Yun Jin kept her thoughts moving as she watched Yin Jun undergo her Tribulation.
The power of the first bolt of heavenly thunder was not overwhelming. Yin Jun's expression remained solemn as she received it head-on. Aside from her face paling slightly, she showed no other signs of distress.
The second bolt followed immediately.
Again, Yin Jun met it directly, though this time her complexion grew visibly worse. By the time the third bolt came, she began pulling out one magical artifact after another. Each treasure was either defensive in nature or carried some affinity with thunder. She continued producing artifacts in succession, barely managing to withstand up to the seventh bolt.
But after that, every artifact she had prepared was exhausted.
For the last two, the most dangerous bolts, she would have to rely on herself alone.
Drawing a deep breath, Yin Jun's body began to glow with a translucent white light. This was a secret defensive art she had cultivated. The glow surged across her form, and in moments she turned into a gleaming ice sculpture.
The eighth bolt struck.
The ice shattered instantly.
Yin Jun staggered back several steps and coughed up blood.
Yun Jin's eyes narrowed.
Yin Jun was injured—gravely so.
Would she truly be able to endure the final strike?
Even Yun Jin found herself tensing up.
This heavenly trial… it really was deadly beyond measure.
Soon, the final bolt descended.
It carried no world-ending momentum as before, yet its danger was far greater.
Instead of striking her body, the thunder pierced directly into Yin Jun's sea of consciousness. She froze in place, unmoving.
Tian Po Sword spoke in a low tone. "This is the Heart Demon Tribulation. The last of the nine bolts. It strikes not the body, but the heart. The more complete one's Path, the firmer one's Dao heart, the easier it is to overcome. But those who carry countless unresolved demons in their cultivation… they perish here without a sound."
The first eight bolts could still be fought against directly.
But the ninth—this was invisible, formless. Cultivators who had reached the peak of the Tribulation stage had usually lived for an incredibly long time.
And in that long life—
Had they regrets?
Had they tasted bitter remorse?
Had they endured torment?
Had they ever doubted themselves?
Such flaws might seem fleeting. One moment regret, the next forgotten.
But were they truly forgotten?
Were they truly released?
Were they truly resolved?
It was not for the cultivator to decide.
The ninth bolt of heart demons would lay everything bare.
Yun Jin silently watched Yin Jun, a trace of worry on her face.
Would Fairy Yin Jun… truly pass this test?
Fortunately, no matter how long the inner trial seemed to last, in the real world it passed in an instant.
The next moment, Yin Jun opened her eyes.
The dark clouds above scattered, and a shaft of golden light pierced the sky.
She had succeeded.
She descended back onto thunder's shell, her face still pale with lingering fear.
"Sect Master," Fairy Yin Jun said with deep gratitude. "I was on the verge of being lost in my inner demons. But in that final moment, my mind suddenly cleared, and I broke free. That clarity… it felt exactly like when I was inside the Disciple Quarters."
She spoke with genuine thanks.
The Quarters had an additional effect: it calmed the mind. Those who stayed long enough could even gain a permanent state of clarity.
It was this very effect that had saved her life.
"Oh?" Yun Jin's eyes lit with interest.
So the Residence's influence was truly this powerful.
In that case…
The chances of Wushuang Sect disciples surviving their Tribulations would far outstrip those of the outside world. This was an enormous blessing.
"Congratulations, Sister Yin Jun." Yun Jin smiled and handed her a token. "From this moment on, you are the sect's eighth Grand Elder."
Eight Grand Elders, plus Yun Jin herself as Sect Master, all at Mahayana level.
Wushuang Sect now lacked only one final Mahayana cultivator to meet the requirement of ten.
"Thank you, Sect Master." Yin Jun accepted the token, her heart soaring.
To survive this gateway was already a miracle. In the past, one would simply wait to ascend afterward.
Though the Immortal Road was now sealed and ascension impossible, she had still gained another ten thousand years of life. If she lived long enough, she might yet see the Immortal Road open again.
After returning Yin Jun to the sect's secret realm, Yun Jin went to meet Hong Ye and the others, who had arrived the day before.
Hong Ye had brought several Mahayana friends, and Yun Jin bestowed each of them with Grand Elder tokens.
Now, the way these cultivators looked at Yun Jin was akin to gazing upon a deity.
After all, who but a god could create things like the Quarters and the Trial Tower?
They had indeed latched onto a golden thigh to cling to.
After seeing this group, Yun Jin gathered the sect's Tribulation-stage elders.
Wushuang Sect now had more than enough. The requirement for a Super Sect was twenty Tribulation cultivators. Wushuang Sect already had fifteen, and with the newcomers, the total had reached twenty-five, with even some to spare.
Among them, three had reached the peak of the Tribulation stage.
Yun Jin planned to focus her efforts on nurturing these three over the next few days. If even one succeeded in advancing, the sect would meet the Mahayana requirement.
Their chances were high.
Each of them already had a vague premonition of their impending thunder trials, though each still lacked a final spark.
Yun Jin decided to reserve one enlightenment opportunity per day for them.
Even though the effects diminished with repeated use, at such a critical time, that hardly mattered.
As for the Unity stage, the sect was still a few short. Yun Jin also selected several disciples to receive her guidance.
Among those chosen was Kong Huai.
He seemed to be adjusting well to his new environment.
Once always sharp-tongued and defiant, forever asking difficult philosophical questions, Kong Huai now looked far more cheerful. His cultivation had advanced considerably as well—he was only one step away from Unity.
"Sect Master," Kong Huai said awkwardly when he noticed Yun Jin studying him. "In the past, I was often disrespectful. I hope Sect Master can forgive me."
Thinking back to his old obstinate self, he felt more than a little ashamed.
In these past days at Wushuang Sect, he had learned a new word.
Chuunibyou.
Senior Brother Yue, after hearing about his antics in the Mingxin Hall, had laughed and called him a "chuunibyou youth."
Kong Huai hadn't understood at first, but after some thought, he realized what it meant.
Senior Brother Yue had even comforted him, saying that a man who wasn't chuunibyou in youth had wasted his younger years. But Kong Huai only wanted to bury his head in the sand and never come out again.
Yun Jin found his expression amusing and said with a bright smile, "The Dao heart is forged through constant questioning. The Grand Dao is perfected through repeated trials. Kong Huai, your doubts proved you were walking your own path. That is a good thing."
Kong Huai froze, thoughtful.
Yun Jin then gave him an enlightenment session and sent him back to the Quarters.
The very next day, word reached her that Kong Huai had broken through into the Unity stage. Yun Jin could not help but smile faintly.
The Super Sect standard required one hundred Unity cultivators. With Kong Huai's breakthrough, the sect now lacked only one more. And there were still several disciples on the verge of advancing.
In these last few days, surely they would give her a pleasant surprise.
===
Hey guys~ just a quick update ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
Technically, I've got 9 ongoing projects listed on my account. But! Mom's Apocalypse Survival Log, The Invincible Money-Grubbing Fairy, and My Daughter is the Empire's Lucky Charm are all fully translated already. Right now (as of September 29), Reborn as the Fallen Idol, I Leaned Into the Chaos! has less than 50 chapters left to go.
That means, out of the last 5 projects that are truly active, 3 of them are complete works (the original novels are already finished). The other 2 are still being serialized by their authors, but I've already caught up with the latest chapters—those are also queued up in my drafts with over 400 chapters ready to roll (148+260).
So really, my current active projects are just 3. Yay progress! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و
On my side, I also just got a job offer starting in October. I don't know the exact details yet, so I'm holding off on picking up any new big translation projects for the moment. If I do start working, I'll have to juggle both job and translations, and I don't wanna push myself into burnout (ง •̀_•́)ง.
Originally, I planned to dive into another historical-themed novel right after finishing Mom's Apocalypse Survival Log, but that might have to wait a bit. Or if I do take it, I'll probably slow things down to about 2 chapters a day instead of my usual 5. Some of you have also asked me about continuing Glitched: Highway Apocalypse, and I'll see if I can sneak it into my schedule ( •̀ ω •́ )✧.
For now, until I know how much free time I'll actually have, I won't be starting any giant 400+ chapter novels (unless the chapters are really short). If it's on the longer side with heavier word counts, I'll probably cap it around 300