Chapter Eighty-Seven: Is the Quality Too Poor?

One of the peculiar rules of the Snow Burial Sect was that no disciple was allowed to undergo a heavenly tribulation within the sect. Instead, they had to go to a stone hall thousands of miles away to face it. If a disciple had their own plans, they could choose another place, but never the sect itself.

The reason was, of course, the forbidden Thunder Pool. Since the founding of the sect, that place had existed. It was said that the first disciple taken in by the sect’s founding patriarch had perished there, unable to survive the lightning tribulation on the way from spirit transformation to infant transformation.

After that, the patriarch grieved for a time. Then his second disciple was due to cross tribulation. He steadied his mind and prepared to help, but the second disciple still failed to survive the heavenly calamity and was annihilated in body and soul.

Later, when the patriarch saw his youngest disciple approaching the tribulation that would carry him from nascent soul to the next realm, he sealed the boy’s cultivation at once, went out to gather vast quantities of rare treasures of heaven and earth, and spent a hundred years constructing the Thunder Pool’s forbidden ground. Only then did he release his youngest disciple, personally control the pool, and subject him to a false tribulation.

Sure enough, the youngest disciple successfully advanced to the spirit transformation stage. Later, when he was due to face the tribulation from spirit transformation to infant transformation, the patriarch once again personally controlled the Thunder Pool and struck him with it. In the end, even that tribulation was overcome, and the youngest disciple became the Snow Burial Sect’s second mighty infant transformation expert.

By the time the founding patriarch’s lifespan was exhausted, that youngest disciple had become the sect’s second grandmaster. He then established the rule that one must first endure the tempering of the Thunder Pool before crossing tribulation, and this rule had been followed ever since.

However, if one crossed tribulation within the sect, it would resonate with the Thunder Pool. The pool would then be drawn into sympathy with the heavenly calamity, increasing its power. Thus, crossing tribulation inside the sect was tantamount to courting death.

When the current patriarch of the Snow Burial Sect arrived before the sinkhole, he first stared blankly at the thunderclouds above it, then clearly sensed the lightning within growing weaker by the moment. Yet there was nothing he could do.

“Patriarch, how is it? Is there any way?” the sect master asked carefully.

The patriarch remained silent for a long moment, then shook his head.

The lightning power in the Thunder Pool had been gathered from many directions. Even he had no solution, and he did not know why it was dissipating. He also dared not go closer to investigate. After all, the pool had been condensed over thousands of years, and the force contained within was beyond what he could endure.

Seeing the patriarch shake his head, the sect master also sighed. It seemed that in the future, when disciples needed to cross tribulation, the Thunder Pool would be unusable. They would have to depend on their own circumstances instead.

“The foundation formation of the Thunder Pool is not damaged. Only the lightning power is dispersing. Perhaps something is absorbing it, which is why this is happening. We just need to wait until the lightning inside drops to a certain level, and then we can go in to investigate,” the patriarch said.

“To a certain level…” The sect master smiled bitterly.

If it had to fall to a level low enough to enter the thunderclouds, then how much lightning would remain inside? Presumably only enough for a few nascent soul disciples to experience a hint of the power of tribulation before advancing.

Inside the thunderclouds, Chen Xiang was bathing in a pool formed from lightning, his face full of bliss. He was naked all over, not a hair on his head, brows, or anywhere else.

“Mmm! Qin’er, one more kiss!”

“Come on, don’t be shy…”

Then Chen Xiang rolled over, held his hands out as if embracing someone, and puckered his lips with a series of chirping kisses.

Sizzle!

The surrounding lightning seemed unable to bear such an affectionate display, and quickly scattered, retreating a meter away from Chen Xiang.

“Hm?” Chen Xiang sensed something odd and abruptly opened his eyes.

“Uh…” He looked around in astonishment. The white light was blinding, but beyond it was only darkness. From time to time, bolts of electricity tore through the blackness and shot outward.

“What place is this?” Chen Xiang propped himself up, trying to sit, but as soon as he pushed down with his hands he nearly wrenched his waist.

He hurriedly steadied himself and looked around, only then realizing that he was lying flat upon this expanse of white light. And he also sensed that this white radiance was actually lightning.

“Damn, where is this? Why am I not wearing any clothes?” Chen Xiang used spiritual energy to tread the air and float up, only to discover that he was outrageously naked, not even a single hair left.

He knew his clothes had probably been destroyed by the lightning, but his flesh body could absorb lightning power to temper itself, which was why he had no injuries.

He originally wanted to take out a robe to wear, but the moment he produced one from his spatial ring, it was smashed to dust by the surrounding lightning.

Chen Xiang’s face was full of helplessness. He was not some exhibitionist.

Ding. Congratulations to host Chen Xiang for successfully surviving the tribulation. Current cultivation: first level of the nascent soul stage.

Ding. Congratulations to the host for advancing to the nascent soul stage. Reward granted: one growth gift package.

Ding. Congratulations to host Chen Xiang for advancing. Current cultivation: second level of the nascent soul stage.

Ding. Congratulations to host Chen Xiang for advancing. Current cultivation: third level of the nascent soul stage.

A series of system notifications rang in his mind. The reservoir of accumulated experience he had stored at the peak of the nascent soul stage also came into play, directly raising him to the third level of the nascent soul stage.

He knew he had survived the heavenly tribulation, but after crossing it he had fallen unconscious. Immediately, he looked into his dantian.

Inside it sat a baby that bore a few faint similarities to Chen Xiang. This was his nascent soul.

Feeling the even stronger power circulating within his body, Chen Xiang showed a satisfied expression.

But when he suddenly looked down at the lightning beneath him, greed flared in his eyes once more.

“System, there’s so much lightning here. Why not let me absorb it?” Chen Xiang asked.

Ding. The quality of the lightning here is too poor and can no longer satisfy the host’s requirements. Absorbing it would instead weaken your cultivation method. Does the host wish to absorb it?

“No, no, just leave it be!” Chen Xiang broke out in a cold sweat at the explanation.

Too poor in quality? Lightning even had quality grades? Ah, yes, ordinary lightning compared with divine lightning would of course be of poor quality. And if absorbing it would weaken his cultivation method, then this was a loss-making deal best avoided.

He checked the progress of Heavenly Thunder Judgment again and was immediately overjoyed.

It had actually reached the third stage: Lightning Tempering the Soul. That meant using lightning to temper the soul, tempering from the inside out. And the progress of Lightning Tempering the Soul had already reached fifty-five percent; it was only about halfway to the fourth stage, One Thought, Lightning Born.

Chen Xiang dismissed the system interface. This tribulation had been fraught with danger, but he had still made it through successfully. He did not know what had happened while he had been unconscious, but his prestige value had somehow increased by more than ten thousand points. He wanted to open the nascent soul growth gift package right away, but getting out was more important for now.

“System, where is this place?” Chen Xiang decided not to wander around and asked directly.

Ding. The host is currently within the Thunder Pool. This pool was forged by a peak infant transformation expert and is wrapped in a heavenly spirit formation. Its surface is even harder than steel and can withstand attacks from a seventh-level infant transformation expert.

“Holy hell! Inside the Thunder Pool?” Chen Xiang froze, then blurted it out.

How had he ended up inside the Thunder Pool? He had originally thought that after falling to the ground, he would be rescued by the Snow Burial Sect’s disciples. While unconscious, he had even spent a thousand prestige points to have the system immediately use the Void-Breaking Escape Talisman if it sensed danger, so there was no need to worry at all. Could it be that the people of the Snow Burial Sect, in utter madness, had thrown him in here?

“Mm, that’s possible.”