Chapter 1083: The Saint-Sealing Tribulation

"Ah..."

Jumping up abruptly, Zhang Yinqiu nearly fainted.

Bleeding from seven orifices, with a sword stuck in the heart—that could be understood, perhaps a unique constitution where the heart wasn't in its usual place... but being smashed into such a pulp, how could he still be alive?

The key point... he was blocking your way!

Master Zhang showing off, ah, no, Master Zhang breaking through—how much do you really care?

Just as he was at a loss how to answer, whether to leave or what to do, he saw another flash of sword light before his eyes.

The Heavenly Leaf King in the air seemed to have discovered that this fellow wasn't dead, and angrily sent another sword beam.

Crack!

Without any surprise, the pulp before him was split in two, instantly becoming two lumps, writhing on the ground.

"You, you... are you dead this time?"

His lips trembling, he couldn't help asking.

"You're the one who's dead, your whole family is dead..."

The two lumps on the ground, furious, cried out, their eyes immediately looking up at the Heavenly Leaf King in the sky: "I was playing dead here, giving you face, but time after time after time, what? You don't want face when it's given, do you?"

Boom!

The two lumps on the ground, like a solution, stuck together again, and in the blink of an eye restored their previous form, as if completely unharmed. With a roar, they charged straight at the Heavenly Leaf King in the sky.

In an instant, they were locked in battle.

However, his strength still seemed somewhat inferior to the Heavenly Leaf King's. Soon after flying up, he was slapped down again, pressed flat against the ground like mud.

Before Zhang Yinqiu could grieve, the mud charged up again and continued fighting the Heavenly Leaf King.

"This..."

Not only was he stunned, but Master Wu and President Han and the others were also dumbfounded.

This friend of Master Zhang seemed excessively tough; his body was like rubber, no matter how he was hit, nothing happened... How was that cultivated?

"Hurry up and act, just hold him off..."

After a moment of shock, Master Wu shouted again.

Now was not the time for shock and daze; they must stop the Heavenly Leaf King from controlling the map and merging with the crystal. If he succeeded, everyone would die.

The several experts attacked together, sword aura like rainbows, true qi like waves, violent energy rolling incessantly, as if sweeping the entire sky.

Seeing that with the addition of this indestructible strange man, Master Wu and the others were temporarily safe, Zhang Yinqiu looked again at Master Zhang not far away. He saw that the power within him was increasing layer by layer, still rising without end, as if inexhaustible.

"So profound..."

He couldn't help clicking his tongue.

If it were anyone else, not to mention breaking through, just the consumption of true qi during this time would surely drain them dry. But this fellow seemed unaffected, as if it were nothing.

Just this reserve of true qi alone was far beyond ten of him.

After watching for a while, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to look up at the battle in the sky, he suddenly saw a figure and frowned: "Master Luo, why aren't you fighting?"

The beautiful Master Luo, who had come with Master Zhang and the others, was standing not far away, motionless, as if the battle in the sky had nothing to do with her.

"I need to protect Zhang Xuan."

Master Luo's faint voice sounded.

"He's just breaking through, with the Saint-Sealing Platform protecting him, it should be fine..."

Zhang Yinqiu frowned.

No matter how strong you are, everyone is fighting desperately. Not only do you not act, but you also say you're protecting Zhang Xuan... Master Zhang is breaking through on the Saint-Sealing Platform; how could anything happen?

Boom!

Before his words ended, thunder roared, and above the Saint-Sealing Platform suddenly appeared a patch of pitch-black clouds, with lightning rolling within, giving a sense of destruction.

"This is... the Out-of-Body Tribulation? How could it appear here?"

His pupils contracted, and Zhang Yinqiu nearly fainted from fright.

Legend has it that breaking through from the Primordial Spirit realm to the Out-of-Body realm requires undergoing a lightning tribulation. Only then can one become tougher and survive outside the body without dying... This is a transformation and also a life-and-death test.

Many Primordial Spirit realm experts suppress their cultivation for hundreds of years, not daring to冲击 a higher realm, precisely because they fear being scattered by the thunder.

Because of this, although the Primordial Spirit and Out-of-Body realms are only one level apart, their combat power is vastly different, and even the number of experts is completely different.

Only by reaching Out-of-Body can one be considered a true peak expert of the continent.

This near-death experience is called the Out-of-Body Tribulation!

Master Zhang is only breaking through from Saint to Saint Domain; why would he undergo such a fearsome heavenly tribulation?

"Everyone wants to become a saint; without sufficient strength, how can one win heaven's recognition?"

Snorting, Master Luo stepped forward, looking at the dark clouds in the sky, her delicate fists clenched, and said no more.

"Becoming a saint requires undergoing... the Out-of-Body Tribulation in advance?"

Hearing her words, Zhang Yinqiu swallowed his saliva. Although he was a soul and couldn't sweat, he still felt his back was damp.

The Out-of-Body Tribulation—countless half-step Out-of-Body experts couldn't withstand it. How could this one, who was only at the Saint realm, block it?

Not to mention anything else, just the lightning in the sky—if he encountered it, he would be scattered and die on the spot.

"This is not the Out-of-Body Tribulation, but the Saint-Sealing Tribulation! To become a saint, one must first bear the tribulation..." Luo Ruoxi's gaze carried worry: "This kind of tribulation can only be endured by himself; I hope nothing happens..."

"Saint-Sealing Tribulation?"

Everyone was shocked beyond words. Zhang Xuan on the Saint-Sealing Platform also understood, his pupils contracting.

No wonder becoming a saint was so difficult; it wasn't that no one could comprehend the mysteries of Confucius's cultivation, but that one who desires the crown must bear its weight. To become a saint, one must endure the Saint-Sealing Tribulation!

This lightning tribulation was not easy to survive.

"Come on!"

Knowing he couldn't avoid it and could only succeed by facing it head-on, Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth, opened all his acupoints, and countless spiritual energy flowed into his body like water. He looked up at the sky.

Boom!

As if sensing his fighting spirit, the thunderclouds in the sky could no longer hold back. A bolt of lightning as thick as an arm struck straight down.

For comparison, the lightning from the Thunder Sea earlier was like a seedling meeting an ancient towering tree, not at the same level at all.

Before this lightning bolt even arrived, it gave a feeling of crushing the body and annihilating the soul, as if anyone with slightly weaker cultivation might not be able to withstand it, and even the soul would be extinguished on the spot.

"The Saint-Sealing Tribulation is divided into the Soul Tribulation, Body Tribulation, and Heart Tribulation, each harder than the last..."

On the side, Luo Ruoxi clenched her delicate fists.

This kind of tribulation could only be endured alone; no one else could substitute, otherwise, not only would there be no benefit, but it would also provoke heaven's wrath and bring greater disaster.

"Soul Tribulation?" Hearing her muttering, Zhang Yinqiu was puzzled.

Regarding becoming a saint, he had only seen it in texts left by Confucius, thinking he knew everything, but now he realized he was far behind this girl.

"Mm, the Soul Tribulation is when the soul undergoes the tempering and baptism of lightning. A slight mistake and the soul will scatter. It is the first stage of the Saint-Sealing Tribulation!"

Luo Ruoxi explained.

"Soul..."

Zhang Yinqiu shrank back.

He was now in a soul state and knew how much souls feared lightning—it was a natural nemesis. Not to mention such a thick bolt, even a small one would be unbearable.

"Master Zhang... I hope nothing happens..."

He clenched his teeth and quickly looked over.

Crackle!

The lightning entered his body, and Zhang Xuan immediately felt his soul as if burned by flames. The soul he had painstakingly gathered shook, as if it might disperse at any moment.

"So painful..."

His face turned pale.

This pain came from the depths of his soul, as if his entire being might not be able to bear it at any moment.

If it weren't for the tempering he had undergone in the lava and Thunder Sea on the way here, he would probably have already scattered and died without a burial place.

"It seems the lava and Thunder Sea outside Qiuwu Palace were not set up arbitrarily, but were specially designed by Confucius as trials for later generations..."

Gritting his teeth and persevering with all his might, Zhang Xuan suddenly had a revelation.

At first, he didn't understand why there were formations like the lava and Thunder Sea, thinking Confucius was deliberately making things difficult for later comers. Now it seemed they were meant to temper the soul so one could withstand this first stage of the Saint-Sealing Tribulation.

Sizzle!

The lightning raged within his body, shattering his soul and then re-forming it.

Fortunately, it was inside his body; if it had left his body, not to mention re-forming, it would have long dissipated between heaven and earth.

His body stiffened, and under the intense pain, Zhang Xuan felt his consciousness growing faint.

Although he had long known that becoming a saint was not simple, only by experiencing it firsthand did he realize how terrifying it truly was.

This violent tearing felt like every fiber of his soul was being cut open bit by bit and refined anew.

"Hold on! I must hold on... Confucius could endure, why can't I?"

Suddenly, a thought arose.

Confucius was human, and so was he. Why could Confucius do it while he couldn't bear it?

He had cultivated the Saint-Sealing Solution for so long and persisted for so long. If he couldn't hold on because of this, how could he be worthy of all his efforts?

Creak! Creak!

With this conviction, although the lightning still caused tearing pain, it no longer seemed as terrifying as before.

"The first stage... is passed..."

Seeing this, Luo Ruoxi breathed a sigh of relief, then grew worried again: "The second stage, the Body Tribulation, involves not only the physical body but also true qi and insights into cultivation. I hope nothing happens!"

The Body Tribulation was a tribulation of the body.

It included the physical body, true qi, understanding of martial techniques, purity of true qi... This was even harder than the Soul Tribulation just now.

And also harder to endure.

Although the Soul Tribulation was painful, as long as the soul didn't leave the body, the danger wasn't too great. But the Body Tribulation was different; once one couldn't withstand it, they might explode into a pulp of flesh on the spot.

Crack!

Amidst her worry, the second lightning bolt, which had been gathering in the sky for a while, spread out again, ready to strike at any moment.

This time it was even thicker, as thick as a thigh. Before it even arrived, it brought a violent crushing sensation, as if it could shatter even the Saint-Sealing Platform.

"You can draw out a lightning tribulation, but do you think becoming a saint is that easy..."

The Heavenly Leaf King in the sky had finally suppressed Master Wu and the others. Seeing Zhang Xuan successfully survive the first lightning tribulation, his face darkened, and he couldn't help roaring loudly.

He struck out with a palm!