Chapter 15: Heavenly Tribulation

Inside Xuefeng's dantian, his spirit had already transformed after becoming a Spirit Master. Initially the size of a fist, it had grown to at least ten times its original size, allowing him to refine Spirit Essence at a significantly faster rate. The small vortex connected to his dantian was slowly turning into a small tornado.

The sight caused Liu Xiaobei's eyes to light up, and he sent out a controversial order to the Shadow Guards. "Take the kids and everyone below the Spirit King stage out of the building."

The Shadow Guard nodded and vanished, reappearing next to a random child before they both disappeared. Seconds later, the rest of the available Shadow Guards began escorting everyone from the hall to the garden.

Even the daughters of the Clan Leaders were taken away, leaving only the elite inside the hall. Everyone was confused at the sudden precaution until they saw the sky-blue glow around Xuefeng's body begin to darken. He was improving his talent once again!

Outside the Liu clan's territory, the crowd also sensed that something was wrong. The thinning Spirit Essence in the air was hindering their cultivation.

"Look towards the Liu Clan! There's a giant tornado sucking all the Spirit Essence from the air!" someone cried out.

"Is this another phenomenon?"

"Maybe. For now, it's just a tornado made of dense Spirit Essence. You can even see it with the naked eye!"

"Hah, I already broke through. If another phenomenon arises, I might improve even further… Wait, look at the sky! Purple clouds are forming!"

"Another Heaven Phenomenon. The Liu Clan is blessed. Everyone, let's prepare to cultivate!"

Everyone sat down again as they prepared to cultivate, but they didn't get what they expected. Instead of boundless Purple Spirit Essence, every bit was being sucked into the tornado above the Spirit Awakening Hall, which turned completely purple from the dense clouds.

Inside the hall, the Shadow Guards tasked with protecting Xuefeng caught pieces of the ceiling before they hit their Young Master. Due to the Purple Heaven Phenomenon, the increased Spirit Essence was causing the hall to buckle under the pressure. The opening was now twice as large.

Zhen Ping, who was allowed to stay after advancing to the Spirit King stage, stared daggers at Xuefeng. His eyes were red with jealousy as thoughts of sabotaging him crossed his mind.

'How could this bastard get a purple talent? He was supposed to stay at the red one forever! How did this happen?' he screamed inwardly.

When he glanced at Zhen Shan and saw her interested expression, his hatred for Xuefeng multiplied. The two had different mothers, so he never considered her his sister. He always wanted to take her as his wife after becoming the next Emperor.

'If I can't have her, then no one can!'

This time, the Purple Heaven Phenomenon ended before it even fully began. The Purple Spirit Essence was much more condensed than Spirit Awakening Liquid, propelling Xuefeng into a Black Talent before he finished absorbing it all.

Above the hall, the sky darkened again and the sun disappeared behind thick black clouds that filled the horizon. The purple color was quickly consumed by them, and eye-catching thunderbolts began illuminating the city.

'Your increase in talent has attracted the Heavenly Tribulation instead of a normal Heavenly Phenomenon. I can't help you block them, so you will have to use your soul and will to withstand it,' the Fate Spirit informed as she returned control to the host.

His pupils reverted to their original blue as his mind returned to his body, and he looked around, surprised to see an almost empty hall. About forty dark silhouettes were standing around him, but he had no time to investigate further.

The sound of thunderbolts sounded in the sky, forcing him to focus on defense.

'You've finally angered the heavens! You could have stopped at Purple Talent, but you wanted more, you greedy bastard!' Emperor Zhen smirked inwardly despite being shocked by Xuefeng's achievements. 'Just wait till I investigate your secrets. I will find out the method you used to increase your talent.'

Many wished him to fail, but two people didn't hesitate to jump in to help him.

"He is going to undergo a Heavenly Tribulation!" Mu Lan cried to her husband as she dashed towards the stage.

Liu Xiaobei followed suit with a shiny blue sword appearing in his hand, but it was too late. Before they reached the stage, the first lightning bolt struck.

"Nooooooooo!" Mu Lan screamed as the light approached her son, but then she paused in surprise. "Wait, he is fine?"

Xuefeng was also dumbfounded as he expected to be fried like a chicken on a grill, but the pain never came. He only felt a little tingling all over his body, almost feeling refreshed.

The Shadow Guards who were protecting Xuefeng were the ones pushed back by the aftershock, but Xuefeng remained unscathed as if the Heavenly Tribulation never hit him.

Meanwhile, another lightning bolt fell from the black clouds. This time, Xuefeng felt like a million ants were crawling on his skin.

"That's all? If you want to test me, it will take a lot more than that!" Xuefeng laughed at the sky after succeeding the second time, his confidence growing. "Come on! Shoot at me with all you've got!"

Everyone in the hall thought he was mad since only he felt the energizing feeling coursing through his veins, making him feel more alive than ever. The more lightning bolts landed on him, the stronger he became.

His parents came to a silent agreement not to approach him and instead watched the sky, awaiting the third strike. To their surprise, the sky was forming another two thunderbolts.

"Oh no, it's at least a Six-Stage Heavenly Tribulation! Can he make it?" Mu Lan asked worriedly.

"He doesn't have a choice. The lightning will chase after him even if he tries to run," Liu Xiaobei replied as he squinted his eyes.

This time, when the two thunderbolts crashed into Xuefeng's body, he finally felt pain. Although brief, it was as if someone stabbed him in the heart with thousands of needles. The pain quickly subsided, but he could still feel the lingering tingling.

He remembered the Fate Spirit's advice to use his soul and will to withstand the tribulation. The two lightning bolts didn't destroy his confidence; they only strengthened it.

"Is that all you have? It only tickled me a little bit!" Xuefeng challenged the heavens again.

"Madman, he's a madman." Even the Emperor was shocked beyond belief.

While those in the hall waited for the next lightning bolts, the crowd outside went wild. Some expected a Black Heavenly Phenomenon, but they were surprised by the Heavenly Tribulation.

Now everyone was curious about the target of the tribulation. They silently watched, knowing they were witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime event.

The last two lightning bolts forming in the clouds were much larger than the first four, their color changing from white to bloody red. Xuefeng gulped as he stared at the sky but then shook his head. 'No, I can't get distracted. I already died once. I can't let that happen again.'

His face changed to one of determination as he shouted again, "I'm ready! Let's finish it already! Come at me!"

The heavens answered his challenge, sending down the last two bloody red lightning bolts.