the sky immediately drew the attention of many. People cast their gazes upward, watching with concern.
"That's a minor heavenly tribulation. I wonder which divine transformation realm senior in the city triggered it. Will they be able to overcome it?"
"Quite a few divine transformation cultivators have perished in heavenly tribulations. Otherwise, the number of divine transformation cultivators in Profound Ancient City would have doubled!"
"The heavenly tribulation is fiercer than a tiger. The number of divine transformation cultivators who perish under the heavenly thunder is no fewer than those who fall to the Tree Demon Clan."
"..."
Amidst the swirling mists of Profound Ancient City, a puzzled voice echoed from within the city lord's manor:
"How is this person's cultivation only at the early divine transformation realm? Could it be that their cultivation hasn't fully recovered yet?"
"No, their aura is perfectly balanced and complete. They are indeed at the early divine transformation realm!"
The self-talk gradually grew more astonished. Soon, City Lord Lingxu emerged from his residence, his gaze piercing through the mist to fix on the distant location where Li Qing's heavenly tribulation was gathering.
"Incredible! An ascended at the early divine transformation realm... I doubt there are more than a handful of such cases in the entire history of the human race!"
City Lord Lingxu was genuinely astonished. He had initially assumed Li Qing, like other ascended, would be at the late divine transformation realm.
After all, this was practically common knowledge. Attempting ascension before reaching the late divine transformation realm was an extremely perilous undertaking. Any mishap or unexpected event along the way would leave one with virtually no chance of survival.
Upon confirming that Li Qing was merely an early divine transformation realm cultivator, City Lord Lingxu frowned deeply.
"The Giant Spirit Race has promised our human race four slots in the Heavenlight Secret Realm. Should we allocate one to him?"
"If I can't obtain the Creation Origin Liquid, my next great heavenly tribulation will be exceedingly perilous."
City Lord Lingxu found himself torn. He had advanced to the void refinement realm at the age of two thousand and faced his first great heavenly tribulation at five thousand.
The memory of that first tribulation remained vivid in his mind—he had barely survived, bearing severe injuries.
Now, at the venerable age of eight thousand, he felt no confidence whatsoever about the impending second great heavenly tribulation.
In the past three thousand years, he had only cultivated to the mid void refinement realm. While his mana had deepened considerably, his overall strength had not undergone any substantial leap.
The second great heavenly tribulation would undoubtedly be far more formidable than the first, even making City Lord Lingxu himself feel apprehensive.
"Let's observe how he handles the heavenly tribulation first. If his methods prove unremarkable, we'll need to choose someone else."
At that moment, outside Profound Ancient City, Li Qing stood in the void, ascending step by step toward the heavens.
The dense thunderclouds had reached their peak, and the faint rumble of heavenly thunder reverberated across the sky.
Boom!
In an instant, a thunderbolt thicker than a water bucket crashed down, momentarily illuminating the dark, oppressive sky.
Li Qing's expression remained calm. With a casual flick of his hand, he shattered the heavenly thunder with his bare flesh, sustaining no significant damage.
"The power is mediocre," he murmured. "Probably only a bit stronger than my divine transformation tribulation. Nothing to worry about."
Li Qing breathed a slight sigh of relief, recognizing the effects of the Dustfall Pill.
Having confirmed the relatively weak power of the heavenly thunder, Li Qing completely relaxed. He stopped defending himself, discarding all protective measures, and resolved to endure the thunderbolts with his bare flesh.
Boom!
A vast sea of golden lightning surged down, composed entirely of Golden Firmament True Lightning. Li Qing had weathered countless trials of this kind before and felt no fear.
He channeled the Golden Firmament True Lightning into his body, using the heavenly thunder to temper his fleshly body.
The Dao Tribulation Limitless Sutra began to circulate within Li Qing's body. He channeled the heavenly thunder to temper his fleshly body, striving to forge an indestructible physique.
Years ago, in the lower realm, his fleshly body had undergone a rebirth through a thunder tribulation. Now, he possessed considerable resistance to the bombardment of heavenly thunder.
To Li Qing, this Golden Firmament True Lightning was nothing more than nourishing sustenance.
Soon, the golden sea of lightning gradually faded away, and violet thunder dragons began to materialize amidst the swirling clouds.
Seeing this, Li Qing's scalp tingled with apprehension. He hadn't anticipated the Violet Void Divine Lightning evolving into true dragons.
During his divine transformation tribulation, he had faced a similar ordeal—a true dragon's claw strike that nearly tore his body apart.
This time, however, he was prepared. With a swift motion, he unleashed four heavenly spirit fires of different colors, condensing them into four lotus platforms that encircled his body.
Boom!
Several thunder dragons formed from Violet Void Divine Lightning descended with astonishing speed. Li Qing formed hand seals, and the four spirit fire lotus platforms swept outward in a synchronized arc.
A deafening explosion erupted as fire and lightning collided, unleashing a cataclysmic surge of energy that threatened to annihilate everything in its path.
With this final clash, Li Qing's minor heavenly tribulation drew to a close.
He opened his mouth wide and swallowed the remaining thundercloud in the sky, forcibly refining the last traces of Heavenly Thunder Force within it.
"Huff!"
"Tribulation crossing perfected! Cultivation fully restored!"
Li Qing exhaled deeply, his condition remarkably improved. The lingering sense of dissonance that had made him feel out of place in this realm finally vanished completely.
"As expected of the spirit realm," Li Qing murmured to himself, satisfied. "No matter how diligently I cultivated in the lower realm, progress was minimal. Now, I've finally made significant strides."
(End of the Chapter)
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