Crossing the Tribulation (Revised)

On a mountaintop in the Magic Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Yao took a deep breath as the power within him began to surge.

He mobilized his Dou Qi to cover his arms and quietly awaited the descent of the Tribulation Lightning.

At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, as though some immense power were gathering. A bolt of lightning as thick as a barrel descended from the clouds toward Xiao Yao.

Seeing this, Xiao Yao gathered all the Dou Qi in his body into his fist, barely managing to withstand that devastating force. The lingering heat of the lightning still remained on his right hand.

After that bolt of Tribulation Lightning ended, some lightning energy still lingered in the space before him. Absorbing the pure energy left behind by the tribulation, his cultivation became even more stable.

Xiao Yao looked up at the sky and saw that two even more terrifying bolts of Tribulation Lightning remained.

Feeling that only a scant amount of Dou Qi remained within him, Xiao Yao said despairingly, "Am I really unable to get through this? No, there must be a way to survive it."

Xiao Yao hurriedly called out to the system. "System, do I really have to undergo the tribulation myself? I definitely can't survive the remaining bolts. Hurry up and help me figure out how to get through the last two! You don't want to lose such an adorable host so soon, do you?"

"Host, you do not necessarily need to undergo the tribulation yourself. As long as the Tribulation Lightning passes, you will receive the subsequent gift of heaven and earth energy. Search through the rewards I gave you earlier. There is something among them that can help you overcome your current crisis."

Xiao Yao hurriedly searched through the System Space for a treasure that could help him through this predicament. Amid a pile of miscellaneous items, he suddenly found a pitch-black puppet lying silently there, as though it were waiting for something.

Xiao Yao's heart stirred. He suddenly recalled the special ability of this Heaven-Grade Puppet—it could absorb lightning to evolve.

Just as the Tribulation Lightning was about to strike him, he swiftly took out the puppet and activated its power.

The puppet instantly became lifelike. It floated above Xiao Yao's head, ready to receive the descending lightning.

A short while later, the second fierce bolt of lightning struck the puppet with devastating force.

A layer of black light flashed across the puppet's surface, completely absorbing the bolt of lightning.

The puppet's body trembled slightly under the impact of the lightning, but its aura directly rose from One-Star Dou Emperor to Six-Star Dou Emperor.

Xiao Yao could not help but feel astonished at the sight.

He had not expected the puppet's ability to be so powerful that it could so easily absorb the terrifying power of the second Tribulation Lightning.

Seeing this, Xiao Yao immediately felt much of the pressure on him ease.

Was this puppet really this awesome?

He looked at the final bolt of Tribulation Lightning remaining in the sky and softly said to the puppet, "I'll leave it to you."

As the lightning dissipated, the third and even stronger bolt of Tribulation Lightning descended toward Xiao Yao.

Upon hearing Xiao Yao's words, the puppet's bones trembled faintly. It charged forward and collided with the final terrifying bolt of lightning, its devastating power completely absorbed by the black puppet.

After absorbing that terrifying Tribulation Lightning, a powerful aura suddenly erupted from the pitch-black puppet, as though it could tear apart heaven and earth.

After finishing the absorption, the puppet radiated a startling white light, and its cultivation directly rose from Six-Star Dou Emperor to One-Star Dou Zong.

Xiao Yao watched the puppet stand suspended in the sky, a trace of delight flashing through his eyes. His luck this time was truly incredible; he had actually allowed this puppet to gain such tremendous benefits.

Seeing that this Heaven-Grade Puppet had reached the level of a One-Star Dou Zong, Xiao Yao cheered inwardly, With a Dou Zong-level puppet, doesn't that mean I can swagger around the Jia Ma Empire? Whoever I don't like, I'll just have this puppet teach them a lesson.

The terrifying lightning contained within the dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the surroundings slowly returned to calm.

At that moment, a surge of pure Dou Qi energy from heaven and earth suddenly descended upon Xiao Yao.

This pure Dou Qi energy nourished every part of his body like a mountain stream. It penetrated Xiao Yao's skin and seeped into his marrow, as though it intended to reshape his body.

Xiao Yao felt his strength rapidly increasing under the nourishment of this energy, while his consciousness became clearer and sharper.

As time passed, Xiao Yao discovered that his body had completely absorbed this gift of heaven and earth energy.

By then, he was exhausted in both body and mind. He lay on the ground, feeling the power and aura within himself.

He discovered that his Dou Qi cultivation had broken through another star, reaching the realm of a Four-Star Dou Wang.

Just as Xiao Yao was feeling his own powerful strength, a crisp voice rang out in his mind.

"Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully breaking through to Dou Wang. Reward: the Heaven-tier Dou Technique, Great Void Technique. Congratulations to the host for successfully reaching Minor Completion of the Human Physique and obtaining the 'Exceptional Physique' achievement. Reward: Secret of the Battle Character.

Congratulations to the host for obtaining the 'Minor Accomplishment' achievement. Reward: a random Heavenly Flame gift pack, stored in the System Space.

Successfully completed long-term mission one: reach Dou Wang before the age of fifteen. Reward: one 100% Heavenly Flame Fusion Card.

Successfully completed mission two: reach Minor Completion of the Human Physique before the age of seventeen. Reward: Secret of the Formation Character.

The rewards have been distributed to the System Space."

After hearing the system's voice, Xiao Yao softly called out in his mind, "System, open the Heavenly Flame gift pack. I hope it's a Heavenly Flame ranked near the top of the Heavenly Flame Ranking."

"Ding, drawing... Successfully obtained the ninth-ranked Heavenly Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, Three Thousand Burning Flame. It has been stored in the System Space."

"It's actually the Heavenly Flame known as the Undying Flame. My luck is truly amazing. System, I love you to death."

Xiao Yao looked at the lifelike puppet before him, a faint smile appearing on his face. He softly said, "Thank you so much for what happened just now. Without you, I truly wouldn't have made it through that tribulation. By the way, do you have a name?"

The puppet trembled slightly, a low voice issuing from its mouth. "No... I only know that you are my master. I only obey orders!"

Seeing how humanlike the puppet was, Xiao Yao smiled and said, "For convenience in addressing you from now on, I'll name you Heavenly Thunder Son. What do you think?"

The puppet nodded upon hearing this.

At that moment, Xiao Yao sensed the auras of many unknown experts gradually approaching from afar, and he immediately became alert.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he stood up and directly said, "Heavenly Thunder Son, take me away from here first. Someone is coming."

After receiving the order, the puppet immediately flashed before him and placed its left hand on his shoulder.

Xiao Yao felt a powerful force flow from the puppet's hand, tightly enveloping him.

Immediately afterward, the void behind the puppet split open like a shattered mirror, forming a crack large enough for two people. It led Xiao Yao directly inside, and both vanished from the spot. The crack then closed.

When Xiao Yao appeared again, he found himself on the other side of the Magic Beast Mountain Range.

Xiao Yao looked around and saw an endless forest. The trees were tall and dense, blotting out the sky and sun. He thought about how he would continue cultivating here in the coming days and properly consolidate his cultivation.