Chapter 1202: Chapter 1201: Breakthrough to the Void Refinement Stage

Lu Yang returned to the Seek Dao Sect, and the first thing he did was to visit his good brother Meng Jingzhou.

When Lu Yang arrived at Meng Jingzhou’s abode, he saw several large pits dug at the entrance, with Old Ma standing on two legs, hooves stuck to a shovel, still digging and pouring ice cubes with swift movements, without any sign of dragging or sloppiness.

"Where’s Old Meng?"

Lu Yang noticed that one of the pits was bubbling and steaming. A red-faced Meng Jingzhou popped his head out and, with a leap, jumped into the adjacent pit of ice water.

The ice cubes in the pit were melting at a visible rate, and it looked like it was going to turn into boiling water again.

A good brother in distress, Lu Yang definitely couldn’t kick him when he was down. He kindly cheered on Meng Jingzhou, "It’s said that the greater the pressure, the greater the pressure. Old Meng, you can do it. I believe you can get through this!"

"Cultivation is something one must rely on oneself to work hard for; I won’t keep you company."

Having said that, Lu Yang ran off before Meng Jingzhou could curse.

After descending the mountain, Lu Yang noticed many unfamiliar disciples of the Seek Dao Sect pointing and discussing something. When he turned his head to look at them, the junior brothers and sisters hurriedly closed their mouths and pretended they hadn’t seen Lu Yang.

Once Lu Yang’s gaze was elsewhere, they resumed their discussion.

"That’s the legendary Elder Brother Lu Yang."

"I joined the Seek Dao Sect just to follow in the footsteps of Elder Brother Lu Yang. I finally got to see him in person today!"

"Have you heard? Elder Brother Lu Yang killed the Master of the Ruthless Sect, who was an Ancient Half-Immortal!"

"Who hasn’t heard about that? But the more outrageous part comes later. It’s said that the Master of the Ruthless Sect summoned the Controller of the Great Qian Dynasty at the cost of his life, a real Immortal. Elder Brother Lu fought several rounds with the Controller and didn’t fall behind!"

"And Elder Brother Lu never takes pride in his own achievements. Even after doing great deeds outside, he always reports dutifully to Elder Brother Dai when he returns to the sect."

"Elder Brother Lu was a Foundation Establishment spy in the Eternity Sect and even toppled it. We are also at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and when we go out, we can only carry out some minor tasks, and our opponents are at most at the Half-step Golden Core Stage, far behind Elder Brother Lu."

"When will I ever reach Elder Brother Lu’s realm?"

"You’re dreaming if you think you can compare to Elder Brother Lu."

These were all newly recruited disciples of the Seek Dao Sect. Lu Yang, who often secluded himself for cultivation or was out on missions, rarely showed his face at the bottom of the mountain.

Therefore, his appearance this time instantly prompted those disciples who hadn’t seen Lu Yang but had long heard tales about him to secretly call over friends.

However, they all lacked the courage to face Lu Yang directly, only daring to sneak peeks from behind.

Hearing the unabashed praise from the junior brothers and sisters, Lu Yang just smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.

On Sky Gate Mountain, Yun Mengmeng stood halfway up the mountain, curiously watching the second-in-command measuring the sect’s perimeter with his steps.

"Little Lotus, the second-in-command has walked around the sect several times. Why hasn’t he come up the mountain yet?"

"He might be lost," Qinghe said with certainty.

Just as Qinghe had predicted, the Seek Dao Sect was too big. It was only after the seventh time Lu Yang passed Sky Gate Mountain that he went up.

In the following days, besides accompanying Immortal Fairy Eternity to play, playing with Yun Mengmeng, participating in the New Prison Peak’s trimming ceremony, strolling down the mountain a couple of times, listening to Third Senior Sister Gan Tian talk about refining the spirit with light songs, discussing the filming techniques of Dream Mirage with Tao Yaoye, caring about the progress of Li Haoran’s cultivation, going to the barbecue restaurant with Meng Jingzhou for skewers, and writing to Man Gu, the County Magistrate, Lu Yang focused on his cultivation.

Whether it was Cultivators of the Mortal World or Hidden Cultivators, cultivation requires complete focus, and the same applied to Lu Yang, which is why he advanced so rapidly.

"Void Refinement Stage, Red Dust Mortality, War Feeds War..."

In cultivation, there are no years. Lu Yang had been in seclusion in the abode for three hours, during which he had only gone out once to taste the new Spirit Food made by Yun Mengmeng.

Lu Yang meditated attentively, reflecting on everything he had experienced since ascending to the Void Refinement Stage.

"No, it’s not just about the experiences of the Void Refinement Stage; weren’t the previous experiences also a form of Red Dust Mortality and War Feeds War?"

Lu Yang was divinely inspired and vaguely touched the threshold of ascending to the Void Refinement Stage.

"Third Senior Sister Gan Tian went alone into the Demon Territory during her Void Refinement Stage to temper herself. She pitted her wits and bravery against various members of the Demon Race and made quite a name for herself."

"At that time, Third Senior Sister’s realm was not stable; she faced opponents far stronger than herself. That was her crisis, but also her opportunity."

"How is it any different for me? Every time I venture out, I encounter opponents of extremely high realms... The path of the Third Senior Sister is one I’ve already tread."

With this realization, the "path" before Lu Yang became increasingly clear, as if he could touch it by reaching out. His realm fluctuated wildly, with the changes occurring at an extreme pace.

So Lu Yang reached out.

When Lu Yang touched the "path," his wildly fluctuating realm was like a long-distance runner crossing the finish line, finally getting the chance to breathe, no longer sprinting for life. After running a few more steps, he stopped in place, gasping heavily.

"I’ve done it!" Lu Yang’s eyes shone with an unprecedented brightness, a confidence brought on by breaking through to the Void Refinement Stage.

As long as he could pass the Heavenly Tribulation, he would have successfully broken through the Void Refinement Stage!

Without leaving his abode, Lu Yang could feel the Thunder Tribulation clouds gathering above his head.

"Cultivation is so fast, huh." Immortal Fairy emerged from the Spiritual Space, clucking and applauding.

Then she remembered something she had to attend to right away.

"Well then, Little Yang, you work hard to pass the tribulation; Immortal has some matters to attend to, so I won’t accompany you."

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Lu Yang felt somewhat uneasy; Fairy, what if Elder Ying Tian strikes me down mercilessly after you leave?

But he couldn’t hold the Fairy back since she had matters to attend to, so he simply replied with a "Okay."

...

Above the Seek Dao Sect, high above the Thunder Tribulation clouds, Ying Tian Immortal’s fingertips sparked with electricity as he contemplated which strength of Heavenly Tribulation to test Lu Yang with.

"Lu Yang, this boy, sure cultivates fast."

"Should I use the usual Thunder Tribulation, or one of the new types of Thunder Tribulation I’ve been researching recently?"

Just thinking about Lu Yang’s previous experience with passing the Thunder Tribulation made Ying Tian Immortal ache all over.

As Ying Tian Immortal was mulling over it, a clear stream of qi rose from below, reaching above the Thunder Tribulation clouds and manifesting as Immortal Fairy.

"Immortal Fairy, why have you come?" Ying Tian Immortal was surprised.

"Ying Tian, what kind of Heavenly Tribulation do you think Little Yang should pass this time?" Immortal Fairy inquired.

Ying Tian Immortal opened his mouth to respond, but saw another clear stream of qi ascend to the heavens, transforming into Yun Zhi.

Yun Zhi was surprised to see Immortal Fairy there as well and stated her purpose for coming.

"Elder Ying Tian Immortal, what kind of Heavenly Tribulation should my junior brother pass this time?"

"..."

Ying Tian Immortal glanced at Immortal Fairy on his left and then at Yun Zhi on his right, and thought about his own status as one of the Five Ancient Immortals, Ancestor of Refining, powerful in every respect, and remembered that his heart in seeking the Dao was unwavering, not to be swayed by external influences.

With these thoughts, he made up his mind and seriously said,

"Whatever tribulation you say he should pass, that’s the one I’ll strike down with."