Tribulation Crossing Realm

Bai Ye shook his head, feigning helplessness. "The attacker was ruthless and left no mark behind. Still, I killed two of those who ambushed me, so the score is settled."

The Second Elder and the Head of the Bai Family saw he was unwilling to elaborate and did not press further.

The Second Elder took a porcelain bottle from his Storage Bag and handed it to Bai Ye. "These are three Primordial Core Realm-Breaking Pills. They'll help stabilize your cultivation. Escaping from a Profound Comprehension Realm cultivator and breaking through to Primordial Core Fourth Layer is no small feat."

The Head of the Bai Family also passed over a Storage Bag. "Inside are a thousand High-grade Spirit Stones. Use them for your cultivation."

The two men offered a few more words of encouragement, then the Second Elder shifted the topic. "By the way, there's something you should know. In two years, the Wasteland Domain Grand Competition will be held at the Wasteland Heaven Divine Sect. You're still young, and your cultivation has reached the Primordial Core Realm. You can attend and broaden your horizons."

Bai Ye's heart stirred.

He knew of the Wasteland Domain Grand Competition.

Held once every twenty years, it was open only to cultivators under thirty and hosted by the Wasteland Heaven Divine Sect, the foremost power in the Wasteland Domain.

The top ten from past competitions not only received Top-grade Spirit Stones and high-level techniques but even had the chance to catch the sect's eye and become Core Disciples!

For the young cultivators of Azure State, this was a tremendous opportunity.

"Disciple understands. Thank you, Second Elder, for the news."

Bai Ye bowed respectfully, then took his leave.

Returning to his own courtyard, Bai Ye summoned his attendant Qing He, who had been waiting there long.

Qing He had guarded the courtyard all these years. Seeing Bai Ye back, he was overcome with excitement. "Young Master, you've finally returned! In these three years, many things have happened in Azure State..."

Qing He recounted them one by one:

The Blood Spirit Sect and the Black Mountain Sect had clashed over a mine, leaving both sides battered.

The Skywind Dynasty had subjugated three small sects nearby, growing ever stronger.

And several reclusive Nascent Soul cultivators had emerged, shaking up the balance of Azure State...

"The Blood Spirit Sect and the Black Mountain Sect went to war?" Bai Ye chuckled lightly, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "That's good news."

He dismissed Qing He, took out the God Transformation Tower again, and stepped inside.

The Wasteland Domain Grand Competition was, to him, merely a contest among young cultivators. Now that he was at Peak Nascent Soul, he had long lost interest.

His goal was to break through to a higher realm!

Time flew like a white horse passing a crack—before he knew it, ten years had passed.

Deep within the Depths of Ten Thousand Mountains.

At the top floor of the God Transformation Tower, Bai Ye sat cross-legged, dense thunder energy swirling around him.

He took a high-grade spiritual herb, the Tribulation Lightning Flower, from his storage ring. After refining it, a surge of power containing the laws of lightning flooded into his body, assaulting the final barrier of the Nascent Soul Realm!

Boom—!

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and a violet thunderbolt crashed down, striking the God Transformation Tower's protective barrier.

This was the first lightning tribulation of the Tribulation Crossing Realm!

Bai Ye immediately activated the Star Creation Art, drawing the tribulation lightning's power to temper his flesh and Nascent Soul.

The tribulation lightning's force was fierce and overbearing, but under the blessing of the Innate Chaos Dao Body, it transformed into nourishment for his cultivation.

He then easily weathered the first lightning tribulation.

He had successfully broken through to the Tribulation Crossing Realm First Layer!

Having reached the Tribulation Crossing Realm, his power had ascended to a new level. Part of the Spiritual Energy within him gradually transformed into Divine Realm Power.

This was the wonder of the Tribulation Crossing Realm, also known as the Half-Divine Realm. Each tribulation he crossed brought him one step closer to the Divine Realm!

Bai Ye's eyes snapped open. The Nine-Colored Nascent Soul within him burst with dazzling light, and the All Character Secret activated instantly, pushing his combat power to its peak!

He raised a fist and struck at the lingering aftershocks of the tribulation lightning!

Boom—!

The tribulation's remnants scattered, and golden law power merged into his body.

In that moment, his aura surged violently, and a faint pressure of the Tribulation Crossing Realm radiated from him.

"Tribulation Crossing Realm!" Bai Ye felt the newly mastered Divine Realm Power within him and couldn't help but marvel. "So this is Divine Realm Power. Compared to it, Spiritual Energy is like mud compared to clouds!"

Just then, an ethereal, distant voice sounded without warning deep within his Sea of Consciousness:

"Detected host has successfully advanced to the Tribulation Crossing Realm, meeting the conditions for secondary system activation..."

"The Myriad Heavens Cultivation Assistance System is reactivating... Activation successful!"

"Now conducting a second talent draw for the host... Draw complete!"

"Congratulations, host! You have obtained a new ability—Random Sign-In!"

Bai Ye froze for a moment, then a look of ecstasy exploded across his face!

He had always thought the system only had the single function of Ten Thousand Times Comprehension. He never expected that advancing to the Tribulation Crossing Realm would unlock a new ability!

He quickly checked the description of the new ability:

Sign in once per day at any location. Upon signing in, receive random rewards (spirit stones, pills, techniques, martial skills, etc.).

Extra sign-ins are possible at special locations or times.

Each sign-in has a chance to trigger a "Super Reward"!

"Random Sign-In..." Bai Ye's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Perfect!"

Without hesitation, he immediately chose to perform his first sign-in. "System, sign in!"

Ding! Congratulations, host, on completing your first sign-in and triggering a Super Reward!

Congratulations, host, on receiving the reward—Chaos Sword Canon!

A vast torrent of information surged into Bai Ye's Sea of Consciousness. Within it, the phantom of an ancient black tome slowly unfurled.

The cover bore no words, yet it radiated a supreme pressure that surpassed the Saint Rank. The runes on its pages swirled like the birth of chaos, embodying the ultimate principles of heaven and earth.

"Chaos Sword Canon?!"

He examined it closely, his heart shaken to its core.

This was a Divine Rank technique, surpassing the Saint Rank!

It was on an entirely different level from the Star Creation Art left behind by the Profound Sword Master, capable of directly supporting a cultivator's training all the way to the peak of the Divine Realm!

What thrilled him even more was that through the Chaos Sword Canon, he finally learned the realm divisions beyond the Divine Realm: True God, Heavenly God, Divine Venerable, Divine King, Divine Emperor!

Each realm brought earth-shattering transformations, and the Divine Emperor Realm could command an entire universe, with endless lifespan!

"With the Chaos Sword Canon, I don't need to switch techniques. I can cultivate straight through to the Divine Emperor Realm!"

Bai Ye clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fervent light. "The Upper Realm... my path is still long!"

Half a year later.

Inside the Ancestral Hall of the Azure Cloud Sect, sandalwood incense curled upward, its drifting smoke condensing into fine beams of light in the morning glow.

Flanking the hall on both sides stood twelve dragon-entwined stone pillars. Ancient runes carved into their surfaces glowed with faint spiritual light, bearing the accumulated weight of millennia of sect heritage.

Sect Leader Li Qingyun sat upright in the main seat, his dark Daoist robe embroidered with the Azure Cloud Sect emblem, his expression as heavy as frost.

On either side sat the elders of each peak, some stroking their beards in thought, others frowning deeply. Even their breathing was lighter than usual.

For the Sect Leader to summon all the elders for discussion could only mean a matter of life and death for the sect.

Bai Ye was also present.

He now displayed a cultivation of the Profound Comprehension early stage to the outside world. With this "strength" and his previous "performance" in the Azure Spirit Secret Realm, he had smoothly become a newly appointed Inner Sect Elder of the Azure Cloud Sect, granted his own dedicated peak.

Now dressed in a cyan elder's robe, he sat at the very end of the row, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cuff of his sleeve. He appeared calm, but had long since silently swept the entire hall with his Spiritual Sense.

With his current strength, none of the elders present could detect it.

In the hall, aside from the Sect Leader at Profound Comprehension peak, the other elders were mostly at Profound Comprehension mid or early stage. The strongest, the Grand Elder and Second Elder, were only at Profound Comprehension Ninth Layer—a difference like clouds and mud compared to his current Tribulation Crossing Realm cultivation.

"Everyone, I have gathered you today to inform you of something."

Li Qingyun's voice broke the silence of the hall, carrying an undeniable weight. "The Wasteland Heaven Divine Sect has just sent a secret message. The Abyssal Invasion, which has plagued the Heavenly Profound Continent for hundreds of thousands of years, is about to begin once more."