Chapter 209 : The Thunderous Golden Core Trial
Emerging from the Spirit Pool Cave Abode, the two found the Heavenly Vault above roiling with lightning and thunder. A vast expanse of Tribulation Cloud [a dense, ominous cloud formation that heralds a heavenly tribulation] blotted out the sky for hundreds of Li-lengths [one Li-length equals five hundred meters] in every direction.
Eldrin Chen felt a surge of worry. He couldn't help but grasp her hand, his expression grave as he spoke.
"The more formidable a cultivator's foundation, the more powerful the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a trial of divine lightning sent by the heavens to test cultivators] becomes. You must be cautious."
"Do not worry."
Exquisite Jiang gave a calm nod, her demeanor radiating absolute confidence.
The Heavenly Thunder Tribulation is the greatest trial for a Golden Core Cultivator. Many cultivators, after immense struggle to condense their Golden Core Realm [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a solidified core of spiritual power], ultimately perish beneath the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.
At its core, this failure stems from one's divine abilities proving insufficient against the Heavenly Tribulation, and their Immortal Sword [a powerful, immortal-grade sword] or other magical treasures lacking the necessary strength.
Even a Third Rank Superior Grade Magical Treasure [a high-quality magical artifact of the third rank] can easily shatter within the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. Many cultivators exhaust their entire fortunes to acquire defensive treasures for this trial; those lacking sufficient Spirit Stone [a mineral that stores and radiates spiritual energy, used as currency and for cultivation] will borrow high-grade treasures from allies.
Yet, even with multiple treasures prepared, most will be shattered by the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. Many cultivators of modest means, lacking adequate preparation, meet their end, struck down by heavenly lightning.
Generally speaking, possessing a single Fourth-Rank Magical Treasure [a powerful magical artifact of the fourth rank] significantly increases one's chances of successfully weathering the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. Discover more cultivation stories at *audio-novel.com*.
Although Exquisite Jiang possessed exceptional talent and the power of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a cataclysmic trial of heavenly lightning that cultivators must endure to advance their cultivation realm] far surpassed the ordinary, she wielded four Fourth-Rank Lifebound Magical Treasure [powerful artifacts bound to a cultivator's life force]. Furthermore, after slaying the Heavenly Python Demon King, she had obtained both the Earth Marsh Five Mists Veil and the Dragon Transformation Blade. Thus, she indeed had full confidence in overcoming the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.
"Now, watch me transcend this tribulation."
With those words, Exquisite Jiang stepped forward, soaring to a height of one thousand Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] above the Heavenly Vault [the firmament, the vault of heaven]. She stood firm amidst the celestial expanse and began to undergo the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.
At this moment, countless cultivators at Heavenly Ruins Mountain were startled into action. A group of Foundation Establishment Cultivator [cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, the second major realm] flew out in delight, observing Exquisite Jiang's tribulation from a distance of several dozen Li-lengths.
Even Eternal Profound Chen, Percival Pan, Xavier Xu, and other Violet Sanctum Cultivator [cultivators at the Violet Sanctum stage, the third major realm] had been waiting for a long time. After all, witnessing a Golden Core Cultivator [a cultivator at the Golden Core stage, the fourth major realm] undergo their tribulation was a rare and precious opportunity for enlightenment.
The Heavenly Thunder Tribulation gathered and brewed within the Heavenly Vault for half a Shichen-time [one Shichen-time equals two hours], finally reaching its peak intensity. Then, with a deafening roar that shook the heavens, a bolt of Purple Heavenly Thunderclap [a devastating purple lightning strike from the heavenly tribulation] exploded down from the Nine Heavens Above [the highest layers of the celestial realm].
"BOOM—"
Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted slightly. This was merely the first Thunderclap [a single strike of heavenly lightning], yet its power was already comparable to a full-force attack from a Violet Sanctum Late Stage [a cultivator at the late stage of the Violet Sanctum realm]. The radiance it unleashed illuminated the heavens and earth for hundreds of Li-lengths.
Even he would likely need to exert his full strength and devote his entire being to withstand such a blow.
Yet, Exquisite Jiang's expression remained serene. With a slight, almost casual point of her finger, the Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword erupted with a sword aura spanning hundreds of Zhang-lengths. It surged upward with peerless sharpness to meet the descending cataclysm.
The radiance unleashed by the Immortal Sword illuminated the heavens, earth, mountains, and rivers, instantly erasing the power of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a trial of heavenly lightning that tests a cultivator's foundation] as if it had never existed. Yet, this was merely the beginning.
"BOOM—"
After several breaths, the second peal of thunder exploded once more. The power of this strike had increased by another fifty percent, reaching the level of a full-force blow from a Violet Sanctum 9th Tier cultivator.
Such force would likely require a newly ascended Golden Core [the third major cultivation stage where spiritual energy condenses into a solid golden core] cultivator to respond with some seriousness. Yet, Exquisite Jiang remained utterly unperturbed. The Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword severed all, annihilating the tribulation lightning in an instant.
The third bolt of Heavenly Thunder Tribulation that followed possessed power equivalent to the Pseudo-Core Realm [a transitional state between Violet Sanctum and Golden Core], its might approaching sixty to seventy percent of a full-force strike from a Golden Core 1st Tier cultivator. Still, it was instantly extinguished by Exquisite Jiang's Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword.
However, Eldrin Chen did not show any sign of relief. On the contrary, his expression grew increasingly grave.
The Heaven and Earth Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a specific, formidable nine-strike heavenly tribulation] consisted of nine strikes in total, each more powerful than the last.
Typically, for a Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation, the power would only become comparable to a full-force Pseudo-Core Realm strike by the sixth bolt. The final three strikes were the ones that truly matched the might of the Golden Core realm.
Yet here, Exquisite Jiang's third strike already rivaled a Pseudo-Core Realm blow. If this pattern held, would not the remaining six bolts of Heavenly Thunder Tribulation possess power at least on par with the Golden Core realm?
"BOOM—"
After a moment of gathering, the fourth Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a divine trial of lightning that tests a cultivator's foundation] indeed descended.
As Eldrin Chen had surmised, the power of this fourth Heavenly Thunder Tribulation truly reached the level of a full-force strike from a Golden Core 1st Tier cultivator.
For a cultivator who had just broken through to the Golden Core [the third major stage of cultivation where one forms a solidified golden spiritual core], facing such a powerful blow from the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation would require them to exert their full strength and unleash their most hidden trump card abilities to survive.
However, after forging the Innate Pure Lunar Great Encompassing Golden Core [a supreme-grade golden core of unparalleled purity and vast capacity], the purity and profound depth of Exquisite Jiang's spiritual energy had become astonishing, surpassing even that of a Golden Core Mid Stage cultivator by a significant margin.
With a mere thought, she channeled her power into the Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword [a legendary sword capable of slaying even immortals] and unleashed another slash, effortlessly dispersing this Heavenly Thunder Tribulation into nothingness.
The might of the fifth Heavenly Thunder Tribulation intensified once more by twenty percent, its power now equivalent to the full-force assault of a Golden Core 2nd Tier cultivator. Your portal to cultivation novels: audio - novel . com.
For an ordinary, newly-advanced Golden Core Cultivator, reaching this stage without extraordinary means would mean having at least several Third-Rank Magical Treasure [enchanted artifacts of the third rank] shattered to have any hope of blocking such an attack.
Yet, Exquisite Jiang, wielding her single Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword, remained undaunted and ground its terrifying power into oblivion once more.
The sixth Heavenly Thunder Tribulation possessed power on par with a Golden Core 3rd Tier cultivator's strike. For the average cultivator, blocking this blow would be an immense challenge; even employing every trick, magical treasure, and spirit talisman at their disposal might not guarantee survival.
After all, a cultivator who had just broken through to Golden Core still required vast amounts of Five Elements Essence [a refined spiritual essence containing the power of the five elements] to cultivate their Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical treasure bound to one's life force and soul] and divine abilities to the Fourth Rank Realm. Without a Fourth-Rank Magical Treasure or a divine ability of that rank in hand, attempting to withstand three full-force strikes from a Golden Core cultivator was no small feat.
It is said that in those years, Patriarch Xu [the patriarch of the Xu Clan], in order to withstand the final strike of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the divine trial of heavenly lightning], even had a Fourth Rank Low-Grade [a treasure of the fourth rank, low-grade tier] protective magical treasure severely damaged, requiring several decades of nurturing to restore its full power.
After the first six strikes of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation were endured, Eldrin Chen [the cultivator Eldrin Chen] wore an increasingly solemn expression.
The power of the sixth strike had already reached the level of a Golden Core 3rd Tier [a cultivator at the third tier of the Golden Core realm]. He feared the final three strikes would be equivalent to a full-force attack from a Golden Core Mid Stage [a cultivator at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm].
Such power was utterly terrifying; it was likely that a Golden Core Early Stage [an early-stage Golden Core cultivator] might not survive it.
"BOOM—"
After a moment's gathering, a thunderous roar erupted. The seventh strike of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation indeed possessed power comparable to a single blow from a Golden Core 4th Tier [a fourth-tier Golden Core cultivator].
Exquisite Jiang [the cultivator Exquisite Jiang] watched the colossal Thunderclap [the thunderous attack] descend, a trace of seriousness appearing on her face.
She did not summon the Heavenly Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword [the Immortal-Slaying Sword of Heavenly Ruins] again. Although this sword was immensely powerful, it was, after all, merely a Fourth Rank Low-Grade Immortal Sword [an immortal sword of the fourth rank, low-grade]. She had already expended a significant portion of its power by fully channeling it to block three Golden Core [Golden Core realm] level strikes from the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.
If she continued to use it, it might withstand one more strike, but it would inevitably suffer severe damage.
She was not lacking in high-grade treasures, so there was no need to push it to that point.
This is precisely where the advantage of Multiple Spiritual Roots [a cultivator's innate spiritual affinity, determining their elemental attunement and cultivation speed] manifests. A cultivator with Multiple Spiritual Roots can possess several Lifebound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact forged with a cultivator's essence and soul, growing in power alongside them]. Relying on the presence of multiple such treasures significantly increases one's chances of successfully weathering the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a cataclysmic trial of heavenly lightning that cultivators must endure to advance to higher realms].
After all, a Lifebound Magical Treasure possesses power thirty percent greater than a standard magical artifact of the same rank, while consuming only thirty percent of the spiritual energy [the vital energy that flows through all living things and powers cultivation].
This distinction becomes critically important for high-level cultivators. While high-grade magical artifacts can indeed aid in overcoming tribulations, their energy consumption is immense. They are most effectively deployed only during the final one or two strikes of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, making their use a calculated and strategic decision. Find this and other novels at https://audio-novel.com.