Chapter 19: A Mere Lightning Tribulation Is Nothing to Me!

Ji Chuxue hurried over to check on Jiang Yan upon seeing his wretched state. The young man was still sitting cross-legged, eyes tightly shut. Ji Chuxue gently probed for his breathing and let out a sigh of relief. "Good, he's still breathing. Alive."

She patted Jiang Yan's shoulder. "Junior brother, wake up!"

At that moment, Jiang Yan was trapped in a nightmare. He wandered alone through darkness, the only thing visible ahead was a faint glimmer of light.

"Hey? Is anyone there? Where is this place?" Jiang Yan called out as he walked, but received no answer. He could only keep moving forward, hoping that the glimmer was the key to leaving this place.

Meanwhile, Ji Chuxue called out several times, but Jiang Yan remained unresponsive, his brows knitted in distress. She guessed that her junior brother had fallen into a nightmare, a situation that easily led to deviation in cultivation.

Without hesitation, she pulled out a Rejuvenation Pill and placed it in Jiang Yan's mouth.

The pill melted instantly.

"Junior brother, you've just swallowed a Rejuvenation Pill worth two thousand high-tier spirit stones—wake up and repay your debt," Ji Chuxue tapped his forehead lightly as she spoke.

Jiang Yan felt as though someone was speaking to him, but the words were unclear. He continued toward the light, drawing closer, until he saw a dazzling crystal towering above his head, bound by many chains—five of which had already snapped.

The multicolored crystal seemed to possess consciousness. As Jiang Yan approached, its radiance grew even brighter.

The glare was so intense that Jiang Yan could barely keep his eyes open. He attempted to communicate with the crystal, "The light is too harsh. Could you dim it a bit?"

To his surprise, the crystal actually complied and softened its glow. Jiang Yan was secretly delighted—did this mean he could ask the crystal how to leave?

"Um, I don't know your name, so I'll just call you Crystal. Do you know where this is? How do I get out?"

After considering, he added, "Can you... speak?"

No sooner had he finished than a little girl in a pink dress appeared, no bigger than a thumb, though she had no physical form.

"Greetings, Master. This is your spiritual sea of consciousness."

"Little one, who are you? Why do you call me Master? You say this is the sea of consciousness—how did you end up here?"

Jiang Yan fired off questions like a curious boy.

"Master, I am myself, but you may give me a name. Communicating with you in this state consumes a lot of energy, so I'll keep it brief..."

Listening to the girl's explanation, Jiang Yan understood: she was the consciousness of the multicolored crystal, which was his spiritual root—currently sealed.

The chains were the seals. He counted them: twenty-eight in total. He drew in a sharp breath.

Heavens, who could be so cruel as to harm him—no, the original owner. According to the little girl, the seals were placed when the original was still a newborn.

To harm even an infant—utterly heartless! He swore to avenge the original and reclaim justice.

Earlier, when he took the Purification Pill, he had unwittingly broken two chains. Today, facing the Lightning Tribulation, three more chains snapped. No wonder he felt a surge of energy within himself.

"You're snowy white, so I'll call you Little Snow. Do you know how to break the remaining twenty-three chains?" Jiang Yan asked.

"Master, breaking the chains requires opportunity—like today's Lightning Tribulation. I sensed it was the third bolt that shattered three chains," Little Snow answered earnestly.

Jiang Yan thought her explanation made sense. But did it mean he couldn't dodge lightning strikes in the future?!

He hadn't expected today's tribulation; otherwise, he'd have asked his senior sister for magical tools to help him through—he wasn't a masochist!

Is it the collapse of morals, or the distortion of humanity? He only wanted to cultivate peacefully, yet now he had to willingly endure torment. Alas...

"Master, rest assured—once all the chains are broken, your cultivation speed will soar, and you'll possess the greatest talent in this realm," Little Snow comforted him, seeing his spirits flag.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan's eyes sparkled—heh heh, the most gifted cultivator in the world?! Incredible—he truly was destined for greatness!

"Little Snow, your master fears no Lightning Tribulation. Mere lightning is nothing to me! Rest assured, these chains will soon be undone," Jiang Yan boasted confidently.

"Really? Master, that's wonderful! You're the best!" Little Snow replied happily.

Indeed, one dares to boast, the other to believe.

"By the way, how do I get out?" Jiang Yan asked.

"Master, simply think 'leave' in your heart, and you'll exit."

Jiang Yan silently chanted "leave" in his mind several times. When he opened his eyes, he was still in the same place.

"Why am I still here?"

"Master, you need to visualize the scene outside. Try again?"

Following Little Snow's advice, Jiang Yan tried once more—and succeeded.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself staring straight into his senior sister's gaze.

"Ahem, junior brother, you finally woke up. How are you feeling? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?" Ji Chuxue stepped back awkwardly and asked.

"Senior sister, I'm fine. Heh heh, I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage!" Jiang Yan grinned with delight.

"Congratulations, junior brother. I didn't expect you to reach Foundation Establishment so quickly—your talent is impressive!" Ji Chuxue praised him.

After a pause, she added, "But I saw you trapped in a nightmare and, in my urgency, fed you a Rejuvenation Pill."

"Thank you, senior sister—you've been so good to me," Jiang Yan said, moved.

"Ahem, you're welcome! But... a Rejuvenation Pill costs two thousand high-tier spirit stones, so you need to work hard to earn them."

Hearing this, Jiang Yan was stunned. Heaven, he wasn't just a commoner—he was destitute! He still owed Mo Shiyu spirit stones, and now he faced another huge debt.

Was life ever easy for him?! Thinking of his thatched hut, he felt a chill sweep through his heart.

"Ah, alright. Senior sister, what is your cultivation stage?" Jiang Yan suddenly realized he had never asked.

"I'm at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage," Ji Chuxue answered truthfully.

Jiang Yan was shocked—his senior sister looked so young, yet she was already at the peak of Nascent Soul?

"Senior sister, how old are you?" he asked curiously.

"Not yet thirty."

"Senior sister, your talent is astonishing! Do you know our master's cultivation?" Jiang Yan noticed his senior sister disliked questions about her age and swiftly changed the topic.

"Golden Core stage."

"What? Master is only at Golden Core? You're not joking, are you?" Jiang Yan couldn't believe it.

"Junior brother, Master truly is at Golden Core, but... he's not as weak as you think. You'll understand in time."

Ji Chuxue kept the truth from Jiang Yan for now—after all, there would be plenty of time.

Jiang Yan muttered, "Alright, even if Master is weak, those cultivation manuals are extraordinary. In the future, I'll protect senior sister and Master..."