The Tribulation of Lightning — The Birth of a God
The sky split with a blinding flash of lightning, jagged and furious, as if the heavens themselves had descended to judge the mortal realm. All eyes turned skyward, gasps escaping every disciple's lips.
Xiao Yan hovered mid-air, suspended by some unseen force, his arms raised instinctively as arcs of lightning danced across his body. Pain lanced through him with every strike. He clenched his teeth, groaning, his body convulsing under the sheer intensity. Sparks of blue light raced along his skin, and for a moment, the world below seemed to shrink to silence.
"What's this?" a disciple murmured, voice trembling.
"It's a tribulation," Saint Lu Qi said, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, calm but filled with awe.
"Xiao Yan!" Mi-An screamed, her voice raw with fear and desperation. She raced toward him, but her movements were halted by the invisible walls of energy surrounding him.
Nem surged forward as well, hands crackling with protective energy, but even he could not touch the strikes as they danced across Xiao Yan's form.
"A tribulation… a heavenly tribulation!" Saint Gil U murmured, awe and envy flickering across his face. His eyes glimmered, reflecting the lightning above.
"How can that be?" Saint of Zi Wu Sects asked, disbelief evident in his tone.
Mi-An's eyes widened. "Xiao Yan is undergoing a heavenly tribulation… what does that mean?"
"He is going to be a god," Lu Qi replied sharply, a rare, proud smile breaking his normally stoic expression.
Murmurs erupted among the disciples. Some trembled in fear, others stared in wonder. Mi-An's hand gripped tightly at the edge of her robe. "When will it stop?" she asked, voice shaking.
"Until he receives ninety-nine strokes," Saint of Yi Wu Sects explained. "He has only received eighteen."
Mi-An's heart ached. "If he doesn't survive… he will die!" Saint of Xi Wu Sects added gravely.
She clenched her fists, feeling her chest tighten. She had only just discovered love, and the thought of losing him now made her stomach twist.
Meanwhile, Saint Gil U's lips twitched in irritation. It should have been me… he whispered under his breath.
Di'or's voice was quieter, hesitant: "If we have a god among us, can we finally defeat the Ansha?"
"Maybe…" Lu Qi replied cautiously, though his eyes remained locked on Xiao Yan.
Each lightning strike tore through Xiao Yan's body. He screamed, groaned, and his aura flickered like a stormcloud. Sweat streamed down his face, mixing with dirt and blood from the trials, but he refused to yield.
By the time the ninetieth strike fell, the lightning paused. Silence descended, broken only by shallow, ragged breaths.
Lu Qi stepped forward, voice quiet but full of reverence: "We are witnessing a rare sight. The last nine strokes will be the most dreadful. Let us hope he survives and ascends fully."