The Four Heavenly Kings

Given that the entire Heavenly Gate was a standard low-Spiritual Qi region, that also meant there were no lightning tribulations born from the evolution of heaven and earth.

Never mind the legendary ascension tribulation; there were no Nascent Soul tribulations or Golden Core tribulations either.

And without the lightning power of heaven and earth to temper the body, a "Golden Core" naturally could not be formed, no matter how great one's aptitude was.

Only with the arrival of the "second spiritual power revolution," also known as the "electrical revolution," did "Artificial Lightning Tribulation" become a reality and the breakthrough of the entire "cultivation realm" truly come about.

Only after undergoing the tempering of an "Artificial Lightning Tribulation" could an "Industrial Golden Core" truly be born.

But Hu Mang had also gathered information on the subject. Even after countless generations of improvements to the Artificial Lightning Tribulation Tower, the success rate for forming a core had never exceeded 30%.

In other words, every cultivator who attempted Core Formation had a 70% chance of their core shattering.

Although advances in modern medical technology meant failure no longer killed them, the damage they suffered could be even worse than Hu Mang's. After all, what Core Formation Cultivators injured was not their lower Dantian, but their middle Dantian.

Of the three Dantians that governed essence, Qi, and spirit, each was more delicate than the last.

As Hu Mang recalled what he knew about Golden Cores, he followed Doctor Sun's earlier instructions and activated the eighth level, the level used to temper a High-Standard Golden Core.

Golden Cores were divided into several grades in the Heavenly Gate, from the lowest-grade Impure Core to the Industrial Golden Core, then the High-Standard Golden Core, and even all the way up to the National Standard Golden Core.

The standard for a National Standard Golden Core was no longer just the Heavenly Gate's standard. It extended overseas and even included that mysterious and unfathomable Immortal Dynasty.

That was the only superpower on Earth Star capable of trading blows with the Heavenly Gate.

And meeting the "national standard" meant that one possessed a Golden Core of the highest caliber, even among those two powers.

In fact, never mind a National Standard Golden Core; even an ordinary Industrial Golden Core required no shortage of supporting facilities. The Artificial Lightning Tribulation Tower, for example, was the greatest aid to the mass production of Industrial Golden Cores.

Before long, roiling black clouds rolled in from every direction, with white flashes of lightning lighting up within them from time to time.

Hu Mang immediately felt a tremendous pressure.

"Still, it feels like something's missing."

Ever since he had seen the terrifying thunderclouds above Demon-Subduing City, covering several thousand, or even over ten thousand, li, these artificial thunderclouds no longer felt quite so terrifying to him.

"Artificial thunderclouds-"

Hu Mang made this remark, its meaning unclear.

Then he flicked the "fragment" into the thunderclouds.

The next moment, the roiling thunderclouds enveloped the "fragment."

And the fragment, which had already "dimmed," began to give off a faint glow.

Just as it had the previous night.

"So it really can be charged!"

Hu Mang was delighted.

The eighth level's effect was indeed quite formidable.

In just a short while, the "fragment's" glow had already reached the halfway point.

He hurriedly switched off the eighth level, lest it charge too fast and teleport him over there again.

"Now that I can go back, the next step is to figure out how to open the door sustainably."

After all, he couldn't carry an Artificial Lightning Tribulation Tower around on his back.

After all, the thing wouldn't even fit inside an intermediate-grade Storage Bag.

And he couldn't afford one anyway.

Hu Mang soon thought of a possibility. Light flashed in his palm, and a piece of Lightning Crystal appeared in it.

The "Spiritual Qi purity" inside this thing was certainly no worse than that of the Artificial Lightning Tribulation Tower.

But how was he supposed to extract it?

Hu Mang had tried absorbing the spiritual power within it, but even the tiniest wisp was ferociously potent and overbearing. He couldn't refine it at all, much less absorb it in large quantities-unless he wanted his meridians to explode on the spot.

"Could I use a formation to draw it out?"

Hu Mang muttered to himself. For some reason, he suddenly thought of that "genius" who had "run an unauthorized overhead wire to undergo a lightning tribulation."

He figured that if he handled it improperly, he'd probably end up much the same way.

"A formation alone probably won't work, and a formation powered by 'high-grade Spirit Stones' would at least be the kind of setup found in a Nascent Soul residential complex."

"If formations alone won't work, then I can only rely on some large cultivation machinery to break it down. There aren't any ordering restrictions on that stuff, though-"

One major difference between the Heavenly Gate and the Azure Mysterious Realm was that cultivation did not go without external aids; rather, it relied on them for almost everything. Cultivation-assisting Law Artifacts of every kind were available in a dazzling array.

"What do I use to break down 'high-grade Spirit Stones'? A steam Law Artifact? But that thing's for purification, isn't it? Would reverse purification work?"

A candidate suddenly came to Hu Mang's mind, a friend he had met back when he was selected for the Immortal Ladder Project.

But this buddy of his had it even worse than he did. He had chosen civil engineering, while his buddy had chosen "materials science."

As miserable as civil engineering was, it at least put food on the table. His buddy who had studied materials science couldn't find a job and was already on the path to a doctorate.

As long as I don't step into the arena, cruel society can't beat me up.

Those were his buddy's exact words.

"He definitely has a professional-grade Law Artifact for breaking down high-grade Spirit Stones. Maybe I can ask him if he knows any relevant sources."

"Come to think of it, my cohort in the Heavenly Ladder Project really was bursting with talent. The Four Heavenly Kings of biology, chemistry, environmental science, and materials science, plus me, the Civil Engineering Giant Spirit God, somehow ended up in the same dorm. That was incredible."

When Hu Mang was in school, there had been no such thing as the Young Heaven's Chosen Class, though there had been a similar system for selecting geniuses.

Those who went to Demon Metropolis for further study were part of the Immortal Ladder Project, while those who went to Yanjing were part of the Heavenly Ladder Project.

Hu Mang, a civil engineering prodigy, had been chosen for the Immortal Ladder Project and sent to Demon Metropolis for further study. That was when he met the Four Heavenly Kings of biology, chemistry, environmental science, and materials science.

Back then, those four, together with him, the Civil Engineering Giant Spirit God, had done something pretty damn impressive.

At Pine Mountain Academy, the top-ranked academy in Demon Metropolis, they had taken advantage of the summer vacation when the freshmen were away and blocked its mountain gate for seven whole days and nights.

That was the very best academy in Demon Metropolis!

The returning students couldn't get in, and the freshmen couldn't get out. They beat up everyone who came at them. Their arrogance knew no bounds.

Hu Mang had even heard that quite a few recent cultivator graduates of Pine Mountain Academy still gnashed their teeth in hatred whenever they recalled the incident.

Before society gave them a brutal beating, the five of them had truly been in the bloom of youth, full of high spirits and arrogance, legendary figures on campus-until they graduated and fell straight into the five great pits that were their majors.

Even now, not many had managed to climb out.

It was downright miserable.

Hu Mang came out of his memories and suddenly went, "Oh."

"I almost forgot, I haven't had my physical examination report done yet."

Zhongshan Holy Land, Phoenix Road, Demon Suppression Branch Bureau

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Little Xu, once your background check is complete and you come back from further training at the main bureau, you'll basically be a Golden Core cultivator."

"Should we start calling you Bureau Chief Xu now?"

"Why Bureau Chief Xu? Call him Chief!"

"Hahaha, Liu Min, I told you ages ago that Little Xu had enormous potential. Do you regret it now?"

"What would I regret? It's not like I didn't pursue him. I just didn't win him over, so what could I do? We Demon-Suppressing Guards can't knowingly break the law, can we?"

"Hahahahahahaha..."

After the commotion went on for quite a while, Little Xu finally returned to his workstation and began packing his belongings.

For a considerable time to come, he would be training at headquarters.

And there was an unwritten rule about training at headquarters: once you came out, you were sure to have formed a core.

That was why his colleagues were congratulating him in advance.

Just as he had nearly finished packing, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

Without looking up, Little Xu said, "Brother Zhang, need something?"

"Just think, time really flies. It's been almost ten years since I first took you under my wing. Oh, right, your hometown isn't around here, is it? It'll be hard for us to see each other again after this."

"Brother Zhang, there's this thing called a telephone. And if you miss me, you can always fly over to see me. Would I really refuse to receive you?"

"Ahem, everyone else was getting sentimental. Wouldn't I be out of place if I didn't say something?" Brother Zhang waggled his eyebrows.

"So, you've lived like an ascetic these past ten years, doing nothing but working cases or cultivating. You're about to leave, so how about I treat you to a foot massage?"

Little Xu fell silent for a moment.

"...Brother Zhang, if you want me dead, just say so."

"I'm joking, don't get worked up. I just wanted to ask: we've known each other for almost ten years, and you've been here nearly ten years too. Do you have any regrets? While there's still time, Brother Zhang will take care of them all for you in one go."

"Regrets?" Little Xu gave it some serious thought.

"No."

"Really, none?" Brother Zhang asked curiously.

Little Xu put down his luggage. He didn't think he had any regrets from these past years. If he had to name one, it was that the comrades who had died in the line of duty couldn't be brought back to life, but that was obviously beyond the other man's ability.

"If I had to name one, there really is one." Little Xu paused. "Brother Zhang, do you remember that aphrodisiac?"

Old Zhang was taken aback.

"Sure. Hadn't we finished investigating it? That man was holding underground fights overseas. Even the people of those little foreign countries didn't care. You can't really be thinking of bringing him in for questioning, can you? Didn't we already check out those underground black markets? Our counterparts from the Devil Subjugation Bureau infiltrated them long ago and reached private agreements with those local bosses and smugglers. Besides, for every overseas black market you shut down, ten more can spring up. The key is keeping them under control."

"That's not what I mean. Before I leave here, I want to have a match with that 'Heavenly Blood Python.'"

Little Xu spoke with utmost seriousness.