Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation

On the moonlit mountain peak, two slender figures sat cross-legged, a small table between them. A steaming teapot sat to the side, its fragrant aroma blending with the night air.

"Ah… I really missed this," Su Min said, smiling as she gazed at the pale green bamboo leaves floating in her teacup. "I ran out of this tea ages ago. It's been a long time since I've gone back."

The bamboo fragrance brought more than comfort—it carried memories. She gently swirled her cup.

"I wonder how those little ones are doing now. I used to worry about their future, but just looking at these leaves… I know they're fine. They should have reached the Qi Refining stage by now."

The tea leaves had been brought by Xie Yingying, and Su Min recognized their origin at a glance. They were from the bamboo spirits she had once raised—her 'plants,' much like others might raise flowers in a modern home.

What truly comforted her was the fact that these leaves hadn't been harvested by force.

"The Nine Great Bamboo Spirits of the Southern Border are quite famous in southern Wei Wu Prefecture," Xie Yingying explained. "They're revered by the mountain folk there as guardian spirits. After decades of incense offerings and veneration, they've even been enshrined as temple protectors. Of course they're thriving—they've been blessed."

"You didn't bully them, did you?"

Su Min eyed Xie Yingying curiously.

The woman wasn't the bloodthirsty type—in fact, her temper might be better than Su Min's.

If Su Min had been the one awakened in that estate, she wouldn't have killed anyone, but everyone would've left with a beating.

(Imagine waking up after millennia to find rats rummaging through your home—her blood pressure would've skyrocketed.)

"No. They carried your aura so strongly. I just… plucked a few leaves. That's all." Xie Yingying's voice weakened slightly.

"Fine. As long as they're alive."

Su Min raised an eyebrow. That tone lacked conviction. Clearly, they'd been harvested by force—but not excessively so. Most likely, someone mentioned the miraculous properties of the leaves in tea, and Xie Yingying couldn't resist testing it out.

Still, Su Min didn't press the matter. She'd been far more ruthless when she'd picked leaves from them in the past.

In the end, things seemed to have worked out. Before leaving, she had transplanted those bamboo spirits into protected groves to aid the nearby mountain folk. It appeared that their strength had steadily grown since.

"Setting that aside—as someone native to this era, how much do you know about the Golden Core stage?"

"Absolutely nothing. I'm a total newbie."

"..."

Xie Yingying stared at Su Min's unapologetic expression, momentarily speechless. She had assumed Su Min was a master schemer, but now it seemed the woman lacked a critical brain cell.

"How many tribulations do you plan to face for your Golden Core breakthrough?"

"Hmm..."

Su Min's expression turned serious. Jokes aside, heavenly tribulations were deadly.

In this world, cultivators didn't face tribulations at every stage—only two major ones:

The Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation at Golden Core.

The Immortal Ascension Tribulation after achieving immortality.

The Three-Nine Tribulation was a test, not a suppression mechanism. Passing it granted additional rewards. But the Three-Nine Tribulation was just the baseline—anyone who cleared it would become a Golden Core cultivator.

However, like the Heavenly, Earthly, and Mortal Dao Foundations, the Golden Core stage also had tiers. After surviving the first three lightning strikes, the tribulation clouds wouldn't immediately disperse. At that point, you could choose to endure more—escalating to the Six-Nine Tribulation, or even the peak Nine-Nine Tribulation.

~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~

The rewards grew with each tier, but so did the risk. For Su Min, the Three-Nine Tribulation was no threat at all. Even Mortal Dao Foundation cultivators could become Golden Core experts. With her current foundation, the Six-Nine Tribulation was manageable, but the Nine-Nine Tribulation required preparation. Pills, artifacts, special techniques—all were critical for surviving the highest-tier tribulation. Once this monster was dealt with, she'd need to start preparing.

"At least the Six-Nine Tribulation. As for the Nine-Nine… I'll decide when the time comes."

"Good. You understand the risks—I won't lecture you."

Xie Yingying exhaled in relief. At least Su Min wasn't completely clueless. Their conversation continued, but Su Min grew increasingly cautious. Xie Yingying, however, was remarkably candid, sharing details about her sect and background. Su Min, on the other hand, had to carefully mask her origins, sticking to her "Su Min" identity.

(As for how she came to this world? Not a word.)

But the quiet, pleasant moment didn't last. A silvery moon rose above the horizon. And from the heart of the valley below them… a foul, deathly aura surged into the night sky.

"It's emerged."

In an instant, the tea was forgotten. Both women stood, faces grim, eyes fixed on the source. A pressure pulsed from below—stronger than either of them. A Corpse King at the Golden Core level had broken free of its cocoon.

"Arooo—!"

A mournful howl echoed under the moonlight. The creature's rotting lips peeled back to reveal blackened, jagged teeth, its jaw unhinged as if drinking in the moon's essence.

Su Min and Xie Yingying exchanged a glance. Without a word, they leapt into the sky. They couldn't allow the beast to continue devouring moon's essence. Now that the creature had fully awakened—and the monster core had formed—there was no more hesitation. It had to die.

Though…

"Rotting flesh, a single demon core, and absolutely nothing else of value," Su Min cursed silently as she flew. "And it's not even a normal demon—it's a corpse demon. Disgusting. If I weren't preparing for the Golden Spirit Pill, I wouldn't even touch this thing."

The flying gourd at her waist pulsed faintly. It didn't absorb humans—or humanoids—and she wouldn't let it, even if it could. She still remembered the words of a man once named Huang:

"No humanoids. If it looks like a person—toss it out."

The wine the gourd brewed was a delicacy… but the idea of it mingling with corpses made her stomach churn. Still, despite her internal grumbling, Su Min didn't delay. Before even closing the distance, she thrust out a hand. A golden mantra seal burst forth—a massive Sanskrit character, blazing like the sun—slamming down onto the corpse king with terrifying force.

Xie Yingying's eyes widened in surprise. Su Min had begun her assault in earnest.