Jian Dan remained calm. Holding the white jade token she had inserted upon entering the inner sanctum, she placed it into the groove on the chamber wall. A small teleportation array immediately lit up beneath the meditation cushion, transporting her directly to the designated lightning tribulation site prepared for cultivators undergoing advancement.
Seated at the center of scorched earth, she didn't bother raising any defensive artifacts. She simply sat cross-legged, quietly awaiting the descent of the tribulation lightning.
The steward of the Advancement Hall wasn't surprised. Every year, many cultivators emerged from seclusion here, and only a rare few ever failed their breakthroughs. Advancement meant facing tribulation, and this time, the cultivator was undergoing the Three-Nine Tribulation for Nascent Soul. Judging by the intensity, it would be a fierce one. Whether she could withstand it would soon be revealed.
The first bolt of lightning struck. Jian Dan only felt a mild numbness ripple across her body. The remaining eight bolts quickly followed. When the first wave ended and Jian Dan appeared unfazed, the clouds above began brewing the second round of lightning.
The Nine Bolts Tribulation turned out to be less torturous than expected. The lightning surged through her meridians, completing a full circuit before converging in her dantian. A spark touched the newly formed Yuányīng within her. The tiny figure of Jian Dan frowned slightly from the shock, then calmly allowed the purple lightning to course through her, eventually being absorbed into the Yin-Yang Taiji Disk she sat upon.
Then came the second wave. This time, there was no pause. The lightning rained down in a single furious burst, almost knocking Jian Dan off her posture. She quickly activated her Primordial Chaos Art, drawing spiritual energy from the mid-grade spirit stone in her hand to repair the damage within her meridians and organs.
Inside the dantian, her Yuányīng was struck again. The tiny Jian Dan rolled her eyes in irritation and began rapidly absorbing the abundant yang energy within the sea of spiritual force to stabilize and solidify her form.
When the third and final wave descended, Jian Dan no longer remained passive. She summoned the Mò Xī Sword, rose into the sky, and began executing the Nine Forms of the Heavenly Sword. Each strike met a bolt of tribulation lightning in the air.
Now even the Advancement Hall steward opened his eyes. She had the fearlessness of a true sword cultivator.
As the final bolt was cleaved in two, one half returned to the clouds, and the other plunged back down. It slammed into Jian Dan's body, tore through her meridians, and rushed straight to her dantian. Inside, her Yuányīngl raised her sword and struck it head-on, channeling it into the Yin-Yang Taiji Disk beneath her. The disk spun rapidly, ringed in brilliant arcs of purple lightning, glowing even more brightly.
In an instant, the wind stopped, the clouds cleared, and a fine spiritual rain began to fall. A reward for surviving the tribulation.
Jian Dan, unwilling to waste a drop, immediately began absorbing the spiritual rain. As it seeped into her skin, the burns on her body gradually healed, restoring her complexion to a smooth, radiant sheen.
A newly-ascended Nascent Soul cultivator had been born. Three resonant tolls of the Heavenly Sword Sect's bell echoed across the mountains, proclaiming to all that yet another Yuanying Zhēnjūn had joined the sect.
With the advancement complete, Jian Dan activated her jade token and returned to her cultivation chamber. Now came the time to consolidate her realm.
Back in the chamber, she tended to herself briefly, then checked on Yue Liang. She seemed to be quietly gathering strength, so Jian Dan moved her to the inner cushion and activated a protective formation, not wanting to disturb her further.
She then summoned the silver-armored beetles. Finding that they were still evolving, she tossed in the mithril she had acquired in the Western Market—just a little snack to keep them busy.
Next came the Mò Xī Sword. Its blade gleamed brighter than before, and arcs of violet lightning danced across its surface with a sharp crackle.
"What now? Can't you see I haven't even finished refining all the tribulation lightning yet?" the sword spirit snapped in its usual arrogance.
"I can see that," Jian Dan replied, unbothered. "I just wanted to talk. You know I used to fight with twin swords. I'd like to forge another blade to pair with you."
"That may prove difficult."
Jian Dan smiled faintly and gave the blade a couple of casual swings. "You mean because of the materials? Worried I won't find something good enough?"
"My forging technique isn't of this realm."
"Let me guess. You're from the Immortal Realm?"
"…"
That silence said enough. Jian Dan hadn't expected her lifebound sword to carry such a background, but since he didn't want to elaborate, she didn't press.
"I picked up a hind leg from that black beetle I fought. It looks sturdy. Can we use it?"
"That should work. Use your Verdant Flame to smelt it. We'll also need snow crystal ore, meteorite iron, and blue banyan wood…"
"Alright, alright, slow down. We'll go to the space later and check the inventory."
"Fine. At least you have a storage realm. Not too bad. I'll continue refining lightning. You go work on melting that insect limb."
With a swoosh, the sword spirit vanished back into her dantian.
Jian Dan sighed and pulled out the severed leg.
It was as thick as a child's arm, jet black and glossy. Cold to the touch like fine jade, and when she tapped it, it rang like metal against stone.
She summoned the Verdant Flame and wrapped the leg in it, beginning the smelting process. It would be long and tedious. As the flame devoured spirit energy, Jian Dan sat cross-legged nearby, circulating the Primordial Chaos Art to replenish it.
An entire year passed during the refining. By the time the final section of the limb melted, Jian Dan's cultivation at the early Nascent Soul stage had fully stabilized. To fuel the smelting, she had consumed massive amounts of spiritual energy, feeding the Verdant Flame nonstop. Through this repeated process, her meridians expanded once again.
The Yin-Yang Taiji Disk in her dantian spun faster than before. The yang side brimmed with dense spiritual energy, keeping her Yuányīng solid and bright. The tiny figure of Jian Dan sat cross-legged at the core of the disk's yin side, calmly cultivating, her expression serene.
But the yang side's demonic qi remained unstable. The magic core on that side had yet to fully transform.
Jian Dan decided that once she finished her current seclusion, she would head to the lands controlled by the Heavenly Demon Palace. She would need that environment to complete her cultivation balance.
As she pondered this, a sudden surge of spiritual power erupted from the inner chamber.