When news spread that Lu Qing had awakened, his attending physician rushed over in a hurry.

After a thorough examination, the doctor’s face turned incredulous, crying out in disbelief that it was a miracle.

The blood clot that had once clouded Lu Qing’s mind had, somehow, completely vanished.

Now, all he needed was a little more rest, to let the head injury heal fully, and he could be discharged.

Three days later, after resting in the hospital under his mother’s attentive care, Lu Qing was finally able to return home with his parents.

That warmth, so long absent, seeped back into his heart.

“I never thought… I would still have the chance to come home.”

Standing in front of his family courtyard, Lu Qing felt a wave of complicated emotion.

The familiar yet unfamiliar scenery made his heart stir.

“What’s wrong, Ah Qing?” his mother asked, noticing him staring blankly.

“It’s nothing, Mom. Go on inside. I’ll just take a walk.”

Lu Qing smiled gently, reassuring her.

Once his parents went inside, he wandered the yard, touching the old walls and trees. Familiar warmth seeped into his soul, slowly easing his mind.

At last, as though having made a decision, he smiled.

…

The days passed in peace. Half a month later, his wounds fully healed.

The hospital check-up confirmed it: no sequelae, no hidden dangers—his recovery was hailed as a medical miracle.

But miracles meant nothing to Lu Qing. He returned to work at his company as if nothing had happened.

Time flowed on. He lived a quiet, steady rhythm—work and home, home and work.

At first, his parents were content. Their son had survived death itself and returned more filial than ever. What more could they ask?

But as years slipped by, they noticed he never sought friends, nor romance. No social ties, no girlfriend.

Finally, one weekend, his parents sat him down.

“Ah Qing, we have something to say,” his mother said seriously.

“What is it, Mom?” he asked, closing his book.

“You’re not young anymore. Don’t you think it’s time to find a girlfriend?” she asked cautiously.

“A girlfriend?” Lu Qing was stunned.

“Yes,” his father’s tone was grave. “You’re almost thirty. We want to see you married, to hold a grandson.”

“So that’s what you want,” Lu Qing sighed, then shook his head. “Give it time. Not now.”

No matter how his mother coaxed, he refused.

Later, they even brought matchmakers and introduced him to girls.

But while Lu Qing was polite, he was always deliberate in keeping distance. Every attempt failed. His parents grew helpless, then frustrated, but in the end… they gave up.

By thirty-five, they accepted reality. Their son was alive—after nearly dying once. That was already fortune enough.

…

Years passed. Their hair turned white, their faces lined with wrinkles.

One day, in a hospital ward, his parents lay weak and fading.

“Father, Mother,” Lu Qing asked softly, “do you have any unfulfilled wishes?”

His mother smiled faintly. “None. If anything… just that we never got to see you married, or hold a grandchild.”

“Yes,” his father sighed. “You were always so stubborn. Back then, so many good girls, and you didn’t like even one?”

“It’s not that they weren’t good,” Lu Qing said quietly. “It’s that I cannot tangle myself in karmic ties. Otherwise, I might truly sink into this world and never escape.”

“Karma? What are you talking about, Ah Qing?” his mother asked, puzzled.

“It’s nothing. Rest now. You’ve done enough.”

His voice was soft, gentle.

His parents, tired, closed their eyes, and never opened them again.

Lu Qing, hair touched with gray, watched their peaceful expressions. Even when their breaths stilled, he continued to watch, as though etching their faces into memory forever.

At last, he turned and walked outside.

He looked long at the trees, the flowers, the soil, and finally raised his gaze to the setting sun.

He smiled.

“Whether you are the Dao itself, or some mysterious will… thank you, for letting me mend this regret in my heart.

But illusion is still illusion. All things must end.”

Nothing changed.

But Lu Qing didn’t care. He kept staring at the sun.

And then—suddenly—the sinking sun froze.

In the blink of an eye, it flipped upward.

Like an eye snapping open, a scarlet pupil glared down from the sky.

The entire world turned crimson, as though soaked in blood.

“This illusion cannot bind me.”

His tone was calm, steady, as if he had expected it all along.

He shook his head, and his spirit quaked.

The world trembled, twisted, shattered.

That eerie eye watched him until the last fragment fell apart, then faded away.

Lu Qing absorbed the fragments into himself.

…

“Why hasn’t Master moved for so long?”

In the outside world, within the Li Huo Cauldron, Yan grew anxious.

Since the ninth bolt of tribulation lightning had fallen, Lu Qing had stood unmoving for an entire quarter-hour.

Before, with each strike, he had dazed for only a few breaths.

Now, so long? Yan could only fret.

But this was Lu Qing’s tribulation. It could not interfere.

Yan gritted its teeth, secretly urging the cauldron, ready to act if disaster struck.

Finally—Lu Qing sighed, and opened his eyes.

“Master! You’re awake!” Yan exclaimed in relief.

“I’m fine. How long did that last tribulation take?”

“Just over a quarter-hour.”

“Only that little?” Lu Qing murmured.

In the illusion, he had lived more than fifty years.

Fifty years of quiet life, etched into his heart.

He smiled, the weight in his eyes fading away, clarity returning.

Within him, qi and blood surged, mana roared, and his Nascent Soul within the dantian suddenly rose.

It leapt to his brow’s acupoint, seated itself in the center, left hand holding the Yin-Yang Five Elements Gourd, right hand gripping the Soul Talisman, the Five Elements Pearls forming a ring behind its head.

An image of profound divinity.

At that instant, a stream of light descended from heaven, merging with Lu Qing.

His body, qi, and spirit fused as one. A transformation began—flesh, mana, and soul strength all skyrocketing.

This was the true step into the Nascent Soul Realm, after enduring the Three Tribulations!

The heavenly tribulation’s eye vanished. The vortex itself dispersed.

All across the land, mighty cultivators whispered in shock.

“Look! The tribulation vortex is fading!”

“That strange eye was the final cloud?”

“Three kinds of tribulation clouds, twenty-seven bolts of lightning—never recorded before in history! What kind of tribulation was this?”

“No matter what, whoever survived it must not be ordinary!”

“Good thing I already sent word to the Holy Assembly. Their elders are on the way.”

“Yes. Until then, we must not act rashly.”

The Nascent Soul experts of the human race conferred in secrecy.

The demons did the same.

“Prepare to move as soon as it clears.”

“If it’s one of ours, fine. If human or demonic, we’ll wait and see.”

“Such a strange tribulation… whoever crossed it cannot be underestimated.”

“I just received word—King Zhenwu is already on his way.”

…

In the mountains, Xiao Li let out a cry of joy.

“The tribulation is gone—Ah Qing succeeded!”

“But what should we do now? If we go, the Nascent Soul experts will notice,” the White Flood Dragon asked.

“No need. Once Ah Qing stabilizes his realm, he’ll come to us. We wait here.”

As they spoke, the last traces of the vortex vanished.

Both sides’ experts stirred—

But then, a thunderous boom shook the world.

All froze.

Above, countless blossoms of five-colored light poured from the sky.

On the ground, within ten li of the tribulation site, golden lotuses burst into bloom.

And then—the voice of the Great Dao itself rang out, shaking every living being’s heart.

Vision upon vision, miracle upon miracle.

The experts’ eyes widened in disbelief.

“Heaven blossoms, golden lotuses surge, the Dao resounds—”

“What kind of existence is this? To make heaven and earth themselves celebrate its birth!”

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