Stepping into the Golden Core Stage

Rumble... RUMBLE...

Thunder cracked across the sky in a relentless cascade. Beneath its roar, Su Min's expression grew increasingly grave. No matter how calm one might seem, faced with the majesty of heavenly punishment, even the so-called immortals of legend would tread with caution—let alone a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like herself.

"This is not the time for anyone to play the hero," she muttered under her breath. "If someone interferes now, they'll be marked by the tribulation as well. And the stronger you are... the stronger the lightning becomes. There's no upper limit."

This was the barrier between mortal and immortal. A step that could only be crossed alone. Any outside aid—unless it came from a being capable of trampling heaven and earth—would only increase the wrath of the tribulation.

RUMBLE—!

Just then, a brilliant bolt of blue lightning lanced down from the heavens, hurtling straight at Su Min.

The Threefold Nine Heavenly Tribulation had begun.

Yet Su Min didn't hesitate. Clad in her Azure Glazed Spirit Armor, a thunder-attracting talisman cinched at her waist, and the Thunderbreaker Sword in hand—she charged forward.

BOOM—!

A deafening explosion shook the land. That bolt, strong enough to obliterate most Foundation Establishment cultivators, was cleaved apart in a single stroke. Su Min emerged untouched, not even a flicker of her aura disrupted.

"Ah... that was almost relaxing," she exhaled slowly.

Just as she had suspected—the first stage of the tribulation couldn't harm her.

CRACK—!

As though provoked, the skies rumbled again. Two more bolts followed swiftly, almost without pause. Su Min met them head-on, still unscathed. But at the moment the third strike fell, she felt something change. A righteous, primal force surged into her body, flowing through her meridians and into her core. A golden orb—pure and whole—formed within her dantian.

Golden Core formed. Su Min had officially stepped into the Golden Core Stage. But the skies did not clear. The storm above churned on, darker and deeper. Lightning continued to gather.

The Threefold Nine was over. Now, the Sixfold Nine Tribulation began.

Whether it would descend or not—the choice was Su Min's.

"Bring it on!!!"

She raised her sword and roared at the sky.

The moment her voice faded—

The heavens shifted.

The blue lightning vanished, replaced by dark crimson thunderclouds.

"Dark Demon Lightning? So the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation summons Demon-Slaying Thunder… Is this the heavens' way of suppressing demonic cultivators?"

Su Min suddenly realized something. Demon-Slaying Thunder wasn't just powerful—it had a special effect against evil beings. The heavens were clearly punishing those who walked unorthodox paths.

~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~

She couldn't help but feel relieved—she had never dabbled in demonic cultivation. Otherwise, she would have no hope of surviving this tribulation. The Demon-Slaying Thunder of the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation was terrifying enough on its own. If it triggered its special effect against her? She'd be dead ten times over.

Boom!

Before she could think further, dark-red lightning descended.

"Ugh!"

This time, it wasn't so easy. The moment the lightning struck her sword, her entire arm went numb.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The tribulation intensified. Su Min was no longer as relaxed as before.

"Four Symbols Possession—ACTIVATE!!!"

With a furious roar, fiery wings burst from her back. Her raven-black hair turned silver-white.

"Mystic Firewood Sword—Blazing Strike!"

Several flaming wooden swords materialized around her, slashing toward the descending lightning.

BOOM!

The next moment, Su Min was slammed into the ground. A trickle of blood escaped her lips. The Six-Nine Heavenly Tribulation's lightning grew stronger with each strike. By the sixth bolt, Su Min was bleeding from the mouth.

"Hah… still manageable. Keep going."

Despite the injuries, she wasn't worried. With her Golden Core physique and Changchun Gong regeneration, she'd recover in seconds. She didn't even need healing pills.

But then—

The crimson sky turned pitch-black. So dark that she couldn't even see her own hand. The only light came from the Nanming Lihuo flames swirling around her, making her look like a miniature sun.

But this "sun" couldn't illuminate even a meter around her. Nanming Lihuo, though not as radiant as the True Sun Flame, should have been far brighter. The reason it wasn't?

Something was devouring the light. And that "something" was the final tribulation lightning gathering above.

BOOM!

A jet-black Demon-Slaying Thunderbolt descended. This time, Su Min didn't dare block it head-on. Instead, she channeled all her power into the Thunder-Shattering Sword.

"Mystic Firewood Sword—Wooden Sanctuary!"

Vines of green energy woven into a massive shield in front of her. But the moment the black lightning struck—

The shield shattered instantly. Su Min was blasted into the ground, coughing up blood.

"Ugh… ARGH!"

This time, she couldn't hold back. She vomited blood, then frantically swallowed a third-grade healing pill. The Demon-Slaying Thunder had pierced through all her defenses—even her Buddhist Golden Bell Shield (a passive defensive skill, not an active one like in movies). But the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation wasn't done. A second, even stronger bolt was already forming.

"Full power—BURN!!!"

Instead of using any skill, Su Min threw her sword and talisman into the air. She was going to sacrifice both artifacts to unleash their full potential.

CRACKLE!

A deafening screech filled the air as the two treasures detonated with overwhelming power. They had been designed to counter tribulation lightning—and now, they fulfilled their purpose.

BOOM!

The second Demon-Slaying Thunderbolt was blocked. But the artifacts shattered into pieces in the process.

"Hah… success."

Su Min collapsed to one knee, panting. Above her, the final and strongest lightning bolt was gathering. She had no more tricks left. But it didn't matter. Her plan had always been to survive two strikes. Now, she had.

So when the third and final bolt descended—

BOOM!

The black lightning engulfed her completely. Her Azure Glazed Armor shattered, revealing her flawless body beneath. But that beauty lasted only a moment before the lightning consumed her. The entire island split apart under the force of the tribulation.

But then—

"Hah… hah… hah…"

A gasping voice echoed across the ruins. Su Min crawled out from a charred, log-like husk.

Her final trump card—the Rebirth Art. This secret technique was akin to a phoenix's rebirth—even if her body was reduced to ashes, she could revive once. Her plan had been to save this for the final strike. And it had worked. But even so, she couldn't help but shudder in fear. Still, she had survived the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.

Bzzzt…

But just as she was about to relax—

Her naked body suddenly convulsed. A flood of information surged into her mind.

"What the—?! Is Heavenly Dao Insight reacting again?!"

The influx was so intense that her head felt like it was splitting open. She didn't even have time to put on clothes.

"Is this the combined effect of the Heavenly Dao and the Nine-Nine Tribulation's reward? Why the hell hasn't the thundercloud dispersed yet?!"

Then—

The dark clouds parted. But what was revealed wasn't the sky. Instead, golden lightning crackled within.

[To master the Five Thunders, one must endure the Five Thunders' Baptism.]

"F* YOU—"

Before she could finish cursing, the golden lightning struck.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Her screams echoed across the empty ocean. This lightning was nothing like the Demon-Slaying Thunder. It wasn't trying to destroy her. Instead, it was infusing her body with thunderous energy—a process that was excruciatingly painful but not lethal. And so, for ten years, the golden lightning continued its baptism. When it finally faded, Su Min collapsed onto a lone reef—the only remnant of the island.

"How long was I out? This divine ability is insane… What year is it now?"

Still disoriented, she hurriedly dressed herself. After the initial agony, she had entered a death-like trance, only awakening when the lightning vanished. Then, she checked her status panel.

[Name: Su Min]

[Cultivation: Golden Core (Early Stage)]

[Talent: Immortality (having infinite lifespan and not aging)]

[Innate Divine Ability: Heavenly Dao Insight (Over time, comprehend techniques from the cosmos)]

[Physique: Five Element Holy Body — Blazing Sun Body (Taiyang Qi Unactivated)]

[Acquired Divine Abilities: Four Symbols Slaughter – Tiger; Four Symbols Heavenly Sun – Vermilion Bird; Mastery of the Five Thunders.]

[Cultivation Arts: Changchun Gong (First Layer); Fire-Wood Transformation Method (Second Layer)]

[Mental Arts: Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra]

[Skills: Sword Control Technique; Mystic Firewood Sword Art/ Xuanhuomu]

[Secret Technique: Rebirth Art]

[Possessed Heavenly Treasures: Nanming Lihuo; Heavenly Thunder]

[Possessed Innate Spiritual Treasure: Heaven and Earth Qiankun Gourd]

[Life-bound Spirit Treasure Vermilion Bird's Flameblade / Nanming Lihuo Sword (Yellow Grade, High Tier)]

A new divine ability—Mastery of the Five Thunders—had appeared. And she had paid dearly for it.

"The thunder energy in my body… is this 'Heavenly Thunder'? So to use Mastery of the Five Thunders, I need thunder energy. But this thing is way weaker than the Nanming Lihuo."

She frowned. Thunder wasn't part of the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth), so it didn't trigger any special effects. And this Heavenly Thunder couldn't even be released externally.

"Wait… I see. This isn't for offense—it's to activate a hidden potential in me."

After some thought, she realized the true purpose of the Heavenly Thunder. It wasn't a direct combat tool—it was a trigger for latent abilities.

"Mastery of the Five Thunders… I actually obtained a top-tier divine ability like this."

Divine abilities were divided into innate and acquired. Her Heavenly Dao Insight was innate—something she was born with, impossible to obtain otherwise. But the other three were acquired. And while acquired divine abilities were less rare, they were still incredibly valuable. For most cultivators, the only chance to gain one was during the Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation. Even the weakest Three-Nine Tribulation could grant one.

But Su Min had endured the Nine-Nine Tribulation—so hers was top-tier. And because of her innate divine ability's resonance, she had obtained Mastery of the Five Thunders—a legendary Daoist technique. Now, she felt completely different. The world itself seemed brighter, clearer.

"Hmm… what's this 'Taiyang Qi Unactivated' in my physique?"

She frowned but quickly dismissed it. She couldn't sense any changes related to it.

"Whatever. Time to return to land."