Chapter 53: Heavenly Tribulation, Please Love Me Once More

Li Changshou pondered inwardly, wondering why his master had seemed so tormented during his own heavenly tribulation. Was it because he hadn't expressed gratitude to the Tian Dao?

With these doubts in mind, Li Changshou reflected on the second heavenly tribulation he had just endured, analyzing how the power of the Da Dao had impacted him...

It probably wasn't due to whether or not he had thanked the Tian Dao beforehand. The Tian Dao was impartial and just; he had only tried it with a neutral attitude of neither merit nor fault, which shouldn't have made any difference.

The reason the first two thunderbolts felt quite comfortable was simply that they hadn't caused any real harm to him.

This made perfect sense. It was like different customers visiting a Qing Lou for entertainment, all greeted by the same courtesan who playfully scolds, "Oh, why are you so late?" and gives them a light tap. Due to her professional demeanor, the force of her tap is the same for everyone, but the sensation varies depending on how frail each customer is...

It was roughly the same situation.

As the third thunderbolt brewed overhead, Li Changshou's mind filled with various insights. The first two heavenly thunderbolts had been like prying open a crack in a grand door before him, revealing a mysterious and profound world.

"This must be because the Da Dao is constantly colliding with my own Dao."

Could this be the key to ascension?

Boom!

The sea surface rippled in layers from the thunderclap.

Amid the roaring thunder, several lightning patterns flashed, and another thick thunderbolt struck down!

Li Changshou, suspended in midair, was forced down three zhang by the thunderbolt, but he steadied himself once more, blocking most of the falling thunder column. Strands of lightning splintered from above his head, scattering across the sea surface.

Fortunately, the twelve mage bird cages were a safe distance away; otherwise, a few might have been destroyed.

This time...

The heavenly tribulation actually caused some injury.

Li Changshou glanced at a strand of hair in his hand—it was the gray-white hair from his disguised appearance—and felt slightly relieved.

His heavenly tribulation was no different from that of other Qi Refiners.

A faint scorch mark appeared on his Dao robe.

Before the tribulation, he had removed all metal objects from his person, and this scorch mark came from a decorative jade bead that had exploded.

At that moment, tiny arcs of electricity still flickered across his entire body.

Strands of Xian Ling Qi gathered at his arms and shoulders, and a portion of his Dao body, about the size of a fingernail on his head, had begun transforming into an immortal body.

He returned to a height of nine zhang, mobilizing his Fa Li and the Xian Ling Qi he now possessed, preparing for the fourth heavenly tribulation.

From the vortex above, roars echoed continuously, and the tribulation clouds churned wildly.

The clouds manifested various omens, as if dozens of ferocious beasts were chained within, struggling to break free and devour Li Changshou.

"Every third one brings a change; the heavenly tribulation is about to transform."

A rusty, crude carving knife appeared in Li Changshou's right hand, but after a brief hesitation, he put it away. He continued to withstand the tribulation using only his physical body, Yuan Shen, and Fa Li, allowing the Da Dao to collide further with his own Dao.

He needed this collision!

The door that had been slightly ajar was now pushed open a bit more, and he could see many splendid paths ahead.

His Yuan Shen immersed itself in the thunderbolts, entering a profound state and even absorbing the tiny arcs to undergo its own transformation.

These signs indicated that Li Changshou would inevitably achieve ascension if he endured the tribulation.

However, the extent of his ascension might not be great yet—it depended on whether the upcoming thunderbolts brought even greater opportunities.

Sizzle—

Six lightning patterns, each as large as a well opening, appeared in the vortex above, arranged in the shape of a six-pointed star, with the faint image of a white tiger within.

In the next instant, the white tiger roared in fury, and the thunder surged, forming a massive thunder column that struck down once more!

The fourth heavenly tribulation descended with ferocity!

The abundant Da Dao power, accompanied by the lightning, slammed down, making Li Changshou grunt as his body was pressed down several zhang!

On the coast hundreds of li away, a group of fishermen gazed far into the distance, with many bowing in worship and prayer.

Within a three-hundred-li radius, a few passing immortals and Qi Refiners also watched from afar, sensing the violent power of the heavenly tribulation.

"Who would undergo tribulation in a place like this?"

"What powerful tribulation clouds, covering ten li—could it be the legendary eight thunderbolts?"

Naturally, one should stay far away when someone else is undergoing tribulation to avoid accidental harm.

As the lightning faded, Li Changshou's figure rose back into the air.

"This fourth thunderbolt was quite good—precise in force, moderate in strength, providing even more insights without damaging my Yuan Shen."

If the fifth and sixth were like this, it would be excellent.

Yet, faintly, Li Changshou felt a bit frustrated.

Based on the intensity, the speed of the tribulation clouds' consumption, and the patterns he had previously summarized through calculations, his heavenly tribulation was undoubtedly the eight-thunder type.

Although he had long known that his strengths lay in comprehension, agile thinking, and flexible learning methods rather than innate aptitude...

The quality of one's foundation at the start of cultivation determined today's tribulation, as per the Tian Dao's rules.

Moreover, his tribulation wasn't malfunctioning.

But upon experiencing it, he found it differed slightly from the "Nine Extremes Thunder Tribulation" he had worried about for over sixty years.

It was inevitable to feel a tiny bit disappointed.

However, everything has two sides. With an eight-thunder tribulation, he should pass it steadily without revealing too much.

More importantly, the collisions between the Da Dao and his own Dao had brought him many benefits, allowing him to glimpse higher realms and generate vast insights.

"A little more ascension would be good."

Boom—

The fifth heavenly tribulation struck, and Li Changshou focused entirely on withstanding it, with more and more Xian Ling Qi emerging on his body. A multicolored glow appeared on his forehead, signaling the acceleration of his transformation into an immortal body!

Then came the sixth...

The seventh...

From a distance, the tribulation clouds churned endlessly, with ancient ferocious beasts manifesting on them.

There was Qióng Qí with wings spread as if to fly, a Qí Lín enveloped in gray flames, a Tāo Tiè with a massive mouth on its belly, a Táo Wù covered in spines...

In total, thirty-two ferocious beasts appeared one after another on the clouds.

Each time they collided, a massive thunder column erupted, striking the figure suspended below.

Thousands of li away, an old Daoist returning from a visit with his disciple and heading to an immortal island in the South Sea looked suspiciously toward the site of Li Changshou's tribulation.

The old Daoist calculated with his fingers, his eyes flashing with insight, and he exclaimed in surprise:

"That's...

The fourth-ranked tribulation in legends!

The Thirty-Two Ferocious Beasts Eight Extremes and Eight Wastelands Summoning Immortal Tribulation!"

His spirited young female disciple asked in confusion:

"Master, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing," the old Daoist shook his head and sighed. "A cultivation prodigy is about to fall to his own heavenly tribulation. Let's go, Han Zhi.

Such a tribulation is simply one's destined calamity.

Sometimes, having too good of an aptitude isn't necessarily a good thing!

With your upper-tier immortal cultivation aptitude, you'll need to put in extra effort when facing your own heavenly tribulation in the future."

With that, the old Daoist led the young woman on a cloud toward the depths of the South Sea.

This old Daoist was the only immortal who could have posed a threat to Li Changshou's tribulation, but he merely glanced over, offered a bit of regret for the one about to perish, and quietly departed—it was purely a coincidence.

This was also a testament to Li Changshou's thorough preparations in choosing this tribulation site; his efforts hadn't been in vain.

Now, back at the tribulation site.

Seven thunder columns had struck in succession, filling the heavens with continuous roars, and the creatures in the surrounding hundreds of li of sea were in a state of panic.

From the initial descent of the tribulation, less than the time of one incense stick had passed.

The volume of the tribulation clouds in the sky had already shrunk by half, and the roars of the ferocious beasts were deafening. The thirty-two lightning patterns on the clouds flickered incessantly, brewing the final thunderbolt!

Beneath the clouds, Li Changshou furrowed his brow tightly, took a deep breath, and suppressed the tremors from the clashing of Fa Li and Xian force within his body.

The seventh thunder column had been a zhang in diameter.

This one would likely be even thicker and stronger!

His Dao robe now had over ten tears, but from his forehead to his neck, it all emitted a multicolored immortal glow.

This glow would soon fade once his immortal foundation stabilized.

But...

His heavenly tribulation...

Unexpectedly...

Wasn't very intense.

As a top-notch heavenly tribulation, it should provide Qi Refiners with ample benefits, rigorous trials, and aid in their life's transformation to become true immortals.

His own tribulation seemed to have a flaw in its intensity.

It was a bit too gentle.

At this point, only the head above his neck had fully transformed into an immortal body.

This was the result of Li Changshou withstanding it purely with his Fa Li, physical body, and Yuan Shen, without using any of his prepared methods.

"It's fine; there's still the eighth thunderbolt."

Li Changshou comforted himself, though a faint sense of unease began to stir in his heart.

Above, the lightning patterns flashed wildly, thunder gathered rapidly, and the tribulation power surged frantically, as if determined to tear him apart in the final strike.

In his mind, Li Changshou envisioned scene after scene.

Time and again, he had desperately suppressed his realm, accumulated insights, treated every minor breakthrough as a major life step, enduring hardships and a century of cultivation, always cautious, as if walking on thin ice...

His Dao body was as solid as a magical treasure.

His Yuan Shen was flawless and complete.

Finally, his efforts, struggles, and life-risking suppressions had borne fruit today.

The thirty-two lightning patterns erupted simultaneously, with countless silver serpents and electric pythons dancing in the air. They converged in the vortex into a massive thunder column three zhang in diameter, blazing with radiance, and viciously struck down toward Li Changshou!

The world was filled with electric light!

At the edge of the mortal world, above the South Sea, divine thunder purified all!

In this rare moment of emotional fluctuation, Li Changshou spread his arms to welcome the elevation of his life!

His heart surged with passion!

For from this, he felt the boundless ambition of his own Dao standing firm in the heavens!

From today, he would tread the immortal path; tomorrow, he would seek eternity through stability!

Whoosh—

The thunder tribulation instantly engulfed Li Changshou, vaporizing the coral reefs below and filling the sea surface with electric light!

A moment later, as the lightning scattered, heavenly music echoed through the world, and a small, lingzhi-shaped auspicious cloud rose from the sea, supporting Li Changshou's figure.

A beam of immortal light descended from the tribulation clouds, enveloping him, and Li Changshou could hardly contain his excitement.

Ascension!

Attainment of the Dao!

This was the immortal path, this was...

This...

Wait, something's not right!

Li Changshou looked down and stared in a daze...

The upper part of his body, from the abdomen up, had transformed into an immortal body, radiating multicolored immortal light, but his hands, forearms, and everything below the chest-abdomen line down to his toes remained as they were, merely enhanced with strands of Xian Ling Qi...

It was like a defective statue—one half made of premium multicolored jade, the other half of worthless mud!

His Yuan Shen was the same—sometimes flowing with multicolored immortal force, other times unchanged.

It seemed the anomaly in Li Changshou's condition was detected, for the heavenly music above stopped, the auspicious cloud dissipated, and all phenomena vanished.

Yet the now-white tribulation clouds continued to dissipate rapidly...

Li Changshou quickly regained his composure.

What was going on?

He had never seen anything like this in ancient texts!

Had the heavenly tribulation ended too soon, with insufficient power?

Or had he built his foundation too solidly, making the eight thunderbolts unable to fully transform his Dao body?

Damn...

What should he do now?

Amputate and let only the upper half ascend?

But the lower half was important too!

Besides, his Yuan Shen was half-transformed and couldn't become an immortal infant—could he just cut that off? How do you even sever a Yuan Shen? It wasn't like practicing some sword technique where you could discard certain things!

Li Changshou looked up at the fading tribulation clouds, his mind racing, his expression growing anxious.

He couldn't worry about formalities now; he had to resolve this awkward situation immediately...

He didn't want to be a half-baked immortal!

The gate to the immortal realm had been opened, and he had successfully passed the tribulation, but because his Dao foundation was "too robust," he was stuck at the threshold!

Raising his hand, Li Changshou dashed forward two steps and shouted desperately at the remaining clouds:

"Wait!"

The clouds paused for a moment but then accelerated their dissipation, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Li Changshou: ...

They... fled?

Before he could complain, a dull "thud" echoed, and his Yuan Shen and Dao body trembled together.

An indescribable pressure descended from the heavens, locking onto him!