For more than ten consecutive days, everything remained calm.

Taking advantage of this time, Qin Sang and Li Yufu split up to survey the nearby waters, eliminating any potential dangers. At dawn, they returned from afar and landed on the island.

Qin Sang parted his lips, about to speak, when he suddenly sensed an inexplicable pressure appear without warning. Its source was precisely the small island where Wandering Man was located.

At first, the pressure was faint, yet it made both of them tremble instinctively. Immediately afterward, the spiritual qi between heaven and earth began to fluctuate violently.

In an instant, the once tranquil waters surged with towering waves. The sea roared against the shore. Furious winds and monstrous swells filled their vision. A terrifying storm was about to come.

Qin Sang and Li Yufu exchanged a glance, their expressions turning grave.

"It is the heavenly tribulation!" Qin Sang said in a low voice. "As we discussed before, you guard the north. Leave the other directions to me."

"Yes!" Li Yufu wasted no words. He immediately rode his sword northward, thunderous rumblings echoing as he departed.

Under Qin Sang’s guidance, he had already comprehended the divine ability Sword Qi Thunderclap.

Qin Sang glanced at the vortex forming at the heart of the storm. He summoned the white crane and sent a message to Bai.

"Guard the west. If any demonic beasts appear, kill them immediately." Pointing westward, Qin Sang watched as the white crane shot off impatiently.

After being confined in Peach Blossom Valley for so long, it finally had a chance to stretch its wings. Its cry rang out, brimming with excitement.

Soon after, Bai and Qin Sang also moved, one heading east and the other south. Four Golden Core experts stood guard around the island.

By now, the storm had grown increasingly violent. At its center, the grand array could no longer remain concealed. The spirit island revealed itself.

Wandering Man stood alone atop the mountain peak, gazing up at the heavens. It was noon. The sky had originally been clear for thousands of li. Yet after the storm appeared, patches of dark clouds materialized from nowhere. Within a few breaths, the sky was completely overcast.

Low thunder rumbled within the clouds, and lightning streaked through them. Qin Sang hovered in mid-air at a distance, staring at the spirit island.

Suddenly, dazzling light burst forth at the storm’s center. Amid the radiance, faint images of spirit banners and treasure mirrors emerged, forming a massive light screen that enveloped Wandering Man.

"What a powerful spiritual array!" Even from here, Qin Sang could sense the formidable might of the array.

He knew that such an exquisite grand array must have been meticulously prepared by Wandering Man to assist in the tribulation. Seeing how thoroughly he had prepared, Qin Sang felt somewhat reassured.

Wandering Man was surrounded by the array. Illusory manifestations of treasured mirrors and spiritual banners danced around him. Even when Qin Sang activated his Sky Eyes divine ability, he could not clearly discern his true body or determine his exact condition.

Boom! A thunderclap resounded as the clouds grew ever thicker.

Qin Sang looked up.

The Spiritual Infant Tribulation included wind, lightning, fire, and the heart devils tribulation. What appeared now was merely the prelude before forming the Spiritual Infant. The first tribulation was not even the lightning tribulation, yet the lightning within the clouds already carried such terrifying momentum.

When the true lightning tribulation descended, who knew how dreadful it would be?

The world darkened. Gigantic waves surged skyward. The storm intensified without ceasing.

Yet the array around Wandering Man remained radiant and steady, without the slightest fluctuation.

As time passed, the fluctuations in spiritual qi became increasingly violent.

The spiritual qi of heaven and earth grew restless. Visible tides of qi streamed toward the spirit island like a giant whale drawing in water, gathering above Wandering Man’s head.

When Qin Sang had formed his Golden Core, the scale of influence could not even compare.

Pure spiritual qi merged and compressed in the air. Specks of light flickered, forming a dreamlike spectacle resembling a starry sky.

The starry sky hung high above, starlight converging into a flowing galaxy.

Soon, a heaven-shaking roar erupted. The starry sky suddenly contracted inward. Endless spiritual qi transformed into a dazzling pillar of light that descended from the heavens!

Boom! The spirit island trembled. Even the storm and thunder seemed to pause briefly.

At the same time, where the starry sky had been, vast swathes of seven-colored clouds suddenly appeared, incomparably brilliant and beautiful. Even the most stunning sunset could not rival them.

"It's done!" Qin Sang and Li Yufu both cried out softly, though their hearts grew even more tense.

The appearance of the clouds without the dispersal of spiritual qi meant that Wandering Man had successfully condensed his Spiritual Infant. Only one final hurdle remained before complete success!

The heavenly tribulation! The thought had barely crossed Qin Sang’s mind...

After that brief pause, the storm, dark clouds, and lightning began to retaliate wildly. The might of heaven and earth revealed itself fully, sending chills down one’s spine.

Qin Sang noticed that the light of the array around Wandering Man flickered uncertainly.

"The heavenly tribulation has begun!" Qin Sang’s gaze darkened.

It was his first time witnessing a heavenly tribulation firsthand. He recalled the records he had studied.

It was said that among the various beings of heaven and earth, each encountered different tribulations along their path of cultivation.

For immortal cultivators, the first two tribulations were yin fire and kapic wind, followed closely by heavenly lightning.[1]

The yin fire ignited from beneath the Yongquan point within one’s body and burned upward to the Niyuangong. If the physical body was weak, the organs would turn to ash and the limbs decay. The kalpic wind arose from the soul, like steel blades scraping bone, piercing the upper dantian.[2]

Although these two tribulations influenced the outside world, their external displays were not especially grand.

Fortunately, their power varied. Yin fire and kalpic wind were weaker than heavenly lightning. With proper preparation and without recklessness, most cultivators could survive the first two.

Moreover, both the body and primordial spirit would gain considerable benefits afterward.

The true matters of life and death were the heavenly lightning and the heart devils tribulation. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The yin fire has already ignited. Qin Sang stared at the storm’s center, seeing the array fluctuate.

The yin fire and kalpic wind did not require his concern. He withdrew his gaze and scanned the surroundings vigilantly, wary of ill-intentioned individuals sneaking nearby and disrupting Wandering Man’s tribulation.

He did not fully trust the white crane and moved back and forth to patrol.

Some weaker demonic creatures from the lake depths were startled. Sensing the might of the heavenly tribulation, they fled in panic. None dared approach.

Seeing no disturbances, Qin Sang returned to his original position and watched the storm’s center.

Now he noticed that the storm had grown even fiercer. Around Wandering Man, the space had become darker than before. The wind seemed to gain substance, as though a layer of gray gauze shrouded the area.

This is the kalpic wind? The yin fire has passed smoothly. From such a distance, Qin Sang could not sense the kalpic wind’s exact power.

He glanced up. Dark clouds churned overhead, thunder crashing continuously.

"After the kalpic wind comes the heavenly lightning," Qin Sang murmured. But as he focused on the storm’s center, he frowned. "The intensity of this gray kalpic wind seems strange."

According to the ancient texts he had read, the external manifestation of kalpic wind usually signified the peak of its power. After that, it would gradually weaken.

Yet now, something seemed amiss! The gray kalpic wind gathered more and more densely, condensing into a thick veil.

The outer storm was affected, becoming extraordinarily violent. The waters near the spirit island surged without the slightest sign of subsiding.

The winds and rain raged fiercely. One could not help but fear that the spirit island might be torn apart.

This tribulation had not yet passed!

What is happening? Are the records inaccurate, or has something unforeseen occurred with Wandering Man? Qin Sang’s heart tightened as he fixed his gaze unblinkingly on the center of the storm.

1. Kalpa is a massive, nearly endless period of time (aeon). In this context, it refers to a "calamity" or "disaster" that occurs at the end of a world cycle. ☜

2. Niyuangong is a point located in the upper dantian on the person's forehead. ☜