Chapter 162: The Tribulation of Body Refining

The human race knew nothing about the Ancestral Spirit Pool.

In the Southern Domain, at the Medicinal Herb Sect.

After a day of recuperation, Qing Xi had converted all the fiend core essences stored within the system space, gaining several hundred new spatial imprints and synthesizing a few low-grade teleportation talismans.

The total amount of the Five Elements Origin had exceeded two million.

This gave Qing Xi the sensation of an overnight windfall. Were it not for his lingering caution, he could have completed the ascension of his spiritual roots in an instant.

In addition to this, there was a massive reservoir of vital blood energy.

"Pipizhu, do you think if I refine all of this vital blood energy, my physical body can break through to a level comparable to Earth-grade spiritual weapons?"

Qing Xi hurriedly called out to the system.

"Of course that's not a problem, but please be advised, Host, that physical breakthroughs belong to the path of body refinement. Starting from the Earth-grade breakthrough, every single realm requires undergoing a heavenly tribulation. Please proceed with caution!"

The voice of the system assistant carried a hint of solemnity, which made Qing Xi realize the severity of the problem.

"I actually have to undergo a heavenly tribulation? I thought that was just a myth!"

Qing Xi shrank his neck.

Tribulations were extraordinarily dangerous; what if he failed...

Pui!

How could he possibly fail?

He silently cursed himself for jinxing it, then asked, "Is it dangerous?"

System Assistant: "Body-refinement tribulations are generally lightning tribulations as well, though special circumstances do exist."

"You used the word 'also' quite flexibly. Does that mean Qi-refinement cultivation also requires undergoing a tribulation, just like the rumors say?"

Qing Xi was extremely curious.

"In Qi-refinement cultivation, starting from the Gold-Core Realm, every time you break through a realm, you must undergo a tribulation, which is generally a lightning tribulation as well," the assistant answered truthfully.

A look of sudden realization dawned upon Qing Xi. "No wonder the strength of the Gold-Core Realm is so terrifying; it turns out they are formidable figures who survived a lightning tribulation. My body-refinement tribulation is merely breaking through from the half-step Earth-grade to the Earth-grade; it shouldn't be that powerful..."

After pondering for a long time, Qing Xi suddenly found Lin Feng, bestowed a buff upon him, and immediately left the Medicinal Herb Sect.

As for the Little Vajra Ape and the Dragon-Horse, he left them behind.

Undergoing a tribulation was generally quite dangerous, so it was better not to have them tag along.

Finding a remote and uninhabited place, Qing Xi surrounded himself with a spatial shield, then released all the vital blood energy, which formed a pool-sized mass.

As he absorbed the vital blood energy into his body, he distinctly felt his physique continuously strengthening, and his physical strength reached two hundred thousand catties in the blink of an eye.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, a fierce gale swept in, and a massive patch of dark clouds gathered in the sky.

"So fast, I haven't even finished absorbing it yet!"

Looking at the more than half of the vital blood energy still remaining, Qing Xi exerted every ounce of his strength, absorbing and refining it at maximum speed.

Crack!

A blue-and-white arc of lightning as thick as an arm struck down ruthlessly. Qing Xi felt as if he were ascending to immortality; his hair stood completely on end, styling itself into an explosive afro.

His entire body exuded a burnt odor and trembled violently.

"What the heck, the spatial shield didn't work?"

Qing Xi was dumbfounded.

The assistant prompted: "Lightning tribulations and spatial power both belong to the power of heaven and earth, and furthermore originate from the Heavenly Dao, so of course they can't be blocked!"

"This world is so ruthless!"

Qing Xi complained angrily, continuing to absorb the vital blood energy. The injuries on his body healed in the blink of an eye, and his own strength grew even greater.

Immediately afterward, two arm-thick lightning arcs struck down, twice as powerful as before.

Qing Xi was struck until his entire body sparked with fire. He hastily absorbed the remaining vital blood energy, which finally healed his injuries.

Three lightning arcs struck down, causing all the hair on his body to bristle and his long hair to flutter in the wind like wild weeds, looking extremely terrifying.

He immediately produced a ten-thousand-year spiritual乳 and more than a dozen centuries-old spiritual herbs, swallowing them all in one gulp, while simultaneously drawing upon the vital life force he had stored for a long time, healing his wounds in an instant.

"Fortunately, my foundation is solid, otherwise I really might have capsized in a gutter."

Qing Xi dismissed the spatial shield and stood up.

Breaking through from the half-step Earth-grade to the Earth-grade only required facing the weakest lightning tribulation, divided into three waves totaling six bolts, which had now concluded.

However, to Qing Xi's utter astonishment, the lightning tribulation in the sky was still brewing, showing no sign of stopping.

"What's the situation? Do they think I'm too handsome and refuse to leave?"

Realizing something was amiss, Qing Xi began to sprint frantically into the distance.

Crack!

This time there was only a single bolt of lightning, but it was thicker than the previous ones and possessed even greater might.

Qing Xi was hit as if he had been slammed in the back by ten thousand wild bulls; he was sent flying like a cannonball, sliding for several hundred meters across the ground and gouging out a trench before finally coming to a halt.

"The Host absorbed too much vital blood energy all at once, leaping across two sub-tiers. Now that your physical cultivation is about to step into the middle Earth-grade, another lightning tribulation has been triggered."

The assistant reminded him immediately, its tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

That was the vital blood energy condensed from hundreds of fiends, including Spirit-Gang Realm fiends. As a result, Qing Xi had absorbed it all, causing his physical strength to break through too rapidly and shoot straight into the middle Earth-grade, thereby drawing down a new lightning tribulation.

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Qing Xi hastily spat out the dirt in his mouth, munched on a few more century-old spiritual herbs, and only then fully recovered.

Next, Qing Xi was struck by lightning successively.

First two bolts, then three bolts, and finally four bolts.

On this day, Qing Xi was struck by a total of sixteen bolts of lightning before he successfully weathered the body-refinement tribulation.

At that moment, he was lying in a dirt crater, smoke rising from his entire body, his long hair reeking of a scorched smell.

He had no idea how his hair had managed to survive.

Regardless, this was a good thing.

"Turns out that apart from hurting a bit, undergoing a tribulation is actually this simple. Hahaha!"

Holding a three-hundred-year-old spiritual fruit, Qing Xi took a bite. Rich spiritual energy surged into his body, and his injuries rapidly healed.

"If it weren't for consuming eighty-one rare heavenly treasures over a century old, the Host would have already been reincarnated elsewhere," the assistant said flatly.

"That just goes to show, it's great to be rich!"

Qing Xi leaped to his feet, found a lake, washed up, changed into a clean set of clothes, and headed back in the direction of the Medicinal Herb Sect.

Although undergoing the lightning tribulation twice was dangerous, the benefits were immense.

His physical strength had reached five hundred thousand catties, surpassing even ordinary middle Earth-grade fierce beasts. As for his physical toughness, it was also slightly superior to middle Earth-grade spiritual weapons.

"If I encounter a frost fiend again, with my current strength, even without using spatial power, I should be able to effortlessly thrash it, right?" Qing Xi clenched his fists, feeling his surging power, and decided he should find a target to practice on.

Right at that moment, he spotted a dark figure lingering on the outskirts of the Tianling Mountain Range, stealthily peering into the Medicinal Herb Sect.

"It's a peak Spirit-Gang Realm fiend!"

Through scanning, Qing Xi easily obtained the other party's information.

"Fiend, take my punch!"

Without another word, Qing Xi flashed across a hundred meters in an instant, knocked the creature down with a single punch, and pinned it to the spot with immense force.

"Let me go!"

This dog-headed fiend howled loudly.

Realizing that Qing Xi was merely a cultivator at the Great Circle of the Innate Realm, he attempted to counterattack, only to find that the opponent's strength was terrifyingly great, making it impossible to break free no matter what.

This chilled him to the bone, knowing he had run into a tough adversary.

"Speak quickly, standing here sneaking around, what are you trying to do?"

Qing Xi unceremoniously shattered the fiend's four limbs, trapped him with spatial power, and began a half-hour session of "friendly" greetings.