Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

He Damin turned his head and looked at her slightly pale profile, feeling a pang of pain in his heart. He knew how much effort she had put in over the years. From an ordinary person who knew nothing about cultivation to now being at the peak of Foundation Establishment and about to break through to the Golden Core stage, only she herself knew the hardships she had endured.

"Yes," he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "You can definitely do it. Don't forget who you are. You are Chen Xueru."

Chen Xueru's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. She didn't speak again, but gently rested her head on He Damin's shoulder, feeling the warmth and stability emanating from him, and the unease in her heart gradually subsided.

As the sun sets, its golden rays bathe the entire room, gilding everything with a warm golden hue.

He Damin glanced out the window, then looked at Chen Xueru beside him, whose breathing was becoming increasingly heavy, and said softly, "It's about time."

Chen Xueru opened her eyes and nodded. Her gaze had returned to calm, leaving only determination.

The two didn't drive, contact any boats, or even alert the servants in the villa. He Damin put his arm around Chen Xueru's waist, and with a slight sway, the surrounding air seemed to distort. The next second, their figures transformed into almost invisible streaks of light, silently rushing out of the villa and speeding towards the sea in the southeast.

Eighty nautical miles was but a moment's time for He Damin, who was already at the Nascent Soul stage. The wind whistled past his ears, and the city and sea below rushed past, quickly turning into blurry patches of color.

As their feet landed firmly on the desolate island, the last rays of the setting sun sank below the horizon, leaving behind a magnificent sunset that painted the sky orange, purple, and deep blue.

This small island was even more desolate than what He Damin had "seen" with his divine sense. The rocks underfoot were cold and rough, covered with a thin layer of sea salt, making them somewhat slippery. The sea wind was strong, carrying a strong salty smell, howling and blowing, making people's hair fly wildly and their clothes flutter.

The rocks, eroded by the sea wind and waves, are riddled with holes and take on various shapes; some resemble ferocious monsters, while others are as smooth as if they had been sculpted by a knife. Several clumps of dark green shrubs stubbornly take root in the cracks of the rocks, their branches clinging to the rocks in the wind, striving to absorb the meager nutrients and water they can find.

Their arrival startled the island's native inhabitants—a flock of seabirds. They squawked and flapped their wings as they flew out of their nests on the rocks, circling and chattering overhead, seemingly protesting against the two uninvited guests.

Not far away, the waves relentlessly pounded against the rocks, splashing up white spray before receding, leaving behind wet rocks and seaweed and shells washed ashore.

Chen Xueru stood in the center of the island, arms outstretched, and took a deep breath. The salty sea breeze filled her lungs, invigorating her. She looked up at the sky; night was beginning to fall, and the first star had quietly appeared against the deep blue backdrop, like a bright diamond.

"Let's do it here," she said softly, her voice not loud, but it clearly reached He Damin's ears.

He Damin nodded without saying anything more. He retreated about a hundred feet and sat down on the highest rock. This rock offered a wide view, allowing him to clearly see Chen Xueru's every move.

His divine sense once again spread out without reservation, this time not only covering the entire island but also encompassing the surrounding sea area within a ten-mile radius. No rustling of the wind, not even the passing of a fish or a bird, could escape his detection. He wanted to ensure that Chen Xueru would not be disturbed by any external forces during her tribulation.

Chen Xueru took a deep breath, walked to a relatively flat rocky clearing, and sat down cross-legged. She adjusted her breathing, closed her eyes, formed a mudra with her hands, and placed them on her dantian.

As she focused her mind, the golden light in her dantian spun faster and brighter, emanating an increasingly powerful aura. The true energy she had been forcibly suppressing began to surge and roar through her meridians like a floodgate opening, rushing wildly towards her dantian and towards that ever-brighter golden light.

"Buzz—"

A soft buzzing sound, as if coming from the depths of the soul.

The next moment, the golden light exploded!

A highly condensed golden beam of light shot up from Chen Xueru's body, like a golden dragon, instantly piercing the newly descended night sky and soaring into the heavens!

The light was so dazzling, so pure, that it seemed to purify all the darkness in the world. Even in Hong Kong, a hundred miles away, many people saw the fleeting golden light in the southeastern sky and began to discuss it curiously, wondering if it was some strange astronomical phenomenon or a signal from a distant ship.

He Damin's divine sense immediately detected that the moment the golden light appeared, several cargo ships and fishing boats that were sailing normally on the distant sea all slowed down in unison, and the people on board seemed to be looking in this direction and pointing at each other.

He Damin's eyes narrowed, and a thought flickered in his mind.

Suddenly, a thin, milky-white mist rose from the once calm sea. The mist arrived incredibly quickly, spreading rapidly and completely enveloping the entire island. From the outside, only a hazy white expanse could be seen; nothing else could be discerned.

The crew members on those ships suddenly felt fog roll in and the strange golden light they had just seen disappeared. They assumed they were seeing things or that the weather had suddenly changed. After muttering a few words, they sped up again and sailed away from the area.

Having resolved the potential trouble, He Damin refocused his attention on Chen Xueru.

The sky is beginning to change.

The once clear night sky was suddenly filled with large swaths of dark clouds. These were no ordinary clouds; they were black, thick, as if they had been dyed with ink, and carried a chilling pressure as they rapidly surged in from all directions, gathering and churning above the golden pillar of light.

The clouds grew thicker and lower, as if pressing down on people's heads. Faintly visible flashes of silvery lightning darted and danced through the clouds, crackling like restless silver snakes. A deep rumble of thunder brewed and rolled deep within the clouds, like the growl of a giant beast, sending chills down one's spine.

These are the tribulation clouds! The tribulation clouds of the Golden Core Thunder Tribulation!

Chen Xueru suddenly opened her eyes, looking up at the churning tribulation clouds overhead. Her heart pounded involuntarily, like a drumbeat. She could clearly feel a destructive power accumulating and growing stronger within the tribulation clouds.

She recalled how He Damin first taught her cultivation seven years ago. At that time, she couldn't even find where the dantian was, and she knew nothing about meridians. He Damin was like a patient teacher, teaching her breathing exercises little by little, how to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and how to guide the flow of true energy.

Seven years have passed.

From the initial Qi Refining Level 1 to Qi Refining Perfection, then Foundation Establishment, and finally Foundation Establishment Perfection, only she knows how much hardship and sweat she endured during those seven years. Countless nights, while others slept, she meditated and cultivated; while others enjoyed life, she endured the pain of breaking through bottlenecks.

Now, the moment has finally arrived.

"Come on!" Chen Xueru took a deep breath, her eyes becoming incredibly determined, and said softly. Her voice wasn't loud, but it was full of resolve.

"Snap!"

As if in response to her words, the first bolt of lightning finally struck down!

It was a silver-white lightning bolt as thick as an arm, like the wrathful whip of a god, with a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, striking straight down from the depths of the tribulation clouds, its target being Chen Xueru on the ground!

Chen Xueru neither dodged nor blocked. She simply closed her eyes tightly, straightened her spine, and let the violent lightning strike her mercilessly!

"puff!"

The instant the lightning struck her body, Chen Xueru felt as if she had been hit head-on by a mountain, or thrown into a scorching furnace. Excruciating pain! Indescribable pain! Starting from the top of her head, it instantly spread throughout her limbs and bones; every inch of skin, every meridian, every cell felt as if it were being burned by flames and sliced ​​by steel blades!

She couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, her body trembling violently.

But her will was exceptionally firm. She gritted her teeth, mobilized all the true energy in her body, and guided the violent and domineering thunder power slowly and laboriously towards her dantian, towards the golden core embryo that was being re-condensed and reshaped, following the method He Damin had taught her.

This is both a test and a gift from the tribulation of lightning. Although the power of lightning is violent, it contains the most yang and strongest energy. If used properly, it can temper the physical body, purify true qi, and make the condensed golden core more pure and powerful.

"Snap!"

The second bolt of lightning followed immediately, thicker, brighter, and more powerful than the first!

"Snap!" "Snap!"

The third, the fourth...

Bolts of lightning struck one after another, the intervals between them growing shorter, yet each strike more powerful than the last. The silvery-white flashes of electricity illuminated Chen Xueru's face and the charred rocks around her. Her training clothes had long since turned to ashes by the first bolt of lightning; now her body was covered in fine wounds, some even charred by the lightning, wisps of smoke rising from them. Her hair clung disheveled to her face, soaked with sweat and dust, and a trickle of bright red blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

But her eyes grew brighter and brighter, and a faint smile even appeared on her face. She could clearly feel that, under the constant tempering and nourishment of the lightning power, the golden core embryo in her dantian was condensing and taking shape at a visible speed. Its light grew stronger, its rotation faster, and the pressure it emitted grew stronger.

When the seventh bolt of lightning struck, Chen Xueru's body swayed violently, and she almost fell off the rock. Her face turned ashen, and her breathing became rapid.

On the distant reef, He Damin clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. His heart clenched, and a strong impulse surged within him, wanting to rush over and shield her from the remaining lightning tribulation.

But he can't.

The Golden Core Tribulation is a test that cultivators must face alone, and also an opportunity for complete transformation. Others can protect them and provide assistance, but ultimately, they must overcome the final hurdle themselves. If he intervened, although he might save Chen Xueru's life, her path to cultivation would be severed, and she would never truly be able to form a Golden Core.

He could only watch helplessly, suppressing all his worries and anxieties, constantly monitoring Chen Xueru's condition with his divine sense. If she showed any signs of giving up, he would rush over without hesitation.

The eighth bolt of lightning struck, thicker than any of the previous ones, like a giant silver dragon, baring its fangs and claws as it lunged at Chen Xueru.

"boom!"

A loud bang followed, and smoke and dust filled the air.