The Mystic Spirit World Realm, Heavenly Court.
Inside a dark, quiet room, a black-robed youth sat cross-legged. His hands formed a seal held before his chest, upholding a brilliant, perfectly round pill.
Muffled thunder echoed from within it.
However, as time passed, the golden light that had originally been straying outward gradually converged. The howling thunder within the quiet room also slowly died down.
During this process, because it lacked the Wood element, the Qi of Metal and Fire had been overly vigorous, leading to an imbalance of Yin and Yang where Yang Qi dominated the exterior. But now, the pill's phenomena were changing. Rolling Wood Qi swept up gusts of Xun wind, blowing through the quiet room and bringing a refreshing coolness. This also caused the Yang Qi to retract inward, rebalancing the Yin and Yang.
The [Divine Firmament Thunder]!
Lu Yang opened his eyes and looked at the blazing Dao Fruit in his hands, which no longer possessed any flawed concept and was completely perfect. A hint of satisfaction surfaced in his eyes.
'In a flash, ten years have passed.'
Since he began cultivating, his Dao comprehension had actually long since accumulated to a terrifying level. It was just that his aptitude was mediocre, so he learned a bit slowly.
However, just as he had sighed before: although he learned slowly, he could ultimately learn it. After ten years of arduous cultivation, he had mentally rehearsed the process of condensing profound wonders countless times. Only when he asked himself and was confident he had an eighty percent chance of success did he officially add the finishing touch, filling the Wood element gap in the [Divine Firmament Thunder].
At this moment, concept surged within the [Divine Firmament Thunder].
With the convergence of the Five Elements, the condensation of the Dao Fruit's profound wonder was imperative. If he ignored it, it would most likely condense into an ordinary profound wonder on its own.
'If I let nature take its course, I'm afraid it really will just become a lightning Dao Fruit.'
That wouldn't do.
With this thought, Lu Yang focused his mind and resonated with the [Arctic Exorcism Court]. Then, his figure leaped and descended into it. Instantly, the view before him opened up widely.
What met his eyes was an imposing, majestic palace.
Inside the hall, a grand banner fluttered. It was anchored at the North Pole as its pivot, connecting to the Qi of Ziwei. The soaring eaves and painted beams were entwined with profound patterns. Various artifacts were displayed around; the place was no longer empty.
The next second, a white-robed figure appeared before him.
"You're here?"
Patriarch Nether Whisper wore a smile. "Are you going to officially condense the [Divine Firmament Thunder]? Indeed, if you do it in this place, you'll get twice the result with half the effort."
Lu Yang nodded in agreement. "Within the [Arctic Exorcism Court], my sensitivity to information is sharper. It's no longer like looking at flowers through the fog as it usually is, making it difficult to seek detailed understanding. Constructing a Dao Fruit profound wonder related to information will also be much easier, so I won't go down the wrong path."
"Exactly, and you came at the perfect time."
Patriarch Nether Whisper smiled. "I've been pondering your situation over these past few years and specifically refined a few artifact-formations for you. They will be beneficial for you when condensing the profound wonder."
With that, he clapped his hands.
A short while later, dozens of Banner Spirits swarmed in. They carried seven three-legged precious cauldrons wreathed in profound patterns, as well as an octagonal clear mirror.
"This is...?" Lu Yang was taken aback.
"The [Mirror of Reflecting Profundity] and the [Cauldrons of Responding to Origin]," Patriarch Nether Whisper said casually. "They are artifact-formations I designed based on the characteristics of the [Divine Firmament Thunder]."
"The [Mirror of Reflecting Profundity] can coordinate with the concept of the [Divine Firmament Thunder] that responds to the mind, directly illuminating the target's figure. Meanwhile, the seven [Cauldrons of Responding to Origin] are used to respond to the lightning tribulations triggered by the [Divine Firmament Thunder]. They can adjust the power of the tribulation and also serve as mediums to draw outsiders in."
"At the same time, this set of artifact-formations can form an array itself."
"With the seven cauldrons circling you and the clear mirror hanging high above, sitting within it to condense the Dao Fruit profound wonder will help you maximize your sensitivity to external concept."
Upon hearing this, joy immediately showed on Lu Yang's face.
"This perfectly solves my most urgent need!"
If he originally had an eighty percent chance of success, entering the [Arctic Exorcism Court] added ten percent. And the Patriarch's array would fill in the final ten percent.
A hundred percent certainty!
Thinking of this, Lu Yang didn't dally. He immediately walked into the array Patriarch Nether Whisper had prepared for him, sat down cross-legged, and began to resonate with the profound wonders.
'The profound wonder lies in [Information].'
'However, grasping all [Information] is impossible, even for a Supreme Dao Fruit. Therefore, I must choose a specific direction to specialize in.'
Lu Yang held the Dao Fruit steady, pondering inwardly.
Which direction should he specialize in?
'According to my understanding, the manipulation of [Information] is nothing more than four things: observation, deconstruction, composition, and modification. Which one do I need?'
Lu Yang thought for a moment and first ruled out observation. It wasn't because observation was useless, but because for him, observation primarily meant elevating his comprehension. But with the [Supreme Dao Transformation] available, and Patriarch Nether Whisper acting as a human cheat code, elevating his comprehension was a relatively unimportant option for him.
'Deconstruction, composition, modification.'
'Composition is essentially the weaving of concept. The final effect would just be like the world realm seeds, allowing for the infinite weaving of concept.'
'Applied to me, it would mean weaving various Dao Fruit profound wonders.'
'In other words, if I chose this, in the future, as long as it's a Dao Fruit profound wonder I'm familiar with, I could weave it out and freely call upon and deploy it.'
This would be incredibly powerful.
However, after thinking it over again and again, Lu Yang still frowned. 'If I did that, my profound wonder could be considered omnipotent, but its upper limit would be fixed dead.'
After all, the stature of the [Divine Firmament Thunder] was what it was. At most, it could weave ordinary Dao Fruit profound wonders. As for Supreme Dao Fruit profound wonders, without the requisite stature, they couldn't be woven. And even if the stature was sufficient, without the corresponding profound Dao comprehension, it would still be like a clever housewife trying to cook a meal without rice.
Moreover, this would be too similar to the [Heaven of Carefree].
Although the principles were different, the [Heaven of Carefree] could also create something from nothing and transform into the profound wonders of different Dao Fruits. Wouldn't their abilities overlap?
Therefore, after much thought, Lu Yang finally abandoned this option.
'That only leaves deconstruction and modification.'
"Deconstruction goes without saying; it's violent dismantling. In practical use, it would be somewhat like nullifying profound wonders, allowing me to counter and neutralize concept in reverse."
However, while this profound wonder was indeed violently forceful, it lacked versatility. It would be a one-trick pony, representing the exact opposite extreme of composition's omnipotence.
After a long silence, Lu Yang finally exhaled a breath of white mist.
'It's decided. I choose modification!'
For one, the scope of application for modification was immense. If necessary, modification could actually achieve the exact same things as composition, albeit with a bit more hassle.
For example, when Lu Yang wanted to use the [Thunderbolt Flame], composition would involve using concept to weave the profound wonder of the [Thunderbolt Flame]. Modification, however, could directly alter the concept of the [Divine Firmament Thunder] into those of the [Thunderbolt Flame]. The only difference between the two was that modification might require a slightly higher level of Dao comprehension.
The same applied to deconstruction.
To achieve the effect of deconstruction through modification, he only needed to alter a single detail within the opponent's concept, triggering an internal conflict that would cause the concept to collapse on its own.
'Modification it is!'
With his mind made up, Lu Yang immediately sprang into action. Now that he had a clear direction, the entire process flowed as smoothly as running water. The Five-Element concept converged and condensed into light and shadow in an instant.
However, Lu Yang wasn't done yet.
'I still have the Colorful Talent, [Heaven and Earth Born with Me]. I'll use this exact opportunity to hold the Dao Fruit Sublimation Ritual and sublimate the profound wonder of the [Divine Firmament Thunder]!'
As for the content of the ritual, he had already planned it out long ago.
'Establishing tribulations for heaven and earth!'
The next second, Lu Yang arrived at the Immortal Nexus, then entered the [Sea of Bitterness] from there. And within this boundless sea of concept, he precisely selected one specific concept.
Rumble!
Instantly, the [Sea of Bitterness] trembled. Like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, the ripples spread across the Immortal Nexus, and through the Immortal Nexus, spread across the entire sea of light!
Subsequently, trillions of cultivators heard a melodious sigh.
[All of you must know of my great deeds that far surpass the ancients!]
In this moment, a concept was permanently modified.
Before today, this was nothing more than an explanatory term for the obsessions and hindrances within one's heart. Yet after today, it would be transformed into a genuine, tangible entity!
Illusory, ethereal, originating from the human heart. Possessing wisdom, knowing how to think, and invading when the human heart is at its weakest.
This was the Inner Demon Tribulation!
And Lu Yang—who had carved out the Inner Demon Tribulation and transformed it into a tribulation for all cultivators—officially named this newly born profound wonder of the [Divine Firmament Thunder].
It was called, the [Master of Great Tribulations]!