Chapter 125: No Qi Deviation, Not Even Heavenly Tribulation and First System Warning

Chapter 125: No Tribulation

Overjoyed, he kept staring at the glowing words hovering in the air before his eyes.

[ Ding! Major Realm Breakthrough detected ]

[ Host has reached the Foundation Establishment Realm ]

[ System Upgrade Progress: 100% ]

[ Ding! System Upgrade condition met ]

[ Does Host wish to upgrade? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

A wide grin spread across his face, stretching from ear to ear. He had been waiting for this exact moment ever since he first broke through to the Qi Condensation Realm. Back then, he was merely a frog at the bottom of the well, unaware of the vast and cruel cultivation world. But now, he had finally climbed out of that well.

Every time he advanced by another layer, the progress bar in system increased by exactly ten percent. Layer after layer, the number continued to rise. The number climbed from ten to twenty, thirty, all the way to ninety. And now, at last, after breaking through, it reached one hundred percent.

The progress bar was completely full.

The system was finally ready to upgrade.

Without hesitation, Yu Liang reached out and tapped [ Yes ].

A new screen popped up immediately, flashing with a warning light.

[ Warning: Initiating system upgrade will consume all Spiritual Stones currently stored in the Inventory as backup energy. Once consumed, the Spiritual Stones will not be recovered ]

[ No other resources will be consumed ]

[ Does the Host grant permission to proceed with the upgrade? ]

[ Yes ] [ No ]

For Yu Liang, spiritual stones were practically nothing more than flowing water or perhaps big cabbages in a field. Earning them had become as easy as drinking water, all because of the System’s Cashback function alone. Every time he spents a spiritual stone, he will get multiplied return, and with this function alone, his wealth was growing at a terrifying rate.

His inventory was practically bursting with trillions of Low Grade and Mid Grade Spiritual Stones, making him richer than many Inner Sect Elders. So, he could only imagine how much easier things would become once the new feature unlocked.

’If not for the System, I would probably still be an ordinary handyman disciple struggling in the dust,’ he thought. ’My talent is mediocre, my spiritual roots are flawed. Without the System, how could I possibly have reached the Foundation Establishment Realm?’

At the same time, as the spiritual energy in his body settled, a sudden realization washed over him.

There was no Qi deviation in the process.

As Qi Deviation was one of the most terrifying dangers every cultivator deeply feared. It occurs when spiritual energy became unstable during cultivation and began circulating through the meridians incorrectly. Once the flow of Qi fell into disorder, the consequences were catastrophic. It could range from damaged meridians, blood reversal, and severe internal injuries, to the complete collapse of one’s hard earned cultivation.

In severe cases, the cultivator could lose control of their own spiritual energy, causing it to run rampant through the body like a wild horse. The cultivator would scream in agony as their organs were shredded from the inside, potentially threatening their life and turning them into a mindless demonic type cultivator. This was why elders always advised cultivators to maintain a calm state of mind, to meditate for months before attempting a breakthrough, and never force a breakthrough when their foundation is unstable.

To force a breakthrough was simply begging for death.

Yet, nothing like that had touched him. His breakthrough was as smooth as a hot knife cutting through butter.

He quickly understood why though. It was all thanks to the High Tier resources he had used from the start and even now, The flawless Top Grade Foundation Establishment Pill he had consumed earlier provided him a perfectly pure stream of spiritual energy, while the Body Cultivation acted as an unbreakable fortress, stabilizing every surge of energy and reinforcing his meridians.

But what truly shocked Yu Liang was an even more astonishing fact.

That, no Heavenly Tribulation had descended upon him.

Heavenly Tribulation, Just thinking about those two words was enough to make the knees of many Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators... well let alone then any powerhouse would go weak. It was a violent, apocalyptic trial sent by the heavens themselves. It usually took the form of earth shattering thunderbolts, scorching heavenly flames, freezing soul shredding winds or it could be many other terrifying forms that tested whether the cultivator was truly worthy of stepping into a higher realm.

To understand why this was so shocking, one must understand the true nature of cultivation.

These tests only began to appear from the Foundation Establishment Realm. Why? Because the Foundation Establishment Realm was the first true defiance against mortal limits.

In the Qi Condensation Realm, a cultivator is merely gathering energy, refining the physical body, and drawing in the spiritual energy. It is still within the bounds of mortal limits as you are just a slightly stronger mortal refining his body. The Heavens do not care if a mortal lives to be a hundred and twenty years old.

But Foundation Establishment was different. It was the real line where you challenge the sky.

To establish a foundation meant transforming gaseous spiritual energy into liquid. It meant carving out a piece of the natural order for yourself, building a foundation that could support a Core Formation and eventually lead to Nascent Soul.

The Heavenly Dao is portrayed as ruthless and impartial. It views all living beings as equal. It naturally does not allow creatures to easily escape the cycle. Therefore, the heavens notice this defiance, and often ’punishes’ cultivators for it. The Heavenly Tribulation is the heavens’ way of filtering out the weak. If you want to defy the heavens, you must first survive it’s ’wrath.’

Usually, when a cultivator breaks through to Foundation Establishment Realm, the spiritual energy in the surrounding would violently fluctuate. Then Dark, oppressive clouds would gather, if there’s a peerless genius then their cloud would be blocking out the sun and moon. The spiritual pressure would be so heavy that ordinary mortals would be pressed to the ground, even birds and beasts would flee in terror from the surrounding area.

Then, the terrifying heavenly lightning would strike down, testing the cultivator’s physical body, their soul and their dao heart.

Countless geniuses had perished under the tribulation. Yu Liang clearly remember a famous story circulated from the low tier sects. There was one disciple named Wang from outer sect, a so called genius with a good spiritual root. When that disciple broke through, he prepared for entire three years. He spent his life savings on Tier 3 lightning warding talismans and begged that Sect’s Sect Master to set up a grand protecting formation.

Yet, when the tribulation came, the fourth bolt of lightning shattered the formation and turned that disciple into a pile of ash. Even his soul was extinguished. The sect elders could only sigh and say he had made insufficient preperations and a weak heart.

There were also those who feared the tribulation so much that they suppressed their cultivation for decades and lived in constant fear, growing old and dying with that regret, turning into a pile of bones without ever daring to take that step.

Tribulation was after all a merciless filter. Those who pass, soar to the heavens, those who fail, turn to dust. It was the ultimate test of defying the heavens.

But none of it had fallen on him.

There were no dark clouds or Havenly lightning in that matter. The sky outside was clear and blue, with a gentle breeze blowing through. His breakthrough had been perfectly smooth.

Yu Liang could not help but sigh. ’Well... I suppose I shouldn’t complain. Whatever the reason was, having the heavens not trying to kill me is certainly not a bad thing.’

Whatever the truth, Yu Liang didn’t care. He was a practical man. He still had a long, glorious life to enjoy, why would he want to taste the flavor of heavenly lightning? Avoiding the tribulation meant he didn’t have to risk his life.

It was a massive blessing.

Yu Liang exhaled slowly. He closed his eyes, feeling the new foundation inside his dantian. It was no longer a gaseous mist, but a thick liquid of spiritual energy. This was the power of Foundation Establishment Realm, he could now wield spiritual energy externally to fly on a sword, and his lifespan had officially broken past the mortal limit of a hundred years reaching at least two hundred years.

He opened his eyes and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He attention was back on the notification, his heart racing with pure anticipation. The System had never disappointed him and he knew this upgrade would bring certainly bring another heaven defying change to his life.

Curiosity filled his heart. He felt like a child staring at an unopened gift, eager to find out what was waiting inside.

Yu Liang didn’t even pause for a single breath.

"Yes," he said loudly out of pure excitement.