C7 The Heavenly Tribulation
Zhang Bufan was tingling with excitement.
"Who would've thought, at such a pivotal moment, my latent potential would be unleashed. I owe Ouyang Tian a word of thanks!"
Zhang Bufan chuckled, yet the system's chime remained silent. Ouyang Tian was indeed fortunate, likely to last until tomorrow.
As this thought crossed his mind, the system alert sounded!
"Ding! Congratulations, host, for defeating a Foundation Stage Qi Refining cultivator. You've earned 2000 experience points, unlocking double experience for a total of 4000."
At the sound of the alert, Zhang Bufan leaped up, startled.
"Holy smokes! 4000 experience points, this is it, it's done!"
Before Zhang Bufan could ponder further, a torrent of immense power flooded his body, particularly from his dantian, which felt as though it was on the verge of splitting into a second one.
Zhang Bufan recognized this as the precursor to forming a Golden Core!
Suddenly, the previously moonlit sky was shrouded in ominous clouds, with lightning serpents darting through, thundering ominously.
The Tribulation Crossing Lightning was imminent!
All of Vertville City was abuzz with excitement!
It was well-known that the Three Great Families' status in Vertville City was anchored by the presence of Golden Core Stage masters. The Golden Core Stage's significance was undeniable, representing the pinnacle of the city's power.
Now, with the emergence of a new Golden Core Stage expert in Vertville City, the stir was unavoidable.
The patriarchs of the Three Great Families materialized, striding through the air, their gazes converging on the Zhang family estate.
Murong Yu, along with several guardian elders, also made their presence known.
"Who would've guessed Zhang Xiaotian is on the cusp of advancing to the Golden Core Stage!" Ouyang Shan remarked gravely.
The other two Golden Core Stage powerhouses belonged to the Chen and Qin families, the other esteemed families of Vertville City.
"What of it? Zhang Xiaotian's recent breakthrough leaves him unsteady. He's no threat to us," the Chen family head said with a sneer.
"Exactly. Even with Zhang Xiaotian's aspirations, our Qin family will maintain its lead among the Three Great Families!"
Ouyang Shan was at a loss for words. Among them, one was at the sixth layer of the Golden Core Stage, and another at the eighth, while he was merely at the fourth. If Zhang Xiaotian was serious about vying for a spot among the Three Great Families, Ouyang Shan was the obvious target.
"What's the big deal about the Golden Core Stage? Killing him would be a breeze for me! Besides, the Zhang family has already crossed the Exquisite Sect. Zhang Xiaotian's fate is hanging by a thread," Ouyang Shan thought to himself with a chill.
"Does Zhang Xiaotian think he can use his Golden Core Stage to intimidate us? Hahaha!" roared the guardian elder with laughter.
His fellow guardian elder chimed in, chuckling, "Just at the first layer of the Golden Core Stage, and he's barely stable. How does he expect to intimidate us or the Exquisite Sect?"
The three guardian elders didn't take Zhang Xiaotian's breakthrough seriously, treating it as if it were mere entertainment.
Murong Yu, on the other hand, harbored a suspicion. Could it be Zhang Bufan who had advanced to the Golden Core Stage?
She quickly dismissed the notion. After a decade of meticulous training by her sect and possessing exceptional talent, she had only managed to reach the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage at her young age. How could Zhang Bufan possibly match that?
No matter the talent, without the necessary resources, reaching the Golden Core Stage at such a young age was simply out of the question.
Wealth, laws, and land are the four pillars essential to any Qi Refining cultivator.
Wealth comes first, signifying the importance of financial support in nurturing a distinguished Qi Refining cultivator. Murong Yu's early achievement of the fifth layer of the Golden Core Stage was made possible by an array of elixirs, cultivation methods, and the careful mentorship of her elders.
What could Zhang Bufan possibly rely on?
Meanwhile, the Zhang family was abuzz with astonishment.
"Who is undergoing tribulation in the Zhang family? Could it be that our Patriarch is on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core Stage?"
"Wonderful! The Zhang family is poised to join the ranks of the Three Great Families of Vertville City!"
"But I could have sworn I just saw the Patriarch. I have no idea who else might be undergoing another tribulation."
At that moment, all members of the Zhang family were convened in the grand hall, with the exception of Zhang Bufan.
"Patriarch, aren't you the one facing the Golden Core Stage tribulation?" Great Elder Zhang Shusong asked, his face a picture of astonishment.
The other two elders shared his disbelief.
As far as they were concerned, the only person capable of enduring the Golden Core Tribulation in the Zhang family was Zhang Xiaotian; the thought of a second person was inconceivable!
Great Elder Zhang Shusong had been stuck at the Eighth Level of the Foundation Stage for many years, never managing to break through to the Ninth Level, let alone reach the nearly insurmountable Golden Core Stage.
Zhang Xiaotian shook his head, "I'm at a loss as to who within our Zhang family is undergoing the Golden Core Tribulation, but we must not interfere. Any disturbance could spell disaster for our family!"
Everyone nodded, their faces etched with fear.
Interrupting someone's breakthrough was a crime worse than patricide or matricide!
Especially at the Golden Core Stage, where one's entry signifies becoming a mortal immortal, also referred to as an Earthly Immortal!
Offending such a person could spell doom for ten Zhang families, let alone one.
...
Zhang Bufan himself hadn't anticipated that his Golden Core Tribulation would send shockwaves throughout Vertville City!
At this very moment, a nascent inner core emerged within his Dantian, dull and devoid of any shine, resembling a clay pellet. This was the nascent form of the Golden Core, which required the refining of heavenly thunder to fully mature.
The night sky was alive with the rumble of thunder, poised to unleash its fury.
Suddenly, dark clouds enveloped the city, and lightning snaked across the sky. Nine bolts of heavenly thunder descended like celestial dragons, their divine might making everyone shudder.
"This... Nine bolts of heavenly thunder? Should the tribulation be successful, we're looking at a ninth-grade Golden Core!"
The sight left everyone utterly astounded.
Golden Cores are graded by quality. A successful tribulation with three bolts of heavenly thunder yields a Human Core. With six bolts, it's an Earth Core, and with eight, a Heaven Core!
The three grades of the Golden Core are pivotal in determining a Qi Refining cultivator's future accomplishments.
The superior the Golden Core's quality, the brighter the cultivator's prospects for attaining the Great Dao!
The nine heavenly thunderbolts are a testament to the exceptional quality of a Golden Core at the Golden Core Stage!
A cultivator at the Golden Core Stage with a ninth-grade Golden Core is an extraordinary rarity, as scarce as phoenix feathers or qilin horns!
"Could the Zhang family be harboring a hidden master? If so, they're not a family to be trifled with!"
The heads of Vertville City's Three Great Families were seized with fear for the Zhang family upon witnessing this spectacle.
The guardian elders of the Exquisite Sect were equally stunned. Witnessing the Nine Heavenly Tribulations was a once-in-a-lifetime event; they would die content having seen it.
"Who in the Zhang family is undergoing this tribulation?"
The guardian elders were filled with bewilderment.
Initially, they hadn't paid much heed—a Golden Core Stage cultivator was an apex force in Vertville City but merely a curiosity to them.
All of the guardian elders were at the Golden Core Stage, yet here they faced the formidable Nine Heavenly Lightning of the Golden Core Tribulation!
Murong Yu was profoundly shaken. As the Saintess of the Exquisite Sect, she was exceptionally gifted, and even her breakthrough had only invoked seven bolts of heavenly thunder, just qualifying her for the Heavenly Core quality.
Despite this, the Sect Master of the Exquisite Sect had taken her under his wing, grooming Murong Yu to one day lead the Sect.
But here was someone with a ninth-grade Golden Core!
Murong Yu's face darkened with a tinge of disappointment, yet there was a sense of relief in her heart.
"I had suspected it was you, for how else could Ouyang Tian have perished?" she whispered to herself.
"But this quality of Golden Core suggests an exceedingly rare talent. Such a child of heaven could not possibly be you. It simply cannot be you!"
With a look of resolute conviction, Murong Yu seemed to be reassuring someone else or perhaps affirming it to herself.
Just then, from within the brooding clouds, nine bolts of lightning erupted with a thunderous roar that shook the heavens. In the blink of an eye, they plummeted down, striking with ferocious force in the direction of the Zhang family!
