Chapter 27: The Heart Demon Tribulation
The Core Formation World was a realm of boundless wonder, its floating peaks draped in golden mist and its rivers shimmering with liquid qi. Li Wei, now at the cusp of mid-Foundation Establishment, stood with his team—Lin Xue, Su Chen, Yang Kai, Mei Lan, and Huo Shen—before the gate's exit, a radiant arch pulsing with the world's dense qi. The Nine Worlds Ascension Art scroll in his sleeve burned, its characters warning of the Heart Demon Tribulation, a trial that tested a cultivator's spirit before forming their core. Li Wei's Spirit Sense felt the air shift, heavy with illusory power.
Elder Mei Ling's jade token had instructed them to stabilize the gate by sealing its qi source, but the tribulation struck first. The arch flared, enveloping Li Wei in a void of swirling shadows. His team vanished, and he stood alone in a replica of Hidden Mist Valley, its fog thick with memories. The scroll's voice echoed: Face your heart, or be consumed.
A vision materialized—his parents, faces blurred by time, starving in the valley's famine. "You abandoned us," they whispered, their voices cutting deeper than any blade. Li Wei's heart clenched, guilt surging. He saw the villagers who banished him, their eyes accusing. "You brought ruin," they hissed. The Nine Worlds Ascension Art steadied him, its Celestial Harmony Strike resonating in his mind: The dao is your truth.
Li Wei faced the illusions, his qi flaring. "I didn't choose my path—it chose me!" he roared, channeling World Resonance Seal. The void trembled, the visions wavering. A final figure appeared—a shadow of himself, wielding a dark Starfall Strike. "You'll fail the Nine Worlds," it taunted, attacking with his own techniques.
Li Wei countered with Ninefold Pulse, nine waves of qi clashing with the shadow's meteor. The battle raged within his mind, each strike testing his resolve. Memories of Lin Xue's loyalty, Su Chen's respect, and his own defiance fueled him. He unleashed Celestial Vortex, absorbing the shadow's qi and redirecting it as a radiant blast. The shadow shattered, and the void dissolved.
Li Wei awoke by the arch, his team watching with concern. His dantian glowed, a golden core forming—mid-Foundation Establishment achieved. Lin Xue gripped his hand. "You made it," she said, her ninth-stage Qi Condensation aura steady. Su Chen nodded. "The tribulation is no small feat." The scroll pulsed, revealing a new technique: Heartflame Strike, a fiery blow fueled by spiritual resolve.
But danger loomed. Yang Kai's Spirit Sense detected a rival sect's qi—Shadow Abyss Clan, known for dark arts. "They're after the gate's power," he warned. The team prepared, knowing the Core Formation World held greater trials.