Tribulation

On July 26, 2013, a tropical disturbance formed over the ocean southeast of the Luzon Nation.

Tropical Storm Jebi, the ninth of 2013, intensified into a severe tropical storm at 23:00 on July 27.

A storm was brewing.

Lin Mo, having braved the elements in the wilderness, remained sitting cross-legged on the mountain peak, seemingly oblivious to the awe-inspiring power of heaven and earth.

He had been regulating his breathing for a day and a night. The aura around him was completely unified, his vitality, energy, and spirit climbing to their absolute peak.

At this moment, he had entered a state of sheer perfection.

Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes, looked up at the visibly pitch-black squall line on the distant horizon, and took a deep breath of the salty, humid air.

"Storms and thunder? Then let's face the storm!"

The medicinal pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth. A warm current instantly surged into his limbs and bones, firmly protecting every inch of his meridians. Meanwhile, a refreshing coolness rushed straight to his crown, making his already clear mind even more lucid.

Fully prepared, Lin Mo spoke silently in his mind.

"Hey, hey, System, are you there!"

[...]

"Alright, let me ask differently. Invincible Cultivation System, are you there?"

[Host, please speak.]

"If I don't survive this and get struck to death by lightning, what will you do?"

[The host need not worry. If you are struck to death, this system can just find the next one. The next one will be better, the next one will be sweeter, and the next one will be more obedient.]

"You scumbag system, I wouldn't sign an agreement with you even if you beat me to death."

[Host, please stop your terrible internet meme behavior and begin immediately.]

"Just trying to liven up the mood. Why so tense?"

Though Lin Mo's mouth ran wild, his hands did not stop moving.

With a thought, he began to frantically compress the spiritual vortex within his dantian.

The spiritual energy surging like a raging river inside his body was mobilized in an instant, fiercely converging toward a single point at the center of the vortex.

The so-called Core Formation was to use one's own spiritual energy as a furnace and the vortex as an embryo to forge a Golden Core.

This process was even simpler than Lin Mo had imagined.

There were no earth-shattering phenomena, only extreme compression and condensation.

The majestic spiritual energy transformed into an invisible giant hand, squeezing the vortex and the energy toward the center from all directions without any blind spots.

Step by step, everything fell naturally into place.

The fierce winds from the typhoon's periphery had already swept over the isolated island, whipping Lin Mo's clothes so they fluttered wildly, yet they could not shake him in the slightest.

When the sky was completely swallowed by dark clouds and the world plunged into darkness, the ocean waves around the island surged over a dozen meters high, like maddened behemoths.

Right at that moment, a hazy layer of golden light suddenly radiated from Lin Mo's body.

"Golden Core! Form for me!"

He violently slammed a fist into the rock beneath him.

Boom!

The ground cracked in response, and inside his body, a perfectly round golden pill the size of a longan fruit floated quietly within his dantian.

This Daoist has succeeded!

The next moment, spiritual energy hundreds and thousands of times more vigorous than before erupted from the Golden Core, instantly filling the meridians throughout his entire body.

Power! Unprecedented power!

But Lin Mo simply closed his eyes quickly, frantically familiarizing himself with this newborn power, without a trace of joy on his face.

Because he sensed a threat.

A cold, ruthless threat that wanted to completely erase him from this world!

The dark clouds overhead grew blacker and heavier, layered upon each other as if to crush the entire island into the bottom of the sea.

Those were no longer typhoon clouds; the destructive aura contained within them made Lin Mo's skin sting in waves.

A typhoon, plus a Heavenly Tribulation.

It really brought a sense of destiny.

The pitch-black clouds in the sky were brewing.

Sensing something, Lin Mo raised his head.

Crack!

A thick silver lightning bolt tore through the sky, striking down right at his head without the slightest warning!

The Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, the first strike!

Lin Mo didn't even bat an eyelid, allowing the lightning to strike him squarely.

A numb, intense pain spread throughout his body, but immediately after, an extremely pure energy merged into his limbs and bones. The newly formed Golden Core spun madly, absorbing all of this energy and becoming even more solid.

"Hmm? The force is alright, quite similar to the technique of a high-end massage therapist." Lin Mo rolled his shoulders and quipped to the system inside him.

[Tch...]

Boom! Boom!

The sky seemed enraged as the second and third lightning bolts followed one after another, each thicker than the last.

Lin Mo had already stood up.

At this point, the clothes on his body were still intact; he had forcefully endured the entire first wave of nine heavenly bolts just like that.

When the ninth lightning bolt fell, his body instantly caught fire.

The clothes he had managed to protect earlier turned to ash at this moment.

Even Lin Mo himself was charred black all over, his hair standing on end. He looked utterly disheveled, but his eyes were astonishingly bright.

The Golden Core had just formed and needed tempering! This heavenly lightning was the best fire for the forge!

After a brief pause, the pressure brewing in the dark clouds became even more terrifying.

The second wave of heavenly lightning was here!

This time, the lightning turned cyan, carrying a sharpness meant to sever all vitality.

Boom!

The cyan lightning struck down.

Lin Mo did not dare to be arrogant anymore. He formed his fingers into a sword and slashed distantly at the sky.

"Divine Tempering Great Void Art!"

A solid sword of spiritual energy burst forth from his body, accurately slashing against the cyan lightning.

The two collided, erupting with blinding light before both were annihilated.

Lin Mo gave a muffled groan, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Now it's getting interesting."

He clenched his fists, his battle intent soaring even higher.

For the next eight cyan heavenly bolts, he no longer defended passively but took the initiative to attack, meeting force with force!

Various techniques fueled by his Golden Core spiritual energy were unleashed effortlessly, constantly clashing with the heavenly lightning, causing the entire small island to tremble violently.

When the eighteenth heavenly bolt was shattered by his punch, the sky once again fell into an eerie silence.

At the center of the dark cloud vortex, a touch of demonic purple was slowly lighting up.

The Three-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, the final wave!

And also the strongest wave!

By now, bursts of the scent of cooked meat were coming from Lin Mo's body, though he healed in the blink of an eye.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and soared into the air, the bones all over his body emitting a series of crackling pops.

He looked up at the firmament; the brewing purple thunder made him feel the aura of death.

"System, if I really die this time, remember to burn a stick of incense for me."

[Host's last words have been recorded.]

"Damn it!"

Lin Mo cursed with a laugh, yet the expression on his face was more serious than ever before.

He bent his legs slightly, and golden light blazed from his entire body. An incredibly domineering aura surged into the sky, actually scattering a sliver of the dark clouds overhead.

"Come!"

As if responding to his provocation, the purple divine thunder, having brewed to its absolute peak, transformed into a ferocious lightning dragon, roaring as it plunged down to devour him!

Facing this apocalyptic strike, Lin Mo neither dodged nor avoided, neither defended nor retreated.

He simply threw a right punch toward the sky.

"Break!"

A phantom giant fist composed purely of Golden Core spiritual energy surged upward against the heavens, meeting the purple lightning dragon!

Following that, bolt after bolt of purple lightning fell relentlessly.

Until the very last bolt struck down.

Raging flames ignited upon the peak of the isolated island.