The heavens split open.
A vortex of silver and violet lightning churned violently above the Alchemy Hall, illuminating the night like day. Every cultivator across the sect turned their gaze toward the terrifying sight.
The first bolt formed at the center of the vortex—massive, alive, and furious. It hummed with divine punishment, its light tearing through clouds as it locked onto the small courtyard below.
Wan Long's eyes snapped open.
He could feel the pressure descending—unavoidable, absolute.
"Damn… so this is Heavenly Tribulation…" he muttered through clenched teeth.
The bolt began to fall.
Just as the roaring thunder was about to descend, a jade-colored formation suddenly bloomed across the entire Alchemy Peak. Dozens of runes shimmered in the air, interlocking into an enormous protective array that wrapped the peak in a thin veil of light.
High above, a figure appeared in midair—her robes fluttering like clouds, her eyes filled with restrained shock.
"Someone dared to trigger tribulation here?" she said softly, her voice carrying through the thunder.
It was Peak Master Lian Yueru.
With a flick of her wrist, countless sigils activated around the peak, connecting into the Alchemy Peak Grand Formation.
A pillar of red and gold light surged upward, clashing against the descending lightning, diverting a portion of its devastating force.
Even so, the sky still screamed as the first strike fell.
KRAAAAAACK!
The lightning crashed through the formation barrier, striking Wan Long's courtyard with unrelenting fury.
The protective barrier shattered like glass. His modest wooden house vaporized into ash in an instant. The air distorted, the ground cracked, and every herb, stone, and cauldron around him turned into molten fragments.
The bolt finally hit him.
Wan Long's body convulsed, his muscles tearing, skin cracking under the unbearable energy. Every vein in his body lit up with silver light as the destructive power surged through him like countless raging serpents.
He had no defensive treasure.
No shield.
No talisman.
Only his will.
His vision dimmed. He could barely breathe. The world around him dissolved into soundless agony—until, suddenly, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
[Heavenly Thunder Waste Energy detected.]
[Do you wish to recycle?]
"R–Recycle!" he roared mentally, clinging to consciousness.
The world froze for a fraction of a second. Then, the roaring power in his body was instantly drawn toward the System's mysterious core. The lightning's destructive force turned into spiraling motes of light, vanishing into his meridians.
[Recycling in progress…]
[10,000 days of Spiritual Energy gained.]
[+550,000 Recycle Points obtained.]
The pain vanished. His breath steadied. The cracks on his skin began to close, leaving behind faint silver marks that shimmered like moonlit scales.
Outside, the storm clouds pulsed again, growing denser.
Cultivators all across the peak were shouting now—
"Another strike is forming!"
"What kind of body is this disciple forging to attract three Heavenly Bolts!?"
Lian Yueru's brows furrowed deeply.
She had diverted a good portion of the first strike, but even that reduced power should have killed any Body Tempering cultivator instantly.
And yet… that boy lived.
"He endured that?" she whispered. "No treasure aura… nothing. How?"
Her hand tightened slightly, activating another layer of the formation as she prepared for the next impact.
In the courtyard below, Wan Long stood trembling but alive. His breath was ragged, his robes burnt to ash, but his eyes—his eyes burned like molten silver.
He clenched his fists, feeling the new power coursing through him. His flesh was singing with energy, and deep within his dantian, the lunar veins pulsed like radiant rivers.
Through the haze of smoke and dissipating lightning, he opened his System Panel with trembling will.
[Recycle Points: 556,000]
[Spiritual Energy: 78,600 days]
He blinked once. Then a thought flashed in his mind like a spark.
"The Lunar Dome Bell Technique!"
He hadn't learned it yet—the defensive art he picked from the sect library. If he could master it now… maybe he could withstand what was coming.
"System," he said quickly, "learn Lunar Dome Bell Technique."
[Technique learned: Lunar Dome Bell – Low-Grade Yellow Tier]
[Upgrade options available.]
Without hesitation, he commanded, "Upgrade to Low-Grade Heaven Tier."
[Low grade Yellow → Low grade Heaven tier — 400,000 RP]
[Note :Cultivation Techniques were ranked from Yellow, Purple, Earth, Heaven, and Imperial, each divided further into Low, Middle, and High tiers]
[Confirm upgrade?]
"Yes!"
A deep, resonant hum filled his consciousness as symbols of moonlight and bells intertwined in his mind's eye. Each symbol shone brighter than the last until they converged into a great celestial bell forged of pale lunar silver, standing tall and still in his sea of consciousness.
[Technique upgraded: Lunar Dome Bell — Low-Grade Heaven Tier.]
He didn't stop there. "Increase proficiency—Perfection level."
[Proficiency upgrade — 140,000 RP consumed.]
[Lunar Dome Bell Technique: Perfection.]
[Remaining Recycle Points: 16,000.]
Suddenly, an invisible bell took shape around his body—vast, ancient, and ethereal. Its walls glimmered with moonlight, runes shifting like water as a deep gong echoed in the air.
BOOOM—
The shockwave of the bell's manifestation rippled through the courtyard, scattering the lingering thunder energy. For the first time since the tribulation began, the oppressive pressure seemed to lessen.
Inside the radiant bell, Wan Long took a deep breath, his heartbeat steadying.
He could feel the power of this technique—each rune absorbing the heavenly energy, purifying it, transforming it into a protective resonance that merged with his flesh and bones.
The bell's surface shimmered with flowing runes of silver light, forming the image of a waxing moon that radiated both calm and authority.
"This is… true defense," he whispered. "
Above, the heavens screamed again.
The swirling thunder clouds expanded, their color deepening from silver to a dreadful amethyst hue. Bolts of lightning twisted and converged into one colossal spear of destruction that tore the sky apart.
The second strike was coming—and this time, it was far stronger than before.
High above the Alchemy Peak, the sky churned like a furious sea, and from within the storm's heart descended a pillar of violet thunder—wide enough to engulf a mansion.
On the terrace of the Alchemy Hall, Peak Master Lian Yueru stood with her jade robes fluttering violently in the rising storm wind. Her beautiful face was calm, but her eyes flickered with alarm.
Without hesitation, she raised a slender hand, and dozens of formation seals lit up across the peak.
"Activate the Grand Defensive Array!"
The air hummed as countless runes surged to life, forming a massive barrier dome of faint golden light around the peak. The moment it appeared, however—
CRACK—!!!
The heavenly bolt struck.
The golden barrier shattered like glass under the weight of divine punishment, its fragments dissolving into motes of light that scattered across the heavens.
Lian Yueru's pupils contracted sharply.
"The tribulation's might increased again…" she murmured.
Around her, several inner elders arrived one after another, their faces pale.
"Peak Master, that boy will die! This is no ordinary Foundation Purification Tribulation—it's evolving into a Heavenly Punishment!"
"His physique must have touched something forbidden… perhaps he's forging a Saint Body!" another whispered.
But Lian Yueru only watched the storm, her expression unreadable.
"He's surviving longer than anyone should. Let's see how far he can go."
Below, in the middle of what was once his courtyard, Wan Long stood amidst ruin. The ground was scorched black, the surrounding buildings reduced to ash. His clothes were tattered, blood trickling from his lips, but his eyes—his eyes still burned with stubborn determination.
He could feel the pressure of the descending lightning even before it touched him—an endless weight that sought to erase him entirely.
If he tried to dodge, he'd die. If he ran, he'd die.
Only one path remained.
He bit his tongue, forcing his Qi to surge like an ocean tide. Forming A start symbol, He shouted... "Lunar Dome Bell—Full Manifestation!"
A roar of moonlight erupted from his body. Silver runes spiraled outward, inscribing themselves in the air, overlapping, fusing—until a colossal three-layered bell materialized above him, each layer inscribed with ancient sigils and luminous moons.
BOOOM!
The bell crashed down, enclosing him entirely. The runes flared one by one, resonating with a deep, ethereal gong that echoed through the heavens.
Then, the lightning struck.
CRAAAAAAK—!
The impact was cataclysmic. The heavens trembled. The earth split. A shockwave erupted, flattening nearby trees and sending waves of dust and heat across the entire Alchemy Peak.
But when the light faded—
The bell still stood.
Cracked, glowing, and trembling—but still standing.
Inside it, Wan Long knelt on one knee, his face pale as death. His veins glowed silver, and his body steamed with residual lightning energy, but he was alive.
High above, the elders and disciples watching from afar stood frozen.
"That… that's the Lunar Dome Bell Technique, isn't it?" an elder whispered, disbelief in his tone.
"But that technique was just a low-grade yellow-tier defensive art! How could it block heavenly lightning of that magnitude?"
"Impossible… even if he refined it to its peak, it shouldn't reach this power…"
Lian Yueru's eyes narrowed slightly, a rare flicker of intrigue crossing her calm demeanor.
"This energy… this isn't the Lunar Bell I remember."
Indeed, what they were seeing was something else entirely.
The bell's third layer shimmered with faint Heaven-tier fluctuations, its runes rearranging themselves into flowing lunar scripts that no one in the sect could recognize. The formation was alive—breathing, resonating with Wan Long's will and absorbing the remnants of divine thunder like nourishment.
Each thunderbolt it absorbed made the cracks on its surface heal slightly, glowing brighter, stronger—until it looked more like a relic of the ancient moon temples described only in lost texts.
Inside, Wan Long could barely keep his consciousness. His body was scorched, his meridians frayed—but his will held firm.
He didn't know it, but at that very moment, the Lunar Dome Bell had begun to evolve beyond its known tier—partially awakened by the heavenly lightning it had devoured.
Outside, Lian Yueru whispered softly,
"That bell… that resonance… could it be—an ancient moon inheritance?"
The elders exchanged uneasy glances. None dared to confirm.
As the storm above gathered once again, the clouds seething with silver-gold radiance, everyone felt their breath catch in their throats.
"The third strike…" one elder murmured. "No one could survive this one."
And yet, at the center of the devastation, Wan Long slowly lifted his head.
His voice, hoarse but steady, cut through the storm:
"System… prepare for recycle."
....
The heavens answered with a roar.
Thunder rumbled across the heavens like the roar of an enraged god.
The amethyst storm churned, and every cloud above Alchemy Peak pulsed with a light that turned the world beneath it to silver fire.
Wan Long coughed blood, his limbs trembling violently. The Lunar Dome Bell that had shielded him from the second strike flickered weakly, its runes cracked, light dimming.
He fumbled for his pouch, pulling out a High-Grade Tier 3 Rejuvenation Pill. Without hesitation, he swallowed it.
Warmth spread through his ravaged body as the pill dissolved, mending torn meridians and restoring his Qi flow. The sweet scent of spiritual herbs filled the air, even against the ozone of thunder.
"Not… yet," he rasped, forcing himself to his feet. "One more…"
Above, the third heavenly strike had formed—a pillar of silver and violet lightning larger than the entire courtyard, spiraling like a dragon preparing to devour the world. The heavens had judged him unworthy—and now sought to erase him completely.
On the mountaintop, Peak Master Lian Yueru stared in grim awe.
"This tribulation… its power has reached peak core foundation realm. he just in body tempering, I don't think he will endure this."
The other elders could barely remain standing under the weight of the divine aura pressing down on them.
"His body won't last another hit—look at the cracks on the ground!" one shouted.
"He should be dead already! Why hasn't it struck yet?"
As if answering that question, the heavens flared.
CRAAAAACK—!!!
The sky fell.
The third strike descended, tearing through the void, a river of lightning so vast it split the barrier between heaven and earth.
Wan Long raised his trembling hands, summoning the Lunar Dome Bell one final time.
The great silver bell appeared, cracked and battered, its surface webbed with fissures that glowed faintly. But even so, it stood defiant—its tone deep and resonant.
As the heavenly thunder struck, the impact shattered the world around it—
But this time, something different happened.
Instead of collapsing, the bell absorbed the lightning.
WUUUUMMMMM—!
Its three layers began to spin independently, each turning faster than the last, glowing brighter and brighter until they merged into one seamless, radiant shell.
The cracks vanished.
The runes reorganized, fusing into ancient lunar glyphs that pulsed like living veins.
The bell's body turned translucent, revealing a core of swirling moonlight within—a heart beating in rhythm with Wan Long's own.
From within it came the sound of a divine chime, soft yet vast, echoing through heaven and earth.
DONG—!
The world stilled.
A wave of pressure spread across the Alchemy Peak.
Every elder, every disciple, even the spirit beasts within the mountain groaned and fell to their knees as if the sky itself had descended upon them.
Lian Yueru's eyes widened. "What's happening? That… that's no longer a heavenly tribulation...."
Indeed—it was not, it was the Lunar Dome Bell evolving.!
The Lunar Dome Bell had transcended its form.
Its light coiled and sank into Wan Long's body, fusing directly with his soul sea. A mark of a crescent moon and bell appeared faintly on his chest, pulsing with divine rhythm.
[System Notification: Lunar Dome Bell Technique has undergone Evolution.]
[New Innate Ability Formed: Lunar Eternal Bell (Low-Grade Imperial Tier)]
[Type: Soul-Bound Spiritual Artifact / Innate Defensive Ability]
Wan Long's body convulsed, his blood boiling as the artifact's essence merged with him.
He screamed—not in fear, but in raw, searing agony—as threads of moonlight and thunder fused into his very being.
Around him, the air distorted. A colossal silver bell appeared in the sky, phantom-like, as though it existed in both the mortal and spiritual realms. Its tolls echoed across the sect—Dong… Dong… Dong…—reverberating with power that even the peak master had to resist bowing before.
"This pressure…" one elder gasped. "It feels like… an Imperial artifact! But how—how could ...—?!"
Only Lian Yueru stood unmoving, her face unreadable.
Her divine sense swept across the storm and whispered faintly, "An innate ability… a human with an innate ability. The heavens truly favor this child."
The lightning continued to pour, merging fully with the bell until both vanished into Wan Long's body. His skin was scorched, his robes burned away, his meridians frayed—but he lived.
Barely conscious, he heard the faint ding of the System once more.
[Heavenly Thunder Waste Energy Detected. Recycle?]
"…Recycle," he whispered weakly.
[Recycling Complete.]
[+750,000 Recycle Points Gained.]
[+15,000 Days of Spiritual Energy Obtained.]
Then suddenly as he was about to pass out.....
The heavens shifted.
The swirling clouds abruptly reversed direction—
Energy from the entire mountain range was drawn inward like a storm being devoured. Spiritual energy from every direction poured toward his ruined courtyard in a torrent, sinking into his body in streams of silver and azure light.
The moon above brightened, shining directly upon him, as if blessing his rebirth.
As the energy surged through his meridians, it began to reshape him. His flesh was reforged, bones crackling as they hardened like crystal jade. Silver runes spread beneath his skin, forming the faint outline of a lunar lotus across his chest.
Inside his dantian, the Moon Breathing Technique—his main cultivation art—flared violently as if resonating with the transformation.
[Detected external fusion of celestial energy.]
[Moon Breathing Technique has been refined.]
[Tier Advancement: Mid-Grade Purple → Low-Grade Earth Tier.]
A silvery beam of light burst skyward, piercing the retreating thunder clouds.
Onlookers stood in stunned silence.
"The tribulation… it's over," an elder finally whispered.
"But… that aura—it's still rising!"
Lian Yueru gazed toward the dissipating clouds, her eyes reflecting the silver moonlight.
"That child…" she murmured...
Below, amidst the ruins, Wan Long collapsed to his knees, his breath ragged but alive. The faint sound of a bell echoed once more from within his soul—steady, eternal.
He had survived the wrath of heaven.
And in doing so, he had become something that should not exist—a human with an innate Imperial-tier ability.