They wound deeper into the geode. The further they progressed, the denser and larger the crystals grew. Every so often, Hui stooped to check for materials, but each time he found one, it was either too low level, or Xixing dismissed it for being too impure. The deeper they went, the purer and higher-level the materials became. Eventually, the crystals coated the ground too thickly to walk. Bai Xue mounted his fan and held an arm out to Xixing and Hui each. Hui stepped in, already used to it.

Hesitating, Xixing gave him a suspicious look. “That hand better not wander.”

“You wound me,” Bai Xue said, giving her a hurt look. His hand wandered down Hui’s side.

“Elder Sister,” Hui protested. He grabbed Bai Xue’s hand and scowled. That’s the first time you’ve done that! Don’t tell me, did Xixing give you the idea just now? Xixing, I never expected this betrayal!

Bai Xue laughed and stopped his hand. “It’s a joke, a joke. Xixing, come here. I won’t grope you unless you want me to.”

Xixing shook her head. She hesitated one more second, still hesitant, then stepped in. “If you do grope me, don’t expect me to apologize if I switch a medicine for a poison on accident.”

“A pill master such as yourself would make such a mistake?” Bai Xue asked, putting on a shocked face. He lifted off gracefully and flew through the air, easily carrying the both of them.

Oh right, I remember! Hui cleared his throat before the two could continue to antagonize one another. “Xixing, I found some pills in the inheritance zone. Would you be able to identify them?”

“Let me see,” Xixing asked, holding out her hand.

Flicking his hand, Hui summoned the two pill bottles from his bag of holding: the bottle that held the red-and-white striped ones that smelled of meat, and the pill bottle holding the single large, archaic, black-coated pill. He handed them over to Xixing.

Xixing accepted the bottles. Closing her eyes, she began to circulate her qi.

As they flew, Hui cast his mental energy around them, searching for the same resonances he’d felt in the box, back in Fa Chuyou’s cultivation zone. A few times, they came close, but never close enough for him to ask Bai Xue to stop. Hui’s brows furrowed. Is it possible that these materials are this rare? Surely Fa Chuyou wouldn’t have freely shared something that valuable with me.

No, no, but we are by the entrance. It’s likely the early areas have long since been stripped bare by the cultivators who came before us.

Xixing’s eyes snapped open. She let out a long breath of air.

“Have you identified them, Elder Sister?” Hui asked gently.

Xixing nodded. She held up the red-and-white pills. “These are Viscera Pills. One will restore your blood, flesh, and blood qi at any level up to the fifth.”

Not particularly useful, but I always welcome healing pills, Hui thought, accepting the bottle. “And the other?”

“The other…” Xixing’s brows furrowed. Her fingers clenched on the bottle almost imperceptibly, as if she was unwilling to return it. “I’m not sure. It’s above my realm. If I had to take a guess, though…”

Hui nodded, encouraging her. He held his hand out.

Xixing handed it over. “I think it’s a Core Pill. A pill that can allow you a better chance to condense a golden core worthy of surpassing the Heavenly Tribulation of the fifth stage.”

Hui’s eyes opened wide. His hand closed around the pill bottle and gripped it tight. His heart thundered in his chest. Sweat broke out down his back.

“How lucky, Hui, how lucky! A Core Pill? Those are rare. They can go for thousands of spirit stones. Ahh, why couldn’t you have thrown me that bottle, hmm?” Bai Xue asked, laughing.

Hui heard nothing but the beating of his own heart. He swallowed. “The… He…heavenly Tribulation?”

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Bai Xue nodded. “Everyone has to surpass the Heavenly Tribulation when they reach fifth stage. I’ve been preparing for mine since I hit fourth stage. Ah, it should still be a long way off for you. Treasure those pills, Xiao Hui.”

His grip on the pill bottle tightened again. His face paled. No, no, no! I thought I got lucky! After I got to the third stage without incident, I thought this was one of those cultivation worlds where the Heavenly Tribulation is rare, an occurrence only for the strongest of the strong! No! Everything can go right, and a cultivator can still die to the Heavenly Tribulation! The Heavenly Tribulation won’t be fooled by playing dead, it’s heavenly, it knows all! It’ll strike me until I die for real!

This Core Pill—this Core Pill! I need more! Every possible defense. Fifth stage? Fifth stage! There’s only one stage between me and fifth stage! Third stage, fourth, fifth, it’s so close already!

“Breathe, Hui, breathe,” Bai Xue said, brows furrowed.

He gestured, sending the pill back into his storage ring. Only then did Hui gasp a breath. “Heavenly Tribulation,” he murmured.

“Is it that much of a shock? Did… no one ever tell you about it?” Bai Xue asked, peering curiously at Hui.

Hui shook his head. Master… dammit, Master probably comprehended the Heavenly Tribulation before it could even fall and, and, and… incorporated it into his Thunder Palm or something! Dammit! Ahhh, Master! Why didn’t you warn me?

Xixing shook her head. “I don’t know why you’re panicking. A treasure like a Core Pill is enough to make most cultivators confident to face the Heavenly Tribulation on their own. With a Core Pill, even the weakest cultivator’s chance of success is at least… fifty percent!”

“Fifty percent,” Hui repeated quietly. A fifty percent chance of dying! Not this small cultivator!

“Hmm, you know, my father probably has some defensive talismans that can help fend against the Heavenly Tribulation. I could ask him about it,” Bai Xue offered, eyes twinkling.

Hui glanced at him, then steeled himself. With resolve in his eyes, he declared, “Please. I’ll do anything.”

Bai Xue laughed. “We can talk after you reach fourth stage. But once you reach fourth stage… Xiao Hui, you’d better stand by your words.”

“Hui, what are you thinking? Anything, to this filthy, cheap cultivator? Don’t be ridiculous. If you want to get through the Heavenly Tribulation, what you need are pills. When you reach the fourth stage, come talk to me. I might not have the highest cultivation base, I might not be able to concoct Core Pills, but I can concoct pills to strengthen the body and provide resistance to lightning! Come to me, and bring plenty of spirit stones,” Xixing said firmly.

“Spirit stones? And you call me a cheap cultivator, when you’re focused only on money?” Bai Xue harrumphed.

“Cheap cultivator, nothing. My wares are extremely expensive,” Xixing said. A second later, she drew herself up. “But effective! Cultivators have crawled to me, kowtowed, begged for my pills! Don’t look down on a pill cultivator.”

Hui wilted, exhausted just listening to them. My body or my money… how did I end up here? But… but it’s my poor little life at stake. I can’t hold back! “Elder Sister, Elder Brother, please, not until… not until I’m fourth stage, at least…”

A second later, his eyes lit up. Hui grabbed Bai Xue’s shoulder. “There, there! I sense the right fluctuations.”

Bai Xue slowed and glided down toward where Hui pointed. A crystal the size of a small child jutted out from the side of a crystal as large as a house. The smaller crystal was completely clear, and inside of it, a single drop of smoky, dark amber hung suspended.

Xixing pressed her hand against the smaller crystal and closed her eyes. A moment later, they snapped open. “Second stage, seventy percent purity.”

“Sounds good to me.” Setting Hui on the edge of the fan, Bai Xue drew back a fist and punched the crystal. It shattered, raining shards down below. Hui lunged out and snatched the dark amber from amid the shards, then teetered, hanging out over the crystalline maw below. Sharp crystals jutted out like teeth, the smaller ones thrusting like thorns to cut and stab. Eyes wide, he wavered, throwing all his weight backward. Forget the fourth stage. This small cultivator might die here!

Bai Xue grabbed him by the waist and hauled him back in. He shot a charming smile at Hui. “I caught you.”

Hui narrowed his eyes at Bai Xue. “Elder Brother, please don’t treat me like one of your beauties.”

“Hmm, but aren’t you?” Bai Xue purred.

“Ugh, stop it,” Xixing complained.

Bai Xue turned, immediately ignoring Hui. “Xixing, please. You’re one of my beauties as well. When it comes to beautiful people, this grandmaster would never dream of leaving a single one out.”

“When it comes to people, a ‘grandmaster’ like yourself couldn’t bear to not allow every single one in, more like,” Xixing shot back.

“And I would be horribly amiss to turn away such peerless figures as the two of you,” Bai Xue replied, without skipping a beat.

Xixing rolled her eyes, unimpressed.

Light flashed, deep in the crystals. Hui whirled, squinting into the sparkling purple. Crystals, stretching on and on, infinitely. Eh? I thought I saw…

“Hui?” Bai Xue asked, peering at him.

“Nothing,” Hui said, shaking his head. It was probably just a trick of the light.

Bai Xue stared into the crystals for a few breaths, then shrugged. “Over there, Hui—I think I sense the same fluctuations.”

"Where?" Hui turned.

"Here." Bai Xue swept across the expanse to another segment of the amethyst geode.

Another flash. Hui flinched, then whirled. He found nothing. A carpet of glittering crystals, all still and quiet.

Hui furrowed his brows. Is it... really just the light?