Once that High Grade forming golden core was swallowed, Fang Hao felt as if his entire body had been thrown into a Pill Furnace! A scorching, domineering force burned from his throat all the way to his Dantian, nearly setting him ablaze!

"Holy crap! So fierce!" Fang Hao was startled and hurriedly gritted his teeth, desperately circulating the Chaos Derivation Art. This medicinal power was even more aggressive than he had imagined! Like a wild horse off its leash, it rampaged through his Meridians, making him grimace in pain as cold sweat poured down.

He quickly guided this torrent toward the Qi Sea in his Dantian, which was already on the verge of bursting. The Qi Sea spun frantically like a balloon about to pop, compressing with all its might. However, the barrier leading to the Golden Core was as hard as a tortoise shell, remaining completely motionless! When the medicinal power struck it, it was like an itch, barely causing a couple of wobbles.

"No! One isn’t enough!" Fang Hao’s mind was as clear as a mirror. His pathetic Dantian with Seven Spiritual Roots was a bottomless pit! Swallowing one forming golden core caused a stir, but it was far from breaking through that final barrier! At this rate, by the time the medicinal power was exhausted, the barrier wouldn’t be broken, and he would explode first!

"Damn it, nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Fang Hao steeled his heart, no longer caring about the cost. At this critical juncture, hesitation meant death! Trembling, he pulled out the jade bottle again and poured out a second forming golden core, stuffing it directly into his mouth without a second thought!

Two!

The medicinal power of two High Grade forming golden cores stacked together—the effect was simply incredible! Fang Hao felt as if two volcanoes had erupted simultaneously in his Dantian! The violent energy almost tore him apart! His Meridians were stretched to the point of cracking, and fine beads of blood seeped from the surface of his skin!

"Break for me!" Fang Hao’s eyes turned red, and a beast-like roar erupted in his heart! He used every ounce of strength he had, pushing the Chaos Derivation Art to its limit. His Divine Sense condensed into a needle, guiding the terrifying combined medicinal power to launch the most violent assault against that solid barrier!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Once! Twice! Three times! Every impact shook his entire body, and blood began to trickle from his seven orifices! But he gritted his teeth and endured! It was success or death!

He didn’t know how many times he had struck. Just as he felt his consciousness blurring and he was about to give in...

Crack!

An extremely faint yet heavenly crisp sound echoed from the depths of his Dantian!

That indestructible barrier finally... cracked open!

"It’s working!" Fang Hao’s spirit surged. As if injected with chicken blood, he concentrated all his remaining strength to launch one final, crazed strike at that crack!

Rumble—!!!

A massive sound, like the creation of heaven and earth, exploded within his Dantian! The barrier shattered completely! The surging medicinal power, like a flood breaking through a dam, instantly poured into a brand-new, even vaster space!

Almost at the same time, the sky above the valley completely changed color! Heavy dark clouds rolled and gathered like ink, covering a radius of dozens of miles! Within the clouds, silver snakes danced and thunder roared; a destructive heavenly might locked onto Fang Hao in the valley!

The One-Nine Lightning Tribulation had arrived!

The first bolt of heavenly thunder, as thick as a child’s arm and carrying a blinding silver light, tore through the dark clouds. Like a spear thrown by a Heavenly God, it struck down toward Fang Hao’s head!

"It’s here!" Fang Hao snapped his head up, his eyes filled not with fear but with a crazed Battle Intent! Having just broken through, his spiritual power was at its most violent and peak state! He didn’t dodge. The yitian sword soared into the sky as he performed the most domineering "Meteor Strike" from the Starfall Sword Art, boldly meeting the heavenly thunder!

Boom! 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Sword light and thunder light collided fiercely! The shockwave from the explosion blew away the surrounding vegetation! Fang Hao shook violently, his blood churning, but he had stubbornly endured the first bolt of the Lightning Tribulation!

Before he could catch his breath, the second and third bolts of heavenly thunder followed in quick succession! Each was thicker and more powerful than the last!

Fang Hao brandished his sword wildly, using various techniques like the Dividing Light Sword Shadow and Star Shattering Finger, doing his utmost to resist! But the power of the heavenly thunder was too great. His Flying Sword began to show cracks, his protective spiritual light was shattered repeatedly, his body was charred black, and blood constantly leaked from the corners of his mouth!

The fourth! The fifth! The sixth!

Fang Hao had already suffered significant internal injuries, and his spiritual power was heavily depleted. He had to sacrifice the empty clarity mirror. The mirror’s light distorted space to weaken the thunder’s power, while he swallowed handfuls of qi recovery pills to desperately replenish his spiritual power.

The seventh bolt of heavenly thunder fell, its power comparable to the full-strength strike of a Middle Stage Golden Core Stage Cultivator! The empty clarity mirror wailed as cracks appeared on its surface and its light dimmed! Fang Hao was caught in the aftershock; his breastbone snapped, and he sprayed a mouthful of blood!

The eighth! This bolt of heavenly thunder was an eerie purple, carrying an aura of destruction! Fang Hao gritted his teeth, erupting all the power of his newly formed and still unstable Golden Core, combining it with the Five Elements Spirit Shield to hold on!

Bang! The Spirit Shield shattered! Fang Hao smashed into the cliffside like a broken kite. He didn’t know how many bones he had broken; his aura was withered to the extreme, and it looked like he was about to die!

At this life-or-death moment, the final and strongest bolt—the ninth heavenly thunder—took shape! This bolt was no longer silver or purple but the color of Chaos, as thick as a water bucket. The destructive power within it made the entire valley tremble!

"Am I going to die..." Fang Hao looked at the world-destroying pillar of thunder, a flash of despair in his eyes. He had used all his trump cards and was powerless to resist.

However, at this critical moment, the newly formed and fragile Golden Core in his Dantian seemed to sense a fatal threat and suddenly began to spin on its own! A wisp of faint Chaos Qi drifted out from the Golden Core and merged into his remaining spiritual power!

"Chaos Qi?" Fang Hao had a sudden epiphany. Using his last bit of strength, he injected this spiritual power merged with Chaos Qi into the damaged empty clarity mirror!

Buzz!

The empty clarity mirror emitted an unprecedented light. Though its surface was covered in cracks, it seemed to communicate with some mysterious rule, and a distorted pillar of Chaos light rose to meet the ninth heavenly thunder!

There was no explosion, no loud noise. The moment the Chaos light pillar touched the Chaos heavenly thunder, they seemed to cancel out and merge, turning into a gentle rain of Chaos-colored light containing vibrant vitality that fell and enveloped Fang Hao!

"This is... Lightning Tribulation Manna? No, it’s the even more precious thunder milk!" Fang Hao was both surprised and delighted! He felt a warmth all over; his broken bones healed rapidly, his depleted spiritual power recovered at high speed, and even that unstable Golden Core became rounded and steady under the nourishment of the thunder milk, emitting a powerful aura!

The thunder milk baptism lasted for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn. When the light rain dissipated, Fang Hao’s injuries were mostly healed, his spiritual power was abundant, and his state was better than ever before! He hovered in mid-air, feeling the slowly rotating Golden Core in his Dantian emitting a seven-colored halo. A sense of immense power filled his entire body!

Golden Core Stage! He had succeeded!

Though the process was fraught with danger and he had nearly perished, he had ultimately pulled through! Moreover, he had turned misfortune into a blessing, receiving the thunder milk baptism and laying an incredibly solid Foundation!

He landed back on the ground, looking at the charred valley and his tattered clothes, and grinned. Though he looked wretched, it was worth it!

After briefly meditating to stabilize his Realm, Fang Hao didn’t dare linger. The commotion from his Breakthrough was too great and might have already attracted the attention of other Cultivators or powerful Demon Beasts. He put away his damaged yitian sword and empty clarity mirror, returned the golden puppet to his storage ring, quickly cleared the traces of the scene, and then performed Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, turning into a faint shadow and quietly leaving the valley.

It was time to meet the Opportunities and... opponents in this Secret Realm. As a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, Fang Hao’s confidence soared.