Watching the golden lotus surge from the earth and the heavens showering down uncanny phenomena.

Listening to the resounding tolls of the Great Dao echoing through the world.

All the Yuanshen-stage masters stood agape, unable to believe what they saw ahead.

They knew that such world-phenomena could only appear because of the tribulation-being undergoing their calamity ahead.

But what sort of existence, upon successfully passing a tribulation, could cause heaven and earth to fall into celebration like this—causing the very Dao to ring out in tribute?

Even in the history of the Tianyuan Great World, not even the most astonishing prodigies—those era-defining children of fate—had ever been treated so.

“Ah Qing’s tribulation produced such wild phenomena this time?” Xiao Li, hiding in the trees, gaped at the spectacle and couldn’t help but mutter.

Bai Jiao was even more stunned—completely dumbfounded.

Phenomena rolled on and on; under the overwhelming might of heaven and earth, the Yuanshen masters dared not move recklessly.

They held their ground and waited.

Until they knew what kind of being lay beyond, none of them wanted their rashness to cause misunderstanding.

What the assembled Yuanshen masters didn’t know was that, while they waited, Lu Qing was undergoing a devastating metamorphosis.

“My power… is still increasing?” Lu Qing, wrapped in the lingering Dao-phenomena, felt the change within him and was astonished.

A moment earlier, a streak of light from the tribulation vortex had poured into him—like a catalyst that ignited his body utterly.

His previously-separated five senses—his mana, his flesh, and his spirit—had each reached Yuanshen stage; now they fused and transformed into an entirely new power.

As soon as this power was born it flowed through him, driving a fresh metamorphosis of his body.

After a long while, when the transformation finished, the mana in Lu Qing’s dantian and qi-sea had taken on a wholly different appearance.

Where once five-coloured Five-Element mana shimmered, now it had become a dull, gray haze—unremarkable at first glance.

But within that unassuming grayness Lu Qing felt an appallingly potent might.

This gray mana’s potency didn’t merely double that of his old Five-Element arts—it soared far beyond.

After some insight, understanding bloomed in his mind.

“I see. This gray mana is the product of my mana, my flesh, and my spirit fusing after transcendence. It encompasses all things—not only the Five Elements but even Yin-Yang—various powers combined, thus presenting as a primordial gray.”

Of course, besides its tremendous force, gray mana held still deeper mysteries, but Lu Qing had no time to probe them now.

He felt the surrounding Dao-phenomena waning, and the Yuanshen masters on both sides growing restless.

Using the last sliver of time, he focused his mind on a streak of light lodged in his memory.

Before the tribulation vortex dissolved, a stream of light had fallen and, besides aiding his final step of metamorphosis, left some information in his mind.

When Lu Qing touched that light with his mind, the brilliance flared and Daoic voices echoed in his head, almost dazzling him.

After several breaths he recovered his senses; a new Dao chapter had appeared in his mind.

“Dao — a Yuanshen Dao chapter. So after perfectly surviving this tribulation I’ve been granted a new Dao chapter,” he thought with pleasure.

He had been wondering how to proceed after entering the Yuanshen stage; this new chapter at least pointed him a direction.

But even so, Lu Qing still didn’t have time to study the new Dao chapter.

The world-phenomena around him had fully dispersed, and the earth-shaking Daoic tolls faded.

He also sensed the Yuanshen masters on both sides beginning to approach.

Perhaps because his tribulation had been so peculiar, they advanced with obvious caution—faces wary, not rushing.

Lu Qing rose from the ground. With a thought his plain gray-white robe appeared and covered him.

During the tribulation his body had been struck apart by thunder; clothes could not possibly have survived.

Fortunately, he had prepared several robes he’d refined inside his Qi-Pouch, so he wasn’t without garments.

Dressed, Lu Qing hovered upward slowly.

His face had returned to its true appearance.

Having entered the Yuanshen stage, Lu Qing now truly possessed the means to protect himself in the Tianyuan world.

With a void-boat at hand, he need no longer fear even those who can move through voids, like the old wraith of the Gongshu clan.

From now on he could walk the world openly in his own face instead of hiding.

As Lu Qing ascended, the Yuanshen masters who had been approaching all shuddered.

They saw the figure rising into the sky.

Strangely, though they could see him with their eyes, their Yuanshen senses detected no trace of his aura.

If they’d relied only on spiritual sensing, they would have thought the place empty.

This eerie contradiction made the Yuanshen masters even more alert.

Still, having come this far, none chose to retreat; they cautiously closed the gap.

When they drew nearer, the human and demon Yuanshen masters both sensed each other.

After a bit, by tacit agreement they stopped about ten li from Lu Qing.

For masters of their level ten li was a trivial distance—crossable in a breath—yet it preserved formal courtesy.

They watched Lu Qing carefully.

When the human masters saw his human face, they relaxed with a pleased expression.

The demon masters, however, stiffened with greater vigilance.

They hadn’t expected this tribulation-being to be a human rather than the monstrous prodigy they’d imagined.

More strangely, even with him standing there before them they still could not sense his aura—let alone his cultivation level.

“Sir, were you the one who underwent the tribulation here just now?” After a moment of silence, a middle-aged human Yuanshen master in purple robes and a tall crown spoke cautiously.

“Yes. I thought that coming to this remote mountain to pass my tribulation would not disturb others. I apologize to the respected seniors if I have.” Lu Qing said with an apologetic smile.

His words made the Yuanshen masters’ faces twitch; they inwardly scoffed.

With a tribulation like yours, not being noticed would be a miracle.

“Not at all. Tribulation matters are not within one’s control. May I ask which sect you belong to? Forgive my poor eyes; I don’t recall having seen you.” The man in purple continued.

He exhaled in relief inwardly.

The guest’s polite manner suggested no hostility, which was good news.

“I’m merely an obscure wanderer. My master and origins aren’t worth mentioning—likely none of you would have heard of them,” Lu Qing replied lightly.

The human masters weren’t surprised he wouldn’t reveal his background. A young stranger who fled to the Wan Yao mountain range to pass a tribulation clearly didn’t want his origins known.

They scanned his face mentally, comparing him to every known young prodigy in top human sects.

In the end they found none who matched him.

“Could he be an outsider from beyond?” the human masters pondered.

As the purple-robed man considered how to draw Lu Qing out, Lu Qing’s expression suddenly shifted.

A terrifying aura burst from him.

“Die!” Lu Qing roared, and his figure vanished from sight.

His speed was so great that none of the Yuanshen masters could see how he left.

As they gaped in shock, wondering why the mysterious youth had suddenly erupted with rage, they sensed his aura reappear—several hundred li away.

“What speed is that?” the Yuanshen masters were horrified.

To cross several hundred li in a breath—such speed would be unattainable for even many of them.

And they had felt no spatial fluctuations while he moved; it was clear he had not used a spatial-transfer technique.

If he’d merely relied on speed alone to cover hundreds of li in a breath, that alone would have shocked them as much as teleportation would.

Sharing glances of doubt, the Yuanshen masters moved together toward where Lu Qing now stood.

From his earlier roar it was obvious something ahead had enraged him—this piqued their curiosity.

Guarding the border weren’t weaklings; at minimum they were second-tribulation Yuanshen. Even if their approach wasn’t as startling as Lu Qing’s, they could still travel swiftly.

In just several breaths they arrived at his location.

There they witnessed an astonishing scene.

Lu Qing hovered in midair. Before him two figures radiating post-Golden Core (post-Jindan) breath stood frozen in midair, terror-struck and unmoving.

One held a compass-type magic treasure in his hands.

Lu Qing was no longer alone.

On his shoulders stood two spirit-beasts.

One was a raccoon-like beast whose fur burned like black flames.

The other was a tiny dragonling, five-colored and winged along its back.

Behind Lu Qing hid a massive white jiao; its gaze fixed on the compass treasure in one of the men’s hands.

At this sight the faces of the Yuanshen masters changed subtly.

Human masters’ expressions altered at the sight of the creature on Lu Qing’s shoulder—Xiao Li—while the demon masters’ eyes were drawn to the white jiao behind him.

Lu Qing paid them little mind and looked to the white jiao.

“Can you sense your father’s aura on the compass that man holds?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. I can feel that the man’s treasure is connected to my father.” Bai Jiao nodded repeatedly.

Lu Qing’s mind moved; the Wan Shou Sect middle-aged man’s compass slipped from his grip and fell into Lu Qing’s hand.

He probed subtly and indeed found an aura resembling Bai Jiao’s, then activated an ability.

After a few breaths he understood the compass’s origins.

He casually wiped the spiritual imprint from the compass and tossed it to Bai Jiao.

“This treasure does have ties to your father. Take it; I’ll explain later.”

When Bai Jiao received the compass, Lu Qing turned to the two men. “As for you two—have you decided how you want to die?”

The Wan Shou Sect middle-aged man’s soul had been damaged when Lu Qing erased the imprint; he coughed up a stream of reversed blood.

Still he didn’t dare spit it out, only looking at the terrifying youth with abject dread.

Earlier he’d intended to act swift: while the Yuanshen masters went to investigate the tribulation’s source, he and his junior would seize Bai Jiao and flee.

He never expected that their joint activation of the Wan Beast Compass, their strongest strike, would be so easily blocked by this young man who then subdued both brothers with a flick.

At once he understood this youth was a Yuanshen master—but not an ordinary one—otherwise they wouldn’t feel such despair.

“S-senior, my brother and I didn’t know—they’re his spirit pets! Please spare us,” the Wan Shou Sect man stammered in entreaty.

“Yes, senior, it wasn’t my idea—my senior forced me to act!” the other yelled.

Hearing this, the elder scolded his junior; their mutual blaming spared Lu Qing from being interested.

He said flatly, “Stop arguing. Since you dared to attack Xiao Li and the others, both of you must die.”

Lu Qing’s mind moved to crush them to powder—when a voice suddenly interjected.

“Fellow Daoist, please show mercy.”

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