Chapter 506: Tribulation Lightning (II)
"Damn it, you think you're the only one who can strike? Take this axe from me!"
"Hiss! Ah! That hurts, hurts, hurts! Damn it hurts! Take another axe!"
Listening to the curses and cries coming from the sky, Lin Zheyu felt speechless. As for Lei Yongtao, the more one got to know him, the clearer it became that he had none of the bearing expected of an immortal cultivator.
"So this is a heavenly tribulation... He hasn't even formed his Golden Core yet, and he's already drawn a tribulation. If he had broken through, wouldn't it be even more terrifying?" Lin Zheyu studied the storm in the sky with curiosity, imagining himself enduring it in Lei Yongtao's place.
This was his first time witnessing the power of a heavenly tribulation. After weighing it, Lin Zheyu was confident that, with his physique, he could endure it with ease. His body was already incredibly powerful, nearly reaching the limits of a martial artist. Even Bai Lin, who had opened his divine repository and was considered a genius among martial artists, was far inferior.
Lin Zheyu had cultivated many body-refining techniques, martial cultivation methods, and even demon arts. In the end, none of them could significantly improve his physique anymore. Without enough spirit stones or access to stronger techniques, he could only shift his focus to the golden runes and the golden body totem.
With the enhancement of the golden body totem, ordinary Foundation Establishment realm cultivators could not even break his physical defense. Only those who had grasped the power of rules and possessed some Golden Core realm power could do so. His physique had always been incredibly strong, almost absurdly so. What he lacked was a powerful offensive method. Now, the newly created Seven Absolute Sabers had filled that gap.
I wonder if martial artists face tribulations... Immortal cultivators comprehend the heavens, while martial artists cultivate the body. The two are fundamentally different. Divine repositories and shackles seem focused on unlocking physical potential rather than understanding the Heavenly Dao. That's completely different from forming a Golden Core and defying fate. In that case, maybe martial cultivation only attracts tribulations in its later stages? Lin Zheyu pondered inwardly.
He still knew too little about the later path of martial cultivation. Even his understanding of divine repositories was only superficial. Without joining the Martial Alliance, breaking through on his own would take decades of accumulation and research.
Thunder roared endlessly in the sky as an overwhelming pressure spread outward. Lin Zheyu suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of danger envelop him.
"Not good!" Lin Zheyu reacted instantly and retreated.
He was not the only one. The surrounding cultivators also retreated the moment they felt it, distancing themselves from the area. Staying any longer might cause the heavens to interpret their presence as interference, bringing the tribulation upon them as well.
After leaving the area, Lin Zheyu saw Lei Yunshu flying toward him, and he said, "Fellow Daoist Yunshu, you haven't left?"
"I invited you here to Lei Family City. If I let you leave alone, wouldn't that be discourteous?" Lei Yunshu said with a smile.
"What's the reason behind Fellow Daoist Yongtao's tribulation? He hasn't formed his Golden Core yet, right? I'm only a martial artist and don't know much about cultivation. Could you enlighten me?" Lin Zheyu asked with a smile, changing the subject.
"This is a Destiny Tribulation. To form a Golden Core, a cultivator must capture their own destiny aura and fuse it into the core. Cultivation is about defying fate. To go against is to become immortal, to follow is to remain mortal. It is a path of contending with heaven. The destiny aura is the opportunity seized in defiance of fate. The more talented a cultivator is, the stronger the destiny aura they capture. When it becomes strong enough to form a six-pattern Golden Core, it triggers a backlash from the Dao. This tribulation is the manifestation of that backlash..." Lei Yunshu explained softly.
Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the storm clouds, filled with excitement. The Lei Family was about to produce another genius. The Destiny Tribulation was also known as the Genius Tribulation, a recognition granted by the Heavenly Dao itself. Only those capable of forming a six-pattern Golden Core or higher could attract it. Its appearance meant that Lei Yongtao forming a Six Thunder-Pattern Golden Core was almost certain.
"So there's such a concept." Lin Zheyu's eyes flickered with interest.
The two chatted casually. From their conversation, Lin Zheyu learned that a six-pattern Golden Core was enough to be considered a genius. While difficult, such achievements were not uncommon in ancient times. However, after issues arose in the great Dao of heaven and earth, forming a Golden Core had become far more difficult.
Without the proper qualification, one could not even form a true Golden Core and would have to resort to a false core. Achieving six or more patterns was even harder. Even peerless geniuses like Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan had only formed eight-pattern Golden Cores. In ancient times, with their talent, they would have had a strong chance of forming a nine-pattern or higher Primordial Golden Core, which was the true mark of monstrous prodigies.
However, the Primordial Golden Core had not appeared in the cultivation world for tens of thousands of years. That was the known reality. Whether someone had secretly achieved it without revealing it, Lei Yunshu did not know.
Hearing Lei Yongtao's miserable cries, Lei Yunshu could not help but ask worriedly, "My cousin... he'll be fine, right?"
"He'll be fine. Listen to how strong his voice is. That's just how he is. He sounds loud, but he hasn't suffered any fatal injuries," Lin Zheyu said with a smile, sensing the aura within the storm clouds.
In his perception, a mysterious aura was brewing within the clouds. It felt profound and elusive, as if filled with fate itself. Yet when he tried to grasp it more closely, it vanished, as though it had never existed. This must be the so-called destiny aura. As long as Lei Yongtao survived this tribulation, he would capture a powerful destiny aura sufficient to form a Six Thunder-Pattern Golden Core and step into the Golden Core realm.
"Break for me!"
A terrifying roar resounded as Lei Yongtao shouted. Lightning burst from his body as a fearsome thunder spear formed in his hand. With a powerful throw, the spear shot into the center of the storm. A deafening explosion followed as violent lightning erupted and swept outward.
"Hahaha! Hiss, damn it!"
Seeing this, Lei Yongtao burst into wild laughter, only for his expression to change drastically as he cursed aloud. After shattering the final bolt, the terrifying aftershock of the tribulation surged toward him. Exhausted, he spat out blood and fell helplessly from the sky, crashing toward the ground.
Lin Zheyu moved, about to catch him, when he sensed a powerful aura.
A strong expert has intervened!
Lin Zheyu paused halfway.
He narrowed his eyes and looked toward Lei Yongtao. The terrifying lightning from the tribulation suddenly formed into a massive hand, which scooped up the unconscious Lei Yongtao before vanishing.
"So strong! To directly shape lightning into a hand... Is that really something a Golden Core realm cultivator can do?" Lin Zheyu was visibly shocked.
The tribulation contained immense power of rules. To control its residual force and shape it into a massive lightning hand was almost unimaginable. Even though Lin Zheyu had comprehended spatial laws through rule fragments, he could only leverage them with his own strength. To reach such a level, he still had a long way to go.
"Fellow Daoist Yunshu, let's go," Lin Zheyu said after seeing Lei Yongtao leave.
The residual sword intent and lightning left by Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan had weakened to the extreme. His Seven Absolute Sabers had already been created. All that remained was to refine and improve it through further cultivation. There was no point in staying here any longer.
"Where do you plan to go next?" Lei Yunshu asked with a smile.
Lin Zheyu withdrew his gaze and said with a faint smile, "Let's take a look around the marketplace first. I'm quite interested in the Lei Family City market. I wonder how it compares to those in ruined grotto-heavens."
"There isn't much difference. However, the Lei Family City market mainly serves cultivators here. Since most of them cultivate lightning-attributed techniques, nearly everything sold here is lightning-based, whether techniques, dharma artifacts, or materials. As a martial artist, lightning techniques could still be beneficial to you. You might want to take a closer look." Lei Yunshu suggested.
Hearing this, Lin Zheyu showed a hint of interest, but it quickly turned into a helpless smile. He did not have enough spirit stones. Even if he found something useful, he would not be able to buy it. What a pity.
The two set off toward Lei Family City. In the central district lay the most prosperous marketplace, filled with all kinds of goods. Lin Zheyu looked around with curiosity and even spotted shops belonging to the Wanli Alliance and the Soaring Cloud Pavilion.
"Before long, when I see Fellow Daoist Yongtao again, he will likely have formed a Six Thunder-Pattern Golden Core. At that point, I won't be able to address him as a peer anymore. I'll have to call him senior. That will feel a bit strange," Lin Zheyu said casually as he walked through the market.
"You're joking. With your talent, breaking free of the shackles and advancing to the Shackles realm is only a matter of time. It's just a temporary gap in realm. Since you're friends, there's no need for such formalities," Lei Yunshu said with a light laugh.
With another genius emerging in the Lei Family and having gained insights from the battle, Lei Yunshu now had a clearer view of her future path. Her mood was excellent, and she could not hide the smile on her lips.
"Breaking free of the shackles is easier said than done. It's far harder than forming a Golden Core," Lin Zheyu said, shaking his head with a hint of melancholy.
"You're too modest. Since ancient times, anyone who could open the spirit divine repository and awaken a spirit divine ability has been a peerless genius. Even if such a person reaches the end of the martial path and turns to the Immortal Dao, many great forces would eagerly compete for them. If you're interested, you can consider the Lei Family first," Lei Yunshu said with a smile.
"Of course," Lin Zheyu replied with a smile, cupping his fists.
Lin Zheyu shifted the conversation to a question that had long puzzled him and asked, "By the way, I've heard that for you cultivators, advancing to the Golden Core realm requires obtaining a quota from the Directorate of Celestial Observation. Why is that?"
