After a series of events, life finally returned to peace.
For Ling Xuanxiao, a happy, ordinary, and fulfilling life of cultivation was already enough.
Three months later, Ling Xuanxiao decided to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
He had already suppressed his realm twice before.
Once, twice, but never a third time.
At first, it was because Di Nüfeng's and Liu Qiushui's two poison pills had entered his stomach.
Then, he had eaten many greatly nourishing things at Di Nüfeng's place.
Now, he had also taken the Heaven-Mending Pill Fanyue had carefully prepared for Lin Wanqing.
After being nourished so thoroughly, Ling Xuanxiao would have had no choice but to break through even if he did not want to.
Naturally, he could not break through within the sect. He had long since found himself a safe place to undergo tribulation.
Before leaving, he gave his junior sister another round of instructions.
"Senior Brother, are you finally going to become a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator?"
In Zhao Lu's and the other disciples' eyes, Ling Xuanxiao had always been at the great completion of the Qi Refining Stage.
"Senior Brother, I can stand guard for you!"
Ling Xuanxiao refused without hesitation. "Your task now is to cultivate properly and strive to become a seventh-level Qi Refining cultivator this year. During my closed-door cultivation, do not cause trouble, do not leave Shu Mountain, and most importantly, do not casually bring strangers back to Shu Mountain—especially men..."
"Got it, Senior Brother." Zhao Lu blinked.
Senior Brother is afraid some other man will steal me away~
After instructing his junior sister, Ling Xuanxiao went to see Second Senior Brother.
Silver Sword Peak still had no Peak Master.
Eldest Senior Brother had left the sect and run away, and his whereabouts remained unknown.
Thus, Second Senior Brother was temporarily managing Silver Sword Peak.
"Pain!!"
"It hurts too much!!"
"Hahaha!"
"Let me tell you a joke: I once believed in love."
Second Senior Brother was drinking himself into a stupor alone in his room.
Seeing him like this, Ling Xuanxiao silently backed out. He told Junior Sister Zhao Lu to inform Second Senior Brother when she had time that he had gone down the mountain to undergo tribulation.
Second Senior Brother had broken up again.
This had already become normal. He would be fine after a while.
In Ling Xuanxiao's eyes, Second Senior Brother was the least dangerous.
Because his love came quickly and went just as quickly.
New loves and old flames always coexisted.
It was said that no matter where he went, there would definitely be one of his ex-girlfriends within fifty miles.
Yet he still always claimed to be devoted to pure love.
"..."
"Return, wandering soul! Return, wandering soul!!"
Heavenly Fiend Hall.
Di Nüfeng was once again calling out to Fanyue.
Beneath the nine heavens, she recited his true name.
Di Nüfeng had already sensed that Fanyue was dead, but she did not know how he had died.
Could Fanyue have a fourth reincarnation?
This worried Di Nüfeng greatly. She needed to destroy him quickly, lest this venerable one spend every day trembling with fear.
"Come back quickly, my lord. I will continue to follow you..."
It was as if Di Nüfeng were speaking devoutly with Fanyue across the endless River of Time.
Fanyue said nothing and merely fled with all his might.
Put down that soul-destroying artifact in your hand first, then talk.
Fanyue cut off his connection with Di Nüfeng.
Di Nüfeng let out a soft sigh. "Honestly, the remnants of the old era are still so stubborn and incorrigible..."
"..."
Fanyue reassembled his soul.
Like a lone ghost and wandering spirit, he drifted through the world.
His true soul no longer allowed him to reincarnate again.
The loss of all his memories during the third time was the best proof.
By the fourth time, he could only reappear in this world in the form of a soul.
All his cultivation had been exhausted.
Damn it! Who exactly plotted against me?
Fanyue could not understand who had been plotting against him.
His third reincarnation had clearly been on the verge of success.
Yet at the final moment, someone had plotted against him.
But when he thought back on it, Fanyue simply could not figure out who had struck such a vicious blow against him from the shadows.
A soul could not remain in this world for long. The Great Dao was rejecting him.
He had to find a usable body, but where was he supposed to find one now?
"..."
Ling Xuanxiao left Shu Mountain and fled all the way onward.
He did not head straight for his tribulation site. Instead, he deliberately took several detours, making sure no one was following behind him.
Only then did Ling Xuanxiao plunge headfirst into the mountains and head straight for the tribulation site he had arranged beforehand.
Within the enormous underground cavern, the first level looked like an ordinary cave dwelling.
Spirit pills and wondrous medicinal herbs were placed all around.
Of course, if anyone wanted to touch those things, they would be in for terrible misfortune.
Because mechanisms were hidden behind every one of them. For instance, that pill which looked like a Vitality-Cultivating Pill would explode at the slightest touch, releasing thick poisonous mist.
And that spirit stone, for example, was actually connected to Mohist Mechanical Arts behind it.
With the slightest movement, it would fire poisoned needles...
Ling Xuanxiao arrived at the second level of the underground cavern.
A person identical to Ling Xuanxiao sat there.
This was transformed from a Paper Figure Ling Xuanxiao had made.
The material used for the Paper Figure was treasured ink cultivated by a great Confucian Dao master, carrying laws of its own.
There was only one such sheet, but Ling Xuanxiao possessed many similar treasures.
Some had been acquired while traveling with the old man back then, while others had been collected by him himself over the years.
The third level.
This was Ling Xuanxiao's true tribulation site.
There were also formations above it.
First was a formation that prevented others from spying on his aura.
Then came a grand formation specifically meant to exterminate the souls of others.
This was to prevent someone from taking the opportunity to perform Soul Possession while he was at his weakest during the tribulation.
And then...
Finally...
The Golden Core Stage.
The spiritual energy within the body condensed into a Golden Core, and the quality of that Golden Core concerned a cultivator's future potential.
If something went wrong with the Golden Core, at best one would be severely injured, fall in realm, and never again be able to advance in cultivation. At worst, one would lose all cultivation and have one's life endangered.
Golden Cores were also divided into grades, from fifth-grade to first-grade.
Among them, forming a first-grade Golden Core was the best.
Forming a first-grade Golden Core required more materials and was far more difficult.
Originally, Ling Xuanxiao had only planned to form a second-grade Golden Core.
He had saved up materials for a long time.
But after obtaining the treasures Fanyue had left behind, Ling Xuanxiao changed his mind.
A first-grade Golden Core was not something he could not attempt.
The following is a little tribulation-transcendence lesson. Everyone, please take notes.
Friends who have undergone tribulation all know this.
The timing of undergoing tribulation was very important. It could not be your birthday, nor could it be either of your parents' birthdays.
Avoid the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, and especially avoid the birthdays of all the great immortals and sages.
After avoiding all those dates, cast a divination.
Rest, Injury, Life, Death, Shock, Scenery, Obstruction—the direction of the Life Gate marked what hour you should undergo tribulation.
The power of lightning in a heavenly tribulation could not be underestimated.
Yet even more troublesome was the Inner Demon.
Under the Inner Demon's interference, cultivators would fall into their deepest fears and vulnerabilities.
Quite a few cultivators of profound cultivation had their Inner Demons interfere while undergoing tribulation.
They saw scenes of their past failures continually emerge, leaving their minds unsettled during the tribulation and ultimately causing them to fail.
One's state of mind was of utmost importance. Only with calm emotions could one remain composed amid crashing thunder and rampaging Inner Demons.
"..."
Thunderclouds gathered.
Ling Xuanxiao raised his head with determination.
Before you continue