Chapter 153
A band of cultivators halted their journey through the forest when their leader—a middle-aged man with sharp eyes—raised his hand in a silent command. The group immediately stopped, their movements disciplined and synchronized.
“Boss, won’t we be late if we rest now?” one of the subordinates inquired, concern etching his features.
The leader didn’t respond verbally. Instead, he simply pointed upward toward the heavens. The disciples followed his gesture, their eyes widening as they took in the sight above.
“That’s…” the subordinate began, his voice trailing off in recognition.
“That’s right,” the boss confirmed. “Someone is undergoing a tribulation here.”
Excitement rippled through the group, their faces brightening with anticipation like predators sensing wounded prey. One of the more eager disciples stepped forward.
“Should we interfere?” he asked, barely concealing his eagerness.
The boss waved his hand dismissively. “No need. From the size of it, it’s probably just a Golden Core realm breakthrough. The ten of us are already at the Golden Core realm. There’s no reason to risk being struck by tribulation lightning just to interfere.”
His eyes narrowed calculatingly before he continued, “Let’s just wait for them to breakthrough. Even if they succeed, could they possibly be a match for the ten of us?”
“As expected of the boss!” one disciple exclaimed, admiration thick in his voice.
The others quickly echoed the sentiment, creating a chorus of praise. “The boss is wise!” they chanted in unison, their voices blending together in reverent harmony.
A smug smile curled the boss’s lips as he surveyed the surrounding area. His careful assessment confirmed what he’d suspected—there wasn’t another soul in sight. This was certainly a lone cultivator without protection, attempting something as significant as a Golden Core breakthrough.
He thought to himself that such a daring individual must have acquired some valuable treasure or inheritance. The rumors he’d heard about an immortal treasure appearing in the eastern region flashed through his mind. If he could claim such a prize, he might finally break through to the Nascent Soul realm.
“Alright, everyone get to work,” he commanded with authority. “Let’s set up camp. We might be here for a while, so we might as well use this time to rest.”
His subordinates scattered to fulfill his orders, each moving with efficiency as they prepared for what promised to be a profitable hunt.
…
Li Yao concentrated on her core with unwavering focus, feeling the lightning energy accelerate as it circled with increasing momentum. Each lap built upon the previous one, creating a whirlwind of pure electrical force that spiraled through her cultivation base. She couldn’t help but marvel at the Empress’s brilliance—devising such an innovative method.
Gratitude washed over her as she recalled following the crucial instruction to avoid practicing her ice element. Had she ignored this advice, the frigid energy would have significantly slowed her lightning qi, preventing it from reaching the critical velocity needed for transformation.
The lightning’s pace intensified dramatically, nearly doubling with each passing second. Tremors rippled through her core, vibrating outward until her entire being shook with barely contained power. Electricity crackled visibly around her physical form, static charge lifting every strand of her hair until it stood perfectly upright, creating a corona of dark strands surrounding her concentrated expression.
Pain shot through her cultivation base as the lightning began scraping against her core, its wild trajectory impossible to contain perfectly within the center. Each lap removed tiny fragments, an agonizing process that felt like having her essence slowly sanded away. Li Yao gritted her teeth, knowing that a single moment of lost concentration could cause her core to explode completely, undoing years of painstaking advancement in an instant.
[Get ready. I’ll be opening up your spiritual sea,] the Empress’s voice resonated through her consciousness.
Though the Empress had already formed the spiritual sea within Li Yao’s inner landscape, Li Yao had been unable to access it fully due to her limited mind cultivation. After days of intensive mental technique practice, her mind level hovered just beneath the threshold of breakthrough.
The Empress gathered her energy, focusing intently on the spiritual sea’s boundaries. With a subtle gesture, she dissolved the seal that had contained this vast ocean of potential. Immediately, Li Yao’s consciousness flooded with sensations and awareness as she connected with her spiritual sea for the first time.
It was overwhelming—a tsunami of information threatening to drown her nascent mental faculties. The Empress acknowledged to herself the risk in this approach; exposing Li Yao to a mind level 10 spiritual sea with her low mind cultivation was undeniably dangerous. Yet she remained confident in Li Yao’s heavenly enlightenment, trusting the girl’s inherent talent to navigate this perilous transition.
True to the Empress’s faith, Li Yao’s extraordinary enlightenment allowed her to process the influx with remarkable ease. She instinctively compartmentalized the new information, creating mental barriers that prevented it from disrupting her delicate qi circulation. Though taxing, she maintained control of both processes simultaneously.
[Now I want you to guide your core slowly from your dantian and bring it all the way into the spiritual sea,] the Empress instructed.
Li Yao’s face contorted with strain as she attempted this unprecedented maneuver. The task was monumental—she needed to physically relocate her core while simultaneously ensuring the rapidly circulating lightning qi remained stable. A single misstep would spell disaster.
With excruciating patience, she nudged her core upward from the dantian, the traditional energy center located below the navel. Every millimeter of progress required perfect concentration as she maintained the lightning’s circulation throughout the journey. Despite several harrowing moments where the energy nearly spiraled out of control, she eventually guided her core into the vast expanse of the spiritual sea.
Relief washed over her as the spiritual sea’s calming energies helped stabilize the volatile lightning. She released a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, her shoulders slumping slightly as tension temporarily ebbed.
[Don’t let your guard down yet, it’s time to start forging the core,] the Empress warned, immediately bringing Li Yao back to full alertness.
[Now that the core is inside the spiritual sea, you can finally start deconstructing and reconstructing your core,] the Empress continued, causing Li Yao to shiver at the choice of words.
[Since it’s in the spiritual sea, it won’t fall apart easily. You can start deconstructing a single part at a time, then reconstructing it with pure lightning energy. As long as you do that, you’ll be able to breakthrough to the golden core realm,] the Empress explained.
“Is it always like this?” Li Yao questioned, confusion evident in her voice. The cultivation manuals she’d studied had never mentioned such a complex procedure. This deconstruction and reconstruction sounded far more intricate than the traditional advancement methods.
[Well, normally, the core would bathe in spiritual energy for a long time. It would then shed its skin and become a golden core after entering the spiritual sea,] the Empress clarified, [but since you want to form a special golden core, we have to do it this way. You need to manually reconstruct the golden core into a lightning core.]
Li Yao sighed deeply at this explanation, mentally preparing herself for the arduous task ahead. She consoled herself with the knowledge that once this reconstruction was complete, she would be halfway through the process. With renewed determination, she concentrated her energy on a tiny section of her core and began carefully breaking it apart…