Heavenly Tribulation

"What's wrong? What's happening?"

"Look up at the sky! What's that?"

"Heavenly Tribulation! That's the Heavenly Tribulation!"

The newly initiated disciples turned pale with fright at the sight of that enormous bank of dark clouds.

Wu Suowei, however, was quick to spot Su Wan'er sitting beneath the clouds.

He hurriedly pointed at her and shouted, "Second Senior Sister is undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation! She's about to advance to Golden Core!"

"What!"

The people around him wore looks of disbelief when they heard that.

How could Su Wan'er, who had just been gambling with them, suddenly be advancing to Golden Core?

There hadn't been the slightest warning!

"This is bad! Second Senior Sister hasn't prepared at all. She definitely won't survive this Heavenly Tribulation. We need to find Master!"

Wu Suowei's reminder alerted everyone, but one of them then asked him, "Master hasn't come back since he went out today. Where are we supposed to find him after work?"

"Besides, there's no time now."

"Damn it."

Hearing this, Wu Suowei could only watch from a distance with everyone else. Anyone who rashly entered the range of someone else's heavenly tribulation would become a target as well.

They would have to endure the heavenly tribulation alongside the person undergoing it.

All they could do was watch Su Wan'er from afar, their faces filled with worry.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Tribulation, which had been gathering for a long time, finally unleashed its first bolt of heavenly lightning.

Boom...

A bolt of blue lightning as thick as a bucket struck Su Wan'er viciously.

Watching in terror, Wu Suowei and the others realized that Su Wan'er hadn't put up any defenses at all.

At that moment, only one thought filled their minds.

It's over. Second Senior Sister must have been blasted to ashes.

The black smoke cleared, revealing Su Wan'er still sitting beside the cliff with her eyes closed. Not even her clothes had been wrinkled.

The sight made everyone's eyes widen once again.

Then bolt after bolt of lightning struck Su Wan'er mercilessly.

Boom, boom, boom...

Eight more bolts of heavenly lightning fell in succession, the final one having even turned red.

When it struck, it shattered the massive rock beneath Su Wan'er into fragments that tumbled off the cliff.

This left Su Wan'er floating in midair.

Boom, boom, boom...

After a few more rumbles, the dark clouds in the sky slowly began to disperse.

A shaft of sunlight pierced the clouds and shone upon the girl suspended in midair.

That shaft of sunlight made Su Wan'er's beautiful face look even more flawless.

Seeing her completely unharmed, Wu Suowei and the others swallowed hard. "Is this what a disciple taught by Master is capable of?"

"She actually took nine bolts of heavenly lightning without a scratch."

One of them said excitedly, "That was incredible! She didn't take the Heavenly Tribulation seriously at all!"

"To other cultivators, a Heavenly Tribulation is unimaginably terrifying, but before Senior Sister Su Wan'er, it was nothing more than a gentle breeze caressing the clouds. It couldn't threaten her at all!"

"Fourth Senior Brother, do you think we'll be able to face our Heavenly Tribulations with the same breezy ease?"

"Yes, definitely—as long as we listen carefully to Master's teachings."

At that moment, their admiration for Li Shouyi rose to boundless heights.

Meanwhile, the master they admired was swearing viciously.

"Motherfucker."

Li Shouyi was in a wretched state, his entire body charred black. Anyone who came close and sniffed carefully could even smell the aroma of roasted meat.

"System, get out here and explain this properly."

"Why the hell did every bolt of my disciple's Heavenly Tribulation hit me?"

``` "Host, you're hilarious."

"Your cultivation comes from your disciples' advancement in the first place. Who else would undergo Tribulation Transcendence if not you?"

"Besides, you used your Nascent Soul Realm cultivation to withstand a Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation. These minor injuries are nothing to you."

"System, fuck your uncle."

The system fell silent again, clearly unwilling to entertain Li Shouyi any further.

Seeing the system play dead, Li Shouyi could only hastily steer his Flying Sword back down. He picked a secluded mountain at random, dug a cave, and went straight inside.

Only after placing several seals over the entrance did he begin circulating the divine art he practiced, "Unfettered Selflessness," to heal his injuries.

His predecessor had found this cultivation art in a dilapidated cave, and it could take him all the way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage.

That might sound impressive, but it was actually extraordinarily difficult to practice.

First, advancing with it required ten times as much spiritual energy as other cultivation arts.

His Heavenly Tribulations were also ten times as powerful as other people's.

Its power, however, was immense. Why had Li Shouyi been so eager to advance by a single minor stage back then?

Because he knew that once he reached the middle stage of Golden Core, he could clash head-on with someone at the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

Who could have expected Wu Dalang to cheat his way straight up to Divine Separation?

If Lin Shuishui and Su Wan'er hadn't completed the Hidden Mission, Li Shouyi would definitely have been done for.

While he was in seclusion recovering, Lin Shuishui and Pei Zhujiu finally returned to Good Fortune Mountain with the two people the system had classified as once-in-a-thousand-years good-for-nothings.

As soon as the two women landed, they saw a large crowd surrounding Su Wan'er, showering her with congratulations.

"Junior Sister, what are you all doing?"

"Eldest Senior Sister, I've advanced to Golden Core."

"Oh. Congratulations."

Lin Shuishui's face remained expressionless. Anyone who didn't know her might have thought she was jealous of Su Wan'er!

But Su Wan'er knew what Lin Shuishui was like, so she took no offense and went over to link arms with her. "Hehe, Senior Sister, when will you advance to Golden Core?"

"Tomorrow, probably! After meeting Bao'er today, I seem to have made new progress with my Dreamscape True Understanding."

Su Wan'er: "..."

Only then did she notice an expressionless girl standing beside Lin Shuishui.

Although the girl's face showed no emotion, her eyes alone, which seemed to hold the stars within their pupils, were enough to give anyone a certain impression.

This girl was definitely no ordinary person.

"Wow, what a cute girl."

"Senior Sister, where did you find her?"

"I met her while eating at a restaurant. Unfortunately, Bao'er's spiritual root is damaged."

"Otherwise, she'd definitely be a cultivation genius."

Hearing this, Su Wan'er gently stroked Bao'er's cheek, her gaze full of sympathy. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

Wu Suowei, who had been listening for a while, smiled at them. "Senior Sisters, if her spiritual root is damaged..."

"We can buy Heavenly Flow Essence from the Treasure Pavilion!"

"With Second Senior Sister's wealth, that definitely won't be a problem."

Lin Shuishui and Su Wan'er hurriedly exchanged a glance, then smiled. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Just as they were about to set off...

Pei Zhujiu, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly spoke. "Senior Sister, could you also see whether they have any treasures that can repair the soul? The proprietor I brought seems to have been born missing one hun soul and one po soul."

"Third Junior Sister, what's going on with you?"

"Uh, Master tricked me."

"He made me drink countless cups of wine at this proprietor's restaurant."

"If I don't help him in return, I'll owe him a karmic debt."

"Senior Sister, you're a master of karma. You should understand."

After hearing her out, Su Wan'er waved her hand nonchalantly. "Bring him along too. If we find something, we'll buy it all together."

Pei Zhujiu's face immediately lit up with joy. "Thank you, Second Senior Sister!"

And so, the two people the system had classified as once-in-a-thousand-years good-for-nothings were about to embark on the path to turning their fortunes around.

Meanwhile, Li Shouyi was still in seclusion recovering from his injuries.