After surviving my ordeal, I learned that the school beauty had given birth to twins for me.

More importantly, Jiang Xinlan and the children are still here.

The power of the heavenly tribulation is no joke; if it were to affect them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

No, I can't break through here.

I need to send them home and settle them in first, then find a secluded mountain forest where I can peacefully go into seclusion and break through my cultivation barrier.

Once Shen Yu made up his mind, he calmed down.

He continued to circulate his cultivation technique, suppressing the boiling spiritual energy back into his dantian. The nascent golden core returned to its previous form, but it was more condensed and solid than before.

Although it hasn't broken through yet, its foundation is already much stronger than before.

Once we find a safe place, we can break through at any time.

Shen Yu opened his eyes, feeling refreshed. Although he hadn't fully recovered from his exhaustion, his overall energy and spirit were completely different.

He looked up at the sky; the east was already showing the first light of dawn.

It's almost dawn.

……

The next morning, Jiang Xinlan was awakened by the chirping of birds outside her window.

She rubbed her eyes, sat up, and found that the seat next to her was empty; Shen Yu was no longer there.

"You're up so early?" Jiang Xinlan muttered, lifting the covers and getting out of bed.

She walked to the window and opened it.

Fresh air rushed in, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees.

Sunlight streamed into the courtyard, and wisps of white steam rose from the hot spring; everything was peaceful and beautiful.

But for some reason, Jiang Xinlan felt that something was wrong.

Last night, she thought she heard some noise outside, a lot of commotion, and people crying and shouting.

She was half asleep at the time and thought she was dreaming, but now that she thinks about it, it doesn't seem like a dream.

Moreover, she felt that the air was particularly fresh today, and taking a breath made her feel comfortable all over, as if something was different.

What are you thinking about?

Shen Yu's voice came from behind.

Jiang Xinlan turned around and saw Shen Yu carrying breakfast in and placing it on the table.

The congee, steamed buns, and side dishes were all delivered from the restaurant downstairs.

"It's nothing." Jiang Xinlan smiled, walked over and sat down. "It just feels a little different today; the air is especially fresh."

Shen Yu ladled a bowl of porridge and handed it to her, smiling, "The air in the mountains is naturally fresh."

"How did things go last night? When did you get back? Why didn't you call me?" Jiang Xinlan asked coquettishly after taking a sip of porridge.

Shen Yu went out last night, and she had planned to wait for him to come back before going to sleep.

I was a little tired after playing with the kids all day, and I fell asleep without realizing it while waiting in the middle of the night.

"Don't worry, everything is going smoothly." Shen Yu put down his chopsticks, looked at her, and said earnestly.

"Last night, the resentment in the dam went out of control and overflowed into the town. I've dealt with it; no one was hurt, so you don't need to worry."

Jiang Xinlan's spoon froze in mid-air, a look of surprise on her face: "Uncontrolled resentment? Is it serious? Are you injured?"

"I'm fine, look at me, I'm perfectly alright." Shen Yu smiled. "It's just that I'm a bit exhausted, I'll be fine after a night's rest."

Jiang Xinlan breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest: "It's alright, it's alright."

Shen Yu looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Xinlan, there's something else I want to tell you."

"What is it? Tell me." Jiang Xinlan looked up and saw his serious expression. Her heart skipped a beat. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"It's not a bad thing, it's a good thing." Shen Yu smiled. "After dealing with the resentment last night, I accumulated a lot of merit, and my cultivation bottleneck has loosened. I'm about to break through to the Golden Core stage."

"Breaking through to the Golden Core stage?" Jiang Xinlan was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up with surprise. "Really? That's wonderful!"

Now that Shen Yu has broken through to the Golden Core stage, he is even more powerful, and he will be more protected in the future if he encounters any danger.

But her joy lasted only a few seconds before she became worried again:

"Breakthrough... Will it be dangerous? I've read in novels that breaking through to the Golden Core stage involves heavenly tribulations and being struck by lightning or something. Is that true?"

Shen Yu was surprised that she even knew this, and couldn't help but laugh: "You even know about heavenly tribulations?"

"I was reading novels." Jiang Xinlan smiled sheepishly, then became serious again. "Is it dangerous or not?"

"There will be a heavenly tribulation, nine lightning tribulations." Shen Yu didn't hide anything from her and told her the truth. "But don't worry, I'm confident that nothing will happen."

"Nine lightning tribulations?" Jiang Xinlan's face turned pale instantly.

"That's too dangerous! One lightning strike is scary enough, let alone nine... Maybe we shouldn't break through yet. It's fine to cultivate slowly; there's no rush."

"Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about?" Shen Yu reached out and ruffled her hair, saying with a smile.

"The Golden Core stage is an inevitable step on the path of cultivation; there's no escaping it. Besides, my foundation is very solid now, and I'm blessed with merit. The heavenly tribulation can't harm me, so don't worry."

"Really?" Jiang Xinlan was still a little worried.

"Really, when have I ever lied to you?" Shen Yu said earnestly.

"However, breakthroughs are quite noisy and cannot be disturbed, so I plan to send you all home first, and then find a secluded mountain forest to cultivate and break through in seclusion. This way it's safer and won't scare anyone."

Jiang Xinlan was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, I'll do as you say. So... how long will you be gone?"

"It'll take two or three days if things go smoothly, four or five days if they don't," Shen Yu said. "I'll be back as soon as I've broken through."

"Then you must be careful." Jiang Xinlan grabbed his hand, her eyes red.

"Never try to withstand a lightning strike. If you can't, take cover. Safety is the most important thing, understand?"

"Okay, don't worry." Shen Yu took her hand in return and gently squeezed it.

"I'm waiting to come back to be with you and the children. Everything will be alright."

As the two were talking, Niannian's voice came from the bedroom: "Mommy! Daddy! I'm awake!"

"Coming, coming." Jiang Xinlan quickly wiped her eyes, stood up, and said, "I'll go dress the children."

"I'll go," Shen Yu said, stopping her. "Eat some more, I'll go."

He went into the bedroom, where the two little ones were already sitting up, rubbing their eyes.

"Daddy!" Niannian saw him and happily ran over to him.

Shen Yu caught her and kissed her on the cheek: "Awake? Did you sleep well?"

"Okay!" Niannian nodded, then frowned slightly. "Daddy, are we going skiing again today? We agreed on that yesterday."

Gui Gui looked at him expectantly.

Shen Yu sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the two children, feeling a little guilty. He had promised to take them out for a few days of fun, but now he had to go home early because he needed to break through his current limits.

"Niannian, Guigui, Daddy wants to talk to you about something, okay?" Shen Yu said earnestly.

"What's wrong?" The two little ones tilted their heads and looked at him.