Chapter 121 – Learning Thunder Techniques During Tribulation—As Long As You're Bold, Heavenly Tribulation…

Roar!

Lu Chen’s roaring Sword Qi Flood Dragon tore through the sky, crashing head-on into the descending Lightning Tribulation.

Boom!

Upon impact, shattered arcs of electricity danced across the Sword Qi Flood Dragon’s form.

Amid crackling sounds, blinding white light erupted, illuminating the sky that had been darkened by ominous clouds.

Though the Sword Qi Flood Dragon shattered the thunderbolt, it too could not endure for long.

It soon fragmented mid-air, dissolving into countless tiny shards of Sword Qi.

Remnant lightning bypassed these fragments, striking Lu Chen with astonishing speed.

Yet instead of harming him, this residual lightning further solidified his newly forged immortal foundation, expelling impurities he could not perceive on his own.

Heavenly thunder coursed through his body, purifying his essence and cleansing his marrow.

In an instant, Lu Chen understood the benefits this heavenly thunder bestowed.

A single bolt had increased his Spiritual Power limit by approximately ten percent.

It was crucial to note his current Spiritual Power upper limit was no longer the 30,000 points from his Qi Condensation Stage perfection.

【Name: Lu Chen (Azure Cloud Sect · Danyang Peak Inner Disciple)】

【Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Stage First Layer (35,000/1,150,000)】

【Foundation Grade: Second Grade Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment (20%)】

The 35,000 base Spiritual Power came from the magic treasure, Nine Luminaries Spirit Orb.

Of the 1,150,000 Spiritual Power limit, 50,000 was contributed by the Nine Luminaries Spirit Orb, reaching the magic treasure’s amplification limit.

The remaining 100,000 increase in Spiritual Power limit resulted from this heavenly thunder infusion.

Seeing these changes on his status panel, Lu Chen realized the heavenly thunder was not merely a trial but a great Opportunity.

He estimated there should be five thunderbolts in total.

If each could yield similar gains, his Spiritual Power limit would reach an astounding ‘1,550,000’.

In terms of raw numbers, his Spiritual Power would surpass that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator by over fifteen times.

A cultivator with a Ninth Grade Human Dao Foundation Establishment would only have a maximum of 100,000 Spiritual Power at perfection.

Lu Chen’s projected 1,550,000 points at Foundation Establishment Perfection was fifteen times that amount—and this didn’t even account for the ‘Great Dao’s reward’ after transcending the tribulation.

Thrilled by this realization, Lu Chen grew even more focused.

The second heavenly thunder was already gathering.

If he failed to neutralize most of its power, allowing excessive lightning to strike him, it would bring harm rather than benefit.

Only a small fraction of the lightning, imbued with the power of heaven and earth, could purify his body.

Boom!

As thunder rumbled within the clouds, a thicker, more powerful lightning bolt began to coalesce.

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Lu Chen sensed a trace of his own Dragon Transformation Sword Intent within this gathering tempest.

This thought made him observe the thunderclouds with even greater intensity.Soon he discovered that the thought in his mind… was not an illusion!

The thunderclouds of the First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation truly absorbed some of the power dispersed by cultivators, transforming it into part of the Lightning Tribulation itself.

No wonder, no wonder throughout history, all cultivators said that the Heavenly Tribulation must not be interfered with by outsiders.

Not to mention that the tribulation lightning contained within the heavenly thunder was originally a great supplement for cultivators.

It was a rare and precious Opportunity.

If other cultivators truly helped one transcend the tribulation, the dispersed power from their techniques would also merge into the Heavenly Tribulation.

Thus, the stronger the cultivators helping you, the more powerful the subsequent Heavenly Tribulation would become.

Therefore, having other cultivators assist in transcending the tribulation would only result in missing the baptism of the tribulation lightning while indirectly increasing the difficulty of tribulation transcendence.

All harm and no benefit.

After realizing this, Lu Chen immediately changed his original strategy.

To deal with this second Heavenly Tribulation, he could no longer use the Dragon Transformation Sword Intent.

The current tribulation had only absorbed part of his Dragon Transformation Sword Intent, yet it had already undergone such changes.

If it absorbed more Dragon Transformation Sword Intent…

then what he would have to face might be a Heavenly Tribulation Flood Dragon composed of complete Dragon Transformation Sword Intent.

How terrifying such a Heavenly Tribulation would be, Lu Chen didn’t even dare to imagine.

Therefore, during the charging process of the second tribulation lightning.

Lu Chen immediately released the Shangqing Cloud Sword from his hand.

The azure profound-colored Shangqing Cloud Sword flew several circles around him before finally stopping behind his back, splitting into twelve Flying Swords.

Sword Control Technique – this was a basic ability all Sword Cultivators possessed at the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Because at this stage, a Sword Cultivator’s Spiritual Power became more resilient, able to maintain the connection between themselves and their Spirit Sword without being severed.

Moreover, due to the more abundant Spiritual Power of Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.

The consumption of sword control was even less than their natural Spiritual Power recovery rate.

[Name: Shangqing Cloud Sword]

[Grade: Second Realm (Growable)]

[Quality: Perfect]

[Trait One·Gentle Breeze: The spirit sword rides the wind, greatly increasing sword control speed]

[Trait Two·Light Splitting: Can split into twelve subsidiary swords for combat]

Light Splitting – this was an inherent effect of the Shangqing Cloud Sword.

But what Lu Chen intended to do now was naturally not as simple as just splitting into twelve Flying Swords.

Azure Lotus Sword Intent… Jade Pool!

Drip…

With a clear sound like water droplets falling on a water surface.

A brilliant blue Jade Pool appeared around Lu Chen.

Although this Jade Pool wasn’t physically real, merely a manifestation of Concept.

The moment this pool appeared, the twelve Flying Swords suspended behind Lu Chen all underwent changes.

The twelve Flying Swords transformed into twelve azure lotuses.

The twelve azure lotuses continuously rotated, beautiful yet radiating an indescribable danger.

Furthermore, these twelve azure lotuses formed a special lotus halo behind Lu Chen, like a golden wheel.

Confronting the second Heavenly Tribulation about to descend from the sky.

Within Danyang Peak, due to the appearance of the Azure Cloud Sect Leader, Gu Liqing.

Except for some Elders and Protectors still in seclusion, the remaining people had been temporarily driven outside the mountain.

Only Gu Liqing, Jing Gong, and Danyang Peak’s Peak Lord, Perfected Luolan, Du Youlan remained within the peak.

“Senior Brother Gu, Junior Brother Jing, how many tribulations do you think this child Lu Chen can withstand?”Gu Liqing pondered these words for a moment before speaking: “The Heavenly Tribulation for the First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation consists of only five heavenly thunderbolts, but each of these five thunderbolts is far more powerful than the previous ones.”

“More crucially, these heavenly thunderbolts also adapt according to the cultivator’s own strength.”

“Therefore, to fully transcend the heavenly thunder of the First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation, outstanding cultivation alone is insufficient—one must also master multiple techniques.”

“Otherwise, one can only reach the third or fourth tribulation.”

“In the nearly ten-thousand-year history of the Immortal Cultivation World, the reason only a handful have achieved the First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation isn’t because they couldn’t trigger its tribulation, but because they couldn’t completely survive the full heavenly trial.”

“I don’t know how many prodigies over these millennia have stalled at the third or fourth tribulation, nor dare I claim whether Lu Chen can withstand the fifth. But I dare say… he will definitely persist until the fifth.”

“Oh?”

Hearing this, Du Youlan’s gaze toward Lu Chen immediately grew intrigued.

Because the difference between persisting until the fifth tribulation and actually transcending it was immense.

The former meant Lu Chen could at most achieve Second-Grade Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.

The latter meant he could attain the First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation.

The gap between them was like heaven and earth.

At this thought, her anticipation for Lu Chen’s subsequent performance grew even stronger.

After all, if Lu Chen could reliably transcend at least four tribulations…

Then his achievements at the Foundation Establishment Stage would make him the closest in Azure Cloud Sect’s entire ten-thousand-year history to their founding Ancestral Master, the Azure Cloud Immortal.

And this disciple… came from her Danyang Peak!

Though she’d had little prior contact with this disciple, she still felt shared pride!

Within Danyang Peak, Lu Chen remained unaware that three people were observing his tribulation transcendence.

He had devoted all his concentration to the heavenly tribulation before him.

His pupils had completely transformed into azure lotus patterns, the rotating lotus pupils seemingly recording something.

Ordinary cultivators might fear the heavenly tribulation, not daring to entertain other thoughts while transcending it.

But Lu Chen was different. Though steady by nature, his caution didn’t preclude appropriately pursuing greater advantages.

The Great Dao is formless, yet the Great Dao has form.

Formless in that the Dao cannot be seen or touched.

Having form in that the Dao exists regardless of whether you perceive it.

And the heavenly tribulation represents one of the rare moments when cultivators can truly ‘see’ the Great Dao.

Lu Chen wouldn’t waste such an opportunity.

He wanted to use his Azure Lotus Eyes to record the faintly visible traces of the Great Dao within the thunderclouds.

He didn’t expect to perfectly replicate this world-destroying tribulation.

But even replicating just one percent would become another trump card to complement his ‘Heretical Sword’.

After all, the Heretical Sword was a special technique that would cause his immediate death upon execution.

Without ‘Great Dao Fragment (Heavenly Reversal)’, Lu Chen absolutely wouldn’t dare execute this sword technique with his true body.

Because he wasn’t Gu Xian—using this ancient method placed far too great a burden on him.

But the heavenly tribulation was different.

This was an eternal power within the Immortal Cultivation World.

If his Azure Lotus Eyes could truly replicate portions of this tribulation’s power…

Then given his current cultivation and physique, his true body should be able to execute it directly.At that moment, the Clone would wield the Heretical Sword while the main body executed the Heavenly Thunder Strike.

His strength would undoubtedly reach new heights.

Faced with such immense fortune, Lu Chen would neither let it slip nor could he afford to!

Boom!

As the thunderclouds in the sky accumulated to a certain point,

the second Heavenly Tribulation finally descended.

This second bolt was not only thicker than the first,

but its sinuous form even bore a resemblance to a Flood Dragon.

At this sight, Lu Chen’s eyes sharpened.

“Go.”

With his command, the twelve Azure Lotuses behind him began to shoot out countless tiny lotus petals.

Wrapped in Sword Qi, these petals rained down upon the thunder dragon in the sky.

Clink, clink, clink…

The Azure Lotus Flying Swords struck the thunder dragon, emitting crisp sounds as numerous cracks began to appear across its body.

Yet, the thunder dragon seemed oblivious, pressing forward through the dense sword rain until it was just ten meters away from Lu Chen.

At this distance, the dozen or so Azure Lotuses that had been hovering behind Lu Chen shot forth one after another, striking the thunder dragon.

Boom!

In a tremendous explosion,

Lu Chen’s Flying Swords and the thunder dragon vanished together.

However, from the dissipating thunderous light, a remnant of pure Lightning Tribulation energy surged out and enveloped Lu Chen.

Once again, a tingling sensation coursed through his entire body.

His cultivation, Physique, potential… all saw further improvement.

But unlike the first time’s ease,

Lu Chen now felt a mounting pressure.

And this… was only the second Lightning Tribulation.

Without giving him much time to rest,

the thunderclouds in the sky swiftly gathered to form a new tribulation.

This third one was even more peculiar than the previous two.

Lu Chen noticed that not only did it contain a shadow resembling a Flood Dragon, but it also manifested thunderous lotuses akin to lotus flowers.

Undoubtedly, the Heavenly Tribulation had fused his Azure Lotus Sword Intent into the lightning,

further amplifying the power of the third tribulation.

After an indeterminate period, the third Heavenly Thunder fully coalesced.

This third thunder dragon appeared even more lifelike than the second,

and it seemed to carry additional Dao charm.

For instance, its Dragon Scales were etched with lotus patterns.

“Roar!”

The thunder dragon roared before swooping down toward Lu Chen with a howl.

In response, Lu Chen unveiled another new technique.

A wisp of righteous Qi, a swift wind spanning a thousand miles.

Its energy upright, its Sword… untainted!

Clink!

As the Righteous Sword Intent emanated from Lu Chen, though no distinct Concept manifested around him,

countless ethereal white energies emerged from the mountains and earth, swiftly converging onto his Shangqing Cloud Sword.

In no time, the originally three-foot-long Shangqing Cloud Sword

transformed into a hundred-foot giant sword enveloped in these pale energies.

A hundred feet—over thirty meters!

Gazing at the Righteous Qi Sword, massive as a small hill,

Gu Liqing, Jing Gong, and Du Youlan in the distance were utterly astounded.

Du Youlan turned to Jing Gong, her red lips parting slightly as she murmured in disbelief, “Jing… Junior Brother Jing, is this really a Disciple you could have taught?”At this, Jing Gong awkwardly scratched his head: “Senior Sister Du, if I told you he not only cultivated to this stage entirely on his own, but also came knocking on our door asking to become a disciple… would you believe me?”

Du Youlan gave him a profound look before nodding: “I believe it. With your level of skill, you teaching him? It’s more likely he’d be teaching you!”

“This is truly a case of sitting at home while immortality descends from heaven – you somehow managed to stumble upon a treasure through sheer luck!”

Hearing this, Jing Gong didn’t know how to respond, only managing an awkward yet polite smile.

But then again, luck is part of one’s capability too.

Hadn’t Perfected Xuanyu Liu Yan’er from neighboring Jade Void Mountain merely been visiting another sect when she happened to pick up a lost Shangguan Yunmeng on her way back?

For cultivators, while talent and hard work are undoubtedly important, luck… is equally crucial!

Sometimes when fortune smiles upon you, even if you do nothing, a prodigy with True Immortal potential will deliver themselves to your doorstep!

Thinking of this, Jing Gong began anticipating Lu Chen’s subsequent performance.

Just based on the Righteous Qi Sword he was currently displaying.

If nothing else, he would definitely survive this third Heavenly Tribulation.

In the sky, when the third Heavenly Tribulation’s lightning dragon collided with Lu Chen’s hundred-foot-long Righteous Qi Sword.

A terrifying lightning flash far surpassing previous ones illuminated the entire sky.

Although the lightning dragon was shattered instantly by the Righteous Qi Sword.

The dispersed lightning didn’t vanish as before, but instead transformed into numerous tiny bolts that struck Lu Chen’s Righteous Qi Sword again, forming a secondary attack.

Undoubtedly, these tiny lightning bolts were the product of the Heavenly Tribulation having absorbed part of Lu Chen’s Azure Lotus Sword Intent.

Under the assault of these lightning bolts carrying azure lotus power, Lu Chen’s already precarious Righteous Qi Sword completely collapsed.

However, most of these tiny lightning bolts were consumed in the process.

Leaving only a few remnants to descend toward Lu Chen.

Facing these residual lightning bolts, Lu Chen did nothing, merely standing calmly in place.

Crackle, crackle…

When the lightning struck Lu Chen’s body, it instantly transformed into countless electric arcs that enveloped his entire form.

The arcs only caused Lu Chen’s brows to furrow slightly.

Failing to inflict any substantial damage.

The third Heavenly Tribulation had concluded.

Dragon Transformation Sword Intent, Azure Lotus Sword Intent, Righteous Sword Intent…

Three Heavenly Tribulations, three different sword intents displayed by Lu Chen.

Although superficially he appeared unharmed and had even gained considerable tempering from the lightning tribulation.

Seemingly capable of easily surviving the remaining two lightning tribulations.

But Lu Chen understood clearly that the true test… was only beginning now.

Because the heavenly tribulation above had already absorbed three of his sword intents.

Including an ultimate offensive technique like the Righteous Sword Intent.

Therefore, these final two lightning strikes wouldn’t be so easily withstood.

Fortunately, even at this stage, he still retained his trump card.

Art… Man-Mountain Art.

As Lu Chen formed hand seals, countless rocks began gathering around him.

Soon, a hundred-foot-tall stone giant stood upon Danyang Peak.

[Man-Mountain Art: Realm Breaking (Cannot be upgraded)]

[Effect: When activated, gathers spiritual energy to form a mountain, transforming into a Mountain Man (thirty meters)]【Special Effect·Profound Yellow Power: When stepping on the earth, one can continuously absorb the earth’s spiritual power through the Profound Yellow Power】

Unlike the Man-Mountain Art during the Qi Condensation Stage, which could only transform into a ten-meter human mountain.

After Lu Chen’s cultivation reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, the human mountain formed by the Man-Mountain Art naturally grew larger.

It had now reached a height of one hundred chi, equivalent to thirty meters.

The reason he only used the Man-Mountain Art at the fourth Heavenly Tribulation was that Lu Chen believed it had a certain restraining effect on the tribulation.

It was best to deploy it during the latter two tribulations.

Shortly after Lu Chen transformed into the hundred-chi human mountain, the new fourth Heavenly Tribulation gathered.

Massive—the only word to describe this new tribulation was “massive.”

Compared to the third Heavenly Tribulation, the volume of the fourth had increased by two to three times.

Clearly, this change occurred because the fourth Heavenly Tribulation had absorbed the Sword Intent from the previous Righteous Sword Qi.

From a distance, Du Youlan trembled as she watched the terrifying fourth Heavenly Tribulation and asked in a shaky voice, “Senior Brother Gu, can Lu Chen truly withstand this fourth Heavenly Tribulation?”

Hearing this, Gu Liqing fell silent.

Although he had also triggered a First-Grade Great Dao Immortal Foundation tribulation in his time, he hadn’t even survived the third one.

Thus, he had no real understanding of the fourth Heavenly Tribulation.

He could only make a relatively reasonable inference based on historical records and his own experience.

But now, it seemed he had underestimated the tribulation’s characteristic of growing stronger in response to strength.

It was true that Lu Chen’s Sword Path was profound, but this also meant the tribulation he faced would far exceed that of an ordinary person.

The power of this fourth Heavenly Tribulation had already reached what Gu Liqing had originally estimated for the fifth.

Thinking this, Gu Liqing immediately spoke up, “Junior Sister Du, Junior Brother Jing, we need to be more vigilant from now on.”

“If Lu Chen shows any signs of being unable to withstand the heavenly lightning, the three of us must act without hesitation.”

“Even if it means he misses a tremendous opportunity, it’s better than losing his life, isn’t it?”

“Given the power of the tribulation he’s facing now, I suspect the final tribulation might approach the Golden Core Stage indefinitely.”

Upon hearing this, Jing Gong and Du Youlan nodded in agreement and promptly took out their respective Magic Treasures.

They would intervene immediately if they noticed anything amiss, doing their best to extract Lu Chen from the tribulation.

As Gu Liqing and the others stood ready, the fourth lightning bolt, which had been gathering in the sky above Danyang Peak for some time, finally descended.

“ROAR!!!”

As the deafening Dragon’s Roar resounded through heaven and earth, the massive thunder dragon in the sky tore through the air, charging toward Lu Chen below.

Its momentum was so immense that it generated a terrifying wind pressure, flattening many trees on Danyang Peak.

In response, Lu Chen, in his human mountain Incarnation, slowly assumed a power-gathering stance.

‘Enter the Dao through the fist, gather intent to form a mountain, strike with the fist… and shake a thousand mountains!With the extremely high compatibility between the Man-Mountain Fist and the Mountain-Shaking Fist Intent, the power of Lu Chen’s punch… even surpassed his previous Righteous Sword Intent!

Soon after, the Concept of the Mountain-Shaking Fist Intent manifested behind Lu Chen, transforming into a massive, imposing mountain.This mountain, together with his immense Dharma Body at the moment, seemed to transform into a true colossal peak, crashing toward the thunder dragon in midair…

A fist capable of shaking even a thousand mountains—why fear mere lightning!

(End of Chapter)