Defeat

Boom! Boom! Boom...

Bolts of heavenly lightning struck the sect-protecting formation one after another. The thunderous roars filled every disciple in the sect with dread. Before the rolling storm clouds, even the Xuanling Sect seemed small.

Chang Tianyou stared grimly at the heavenly might. Turning to an elder beside him, he asked, "Which disciple of our sect is undergoing tribulation?"

To a sect, a Golden Core Realm expert was like a weapon of mass destruction. Adding another Golden Core Realm expert would raise the Xuanling Sect's status even further.

"I don't know. I can't sense anything at all, but I've already instructed the disciples to investigate," the elder said, shaking his head.

The Xuanling Sect controlled numerous mountains. If someone wished to hide, they would be difficult to find unless they investigated according to the direction of spiritual qi flow.

Yet Qin Jun was currently receiving a technique inheritance. The Qi Refining Art had been suppressed and was no longer automatically absorbing spiritual qi. Moreover, the Heavenly Tribulation was blocked by the sect-protecting formation. No one would connect such a tribulation to a mere fifth-level Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator like Qin Jun.

"It's either Senior Sister Zhong or Senior Brother Zhuo. Wonderful! Our Xuanling Sect is about to gain another Golden Core Realm expert!" Chang Qianqian clapped and laughed.

Chang Hao, standing nearby, gazed at the rolling thunderclouds in the night sky, a trace of envy appearing in his eyes. Though his talent was exceptional, he was still lacking compared to Senior Sister Zhong and Zhuo Junjie. Chang Tianyou expected him to break through to the Golden Core Realm before the age of fifty, which placed enormous pressure on him.

At the same time, before a wooden cottage halfway up another mountain, a man in black stood in a garden and looked up at the Heavenly Tribulation. His features were cold and stern, and the faint stubble around his mouth only made him seem more masculine. He was the Xuanling Sect's number one genius, Zhuo Junjie.

He was already thirty-four this year and had reached the great completion of the Foundation Establishment Realm, yet he had always remained a single step away from the threshold of the Golden Core Realm.

"Zhong Ling, I didn't expect I would still lose to you." A bitter smile appeared at Zhuo Junjie's lips.

Elsewhere, beside a small river, a woman in white sat cross-legged atop a huge boulder. Moonlight fell upon her face, and that delicate visage was filled with shock and disappointment.

She was Zhong Ling, the foremost genius among the Xuanling Sect's female disciples.

Her age and strength were close to Zhuo Junjie's, and the two regarded each other as rivals. More than twenty years had passed since they entered the Xuanling Sect. Their peers had long since been left far behind, while the two of them alone continued stubbornly competing against one another.

"Zhuo Junjie, you really defeated me this time..." Zhong Ling murmured bitterly.

Both geniuses believed the other had broken through to the Golden Core Realm and triggered the Heavenly Tribulation. They were not alone; the other disciples thought the same.

Meanwhile, the true culprit, Qin Jun, remained immersed in the Skill Inheritance of the "Purple Rainbow Lightning Method."

"Heh, no wonder Young Master came to the Xuanling Sect." The Howling Celestial Dog clicked his tongue in amazement as he watched the Heavenly Tribulation.

The spirit stones consumed by the Xuanling Sect to activate its sect-protecting formation must have been immense. If Chang Tianyou learned the truth, he would surely want to kill Qin Jun.

What were spirit stones?

Spirit stones were condensed from Spiritual Qi. Among cultivators, they were equivalent to universal currency. They could not only be used for cultivation, but also to power formations.

The Heavenly Tribulation was immensely powerful. The number of spirit stones required to block it was impossible to estimate, but for the birth of a Golden Core Realm expert, Chang Tianyou felt it was worth it!

"I wonder whether the Xuanling Sect will cause trouble for Young Master?" Daji asked with a charming smile. Since meeting Qin Jun, she had witnessed his progress firsthand. It could only be described as astonishing. Now that he had comprehended divine abilities, such a lord would surely stir up great storms between heaven and earth in the future.

The Howling Celestial Dog lay on the ground and snorted disdainfully. "The strongest person in this little sect is only in the Mortal Transformation Realm, and there's only one such person. If they dare act recklessly, I'll wipe out their entire sect!"

As a demon king, the Howling Celestial Dog was gentle only toward Qin Jun.

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Jun's consciousness slowly awakened.

When he opened his eyes, faint arcs of lightning seemed to coil within them. He let out a long breath, his face full of satisfaction.

The "Purple Rainbow Lightning Method" truly deserved to be a Heaven Grade High Rank technique. Among elemental techniques, lightning-element techniques possessed the greatest destructive power. Its cultivation method was divided into six layers, each of which came with a spell.

The spell belonging to the first layer was Palm Thunder. As its name suggested, lightning could be condensed in one's palm and struck against an enemy, dealing tremendous damage.

With every breakthrough in the cultivation method, the speed at which he absorbed qi would double. The first layer alone was twenty times faster than the Qi Refining Art!

"System, show me my current attributes!"

Suppressing his delight, Qin Jun spoke inwardly. The moment he finished, a translucent status panel appeared before him:

"Host: Qin Jun!"

"Race: Human!"

"Level: Fifth Level Foundation Establishment Realm (4210/5000 Experience Points)!"

"Bloodline: None!"

"Divine Ability: Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Transformations!"

"Cultivation Techniques: Purple Rainbow Lightning Method (Heaven Grade High Rank)! Qi Refining Art (Mortal Grade Middle Rank)!"

"Summoned Gods and Demons: Daji! Howling Celestial Dog!"

He was already close to leveling up again. Especially when he saw the divine ability entry, he could not help but grin.

Having learned the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Transformations, he was already equivalent to a half-baked immortal. Riding clouds, soaring through mist, turning stone into gold, enlarging and shrinking his body—none of those posed a problem. He could even defy fate and alter his lifespan, though it was only like Zhuge Liang extending his life by lighting lamps. The chance of success was not high, making it rather useless.

The Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits Transformations contained countless divine abilities. Ordinary people would struggle to learn even half of them in a lifetime, but with the Mythological System, Qin Jun had directly mastered them all. Still, using them was difficult. Not only would he be exhausted after using at most two divine abilities in a short period, but many great divine abilities could not be used because his realm was too low and his spiritual power insufficient.

Even so, he was already very satisfied.

When he thought of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Transformations, his heart grew even more fervent.

The Seventy-Two Transformations did not mean one could transform into only seventy-two forms; it meant transformations of endless variety. In Journey to the West, Brother Monkey's Seventy-Two Transformations left people with the impression of being merely an Art of Transformation, but most readers overlooked the fact that whenever Brother Monkey used it, demons could not notice anything unusual at all. That was what made it incredible!

He did not believe the demons and immortals were fools. Brother Monkey's Seventy-Two Transformations probably changed not only his appearance, but even his aura!

However, the Seventy-Two Transformations were still far too distant for him. Whether he could draw them in the future was anyone's guess.

With that thought, Qin Jun did not rise. Instead, he continued sitting cross-legged and cultivated according to the Purple Rainbow Lightning Method, absorbing qi. Thanks to the Skill Inheritance, he had directly learned the first layer of the cultivation method, while the remaining five layers were also firmly engraved in his mind. Breaking through was merely a matter of time.

After continuing to guard outside in the courtyard for another half hour, Daji and the Howling Celestial Dog each returned to their rooms to rest. Many people were destined to toss and turn sleeplessly that night.

After the Heavenly Tribulation dissipated, Chang Tianyou excitedly ordered the elders to summon Zhuo Junjie and Zhong Ling to the council hall.

No matter which of them had broken through to the Golden Core Realm, it would be a tremendous help to the Xuanling Sect!

Zhuo Junjie and Zhong Ling soon arrived in the great hall. Chang Qianqian eagerly hurried over and asked, "Senior Brother, Senior Sister, which one of you broke through to the Golden Core Realm?"

Chang Hao looked at them with a dejected expression, while Chang Tianyou's face was filled with excitement. The other stewards and elders also watched Zhuo Junjie and Zhong Ling expectantly.

Twenty hours on a long-distance bus... I'm dying, QAQ