Jian Dan didn't think being at late Unity stage meant she should go easy. She was challenging entire squads alone after all.
At first, she fought one squad at a time. Once she judged a squad's battlefield reactions, teamwork, and formation use as up to standard, she moved to the next. The ones not on stage had to watch from below so they wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.
After half a month of this, she switched it up. Three squads, one person from each, formed mixed trios with staggered cultivation levels. They'd face her together, still with the incense stick limit. Anyone blasted off before that dragged their whole squad down with them.
At the start, it was ugly. Within the same squad, everyone's strength was balanced and their cooperation tight. Mixed squads had clashing strengths and no coordination, so Jian Dan crushed them mercilessly. She hit every weakness, tearing apart their formations, then knocked them down one by one.
It was pitiful. Every day the Heaven Division limped back black-and-blue, leaning on each other for support. Even the demonic energy they used to heal their wounds got wrung dry by Jian Dan's relentless drills.
When Mo Zhang had time, he dropped by to watch once and almost popped his eyes out. Only then did he understand why the Heaven Division's mission efficiency had shot through the roof lately.
Mo Ran, on the other hand, enjoyed the spectacle. Whenever Jian Dan didn't feel like sparring herself, he'd volunteer, fists flying as he ground the proud Heaven Division geniuses into the stage.
Even though Mo Ran was only peak mid Void Refinement, he had Jian Dan's sharp guidance. Wherever she pointed, he struck, shattering defenses with pinpoint accuracy. Over time, his vision sharpened, and not long after he broke through the combined assault of three squads, his cultivation stirred. Signs of a breakthrough appeared.
Excited, he clasped hands to Jian Dan and went straight into seclusion to advance into late Void Refinement.
That left Jian Dan short a sparring partner, but she didn't complain. She simply sent a message talisman to Mo Qi, telling her Mo Ran had gone into closed-door training. The very next day, Mo Qi showed up all smiles to find Jian Dan.
When Mo Zhang found out, his mouth twitched. Mo Yue Zūnshàng was the real deal. In just one month, the Heaven Division's strength had climbed again.
So the nine squads suffered and grew under Jian Dan's brutal training. As their overall combat power rose, some cultivators also felt their bottlenecks loosen. They were battered daily, but not a single one resented her.
How could they? Having a half-step Mahayana like Mo Yue Zūnshàng personally spar with them was an enormous opportunity. Facing a powerhouse like her, lasting even one extra move meant they might survive an encounter with a real enemy in the future. The Heaven Division burned with eagerness, pushing themselves harder every day.
That day, Jian Dan had just reached the peak's arena when the sky roared. Dark clouds rolled, lightning flickered, and a tribulation cloud took shape right above Moyan Peak.
Her senses sharpened. Reaching into her sea of consciousness, she found Xiao Yue stirring inside her cave. The little wolf was awake, confused, and had clearly sensed the Heavenly Dao locking onto him. He raised his head toward the sky through the open skylight.
In a blink, Jian Dan appeared outside her cave, swept open the barriers, grabbed Xiao Yue, and flashed to the peak. She tossed him onto the tribulation platform below, then withdrew beyond the range of the thunderclouds.
Xiao Yue trembled at first, but when he saw her, he calmed and focused on the brewing tribulation. He knew this was his Fifth Stage thunder tribulation.
"Xiao Yue, don't panic. I'll guard you. The array beneath you is defensive. If you truly can't hold on, tell me and I'll activate it. But this is your Fifth Stage Heavenly Thunder, your tribulation to take human form. It's best if you endure it yourself."
Hovering above, Jian Dan's voice carried straight to him.
Xiao Yue bared his teeth at the heavens, then stretched into his true form, a man-tall wolf. He howled defiantly just as the first purple thunderbolt crashed down.
Lightning swallowed him whole. Jian Dan narrowed her eyes and saw clearly—Xiao Yue had taken the strike head-on. The thunder crawled across his body, every strand of fur sparking with silver arcs.
Five breaths later, the second bolt descended. This time the thunder pierced his hide, surging through his meridians. Beast meridians were tough, but they were innately weak against thunder. His legs buckled under the searing pain, yet he shook his head and held on.
"Xiao Yue, circulate your art. Refine the lightning, turn it into your strength."
Jian Dan reminded him firmly. Three more bolts remained, each stronger than the last.
Dazed from the pain, Xiao Yue still heard her words. The crescent mark on his brow glowed softly, pushing back against the thunder coursing inside him.
"Senior Sister Mo Yue, that little wolf of yours has good bloodline!"
Mo Qi appeared at Jian Dan's side, smiling.
"Mm. He's simple-minded, so his cultivation progress is actually faster."
Far away, the Moon Wolf Clan wasn't so calm.
Clan Head Lang Xiao was irritable to the point of violence. He pinned the Flame Wolf Clan's leader to the ground and thrashed him just to vent his mood, but even afterward his heart felt restless.
Back in his cave, unease gnawed at him. He finally decided something must have happened to his cub. He rushed to the Nine-Tailed Beast Lord's cave, only to find the lord absent. Instead, he met Bai Jue Zhūnshàng.
"Bai Jue Zhūnshàng, my Xiao Yue seems to be in trouble. I can't calm down."
The scar across Lang Xiao's face twitched with anxiety as he pleaded.
Bai Jue's handsome expression remained serene. He put down his jade slip, wordless, and sent off a white-feathered message. Then he looked back.
"Xiao Yue is with Mo Yue Zūnshàng. He'll be fine. Calm yourself and wait for news."
"Thank you."
Lang Xiao finally sat down cross-legged at the side, silent but tense, eyes fixed on the cave's entrance as he waited.
On Moyan Peak, Xiao Yue had endured four thunderbolts. His once gray-and-white fur was now charred black, patches burned away. Blood dripped from fresh wounds carved open by lightning.
He was swaying, barely able to stand. Finally, he collapsed onto the array, panting heavily, eyes hazy, staring up at the gathering last bolt.
He was half-conscious, yet refused to signal for the defensive array. Deep inside, he believed that if he could withstand this final strike with his own body, he'd grow far stronger.
Jian Dan frowned. She suddenly called out, "Open your mouth!"
A droplet of supreme spiritual spring water shot from her hand into Xiao Yue's mouth. It flowed down, soothing and repairing the ravaged meridians.
Before the healing could take effect, the last thunderbolt split the sky and came crashing down.