Chapter 73: Witnessing the Heavenly Tribulation

To the right and in front of the imposing and solemn cluster of Reversal Palace buildings stood a side hall, known as the “Temple of the Holy Light Goddess.” The interior of this palace contrasted sharply with its exterior: entirely Baroque in style, evoking the sensation of having stepped into an Italian royal palace of the seventeenth century.

Reclining on the pink throne in the main hall of the Temple, Luo Li wore a white, ancient Roman-style robe and golden shoes. An olive branch diadem crowned her head, a golden scepter rested in her hand, and she was lazily munching on potato chips as Qing Huo delivered her report.

“…Among them, there are six hundred and twenty-three Foundation Establishment cultivators and three hundred and seventy-six Qi Refining cultivators. In total, nine hundred and ninety-nine individuals have all qualified to participate in this month’s ‘Spirit Infusion Ceremony.’”

Luo Li nodded with satisfaction. “Very good! Have them wait in the Spirit Infusion Pavilion. I’ll come over once I’ve finished my breakfast.”

Qing Huo replied, “Yes, my lady!” and swiftly departed to relay the orders.

After finishing her potato chips and drinking a carton of milk, Luo Li finally rose and stretched lazily. She was about to preside over the monthly Spirit Infusion Ceremony of Reversal Palace, an event initiated three months prior. All those who performed outstandingly could earn the chance to participate, receiving spirit infusion during the grand ceremony. Each session lasted ten days, enabling one’s cultivation to soar at astonishing speed, the effects varying by individual but surpassing even the effects of ten days’ worth of elixirs—a superlative boon, especially considering that in today’s cultivation world, managing to take even a single pill in ten or fifteen days was considered fortunate indeed.

Yet, in the always discreet Reversal Palace, the Spirit Infusion Ceremony remained a tightly guarded sect secret. The Lord strictly forbade any disclosure; violators would be hunted by the sect without mercy. This benefit belonged to the entire sect—everyone who excelled had a share. Should word get out and outsiders covet it, the treasure might be seized, and all would suffer. Thus, the members were vigilant and supervised one another, maintaining strict silence. Even without such self-restraint, the defensive measures of Reversal Palace were formidable.

Luo Li glanced at the scepter atop her throne. With a small movement of her lips, the scepter spun into the air, shrank, and flew into her mouth—a magical artifact, evidently!

Dusting the crumbs from her robe, Luo Li tossed out a Kunlun Cloud and drifted gracefully toward the Spirit Infusion Pavilion. The pavilion stood adjacent to the Temple of the Holy Light Goddess, protected by complex arrays. Without a guide, reaching the main hall was nearly impossible.

When Luo Li arrived at the pavilion, the chosen subordinates were already assembled neatly in rows on the plaza, spirits high and faces radiant with joy.

With pride, Luo Li ascended the steps, casting a sweeping gaze over the crowd. Silence fell instantly. Pleased, she announced loudly, “You are the finest warriors of Reversal Palace! You have distinguished yourselves in this month’s trials and won glory for yourselves! As a reward, I shall now open the Spirit Infusion Hall! For first-timers: do not be greedy for spiritual energy. Remember to pause and meditate, allowing your meridians to relax—there will be many more opportunities in the future!”

In unison, the crowd bellowed, “For the glory of Reversal Palace!”

Luo Li waved her hand, sending forth a white beam of light. The gates of the pavilion slowly opened. The crowd followed Luo Li inside: before them stood a cylindrical tower with a flat roof, wrapped by a spiral corridor. The rooms, arranged along this corridor, spiraled upward. Each doorway bore a plaque reading “Spirit Infusion Chamber”—one thousand in all.

Each chamber, save for one, contained a tube extending from the wall, onto which was attached a vest-like apparatus. Wearing this allowed the spirit infusion process to begin.

Everyone knew this device was not to be damaged; any breakage would leave one trapped in the chamber, suspected of malicious intent and subject to severe punishment. Once, a newcomer tried to steal one—upon yanking it from the tube, it self-destructed, leaving him half-crippled and trapped inside until furious sect members beat him to death.

All deemed him a fool: the tube clearly led deeper inside—surely the real secret lay within the tower’s core. What use was it to steal just the vest? You’d have to take the entire tower, which was impossible—the arrays in the courtyard alone ensured no one could escape. Ruining a vest meant one less participant in the infusion; no wonder everyone loathed him, and his fate was deserved. Even if he managed to steal it, would the sect spare a traitor, especially after being granted such a rare benefit? The missing slot might one day have been theirs. If such a person appeared again, they swore to be the first to strike him down! Eyes must be kept sharp—if anyone showed signs of betrayal, they would immediately report them to the Lady!

Once everyone was prepared in their chambers, Luo Li entered the great secret chamber at the heart of the infusion tower. The chamber extended up to the top floor; a machine hung in the center, with a furnace at its base. Luo Li opened the furnace, fed in five hundred spirit stones, and activated the array upon it. As the stones reverted to spiritual energy, it was filtered, then forced by the array through pipes into each chamber’s vest.

These vests were all magical artifacts, crafted from materials developed by Qin Yue. Once activated, they adhered snugly to the cultivator’s body, filled with complex arrays for monitoring meridian strength and location, automatically channeling power to open the major meridians and forcibly infusing them with spiritual energy.

This massive external aid had cost Qin Yue and Luo Yu a year and a half to design and build—longer than the construction of Reversal Palace itself.

Naturally, Qin Yue, Luo Yu, and Luo Li themselves had been the first to use this device. Luo Li’s exceptional spiritual roots allowed her to advance even faster than the other two. One time, as Luo Yu was busy overseeing the tower's construction—commanding the little ghosts on where to leave holes and where to add pipes—he suddenly sensed something amiss: the surrounding spiritual energy was surging restlessly. Looking up, he saw a dark cloud, just like the vortexes he'd seen at Mount Jiuyin, pressing heavily over the valley’s peak. Before he could react, the cloud thickened, crackling with lightning.

Luo Yu immediately abandoned his work, transforming into a golden streak and darting toward the valley, only to find the “kitten” sitting cross-legged at the bottom. She had set up a spirit-gathering array and seemed to be advancing in rank.

Luo Yu grew anxious: this one, advancing without so much as a word! Did she not realize she was inviting lightning tribulation?!

At that moment, Qin Yue and the vampire arrived as well. Luo Yu hurriedly asked, “What do we do? That lightning seems charged with powerful magic! If it hits her, she’ll be gravely injured, if not killed… Can we help?”

Qin Yue replied, “No! Throughout history, cultivators must endure their own tribulations. Interference from others only adds fuel to the fire, drawing disaster. Even if a mighty expert helps, the resulting golden core will be stunted, harming future cultivation.”

Luo Yu was at a loss. “Then what—?”

Qin Yue reassured him, “No need to worry. The kitten only wanted to surprise you and kept it secret… Before this, I gave her the millennium-old wingshell of the Water Element Tortoise to withstand the tribulation.”

Luo Yu felt relieved. “Is the tortoise shell still with her?”

Qin Yue said, “The last person who attempted Core Formation couldn’t even get past the heart demon tribulation—never got to use the shell. Let’s take this chance to observe the lightning tribulation carefully so we’ll be prepared in the future.”

By now, a swirling vortex of invisible energy had formed above Luo Li, pressing down upon her. The clouds thickened, and the tribulation lightning grew ever more formidable. As the vortex moved, a bolt as thick as an arm split the sky, striking straight at Luo Li. She sensed it coming and mustered her power to withstand the blow. Absorbing the infused spiritual energy, her body underwent a metamorphosis—her meridians widened and required vast amounts of energy to condense a golden core. The lightning struck again and again; Luo Li gritted her teeth, enduring the searing agony as her flesh charred black, as though she were being roasted alive.

Luo Yu watched, heart aching, but from his observations, he realized why Luo Li did not use the tortoise shell for protection: any movement would disrupt her energy absorption. Even help from others would scatter the vortex, wasting precious energy vital for the size of her golden core. As long as she could bear it, she chose to endure.

Luo Li, long trained in control, wasted not a drop of power. With her formidable spiritual sense, she tracked the path of each bolt, focusing her defenses on the target area, replenishing energy instantly as it was depleted. Thus, she endured over half an hour of the fiercest strikes, finally weathering the storm to its end.

The vortex above dwindled, clouds thinning, and at last the lightning ceased. The final wisp of energy was drawn into Luo Li’s body, gathering in her dantian, coalescing into liquid, then compressed into solid form… At last, a golden core the size of a thumb was born.

In that instant, a towering red phantom cat—over ten feet tall—appeared above Luo Li, mouth agape in a mighty, “Miaow~~” The sound was not loud, yet it resonated deep in the souls of all who watched, sending a shock through their hearts. Before they could react, a wave of pressure radiated from the cat—undeniably the aura of a supreme being.

Delight surged through the crowd: she had succeeded!

The great cat seemed equally pleased, glancing left and right before reluctantly dissolving back into Luo Li’s body. As it vanished, Luo Li opened her eyes.

The vampire asked curiously, “What was that cat above our darling?”

Qin Yue replied, “It must be the kitten’s soul. After attaining Core Formation, the physical body and soul can change size. The higher the level, the larger they may become.”

Luo Li, having completed her transformation, leapt up and flew to her family on a Kunlun Cloud, throwing herself into the vampire’s arms. “Mommy! I reached Core Formation!”

The vampire gently brushed the scorched shell from her face, murmuring, “My precious, how it pains me to see you like this!”

Luo Li boasted to Luo Yu and Qin Yue, “See? The tribulation wasn’t so frightening! I didn’t even use anything I’d prepared.”

Luo Yu was embarrassed: that’s only because you’re so strong… A weaker person would never have survived.

Qin Yue snorted: “The golden core tribulation is the easiest. Wait until you face the higher ones—you’ll see what true terror is.”

Luo Yu mused, “It really looks like a natural phenomenon. When advancing, you absorb spiritual energy, disturbing the surrounding aura. As the energy gathers, it generates power; as power builds, it causes friction, producing magical water and fire. The temperature differences stir the air, creating clouds, and then lightning. The lightning merges with the magic in the clouds to become tribulation lightning. The advancing cultivator, sitting at the heart of the storm, draws the lightning directly through the energy vortex. The higher the cultivation, the more energy required, the more intense the phenomenon. This was only a minor tribulation—hardly enough to resonate with the natural world. If the scale increases, even greater rainclouds will be drawn in, and the difficulty will exceed what any one person can bear. At that point, wouldn’t it make sense to invent a lightning rod or some such device?”

With that, the thunder tribulation watched by all came to its end.