Chapter 513 : Trial of Violet Thunder
As he successfully broke through, Lyra Jiang opened her eyes.
She grasped Eldrin Chen's hand, her voice laced with concern. "The Nascent Soul Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the final, devastating heavenly trial faced by those ascending to the Nascent Soul realm] is not to be underestimated. Please, be careful?"
"Fear not."
Eldrin Chen gave a firm nod. Gazing at the Tribulation Clouds [ominous, energy-charged clouds that herald a heavenly tribulation] gathering in the sky, his heart was filled with absolute confidence.
The Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [the cataclysmic lightning ordeal sent by the heavens to test ascendant cultivators] for a Great Luo Nascent Soul [the supreme, most perfect foundation for the Nascent Soul realm] would undoubtedly be unprecedented and unparalleled. Even a cultivator at the Nascent Soul, Mid Stage would face such a tribulation with utmost gravity, likely to be severely wounded by its fury.
However, Eldrin Chen possessed three Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [powerful artifacts bonded to a cultivator's soul and life force] and had fused two Lifebound Grand Divine Ability [supreme techniques innate to a cultivator's very being]. Naturally, he had ample assurance to weather this Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.
He stepped forward, settling into a meditative posture amidst the void above the peak of Azure Lotus Continent, quietly awaiting the descent of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.
"BOOM!"
Time seemed to stretch, then a deafening peal of thunder shattered the silence.
Eldrin Chen looked up to see a Violet Thunderbolt [a bolt of tribulation lightning imbued with destructive violet energy] crashing down from the heavens, aimed directly at him. Continue your cultivation journey at https://audio-novel.com.
"It is the Nine Firmaments Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a cataclysmic heavenly punishment of nine successive layers of devastating thunder]."
His eyes narrowed slightly for a moment, then quickly relaxed.
The power of the Nine Firmaments Heavenly Thunder Tribulation was terrifying to behold. This was merely the first bolt of Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a trial of divine lightning sent by the heavens to test cultivators], yet its force was already comparable to a full-power strike from a Golden Core Great Perfection [the pinnacle stage of the Golden Core realm] cultivator, potent enough to injure even a Nascent Soul True Lord [a master cultivator who has formed their Nascent Soul].
However, by this point in his journey, a Heavenly Thunder Tribulation of such potency posed little threat to Eldrin Chen.
His physical body had been tempered day and night by the 'Five Thunders Body Tempering Grand Art' [a supreme art for forging the body with the power of five elemental thunders]. Not only was his physical resilience far superior to that of an ordinary True Lord, but after being refined by Thunder Art Divine Ability [divine arts that harness the power of thunder], his flesh had developed a formidable resistance to lightning-based techniques.
Without a trace of fear, he sat serenely upon the Firmament [the vault of heaven], actually using the raw strength of his body to withstand the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.
The Nine Firmaments Heavenly Thunder Tribulation crashed against his form, yet it failed to harm even a single hair. Instead, with each impact, every inch of his newly-tempered physique seemed to glow, becoming flawless like immortal jade.
"BOOM—"
The thunderclouds churned relentlessly. Two more bolts of Heavenly Thunder Tribulation descended, yet they, too, proved incapable of injuring him.
"What an incredibly powerful physical form."
In the distant void, the cultivators who had come to witness the ceremony from the Ji Continent all had a change in their gazes, revealing looks of profound shock.
To withstand the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation with one's physical body alone was far beyond their imagination. Yet, Eldrin Chen had withstood three consecutive strikes of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. The power of the final strike had already approached the domain of a True Lord, yet it had still failed to injure him.
This far exceeded everyone's understanding, for a cultivator's physical body is typically quite fragile; to withstand the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation head-on is an immensely difficult feat.
Freya Ji, who had also come to observe, spoke up: "In the lower cultivation realms, progress in strengthening the physical body is incredibly arduous. However, upon reaching higher realms, cultivators gain access to various methods to enhance their flesh."
"Upon entering the True Lord Realm, the physical body often begins a qualitative transformation. Cultivators below the Golden Core, Late Stage and ordinary Magical Treasure can no longer harm them."
"Legend states that if one Ascend to Immortal Eternity and forges an Immortal Physique, the power of their physical form will be no weaker than that of an innate divine spirit. It is said that Immortals who walk the path of physical sanctification can even shatter Nine Heavens Star Fragment with their bare hands."
As she spoke, she took a deep breath and continued, "Yet, even so, to withstand three strikes of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation at his current realm is proof enough that his physical body surpasses that of most True Lord."
The Ji Clan possesses an unbroken heritage, having once given birth to supreme beings who Ascend to Immortal Eternity. For someone of Freya Ji's status to utter these words carried significant weight.
Upon hearing this, Yvonne the Violet Consort beside her had a contemplative gleam in her eyes. After a moment of silent thought, she said, "I had long suspected he possessed the potential [innate talent and aptitude for cultivation] for a Great Luo Golden Core. Now, it seems my conjecture was correct."
"Only one who breaks through to Nascent Soul after forming the legendary Great Luo Golden Core—the seed of Immortal potential—could manifest such astonishing phenomena, could it not?"
Yvonne the Violet Consort murmured softly, her gaze drifting towards Lyra Jiang with a flicker of envy in her eyes.
High upon the Firmament, Eldrin Chen lowered his gaze, silently sensing the power coursing within his body.
Tempered by three successive waves of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a cataclysmic trial of lightning sent by the heavens to test cultivators], he felt his physical form had grown even more resilient, a development that brought him quiet satisfaction.
"But this is the limit," he whispered to himself. "The tribulation lightning to come is potent enough to severely injure a Nascent Soul True Lord [a master cultivator who has formed their Nascent Soul]. I cannot rely on my physical strength to withstand it any longer."
He spoke these words calmly, then lifted his head to observe the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation gathering and roiling in the sky above.
The tribulation for a Great Luo Nascent Soul [the pinnacle foundation for a Nascent Soul cultivator, representing supreme potential] was exceptionally formidable. From the fourth bolt onward, its power was likely comparable to the final three strikes of an ordinary True Lord's Heavenly Thunder Tribulation. Access the full story on audio‑novel.com.
The energy coalescing for this fourth bolt was already terrifyingly potent, sufficient to grievously wound a Mortal Dao True Lord of the Nascent Soul First Layer. Even Eldrin Chen dared not meet it with his physical body alone.
"BOOM—"
As the thunderclap descended, Eldrin Chen raised his hand and unleashed a Dual Polarity Divine Thunder [a supreme thunder art born from the fusion of Yin and Yang principles].
In that instant, his lifebound Divine Ability [a supreme technique intrinsically linked to a cultivator's soul and cultivation path] pierced the Firmament, meeting the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder head-on. Both forces clashed and then dissolved into nothingness.
For the next two divine thunderbolts, Eldrin Chen met them one by one with his lifebound Divine Ability. Although the power of the sixth thunderbolt was already comparable to that of a Nascent Soul, 3rd Tier cultivator, he did not feel any significant pressure.
It was only when the seventh Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a cataclysmic trial of heavenly lightning faced during major cultivation breakthroughs] began to brew that a truly formidable pressure surged into Eldrin Chen's heart.
The might of this Heavenly Thunder Tribulation had reached the Nascent Soul, 4th Tier level, its power vastly amplified.
"This cannot be underestimated,"
Eldrin Chen murmured to himself. The higher one's cultivation realm, the more difficult it becomes to challenge those a tier above.
Early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators were one thing, but most mid-to-late stage True Lord [a title for powerful Nascent Soul cultivators] had achieved either an Earthly Dao Nascent Soul [a high-quality Nascent Soul formed with the power of the Earthly Dao] or even a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul [the pinnacle-quality Nascent Soul, formed with the blessing of the Heavenly Dao]. Such cultivators were once Heaven's Chosen [prodigies favored by destiny] among Golden Core Cultivator. Who among them could be considered weak?
In the past, when Eldrin Chen had first entered the Golden Core realm, his full-powered outbursts could threaten late-stage Golden Core Cultivator. Yet now, having just entered the Nascent Soul realm, he harbored no certainty of victory against a mid-stage Earthly Dao Nascent Soul.
Such beings, having cultivated diligently for several Millennium [a period of one thousand years], would inevitably possess one or two Middle-Grade Spiritual Treasure [powerful enchanted artifacts of intermediate quality]. Their Great Divine Ability [a supreme and profound supernatural power] would have advanced further, likely reaching the Major Accomplishment stage, potentially not inferior to his own lifebound Divine Ability.
Eldrin Chen felt that, even with the augmentation of his Great Luo Golden Core [the supreme foundation for the Golden Core realm], to truly suppress such a True Lord, he would need to consolidate his cultivation within the Nascent Soul realm for some years.
He needed to elevate his Spiritual Treasure, his Divine Ability, and even his cultivation art. Otherwise, he would still be found somewhat lacking.
With this thought, he raised his hand and summoned his Lifebound Spiritual Treasure [a cultivator's most intimately bound and powerful enchanted artifact]. A brilliant violet sword-rainbow soared into the heavens, cleaving the sky.
It was the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss [a legendary immortal sword of the Abyssal Flame] that shot into the air, transforming into an immortal-slaying sword radiance that flew into the void and annihilated the greater part of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation [a cataclysmic trial of celestial lightning faced during major cultivation breakthroughs].
Following a deafening roar of sword-song, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss descended, its radiance dimmed. After all, the sword was currently only an inferior-grade Spiritual Treasure [a sentient artifact of immense power, superior to ordinary magical treasures]; confronting this Heavenly Thunder Tribulation head-on had been a strain.
Fortunately, the immortal sword's indestructible nature prevented serious damage. After that single strike, the power of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation was mostly spent. Its remaining force was insufficient and was withstood by Eldrin Chen as he channeled his Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural power born from profound cultivation].
As the eighth bolt of the Heavenly Thunder Tribulation descended, Eldrin Chen chose not to risk further damage to the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss. Instead, he raised his hand, and a deep azure sword-light shot skyward, slashing towards the heavens.
"It is the Heavenly River Flood Water Sword [a divine sword embodying the power of the celestial river's deluge]," someone observed.
Witnessing this from afar, Yvonne the Violet Consort felt a pang of envy. One advantage of Multiple Spiritual Roots [possessing an affinity for multiple elemental energies] was the ability to cultivate multiple Lifebound Spiritual Treasure.
She possessed only the Violet Cosmos Void-Traversing Mirror, a Spiritual Treasure not renowned for offense or defense. To pass her own Heavenly Thunder Tribulation, she had needed to prepare several Fifth Rank [a realm of power equivalent to the Golden Core stage] Spirit Talisman [enchanted paper slips containing pre-sealed spells], and even then, she had only barely succeeded with the assistance of the Violet Abyss Furnace [a legendary cauldron of profound power]. For uninterrupted reading, go to audio-novel dot com.