readytorunbook Chapter 157 Transcending Tribulation
Chapter 157 Transcending Tribulation
Chapter 157: Group Formation - Transcending Tribulation
In the Cave Mansion of the Sect Master.
On the high platform, Mu Yinghua sat on a cloud bed, exuding a powerful aura. Her figure was enveloped in dazzling rays of light, surrounded by swirling clouds, making it difficult to see her face clearly.
Led by Cheng Yulan, Qi Yalan, and Luo Wanqing, the three personally-discipled disciples of the Sect Master, dozens of senior core disciples bowed to Mu Yinghua. Several high-ranking elders were also present as witnesses.
Mu Yinghua did not say much. With a wave of her jade hand, a beautifully crafted white jade tube appeared in front of the female disciples, containing dozens of talismans.
"Alright, everyone, come and draw a talisman!"
Mu Yinghua's voice was gentle and serene. "Those who draw a red talisman will become Junior Brother's Dao companion. Those who don't need to be disappointed can wait for the next opportunity."
The rules were simple and clear, with no room for manipulation, so the elders had no objections.
Seeing that both the tube and the talismans were brought out by Mu Yinghua, Qi Shuyu couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. But considering that the other party was the Supreme Sect Master, she shouldn't have done anything suspicious with her identity, so she didn't say anything.
"Then let me go first!"
Cheng Yulan said, walking over and reaching out to take a talisman.
Qi Yalan was about to step forward when Su Yunmo, with a bright smile, swiftly moved ahead of her and drew the second talisman, followed by Qi Shuyu.
Luo Wanqing frowned. These fox-like women were afraid of falling behind, so they didn't even hold back in drawing the talismans? They were all a bunch of scheming bitches, which was a term Junior Brother used, and Luo Wanqing felt it was the most appropriate way to describe these fox-like women.
Not much time passed before all the core disciples present drew their talismans.
"Alright, now open them!"
Mu Yinghua said calmly.
The women glanced at each other and carefully opened their talismans one by one.
"Blank?"
Qi Shuyu's face changed slightly as she stared at the talisman in her hand, confirming that she hadn't won. Her eyes dimmed instantly.
The same situation happened to the other senior sisters. In the end, only the talisman in Qi Yalan's hand showed a bright red color, indicating that she was the winner of this round of drawing.
"Could there be a problem?"
Su Yunmo muttered softly. No one else won, but it happened to be the personally-discipled disciple of the Supreme Sect Master. If Mu Yinghua didn't show favoritism in secret, she couldn't help but have some doubts.
Beside her, Yueyi Tianjun casually said, "Are you doubting the fairness of the Sect Master?"
Su Yunmo's pretty face changed slightly, and she quickly apologized, "Disciple dare not!"
The Supreme lineage, which has been passed down for millions of years, has strict rules and clear hierarchy. If a junior disciple openly questions the Sect Master, the severity of the accusation would be far from ordinary.
Qi Shuyu sighed helplessly and said, "Congratulations, Senior Sister Qi."
Now there's nothing wrong with admitting defeat. They can just wait for the next draw. If they anger the Sect Master, they might not have another chance in the future.
Mu Yinghua nodded slightly and said to Qi Yalan, "Since that's the case, you can go back and prepare. Tomorrow, you will set off to meet Qin Muling. The Demon Race catastrophe is upon us, and the outside world is dangerous and unpredictable. As the senior sister, you must take good care of our junior brother's safety."
"Disciple understands."
Qi Yalan suppressed her inner joy and respectfully agreed.
Mu Yinghua pondered for a moment and continued, "As for Cheng Yulan and Luo Wanqing, the two of you can go together this time. Let your junior brother protect you through the Origin Immortal Tribulation before returning."
She considered that these two disciples had already reached the peak of the Immortal Ascension stage, so there was no need to delay any longer. They should achieve the Origin Immortal Dao Fruit as soon as possible to have a stronger cultivation base and a better chance of self-preservation during the catastrophe.
"Disciples will comply."
The two women happily agreed. Although they couldn't cultivate with their junior brother immediately, it was still a good result to pass through the Origin Immortal Tribulation first.
Qi Shuyu and the other women looked at each other, feeling somewhat disappointed. The highest cultivation level among them was only at the Immortal Transformation stage, still far from the Origin Immortal Realm. It seemed they would have to wait if they wanted to catch up with these seniors.
Thinking about it, it was quite frustrating. Before Qin Muling entered the sect, Xue Bingxuan and the other four direct disciples of the Sect Master had no significant advantage compared to them. Their cultivation levels were basically on the same level. But in just a few years, the gap had become so exaggerated?
Yu Lingzhou, who was beside them, asked thoughtfully, "Sect Master, Qin Muling is now in the True Self Realm, and her destiny is increasing day by day. Her ability to protect her fellow senior sisters during the Transcending Tribulation should be stronger. I remember there were many elders in the previous generations who had touched the threshold of the Origin Immortal Realm. Why not take this opportunity to let them pass the tribulation together?"
When Mu Yinghua took over the responsibility from the previous Sect Master, she and the tens of thousands of core disciples of her generation were assigned different roles based on their cultivation levels. Those with high cultivation became core elders, those slightly lower became ordinary elders with real power, and those with average cultivation became inner elders or various levels of functionaries. The focus of the sect's cultivation would shift to the next generation of disciples.
This was the general rule for most Supreme lineages in the Extreme Void Starry Sky. These core disciples from the previous generations, who had lost the qualification to compete for the position of Sect Master, could continue to cultivate and improve. If their cultivation reached a certain level, they still had a chance to rise and become an indispensable part of the sect's strength.
Among these disciples of Mu Yinghua's generation and the previous generations of elders, many had reached the peak of the Immortal Ascension stage. They had been delaying their cultivation because they lacked the resources for Transcending Tribulation or didn't have enough confidence to withstand the terrifying Heavenly Tribulation. As a result, their cultivation had been stuck until now.
With several generations of disciples accumulated, the absolute number was not small. If they had Qin Muling's help, it would be a matter of course for them to pass the tribulation. With a group of strong Origin Immortal Realm experts in the sect, the overall strength would undoubtedly be further enhanced.
Mu Yinghua glanced at Yu Lingzhou and asked, "How many people in total?"
Yu Lingzhou took out a jade slip from her sleeve and handed it to her. It recorded the names of all the people who needed to transcend the tribulation, not only those in the Origin Immortal Realm, but also those who needed to transcend the True Immortal and Mysterious Immortal stage tribulations.
Mu Yinghua shook her head as soon as she looked at it. "There are too many. We can't send them all now, can we? Well, let's pick fifty for now and let the rest wait for a while."
If there were too many people who needed protection during the Transcending Tribulation, it would consume Qin Muling's destiny to an unbearable extent. It would also be difficult to recover afterwards. That's why Mu Yinghua didn't want to burden this direct disciple too much for now.
Yu Lingzhou nodded, "Alright, let's start with fifty for now. We can consider the remaining candidates once Qin Muling's cultivation improves. However, there are also many disciples who have reached the peak of the Destiny Realm and plan to break through to the Immortal Transformation realm. Why don't we select two hundred of them as well?"
After reaching the peak of the Destiny Realm, there are two transitional realms, the Immortal Transformation and the Immortal Ascension. They also have to undergo the heavenly tribulation test, although the difficulty is much smaller compared to the tribulation of the Origin Immortal. It barely consumes Qin Muling's luck and can be ignored.
Mu Yinghua nodded in agreement, "Very well, let's settle on this! However, we need to calculate the cost and establish regulations. In the future, when disciples need to transcend tribulation, they can follow these rules."
If they want Qin Muling's help in protecting them during their tribulation, they naturally have to offer corresponding rewards. It is impossible to freeload. Although Mu Yinghua is the Supreme Sect Master and considers the overall interests of the sect, she would never let Qin Muling suffer losses for nothing.
Two days later.
On the palace square, Qin Muling looked at the numerous high-level female cultivators who flew out of the Multi-Storied Heavenly Boat, all of them beautiful and charming. Her face couldn't help but stiffen.
"Younger Junior Sister, let me explain the situation..." Fortunately, Yu Lingzhou, who came with her, quickly explained the reason, which relieved Qin Muling. She was only helping them through a tribulation and would receive a generous reward. This favor could be done.
"This should only be the first batch. There will be many more, right?" Qin Muling asked.
Yu Lingzhou nodded calmly, "Definitely. So you will have to put in more effort in the future. As long as they can successfully transcend the tribulation, the overall strength of the sect will undoubtedly increase significantly!"
Any long-standing Daoist force will have numerous disciples with relatively mediocre aptitude and root bones. Their cultivation progress is slow, and they are usually responsible for many trivial sect affairs. Their status may seem unimportant, but they are indispensable backbone forces within the system.
Among these people, many are not confident in overcoming the tribulation test and can only waste time at their current realm. They will only take the risk when their lifespan is about to end. If they fail to transcend the tribulation, it won't be considered a loss. If they luckily pass, they will gain tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of carefree years, which can be considered a huge gain.
Although Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace has already recovered a lot of its strength, there is still a significant gap compared to the old Supreme Daoist forces, and the lack of strength in the core layer is an important reason.
If all those disciples can successfully transcend the tribulation under Qin Muling's protection, the sect's available high-level combat power will undoubtedly experience explosive growth. At that time, the combined strength of several surrounding Supreme Daoist forces may not be able to compare.
"So, when do they plan to start transcending the tribulation?" Qin Muling asked again.
"Strike while the iron is hot, today!" Qi Yalan eagerly said, "Now that the descendants of the Demon Race are rampant outside, the sect is in urgent need of combat power. Let them transcend the tribulation as soon as possible and then rush back to help share the pressure. This is what the Sect Master instructed."
Qin Muling looked at Third Senior Sister speechlessly. Was she thinking of sending these seductive foxes away quickly so that she could cultivate with her alone?
But what she said was also true. Many places under the jurisdiction of the sect are in a critical situation. If it weren't for the cooperation of the previous generation of elders and the numerous puppet soldiers, the casualties would be alarmingly high.
The matter was settled.
The accompanying elders selected a desolate and uninhabited land with a large enough area and set up a simple Transcending Tribulation formation. They began to let the disciples transcend the tribulation.
The first batch consisted of twenty core disciples who had reached the peak of the Destiny Realm. Qin Muling sat in the middle of the formation, watching them carefully unseal the seals within their bodies, releasing their own aura and interacting with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, triggering the tribulation.
In an instant, the wind and clouds surged, thunder and lightning crackled. Dark clouds quickly gathered in the gloomy sky, and blood-red lightning flickered deep within the clouds.
A chilling wind suddenly rose, countless elusive and mysterious black shadows lingered, like a bloodthirsty school of sharks lurking and waiting, ready to pounce and tear apart once they had the chance. These were the Heavenly Demons from beyond the realm, the most feared by cultivators.
Dozens of miles away, many elders and disciples who had not yet transcended the Tribulation anxiously watched the changes in the field, not daring to breathe.
In the past, such a method was unheard of, with no precedents to follow. Therefore, the elders present had no idea whether it would work or not.
If it succeeded, everyone would be overjoyed. But if it failed, the losses would be extraordinary.
Yu Lingzhou stared solemnly at the reaction of the thick calamity clouds above, her Spiritual Treasure ready to strike, prepared to rush into the formation and snatch Qin Muling out if the situation changed.
After a moment, as a strong light flashed across the sky, the first deep purple thunder finally descended amidst a deafening roar, locking onto the figures of those disciples.
After the suffocating explosion, the violent shockwave spread layer by layer in all directions, causing sand and stones to fly and the sky to darken.
When the aftermath subsided, Qin Muling was still sitting calmly in place, and the twenty disciples around her were also unharmed, their bright eyes filled with confusion.
Obviously, the power of the Heavenly Tribulation was far lower than their expectations. They had easily withstood it without much effort, giving them a somewhat unreal feeling.
Then came the second, the third... one thunderbolt after another, but the intervals were a bit long, and the destructive power was less than thirty percent of the normal level, almost like child's play.
"...Hmm, it seems stable this time!"
Yu Lingzhou's tense heart relaxed slightly. The Supreme Sect Master's estimation was correct. Qin Muling had never let her down.
"Unbelievable, it really works!"
"I never expected that there would be such a person in the sect. I had given up hope and planned to make a desperate attempt when my lifespan was about to end. Now, it seems we can easily pass the Tribulation!"
"Thinking back, how many sisters have fallen under the Heavenly Tribulation in the past. With Qin Muling, the senior sisters and junior sisters in the sect no longer need to worry about the Tribulation."
"That's right. If Qin Muling becomes the next Supreme Sect Master, he will be able to protect the entire sect. Maybe even those seductive foxes from other sects will have to seek his help when transcending the Tribulation!"
"Who knows?"
...
The surrounding female cultivators discussed one after another. Due to Mu Yinghua's tight control of information, they knew very little about Qin Muling before. Now, they were witnessing his extraordinary talent for the first time, naturally feeling shocked.
Just thinking about the countless disciples of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace in the future, no longer facing the threat of the Heavenly Tribulation, and the bright prospects of rapidly increasing strength, even a few of the highest elders couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
After more than an hour, the calamity clouds in the sky slowly dissipated, marking the successful completion of this group Transcending Tribulation operation.
Error has been corrected.
(End of this chapter)