Volume 1, Chapter 145: The Dragon's Tribulation.

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Carefree Road.
"Let's just eat somewhere nearby. The old man was right about getting back early." Jiang Chen chose not to go too far; although the current era was peaceful, it was always better to be prepared for the unexpected.
Li Changsheng agreed, "That makes sense. Let's just eat around here. I'm not that hungry anyway; a quick bite will do."
Chen Xingchen shook her head. "That won't do. You are my friends, and my family’s philosophy of hospitality is that when you make good friends, you must treat them to a meal. Money isn't the point; my father will reimburse me anyway."
Jiang Chen felt a cold sweat. He wasn't worried about anything else, but rather that if they two disappeared one day, the Ancestor Chen Xingchen would never stop looking for them. If she spent so much money and the Ancestor kept fretting over it, what would happen? Once they returned to their own time, the Ancestor might just charge into their home and finish them off... cough, cough—it wasn't entirely impossible.
"Then let's have hot pot. Although the hot pot in the capital is authentic, the hot pot in Shanghai isn't bad either." Chen Xingchen led the two to a hot pot restaurant.
Before the three of them could even start eating, most of the other customers had already left.
"Hey, that’s not right. Isn't this the busiest time for restaurants? Why is no one eating here?" Li Changsheng asked, puzzled. It wasn't even seven o'clock yet, and it was still bright outside.
"You folks must be from out of town, unaware of the situation," the waiter said, looking outside the shop before turning back to them.
Chen Xingchen felt a surge of curiosity. "Comrade, may I ask what’s going on?"
The waiter whispered, "Recently, something has been scurrying through the streets at night. A lot of people have seen it, but nobody knows what it is. Anyway, we’ve been sleeping inside the shop for the past two days. You should head back early after you finish your meal."
Chen Xingchen felt a flicker of fear and instinctively grabbed Jiang Chen’s sleeve.
Jiang Chen smiled to himself, not daring to let out a chuckle. Despite the limitless achievements this Ancestor would later attain, at this moment, before she had touched the world of cultivation, she was just a young girl. It was perfectly natural for her to feel a visceral fear of such bizarre phenomena.
"It really is quite strange. Let's finish our meal and head back quickly," Jiang Chen said, though in his heart, he was already planning to find an opportunity to go and take a look.
After hearing this, Chen Xingchen kept her head down and focused on eating. She didn't know why she had been so anxious to go out; they could have eaten during the day tomorrow. She had picked a day that was destined for trouble.
"Don't be afraid. We'll go back to school together later. With two grown men by your side, what are you afraid of?" Jiang Chen said in a soft, comforting tone.
Chen Xingchen murmured an acknowledgment. Within half an hour, she stopped eating, but Li Changsheng, on the other hand, had not stopped since the food arrived. It was as if he were possessed by a starving ghost; he didn't even seem to be slowing down.
Jiang Chen watched him, but the boy didn't even look up, just buried his head in his food. It was no wonder he struggled so much in his pursuit of Liuli; this complete lack of awareness regarding the atmosphere was truly a headache.
Finally, an hour later, Li Changsheng put down his chopsticks and patted his stomach.
"Refreshing! It’s been a long time since I’ve had such natural beef and lamb. It’s so delicious! Old... I mean, classmate Chen, thank you so much." Li Changsheng reached out to shake her hand, but Jiang Chen swatted it away with a chopstick.
"Let's go. Time to head back," Jiang Chen stood up, looking at the now-darkened sky, and felt an urge to kick Li Changsheng.
"Let's go, let's go, back to school!" Li Changsheng chuckled.
Chen Xingchen, however, seemed weighed down by worries.
"Maybe we should stay here tonight? I can spend a little more money if I have to," Chen Xingchen said suddenly.
Jiang Chen looked outside. It was indeed dark, but the school wasn't far away. Why was she so afraid?
Li Changsheng also sensed something was wrong, but he didn't give it much thought, believing that Ancestor Chen Xingchen’s worries were entirely unfounded. In a situation like this, even if something happened, he and Jiang Chen could easily handle it. Furthermore, in this era of mediocre spiritual energy, Jiang Chen standing alone was enough; there was no need for him to even act.
Chen Xingchen kept her head down, her heart pounding. Since she was a child, she had been able to sense danger. At first, she hadn't paid it any mind, but after the butler once brought her a cup of poisoned tea, she realized that her heart would race whenever she encountered danger. Even though nothing had happened for many years, Chen Xingchen subconsciously planned to avoid risks, but it was clear now that she couldn't escape this one.
Jiang Chen said, "It's fine, stay calm. Let's go back to school."
Chen Xingchen took a deep breath and followed. "You two stay behind me; I'll protect you!"
Jiang Chen and Li Changsheng exchanged glances, completely stunned.
"You? Protect us? Why on earth?" Li Changsheng’s accent even shifted. He couldn't fathom how the frail-looking Chen Xingchen could protect them.

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Chen Xingchen held out her hand and said, "Actually, I can sense danger outside, and I know a bit of martial arts. If you two follow me, you’ll be perfectly safe."
Jiang Chen shrugged. "That works too."
Li Changsheng didn't know what else to say. He hadn't expected that Ancestor Chen Xingchen would have already shown such talent at this age—the ability to predict danger in advance. In battle, this talent could be called invincible. Whether or not to fight was entirely up to the Ancestor's mood. No wonder Ancestor Chen Xingchen had been able to single-handedly subdue so many people back in the day; it seemed this ability was as strong as expected.
Once the three of them were outside, the situation didn't seem quite so strange, though there was no one else on the main road.
Chen Xingchen clutched her heart. Although it didn't hurt, the pounding was uncomfortable.
Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings, afraid to miss a single clue. There was nothing out of the ordinary here; if there were, it wouldn't escape his sharp eyes. He just couldn't understand why Chen Xingchen was so terrified, and what could possibly frighten her so much.
Jiang Chen couldn't imagine it.
Suddenly, Chen Xingchen looked up at the sky and almost fell to the ground in terror.
Jiang Chen sensed a fluctuation of demonic energy. The next second, he looked up and saw a black shadow constantly circling in the sky. However, its silhouette was intertwined with the dark clouds, appearing and disappearing, sometimes visible and sometimes obscured.
Jiang Chen blocked Chen Xingchen and said, "Don't be afraid, it's just a beast."
Chen Xingchen looked at Jiang Chen in disbelief. "Just a beast? You say that so lightly."
Jiang Chen scratched his head. "To be honest with you, neither of us is an ordinary person."
Chen Xingchen asked blankly, "I know that. Aren't you both from Class 3 of the Literature Department?"
"You're still making jokes at a time like this?"
"I'm not."
Jiang Chen pointed to the sky. "Even if you haven't seen it, you've heard of it. If I'm not mistaken, this thing is a dragon. But why it would appear here, I don't know."
Chen Xingchen swallowed hard. "A dragon... then what do we do?"
Jiang Chen’s heart sank. What to do? He didn't know either. If he went to subdue this dragon, what if history changed? Yet, he wasn't just thinking about whether things would vanish; he was looking for an opportunity to see if there were any powerful cultivators in this world. Even if he didn't act himself, letting them intervene would suffice. But the black dragon had been circling for a long time without descending, and no one below was coming to stop it.
Could it be that the people of this era were weak? He knew there had to be "Earth Immortal" level experts in this era, but where were they? In a place like Shanghai, it was impossible for there to be no guardians; there had to be one or two Earth Immortals watching over the area. And this place was of particular importance—any incident here would be a major issue. Surely, it couldn't be left unmonitored.
"Changsheng, you take... Chen Xingchen back. I’ll go take a look," Jiang Chen said.
Li Changsheng shook his head. "You take her back. I’ll fly over on my sword to investigate. You follow me as soon as you've dropped her off."
"That works. Let's do that." Jiang Chen prepared to leave with Chen Xingchen, whose legs were already weak. Li Changsheng didn't pay them any more mind; as Chen Xingchen looked back at him, he had already taken off on his sword, diving straight into the clouds.
The bright clouds were forcibly pierced, leaving a trail of holes behind him.
"He... he flew?!" Chen Xingchen’s eyes widened as she watched Li Changsheng, who had already flown away, her eyes filled with utter disbelief.
"Yeah... he flew." Chen Xingchen’s legs gave out, and she couldn't take another step. Jiang Chen had no choice but to carry the Ancestor on his back. Chen Xingchen’s mind was still reeling, recalling Li Changsheng’s shocking ability.
Just as they were nearing the school, Chen Xingchen suddenly said, "I'm not going back. Put me down."
"Not going back? Why?" Jiang Chen asked, puzzled.
"Put me on the rooftop. I want to see how you do it," Chen Xingchen said, suppressing her fear.
"Aren't you afraid?"

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"I'm afraid, but I want to see."
Jiang Chen didn't know what to do about the Ancestor's request. Should he agree or not?
Finally, Jiang Chen gritted his teeth. "Hold on tight to my neck, I'll take you."
Chen Xingchen’s fair, slender arms wrapped tightly around Jiang Chen’s neck. The next moment, Jiang Chen soared into the air. Chen Xingchen could see them moving further and further away from the ground.
Jiang Chen’s speed continued to increase, and layers of mist—likely clouds—appeared before them.
Thunder and lightning began to roar in the sky, but Chen Xingchen was no longer afraid; she only felt an exhilarating rush.
"I'll leave you on that building. Don't tell anyone what you see. I have to go help." After saying this, Jiang Chen landed on a relatively tall building in the blink of an eye, offering a clear view of the ground below.
Jiang Chen patted Chen Xingchen on the shoulder and touched her forehead. "Stay here, don't run around, and don't scream no matter what you see. Wait for me to come back for you."
"Okay, I will wait for you here," Chen Xingchen nodded obediently.
Jiang Chen felt as if something were blocked in his chest. Ever since he learned Chen Xingchen’s name, he hadn't wanted to interact with her too much, but it was as if fate had ordained it—Chen Xingchen had seen a dragon. And not just any dragon, but a flying one that hadn't been dealt with. The implications were immense.
He didn't have time to confirm if this was the event that set Ancestor Chen Xingchen on her path of cultivation. If it was, then he was truly the culprit.
Jiang Chen soared up and leaped into the clouds.
Li Changsheng was actually not far away. When Jiang Chen arrived, he asked, "What did you see just now?"
Li Changsheng pointed to the rolling thunder. "This dragon looks so familiar, but I can't quite place where I've seen it. Regardless, it’s very familiar. But setting that aside, it seems to be undergoing a tribulation—a lightning tribulation."
A lightning tribulation?
"Damn, it's so greedy," Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, watching the black dragon being repeatedly struck by lightning.
A snake undergoes tribulation to become a flood dragon; a flood dragon to become a horned dragon; a horned dragon to become a true dragon.
A dragon must endure the rolling heavenly thunder—the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder—to be transformed into human form.
This black dragon must be insane. Even if it succeeded in the tribulation and attained the strength of an Earth Immortal, it would be weak for a period of time. If someone hunted it down during this period, the black dragon’s gall, scales, and tendons would all be treasures; it could even be skinned and deboned.
It was truly audacious to attempt a tribulation on such a day.
Jiang Chen used a talisman to conceal their presence.
The thunder continued; it was no longer just a rumble, but explosive crashes—thorough, deafening blasts that left no time for preparation. A bolt of lightning as thick as a tree trunk struck down.
The black dragon roared in the sky, but no sound could be heard, presumably because of some formation it had set up.
But why did this black dragon choose to undergo its tribulation today? What kind of day was it anyway?
Before he could think further, after the final purple divine thunder struck, the black dragon plummeted toward the ground.
With a loud boom, Jiang Chen saw black mist swirling around the dragon’s body.
Jiang Chen said, "It should be done with the tribulation. If it’s not dead, it must have succeeded."
Li Changsheng, standing beside him, asked, "So, what do we do? Are we going to take advantage of the chaos to slay this black dragon and take its demonic core?"
That was indeed an option. However, Jiang Chen didn't intend to do that. Firstly, there was no enmity between them, nor any conflict of interest, so there was no need to kick someone while they were down. Furthermore, by doing this black dragon a favor now, they might find a use for it later.
"No, we’ll head down, find it, and save its life," Jiang Chen planned.
"Save its life? Have you lost your mind? If we go down now to save it, we’ll definitely be besieged by righteous factions. We might not be able to hold them all off, let alone prevent damage," Li Changsheng said worriedly.
"We’re doing this for the future. We can’t just look at immediate gains. If we kill it, what would we get? Just a pile of useless junk. Wouldn't it be better if we could gain the help of an Earth Immortal-level being?"