At this very moment, within the great hall...
Chang Gong Xiaojing stood near the passageway on the hall's right side, her expression a mixture of exhilaration and tension as she stared intently at the room at the far end. Perched on her shoulder, Little Qiu mirrored her excitement, waving its tiny paws and chirping, "Chirp! Chirp!" as if cheering wildly.
"BOOOM!!"
Without warning, blinding violet light erupted from the distant room! The entire hall trembled violently. A residual shockwave of thunderous energy surged outward. Chang Gong Xiaojing quickly ducked behind a stone pillar. As chaotic spiritual energy swirled around her, her eyes widened in awe—and deepening concern.
Inside the innermost room...
Lin Feng sat cross-legged, surrounded by a dense carpet of spirit stones. Flames coiled around his body, interspersed with threads of purple lightning snaking across his skin. His face was rigid with concentration, flushed an unnatural red. In his left hand, he clutched the shattered remnants of the low-grade spiritual artifact—the Hexagonal Light Talisman. It had fractured into countless irreparable shards.
So… low-grade spiritual artifacts can't even withstand the first Heavenly Strike. A bitter smile touched Lin Feng's lips. But there was no time to mourn its loss.
Before he could draw another breath...
"CRACK!!"
The second strike plunged down! Lin Feng's expression hardened. He discarded the broken jade shards and instantly drew a diamond-shaped, cyan talisman—Mu Qingfeng's Radiant Light Treasure. Channeling his energy, he summoned a deep azure wind barrier above his head.
"KRAK-THOOM!!" The impact reverberated like a physical blow. Lin Feng distinctly heard the sickening crunch of jade fracturing within his grasp. Another precious low-grade spiritual artifact… destroyed.
Residual thunderforce slammed into him. His entire body went numb; skin screamed as if being flayed. Yet, the pain was bearable. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the wounds and immediately summoned Zhou Lihu's Light Talisman.
"RUMMMBLLLE!!"
True to pattern, the third strike hammered down the moment the talisman glowed. Jade exploded. An unimaginable force slammed into Lin Feng's core. His body swayed violently. A stifled grunt escaped his lips.
A fleeting pause followed the third strike.
Lin Feng moved with desperate speed. He swallowed several healing pills whole, chasing them down with a gulp of Spirit Spring Water. Cooling energy surged through his meridians. Agony faded to a dull throb. His true energy churned like raging rivers within—each cycle growing stronger, louder. He could almost hear the torrents. At his dantian, the energy vortex spun violently, a maelstrom devouring the ambient spiritual energy.
"CRACKLE-ZAP!!"
Merely three breaths later...
The fourth strike descended! Lin Feng's eyes narrowed, calmer now. His right hand flashed. Another low-grade spiritual artifact talisman activated—barely holding against the devastating bolt.
No respite.
Lin Feng's hands moved like blurs. Two more talismans appeared, instantly conjuring twin golden domes of protective light above him.
He had prepared for this. Nine precious low-grade spiritual artifact-grade defensive treasures remained—plundered from the fallen Golden Core elites: Loong Tian'ao and Zeng Chengwu of the Absolute Sword Sect, Wang Licang of the Violet Wheel Sect, Chen Tianxin and Mu Qingfeng of Breeze Valley, Zhou Lihu and an unnamed Golden Core cultivator from the Golden Feather Sect, and finally, Zhang of Luoming Sect. Their demise… my lifeline. Without these treasures, the tribulation would have crushed him long ago.
Simultaneously...
"KRA-KOOM!! KA-RACK!!"
The fifth and sixth strikes slammed down almost together! The twin golden domes shattered like glass. Raw thunderforce engulfed Lin Feng.
Charred flesh. The acrid stench filled his nostrils. Agony seared every nerve. Skin felt flayed raw. Fighting the invasive destructive energy tearing through his meridians, he fumbled for a treasure: a fiery-red, bowl-sized Cloudfire Ganoderma! Intended for refining Cloudfire Pills… crucial for fire-attribute Core Formation… There was no time for refinement. He shoved the entire spirit fungus into his mouth, chewing roughly before swallowing.
Fiery warmth bloomed in his gut, offering a sliver of relief. He couldn't stop. Ignoring the pain, he forced his true energy upward—two more light barriers flared into existence.
"SKREEE-KRACK!!!"
"WHUUUMP-BOOOM!!!"
The seventh and eighth strikes arrived together—twice as powerful as any before! The reinforced barriers disintegrated instantly. Within the blinding electric cascade, Lin Feng's agonized cry tore through the air!
Pain beyond endurance. His face contorted. Eyes burned bloody crimson. Teeth ground audibly. Bones felt pulverized. Yet, amidst the torment, the vortex at his dantian spun with frantic, voracious hunger. It began devouring the invasive thunderforce! As the vortex compressed, titanic power welled up—a tidal wave opposing the destruction ravaging his body.
"GRAAAWR-BOOOM!!!!"
An earthshattering roar split the air. Down plunged the ninth strike—a colossal pillar of lightning, thicker than the previous bolts combined! It aimed to obliterate him utterly.
"RAAAHHH!!!"
Lin Feng threw his head back and ROARED, veins bulging. Both hands thrust skyward. Every wisp of fire spiritual energy around him coalesced into a gigantic flaming tornado, roaring upwards to meet the apocalypse!
"SHIIIIIIING!"
A streak of blinding scarlet-silver light shot from within the flames—the Scarlet Soul Flying Sword, transformed into a furious dragon, slashing directly into the heart of the descending thunder!
"KRA-THOOOM!!!!!!!!"
The ultimate collision shook the very foundations of the hall. The flaming vortex imploded. The scarlet-silver streak split the colossal bolt—diverting half wildly off course. The remaining half hammered mercilessly down onto Lin Feng.
Pure, annihilating violet light consumed the room. At its center, only the silhouette of a seated figure remained visible. Then… a soft crimson glow began to emanate from within him. It intensified… deepened… igniting like sacred fire! The crimson radiance spread, consuming the violet lightning, transforming it into raging flames.
A vast, overwhelming wave of true energy pulsed outward—strong, stable, irrevocably Golden Core!
From the heart of the flames, a triumphant voice rang out—clear, powerful, echoing with unbound exhilaration:
"HAH... HAHAHA!!"
"He succeeded!!"
Outside, Chang Gong Xiaojing's eyes blazed with joyous tears as the mighty aura washed over her. The triumphant cry confirmed it.
...
The surging true energy gradually subsided. The raging flames within the room dwindled, revealing Lin Feng at its center. Charred robes hung in tatters. Soot smudged his skin. Yet, his eyes shone with dazed, triumphant disbelief.
"Succeeded… I… succeeded?"
He focused inward. Torrential power, magnitudes beyond Foundation Establishment, surged through every fiber. At his dantian, a Golden Core, smooth and radiant like polished amber, the size of a small fruit, rotated serenely. Pure, condensed Golden Core energy radiated from its core.
He slowly raised his head, gazing at the now-quiet ceiling void. Bewilderment flickered across his face.
"The Core Formation Heavenly Tribulation… is it over? Only… nine strikes?"
Understanding dawned, followed by a wry, self-deprecating twist to his lips. He shook his head softly.
"Of course. I possess only a Lower Grade Elemental Spirit Root. How could I possibly warrant an Eighteen or Twenty-Seven Strike Tribulation? It's only natural… only merely the Nine-Strike Tribulation."
A shudder ran through him. Relief washed away the lingering terror.
"I owe this breakthrough… to its modesty. Any more… and survival would have been impossible..."