Chapter 152

Chapter 152: I’ve Always Been This Way Since I Was a Kid (4000 words, two-in-one)

Amongst the swirling clouds, a colossal head emerged.

This dragon was no living creature; it was composed entirely of azure lightning.

The great dragon descended slowly.

Its claws tore through the cloud layers.

Its body weaved through the sea of clouds, with thunderclouds partially obscuring its form like a veil.

Surrounding the thunder dragon, bolts of lightning crackled and danced.

“Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation.”

In Ming’s mind, this name surfaced.

Ming had once read about various types of thunder tribulations in a book.

A cultivator typically undergoes five heavenly tribulations.

These occur when transitioning from the Sea Observing Realm to the Dragon Gate Realm, from the Golden Core Realm to the Nascent Soul Stage, from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Jade Pudding Realm, from the Jade Pudding Realm to the Xiānrén Jìng, and finally from the Xiānrén Jìng to the Ascension Realm.

Depending on the cultivator’s talent and opportunities, each thunder tribulation is divided into nine different kinds.

Among these, the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation is the most difficult tribulation when moving from the Sea Observing Realm to the Dragon Gate Realm.

Countless cultivators have perished under the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation.

But the issue was, Ming was merely at the Furnace Building stage. Even if he broke through to the Cavern Realm, he shouldn’t be undergoing any tribulation at all.

“The Tiandao never completely blocks the path for anyone. You should feel fortunate that your cultivation level is only at the Furnace Building stage. Therefore, Baiwa City’s final test is the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation when transitioning from the Sea Observing Realm to the Dragon Gate Realm.

If you were at a higher level, you might face the Nine Immortal Thunder Tribulation of the Nascent Soul Stage or the Nine Lotus Heavenly Black Tribulation of the Jade Pudding Realm.”

“So, I guess I should thank the Tiandao then.”

Ming chuckled.

The Golden Body Toad was indeed correct.

The higher one’s cultivation level, the more difficult the thunder tribulation becomes.

At the Furnace Building stage, Ming was truly getting a bargain.

But even so, Ming knew that it would be extremely challenging to endure the hardest Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation of the Sea Observing Realm with his “mortal body” at the Furnace Building stage.

Almost everyone below the Heavenly Ladder had lost all hope for Ming.

Without a doubt, Ming was going to die on the Heavenly Ladder.

How could a cultivator at the Furnace Building stage possibly face the supreme thunder tribulation of the Sea Observing Realm? Simultaneously, their initial feelings of dissatisfaction vanished, replaced by relief.

At first, they felt somewhat irritated seeing Ming carry the entire Baiwa City up the Heavenly Ladder and witnessing him shatter the golden statues of four Baiwa City demons alone.

That irritation stemmed from thinking—

Even though Ming seemed to be struggling immensely, what if they could do the same? So as they watched Ming climb step by step, they felt intensely uncomfortable, wishing Ming would die right there.

But now, upon seeing the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation, they realized they wouldn’t be able to pass it either.

Ming was at the Furnace Building stage, and his impending tribulation was the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation.

If they ascended the Heavenly Ladder, those at the Cavern Realm or Sea Observing Realm would surely face the Nine Immortal Thunder Tribulation.

Crossing several realms to endure the hardest thunder tribulation was nearly impossible.

“Hooooowww!”

The thunder dragon above roared again at Ming, scattering the winds violently, filling the air with the tingling sensation of the thunder tribulation.

Hundreds of meters below, many cultivators trembled uncontrollably at the might of the thunder dragon, almost falling to their knees.

However, on the Heavenly Ladder, just dozens of meters away from the thunder dragon, Ming stood calmly with his hands behind his back, showing no fear or joy.

“Are you not afraid?” asked the Golden Body Toad curiously.

Indeed, the Golden Body Toad was intrigued.

This sixteen-year-old youth exhibited maturity beyond his years.

“Fear,” Ming nodded with a smile, “but is it useful?”

The Golden Body Toad paused, then smirked. “Indeed, it isn’t.”

“Hoooowww!”

As soon as the Golden Body Toad finished speaking, the thunder tribulation arrived.

The thunder dragon exhaled a breath of dragonfire toward Ming, marking the first wave of the tribulation.

The azure dragonfire enveloped Ming completely, like flames consuming everything in sight.

Thunder smoke billowed across the sky from Ming’s surroundings.

Everyone instinctively swallowed hard.

The Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation consisted of nine waves.

Judging by the current situation, surviving all nine waves was unimaginable. If they were in Ming’s position, they doubted they could survive even the first wave.

As the thunder smoke cleared, everyone focused their spiritual energy to see hundreds of meters up the Heavenly Ladder.

Many thought they wouldn’t see Ming anymore, assuming he must have been annihilated by the first wave.

But to everyone’s surprise, Ming was still alive.

With his body slightly charred, Ming remained unscathed overall.

“He’s still alive! Still alive!” Qingwan clenched her fists tightly, her eyes fixed on Ming.

“Cough… cough…” Ming coughed, smoke rising from his throat.

Ming moved slightly, every action accompanied by static electricity.

Even though Ming survived, most people believed he was nearing his end, already at his last gasp.

The thunder dragon gave Ming no chance to rest.

Roaring furiously, it seemed to ask, “Why hasn’t this ant died yet?!”

The second wave of the thunder tribulation quickly followed.

Bolts of lightning around the thunder dragon condensed, forming a massive pillar of lightning that struck Ming.

Ming felt every inch of his skin being torn apart, his divine soul nearly shredded.

Previously, the most painful experience Ming endured was when Lady Wang purified his body during his childhood.

But this second wave of the thunder tribulation hurt hundreds of times worse.

When the second wave dissipated, Ming’s consciousness grew hazy. The thought of seven more waves filled him with despair.

Looking at this man on the brink of his limits, the Golden Body Toad shook its head.

He admired this man but regretfully couldn’t help in any way. Now, Ming could only rely on himself, without even the option to give up.

The third heavenly thunder arrived.

A rift opened in the sky above Baiwa City, and from it, a waterfall cascaded down toward Ming.

This waterfall was made of liquid lightning.

The moment the waterfall drenched Ming, his body sank, forcing him to kneel on one knee.

Ming deeply felt the water of lightning entering every pore, flowing into his blood.

If the first two waves aimed to destroy him externally, then this third wave sought to tear him apart internally.

Ming felt as if millions of ants were biting his internal organs, veins, and every part of his body.

An idea crossed his mind—”What if I just give up? If I die, I won’t suffer anymore.”

“But how can I die now?” Ming chuckled at this fleeting thought and shook his head.

Below the Heavenly Ladder, someone was waiting for him.

Back in Wudu, his mother awaited his return.

Nothing is more unfilial than the elderly mourning the young.

Ming took a deep breath, feeling his lungs nearly explode.

Yet this breath helped him endure a little longer.

Ming gathered Martial True Qi.

In everyone’s eyes, wisps of Martial True Qi coalesced behind Ming, eventually forming a martial spirit manifestation.

As Ming gradually stood up, the martial spirit manifestation behind him also rose.

Amidst the waterfall of lightning, Ming stood tall, facing the heavens.

The fourth heavenly tribulation.

The fifth heavenly tribulation.

The sixth, the seventh.

Against all odds, Ming endured them one after another.

Each time a tribulation fell, they thought Ming would die, but he stubbornly lived on.

“Enough, it’s really enough…”

Qingwan looked at Ming on the Heavenly Ladder, her eyes misty.

Ming’s clothes were scorched black, sticking to his battered flesh.

His body was cracked like parched earth, and even the drops of blood trickling out carried traces of lightning.

Now, Ming was solely supported by sheer willpower.

The eighth thunder tribulation descended, and Ming used the last of his strength to activate Blood Qi Berserk.

Blood Qi Berserk couldn’t heal Ming’s injuries; it was more like a painkiller, allowing Ming to temporarily forget the agony. However, the downside was that even if Ming survived the eighth heavenly thunder, how would he handle the ninth? By the ninth heavenly thunder, Ming would be utterly exhausted, unable to resist.

At that point, he would be no different from an ordinary person enduring a thunder tribulation.

But Ming understood clearly—if he couldn’t withstand the eighth heavenly thunder, how could he talk about the ninth?

“Boom!”

The eighth heavenly thunder manifested as a giant sword, a blade of lightning piercing downward toward Ming!

Trembling, Ming drew his peachwood sword, its phantom appearing on the heroic soul manifestation.

Ming and the manifestation swung their swords upward, the tip of the lightning sword pressing against the edge of the peachwood sword. From the point of contact, the peachwood sword began to darken, carbonize, and crumble.

But at that moment, a gust of flipping-book wind blew, and righteous aura slowly infused Ming’s surroundings.

“This is… Confucian merit!”

Yu Wen Xi and Miao Feng were overjoyed!

When a talented scholar creates a masterpiece and it is used by Confucian disciples, Confucian merit accumulates.

This is the protection offered by the Confucian path to its disciples.

However, the two were curious—since Ming wasn’t part of the Confucian sect and hadn’t cultivated righteous aura, he shouldn’t be able to connect with Confucian merit. Could it be that an ancient Confucian sage, who had already ascended to immortality, decided to lend a hand?

Confucian merit protected Ming, while the flipping-book wind covered the lightning sword.

Gradually, the enormous lightning sword dissipated, vanishing into thin air.

As the flipping-book wind subsided, Ming faintly saw the figure of an old scholar among the clouds.

Ming clasped his hands together in reverence, bowing deeply.

At the same time, in the ancestral temple of the White Deer Academy.

A kneeling girl slowly opened her eyes.

Inside the temple stood numerous statues of Confucian sages, with the foremost being Confucius himself.

“Who would have thought the Grandmaster would respond to you, little girl?”

The current dean of the White Deer Academy stroked his beard, deeply moved.

The last time the ancient sage responded to him was a thousand years ago. No matter how much he prayed afterward, the Grandmaster never appeared.

But this girl, feeling uneasy and sensing danger for Ming, knelt in the temple for the duration of an incense stick, and the Grandmaster actually intervened.

Speaking of which, what exactly happened to Ming? The girl paid no heed to her teacher’s words, continuing to pray with her hands clasped.

In her heart, the unease didn’t fade but intensified.

“Ming… please stay safe…”

Closing her eyes, she devoutly prayed.

“Rooooar!!!”

Perhaps because the eighth heavenly thunder was blocked by an external force, the thunder dragon grew furious, thrashing about in the clouds.

Seeing the increasingly agitated thunder dragon, Ming had no strength or means left.

He barely managed to withstand the eighth heavenly thunder thanks to the mysterious intervention of the ancient Confucian sage.

How could he possibly handle the ninth?

Even without the strength to throw a single punch, Ming struggled to stand.

Ming remembered his drill instructor’s words—warriors of the Wu Kingdom never lie down to die.

“Rooooar!!!”

The massive thunder dragon disappeared into the thunderclouds, only to reappear moments later, breaking through the sea of clouds and charging straight toward Ming.

This ninth heavenly thunder was the thunder dragon itself.

Ming lifted his head, never closing his eyes as the dragon drew nearer.

“Goose!” Below the Heavenly Ladder, the Heavenly Black Goose sensed Ming was truly about to die and rushed forward, despite having no idea what it could do. But the goose wanted to be by Ming’s side.

Before the goose could reach halfway, it felt its wings yanked forcefully.

“Goose?” Before the goose could react, someone grabbed its wings, flung it back down, and tied it up.

Helplessly, the goose watched as a young woman in a Taoist robe flew swiftly to Ming’s side.

The Heavenly Ladder didn’t stop Qin Qingwan.

Anyone could fly up, but only those who climbed step by step and passed the test could obtain the Baiwa Scroll.

But Qingwan didn’t care about the Baiwa Scroll; she only wanted to be by Ming’s side.

Ming’s focus remained on the thunder dragon.

As memories flashed through his mind, Ming felt his nearly numb left hand gently grasped by something soft and delicate.

Turning his head, Ming looked at the girl beside him.

“What are you doing here? Go down!” Ming scolded.

“I won’t go down!” Qingwan stubbornly replied.

“How can you be so obstinate? You’ve always been this way since you were a kid!” Ming said angrily.

Looking into Ming’s eyes and hearing his words, Qingwan was momentarily stunned, gripping the scorched hand even tighter.

“Yes~”

Her eyes curved into crescents, her smile radiant.

“I’ve always been this way since I was a kid~”