16:57

There are still a full seven days left, which Lin Chen has allotted for his breakthrough.

Now that his cultivation is at perfection, he only needs to invoke the Thunder Tribulation.

No matter what, it’s enough.

As for the Divinity Transformation Stage cultivation technique...

More than half a year ago, the Celestial Derivation Pearl had already further inferred the Evergreen Technique, allowing it to be smoothly cultivated to Divinity Transformation Perfection.

Now everything is ready, only the final step remains.

Lin Chen quickly called Wang Lishan.

In simple words, he said:

"Uncle Wang, I’m preparing to cross the tribulation..."

On the other end of the call, Uncle Wang simply nodded and said:

"Good!"

"Everything is in place, just waiting for you to come..."

Lin Chen hung up the communicator and turned to fly toward the back mountain of the military region.

A month ago, the military had already sealed off a hundred-mile radius of the entire back mountain area.

To say even a fly couldn’t get in might be exaggerated.

But it was true that no human or demon beast could enter this hundred-mile radius of the back mountain.

A hundred thousand martial artist troops were tightly arranged to seal the area.

And Wang Lishan, Elder Lv, and others had been waiting for a long time...

When Lin Chen arrived, there were only a few seven or eight people on the back mountain.

Besides people like Elder Long, there was also Max.

Max, with a mysterious look, took out some compass-like objects, seemingly doing divination for Lin Chen.

When he saw Lin Chen, he immediately beamed and said:

"Lin, you’ve finally arrived!"

"I did the math today, it’s an auspicious day! You’re bound to succeed in your breakthrough!"

Lin Chen was taken aback and asked, "Do people from Mo Country believe in these things too?"

Max, with his foreign face, took out a Great Xia ID card and said seriously:

"Don’t joke, I’m a bona fide Great Xia citizen!"

Lin Chen ignored him, his gaze passed over the people, and he saw a figure both unfamiliar and familiar.

This was a middle-aged man, standing quietly there.

Like a pine tree standing upright, yet like a spring breeze, easily unnoticed.

Unfamiliar, because this was Lin Chen’s first time seeing this man.

Familiar, because Lin Chen had seen him in history textbooks before.

The only Martial Saint in Great Xia, standing at the pinnacle of the Human Race...

Yue!

Lin Chen didn’t know if it was a surname or a name.

But in history textbooks, there was only this one character.

Everyone referred to him by just one title, Yue Saint!

Martial Saint!

According to rumors, the man closest to the Martial God Realm in the Human Race.

Also, the strongest of the Human Race in a thousand years.

For a full thousand years, he had garrisoned the First Martial Realm, never leaving.

And now, he appeared in front of Lin Chen.

"Yue Martial Saint..."

Lin Chen scratched his head, seemingly unsure of how to address him.

And Yue also nodded, giving Lin Chen a smile.

"Lin Chen, in all these decades... I’ve heard your name countless times."

"Sorry I’ve always been too busy. This is our first meeting..."

After hearing that, Lin Chen shook his head quickly and said:

"Elder Yue, you garrison the First Martial Realm... how could you be delayed for trivial matters?"

Yue just stood there quietly, nodding and saying:

"Lin, you are strong... stronger than I was back then."

"This time, during your Thunder Tribulation, I will personally be your protector, rest assured..."

Lin Chen nodded, but suddenly sensed something.

The aura of Yue Martial Saint... was evidently a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator!

Lin Chen blinked, instantly astonished by his talent.

Even after guarding the First Martial Realm for years, he had embarked on the Immortal Path. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Even, being the first in cultivation under Lin Chen!

Yue saw through Lin Chen’s thoughts; he smiled and said:

"I came here to learn too. You’ve walked ahead of me on the cultivation path, so in the future when I cross my tribulation... maybe I can learn from the experience."

After hearing this, Lin Chen solemnly nodded.

With all preparations complete, protected by the only Martial Saint of Great Xia.

Lin Chen had no more worries!

...

Back mountain, mountain top.

Within a ten-mile radius, only Lin Chen was present.

Even Elder Yue and others were only observing from afar.

Lin Chen stood at the peak, quietly watching the sky.

Bit by bit, he gradually raised his own aura.

Finally, when Lin Chen unleashed his True Essence without reservation...

Heaven and Earth started to change!

Within a thousand miles, dark clouds began to gather.

Amidst them, there seemed to be a flash of lightning.

The range of the dark clouds grew larger, turning the once sunny hillside into a scene resembling nighttime.

Lin Chen sat cross-legged, gradually rising into the air.

Finally...

With a thunderous crack, the first bolt of lightning struck!

Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes, without the slightest retreat.

He directly resisted this lightning tribulation with True Essence.

Bang!

Lin Chen’s fair skin instantly turned red, the terrifying energy of the lightning tribulation surging wildly within him.

But...how could Lin Chen’s Martial Emperor-level powerful body not withstand such a tribulation?

In fact, the terrifying energy contained in the tribulation caused his physical body to slightly enhance further.

Subsequently, the second, the third...

The lightning tribulations came more frequently and faster.

But Lin Chen still did not use any divine techniques or spells, only resisting with his physical body.

...

In the distance, Wang Lishan, Elder Long, and others watched with their hearts pounding.

They could feel the terrifying power from this thunder tribulation.

Wang Lishan silently compared for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said:

"With the power of this thunder tribulation, I’m afraid I can’t withstand even a single one..."

Upon hearing this, Elder Long glanced at him and snorted: "Stop boasting, a single one? You probably can’t even withstand half..."

As he spoke, a hint of fear appeared in Elder Long’s eyes.

Although a few years ago, Elder Long successfully broke through to Martial Emperor thanks to the improvement of the Martial Arts Breathing Technique and the aid of pills,

he still lacked confidence in facing the Divinity Transformation Thunder Tribulation.

Elder Lv watched the scene calmly.

As someone at the Martial Emperor Peak, he had seen much of the world.

"The tenth lightning tribulation, the Two-Nine Thunder Tribulation is coming..." Elder Lv murmured.

...

In the sky, Lin Chen continued to resist the lightning tribulation with his physical body.

His Qi and Blood were surging within him, for a typical cultivator, using the flesh to resist a thunder tribulation would be courting death.

Cultivators are not adept with their physical bodies, they rely more on True Essence and the power of magical treasures.

Using the physical body to resist a thunder tribulation is a last resort.

But Lin Chen did not see it this way.

During the Nascent Soul Thunder Tribulation, Lin Chen had already realized the many benefits of the body tempering of the lightning tribulation.

Now with this Divinity Transformation Thunder Tribulation, Lin Chen sought to make full use of it.

While the lightning tribulation wielded immense power, it also transformed into pure energy for tempering.

"Just nine lightning tribulations have greatly boosted my Qi and Blood, saving me at least a year of hard cultivation..."

Lin Chen felt invigorated in his heart.

The first nine lightning tribulations, each one delivered was akin to Lin Chen consuming a piece of the flesh essence of a Fifth Tier Demon Beast.

And then, the tenth lightning tribulation struck.

"Cough..."

Lin Chen grunted, his physical body in slight pain.

He could feel that the power of this lightning tribulation was greater by more than a notch, and the benefits to his body were even more pronounced.

Thus, Lin Chen continued to Embrace Essence and Guard Spirit, resisting the lightning tribulation.

It was unclear how much time had passed...

In the distance, Yue couldn’t help but be moved, murmuring:

"The Four-Nine Thunder Tribulation is coming..."

...

Lin Chen looked up at the sky, his body now covered in a layer of charred black.

His eyebrows and hair had long been burned away by the tribulation.

But beneath the charred skin, new fresh skin and flesh were rapidly growing.

The terrifying physical body of a Martial Emperor gave Lin Chen astonishing life force and recovery power.

"Phew, a total of twenty-seven lightning tribulations...boosted my Qi and Blood value by at least seven hundred thousand!"

Lin Chen felt quite satisfied in his heart.

At this moment, he truly felt pain and joy.

"However, it seems I can still hold on..."

Lin Chen slightly sensed his body’s condition.

It seemed that except for his skin being slightly injured, this thunder tribulation hadn’t harmed his roots.

Thus, he wanted to continue resisting the Four-Nine Thunder Tribulation!

The twenty-eighth lightning tribulation quickly struck down, making Lin Chen cry out in pain once more.

But immediately, even more vigorous life force was born within Lin Chen.

"All things revive..."

Lin Chen utilized True Essence to quickly heal his injured body.

He could feel that the power of this thunder tribulation had slightly injured his internal organs.

But fortunately, it was still within an acceptable range.

Thus...

Two strikes, four strikes, nine strikes...

The Four-Nine Thunder Tribulation, successfully passed!

As Lin Chen successfully passed the Four-Nine Thunder Tribulation, the surge in Qi and Blood finally increased to a million!

In just one two-hour, increasing a million Qi and Blood values was something Lin Chen couldn’t have dared to imagine!

Just this tribulation crossing, was equivalent to ten years of his past hard cultivation!