Chapter Fifty-Eight: Taming the Earth Qilin

At this moment, Earth Qilin’s astonishment surpassed even the shock of being transported to a minor world, only to find something amiss with the process—he had not arrived in a world under their dominion, but had instead been inexplicably connected to an unfamiliar realm outside their control.

In the midst of this upheaval, all his ancestral life-saving treasures were exhausted, and he nearly met his end. This was the Great World; its laws should never permit any being to interfere with its heavenly tribulations. Yet, a single command had halved the mutated thunder and earthfire, and indeed, the tribulation's power was reduced by half. It was utterly terrifying—how could such a thing come to pass? Was it that a mighty being had seized control of this world, or had the will of heaven itself developed consciousness?

Earth Qilin’s thoughts raced. As the mutated thunder and earthfire grew ever stronger, and the descent of each tribulation extended in duration, the power halved just moments ago finally granted him a brief respite.

Meanwhile, within the Creation Cauldron, Lin Qingyun had begun absorbing the power of the tribulation’s thunder and earthfire. As the energy merged into his body, he once again entered that special state; and with his current strength, the cauldron could absorb ever more tribulation power.

The area itself was anomalous with spiritual energy due to the opening of the ruins, and now, in his unique state, Lin Qingyun’s absorption rate soared, the flow of power unending. Keeping an eye on Earth Qilin’s predicament, Lin Qingyun focused on using the Eighty-Nine Profound Yang Body Refinement Technique to temper his body. Where his cultivation had once advanced slowly, strengthening his physique bit by bit, now it surged ahead—walking compared to driving, utterly incomparable.

Gradually, impurities were expelled from Lin Qingyun’s body, a layer of foul-smelling grime exuded from his skin. Beneath it, his form grew more compact and powerful; a faint fragrance began to emanate, a transformation that signaled his body had been tempered to the Cloud Ascension Realm.

Though the Cloud Ascension Realm focused on the internal condensation of a Golden Core, the body itself would become akin to a golden form. In fact, those who pursued the path of physical cultivation, or certain Buddhist methods, upon entering the Cloud Ascension Realm and condensing their Golden Core, would experience the transformation of their body into golden glass.

Though terminology and techniques varied among different schools, the essence was always one of metamorphosis.

While Lin Qingyun accelerated his cultivation, Earth Qilin felt his mind overwhelmed, yet hope glimmered before him. This was truly salvation at the edge of death; he swiftly regained his strength, pondering his next move.

Whatever the nature of the entity before him, survival meant hope. If only he could contact his father and the elders of his clan, a solution would surely be found.

“Sir, please forgive Earth Qilin’s earlier discourtesy. Might I inquire what manner of being you are, and how I should address you?”

With more time and a renewed sense of hope, Earth Qilin desperately repaired his shattered body, beginning to formally question the unknown presence.

Raised among the qilin, proud yet keenly aware of the etiquette required when a weaker being meets one incomparably stronger, Earth Qilin understood the rules.

Yet, no matter how cautiously he probed, he received no response.

“Sir, I am the son of the Earth Qilin clan chief. If you can help me weather this tribulation, my clan will surely reward you richly.”

“Whatever your needs, we can discuss them.”

...

With hope in sight, Earth Qilin’s desire to survive grew ever more urgent.

---

He wished to communicate with the entity, but no matter what he said, there was no further reaction. This made Earth Qilin increasingly anxious, his nerves frayed.

For now, the mutated thunder and earthfire were gathering again, flames roaring around him, lightning flashing fiercely.

Within the lightning, certain mutated tribulation forces were absorbed by the main tribulation clouds, merging within, and soon preparing to descend once more.

The rules of heaven and earth dictated that cultivators defied the heavens, vying with this world for vitality and power, naturally incurring backlash. Every complete world had its own heavenly laws.

Yet these laws always left a thread of hope.

Even as despair threatened, Earth Qilin found a sliver of hope, but now, he realized it seemed to be slipping away.

His spirited nature was now subdued, fearful that any misstep would doom him. No matter how earnestly or respectfully he spoke, raising all the terms he could think of, nothing worked.

Submission...

Only then did he carefully review the being’s earlier words: When it said “halve,” the thunder and earthfire’s tribulation power was reduced by half. Before, it had said that only submitting would save him...

“Sir, my identity and circumstances are rather special. Submitting would entail significant complications. If you require a member of my clan, I can arrange for an adult to serve you in my place. Of course, should you save me, my father would greatly reward you. Whatever requests you have, do not hesitate to state them. Our clan dominates the stars, among the very highest.”

At this point, Earth Qilin had to confront the issue, bringing up submission once again.

He pleaded, but Lin Qingyun paid him no mind.

Little fellow, let’s see how long you can wait. The greater your hope, the deeper your disappointment when the time comes.

A master capable of wielding the tribulation’s thunder would never bargain with a juvenile Earth Qilin. That would be beneath him.

It must be said, though the mutated tribulation caused by Earth Qilin and Zhu Yan could not compare to the Divine Blade Tribulation of Heaven, it contained so many anomalies that Lin Qingyun had never experienced such even in his previous life, despite absorbing countless tribulation powers.

Though, once the myriad powers merged into his body, they all elevated his spiritual perception, the subtle differences remained.

Different individuals could trigger tribulations, be it the Triple Thunder Tribulation, the Forty-Nine Tribulation, or even the Divine Blade Tribulation, and though outsiders saw only similar thunderous assaults or the addition of earthfire, ice, or shadow winds, the actual distinctions were immense.

Of course, Lin Qingyun had not been able to study this thoroughly in his previous life. Even now, aware of the uniqueness of this mutated tribulation, he merely sighed inwardly.

Boom...

With his terrifying rate of spiritual energy absorption, Lin Qingyun took in more of the liquid spiritual energy he had stored, tempering his body to approach the Cloud Ascension Realm, and his power naturally broke through, entering the eighth stage of the Heart of the Zither Realm.

In that moment, Lin Qingyun felt his spiritual awareness strengthen, his mind incomparably clear.

He vaguely sensed that his efficiency in absorbing spiritual energy had improved, and his sea of consciousness, upon reaching the eighth stage, was even larger than in his previous life.

So the subtle benefits lay here—no wonder...

Lin Qingyun immediately understood why, in his previous life, after the ruins opened, the freshmen who came for trial combat reported enormous gains.

It was not just about absorbing more spiritual energy or even liquefied energy. If that were all, figures like Nangong Lingyue, with their backgrounds, would not be lacking in such resources.

The true transformation lay in the unique world-origin power within the spiritual energy present at the opening of the ruins.

Though faint, it fundamentally raised the limits of one's soul and body. Lin Qingyun’s previous life had relied on tribulation powers far stronger than those he now absorbed—powers of mighty and super-mighty beings.

---

Yet in this life, at the same eighth stage of the Heart of the Zither Realm, his body, magical power, and soul all exceeded his previous limits.

If he could feel it so keenly, others would surely notice the effects as their cultivation advanced.

Such effects would become more pronounced with each breakthrough.

This was why these individuals, in the future, would outshine their peers and become ever more brilliant.

Thunder rumbled...

At that moment, thunder and earthfire descended again, and Earth Qilin let out a miserable scream. His body was reduced to dust, save for his head, which began to burn. Amidst the interwoven thunder and fire, and the various mutated lightning strikes, his survival seemed impossible.

He could sense that the tribulation’s power had again been halved; without this, he would have perished, unable even to preserve his head.

Even with the reduction, the current level of thunder and earthfire was beyond his endurance.

Without it, the previous tribulation would have already destroyed him.

Submit or not?

From the look of things, if he refused, the entity would no longer pay him any mind.

Though the tribulation’s power was halved, it was still too much for him.

Earth Qilin wrestled with himself; the entity ignored him, but if he did not make a choice, death was certain.

Waiting hopelessly for death was one thing; having hope and being forced to decide one’s fate was another. Yet submission...

Lin Qingyun cared nothing for Earth Qilin’s inner turmoil. Now, with only his head left, his soul less than a tenth of its former strength, Lin Qingyun had nearly achieved his aim.

Such was Earth Qilin’s resilience; for any other cultivator, at least among humans, even those at the peak of the Sun Radiance Realm, a wound like this would mean certain death.

“One last time: submit, and I will help you weather this tribulation. From now on, no matter what realm you reach, you will never again be threatened by heavenly tribulation. All calamities of heaven and earth, I will resolve for you.”

Just as Earth Qilin, tense and agonized, struggled to overcome his inner barrier, Lin Qingyun’s calm, detached voice sounded once more.

He was not persuading; Lin Qingyun had never negotiated or attempted to convince Earth Qilin, simply stating matters coolly and plainly. His indifferent manner made Earth Qilin feel insignificant, leading him to suspect Lin Qingyun was the will of this world.

At the final moment, Lin Qingyun offered his true bargaining chip, the last straw that broke Earth Qilin’s resolve.

Even for a divine beast, tribulations before adulthood were not too daunting, but on the path of cultivation, each tribulation grew stronger—who could guarantee overcoming every one?

If not for this direct experience, witnessing and feeling the effect of “halve,” Earth Qilin would never have believed it.

“I... agree...”