Students, study on your own. I'm going to transcend a tribulation.

Many of the concepts within the Immortal Alliance today are incomprehensible to ancient cultivators.

For example, "Formulas that require extremely rare or century-old spiritual herbs are worthless."

This statement alone could enrage ninety-nine percent of ancient alchemists. These individuals spent their entire lives "finding formulas, finding precious herbs, and refining pills," or "finding mutated herbs, researching formulas, and refining pills." This statement essentially negated their life's work.

The mindset of modern alchemists is this: "Are you kidding me? How can a pill that takes centuries to produce provide enough samples for research? If it can't be researched, it can't be improved! I'd rather spend my time researching the medicinal properties of common ten-year-old spiritual herbs than fiddling with such unresearchable individual items!"

As for the methods of modern alchemists, they are: "Our goal is to have no... ahem, to achieve the medicinal effect of ten-thousand-year-old heavenly treasures using ten-year-old spirit herbs in the cultivation world!"

And: "Not enough with one pill? No problem, just eat more! The cost is low anyway!"

It is measured that pills refined by modern alchemists using hundred-year-old herbs can already rival ancient pills refined with rare spiritual herbs over three thousand years old, while the cost of the former is less than one-thousandth of the latter.

Another concept that ancient cultivators find hard to accept is "A cultivator who doesn't understand theory and research is not a good cultivator."

All the abilities of modern cultivators are built upon the exploration of the Great Dao. Therefore, how can a cultivator who, like a low-level animal, only knows mechanical training, accumulating experience, relying on instinct, and fighting, be a good cultivator?

It is precisely because of this concept that the courses arranged by the Immortal Academy are primarily theoretical.

Immortal Academy disciples must finish breakfast before 7:30 AM every day. At 7:30 AM, all disciples gather in the training ground and, under the guidance of Foundation Establishment Realm teaching assistants, practice the Basic Fist Technique once and the Basic Sword Technique once.

After that, until lunch, new disciples must study various theories. From their enrollment date until November, the courses arranged by the Immortal Academy are all compulsory. From December to June of the following year, new disciples can arrange their own courses.

There is a two-hour lunch break after lunch. The afternoon courses mainly consist of martial skills, spells, and so on. In the evening, there is another theoretical class. Only after this theoretical class ends do these immortal sect disciples conclude their day's lessons.

For every new disciple, the morning half-day is extremely precious because every word spoken by the lecturer is related to their future prospects.

However, Wang Qi is an exception. He is usually daydreaming during theoretical classes. Immortal Academy only offers introductory courses and rarely delves into deep theories. Wang Qi is most concerned about several data points, including Planck's constant, but the specific values are not covered, which makes Wang Qi quite depressed.

" Photoelectric Precision Guided Flying Sword..." Bored, Wang Qi flips through his textbook: "I'm more curious why Qi Refining stage disciples are taught flying sword theory."

Zhen Chanzi quietly replies in his mind: "Actually, you just haven't learned object manipulation yet. For Qi Refining stage cultivators, injuring others with flying swords is a basic skill."

"If this can be explained... I'm even more curious why Liuyun Sect's theoretical courses are taught by a cultivator from Spirit Beast Mountain."

Wang Qi silently grumbles as he watches the flying sword theory teacher, Xiong Mo, on the podium, spewing saliva.

Lecturer Xiong Mo appears to be in his early thirties and teaches with great passion. From Wang Qi's perspective, Xiong Mo's lectures are quite good.

But the robe on this guy clearly has the Spirit Beast Mountain insignia, a green robe! Why is he openly teaching Liuyun Sect's course?

The specialization is mismatched!

As Wang Qi is thinking, Xiong Mo has moved on to the next common Heavenly Origin Formula. He lightly swipes his hand across the water-light screen that serves as a blackboard, and a formula along with its main applications appears on the screen. Xiong Mo clears his throat, preparing to continue his lecture.

At this moment, his expression changes, and his spiritual power becomes uncontrollable, causing the screen to turn completely white.

All the disciples in the lecture hall are greatly surprised. Xiong Mo, however, beams with joy and says, "Students, please study on your own for a while. I'm going to undergo a tribulation! Before I return, finish questions two, three, five, and nine on page forty-two of your workbook! I'll explain them when I get back!"

This bold declaration shocks everyone, including Wang Qi. After saying this, Xiong Mo immediately rushes out of the classroom, leaving everyone bewildered.

Wang Qi asks Zhen Chanzi blankly: "You said cultivators undergoing tribulation are extremely dangerous, right? But listening to this Uncle-Master Xiong's tone... this sounds exactly like 'I need to pee'!"

Zhen Chanzi is speechless: "Perhaps he's just very confident... I truly can't keep up with the times..."

Three minutes after Xiong Mo rushed out, the weather rapidly turns gloomy. The sky, which was clear moments ago, is now covered by dark clouds that have appeared from nowhere, pressing down on the entire sky. Thunder rumbles incessantly, as if enormous wheels are grinding overhead. Blue and white lightning snakes writhe within the dark clouds, emitting a terrifying aura.

All the new disciples who have cultivated lightning or magnetic field mental techniques, including Wang Qi, feel their Magical Power becoming subtly uncontrollable. In mid-air, a powerful electromagnetic field is continuously gathering strength.

"So that's how it is... The strong magnetic field interferes with the magnetic poles of the magnetic crystals in the water vapor, causing clouds to form in the sky... The thunder tribulation begins to brew from the magnetic field?" Wang Qi originally wanted to research the principles of thunder tribulation, but the Tian Ge Xing magnetic field, on the verge of losing control, doesn't give him the chance. Wang Qi can only sit down and silently circulate his mental technique to regulate his breathing.

On the training ground, Xiong Mo looks at the dark clouds in the sky with indifference. He affectionately pats the back of another Primordial Spirit stage cultivator standing beside him – perhaps a bit too hard, almost causing his chest to resonate – and says, "Yun Xiang, it's all up to you this time!"

The Primordial Spirit stage cultivator named Yun Xiang almost spits out a mouthful of blood: "Brother Xiong... go easy, if you pat me to death, no one will help you through the tribulation!"

Xiong Mo rubs his hands: "No problem, no problem. By the way, how's your Lightning Imprisonment Spell coming along? If you can't take it, do you want me to transform?"

Daoist Yun Xiang shrinks his shoulders, looking like he wants to vomit: "Please don't! It will lower my mental health value!"

Xiong Mo says proudly: "A good move is one that devastates the enemy mentally as well! It's coming soon."

"Yes, yes," Daoist Yun Xiang says helplessly. "Fly off the ground. It's safer."

Xiong Mo complies and, along with Yun Xiang, hovers three zhang above the ground. Yun Xiang waves his sleeves, and several strands of "primordial magnetic energy" from the Tian Ge Xing fly from his hands. This Magical Power condenses in the air and does not disperse, being restrained by Daoist Yun Xiang's incantations around them. Once the surrounding primordial magnetic energy is sufficiently dense, Yun Xiang brings his hands together in a circle, using his internal primordial magnetic energy to drive the Magical Power he just released. The primordial magnetic energy around them churns continuously, eventually forming a perfect sphere.

Sweat beads on Yun Xiang's forehead: "Alright, the Void Refining thunder tribulation can't get in. After the thunder tribulation dissipates, and the interference from the heavens and earth on you is gone, you will be a true Void Refining Grandmaster. Congratulations, congratulations."

Modern cultivators face their first thunder tribulation when advancing from Golden Core to Primordial Spirit stage, and another when advancing from Primordial Spirit stage to Void Refining stage. Void Refining stage is the second hurdle in the third stage of modern cultivation, the "Grandmaster" stage. If Primordial Spirit stage cultivators are powerhouses who suppress one region, then Void Refining stage cultivators are the backbone of the Immortal Alliance.

As they are speaking, a bolt of tribulation lightning strikes down. However, when the lightning touches the sphere constructed of primordial magnetic energy, it is blocked. Blue arcs of electricity crawl across the surface of the sphere, roaring but unable to harm the two cultivators within!

If Wang Qi were present again, he would absolutely recognize the true nature of this shield – a Faraday cage, a structure used to shield electromagnetic waves!

Xiong Mo laughs wildly: "Ahahaha! How can this thunder tribulation harm me?"

Yun Xiang covers his face: "As if you're the one enduring it."

Xiong Mo pats Yun Xiang's shoulder affectionately again: "That's not the point! Ahahaha..."

"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die! My bones are breaking, breaking!"

Yun Xiang's screams are drowned out by the intensifying thunder.

While Xiong Mo was undergoing his tribulation, on the summit of Xin Mountain, in the rear hall of the Immortal Alliance headquarters.

A layer of haze enveloped the rear hall. Chen Jingyun, the Crown of Ten Thousand Laws, sat in front of the main entrance of the rear hall. Sensing the aura of a thunder tribulation, he looked towards the mountainside, and a rare hint of a smile appeared on his usually expressionless face: "Someone is advancing to Void Refining again."

A violent coughing fit echoed from the main hall. Chen Jingyun immediately stood up and quickly walked to the entrance of the rear hall. At that moment, a beautiful middle-aged woman pushed the door open. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled, "Chen the Sect Leader, you can come in now. Palace Master Deng is out of danger."

This woman was Laser Lady Ma Juli.

Chen Jingyun's face lit up with joy. He pushed the door open and entered the rear hall. The rear hall was opened up, with a bed placed in the center. Sky Sword Palace Palace Master, Sword鸣苍穹 Deng Jiaxuan, lay on the bed, his face as pale as gold paper.

Chen Jingyun breathed a sigh of relief, "Brother Jiaxuan, how are you feeling?"

Deng Jiaxuan smiled and nodded with difficulty towards Ma Juli, "I'm alright. Thank you, Madam Jiali, for saving me."

Ma Juli shook her head, "It is my duty."

More than half a month ago, Ma Juli had brought the severely injured and dying Deng Jiaxuan back to Xinyue and asked Chen Jingyun to guard him. Since then, she had been staying in the rear hall, healing Deng Jiaxuan.

Chen Jingyun asked doubtfully, "You all went together. Even if Unforgiving Taoist is strong, he shouldn't have injured you this badly, right?"

Deng Jiaxuan shook his head, "It has nothing to do with Unforgiving Taoist... cough cough, it's just that I was useless. I collapsed before I could even see the enemy."

"Didn't you say you only had to wait seven days in the South Sea?"

Deng Jiaxuan wanted to say more, but Ma Juli stopped him and answered on his behalf, "Bai Ze Divine Lord's Bai Ze Calculation was not yet complete, and he missed one thing. Misty Palace's Unforgiving Taoist is hot-tempered and unforgiving of betrayal. When he was blocking Unforgiving Taoist, he actually used True Fire. Bai Ze Divine Lord's plan was only to stall Unforgiving Taoist for a moment, but Unforgiving Taoist chased Unforgiving Taoist for ten thousand miles, disrupting the plan, and the result..." At this point, Ma Juli shook her head and gave a bitter smile, "The two brothers fought until they were exhausted in the Northern Darkness Sea and both fell into the water. Palace Master Deng's old injuries relapsed as he rushed from the South Sea to the Northern Darkness Sea."

"Where are they now?"

"Unforgiving Taoist has been found with the Immortal Alliance's communication artifact, but Unforgiving Taoist is still missing."

The three continued to discuss the issue of Unforgiving Taoist for a while. Then, Ma Juli got up to leave. Deng Jiaxuan asked Chen Jingyun, "How is Immortal Academy?"

"The same as usual. Teaching and nurturing people is not my forte, so I haven't interfered much."

Deng Jiaxuan nodded and smiled, "That's for the best... I still need to go into secret seclusion to recuperate. I'll have to trouble you to manage things for me again."

"Also, someone outside just went through a tribulation, a Void Refining lightning tribulation, in the direction of Immortal Academy."

"That kid from Spirit Beast Mountain, cough cough," Deng Jiaxuan said, "I felt it too."

Chen Jingyun's expression was a little hesitant, "I don't know if I should mention this last thing. It's about that new disciple named Wang Qi..."

Just then, Laser Lady Ma Juli ran back to the main hall in a disheveled state, "Chen the Sect Leader, something's wrong!"

Deng Jiaxuan instinctively reached for Heavenly Sword, but the movement aggravated his injuries, causing him to erupt in a fit of coughing, " cough cough, what is it?"

Ma Juli pointed outside, "Look."

Deng Jiaxuan followed her gaze and looked outside the rear hall. A thick fog shrouded the area, with several golden bridges faintly visible within the mist.

"Isn't this Myriad Dharma Sect's 'Primordial Qi Formation'?"

Chen Jingyun nodded, "I set it up."

The Primordial Qi Formation distorts space-time within the fog. To break it, one must traverse several Primordial Golden Bridges without repeating any. The foundation of this formation is called "One Stroke Drawing," also known as "One Stroke Painting," a derivative of topology.

Ma Juli asked cautiously, "Do you remember how many formation flags you used?"

"Seven. That's the most stable."

Ma Juli looked utterly defeated, "Seven bridges, isn't that proof that it's unsolvable?"

"The enemy can't get in."

"But have you considered how we are supposed to get out!"

Chen Jingyun's face showed a look of stunned disbelief.