CHAPTER 30: THE INNATE IS FORMED, AND THE ACQUIRED IS BORN

The tribulation was nearing its end.

Rumble!

Dark clouds in the sky condensed once again, shrinking inward as all the lightning converged into a single bolt of black lightning that struck the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. However, even that final strike failed to pierce the tree's defenses. Following a sorrowful wail that echoed through heaven and earth, the tribulation gradually subsided.

Nantian Wan'er looked up at the dispersing clouds with a bright smile. "Lu-gege, we really made it through the tribulation!"

"Yes, we finally made it through. What comes next is the blessing of the Heavenly Dao."

Before the Heavenly Dao bestowed its blessing, Lu Chen examined the Innate Bagua Diagram around him and the Acquired Bagua Diagram within him.

He muttered, "Just a little more energy... If there had been one more wave of tribulation, I might've succeeded in fully establishing it."

As he observed the Bagua Diagrams, a mysterious voice echoed once more in Lu Chen's ears, "The path of the Great Dao has opened. The World Tree shall shine once again. Are you willing to bear the burden of rebuilding the countless heavens and myriad worlds?"

Lu Chen looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice, "Who? Who's speaking?"

The voice offered no answer. It just asked again, "Are you willing to bear the burden of rebuilding the countless heavens and myriad worlds?"

Nantian Wan'er kept her eyes on the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. Her Phoenix Ancestor bloodline granted her a natural sensitivity to mysterious forces. She said, "Lu-gege, I think the voice is coming from the Green Sovereign Divine Tree."

Lu Chen turned toward the tree. On its trunk, a human face slowly emerged and locked eyes with him. The face looked eerily familiar. It resembled his own, but carried a unique sense of maturity and depth.

Lu Chen questioned the image on the tree, "Who are you? Why do you look so much like me?"

The face stopped its chant and slowly opened its eyes. Two beams of light, one red and one blue, flashed across them. It asked, "I am you, and you are me, Lu Chen of Greenheaven Village. Are you willing to bear the burden of the countless heavens and myriad worlds?"

"I..."

Lu Chen's heart was filled with doubt. He couldn't bring himself to believe what he was hearing, much less give an answer.

Though the face seemed eager, it remained patient with Lu Chen. "Heh... take your time. There's no rush. You still have time to think it over. The blessing of the Heavenly Dao is about to arrive. Experience it carefully, let it give you the truest insight, and don't forget to collect the primordial elements to complete the Bagua Diagrams, both the Innate and the Acquired."

Dong!

A deep chime echoed from the sky. Everyone in the secret realm looked up.

Mist began to rise above Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er, forming thick clouds overhead. Countless figures emerged within the swirling fog. Among them were cultivators, demonic beasts, and ghostly beings. They surrounded a colossal tree and engaged in a grand discussion of the Dao.

The sound of those Dao discussions rang in Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er's ears like a thunderclap. It struck directly into their minds, unraveling the mysteries of cultivation that had once eluded them. Their understanding deepened, and their control over spirit qi grew more refined.

Elsewhere in the secret realm, members of the Heavenly Mandate Hall, Herb King Manor, and Violet Flame Fortress had already gathered. They began hunting beasts and fighting over treasures in the central region.

Jun Wudi's gaze remained fixed on the sky. "A heaven and earth phenomenon... Is someone in this backwater place breaking through to immortality?"

"Uncle Jun, what's a heaven and earth phenomenon?" Nantian Yijian asked, unfamiliar with the term.

Yao Buting also looked toward the sky and chuckled. "Young one, let me explain it to you. Heaven and earth phenomena appear when a cultivator finds a divine treasure or crosses into the Core Breakthrough Realm, enduring a powerful tribulation. If the Heavenly Dao acknowledges them, it grants its blessing, and a phenomenon will manifest. These visions are often closely tied to the past of the one who overcame the tribulation."

Zi Long added, "It's been many years since I've seen a heaven and earth phenomenon. Lately, they've been appearing again in secret realms across the land. Looks like the golden age of this generation is about to begin."

Nantian Xiu gazed at the phenomenon in the sky. He knew the ones who crossed the tribulation were Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er. The shock in his heart was beyond words. At the Qi Absorption Realm, Lu Chen had endured a tribulation more intense than what most would face in the Core Breakthrough Realm and even triggered a heaven and earth phenomenon. Such terrifying talent... just who exactly is he?

***

"This isn't as simple as a blessing from the Heavenly Dao. It feels more like a full-blown heaven and earth phenomenon," Lu Chen muttered, feeling the power rapidly building within him. "My strength is now several times greater than before."

"This is only the beginning. Feel it carefully."

A beam of vibrant green light surged from the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, shooting straight into the heavens.

Dong!

Another chime echoed again from above, this time louder than before.

The fog above Lu Chen's head dissipated. Accompanied by the sound of ancient bells, golden lotus flowers formed in the air around him and Nantian Wan'er. One lotus... two... and three... more and more lotuses filled the sky. From each, a droplet of golden liquid slowly began to condense.

Ding.

The first drop fell, then the second, and the third...

Droplets of radiant golden liquid began to rain down from the sky. The Green Sovereign Divine Tree absorbed and refined them, then released the purified essence back into the air.

Some of it trickled along the tree's branches and landed on Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er. It seeped into their meridians and flowed into their Heavenly Pool, gradually refining and perfecting the Acquired Bagua Diagram within them. Another portion dripped onto the ground, replenishing the Innate Bagua Diagram's energy.

The leaves and branches of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree grew even more lush, while the descending golden liquid became purer and more concentrated.

Under the cleansing of the golden rain, a faint shimmer of gold began to appear on Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er's skin. This was the telltale sign of achieving the Golden Dragon Skin.[1]

The outline of the Innate Bagua Diagram steadily took shape. Three faint, ethereal gear-like rings materialized and began slowly spinning around it.

The face on the tree watched the formation of the diagram take shape and recited a chant, "The Innate is formed, and the Acquired is born. The process is complete."

Two thick roots branched from the Green Sovereign Divine Tree and pierced directly into Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er's ankles. There, miniature versions of the Innate Bagua Diagram formed.

Lu Chen stared at the diagram on his ankle. "What is this? A symbol of divine ability?"

It felt just like one. He could sense the immense power within it.

The face replied, "This is the Innate Bagua Diagram. I'm merely returning it to you. You can use it freely now, but remember, you must collect the primordial elemental forces."

Lu Chen stared at the face on the Green Sovereign Divine Tree. "Who are you really? Why are you helping us? Why do you want me to agree to your request?"

He couldn't figure out why the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, which appeared out of nowhere, would help him. Why did it allow him to acquire such a powerful divine ability? Was it just to get him to agree to some request, or were there other motives?

The face said flatly, "There's no particular reason. I told you already. I am you, and you are me. You once cultivated this divine ability, and I am simply returning it to you. When the time comes, you'll understand everything.

"But remember this: if you truly wish to take up the burden for me and shoulder the burden of the countless heavens and myriad worlds, use the Innate Bagua Diagram to summon me. Keep in mind, time reversal never changes the past. It only means someone else bore the suffering in your place."

As its final word echoed, the face merged back into the Green Sovereign Divine Tree and disappeared. The raging power within Lu Chen slowly faded.

Nantian Wan'er turned her gaze toward the tree and asked softly, "Lu-gege... that power is gone. What should we do now?"

"The phenomenon is ending. Once it fades, we'll be able to break through our bottlenecks and enter the Qi Regulation Realm. After that, we'll head into the depths of the Fire Region. We'll need higher-grade Fire Essence to help restore your body."

The golden rain from the sky grew sparser. The grand-looking heaven and earth phenomenon slowly came to an end.

***

The final drop of golden liquid landed on the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, sliding down its trunk and seeping deep into the roots.

Ding!

A gentle breeze blew past. The Innate Bagua Diagram pulsed with a flash of blue light as the golden drop landed precisely at its center.

Dense golden liquid spread out from the Green Sovereign Divine Tree, instantly filling the gaps of the Innate Bagua Diagram with golden threads.

Deep within Lu Chen's Heavenly Pool, the Acquired Bagua Diagram seemed to respond to some unseen pull, beginning to mimic every movement of the Innate Bagua Diagram.

On its outermost layer, three gear-like rings spun furiously. A surge of pulling force tore open the spatial barrier of the Twin-Fish Medallion. The Innate Bagua Diagram carried Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er into the small world within the medallion, swiftly expanding and covering the entire space.

The thick roots of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree within the Innate Bagua Diagram pierced through the ground of the medallion's world and extended into Lu Chen's Heavenly Pool, intertwining with the roots of his own Green Sovereign Divine Tree. Through the connection between the two divine trees, the Innate Bagua Diagram continuously channeled power to the Acquired Bagua Diagram. Their rotation speeds gradually began to synchronize.

Lu Chen watched the changes unfolding both within the Heavenly Pool and the medallion's world. For a moment, it felt as if the two were slowly merging.

Dong... Dong... Dong.

A sound like a clock striking midnight rang out. The outermost gears of the Innate and Acquired Bagua Diagrams finally spun at the same speed.

Lu Chen sensed a crack forming at the barrier of his Heavenly Pool. It was slowly tearing open, and on the other side was the world within the medallion.

Bang!

A crisp sound rang out from the Heavenly Pool. Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er both broke through, advancing into the Qi Regulation Realm. Lu Chen took a moment to feel the changes within. Now that he and Nantian Wan'er shared the same Heavenly Pool, their cultivation speed had increased dozens of times.

All the spirit qi in his body had turned into spirit liquid. The energy absorbed from the outside world would also turn into spirit liquid after circling through his meridians once, finally flowing into the Heavenly Pool. Under the influence of the golden liquid, his blood and spirit qi were beginning to show subtle traces of turning golden as well.

***

The golden liquid had touched Wind Dragon as well.

Now covered in a faint golden sheen, he slowly awoke from his slumber. "Little Lu, did you survive the heavenly tribulation?"

Lu Chen summoned the Hunyuan Greatsword and smiled at Wind Dragon inside the blade. "It was thanks to you blocking most of the heavenly tribulation for us earlier. Otherwise, we wouldn't have made it out alive today."

"You've now stepped into the Qi Regulation Realm. Try releasing spirit qi to strike that stone ahead."

Lu Chen put the Hunyuan Greatsword back, then formed a hand seal. Spirit qi surged through his meridians and gathered before him, shaping into a red flying sword.

Swish!

Crimson light trailed the flying sword as it tore through the air and struck the massive boulder. With a thunderous boom, the giant rock shattered.

Lu Chen exclaimed, "So strong! Just one burst of spirit qi can match a full-force strike with the Hunyuan Greatsword from when I was still in the Qi Absorption Realm."

1. Golden Dragon Skin will be explained in detail in C41. ☜