The Soul Awakening cultivators of the Totem Palace gather together to discuss what should be done about Merin.
At first, they had allowed him to build the city without much interference.
But now, as the benefits of the city become increasingly clear, greed slowly begins to take root in their hearts.
Their eyes turn red with desire.
The profits.
The growing influence.
The constant flow of rare resources.
All of it now passes through Dragon City.
Their discussion grows tense and heated.
Voices rise one after another.
Arguments begin to form.
Then suddenly, all of them fall silent at the same moment.
They turn their heads toward the south.
Something has changed.
Something powerful.
Without another word, they rise into the air.
One after another, they fly south at great speed.
Their senses spread outward as they search for the source of the disturbance.
At the same time, within Dragon City, Merin slowly opens his eyes.
He senses it immediately.
The tribulation clouds are forming above him.
He rises from his cave beneath the totem.
His figure appears above the city in an instant.
Without hesitation, he ascends.
Higher.
Passing through the ordinary clouds.
The tribulation clouds follow his movement.
They gather above him like a living mass.
Dark.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Thunder rolls continuously within them.
Lightning flickers like serpents.
The sky trembles under their presence.
Merin remains calm and composed.
He begins refining his Qi Sea.
The golden sea within his dantian compresses steadily.
Layer by layer, it condenses.
Transforms.
Gradually, it crystallises into something more solid.
A golden crystal forms.
When it stabilises completely, it rises from his mouth.
It floats steadily above his head.
Radiant.
Pure.
At that moment, figures arrive from all directions.
Soul Awakening cultivators from the Maggon Mountains.
Elders from the three Lotus Sects.
They all gather in the sky.
They witness the scene unfolding before them.
And their expressions change immediately.
The tribulation descends.
A bolt of lightning crashes down from the clouds.
It does not strike Merin directly.
Instead, it strikes the golden crystal above him.
The sky explodes with thunder.
The watching cultivators cry out in shock.
"Fool!"
They understand exactly what he is attempting.
And they cannot believe it.
Crossing tribulation is always extremely dangerous.
Every cultivator prepares with utmost caution.
They rely on magic weapons.
Defensive arrays.
Layered protection.
They endure the lightning strikes carefully.
Then, after the thunder disperses, they absorb the remaining energy bit by bit.
They refine it slowly.
Strengthen their core gradually.
That is the safest method known.
But Merin…
He is doing it directly.
Using the tribulation itself to temper his core without any protection.
Without any buffer.
Without any hesitation.
They look at him with disbelief.
Some show pity.
Some show disdain.
They cannot help but wonder if no one ever taught him the proper way to face a tribulation.
The thunder strikes the golden crystal.
Merin feels as if something immensely heavy crashes into him.
A dull, cracking sound echoes from within.
When the lightning disperses, the crystal becomes visible again.
It is filled with cracks.
Fine lines spread across its surface.
Some deep.
Some shallow.
The watching cultivators stare intently.
Merin does not panic.
He controls the crystal calmly.
Guiding it to absorb the scattered thunder energy.
And the surrounding spiritual energy.
Slowly, the cracks begin to soften.
The sharp edges smooth over.
The structure stabilises.
Then the second thunder falls.
It descends with even greater force.
It strikes the crystal directly.
Again, the cracking sound appears.
Again, the crystal trembles violently.
When the lightning fades, more cracks are visible.
Yet Merin continues the same process.
Absorbing.
Refining.
Repairing.
The cultivators around him are already stunned.
Then the third thunder falls.
Followed by the fourth.
The fifth.
Each strike grows heavier.
Each impact is more violent.
The crystal breaks again and again.
And each time, Merin refines it further.
The cracks become part of its structure.
The edges gradually round out.
What was once a rough crystal begins to take the shape of a pill.
The sixth thunder descends.
The seventh follows closely.
The eighth crashes down like a collapsing sky.
And finally,
The ninth thunder strikes.
When the light fades, the crystal has completely transformed.
It is no longer a jagged core.
It is now a smooth, rounded crystal pill.
At that moment, a rune appears upon its surface.
It glows faintly.
A single mark.
The aura of an Origin Rune cultivator spreads outward from Merin.
The surrounding cultivators fall silent.
But the tribulation does not end.
The clouds above continue to churn.
Another wave begins.
The tenth thunder falls.
Then the eleventh.
Up to the eighteenth.
Each group of nine thunders forms another rune upon the pill.
The second rune appears.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
Each new rune causes shock among the observers.
They have never seen someone treat the tribulation as if nothing.
Never heard of it.
Merin continues enduring.
Refining.
Absorbing.
The fifth rune forms.
Then the sixth.
When the seventh rune blooms upon the pill,
The atmosphere changes.
Killing intent rises from several cultivators.
Quiet.
Subtle.
But real.
Because what Merin is displaying now…
Is the posture of a Saint.
And no force wishes for a Saint to rise outside their control.
Yet none of them moves.
They cannot.
The tribulation still continues.
To interfere now would mean certain death.
The eighth rune appears.
Then,
The ninth.
The tribulation clouds begin to fade.
The thunder disperses.
The sky slowly clears.
Many believe it is over.
Merin's advancement has reached its peak.
But Merin does not stop.
He frantically absorbs the surrounding energy.
Every trace of spiritual energy.
Every remnant of tribulation power.
The crystal pill descends.
It enters his body.
Golden light blooms from within him.
The pill moves upward.
Into his spirit space.
It settles there.
Taking the place where his soul once resided.
Then the next step begins.
For Merin, this part is simple.
His soul separates from his body.
It emerges outward.
Then, guided by his will, it returns.
It enters the crystal pill.
At that moment,
The power of the Soul Awakening Stage erupts.
A new aura spreads from his body.
But it does not remain at the initial stage.
The foundation he has built begins to take effect.
His cultivation surges.
From the initial stage,
To intermediate.
Then to the late stage.
It continues rising.
Until it reaches the very limit of the late stage.
And finally,
It stabilises.
Merin slowly opens his eyes.
He looks around.
In the surrounding sky, more figures have gathered.
Soul Awakening cultivators.
Even Soul Enlightenment cultivators have arrived.
Their gazes fall upon him.
Some carry ill intent.
Some hide their killing intent.
Others observe with pure curiosity.
Merin remains calm.
His Virtual Space Law was originally at Level Three.
But within his True Spirit, he still retains the deeper structure of the Virtual Space Law from his past.
Before the Dao Poison corrupted him, he had already separated that part.
At its peak, that law corresponded to the Saint Stage.
Which would be equivalent to Level Thirteen.
However, he could not use it directly.
Even though the Human World is part of the Supreme World, the way laws manifest differs.
The essence may be the same.
But the interpretation changes.
Because of that, his higher understanding could not be directly applied.
It required adaptation.
The transformation of the Dream Worm raised his Virtual Space Law to Level Four.
And during the tribulation, everything changed.
The world revealed itself clearly.
Each rune formed on the pill was a recognition from the world itself.
A mark of acceptance.
By analysing those runes, Merin's understanding deepened rapidly.
His Virtual Space Law rises.
Reaching the limit of Level Six.
Half a step into Level Seven.
Among the surrounding cultivators, even some Soul Enlightenment experts have only reached Level Seven.
When Merin releases his Virtual Field,
The atmosphere shifts.
The surrounding cultivators become solemn.
Their thoughts change instantly.
The earlier killing intent fades.
No one dares to act rashly.
At that moment, the Dragon Totem within the city reacts.
It blooms with power.
A stream of faith descends upon Merin.
His aura surges.
Rising further.
Reaching a level comparable to a Soul Transformation cultivator.
Now,
Fear appears in the eyes of those watching.
Their expressions change.
The hostility disappears completely.
Instead, they smile.
One by one, they step forward.
They offer congratulations.
Because now, the difficulty of killing Merin has become nearly impossible.
Merin accepts their congratulations calmly.
Without arrogance.
Without humility.
Then, without another word,
He disappears.
Returning once again to the cave beneath the totem.
Far away from Dragon City,
After passing through countless trials,
Chu Feng and Yu Diexin stand before two ancient statues.
One depicts an ocean dragon.
The other, a snow spirit.
The statues suddenly glow.
Light envelops them.
In the next moment,
The two find themselves standing before a grand palace.
It rests upon an island of ice.
Floating above a vast ocean.