Medical Sage

BUZZZZ!

SPUTTER SPUTTER SPUTTER...

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

When Chen Fei activated the Teleportation Formation, he instantly felt a heavy buzzing in his ears. Before his eyes, lights and shadows shifted unpredictably, intertwining and crossing over. A terrifying suction force, like that of a black hole, pulled him in, drawing him into what felt like a strange dimension.

However, he was unable to open his eyes. He only felt his entire body swell as his muscles grew weak and sore.

At that moment, Chen Fei distinctly felt his body traveling through space. Yet, the spatial compression and gravitational tearing he had expected to occur never materialized.

Then, in the blink of an eye, his surroundings seemed to change in a flash. An incredibly rich Spiritual Energy rushed to meet him, followed by a shower of dazzling sunlight. Chen Fei felt his body being forcefully flung out from that space before he plummeted from midair, landing hard on the ground!

”BANG!”

This time, Young Master Chen landed butt-first. He was dazed from the fall and seeing stars, feeling as if his rear was about to split into several pieces. He couldn’t help but grunt in pain and mumble with a disgruntled face, ”Damn it, why is this rock so hard...”

Back on Earth, a fall like this wouldn’t have just hurt; it was unthinkable that he could even feel this much pain. But now...

”This is the Cultivation World. Everything is different from your Earth,” Zhen Jingkong’s somewhat wistful voice echoed slowly from within Chen Fei’s sea of consciousness. At this moment, even he was feeling quite sentimental.

By his count, over a hundred years had passed. Zhen Jingkong had finally set foot on this land again! Even now, it felt unreal, like a dream.

”Is this really the Cultivation World?” Upon hearing this, Chen Fei’s grumbling stopped abruptly. His expression grew complex as his gaze flickered around.

Everything before him seemed completely unfamiliar, as if he had truly entered a strange world.

He saw a world of continuous mountain ranges, exceptionally majestic and tall. As far as the eye could see, peaks thousands of meters high soared into the clouds, layered one upon another in every direction. In the distance, the peaks intertwined, and nature’s spiritual energy was abundant and magnificent. From afar, he could even see a hundred-meter-tall waterfall thundering down a mountainside. That white ribbon of water, like an inverted Milky Way, fell with a thunderous roar that sounded like ten thousand horses galloping. It was both magnificent and splendid.

Nearer to him, winding dirt paths led to secluded, remote areas filled with towering ancient trees. The gnarled branches of those giant trees were as powerful as coiled, horned dragons. Many unknown, shimmering spirit herbs clung to them, their medicinal fragrance filling the air, refreshing the soul.

The scene left Chen Fei instantly dumbfounded and speechless, his mouth hanging involuntarily agape.

So this is the Cultivation World? It—really—is different from Earth!

BANG!

”RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!”

”Damn it, what’s going on?”

As Chen Fei was still lost in his astonishment, a sense of alarm suddenly arose. He felt the rich Spiritual Energy within a radius of several miles begin to swirl and converge on him from all directions. This naturally caused his expression to change slightly. One look at this scene and I knew something was about to happen... but what?

”Don’t be nervous. This is the prelude to a Spirit Qi Baptism,” Zhen Jingkong said calmly, his voice slow and steady.

”Spirit Qi Baptism? What’s that?” Chen Fei asked, his face a mask of confusion. I don’t remember anything like this from my inherited memories.

”It’s a good thing. You might even get lucky this time.”

Zhen Jingkong continued with a laugh, ”You should know, right? Some of the energy in your body is likely not Spiritual Energy. After entering the Cultivation World, that force will be assimilated and baptized by this world’s Power of Laws. This is both a test and a stroke of luck for you! Many people dream of a Spirit Qi Baptism but can never obtain one. And...” At this, Zhen Jingkong paused slightly.

”And what?” Chen Fei pressed.

”And as far as I know, the range a Spirit Qi Baptism can affect is a few hundred meters at most. But you now... Could this be the difference between a Purple Qi Spiritual Root and an ordinary Spirit Root?” Zhen Jingkong murmured to himself.

”Senior, what level of Spirit Root do you possess?” Chen Fei suddenly asked, having overheard Zhen Jingkong’s mumbling.

”Me?”

Zhen Jingkong was taken aback for a moment, then replied indifferently, ”I have a Green Qi Spiritual Root plus an Innate Mystic Ice Body.”

Hearing this, Chen Fei’s expression changed subtly. It seems this so-called Purple Qi Spiritual Root is far more powerful and formidable than I previously imagined...

”It’s starting,” Zhen Jingkong suddenly reminded him.

Instantly, Chen Fei’s expression turned serious. He lifted his gaze to the direction from which the Spiritual Energy was sweeping over.

In the sky, dark clouds had gathered unnoticed. Thick spiritual light wove through them in layers and strands. In no time, the dark clouds had transformed into a colossal mushroom shape above his head, seeming to brew a great and ominous power.

”You’ve got to be kidding me. Is this for real? With such a display, are they going to strike me with lightning? But I’m not undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation…” Witnessing this, Chen Fei’s face turned slightly pale. He licked his lips stiffly, his expression a mixture of disbelief and misery.

If you were to ask cultivators in the Cultivation World what they feared most, seven or eight out of ten would give you the same two answers.

The things they feared most were Heavenly Demons and Heavenly Tribulations.

Whether human or one of the various Outer Domain Evil Clans, once on the path of cultivation, being struck by lightning was an inevitable ordeal. However, one had to reach a certain level of strength to even qualify for it. Generally, a cultivator had to at least reach the peak of the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer and be preparing for a breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment True Person Realm before they would trigger their first Heavenly Tribulation. But now...

But our Chen Fei, Young Master Chen, is only at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, right? Why is this happening!? What on earth is going on!?

”That’s not a Heavenly Tribulation, but it is something very close to it. In fact, many people dream of such an opportunity. To be able to experience it before your first Heavenly Tribulation—what a priceless experience that would be!” Zhen Jingkong’s words caused Chen Fei’s originally gloomy eyes to sharpen instantly.

He’s right. If I can experience something like this before my first Foundation Establishment Heavenly Tribulation, the experience and knowledge gained would be invaluable. It could be considered priceless! No wonder so many people yearn for it. If I complain any further, I’d truly be ungrateful for the blessings I’ve received.

BOOM!

A terrifying pressure spread from the clouds above, culminating in a muffled thunderclap that echoed across the sky.

”Get ready! It’s about to start!” Zhen Jingkong shouted.

”Understood!”

Upon hearing this, Chen Fei’s expression became resolute. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH! Thirty-six blades of Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire instantly whistled out, swirling around him. The Mid-Grade Magic Artifact, the Mystic Stone Mirror, also spun swiftly, appearing in his palm in the blink of an eye. He gripped it tightly as it began to exude an astonishing might, its spiritual light surging to the heavens.

Say what he might, joke around as he did, he clearly wasn’t the type to misjudge the gravity of a situation. After all, even though this Spirit Qi Baptism was far less terrifying than a Foundation Establishment Heavenly Tribulation, it still presented a massive challenge for him at his current state. This Spirit Qi Baptism must have been tailored to his current cultivation level, its intensity matching his own power.

But then, a surge of what could only be called ’battle intent’ erupted from Chen Fei’s dark, lucid, glass-like eyes. He raised his head high, staring intently at the sky as the Sword Qi of Sanyang True Fire whirled around him and the Mystic Stone Mirror rose to hover above his head. A moment later, a defiant grin spread across his youthful, handsome face.

”Bring it on! I, Chen Fei, want to see just what this first taste of lightning feels like!”

***

Meanwhile, a hundred li away in the deep mountains, there was a peak shrouded and permeated with Demon Qi. The peak was massive, with a sheer cliff face spanning tens of li. A thunderous hundred-meter waterfall cascaded down like an inverted galaxy. Spirit Grass and medicinal herbs glittered like a sky full of stars, catching the eye. Rare and exotic fruits were scattered across the mountain, and a spiritual aura filled the cloudy sky.

At the most conspicuous spot on that mountain stood a large platform. Upon it was a cave mansion, whose thick stone doors were flanked by a dense, crisscrossing mesh of deep claw marks. Radiating both strong and weak Demon Qi, the marks were embedded firmly into the rock wall. Above the solid stone doorway, one could vaguely make out three large characters: Golden Toad Cave!

The entire entrance glowed green, with halos of light swirling around it, a clear sign of powerful wards.

Flanking the entrance, two monstrously ugly, half-human-height toads crouched fiercely. Their backs were covered in oozing pus and protruding warts, and they remained as motionless as stone sculptures, like guardian deities.

Inside the cave mansion, however, was a world of its own. It was resplendent and magnificent, with gleaming lanterns, embedded jewels, and various pavilions, towers, and small palaces.

In the deepest part of the mansion, within the most luxurious secret chamber, a creature clad in Silver White Armor with a toad’s head on its shoulders abruptly opened its eyes. Two trembling, terrified beams of green light shot out from its toad-like eyes. It instantly sprang up from the black stone he sat on.

”Thunder... Heavenly Tribulation!? There’s some great master undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation outside my Golden Toad Cave!?”

”No, that’s not right. This doesn’t seem to be a Heavenly Tribulation... Wait, could this be a Spirit Qi Baptism!?” His tone suddenly turned joyous, as if a massive pie had just fallen from the sky.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH...

Moments later, the great stone doors of the Golden Toad Cave flew open, and a silver-white figure shot out from within, followed by more than a dozen gray-clad figures.