The soul power in his body had just barely recovered, and at the moment the thunder entered him, the tearing pain almost made Jiang Chen pass out on the spot.
Without the protection of his armor, the thunder—now several times more powerful—rampaged through his body with brutal force.
In just a few seconds, the lightning wreaked havoc like a storm, shattering his meridians and ripping open countless wounds on his body. Blood gushed from his already charred flesh.
His eyes bulged out. If he hadn't been in a transformed state, his eyeballs might have completely rolled back by now.
His body was no longer upright, instead curling up tightly from the pain. The large rock beneath him had been completely dyed red.
Jiang Chen couldn't even scream. All that came from his throat was a hoarse rasping sound.
It wasn't until the lightning within him began to weaken that the corpse core stirred again, drawing the remaining electricity away.
This time, after the lightning vanished, there was no longer that itchy numbness—only searing agony remained. His body, not just his clothes, was now in tatters—beyond description.
Jiang Chen couldn't even lift a finger. He lay there, eyes fixed on the sky above, where the dark tribulation clouds had yet to disperse.
Things had reached a point where he had no choice left. He could only use the system's Blessing Elixir.
In an instant, a cool sensation swept through his entire body, and Jiang Chen felt his being bathed in a miraculous energy.
The dense network of wounds across his body began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. The shattered meridians within him were restored in the blink of an eye. The inhuman agony vanished, replaced by a sense of comfort that reached his very soul.
Jiang Chen felt like he had ascended from hell to heaven. Waves of ecstasy surged through him, forcing strange sounds from his lips.
In just a few seconds, his body returned to its peak state. Apart from having no soul power left, everything else was as good as new.
As he was still lost in the euphoria, the rolling thunder from the sky snapped him back to reality. Massive bolts of lightning churned through the dark clouds, and the air around him grew heavier by the second.
Jiang Chen's heart turned cold. The eighth bolt had already reduced his body to that miserable state—how terrifying would the ninth one be?
Right now, the only thing he had left was the Soul Ring Upgrade Ticket, but with not a shred of soul power remaining in his body, what good would upgrading a soul ring do?
Even if someone handed him a hundred-thousand-year soul ring right now, he wouldn't be able to use any skills without soul power.
He began to regret it—perhaps he should have used the upgrade ticket from the start. Maybe if his skills were stronger, the soul power consumption would have been more efficient, and he might have a little left now.
But there was no medicine for regret in this world. He didn't know how many more bolts of lightning were coming, but the ninth one alone could very well be the end of him.
Suddenly, he leapt up and sprinted to the other side of the mountaintop, trying to escape. But the tribulation cloud followed him like it had a tracking device locked onto his body, moving swiftly to keep him in its sights.
"Mother—" Jiang Chen stopped. If he couldn't run, what was the point of wasting energy?
He sat down, and in the final fleeting moments, memories of both his lives flashed before his eyes.
Scenes flew through his mind, and finally settled on the kind, deeply wrinkled face of Old Jack.
If he died here, no one would even know. Old Jack might simply think he had gone missing.
Perhaps he would wait at the village entrance every day, hoping for his return... until the day he died.
The thunder above roared with deafening might, giving Jiang Chen no time to wallow in sorrow. The ninth bolt of lightning struck down like divine judgment.
A bolt as thick as a man's thigh crashed upon him, engulfing Jiang Chen entirely.
Lightning danced wildly. Rocks exploded in all directions, and all that could be seen was a pile of ruin amid the rubble.
A few minutes later, the lightning dispersed, and Jiang Chen's body came into view.
It looked like it had been run over by a truck—utterly mangled. In some places, only scraps of flesh still clung together.
Jiang Chen's brain froze for several minutes before his consciousness slowly clawed its way back through the immense pain.
The tribulation clouds in the sky had finally dispersed.
He struggled to lift his head and glanced at his ruined body, bitter despair in his eyes.
He wasn't dead—but was this really any better?
His legs were broken, his spine was shattered—he couldn't even sit up.
A helpless, bitter smile crept onto his lips. So this was the terror of heavenly tribulation. He never imagined it would end like this.
Just as despair consumed him, the system's loli voice chimed in sweetly:
[Congratulations, host, on successfully surviving your first heavenly tribulation. You have received a 'Tribulation Gift Pack'. Please check your rewards.]
Jiang Chen's eyes, once dull and lifeless, suddenly lit up—as if a drowning man had caught hold of his final lifeline.
This gift pack might be the key to his recovery!
"Open it! Open it! Open it!" he screamed in his heart.
As he eagerly awaited, the just-obtained Tribulation Gift Pack opened, revealing several items.
Jiang Chen's eyes scanned them one by one, filled with excitement.
[Thunder Tribulation Elixir – one drop. Capable of healing any injury.]
The moment he saw this, Jiang Chen's heart trembled with joy—there really was something in the gift pack that could restore him!
Without even glancing at the rest, he immediately chose to use the Thunder Tribulation Elixir.
A single drop of radiant, multi-colored liquid appeared above him, suspended in the air.
The five-colored drop looked thick and viscous, like divine nectar, and released a mesmerizing fragrance.
In an instant, flowers bloomed across the mountaintop, and the surrounding vegetation began to grow wildly.
Jiang Chen inhaled deeply, and all the pain in his body vanished in a flash.
The glowing drop slowly descended. Jiang Chen opened his mouth wide and accepted the Thunder Tribulation Elixir.
As the elixir entered his mouth, its aroma overwhelmed his senses. At that moment, his entire body began to shine with dazzling light.
Shattered bones reformed, stronger than ever. His meridians were reconstructed—wider and tougher. Flesh and blood regenerated rapidly, and even his long-lost little buddy returned to its rightful place, radiating vitality.
Charred skin and scalp split open, revealing fresh new flesh beneath—rosy, tender, yet resilient beyond belief.
Lustrous black hair began to grow, spilling over the stone beneath him like a silken cascade.
With just a single drop, Jiang Chen was reborn.
As the divine glow faded, Jiang Chen stood up. At his feet lay a layer of shed, tattered skin—his old, broken self left behind.
He was completely naked, his newly grown hair flowing to the ground like a waterfall.
Feeling every inch of his renewed body, Jiang Chen broke into a brilliant smile. The strength he once had had returned—and his body felt even stronger than before.
Soul power surged through him, far beyond what it had been before the tribulation.
He checked the system panel again. His current soul power had reached Level 14.
Jiang Chen curled his lips in mild dissatisfaction. After surviving a near-death heavenly tribulation and using such a divine elixir, all I got was this small increase in soul power?
But he quickly let it go. After all, he had snatched back his life from the jaws of death.
Being alive—was more important than anything else.
Now, finally in the mood, he continued browsing the rest of the items in the gift pack.
[Fist Technique: Lightning Fist]
[Movement Technique: Three Thousand Thunder Steps]