STNS: Chapter 514 (Patreon)

Yōuměi awoke with confusion. She blinked several times, staring at the cavernous ceiling overhead. Because her body was sore and she was exhausted, she remained like that for a long time, moments that passed into oblivion. After a while, she gingerly sat up and checked herself.

My body is fine… looks like my injuries healed.

She glanced at the spider carcass. It really was dead.

That had been one of the fierce battles she had fought. It was made all the harder because she fought it alone. She normally fought alongside her master and big sisters. Fighting by herself was rough.

She gingerly picked herself up and glanced around to orient herself, eventually spotting the Yinhua Lan.

Yōuměi didn’t go over to it right away. Acquiring this flower was only one of her goals.

After removing all of her clothes, she walked into the pool surrounding the flower. This pool contained a strong yin energy. She remembered the legend of this pool. The Yin Pool was a mystical pool found deep within the Immortal Yin Caves, said to have been formed from the blood of an immortal cultivator. She shivered as she entered. Not only was the pool freezing cold, but the water was thick and viscous, containing the same consistency of blood. Just stepping foot into this pool made her feel like she was touching death.

Once submerged, Yōuměi summoned the Yin Ascendant Pill, which she rolled across her hands, studying it. She found it hard to believe this tiny pill could help her break through another subrealm. She knew from watching Big Sis Lili, however, that pills like this could not be underestimated. Yōuměi had seen the results first hand by watching Master.

“Down the hatch,” she murmured seconds before tipping the pill into her mouth. She broke the hard shell with her teeth and swallowed the liquid gushing out, then swallowed the pill shell. Yōuměi thought she could feel the medicinal liquid settling in her stomach.

The effects were almost immediate.

Yin Chi burst out of Yōuměi’s body in such vast quantities that she almost lost control of her emotions. Yōuměi squawked as she quickly pulled all of that chi back into her body. She quickly began absorbing the Yin Chi from both the pill and the pool. However, as she did, her body began to feel cold, bone-chilling even. It felt like she was being frozen in place, like her soul was being sucked from her body.

Her breakthrough happened almost immediately. Her chi was a mix of Yin and shadow, but now it was infused with concentrated Yin energy, which sent waves of cold numbness throughout her body. The sensation was overwhelming, but Yōuměi did her best to regular the flow of chi and bring it into her dantian. She prevented any of it from escaping by creating a thin chi barrier underneath her skin.

She soon became attuned to the Yin Pool, which was filled with the spiritual essence that mimicked the Yin Chi coursing through her veins. The Yin Chi from the pool was absorbed through her pores and flowed into her meridians, overwhelming her physical and spiritual senses. She shivered as the chilling energy from the water forced her to focus her willpower--at the same time, the Yin Pool accelerated the refining process, channeling energy into her qi sea and causing it to rapidly expand. It was painful. Yōuměi felt like her body was being simultaneously crushed and wrung out. She took panting breaths as she tried to adapt to the awful sensations.

As the Yin energy moved deeper, sinking into her dantian, Yōuměi began to feel a strange tugging sensation on her soul, as though the energy was pushing her to confront something. Her connection to the world around her intensified to an almost painful degree. She felt her consciousness expand. This moment of introspection made her realize that she had tapped into the depths of her own cultivation. The Yin Ascendant Pill and Yin Chi from the pool fed her very soul, nurturing it, strengthening it. The Yin energy not only amplified her cultivation but also challenged the very foundations of her existence.

During this period of intense refinement, Yōuměi experienced a series of vivid visions. Strange shadow beings, creatures of pure darkness, beings of ancient wisdom, appeared within her mind. The manifestation of her internal Yin Chi became more than just an energy source at that moment--it had transformed into an expression of her growth.

And that was when it came.

The Heavenly Tribulation.

It was at the critical moment of her transformation that the Heavenly Tribulation manifested. Lightning crackled overhead. It was obviously not natural. They were inside of a cave, so there should have been no lightning. This lightning was the judgement of the Heavens. Her Yin Chi had reached such heights of power that it had caused an imbalance in the natural order of the cultivation world.

The lightning crackled in the air, blue and violet bolts of pure energy that raced down from above to strike her. Perhaps because of her Yin Cultivation Method, the tribulation did not manifest regular lightning, but instead, it was infused with a dark, ominous hue--Yin Lightning--which sought to temper her body and soul. When the first bolt struck Yōuměi, it felt like her entire body was being reduced to nothing, like she was breaking down and being reborn.

The first bolt struck her directly, sending a shock through her body and almost making her lose concentration. It didn’t burn her but instead seemed to pierce into her very essence. Yōuměi resisted the sensation of her soul being sucked from her body. It felt like she was withering, like a tree dying during the cold winter season.

Yōuměi’s qi sea pulsated with intensity, and she quickly drew on the deep reserves of Yin energy from the Yin Pool to resist. Another bolt. This one was even more intense than the last. With each successive lightning strike, Yōuměi felt herself weakening, her body becoming fragile, like a crystal vase with cracks forming along the surface. She resided as best she could, teeth grit in determination. Blood poured from her mouth, ears, and nose as she was pushed to the breaking point.

As the tribulation reached its zenith, Yōuměi’s body glowed with otherworldly light, and the surrounding Yin energy spiraled around her like a dark storm. In the final moments, as the last bolt of Yin Lightning struck her, she was overwhelmed, and her body underwent its final transformation. Her qi sea soon stabilized, but the Heavenly Tribulation had left its mark, forcing her to advance.

She had gone from the first subrealm of the Deva Realm to the third.

***

Zhen Lian paced back and forth before the entrance to the Immortal Yin Cave, wondering not for the first time if she had made the right decision. She was desperate. She would not deny that. After her every attempt to earn Hóngyàn’s approval had met with failure, she had become even more reckless, and now she had gotten his apprentice involved. He was obviously furious at her. She could only imagine how he might scold her upon her return.

But what if Yōu’er does not return…?

She had wondered about that. What would Hóngyàn do if his apprentice did not come back, if she returned without the girl?

He might actually kill me…

As if to assuage her worries, she felt a presence coming from the cave, and turned to see Yōuměi walking out. The young girl didn’t look much different, but she felt like an entirely different person. Zhen Lian reached out and felt her through a form of spiritual perception. Yōuměi’s chi was a lot more refined and the flow was smoother. It was easy to see that she had far surpassed the limitations of a normal cultivator. She was exceptional even among other cultivators at the Deva Realm.

She’s already pushing the boundaries of the Seeker Realm. Now I understand why Hóngyàn took her on as an apprentice.

“It looks like you had a successful breakthrough. Congratulations,” Zhen Lian said.

Yōuměi smiled. It was very pure. Zhen Lian felt like she was being blinded.

“Thanks. Yō--I did my best.” She paused, then held out her hand, summoning a flower from within her storage ring. “I got the flower you requested. This is it, right?”

Zhen Lian breathed in deeply when she saw the beautiful flower. “It is. I appreciate you doing this…”

She did not dare touch the flower with her own hands. The Yin energy wafting off it was quite potent, and she knew it would damage her cultivation if she touched it as it was. Reaching out, she encased the flower in chi. The Yinhua Lan floated off Yōuměi’s hand and drifted over to Zhen Lian, who quickly stored it inside of a glass container she had prepared just for this. She quickly sealed the container so nothing would escape. Flowers like this would wither quickly once plucked unless stored away like this.

“Now that we have both gotten what we came here for, let us leave,” Zhen Lian concluded.

“Okay,” Yōuměi agreed with a nod.

***

They soon returned to the Colosseum the same way they left. Yōuměi looked around as they returned to Zhen Lian’s bedroom. The woman in question immediately let go of Yōuměi and walked over to her love seat, which she sat upon, sinking into the soft mattress.

“Erm…” Yōuměi began.

Zhen Lian waved her off. “You may leave. Do not worry about me. And good luck on your match.”

“Thank you…”

Since it seemed like Zhen Lian wanted her gone, Yōuměi quickly left the woman’s bedroom and made her way back to her room. Hóngyàn Shūshu was not present when she came back. That made her frown, but she understood he might be angry. The disappointment on his face just before she vanished with Zhen Lian told her as much.

Yōuměi walked over to her bed and laid down. She quickly fell asleep, though it felt like she had only gotten a few seconds of sleep before someone came knocking at her door.

“Contestant Yōuměi, your match is happening shortly. Get ready,” someone from the other side said.

Yōuměi begrudgingly woke up, got dressed, and left her room. She looked around upon entering the waiting room, but Hóngyàn Shūshu was nowhere to be seen. He would normally be waiting for her and offer advice at the start of the match.

“Ladies and gentleman! May I direct your attention to the arena!”

The voice of the announcer made her raise her head. It echoed all the way to her. She listened intently.

“We have a special battle for you today! One of your promising up and comers is competing after only just entering the Colosseum not long ago! Will Yōuměi come onto the stage?!”

That was her cue. Yōuměi walked through the tunnel and emerged into the arena, where she was met with a barrage of cheers. It hurt her ears. She ignored it, however, and focused on waving at the crowd. They liked it when she paid attention to them.

“Yōuměi hasn’t been a member of the Colosseum for long, but she has already earned enough points to advance to the next level! However, will she be able to when her opponent is none other than Lìyǔ, the famous Storm Hawk known for crushing all of his opponents with his overwhelming powers over lightning?!”

At that moment, the door on the other side of the arena opened and someone walked through.

This person was quite striking. He had a formidable presence, standing at an imposing height that completely dwarfed Yōuměi. It was like standing before a giant. HIs muscular frame was honed for agility and strength, his skin lightly tanned with an almost metallica sheen. His deep silver hair was wild and untameable, streaked with vivid electric blue highlights that flickered like lightning.

As he stepped onto the arena platform, Yōuměi saw that his eyes were a vivid golden hue. They were sharp like a hawk. Well, that made sense given his magical beast origins. He had ears that were elongated and pointed as well.

His outfit consistent of black leather straps and chest armor that was adorned with designs that echoed the patterns of storm clouds and lightning flashing through the sky. While his hands looked human enough, they were graced with long fingers tipped with metallic, talon-like claws. His boots feet were adorned with sandals and the tips of his toenails likewise had a talon-esque appearance. A small cloak draped over his shoulders, though he quickly undid the clasp and let it fall to the floor.

Yōuměi took a deep breath to steady her nerves as the announcer came alive once more.

“Now… ladies and gentleman… let the battle begin!!”