With Jian Xingzhi present, the heavenly tribulation seemed to become much easier. Thunder struck down bolt after bolt. With the experience from Core Formation, Qin Wanwan adapted quite well, allowing the lightning to re-temper her body, transform into spiritual power, and flow back into her body to solidify her Nascent Soul, repeating the process over and over.

Different from Core Formation, the heavenly tribulation of Nascent Soul formation began to include inner demon tribulation. A person would manifest what they feared most in their heart, or their obsessions. Once unable to see through them, there was a risk of falling into demonic cultivation.

The two’s spiritual energy flowed and interchanged. Halfway through the tribulation, both had almost lost consciousness, persisting only by a thread of will. The surroundings gradually darkened. Before Qin Wanwan could react, she found herself sitting at an office desk. A thick stack of documents was slammed down in front of her. People beside her whose faces she couldn’t see at all chattered: “The boss says these contracts must be reviewed tonight. You’ll have to work late. The client is in a hurry.”

Hearing these words, Qin Wanwan’s heart skipped a beat. Then she heard the other person start nagging: “You’re not getting any younger. Your standards can’t be too high. Stop being picky. Hurry up and find someone to marry—anyone will do. Have a couple of kids. Otherwise when you’re old and sick, who’ll take care of you?”

Qin Wanwan swallowed. Two hundred years of long-suppressed memories surged forth, the panic as familiar as ever.

This illusion was too realistic.

She just sat there, listening to those people chattering. After holding it in for a long time, she slowly spoke: “What you’re doing violates labor laws.”

The voices fell silent. The people standing before her all seemed stunned.

Qin Wanwan thought for a moment and said what she’d really wanted to tell her boss back then: “Moreover, it’s not that I can’t work overtime. It’s that if I work overtime, you have to pay extra. Triple pay on holidays, 1.5 times pay for regular overtime. If you pay properly, everything’s negotiable. If you don’t pay properly but tell me to work hard, how can I have a striving heart?”

As soon as these words came out, forget these illusions—even 38 fell silent.

Feeling there was some logic to it.

“I just won’t pay.”

The boss spoke: “Everyone else can bear this hardship. Why can’t you?”

Hearing this, Qin Wanwan decisively pulled out Yuanning from under the desk and slapped the sword on the table surface with great boss lady momentum.

“Have you figured out what kind of place this is?”

“This… what kind of place is this?”

“This is the cultivation world where killing isn’t illegal!” Qin Wanwan was imposing. “Making cultivators work overtime—are you sure about that?!”

The boss fell silent.

After a moment, all the illusions disappeared. A fragrant aroma reached Qin Wanwan’s nose. She sniffed and turned her head toward the scent. She saw the Shangsui couple standing there with abundant food beside them.

Qin Wanwan was stunned. Shangsui beckoned to her: “Wanwan.”

“Mother… Mother?”

Qin Wanwan was astonished. She hadn’t seen the Shangsui couple in nearly two hundred years.

In the twenty-first century, her familial bonds had been poor. After arriving in the immortal realm, she’d actually only spent about twenty-some years with the Shangsui couple. At around twenty-three or twenty-four years old, this couple had arranged everything and left the immortal realm to search for medicine for her.

Though their time together was short, it was indeed her happiest time. So much so that now, after all these years, watching three hundred years old approach day by day, she still felt regret.

If she truly couldn’t live past three hundred, having spent such a short time with her parents, this time spent searching for medicine would have been wasted.

But she’d always been open-minded. Thinking about it, if she’d truly been a child who’d spent three hundred years with them properly and then suddenly disappeared one day, the blow to the Shangsui couple would be too great. Not having too much deep affection wasn’t necessarily bad.

Now suddenly seeing them in the illusion, for a moment Qin Wanwan couldn’t look away. She truly couldn’t bear to leave.

Shangsui beckoned her forward, pulling her to sit down. Her father, True Lord Taiheng, sat beside her serving her food: “Wanwan has gotten thin recently. Come, eat more crispy pork belly.”

Her parents’ care made Qin Wanwan sink into it. She was touched and happy, eating meat while asking her father indistinctly: “Father, have you been well recently? Did you find the medicine?”

“We found it.” True Lord Taiheng answered with a smile. Shangsui served her food: “Your father and I searched for a long time and finally found a way to resolve your constitution. After you take the medicine, you’ll be better very soon. From now on, your parents will accompany you every day. No one will dare bully you. You just need to eat and drink every day and be the happiest young lady in the immortal realm.”

Hearing these words, Qin Wanwan instinctively felt something was wrong. Eating the lotus root slices Shangsui had served her, she answered indistinctly: “I still need to cultivate. I can’t just rely on you.”

“Cultivate?!”

Taiheng was shocked by Qin Wanwan’s words: “Why do you need to cultivate? Cultivation is so hard. With your parents here, we’ll protect you for life. You don’t need to cultivate. Just depend on us.”

Qin Wanwan’s movements froze. At that very moment, she felt someone press the back of her head from behind and slam her face down hard onto the table!

Jian Xingzhi’s voice rang out excitedly: “Disciples of the Supreme Pole Sect have no reason to depend on others for their meals! Our sect trains through combat—we absolutely don’t freeload!”

As soon as the words fell, the surrounding illusion instantly dispersed. Shangsui and Taiheng were both swept away as if by a violent wind. They became distorted, grabbing at Qin Wanwan’s sleeves and shouting her name: “Wanwan! Don’t leave us, Wanwan! Wanwan, you don’t need to cultivate. You should be the most carefree slacker in the immortal realm!”

Qin Wanwan: “…”

This inner demon had really panicked.

She sighed and lifted her face from the rice bowl, raising her hand to wipe the rice grains off her face.

The most carefree slacker—she didn’t even dare think about it. Just thinking about it made her body hurt. If Jian Xingzhi knew this was her illusion, he’d break her bones again.

The moment she thought of Jian Xingzhi, all the inner demons fled. Her illusion was completely empty. She slowly opened her eyes.

While Qin Wanwan struggled in the illusion, Jian Xingzhi had already been killing in his illusion for a long time.

He’d already undergone the inner demon tribulation more than once. Basically, he’d just been fighting. This time was no exception—he was still fighting.

However, while fighting, he suddenly felt something was wrong. Then he heard 666’s voice: “Master, you need to freeload.”

The instant the words fell, a hundred thousand volt electric shock instantly coursed through his body. He skillfully dropped down, immediately propped up his head, and assumed the pose of a drunken imperial consort reclining sideways on the bed.

Conforming to his character could effectively reduce the pain from the electric current—this was his experience.

The current indeed decreased. He’d thought this was the end, but unexpectedly, just as he caught his breath, he heard the voice of Lady Jishan. That voice wasn’t loud, carrying a kind of sneaky feeling. It sounded like neighborhood aunties somewhere gossiping about whose family couldn’t have children—equally disgusting—saying secretively: “Let me show you something. In the small world, Daoist Lord Suiheng not only couldn’t beat others, but also wore pink clothes, butterfly hair clips, seduced roosters, participated in talent shows, and freeloaded by depending on others’ protection!”

“Oh my,” the people around expressed surprise, “I didn’t expect him to be this kind of person who drags others down.”

“Who would have thought…”

Everyone discussed among themselves. Jian Xingzhi trembled with rage. He knew this was the inner demon tribulation, knew he shouldn’t get angry, but when Lady Jishan turned around with a victorious smile, he still couldn’t help but slash at her with his sword, roaring: “Seeking death!”

As soon as the words fell, shocking thunder struck down. When he opened his eyes, he found himself seemingly back in that secret chamber when he’d first been captured by Hua Rong into the City Lord’s Manor. His hands and feet were all bound, and his body was unbearably hot.

Both furious and hateful, knowing this was an illusion, he roared toward the front: “Lady Jishan!”

“Master,” a light call came from beside him, “do I look beautiful to you?”

Hearing Qin Wanwan’s voice, Jian Xingzhi instinctively turned his head and saw Qin Wanwan beside him.

She wore the red dress she’d worn today when she came to rescue him with her blade, stained with blood. But compared to usual, her neckline was lower, revealing her slender neck. The hem of her dress was also lifted up, vaguely showing her fair, slender calves.

This time they were even closer. She was shackled to the wall with iron chains. Her beautiful eyes seemed to hold some watery color as she gazed quietly at him. For a moment, he was dazed.

“Master,” Qin Wanwan blinked, “shall I feed you blood?”

“Change your face immediately!”

Hearing these words, Jian Xingzhi snapped back to reality and shouted: “Right now, seeing your face makes me angry!”

The Qin Wanwan in the illusion froze. Jian Xingzhi bristled at her: “And look at yourself now—what kind of propriety is this? Your neckline is so low, your clothes will fall apart when fighting!”

Fake Qin Wanwan: “…”

“What did you just say?”

Jian Xingzhi remembered her earlier words and quickly pressed, “Qin Wanwan” immediately rekindled hope, entering work mode, looking at Jian Xingzhi with tender affection: “Master, shall I feed you blood?”

“Has it been a month?”

Jian Xingzhi was confused, feeling it couldn’t be that fast.

“Qin Wanwan” nodded: “It has.”

Jian Xingzhi looked around: “How is it this kind of situation again?”

“Master,” fake Qin Wanwan urged him, “the situation doesn’t matter. Most importantly, don’t you want to drink blood?”

“Qin Wanwan” leaned forward: “Come on.”

Jian Xingzhi nodded: “Alright, but this time I’ve thought of a new blood-taking method to avoid embarrassment.”

“New… new method?” “Qin Wanwan” was confused. “Not biting lips anymore?”

“No need.” Jian Xingzhi smiled cleverly and instructed “Qin Wanwan,” “Come a bit closer.”

“Qin Wanwan” hesitantly moved forward. Jian Xingzhi took his head and vigorously headbutted “Qin Wanwan’s” nose!

That headbutt was modified from Buddhist cultivation’s Iron Head technique, containing the power of the Buddhist Dharma that purifies evil thoughts. Just as it struck “Qin Wanwan,” “Qin Wanwan” let out a scream. Jian Xingzhi was completely oblivious, comforting her: “I’ll give you a nosebleed with this headbutt, and I’ll reluctantly consume one drop. Although this is a bit disgust…”

Before he finished speaking, Jian Xingzhi sensed something was wrong. Looking up, he saw “Qin Wanwan” transform into a wisp of black smoke and flee hastily. Jian Xingzhi instantly reacted: “Inner demon!”

With that, the iron chains on his body turned to ash. Jian Xingzhi charged forward with his sword and cut down this black shadow with one strike, slowly opening his eyes.

Qin Wanwan had also already opened her eyes. As the two looked at each other, the last bolt of thunder rumbled down. Qin Wanwan, afraid of pain, tightly closed her eyes and gripped Jian Xingzhi. Jian Xingzhi gripped her back. When the thunder came, Qin Wanwan was surprised to discover it didn’t hurt that much.

And seeing Qin Wanwan close her eyes in fear and depend on him at that moment, the image of “Qin Wanwan” from the illusion suddenly flashed through Jian Xingzhi’s mind. For a moment, his mouth felt dry. Frightened, he quickly closed his eyes, feeling this inner demon was too disgusting.

This was his disciple! Were there no other women in the world to fill in for the inner demon tribulation?!

He calmed his mind and guided most of the last bolt of lightning into his own body. His body couldn’t withstand such abundant power. Jian Xingzhi forcibly suppressed it into his body. Before long, blood beads seeped out from his skin.

The thunder gradually faded. A spiritual rain fell, washing over both Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi. The two comprehended the Dao on the spot. After grasping the understanding of the Heavenly Dao given by this heavenly tribulation, Qin Wanwan slowly opened her eyes.

Across from her, Jian Xingzhi currently looked presentable. Before Qin Wanwan could sigh with emotion, she saw countless soldiers surrounding them in a tight circle. Cuilu stood at the rear. Xie Gutang held his sword protecting Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi’s side, facing Cuilu.

Cuilu spoke coldly: “I’ll ask you one last time—where is our City Lord?!”

Hearing this, Qin Wanwan withdrew her hand from Jian Xingzhi’s. She stood up, blocking in front of Jian Xingzhi, looked at Cuilu, and spoke calmly: “Dead.”

“However,” Qin Wanwan raised her hand pointing at the surrounding formation, “Lord Cuilu, look clearly at this formation. It’s a formation meant to exchange the lives of your entire city for the Linglong Jade. Are you certain that such a City Lord is still worth protecting?”

Everyone was stunned hearing these words. Cuilu looked around in confusion. Qin Wanwan’s voice was steady: “Back then, Hua Rong killed Daoist Lord Immaculate and usurped Daoist Lord Immaculate’s cultivation. Now he regrets it and wants to use the entire city’s lives to resurrect Daoist Lord Immaculate. Lord Cuilu, for the sake of your City Lord, are you truly willing to abandon both morality and life itself?”

Cuilu said nothing. At the instant she heard the name ‘Daoist Lord Immaculate,’ her expression changed drastically. After a long while, her lips trembling, she questioned back: “Who did you say killed Daoist Lord Immaculate?”

—

**Author’s Notes:**

**[Mini Theater 1]**

Jian Xingzhi: “The inner demon has no shame, actually trying to seduce me with my disciple! Are all other women in this world dead? Must it use my disciple?”

Inner Demon: “I’m an inner demon, not a random demon that transforms carelessly. Why is it your disciple? You should ask yourself that question.”

**[Mini Theater 2]**

Before May Day holiday started:

Editor: “Dear, there are lots of people during May Day, so you don’t need to go out. Just update well.”

Me: “Don’t worry, I’ll do ten thousand words a day!”

First day of May Day holiday:

Morning: “Today I’ll write 12,000! One Long Aotian – Chapter 9,000, I’ll double update!”

Noon: “Actually 9,000 is enough to get the highest tier of perfect attendance bonus.”

Afternoon: “6,000 isn’t bad either…”

Evening: “3,000 is enough to guarantee perfect attendance…”

11 PM: “Can’t finish writing, so sleepy, posting leave notice.”

Near the end of May Day:

Summary: Accomplished nothing