When the Earth Avatar landed on the ground, Tyler felt the soil underneath him shift as the avatar used it to launch technique after technique toward Kenshiro.

In contrast to humans and spirit beasts, the Avatar's techniques did not follow a strict path within its meridians. The entire entity was pure Earth Essence. Thus, its techniques simply were. They were complete, without the need for any circulation of cultivation or without the need for complex movements.

Nevertheless, the attacks were marvelous and wildly varied. It was like the avatar attempted to literally test every facet of Kenshiro's cultivation. It tried to ensure that his foundations were not lacking and that he possessed the proper tools to deal with Earth-based attacks.

On the other hand, Kenshiro was visibly growing increasingly tired with each avatar that appeared, and from what Tyler understood from this Tribulation, it wasn't even halfway done.

Luckily, his father, Ryuji, had crafted his martial stances with facing such tribulation in mind as Tyler was slowly discovering. Specifically, Tyler observed Kenshiro go through the movements of the Radiant Waves Stance; every move had a distinct essence. Tyler also noted that he had done this naturally when he fought with the stance without thinking about it. The man's martial art was just naturally designed this way.

The Iron Fist, or whatever variation was currently being used by Kenshiro, was flooded with energy that tasted like metal and gave off a cold and structured aura. If Tyler had to guess, this technique was perfectly tuned to use the Metal Element. All of this was to restrain another element.

At least, that’s what Tyler guessed, as Kenshiro had punched the Wood Avatar a ton. He assumed that Metal must have restrained Wood.

With this idea germinating, Tyler thought back to the earlier avatar fights. With the first Avatar of Water, Kenshiro had kicked upwards using the Soaring Crane Kick, but that wasn't the main attack he had used to actually fight. The kick was simply a springboard to launch himself into the air. What he had used was none other than the Dam-breaking Strike, and it gave off the same aura as the current Earth Avatar.

To fight this current tribulation, Kenshiro kept using his palms to move the air around, and his attacks gave off a strong scent of spring, just like the previous wooden avatar. In short, Wood must have countered Earth.

With only two elemental avatars left, Tyler guessed that Water must restrain Fire while Fire kept Metal in check. From his experience with the Radiant Waves Stance, the Flowing River Sweep and the Flowing Tides Blow must be water-aligned, while the Soaring Crane Kick must have been fire-aligned. Something to observe later.

Sadly, Tyler would have to return to this as he detected more intruders at the edge of his divine sense. This time, a whole group of Sea Formation cultivators. Three of them were at the early levels, with a single leader in the mid-20s. Most likely, 24, if Tyler had to guess.

He could also tell that these opponents were much stronger than the previous two cultivators and were much more respectful as they didn't arrive brandishing weapons. If he had to guess, only one of them would die from a direct hit from his Ten Direction Sword. The rest would probably require him to strain himself a little or at least spend most of his Qi to kill. These people were almost on the level of the Sword Sect cultivators.

Rising from his seated position, Tyler told the rabbit beside him. "I'll be back. More intruders have appeared. Please look after my friend here while I'm gone. Can't have him die before the Metal Essence appears!" With that, he stepped directly into the air, leaving before the spirit beast could either agree or disagree. Tyler did notice that the rabbit seemed to frown slightly but ended up nodding to itself.

Arriving above the clouds, Tyler turned towards the approaching cultivators who stopped in their tracks when they noticed him peak above the tribulation clouds and he spoke directly to the group. "Who are you, and what do you want? I'm not in the mood to kill more intruders today," he asked.

Like everyone else who heard Tyler's method of communication, they all froze, and the leader immediately bowed his head toward him. "Senior, I am Baron Pratt. We are from the Heavenly Heartspear Sect. We only wish to observe and prevent any Phantom Legion cultivators from interfering."

Given these cultivators were still far away, they probably hadn't noticed that he was using Qi to maintain his flight and thus called him Senior. Curious, Tyler asked. "Are there any members of the Phantom Legion nearby?"

"Senior must not be from around here. There are indeed strong ghosts and undead north of here that would definitely try to ambush your disciple undergoing his tribulation below. It is our Sect's duty to ensure everyone within the York Empire can undergo tribulations safely." The leader of the group replied.

"Would those ghosts be residing in a catacomb of sorts?" Asked Tyler curiously.

The cultivators raised their heads in his direction, and the leader, Baron Pratt, nodded. "Yes, Senior. That is correct. The formations guarding the entrance and their guardians posed much trouble over the last few years, and the Sect's higher-ups wanted to leave this situation for us juniors to resolve. We were on our way there but were notified of a Tribulation by headquarters, so we came here instead."

Starting to better understand this country, Tyler lowered his guard slightly. He didn't detect a single hint of deceit from the group. "Don't worry about the Phantom Legion then. They are dead. They were using some sort of ritual and nearly killed a mortal village in the process, so I intervened." He replied, not disclosing the whole truth about the events. They’d have to work at least a little bit to learn the entire sequence of events from the Thunderpeak Family.

The leader seemed hesitant to answer but seemed to swallow his words. "We will have to confirm this, Senior. If that is the case, however, the York Empire thanks you for your service."

Tyler waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Confirm away. The Thunder Emporium should be sending a few traders to restock the village in question in the coming weeks as their current trading partner seemed to have vanished." He paused. "Coming back to this tribulation, feel free to join us below. I know very few people in this country and would love to get to know more people who seem inclined to actually help others."

Infusing a bit of soul power into his voice, Tyler added a single line. "Should you do anything unbecoming... Well. I don't think I need to say more." The winds around the squad of cultivators grew forceful, and with it, everyone seemed to freeze momentarily.

Through his divine sense, Tyler could tell that everyone seemed to relax slightly as soon as he stopped attempting to exert his godly powers on the outside world. He could also feel that none of them seemed to harbor ill intent... He didn't know how to explain it exactly, but there was always a certain aura around those who wished harm upon others in any given situation, and here, it was completely absent.

Tyler released his technique that kept him afloat and plunged through the Tribulation cloud below. Moments later, thunder reverberated through the skies. This particular Tribulation lightning was targeting him directly for the first time since this event had started.

Fortunately, Tyler had become adept at discerning the telltale signs of lightning formation. The lightning's precursors unfolded rapidly, making it nearly imperceptible to those without an innate comprehension of its laws. However, divine sense users could still detect these subtle shifts.

With Tyler's domain revolving around storms, he had an intimate understanding of the phenomena on top of having the advantage of heightened senses.

So, when he felt the Tribulation aimed for him, Tyler focused on the link between his acupoints, his inner world, and this cloud. He wanted to absorb it within, keep its energies for himself.

This was a foolhardy dream. The moment lightning appeared, even though Tyler was prepared for it, it struck without him being able to initiate the transfer or even grasp at the chance to do so.

Rather than simply passing through his body, the lightning took a more invasive route. It coursed through his meridians, much like Caelum's Edge had done when he had broken into the Qi Transformation Realm. But this was a different beast altogether. Instead of exiting, the energy seemed to resonate with Tyler's meridians, following their pathways and wreaking havoc in its wake.

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The most alarming part was the interaction with his heart. With each cycle of his Qi, a portion of the lightning's raw energy was absorbed by his heart. It was both a dangerous and fortuitous occurrence.

Dangerous, because the human body, even one as cultivated as Tyler's, was not meant to harbor such primal forces.

Fortuitous, because if harnessed correctly, this could lead to a profound transformation in his cultivation.

Blood trickled from his nose and eyes as he felt the strain his body was under. Yet, amidst the turmoil, there was a glimmer of opportunity, and Tyler grabbed at it as he still had a few seconds until he hit the ground.

As Tyler executed the Thundering Winds and Sword Clouds Method with a desperate intensity, his body and the rampaging lightning achieved a precarious harmony. Each movement he made perfectly matched the volatile energy coursing through him, a dangerous dance with the elemental force.

The focal point of this extraordinary effort was his heart, as it seemed to naturally absorb some of the excess energy passing through his body. It was an organ already tempered during the Sword Sect's trials and now the crucible for this new, fearsome power.

The heart revealed its remarkable capacity for adaptation and strength as the lightning poured into it. It greedily absorbed the energy, and with every beat, Tyler felt profound changes taking place.

The essence of the lightning was not merely destructive; it was transformative. Each pulse of his heart under this electrical onslaught served to fortify the organ, infusing it with a purer, more robust vitality. It was as if the lightning was reshaping his heart, honing it into something beyond its mortal beginnings.

Simultaneously, the fire Qi that had once dominated his Heart was undergoing a metamorphosis. The lightning did not simply coexist with the fire Qi; it consumed and transformed it. What remained was a mere echo of the fire's former presence, a trace element in the newly dominant electrical force.

Tyler's entire being responded to this shift. His body, attuned to the demands of cultivation, began to acclimatize to the electrifying essence with remarkable speed.

Putting a pause on this for a few seconds, Tyler used the winds to slow his fall and swiftly sat down in a lotus position to focus on everything within while still maintaining his divine sense outwards.

This was a gamble; honestly, he didn't trust these cultivators. He merely relied on the fact that he had been very far and that they would assume he was just another of the Dao Protector's disciples benefitting from the tribulations when they arrived here shortly.

As the process continued, Tyler stood on the threshold of having his heart tempered once more while he kept a watchful eye on the newly arrived members of the Heavenly Heartspear Sect. They were all observing him with questioning eyes, clearly attuned to what was happening within his body due to his cultivation blasting out for all to see.

Luckily, they stayed a bit ways away from himself, the rabbit, and Kenshiro who was still fighting with the Earth Avatar.

This integration of lightning promised a leap in his cultivation that could elevate his abilities and understanding, just like tempering his Kidneys with True Essence had done. The pain was immense, and the dangers quite real, but so were the potential rewards.

Tyler was poised to grasp those rewards in the heart of the storm so that one day, he could live his life the way he wanted, away from outside interference.

As he was busy absorbing the lightning and properly tempering his heart, Tyler kept a portion of his consciousness on the Heavenly Heartspear cultivators. The minutes passed, and they remained seated, quietly meditating near his cultivation cave. He had deflected a few of their attempts to gauge his level, but in the end, he ignored the urge and let them. All of their faces scrunched up slightly.

From afar, he could detect the exchange of telepathic messages as the laws around their bodies seemed to vibrate, and their expressions constantly switched as the flows changed.

Tyler understood their surprise. Everyone who had attempted to gauge his cultivation so far had always been way off. Their techniques were either too low level, or their own cultivations limited them to see only a portion of his actual level. If Tyler had to guess, he wagered that the only person who could genuinely tell him of his power levels was Maximus.

Only someone with an inner world of their own could pierce the veil that was his cultivation. If his experience with Flying Rock and the others persisted, Tyler was pretty sure these people saw him a single level higher than themselves. He could, after all, kill all four of them with a single volley of Ten Direction Swords. Sure, he'd have to ambush them and use up over 90% of his Qi to do so, as they were incredibly powerful, but still. It was doable.

Eventually, Tyler felt the air shift as Kenshiro finally beat the Earth Avatar back into the ground. This time, it crumbled into dirt rather than decaying roots. Tyler let Kenshiro absorb as much as he could before the lightning came to push him back, and he yoinked all of the remaining dirt into his inner world.

He was growing a garden, after all. Some pure Earth Essence was certain to offer great benefits, right? Add that to the remnants of the decayed roots he had nabbed earlier; Tyler postulated that something incredible would happen here at some point.

Following this, everything seemed to calm down for a few minutes as the intruding cultivators simply sat there in silence, not even moving for the dissipating essence. They did not care to try and steal another's fortune.

On the other hand, Tyler was only making sure it wasn't completely wasted by letting it return to the world. He wasn't actually stealing it from Kenshiro.

Feeling more at ease with these people, Tyler turned his focus back onto refining this lightning. Kenshiro also pulled out a Silver Condensate and a Spirit Crystal from his storage ring and sat about fifty meters away from Tyler, preparing for the oncoming avatar.

Stillness surrounded Tyler's home and forest. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Tyler and Kenshiro sat in silent vigilance, each lost in their own thoughts, preparing for what was to come.

The rabbit remained a quiet observer, its wise eyes scanning the surroundings. Tyler understood why it remained quiet; the strength of the cultivators who had arrived far surpassed its own and wisely chose silence.

The pattern of the Tribulations had been relentless, each wave following closely on the heels of the last, leaving barely any respite. Yet, after the third, an unexpected lull occurred.

This pause was as unsettling as it was welcome, a brief opportunity to gather strength but also a harbinger of a more formidable challenge ahead. Lightning continued to crackle in the air, maintaining the electric tension of the battlefield.

Then, as Tyler opened his eyes in a moment of dramatic synchronization, a new energy surged through the environment. His eyes, reflecting the power he had absorbed, sparked with lightning, illuminating his face with a brief, intense glow.

Almost as if, in response to this display, the skies shifted again. Another portal tore through the heavens, heralding the arrival of the fourth Tribulation, and the sky's colors echoing its essence with deep orange and red hues. The air temperature soared to extreme heights, the heat so intense that it threatened to ignite the canopy above. The very atmosphere seemed to warp and shimmer under the oppressive heat.

Then, amidst this inferno, the Fire Avatar made its entrance.

A thought occurred to Tyler as he no longer focused on controlling the lightning within and observed the segmented tribulations. He spoke for the first time since the Heavenly Heartspear Sect had arrived. "Three sets of threes, forming nine, returning to one." He had often read it in novels with heavy influences from Daoist philosophy, and before now, he saw it only as a saying about oneness and unity.

Kenshiro smiled as he jumped high up in the skies. His father had told him the same thing: when it came to cultivation, every stage seemed to indicate three distinct sub-stages, with the last level a return to the beginning. Kenshiro still needed to understand this concept more deeply, but it appeared that Tyler had understood something of his own accord here.

The nearby cultivators also had heard something similar from their sect master once during a conversation on the Dao, but the meaning eluded them. Even after a lifetime of cultivation, most would probably never understand either.

In reality, Tyler didn't really understand the true meaning of those words, but his brain was slowly starting to make actual connections from concepts that seemed extremely foreign and mostly poetic in nature.

This world, this new universe of his, seemed to be heavily influenced by a particular sub-set of Chinese philosophy and cosmology. Sure, levels, quests, titles, and all that seemed a bit Western to him, but really, the more he discovered this world, the more he recalled various novel's Daoist scriptures.

As Kenshiro's battle with the Avatar loomed overhead, its flames threatening to engulf everything in their path, the leader of the nearby cultivators approached Tyler. Raising his head to the skies, Tyler smiled.

He was right. Kenshiro constantly switched between the Flowing Tides Blow and the Flowing River Sweep.

Cough… "Excuse me, Senior. What you said just now... Could you perhaps elaborate?" Said Baron Pratt.

Tyler turned his attention back to the man who had approached him. He would no longer bother correcting people who saw him as a senior, a lord, or a master cultivator.

"Sure. It feels like this could benefit more than just you guys, so it'll have to wait after this tribulation."

Feeling that everything around here was mostly safe, Tyler also contacted Daredevil and told the cub he was free to come by with the foxes. Perhaps they could all benefit from being in proximity of this Tribulation.