"Run! It’s a lightning storm!" an inner disciple shouted at the outer disciples who were self-studying martial arts from the martial comics.
Nearly six months after the Rainbow Alliance Meeting, the Celestial Dragon Sect faced its first disaster.
"It’s a lightning storm," Elder Shen declared, his voice filled with concern. "We must evacuate everyone to the safety of the sect’s shield spell and immediately inform the sect leader. We also need to dispatch a team down the mountain to check on the villagers nearby. The intensity of this storm suggests that Sect Leader Yan may have achieved a significant breakthrough in her closed-door cultivation."
One after another, bolts of lightning rained down upon the revered Celestial Dragon Mountain, a sight of fury that could shake the heavens. Ancient and towering trees that were once giants guardians of the woods were reduced to smouldering charcoal as animals fled in terror, their cries lost in the chaos. Each lightning strike felled pines that lived for hundreds of years, sending them crashing into their brethren, igniting a catastrophic chain reaction. The forest, once a sanctuary of tranquillity, now uprooted itself in a desperate dance of destruction.
The colossal upheaval of trees left the riverbanks exposed and vulnerable. Enormous clumps of loose soil, no longer anchored by the trees, cascaded into the once gentle river. Choked with debris, the gentle river turned violent as its waters swelled with the displaced earth. Landslides roared down the mountain’s slopes, obliterating the serene landscape, roads and severed paths that had connected villages for generations.
Unable to follow its usual course, the river took over the low-lying lands in a misdirected torrent. Floodwaters surged and swept everything in their path, including fertile fields that the farmers had poured their sweat and hope into. Not even the trench dug for spring flooding helped to curb the wild waters.
Anji was carried into the building for safety by Gu Ying, who had settled nicely into her new job as the youngest princess’ assistant. The lightning storm struck ten times, and each time it touched the earth, a deafening clap of thunder accompanied it.
"Stay indoors for now," Zhao Ruiting advised her younger sister and the servants. "Father and Mother are investigating the situation, and the Elders are checking on the villagers below the mountain. The sect will be very busy from now on, Anji. Your shifu must have broken through!"
Without her parents present, Zhao Ruiting was now in charge of managing the sect internally. The disciples had all been evacuated safely and accounted for. However, there was not enough lodging for the outer disciples who had been taken into the sect for temporary protection. Hence, the oldest daughter of the Celestial Dragon Sect left to talk to the logistics department.
During a tribulation, the lightning storm could last for up to an hour for every level of cultivation base. Yan Ping was already a Divine Core cultivator. Anji had never seen a tribulation before, but the amount of lightning that pelted their mountain terrified her. Would her father have to tolerate this amount of heavenly trials when he finally attained the Supreme Core as well?
For ten hours straight, the lightning storm persisted. Even when there wasn’t a single rain cloud in the sky, the sun was nowhere to be seen. Strong winds shook the mountain like a hurricane, circling the Celestial Dragon Mountain like a protective barrier. Yan Ping’s tribulation lasted longer than Zhao Mingfeng thought it would. He counted the number of lightning strikes. There were a total of a hundred lightning strikes, both big and small. It was said that when Yan Ping’s teacher ascended, she endured a total of one hundred and eight lightning strikes.
Because of these tribulations, every stage of progression in cultivation becomes harder than the last. During the Initial Core stage, beginner cultivators suffer from a week of high fever. Without regulating their qi during the trial, they will not be able to create the core that acts as a furnace for further purifying qi required to reach the subsequent stages.
When progressing from the Strengthened Core to the Solid Core, the cultivator’s body will be torn and rebuilt internally, causing tremendous pain. Organs, skin, blood, muscles and bones were broken down and regrown with every progression. By the time a cultivator reaches the Solid Core, they will have attained the Ultimate Body, which cannot fall ill or become injured by normal weapons. Depending on the type of cultivation path, the cultivator could even create a variant of the Ultimate Body, such as the Poison Body, Steel Body, Demonic Body, etc.
Tribulations from the Enlightened Core stage took on more physical representation. As cultivators from the Enlightened Core stage must understand the relationship between nature and qi, the universe now responds to the cultivator’s calling. Natural disasters such as summoning lightning storms were common to help a cultivator absorb more natural qi to break through to a new level.
Yet, one sect refused to believe in withstanding the deadly tribulations. After the Solid Core stage, the practitioners of the Mystical Qilin Sect would hide themselves in spell-protected cultivation chambers to rapidly progress without risk of failing a tribulation. However, Zhao Mingfeng had no way of knowing that Yan Ping intended to borrow his mountain to tank the tribulations on her behalf. If he had known, he would have erected a huge barrier around the mountain to contain the damage beforehand. Unfortunately, there was not much he could do. Crying over spilt milk would not save the livelihood of villagers living below his mountain.
Anji waited until the lightning storm passed. The clear night sky after the tribulation storms made it seem like the entire afternoon had only been a dream.
"Does this mean I will be able to see shifu soon?" Anji yawned.
Beside her, Lizi smiled.
"Most likely," the maid grinned. "Are you excited?"
Over the past few months, Anji studied diligently. With Gu Ying’s illustrated comic book, she mastered the basic movements of the Taiji Fist and Eight Trigram Palms. Due to the complexity of the Eight Trigram Palms, the martial comic had to be split into eight different volumes. Doctor He’s interval training method was helpful, and Anji’s stamina increased slightly. Her muscles were stronger, and she no longer felt overly exhausted, even after exercising for thirty minutes daily.
"I don’t know," she replied to Lizi honestly. "Shifu assigned me a lot of homework. I have not fully understood martial arts yet. Of the Four Books, I have only read the Doctrine of the Mean. Doctor He spent too much time teaching me medicine, and I wasted too much time learning basic arithmetic with Mother."
Basic Arithmetic... for the longest time, everyone in the Celestial Dragon Sect thought Anji was a child genius with no flaws apart from her weak health. However, after Wanting’s lesson to introduce basic calculation, it became widely known that their youngest princess couldn’t count anything past ten without the help of an abacus. As it turned out, Math was Anji’s Achilles heel!
"I’m sure Sect Leader Yan will understand," consoled Lizi. "You’ve been working very hard daily without cutting corners. Anyone could see that you’ve done your best."
Uncertain and nervous, Anji had trouble falling asleep. Taking the initiative, Lizi brewed a pot of chamomile tea with some honey. The calming tea worked like a charm, and before she knew it, Anji was snoring lightly as she dreamed about talking herbs and rumbling thunderclouds. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs N0velFire.ɴet
"Sweet dreams, young mistress."