Chapter 101: The Encounter
In the distant sky, layers of calamity clouds churned turbulently, with silver lightning bolts striking one after another. Even from hundreds of miles away, the thunderous roars could be distinctly heard.
"More lightning tribulations—there was one just a few days ago, and now again tonight. Though this time, the distance seems quite far," remarked the middle-aged man beside Liu Pan, his voice tinged with surprise. Evidently, he was unaware that cultivators were undergoing tribulations.
Liu Pan paid little attention to the man's words, his gaze fixed intently on the distant lightning tribulations.
Initially, Liu Pan had not regarded this tribulation with much concern. However, after the fourth bolt struck, his expression grew somewhat strange.
"Could that be... Liu Kuang?" Liu Pan raised an eyebrow, surprised.
From Liu Pan’s perspective, Liu Kuang had already reached the ninth rank of Martial Disciple cultivation when he entered the Yunliu Sect. Advancing to Martial Master should have been imminent, surely faster than Liu Pan himself, who was only at the eighth rank of Martial Disciple at that time. Yet now, witnessing this tribulation...
Had Liu Kuang’s cultivation speed surpassed the protagonist’s? What was going on? Liu Pan was puzzled. After a moment of contemplation, he understood.
In the book he read, when Liu Kuang first encountered formation techniques, his cultivation was still far from the pinnacle of Martial Disciple, so it naturally did not delay his advancement.
Now, however, Liu Kuang came into contact with formation techniques precisely at the pinnacle of Martial Disciple. Due to serious study, naturally, the breakthrough was postponed.
---
Beneath the lightning tribulation, deep within a vast crater.
Feeling the terror of the final bolt, Liu Kuang’s expression shifted. Tightening his grip on the Great Wilderness Blade, he unleashed the third form of the Nine Suns Blazing Heaven Blade Technique. The crimson-gleaming Great Wilderness Blade slashed upward, colliding thunderously with the tribulation lightning.
“Boom!”
A violent force surged forth, slamming Liu Kuang heavily into the bottom of the pit. Blood seeped from wounds across his body, silver lightning arcs dancing over him. The air was thick with the acrid scent of singed flesh.
“Is it over?” He struggled to lift his head, and upon seeing the dissipating calamity clouds overhead, he finally exhaled in relief. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he gasped for breath.
---
“Yan, this is the ‘small’ lightning tribulation you mentioned?” Liu Kuang was thoroughly exasperated. He vowed never again to trust Yan’s words, lest he be led to ruin.
“Don’t gnash your teeth like that. For cultivators who summon tribulation lightning upon breaking into Martial Master, this is the smallest tribulation on the path of cultivation. If you can’t even endure this, why bother pursuing martial arts? Better to return to farming,” Yan’s light voice echoed in Liu Pan’s mind, dismissive of the tribulation’s severity. Yet if Liu Kuang focused his mind on the Great Wilderness Blade, he would notice Yan’s face was full of shock and surprise.
Liu Kuang gritted his teeth, about to retort, when Yan’s voice interrupted first: “Someone’s coming, their aura is strong. If they are an enemy, with our current strength, not even a sliver of hope remains. Be cautious—I’m leaving first.”
The moment Yan’s words ended, the Great Wilderness Blade slipped from Liu Kuang’s grasp, merging into his dantian.
Hearing this, Liu Kuang’s heart tightened. Having spent so much time together, he knew Yan did not joke about matters of life and death. No chance of resistance at all? How formidable must this person be?
---
Moments later, Liu Kuang sensed a spiritual consciousness lock onto him. Then, two figures—one old, one young—appeared beside the tribulation crater.
“Good thing you didn’t leave in haste,” the elder said with a faint smile, his gaze curious as it rested on Liu Kuang at the pit’s bottom.
Beside him, the young man also stared intently at Liu Kuang, eyes full of curiosity.
If Liu Pan were here now, he would surely recognize these two as the same elder and youth who had appeared by the tribulation pit during his own tribulation.
Seeing the pair, Liu Kuang’s eyes flickered, then he inhaled deeply, suppressing the intense pain coursing through his body to sit up.
---
The elder was momentarily taken aback, then his gaze flickered as he moved beside Liu Pan. Pulling out a white jade bottle from his storage ring, he handed it to Liu Kuang. “This is some medicinal pill for healing. Take it.”
Liu Kuang’s eyes flickered. He did not take the bottle immediately but stared silently at the elder, a mixture of inquiry and caution in his gaze.
“No need to overthink. I mean you no harm,” the elder smiled. “This is the Lifesaving Pill. You may not have heard of it, but I can tell you—it’s used after tribulations to quickly heal wounds. Take it and meditate for a while; your injuries will mend swiftly.”
Liu Kuang felt somewhat puzzled. After a brief silence, he extended his hand to accept the pill.
In this situation, he felt helpless. He did not truly want the elder’s pill, but to ensure his own safety, he had no choice but to accept it.
Observing the elder and youth before him, Liu Kuang’s spiritual power swept over the young man’s cultivation level, but he could not detect the elder’s. Coupled with Yan’s earlier warning about a formidable presence, Liu Kuang quickly deduced this was the person Yan had mentioned.
Previously, when the elder and youth appeared, Liu Kuang had forced himself to sit up—not by accident, but to prove that despite the tribulation, he still had mobility.
His reasoning was deliberate. Regardless of why the elder and youth were here or their intentions, Yan had said that even together, they posed no chance of resistance. If so, better to seize more initiative.
If he remained lying down, he would be entirely passive. But sitting up changed the situation.
---
Unexpectedly, the elder shamelessly produced the Lifesaving Pill only after Liu Kuang had shown he could move.
Regarding the Lifesaving Pill, since Yan was a spirit weapon who had accompanied a Pill Master, Liu Kuang was already familiar with it. Though at his current level he could not yet refine it himself—otherwise he would have prepared some before this tribulation.
Had the elder offered the pill immediately, Liu Kuang would have been genuinely grateful.
But since Liu Kuang had demonstrated his ability to self-heal, the elder’s timing felt contrived.
Because showing mobility implied the pill was unnecessary for recovery. The elder’s action...
To those inexperienced or unfamiliar with the Lifesaving Pill, this might have inspired gratitude.
But under Yan’s influence, Liu Kuang was no longer naive; he instantly suspected the elder’s ulterior motives. There was no way he could sincerely thank him. The elder was clearly forcing him into owing a debt of gratitude.
---
Even knowing this, Liu Kuang had no choice but to comply.
Strong men often acted according to their own whims. Liu Kuang did not want to gamble on the elder’s true character, so he obediently accepted the offered pill.
All told, Liu Kuang felt relieved—it was not some villain who had come, and for now, his life was not in danger.
After consuming the Lifesaving Pill, Liu Kuang began meditating to hasten the medicine’s circulation through his body.
About half an hour later, he opened his eyes. His wounds had mostly healed, astonishing him with the pill’s miraculous effect.
Emerging from the crater, Liu Kuang immediately spotted the elder and the young man not far away.
“This is the storage pouch you left outside, correct?” the elder said, weighing the pouch in his hand before casually tossing it to Liu Kuang.
“Thank you, senior,” Liu Kuang cupped his fists in respect, then gestured to the few remaining tattered cloth strips on his body. “Please wait a moment, I will go change clothes.”
With that, he darted into the nearby woods.
---
“Old Li, is this boy truly the once-in-a-millennium genius you said?” The young man looked toward the trees, his eyes filled with a strange emotion.
“I just secretly checked his storage pouch. Guess what I found?” The elder glanced at the youth, excitement barely contained.
“What?” the youth asked, puzzled.
“Books on formation techniques, and quite a few materials for forging formation flags,” the elder replied, a smile creeping onto his lips. “Consider this—before he even broke through to Martial Master, his pouch was already full of formation-related items, and he had forged formation flags. What else explains this besides possessing spiritual power?”
“As for calling him a once-in-a-millennium genius, it’s not just because of spiritual power. Look at his age—probably around fifteen. And in this resource-scarce borderland of the southern district, breaking through to Martial Master at fifteen—that’s extraordinary. And the scale of the tribulation earlier? Without exceptional talent, it’s impossible!”
“Having both exceptional talent and spiritual power, he truly deserves the title of once-in-a-millennium genius. If brought back to the sect, I’m sure all the elders would vie to take him as a disciple...”
The elder’s tone shifted as if recalling something. Turning to the young man, he frowned slightly. “What—don’t you want me to bring him back to the sect?”
“No,” the youth immediately denied, but after those two words, fell silent. After a long pause, he hesitantly asked, “Do you think if we bring him back, my brother’s position in the sect might be threatened?”
(To be continued.)