Chapter 53: A Bunch of Bastards, and a Male Cultivator Facing a Lightning Tribulation (1/2)

Seeing that the tribulation was about to descend, Ye Qingning had no chance to continue her warm-up jog—this class was effectively over, let alone sparring with the male body cultivators later.

After bowing to Elder Feng, she rushed in the direction of the arena.

The group of burly male body cultivators burst into loud laughter the moment they noticed Ye Qingning had run off.

“See! What did I just say? She didn’t even finish a hundred laps before bolting. Sparring? Pfft—she ran off scared!”

“That’s it? I thought she’d at least stick around for a few more laps before giving up. Wasn’t she saying injuries were no big deal? She’s here just to mess with us, isn’t she?”

“Alright, alright, stop shouting. You all ran like you were racing to reincarnate—that’s why she got scared off. She’s a female cultivator, after all. They’re more sensitive. Now that she’s gone, stop talking about it, or it’ll look like we bullied her into leaving.”

“Exactly. I thought she seemed quite cute. You guys just keep running—no more nonsense!”

“But what’s up with that thunder? Is some senior brother going through a tribulation?”

“Who cares? What’s it got to do with you? It’s not like lightning’s gonna strike you. Just keep running!”

Among the runners was the silly, honest-looking Heng Taihang. Hearing talk of the tribulation, he suddenly remembered Ye Qingning was a lightning spiritual root.

Lightning spiritual root! Isn’t that what people use to temper their bodies with heavenly lightning?

Suddenly it clicked for Heng Taihang—maybe Ye Qingning ran off because she sensed a lightning tribulation was coming, not because she was scared!

Hahaha, he’s so smart!

But… it’s someone else’s tribulation!

Elder Feng was exasperated. Hearing this group of idiots chatting, he truly felt there wasn’t a single enlightened mind in the entire body cultivation class!

When he arrived earlier, Ye Qingning had been blocked from view by the other male cultivators, so he hadn’t even seen her at the back of the group until they all spread out for warm-ups.

It was rare for a female disciple to attend a body cultivation class, so Elder Feng certainly paid attention—but he figured Ye Qingning hadn’t come to study at all!

Most likely, there were no other classes scheduled today, so she came by the body cultivation class just to check it out.

But the most plausible explanation? She had a crush on some male cultivator in the class and had come here to see him!

After all, girls of this age—he understood. Oh, he understood all too well! Who hasn’t been young and in love?

But just listen to what this group of blockheads was saying! They actually thought the girl came to spar with them!

Hmph, wooden logs, all of them! A bunch of dense wooden logs!

Fight, fight, fight! That’s all they think about all day! Little punks—who could even match them in brute force?

The worst part? They were blind as bats! Couldn’t even see that the girl’s disciple badge was glowing!

She wasn’t scared off—she got a message and was summoned away!

No wonder the entire sect calls the body cultivation class the Monk Hall!
No wonder not a single one of them has a Dao partner!

—

The Dao Arena was the designated place where elders and disciples of the Penglai Sect underwent their lightning tribulations. It was located atop a towering peak just outside the forbidden zone in the back mountain.

At the center of the arena was a spell formation. It was precisely this formation that prevented the tribulation’s destructive power from affecting other parts of the sect.

Otherwise, forget Nascent Soul tribulations—even a Foundation Establishment tribulation could raze everything within a hundred miles.

Because of this, the group of body cultivators remained calm even when the lightning signs appeared.

It wasn’t that they weren’t curious about who was undergoing the tribulation—it’s just that in the Penglai Sect, as the top sect in the realm, there were countless talented disciples. Someone breaking through? That was totally normal.

Lightning tribulations? Everyone in the sect had seen them enough to be numb to it.

---

Ye Qingning couldn’t yet judge what stage the tribulation was for, but she was certain it was at least a Nascent Soul tribulation.

This was because breaking through to the Golden Core stage didn’t require a lightning tribulation—it required facing one’s inner demons instead.

If she hadn’t even reached Golden Core yet but managed to use a Nascent Soul or higher level tribulation to temper her body with heavenly lightning… just the thought made her excited.

Normally, disciples weren’t allowed into the Dao Arena unless a tribulation was occurring.

However, the disciple guarding the arena let Ye Qingning in—because Wan Zhao had already instructed them to do so.

The lightning came quickly, and Ye Qingning needed time to arrive. By the time she reached the arena, the first bolt of heavenly lightning had already struck the person undergoing the tribulation.

Under the glow of the thunder, Ye Qingning saw clearly—the one undergoing the tribulation wasn’t Wan Zhao, but a man.

After all, Wan Zhao hadn’t gone into seclusion yesterday—how could he have suddenly triggered a tribulation? So she had guessed even before arriving that she was here to block the lightning for someone other than Wan Zhao.

After the first bolt fell, the man in the center of the arena was already half-kneeling under the terrifying power of the purple lightning.

He was handsome—even though he looked a bit ragged from the lightning, it didn’t diminish his graceful aura. His light-colored eyes glowed with determination and resolve.

He looked terribly pale and weak. Frankly, he was on par with Ye Qingning’s usual sickly self.

If she was the “Sick Chick,” this guy had to be “Sick Bro Number Two.”

The system had sharp eyes and immediately noticed how his features resembled Wan Zhao’s.

It couldn’t help but gossip:
[Ningning, this guy might be Wan Zhao’s older or younger brother. That’s probably why Wan Zhao asked you to help him.]

[But in the original plot, Wan Zhao left the Penglai Sect heartbroken—and he didn’t take this guy with him. That probably means this man died during the tribulation.]

Ye Qingning realized this stupid system had a very vivid imagination.

Still, if just the first bolt of lightning left this guy in such a state, relying on him alone to survive the whole tribulation? In one word—Dire!

So maybe the system had a point.

As for why Wan Zhao wasn’t helping him block the lightning, the reason was simple: no one else could interfere in a lightning tribulation.

If someone forcibly intervened, the lightning’s power would double. The higher the interloper’s cultivation, the greater the multiplication of the lightning’s force. At that point, it would be far more than just a few bolts of lightning to endure.

But Ye Qingning was different—not only could she absorb lightning, but she was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. How much stronger could the lightning even get?

Honestly, she wished the lightning would double in strength—but alas, lightning didn’t take requests.

As soon as Wan Zhao saw Ye Qingning, he grabbed her hand tightly, voice trembling with worry:

“In a battle long ago, his soul was damaged. He can’t withstand the power of the tribulation! I’ve tried to talk him out of it over and over, but he wouldn’t listen. When I found out, he’d already taken the elixirs and entered seclusion—he’d rather die trying to break through to the Nascent Soul stage!”

“If no one helps him during the tribulation, he won’t make it. But you—you’re lightning spiritual root. Only you can shield him from the lightning. I’m begging you…”

“Okay.” Ye Qingning interrupted him without hesitation. She didn’t say anything more. Before the second bolt descended, she flew straight to the center of the arena.

A lightning tribulation wasn’t just a physical trial—it was also a test and refinement of the soul.

That meant the cultivator had to possess a strong body and abundant spiritual energy to withstand the tribulation’s power.

The lightning also penetrated into one’s very soul. If the soul was damaged, the heavenly lightning would only make it worse, increasing the risk of failure—and total obliteration.

Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator, a tribulation could still completely annihilate them.

Ye Qingning’s sudden appearance shocked the male cultivator. More precisely, it was when he heard Wan Zhao say the words “lightning spiritual root” that he was truly stunned.

A lightning spiritual root—a talent rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. One in tens of thousands.

The last cultivator with this talent had already ascended to the upper realm. He had forced himself into seclusion and trained for months, never imagining that the sect now had a female disciple with such a root.

Could this be… Heaven refusing to abandon him?