Du Yue, however, didn't even glance upward at the approaching storm. She was fully absorbed in her breakthrough, calmly circulating her three cultivation techniques… Yin Jade Body Tempering, Silent Night Soul-Refinement Sutra, and Pure Yin Vein Resonance Method.
The Heavenly Dao Laws within the tribulation thunder would act like a guiding catalyst, pushing her in the right direction and aiding her breakthrough.
For her Body path, she continued running her body cultivation technique and circulate the Yin Vital Qi, leaving the rest to the heavenly thunder, which would naturally refine her body into the next realm.
For her Soul path, she continued running her soul cultivation technique, refining the spiritual Qi into Soul Qi and storing it in her consciousness. A small part of the tribulation thunder would enter her consciousness and assist in the refinement process, turning the spiritual Qi into Soul Qi with ease.
But she was especially careful with her spirit cultivation. She concentrated most of her mental energy on compressing the Spiritual Qi into solid form. At the centre of her dantian, she placed a tiny portion of her Pure Soul.
Surrounding it, the liquid Spiritual Qi slowly solidified into a circular core. Once all the Qi in her dantian condensed into this core, the tribulation thunder would refine it further, transforming it into a golden-coloured spiritual core.
Du Yue stood up and floated a few meters above the ground, looking at the tribulation with a bored expression… completely opposite to Su Wen's… as if she had nothing to fear. To Su Wen, it felt like watching a calamity unfold in real time, his heartbeat thundering in his chest.
Du Yue turned toward her husband, their gazes meeting even from this distance. When she saw the worry in his eyes, she smiled softly and blew him a flying kiss.
Su Wen's eye twitched again. Still nervous, he couldn't help but smile back, then raised his fist at her, silently telling her to stop fooling around and focus on the tribulation.
Suddenly, Su Wen sensed five cultivators in a certain direction with his Peak Soul Awakening Soul Sense. Three were at Peak Foundation Establishment, while the remaining two were at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment. They were approaching but stopped at roughly the fifteen-kilometre mark.
Su Wen shifted slightly closer and discreetly extended his Soul Sense, listening in on their conversation.
"Boss," said one of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, "someone is undergoing a Golden Core tribulation here. And this tribulation… it doesn't look ordinary."
The leader frowned deeply. "Yes. That's a Nine Revolution Heavenly Tribulation. Normally, only top geniuses from the major sects of the Central Continent can attract something like this."
"Then how could such a tribulation appear in a place like this?" another cultivator asked, clearly confused.
One of the Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators answered instead, his tone calm and experienced.
"It depends on the cultivator's foundation. Those with rare physiques or an exceptionally deep foundation require higher-revolution tribulation thunder to refine them properly. The stronger the foundation, the more revolutions are needed to complete the breakthrough… anything less simply wouldn't be enough."
He paused briefly before continuing,
"As for cultivators who rush breakthroughs without tempering their base, they usually attract low-revolution tribulations. Even then, many of them still fail to survive."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Let's leave," the leader said seriously. "Staying this close might make them think we have ill intentions. We'll observe from farther away."
"Yes, boss… though why do I feel like I've seen that woman somewhere before?" one of them muttered.
"No matter who she is, this isn't our business. We're leaving," the leader said firmly.
The group quickly retreated, increasing their distance.
Unbeknownst to them, this small decision would ultimately spare them from a calamity they would never have survived.
Su Wen withdrew his Soul Sense, sheathed his sword, and placed it back into his ring. He then moved to a concealed position, remaining vigilant… like a silent guard husband watching over his wife.
Du Yue hovered in the air like an empress. She drew her Grade 3 White Snow Blade, a slender and elegant sword as pristine as freshly fallen snow. Refined from Moonlight Steel she had found in the Eastern Mountain Ranges, the blade reflected the light on its surface, giving it a snowy sheen. It floated beside her, its tip angled upward, as if lifting itself to challenge the Heavens.
"This sword is not bad…" she murmured to herself, carefully analysing the blade. "It was refined once by the Heavenly Tribulation, but it's still not enough," she thought, frowning slightly.
"My soul-bound Snow Blossom Sword, forged from Primordial Yin Stone, is still stored in my soul space. It's damaged, but using it in the lower cultivation realms would be a complete waste," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head.
"I'll raise the grade of this White Snow Blade now, then use it as material to reforge my Snow Blossom Sword later…" Her lips pressed into a determined line.
Her gaze softened. "My old sword was the only one that stayed by my side in my last life. In this life, I have the White Snow Blade," she whispered.
"I'll let them become one and keep them close to my heart…" she added quietly, "…only second to my husband," her eyes flickering with warmth and devotion.
A bolt of lightning descended from the heavens with a roar like the cracking of the world's bones. It struck the ground just inches from her feet, the air exploding with a deafening crack. Shockwaves rippled through the earth, making the ground beneath her tremble.
But Du Yue didn't flinch.
Her blue robes fluttered gently in the wind, her expression calm and unshaken. This was the heavens' warning, a final chance for a cultivator to step back. Once they chose to proceed, they would have to face the trial head-on… a test that would either grant a breakthrough or leave them dead or crippled.
Du Yue hovered a few feet above the ground, hands behind her back, the mirror-like sword floating beside her as if she had no regard for the heavens themselves. She even looked slightly impatient, as though she couldn't stand wasting another second, completely disregarding her perilous situation.
Suddenly, the lightning surged and crackled, as if the heavens themselves were angered by the complete disregard of this tiny existence. A bolt shot toward Du Yue, splitting into two… one striking her directly, the other striking her sword.
She didn't move, and neither did her sword. Not even a tremor passed through them, as if nothing had happened.
Yet inside Du Yue's body, changes had already begun. She ran all three cultivation techniques continuously. Her body absorbed the thunder directly, refining her body further and nudging it closer to perfection.
Tiny strands of white Soul Qi appeared in her consciousness, barely the size of a droplet, while her liquid Spiritual Qi, forming a core, began solidifying faster under the refining touch of the Heavenly Thunder.
Her sword, too, was strengthened. Any lingering impurities from its original forging burned away, and the quality of its material steadily improved under the divine pressure.