Undergoing Tribulations

It was just a few minutes past five, the sun was shining brightly and gracing everything upon the surface of the earth with its presence. The golden rays of the sun illuminated a huge statue at the center of White Stone City, looking on from above, there seemed to be a golden ball of light hovering just slightly above the statue. The ball of light seemed to be undergoing some kind of evolution as it was expanding and shrinking rapidly, sometimes it would be about the size of a fist, and at other times, it could grow to be the size of an adult male's head.

Suddenly, a voice with power encapsulated in its depth sounded out in the sky beneath the firmament.

"Queen mother. Bring forth the tribulations! Cleanse my soul, wash away my impurities. It is time to forge me a God-slaying body."

A deep rumbling sound was heard, it felt like the entire Earth was expressing concern over the inhabitants of the world. This time the Earth shook for Teke's sake.

"Don't worry Queen Mother, this would be the first and last time I would undergo tribulations here, future breakthroughs would be held in the game space and then one day when I reach a terrifying stage, I would summon the power of lightning and thunder for my own use and with it, bring down the domineering power that is the game system. This is my promise to you."

Suddenly, the deep rumblings that shook the earth ceased as quickly as they begun and dark clouds gathered in the sky above the city. The dark clouds seemingly searching for the source of tribulation locked down on the ball of light resting above the statue. The clouds which had stretched for hundreds of miles, fully enclosing the city, rapidly gathered power and shrunk till it was only a bit over a kilometer, the queen mother was fast at work, she finally also cleared the spectators watching the scene in a daze lest they get struck by lightning.

Without hearing the voice of Gaia, Teke knew already that she had taken control of the tribulations. Her consciousness weakened and she went back to slumber but the tribulation had been taken care of already, or so they thought.

Teke was no stranger to heavenly tribulations, in fact, in his life before his reincarnation, he underwent heavenly tribulations a total of three times, just falling short of his fourth tribulation to allow him to advance into being a tier four swordsman, a demigod. He was strong and he had talent but one thing Teke had always lacked was good luck. It seemed as though something was out, siphoning all the good luck in his life for a purpose, a purpose which he did not know of until Gaia picked him and he got reincarnated. Karmic luck decided the fate of every living being under the stars. When Teke was born, it was deemed that he had below-average luck, the queen's mother took pity on him and centered him around her big plans. Some could say that was luck in its way for him, but was it really?

That aside, a tribulation was typically brewed up the moment an ascended broke through the shackles keeping him bound and advanced to the next tier. Although Teke wasn't breaking through to the next tier and was only constructing his body, the laws governing the universe would sense that the power he would wield could someday disrupt or threaten those laws from affecting him and would unleash heavenly tribulations to defeat him and absorb some of those powers to further strengthen the laws. Therefore it was known that the more times a person failed his tribulations, the less unlikely it is for said being to ever pass it in the end.

Having his consciousness scan the dark clouds above, Teke could see six white-ish bolts of lightning condensing and preparing to let loose.

"Hmm, sx tribulation strikes, prepared for a tier three being. My body would have the strength of an early-stage, tier-three knight. Great, I won't have to be weak for too long. Although the power I would hold is a tad bit weaker than my peak strength, my starting point this time is higher and I believe it won't take me long to surpass the me of old."

He once more examined the bolts of lightning in the sky and mentally prepared himself.

"The first four I can take, they're not too difficult. The last two, I'll just grit my teeth and bear it, I believe my tenacity isn't lacking. Come!"

Seemingly angered by the mortal's demand, the first bolt of lightning Descended like a streak of light.

BOOOOOM

"Ha, come. I can take all of you haha!"

The second strike descended on the ball of consciousness and with its power, Teke eagerly got to work. First, he gathered the tiny invisible dust particles and began molding them into his preferred body frame, he was formally 173cm before his body was vaporized and so the skeletal frame he built was still kept at 173cm. No manner of aesthetics would beat familiarity, he wouldn't use a tall body to win a war, rather he'll fight with what he's used to. The fate of the world depends on the shoulder of a 173cm tall man, he was of average height and so be it.

BOOOOOM

The third strike hit the skeletal frame and under its intense battering was washed with the nourishment a bolt of lightning could offer. The skeletal frame gleamed white as it endured the battering.

"I have to complete my body restructuring process before the fifth strike, else I would not be able to split my mind from the tribulation to focus on my body and I'd end up looking like a skeleton."

Flesh grew and covered the skeleton at a speed visible to the eye, his bald skin grew hair at the appropriate places.

BOOOOOM

Although his flesh had grown back and his organs were being restructured within him, there was still an absence of life. The ball of consciousness had already been enclosed within a thick skull but his eyes were still tightly shut

BOOOOOM

The fifth bolt descended but Teke's eyes had already opened, his heart had started beating and his blood had started flowing.