It was the start of the day on the old trading planet, located in the same solar system as the Yinblood Sect. In the past, this was the place where all visitors came to negotiate or try to get recruited by the sect. Today, though, it was a dead, ruined planet, with even the natural life nearly extinct.
That day, the whale, Ruri, Quirio, and Mistie quietly arrived at the site. Mistie looked at the ancient ruins of the city and the dried skeletons scattered everywhere. Anger and resentment mixed in her eyes.
"There was nothing you could do. It wasn’t your fault," Quirio said softly by her side, as if reading her thoughts. "My brother and all of us have scores to settle with the Shadow God sect that caused all this. One day, the lives lost here will be avenged."
They stood in the center of the ruins of the main city while Ruri and the whale worked at a distance, clearly plotting something. The couple’s seriousness made it clear they were scheming a grand and potentially sinister plan.
The little Fey, Mistie, fluttered her wings, gave a slight smile, and landed on Quirio’s shoulder. In her effort to evolve their relationship, she found that he seemed more comfortable when she was in her true form. So, by dropping the metamorphosis, he started to act more open and without barriers.
"It’s okay. I’ve lived long enough to know that life is cruel. The weak are used all the time, everywhere. And, unfortunately, I’m weak and couldn’t help anyone," Mistie said, expressing something she would never have said in front of others.
After so much time living, she learned to say what was most convenient. Being honest and expressing how she really felt usually brought trouble. But in that moment, she felt light and satisfied.
Now, whenever she could, Mistie stayed in her true form, and whenever she was with Quirio, she spoke without a filter. These two changes were essential for the development of their relationship.
She didn’t know why, but Quirio seemed to have an instinctive aversion to any kind of pretense, manipulation, or control. He craved authenticity in everything around him.
"Let’s create new happy memories in this place. Staying sulky will only bring bad luck," Quirio said gently.
"My mom was pretty old when I left. According to Venjio, she passed away peacefully, surrounded by everyone in the city, satisfied with the life she lived," he continued, gazing at the horizon with a distant look. "Now, my brother is all I have left. After we sort this out, we can make everything official."
Mistie watched him thoughtfully. His past, his family, and many other things were still hazy, but she chose to trust that everything would be revealed in due time. That round and mysterious figure had many secrets, and some of them were slowly coming to light.
Mistie smiled, excited. "Yeah, those two have been married for a while, but it’ll take a bit longer. Let’s head out and make the family grow," she said with enthusiasm.
After that, they fell silent, both wearing satisfied expressions. A little further away, Ruri was working on a formation, but it was taking longer than expected. A slight smile played on her lips.
The whale sighed. "You’re getting too distracted with those two. Our time is limited," he commented.
"Sorry," Ruri replied quickly.
A few minutes later, a grand formation of multicolored runes rose up to the skies, like a tower reaching the clouds.
The whale nodded and pulled something from his inventory: a small stone that mixed shades of blue and black, about the size of a fist. It was Agarthium, a rare mineral. Its rarity wasn’t due to its forging quality, but because it was created under extremely specific conditions. However, it was considered useless for cultivators.
Nebai was the one who managed to get this material. Before they went to the Dragon Ascent Sect, they had been informed about the search for this item, along with other things on a list. Destiny was on their side, and Nebai managed to get a bit of this ore in just one day.
Its use was very specific. This ore, with the slightest instability, could explode. It wasn’t sturdy, nor did it have hidden powers. It formed in the deepest layers of the crust of deadly planets, where Gaia created it to accumulate the minimum amount of Qi present. Later, Gaia would absorb this Qi, but the quantity was so tiny that no divine cultivator cared.
But for the Dao of the God of Forging, it was a treasure. This was one of the two materials needed to create a runic seal. The first material would be obtained through Ruri’s formation.
She nodded to the whale, confirming that everything was ready. Then, she moved the central rune, which floated toward the whale. He held it, receiving instructions to activate the formation.
"Good job. Let’s get started right away," he said, turning to those two who were further away.
Mistie got the message and took a deep breath. She turned to Quirio and murmured something softly to him, just between the two of them. Suddenly, the young man trembled and turned slightly red. Mistie, in turn, just smiled before flapping her wings and taking off.
Ruri jumped high, followed by Quirio right after. In a matter of seconds, the two crossed the atmosphere and moved away from the planet. Only the whale and Mistie remained at the site. She looked at him, and he nodded. Taking a deep breath, Mistie pulled something from her spatial ring.
It was a pill covered in runes sealing it. The whale’s group, along with Almin, had gathered the necessary ingredients in less than twelve hours, and Almin had cooked the pill with relative ease, sealing it himself.
Mistie huffed and broke the seal. At that instant, the entire planet darkened, and terrifying black clouds covered the sky.
This wasn’t just any tribulation. It was the most concentrated and lethal form of celestial power, created to wipe out a cultivator at the peak of divine cultivation.
Facing a celestial tribulation was like a mortal taking on a wild beast. Every move had to be calculated to perfection, and even popping a pill could be fatal. It could create a gap in the body, allowing the tribulation’s lightning to seep in and cause instant death.
*BOOM!*
The heavens roared violently, like they were announcing the end of the world. That terrifying sound was just the prelude. Mistie looked up, her eyes fixed on the sky. There was no fear in them. There couldn’t be. The slightest hint of fear could cost her everything.
The celestial tribulation was a matter of life and death for any cultivator. Everyone had to tread carefully to avoid angering the laws that governed the skies. When the tribulation struck, the only thing to do was endure silently, letting the body be baptized by its devastating power.
Watching the skies prepare for the first attack, Mistie felt the solid weight of death looming over her. She glanced at the whale, who was standing still at the center of the rune formation.
He had said he would help, but she couldn’t imagine how. Any use of Qi or power would be detected by the laws, putting him in danger.
**RUMBLE!**
The heavens collapsed with hundreds of lightning pillars, all converging on one spot: the tiny fifteen-centimeter Fey.
Mistie roared, pushing her cultivation to the limit. The lightning moved slowly toward her, almost in slow motion, until it was just thirty meters away, and then something unexpected happened.
Mistie’s eyes widened in disbelief. It was as if a divine power had diverted the lightning. All the electric pillars bent in the sky and were absorbed by that tower of runes in formation.
Mistie felt the force of the formation that Ruri had set up. All the violent power of the celestial tribulation had vanished into it...
"He... how? Who would dare to steal a celestial tribulation like that? That’s suicide!" she murmured, already knowing the answer. If someone could pull off such madness, it had to be that round figure.
Mistie stood still, not getting a trace of the tribulation. All the energy was being channeled into the formation.
The whale, with his eyes closed, held the Agarthium in his hands. Alm and Bruno were focused to the max; this was a big opportunity. The celestial power was the second and biggest ingredient needed to create a new type of rune seal.
*BOOM!*
The heavens roared again, and Mistie looked up, stunned. The celestial laws were clearly furious. The whale had his cultivation completely sealed and wasn’t using a drop of Qi. Still, the laws felt his actions.
But... somehow, he wasn’t breaking any rules.
"That cheater..." Mistie murmured, surprised.
The formation was ready before the tribulation even began. It was a creation of the God of Forging, linking the runes to the planet’s laws. All the energy to maintain it came from the earth, and the whale had no direct involvement.
Yet, obviously, all the lightning was being moved by the runes and aimed at him. Part of it was going into his inventory; he was storing the celestial runes for everyone to absorb later. Then he was using the pure celestial energy to try and create the rune seal inside the Agarthium.
All of this was happening without using his Qi or cultivation. It was just the formation’s runes manipulating things, combined with their physical resilience. This was all possible because most of the power was being guided into the inventory, and this was just a tribulation.
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Suddenly, the whale opened his eyes and looked at Mistie from afar. She caught his gaze and turned to the sky. There, strange celestial runes began to form. There was a power of mind and soul emanating from them.
"So, this is the test he mentioned..." Mistie murmured.
According to the whale, a tribulation capable of killing someone at the peak of the Divine Sovereign Realm tested three aspects: body, mind, and spirit. He clearly made it easier for her by handling the most powerful physical part of the tribulation. Now, Mistie would have to face the attacks on her mind and soul all by herself.
Among the black clouds, two lights pulsed: one violet and the other celestial blue. Suddenly, two thin bolts, one of each color, shot down toward her. Mistie clenched her fists, facing the impending challenge.
"Come on! I will win. I have a new future to live for, and I won’t fall before something insignificant." She spat with determination, and a rune of a True Empyrean appeared on her forehead.
A few seconds passed, and the tiny Fey opened her eyes. She was breathing deeply, a bit shaky, but still filled with determination. She had won, but the heavens wouldn’t let her off that easily. A dozen violet and celestial blue lightning bolts condensed and came crashing down immediately.
Meanwhile, Alm and Bruno were manipulating the furious power of the tribulation, which continued to descend relentlessly.
They couldn’t use the tattoos or the power of the soul. They were relying solely on the experience and technique of the God of Forging. But...
’This is very similar to the law we created in essence. It’s hard to manipulate with this strange technique... but we have experience with this.’ Bruno voiced what Alm was already thinking.
Minutes of silence passed. The Agarthium was crucial to the process. After they formed the rune seal inside it, any slight instability would make the mineral explode, revealing the flaw. Being a natural material created by Gaia, the rune seal would only be complete if it was stable and connected easily to the Agarthium. Otherwise, it would be impossible to insert it into a weapon.
That mineral in his hand exploded. Then another, and another...
On the other side, Mistie slowly opened her eyes. Blood was running from her eyes, but her determination remained unshaken. She looked up and saw another wave of lightning coming down, now five times the previous amount.
Several minutes later, the whale finally opened his eyes. A green screen appeared before him:
[Congratulations on your achievement!]
[New Rune Seal Created: 01]
[+10 Celestial Points received]
[Please name the seal.]
Bruno thought for a moment while all the black clouds around the planet began to disperse.
Mistie opened her eyes too, feeling a profound change. The Empyrean rune on her forehead had evolved substantially. Not only had she advanced, but she had done so twice, reaching the Ancestral level on her own.
She looked down at the ground, just below where she was. Then she saw a pill pulsating with a shocking medicinal aura. She smiled; it was all complete.