Chapter 396: Chapter 396

In the Beast Tamers’ Grove, spirit beasts shrieked and strained against their bonds, their instincts screaming for freedom. A phoenix, caught in the frenzy, erupted into flames mid-flight, reborn in a chaotic blaze of panic and brilliance.

Even the Seven Shahs, scattered throughout the training field, paused their rigorous training, halted by the unprecedented disturbance.

Veyron squinted at the sky, narrowing his eyes in contemplation. "That aura... It’s not solely Shi Min’s. It’s ancestral, echoing through time."

Pyrrha clenched his fists, a fierce determination flaring within him. "The fire in the sky responds to him — does it acknowledge his power?"

Liora leaned closer, whispering with awe, "He’s shattering the illusions even the heavens have cast."

Ling Li and Tianyuan Brace

Back in the serene embrace of the Verdant Bamboo Forest, Ling Li and Li Tianyuan stood beneath the trembling canopy of leaves, shadows playing tricks as the branches swayed.

The first bolt had yet to fall.

Yet the sky above was no longer a dome of azure; it was a reflective mirror, capturing every sin, every virtue, every pivotal choice Shi Min had ever carved into the tapestry of fate.

Ling Li’s breath caught in her throat, her heart racing as reality blurred around her.

"Activate the Heaven’s Root Barrier," Tianyuan commanded, layering the protective energy over their chamber, the atmosphere vibrating with his resolve.

"Once the first bolt falls," he continued with intensity, "we’ll understand the true extent of what’s coming."

Ling Li nodded, her voice barely a whisper amidst the mounting tension.

"Let it come," she declared, summoning her courage as the storm loomed ever closer.

Though both were acutely aware that, as cultivators, each individual must summon the strength within themselves to endure the fierce onslaught of tribulation lightning, there was an unspoken bond that hinted at deeper connections. Some Masters, ever watchful and protective, extend their formidable power to shield their disciples in times of peril. It was this very safeguard that they were meticulously preparing for, a silent agreement forged in the crucible of shared burdens, in case Shi Min stumbled at the precipice of his trials.

The sky fractured open.

Not with the rumble of thunder.

But with the sharp crack of bone snapping.

A jagged rift of blinding light cleaved the sky, and from this celestial fissure descended the first bolt — an imposing column of divine wrath. It surged through the clouds with a howl that was not merely sound but the very essence of will — the heavens’ determination to test, to judge, to incinerate.

The bolt struck the Verdant Bamboo Forest with an earth-shattering roar, shattering the tranquil silence that enveloped the valley. Trees bowed under its might, their trunks splintering, stones cruelly fractured. The very air shimmered and rippled outward in concentric waves, warping light and sound like a disturbed mirror.

Within the sealed chamber, the bolt penetrated the protective formation like a spear piercing silk. In that instant, it found Shi Min.

Shi Min’s Spiritual Core: The Moment of Impact

Inside the chamber, Shi Min sat cross-legged, enveloped in a radiant lotus of pure qi. His form pulsed with a soft luminescence, veins glowing with a golden light that breathed life into the stillness. Though his breath remained steady, his heart drummed like a war drum echoing in the silence of his confinement.

For days, he had sensed the watchful sky, a heavy gaze pressing down upon him. Now, it had unveiled its voice.

As the bolt made contact with his spiritual barrier, his entire inner realm erupted like a supernova. His consciousness was hurled into a tempest of light and fragmented memories.

Amidst a void peppered with stars, he stood surrounded by echoes of his past — his first spar with Shah of Flame, the warmth of his mother’s touch soothing his fevered brow, the solemn vow he took to uphold the family name. Each memory flickered like a fragile lantern, only to be struck by a relentless lightning and shattered into radiant shards.

The heavens weren’t merely testing his strength. They were demanding the essence of his truth.

The Response: Not Resistance, but Resonance

Shi Min chose not to resist.

He embraced the bolt.

It coursed through his meridians, searing every channel, every node, igniting every fiber of his being. Bone creaked. His soul howled in torment. Yet he stood resolute, refusing to flinch or cry out.

Instead, he channeled.

He guided the furious lightning deep within his core, weaving it intricately into the lattice of his cultivation. The agony was indescribable, yet it was a cleansing fire. It incinerated his fear. It obliterated doubt. It shattered hesitation into nothingness.

His spiritual sea expanded, cracking open like an unyielding shell under pressure.

And from its depths, a second core began to bloom — brighter, richer, and infinitely more complete.

Outside: Witnesses to the Impossible

Ling Li stumbled backward as the bolt struck, her knees buckling beneath her. Four Eyes, who almost wrestled with El Padre to convince him to take him to Hidden Valley, grasped Ling Li’s arm, his own face a canvas of disbelief and awe.

"That wasn’t just a bolt," he murmured, trembling with reverence.

"That was a divine brand." El Padre, who was standing beside them, said.

Li Tianyuan’s expression sharpened, his eyes narrowing with intensity. "No... this was merely the first."

Above them, the sky throbbed ominously once more.

The second bolt was already coalescing.

As the air thickened with anticipation, they braced for the unraveling of the heavens, knowing that the trials had only just begun.

The Descent of the Second and Third Bolts: The Annihilation Phase of Shi Min’s Tribulation

As the Annihilation layer of Shi Min’s tribulation unfurled, the heavens drew back their veils, seething with envy and wrath. It was not merely a tumultuous sky; it was a cacophony of divine fury that shook the very fabric of existence. The stage was set for an explosive purification, a dance between celestial chaos and the indomitable spirit below.

Shah of Wind, Master Aeris says:

"I saw everything from above — especially your reading habits. You forgot to comment again. Vote, comment, and recommend before I blow away. Power Stones and Golden Tickets lift me. Gifts? I’ll breeze by."