Liang Po’s breakthrough took time. Enough time that the few who sensed it managed to return to the mountain and spread the news.

The outdoors was no longer peaceful. The serene purple skies became turbulent as a storm began to brew. By the time those who were free rushed to the scene, rain flooded the scene.

Liang Po himself paid it no mind. He had sealed the entrance to his cave beforehand. It was unlikely for anyone to interrupt him. Instead, the real danger lay in the breakthrough itself.

Those who were blessed by the heavens with a unique physique faced tougher challenges. Some say the heavens were jealous, while others believed it was only trying to temper the chosen further with appropriate strength. Either way, it was a known fact that they would be facing life-threatening tribulations, even if it was only the first major breakthrough. Thankfully, in this case, Liang Po wasn’t trying to step into the next major realm yet.

“So the rumors were true. The genius from the Myriad Bones Pavilion does possess a heavenly physique.”

“What rumors, you dimwit!? Little news about the Myriad Bones Pavilion ever reaches anyone. They keep to themselves too much while there are only a few of them.”

“Anyway…Do you think he’s breaking into the Foundation Establishment realm? It seems like he doesn’t want to fall behind.”

“No, I saw him not too long ago. He was still in the eighth stage of Energy Gathering.”

“Then, he’s generating such a huge response from just trying to step onto the ninth stage?”

The spectators gawked at the spectacle. They all took shelter under the same line of trees, contemplating the significance of the scene.

They only came to it when a flash of lightning suddenly descended near them. It came down directly on the small mountain where Liang Po was. Those who had seen similar scenes instantly yelled out in alarm.

“That’s…not normal lightning. It’s tribulation lightning! Tribulation lightning is striking down on Liang Po for just stepping onto the ninth stage!”

The clamor from the crowd intensified.

Meanwhile, the person experiencing the breakthrough himself wasn’t as relaxed. The tribulation lightning was within his calculations. It struck him through the mountain, as if the obstacles between them didn’t exist. He could feel the shock running through his entire body. It burned, and he could feel bits of him dying and regrowing at a rapid rate.

Liang Po didn’t panic, as his master had taught him what to expect. The tribulation lightning tested his willpower and his physique. He had full confidence in both, so he wasn’t worried. It would only fuel his growth further.

What did worry him was the uncomfortable feeling in his surroundings. His breakthrough was almost complete, but a strange pressure was lurking in the background. It was as if a powerful expert had locked sights on him, but simply chose to spectate for now.

This was because the three artifact spirits of the realm were preparing to take drastic measures if they confirmed Liang Po was the source of their worries.

Under their watch, the pocket realm was losing a large amount of Qi for some inexplicable reason. As Liang Po was one of the prime suspects, they watched him like a hawk throughout his breakthrough. Their senses were on high alert, looking for signs of their problem worsening. If Liang Po was the source, it was likely his breakthrough would intensify their woes.

“Umm, Brother Green, you need to restrain yourself more. We’re not going to kill him even if he does turn out to be the cause,” the young man in orange robes advised.

“Hmph, I’m just scaring the brat a little. It’s not like he can do anything about it.”

“Well, that’s—”

Before Orange could continue, their other companion abruptly cut him off.

“Silence, both of you! I’ve just been alerted to another anomaly. I’m heading out right away. Make sure you don’t do anything until it’s confirmed, without a doubt.”

The young woman in blue robes didn’t wait for their response before twirling around. In an instant, she disappeared. If one had exceptional senses, they would be able to see glittering blue lights flashing across the horizon. However, that required one to at least be in the Violet Core realm to notice. To everyone else, they wouldn’t see anything, even if they happened to stare in the right direction.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Blue flew across the skies, and in an instant, she arrived back at the main mountain. She would normally return to the hut at the summit, but this time, she dove straight into the mountain instead.

She passed by numerous unsuspecting cultivators, heading down the corridor that was labeled with the word ‘Water’ on it. She proceeded toward the end of the hallway, flying straight into the calligraphy hanging on the wall. Her entire journey took less than three breaths of time.

When she arrived, she stared down curiously at the lone boy standing atop the lily pad. He stood there with a confident smile as he stared at the floating lights before him.

“Fourth round passed. The challenger is awarded eighty trial points. The next round is starting shortly.”

“I give up,” the boy muttered.

Blue didn’t need to see what happened next, as she was the one who managed this particular trial. The response the boy got would come from her. Many of the minor details were automated in a way Blue wasn’t clear on, but she was able to peer into these specifications.

She conveyed her findings to her peers through their shared telepathy.

“You guys may want to hold off on kicking that white-haired kid out. I found another suspicious boy here.”

“What happened?” Green immediately pressed.

“He passed the fourth round of the Brushweaving trial. For this year’s opening, that means he managed to inscribe a three-rune talisman.”

“So he used some rare materials. So what?”

“...He’s only in the sixth stage of Energy Gathering and didn’t use any rare heavenly resources. He mainly used the sap from the Harmonic Trees.”

“What?!” Green yelled.

He was knowledgeable about everything that existed in the pocket realm. He knew exactly what type of material Harmonic Trees were, and they weren’t anything special. They were simply trees that were easily dyed by various types of elemental Qi. It would take on whichever type it came into contact first during its incubation period.

The only thing good about these trees was that they acted as an elemental filter of sorts. They refined the ambient Qi that was contaminated with numerous kinds of energy into one type. Even then, the materials from the Harmonic Trees weren’t that pure or rich in Qi. There were many superior alternatives that existed.

The Harmonic tree could only be regarded somewhere around low to medium-tier materials among the mortal grade.

Green was so flabbergasted that he couldn’t speak. Orange inquired for clarification in his place.

“So he didn’t use any Earth-grade materials. No, he’s only in Energy Gathering, so he wouldn’t be able to handle them. And without using the rarest Mortal-grade materials, he managed to inscribe a three-rune talisman?”

“That’s right,” Blue calmly replied.

“That’s impressive, but how is that relevant to the source of our Qi leak? It just means he’s a talented Brushweaver, right?”

“Nevertheless, it means he’s a genius that has masterful control of Qi. He may have some strange physique that is the cause of all the heavenly energy disappearing."

“Hmm, I still think it’s more likely for one of the three we have been monitoring to be the cause. From the humans’ conversations, they each hail from powerful organizations. They could be carrying secret artifacts that are causing this.”

It was at this moment that Green snapped out of it. He frowned at Orange’s words.

“Really, Orange? Do you even remember what kind of artifact it needs to be in order to cause this? Do you really think the people outside have entered such a splendid golden age that they decided to give their treasure to a child coming here?”

The three artifact spirits continued to argue as they continued to monitor the humans. However, Li Lang was now added to the list of people to be observed.

They watched as he carefully went over his new reward, a cultivation manual that went over how to filter out elemental Qi. There were many techniques that accomplished the same thing, each in their own way. The Elemental Condensing Brush technique was one that relied on the Moon Brush and a set of brushweaving Qi art to accomplish this feat.

While its practitioner circulated their energies into their Moon Brush, it allowed them to only consume the specific elemental Qi they wanted to use.

Even though the ink Li Lang had used mostly absorbed Qi of its element, it required him to channel a sizeable sum of Qi into it. That was because his Qi was a mixed collection of various properties. A lion’s share of the Qi that was not compatible with the ink was wasted during the inscription.

This technique remedied that, by allowing him to only invoke his specified element of Qi.

The day was supposed to come to a close there, as the artifact spirits continued their observation. However, they noticed another thing not long after Li Lang completed his trial.

He was now under more scrutiny, so they noticed every strange behavior he took. While he was reading his new manual, he kept placing a hand against his hat. That could normally be crossed off as his idiosyncratic gesture. Unfortunately for Li Lang, it was another story when he even did it, lying in his bed. It was inevitable that he drew attention when he was wearing his hat, even when in bed.

It got Blue curious, and she swept into action. Unbeknownst to Li Lang, Blue came right next to him. The artifact spirit was able to peer through everything in her immediate vicinity, as long as it was inside the pocket realm. Once she was less than a meter away, her innate senses swept over Li Lang. Of course, this included the hat.

The moment her senses came into contact with the red gem that was Ruby, it created a violent reaction. It was as if a bomb exploded right next to Blue’s head. She was instantly blown away, slamming into the walls of the room. If she wasn’t disoriented, she could’ve phased through it. Instead, the sound of her impact loudly rang out, startling the lone inhabitant of the room.