Claiming the Treasure from the Heavenly Tribulation, A Thousand Heavens Flow as One

Claiming the Treasure from the Heavenly Tribulation, A Thousand Heavens Flow as One Across the sky, the wind howled and black clouds spread. Across the land, mountains encircled in every direction, standing tall and majestic. Palaces dotted here and there among the endless mountain ranges. Today, many cultivators had come out of their halls, gazing up at the patch of sky above Tiannan Dao Palace. Their eyes fixed on the central Tianyuan Temple, where a white-robed figure sat cross-legged in the void, drifting as if an exiled immortal. Beneath the oppressive black clouds, the cultivators' feelings toward the white-robed man were rather complicated. There was awe, there was worship, and even more so envy and jealousy. The great war on the shores of the Eastern Sea had gone on, on and off, for three years. After Zhenhai City Lord True Person Wen joined forces with Houtu Hall Master Qinglan Fairy to defeat the three great demon emperors, the outcome of the rest of the war had in fact already been sealed. The reason it had dragged on so long was that the various Nascent Soul True Persons no longer took the field themselves; instead, they handed the opportunity to the lower-tier cultivators beneath them—especially the true disciples of the Dao Palace. This could be seen as a kind of trial! A different sort of sect tournament! Measured by the number of demons slain, cultivation realm, and even territory reclaimed, it would decide the ranking of strength among this generation of Tiannan Dao Palace's true disciples. In this way, they could both eliminate the demon scourge and hone the combat experience of the new generation of disciples without any internal strife. And in this three-year trial of slaying demons, the white-robed man had performed most outstandingly of all! First, at the early Golden Core stage, he had defended Liubo Mountain. Then he had kept his life from the clutches of a desolate beast that smashed through six layers of the Zhenhai Sluice. His subsequent feats in hunting demon beasts were also brilliant beyond compare; whether in sheer number or in demon king–level powerhouses, he had far surpassed his contemporaries among the true disciples. So by the time the true disciples returned to Tiannan Dao Palace, the white-robed man could already be considered the foremost of his generation in name. The reason it was said to be only in name was that a batch of formidable Golden Core true disciples had not gone to the shores of the Eastern Sea to take part in the war. But no one cared about that! For the white-robed man was so young. Having advanced to the Golden Core stage at the mere age of around forty, he was already a peerless genius the likes of which the Mountain Sea Realm had not seen in a thousand years. With his monstrous cultivation talent, catching up to those senior and junior brothers in realm was only a matter of time. As for his actual strength, people doubted him even less. Throughout the three-year demon-slaying trial, the divine sense and mana the white-robed man displayed were unrivaled; even his combat techniques had improved at a maddening pace, visibly to the eye. Once, a great demon king had confronted him directly, only to be effortlessly cut down beneath his treasure ruler. That kind of dazzling talent for battle seemed almost innate, drawing every eye. To commend his outstanding performance in the demon-slaying trial, and to spur him on to even greater efforts, Temple Master Zhan Bingtao had decided to forge a natal magic treasure for him with his own hands! Indeed—despite such insane performance, the man still did not even have a natal magic treasure. Today's grand spectacle was all for the sake of forging a single magic treasure! "Zhou Fuyou, are you ready?" From within Tianyuan Temple below came a deep, powerful voice. That was Tianyuan Temple's master, Zhan Bingtao—the strongest being on the Tiannan Continent today, and a grandmaster artificer as well! How could one skilled in war lack a weapon? In the crafting of magic treasures and armaments, the Zhan family—one of the Twelve Great Houses—had always been preeminent, and Zhan Bingtao was the preeminent among the preeminent. Zhou Fuyou sat cross-legged in the void, his eyes half-open, half-closed. "Temple Master, this disciple is ready!" "Then let us begin!" As the words fell, a slender thread of light slowly emerged from the crown of Zhou Fuyou's head, flying up toward the boundless sky shrouded in black clouds. At the same time, from the four directions—east, south, west, and north—a mighty surge of mana struck from afar, pouring into Tianyuan Temple. Layer upon layer of formation light-paths unfurled, and Zhan Bingtao gave a low, soft cry. "Heavenly light meets the sun, divine thunder descends upon the world—open!" Boom! In the next moment, a massive pillar of light as thick as a water barrel shot skyward from within Tianyuan Temple. As if in answer, within the thick black clouds, lightning darted like dragons and snakes, silver light flickering, and a grand peal of thunder rumbled into being. This sight truly startled quite a few people. A heavenly tribulation! This celestial phenomenon was almost exactly the same as the heavenly tribulation drawn down when a cultivator broke through to the Nascent Soul stage. Tianyuan Temple's master Zhan Bingtao was truly worthy of being an artificer grandmaster—joining forces with the Four Hall Masters, he could forcibly draw out the divine thunder of a heavenly tribulation. For a moment, many low-tier cultivators breathed rapidly with excitement—if only the magic treasure being jointly forged by the five Nascent Soul True Persons right now were theirs! In an instant, the pillar of light and the thunder met together, wrapping around that thread of light Zhou Fuyou had released earlier. What was more, from all directions came throngs of thunder-snakes and lightning-drakes, baring their fangs and claws, pouncing toward that thread of light. Zhou Fuyou watched quietly, his mana fully gathered, ready at any moment to take in the treasure. The rare and precious materials spent on forging this Sea-Calming Pearl were beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Take just one of the main materials, the water-lotus seed—it was a treasure formed within a Five Elements Lotus Platform, and one whose grade far exceeded that of an ordinary fourth-tier Five Elements Lotus Platform. After the Temple Master's examination, that water-lotus seed could only have been formed by a lotus platform on the verge of reaching the fifth tier. As for the other materials, none were cheap either. The Withered-Marrow Fire Spirit Diamond left behind by the old ancestor Zhou Yunshen; a small piece of top-grade Nine-Yang Geng Metal; the Canshen Wood gifted by his master, Qinglan Fairy. Finally, Temple Master Zhan Bingtao had expended enormous effort to obtain a single reverse dragon-scale from the body of the Nether Earth Dragon that the Zhan family's powerhouses had slain together back in those years. Though the reverse dragon-scale could not match a dragon's spine-bone or a dragon heart, it was still the finest fourth-tier earth-attribute material. Any one of these main materials could be used to forge a mid-grade or even high-grade magic treasure. Fused all together, and further aided by the power of the heavenly tribulation's divine thunder, what kind of treasure would be forged? Zhou Fuyou's breathing quickened for an instant, but he quickly suppressed it. For such a magic treasure, once it came into the world, its inner foundation would surely be profound and heavy; he himself would have to refine and subdue it. Suddenly! A reminder that rang out like thunder came from below. "If you do not seize the treasure now, then when will you?" Zhou Fuyou sprang up, braving the thunderbolts falling across the sky, and dove straight into the depths of the clouds. Countless complex gazes stared at that bank of clouds, within which lightning flickered and mana surged. It was unknown how long passed—and yet it seemed but an instant. A sensation that could suppress all the heavens, yet seemed to embrace all things, arose spontaneously in everyone's heart. The crashing thunder came to an abrupt halt. The sky full of black clouds dispersed in an instant. The white-robed figure drifted lightly down into Tianyuan Temple. The moment Zhou Fuyou landed, he drew the gazes of five pairs of eyes. He took a deep breath and opened his outstretched hand, revealing a perfectly round blue orb to everyone present. "Master, Martial Uncles—Fuyou was fortunate enough not to fail your charge!" Qinglan Fairy nodded with gratification. "Forging a treasure with a heavenly tribulation is most perilous, but once it succeeds, the benefits are beyond imagining. This Sea-Calming Pearl in your hand has already crossed beyond the level of a magic treasure—it is a powerful True Artifact!" At these words, Hui Yuanhong, seated opposite, said with some excitement, "With a True Artifact as his natal magic treasure, combined with Zhou Fuyou's already considerable strength, he will surely claim the top spot in the Dao Sect's Jiazi Grand Tournament!" However, as the one who forged the Sea-Calming Pearl, Zhan Bingtao poured cold water on this. "Do not make it sound so easy. Magic treasures are driven by mana; True Artifacts are the same, but to bring out their full power, they need to absorb the free-floating spiritual energy of heaven and earth. And Zhou Fuyou—he is currently only at the early Golden Core stage." As the elders above chatted back and forth, Zhou Fuyou precisely caught the key information within. "The Jiazi Grand Tournament?" This was information he had never come across in any of the many ancient texts he had read. Seeing his confusion, his master Qinglan Fairy explained it in detail. So it was not that Zhou Fuyou was ignorant; rather, the Tianyuan Dao Sect truly had no "Jiazi Grand Tournament" in its past history. This so-called Jiazi Grand Tournament was in fact another form of the centennial grand tournament. The Tianyuan Dao Sect held a grand tournament once every hundred years, and once every five hundred years, it would even open the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven to hold a Grotto-Heaven Grand Tournament. But a hundred years after the last Grotto-Heaven Grand Tournament, no centennial grand tournament had been held. The reason was known to all—at that time, the Central Plains was in the midst of turmoil following a great calamity, and there was neither the time nor the energy to organize a contest among the disciples. But as time passed and the Tianyuan Dao Sect gradually recovered its vitality, this ancient tradition should be continued. Zhou Fuyou roughly calculated the time and confirmed that more than a hundred years had indeed passed since the last Grotto-Heaven Grand Tournament, during which no grand tournament of any kind had been held. Even this ranking contest within Tiannan Dao Palace had been carried out on the battlefield between humans and demons. "The Jiazi Grand Tournament is an exception, a product of special times. It will surely not continue in the future, for the Tianyuan Dao Sect will certainly return to the right path." Zhan Bingtao took up the thread, speaking with easy eloquence. "A special product will naturally have special rewards. Unlike past grand tournaments, where the top-ranked disciples would receive various magic treasures, pills, cultivation manuals, guidance, and benefits for their families, this Jiazi Grand Tournament will also benefit the Dao Palaces the disciples belong to—they too will receive a greater allocation of resources!" Zhou Fuyou had a sudden realization—no wonder the other Hall Masters cared so much about this matter. If he could perform outstandingly in the Jiazi Grand Tournament, then Tiannan Dao Palace, originally weak in standing, might obtain a large share of resources and revive its prestige. As for how much resources helped cultivation, Zhou Fuyou had not really felt it deeply. His cultivation speed was extremely fast, and apart from the necessary spiritual vein conditions, he hardly used any external objects. But he understood clearly just how attractive those resources were to ordinary cultivators. Needless to say more—take just his own little sister; to continue her cultivation on the Qi Refining immortal path, she would inevitably need an enormous amount of resources, even more than ordinary cultivators! Zhou Fuyou secretly resolved that he must perform well in this Jiazi Grand Tournament. But Zhan Bingtao's words were not finished yet. "Most importantly, the top ten of each realm in the Jiazi Grand Tournament will also have the chance to enter the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven to cultivate!" Zhou Fuyou looked somewhat bewildered, not understanding what the significance of cultivating within the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven was, and instinctively looked toward Qinglan Fairy. His own master had been the first-place winner of the last Grotto-Heaven Grand Tournament! Qinglan Fairy smoothed her dark tresses and said with a slight smile, "The heaven-defying opportunities inside can only be enjoyed by Nascent Soul True Persons, but for ordinary cultivators, there is another tremendous opportunity. I need only mention one thing—the difference in the flow of time! One day outside is a hundred days within the Grotto-Heaven. One year outside is a hundred years within! If one can enter and cultivate within, even for just a year, one can accumulate a hundred years more of cultivation than one's peers!" Zhou Fuyou's lips parted slightly, his eyes shining—he lost his composure, a rare occurrence. With his cultivation speed, if he could leap across a hundred years of time, what realm might he reach? "Zhou Fuyou, go and cultivate diligently! The Jiazi Grand Tournament is still decades away, and with your cultivation speed, this span of time will be enough to raise your realm again and let you bring out more of the Sea-Calming Pearl's power. This old one hopes that at the Jiazi Grand Tournament, you can win a good ranking for Tiannan Dao Palace!" Zhan Bingtao said slowly, his eyes full of expectation. Zhou Fuyou bowed deeply. "Fuyou shall do his utmost and will surely not disappoint Master and Seniors!" After leaving Tianyuan Temple, though Zhou Fuyou's heart was incomparably elated, his expression had already returned to calm. Unaware of the envious gazes cast his way from all directions, he made his way back to his new Zhaoxi Palace on his own. There, many people were waiting for him. His eldest senior sister Shi Miaoyin, second senior brother Fu Bin, fifth senior sister... his clanswoman Zhou Yuwei; Zhou Yuqi, seated in a wheelchair; and his cousin Lin Qingtong. And his little sister, Zhou Qingyu! After returning, everyone congratulated him on joyfully obtaining his natal magic treasure, and a grand banquet was laid out. During the banquet, other senior brothers came over from time to time to offer their congratulations. Among them were also many junior brothers and sisters he had rescued on the Eastern Sea battlefield. Before he knew it, a group of remarkable connections had gathered around Zhou Fuyou. While they might not seem so outstanding within Tiannan Dao Palace, if placed in the Tiannan Continent—or even the entire Central Plains—each would in the future become a master of a domain. And Zhou Fuyou was that most dazzling presence among them. After the celebration, Zhou Fuyou returned to his cultivation chamber as usual. The words of Temple Master Zhan Bingtao and his master that day still echoed in his mind. Ever since he was very, very young, he had felt a craving for power. That craving had, later on, even turned urgent. He craved power, and urgently wished to hold a higher position—not only for himself, but also for those around him. That urgent craving had seemed to vanish after he broke through to the Golden Core stage. But that gaze from the enormous black dragon on Liubo Mountain had made him understand that even at the Golden Core, he was nothing at all! Only Nascent Soul, only Soul Formation, could one roam freely in this world and protect the people he cherished. Once again, he had motivation. "The Jiazi Grand Tournament—I must win a good ranking, I must enter the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven! One year outside, a hundred years within. If I can walk out of there, I will be a Nascent Soul True Person!" So Zhou Fuyou thought, his resolve unshakably firm! ... Within the mountains there is no sun or moon to mark the days; in the world beyond, a thousand years have already passed. Before anyone knew it, fifty years had passed since Luo Chen came to the Arctic Yama Heavens. This place, once a holy land and sect gate, had long since lost its scenes of old—when auroras shimmered and towers reached to the heavens, blotting out the sun. The air was now full of biting wind and driving snow, and the sky's canopy seemed stained with a layer of gray, forming a thick iron curtain. On this day! Above the iron-curtain firmament, a vast river of stars surged forth, rolling past. Wherever the star-river passed, the iron curtain split open and the wind and snow retreated. Even the blood pool within the glacier began to boil uncontrollably. For a moment, there was a great sense of the heavens being destroyed and the earth overturned. But in an instant, the mighty star-river vanished. The iron curtain closed once more, the wind and snow as before, the severe cold as before, and that blood pool returned to calm. Sensing such a phenomenon, Xiao Bai and Black King had long since returned from elsewhere in the Yama Heaven and were waiting below a mountainside. Whoosh! A streak of sword light shot into the sky, then descended before them. The newcomer was tall and powerfully built, with stern, chiseled features. His lips were slightly upturned, as if in scorn and disdain, and his pair of dark eyes seemed like a bottomless abyss, tempting one to sink into them against one's will. He simply stood there quietly, like a drawn sword, as if about to pierce through the heavens. After standing quietly for a moment, the black-robed Daoist exhaled a long breath of stale air. As this breath was expelled, that fully bared, cutting edge gradually withdrew inward, until it was once more the original gentleness, warm as jade. Xiao Bai and Black King exchanged a glance, then spoke in unison. "Congratulations to the master on emerging from seclusion!" Luo Chen smiled faintly and swept his large sleeve. "Let's go—we return to the Eastern Desolation!"