The sky was still boiling.
Thunder churned in the clouds above Miscellaneous Peak, arcs of violet lightning twisting like angry serpents searching for prey. Every rumble felt as if the heavens were grinding their teeth, and Li An happened to be the unlucky bone between them.
He tilted his head back, expression caught somewhere between a grimace and a smirk.
"…Of course. Of course this would happen to me."
The storm raged louder in response, and Li An muttered under his breath, "I just had to fuse them, didn't I? Couldn't settle for staying quiet and mediocre. No, no—Li An had to reach for Heavenly Grade Roots on a trash peak."
He ran a hand through his hair, which was already whipping wildly in the wind. His grin tugged wider, though his eyes narrowed with irritation.
"Now the entire sect knows. Great. Just great. Peak Miscellaneous, forgotten and useless—suddenly lighting up like the main stage of a sect tournament. Every elder within ten miles is probably squinting this way, drooling with questions. 'Oh look, the cripple's grown roots again! Let's dissect him!'"
His chest tightened briefly. The truth was, he'd have to come up with something. A convincing lie, a story strong enough to explain how a useless disciple with shattered roots suddenly became the kind of monster that could summon heavenly wrath. Maybe an old inheritance? A lucky encounter? Something mysterious enough to scare off greedy hands.
But not now.
He clenched his fist, glaring up at the black clouds where lightning danced, each bolt thickening with murderous intent. The weight pressing down on him was suffocating, far heavier than anything he had ever faced before.
"Later, I'll lie my ass off," he muttered. "Right now…" His feet dug into the flagstones, qi roaring through his meridians. His veins burned, his dantian thrummed like a war drum, and a feral grin stretched across his lips.
"…Right now, I just have to survive being hated by the heavens."
The thundercloud cracked in reply, a jagged streak of violet racing downward, splitting the air as the next strike prepared to fall.
High above Miscellaneous Peak, shadows stirred against the backdrop of the thunderclouds. One by one, figures appeared—silhouettes cloaked in qi, their very presence bending the air around them. Each was an elder of the Evergreen Sect, and each wore the same expression: disbelief.
They all knew of Li An. The cripple. The unfortunate talent. A once-promising youth whose cultivation roots had been shattered a year ago, sent back to Miscellaneous Peak to live his remaining life in obscurity.
And yet here he was—standing beneath heavenly tribulation, his aura burning like a beacon.
Among the gathered presences, three stood apart. Not because they sought to—but because the heavens themselves seemed to bend around them.
Elder Mei Lian stood with her arms crossed, robes flowing like petals in the storm winds. Her beauty was refined, dignified, the kind that could silence a hall with a single glance. But it was not her face that made men tremble—it was the pressure that lingered about her, an elegance so sharp and absolute that any man who dared step forward would feel his heart quiver and his spirit falter. Her gaze was steady, assessing, but behind her calm exterior flickered genuine surprise.
Elder Tie Shan was her opposite in every way. Shirtless, his bronze skin gleamed in the flashes of lightning, his body lean yet knotted with raw power. He released no overt spiritual pressure, but the sheer heat radiating from him warped the air itself. Mist hissed into steam wherever it drifted near, and even the thunderclouds overhead seemed reluctant to linger above him. His eyes, half-lidded with disinterest, now burned with curiosity as they fixed on the lone figure below.
And then there was Elder Jiang Zu. At first glance, he appeared the weakest of the three: a frail old man, shoulders hunched, long white brows draping past his cheeks, and a simple cane clutched in one hand. Yet no one dared approach within several dozen meters. Around him stretched a hollow silence, an empty space carved by the ceaseless hum of intent that spilled outward without pause. It was not hostile, nor was it gentle—it simply was. His cloudy eyes stared down at Miscellaneous Peak, and for the briefest moment, a glint of intrigue broke through his weathered calm.
The trio's gazes locked onto the storm's center, where Li An stood beneath the wrath of heaven.
"Li An…" Mei Lian murmured, her tone unreadable. "Isn't that Bai's disciple… the cripple?"
Tie Shan's lips curled into a smirk. "Cripple? Hah. That's no cripple standing there. That's prey daring to bite back at heaven itself."
Elder Jiang Zu said nothing. He simply tapped his cane once against the air—tok—a sound that somehow carried clearly even through the thunder. His silence was louder than any comment, and the surrounding elders stiffened unconsciously.
Whatever else Li An had become, one truth was undeniable—
Miscellaneous Peak was no longer forgotten
CRAAACK!
The bolt slammed into him, the Aurora Veil shattering like glass beneath a hammer. Shards of multicolored light burst outward before dissolving, sparks raining across the courtyard and carving molten scars into the stone.
Li An staggered back, knees buckling, smoke curling from his sleeves. His once-neat black hair now stood up in wild spikes, half of it frizzed like burnt straw. His chest rose and fell sharply, each breath searing his lungs.
"—Ahhh, damn it! That actually hurt!" he coughed, forcing a grin even as his body trembled. His lips cracked into a crooked smirk. "Hah… Heaven really doesn't mess around, huh? What's next, you going to drop a mountain on me?"
The heavens answered with a low, ominous growl.
Above, thunder rolled again—louder, heavier, as if the sky itself had taken offense. Black clouds thickened and coiled, writhing like furious serpents. Violet arcs of lightning licked across their underbellies, weaving together into a vast net of crackling destruction. The air grew suffocating, pressing down on Miscellaneous Peak until the trees bent and the grass flattened against the earth.
Li An wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his grin refusing to fade. "Tch. Figures. I can't even fake an apology, can I?"
The clouds swelled darker, the world dimming as though the sun itself had fled.
The tribulation had only just begun.
High above, every elder watching narrowed their eyes. The first bolt alone could have reduced most Core Condensation cultivators to ash. Yet this crippled youth—this forgotten name—had stood against it and was still laughing.
Mei Lian's fingers tightened around her sleeve. How is he still standing…?
Tie Shan's grin widened. Good. If the brat dies this fast, it wouldn't even be worth watching.
And Jiang Zu remained silent, only his cloudy eyes reflecting the glow of the gathering storm.
Back below, Li An braced his stance again, planting his feet firmly into the fractured courtyard. Aurora Qi flared faintly around his body, weaving into threads of light, but the veil was thinner than before—still mending from the last strike.
"Alright, Heaven," he muttered, raising his chin defiantly as the next bolt swelled above. "Round two. Let's see if you can do better this time."
BOOOOM!
A second bolt, thicker than a tower and glowing pure violet, coiled downward like a divine whip, aiming straight for his skull.