Chapter 1107: The Thirty-Six Tribulations
The quasi-saint realm is also part of the ninth-order half-saint stage. However, in a certain sense, this stage transcends the ninth-order half-saint, infinitely approaching the saint realm. Therefore, even if an outsider possesses extremely powerful spiritual power, it is very difficult to see clearly how many quasi-saint tribulations the other party has endured. They can only make a rough assessment based on the combat power displayed.
It must be known that White Li Princess's strength was enough to contend with weaker lower-level saints. Zhang Ruochen had always believed that she had already passed one or two quasi-saint tribulations. He never expected that she was only at the ninth-order half-saint realm.
Being so powerful at just the ninth-order half-saint level, once she passed her first quasi-saint tribulation, it was hard to imagine how strong she would become.
Clearly, the stronger a cultivator's physique and the more powerful the sacred dao rules they cultivate, the more terrifying the lightning tribulation they attract when crossing the quasi-saint tribulation.
Sun Dadi was no weakling. Without reaching the quasi-saint realm, he could briefly clash with a beast king. Among humans, he was definitely a top-tier prodigy, with a physique even stronger than a sacred body. Yet, the tribulation lightning attracted by White Li Princess was twice as thick as his.
What did that mean?
"As expected of an ancient descendant. No matter how excellent acquired beings are, it's hard for them to compare," Zhang Ruochen said softly, gazing at the two dark tribulation clouds—one large, one small—in the distance.
"Roar!"
Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works let out a long roar in unison, one after the other. The two monks emitted brilliant Buddhist light, one white and one black, splitting the space of this mountain into half day and half night. Within their bodies, a vast and profound Sanskrit sound resonated, drawing a circular tribulation cloud. In the cloud, black and white lightning intertwined, forming a massive yin-yang fish pattern.
They were also about to undergo their first quasi-saint tribulation. Moreover, the quasi-saint tribulation they attracted was somewhat strange. The two tribulation clouds were connected, entwined and inseparable, emitting a destructive aura even more powerful than the cloud attracted by White Li Princess.
The tribulation cloud attracted by Sun Dadi was about twenty miles long. White Li Princess's was nearly thirty miles long. The one attracted by Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works reached over forty miles, covering a vast expanse of sky and casting a huge shadow on the ground.
In single combat at the same realm, Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works were no match for White Li Princess. However, when the two monks fought together, they could unleash terrifying combat power, definitely enough to suppress her.
Generally speaking, even if two cultivators coordinated flawlessly, they could at most increase their combat power by fifty to sixty percent. Reaching seventy percent was an exceptional performance. A combination like Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works, which could multiply combat power several times over, was virtually unheard of and unseen.
"Are they twins?" Murong Yue asked curiously, making this guess.
"How do they look like twins?" Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile.
Xiao Hei said, "Perhaps the two of them aren't human at all, but alien beings."
"Alien beings? Plants?" Murong Yue showed a surprised expression.
"Plants are still considered conventional beings, not alien," Xiao Hei said with a profound look, speaking eloquently. "So-called alien beings cover a wide range. For example, a sacred pill, if its grade is high enough and someone awakens it, can give birth to intelligence. It can cultivate the sacred dao like humans, comprehend sacred dao rules, and eventually cultivate a human form, becoming a top-tier powerhouse."
"Besides that, flames can cultivate a human form, stones can cultivate a human form, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting can all cultivate a human form. Of course, it doesn't have to be a human form; it could also be a body like a barbaric beast."
"In short, the categories of alien beings are extremely broad. There are only alien beings you can't imagine, not ones you can't see. However, alien beings are rare. An ordinary cultivator might not encounter a single one in their entire lifetime."
Murong Yue was puzzled and asked, "Why is that?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "An alien that can cultivate a human form must have a very precious original body. For example, if a pill cultivates a human form, how precious must its original body be? How many strong cultivators would want to capture it, swallow it, or refine it?"
Xiao Hei nodded and said, "Even if it's just a stone, if it can cultivate a human form, it proves its material is very special, definitely a divine material for artifact refining. Therefore, every alien being works hard to hide their identity to avoid being hunted. So, the number of alien beings might not be less than that of ancient descendants, but it's extremely hard to see them."
Then Xiao Hei added, "The 'Half-Saint External List' has quite a few alien beings. Two or three of them are quite powerful, no less than Qingtian Crown Prince. Those two monks are undergoing their first quasi-saint tribulation. Who knows, the power of the tribulation lightning might force out their original forms."
Whether Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works were alien beings or not, Zhang Ruochen would not harm them. Of course, he was still quite curious about whether the two monks were alien beings, and if so, what type they were.
Zhang Ruochen opened his heavenly eye on his brow and looked toward the two monks under the black-and-white tribulation cloud hundreds of miles away.
The first quasi-saint tribulation was also called the "Thirty-Six Tribulations," meaning the cultivator would undergo the test of thirty-six lightning strikes. Only by passing the Thirty-Six Tribulations could one step into the realm of a first-tribulation quasi-saint.
Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works stood beneath the tribulation cloud, one sitting and one lying down, assuming two different Buddha statue postures, enduring the lightning's baptism on their fleshly bodies. Grand Minister of Works's body seemed carved from white jade, crystal clear, with lightning striking him without causing any damage. Second Minister of Works's body, however, was pitch black, like meteorite iron.
"One white, one black, yet of the same origin. They emit a pure innate qi, completely different from the acquired blood qi of humans. They must be alien beings without a doubt," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
As for what specific type of alien beings Grand Minister of Works and Second Minister of Works were, Zhang Ruochen couldn't tell. A layer of mist shrouded the two monks, hiding their original forms, which even his heavenly eye couldn't see through. It seemed that a top-tier strong cultivator had used a secret technique to protect them, concealing their true forms.
Sun Dadi, White Li Princess, Grand Minister of Works, and Second Minister of Works had all long reached the peak of the ninth-order half-saint realm. Therefore, after absorbing the pill qi, they broke through their realm limits and attracted the quasi-saint tribulation. As for Huang Yanchen, she had only recently broken through to the ninth-order half-saint realm. At this stage, her cultivation was steadily improving, gradually climbing to the peak of the ninth-order half-saint. She would obviously need to accumulate more before attempting the quasi-saint realm.
Sun Dadi was the first to successfully pass his first quasi-saint tribulation. His entire body was charred black, with earthworm-like electric patterns still flowing over him, making a sizzling sound. He was extremely excited, hands on his hips, laughing up at the sky: "With my current cultivation, I should be able to rank on the 'Half-Saint List' and enter the first-rate expert sequence."
Zhang Ruochen flew over, hovering three zhang above the ground with his hands behind his back, ruthlessly deflating him: "You're still far from the first-rate expert sequence. It will probably be hard for you to rank on the 'Half-Saint List.' However, you should be able to rank in the top five hundred of the 'Half-Saint External List.'"
"How is that possible? I've already passed my first quasi-saint tribulation. With one iron staff, I can beat a beast king to the ground." Sun Dadi was very unconvinced, feeling that Zhang Ruochen looked down on him.
Zhang Ruochen said, "The path of cultivation is like sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall back. You're improving, but so are others. Do you think the prodigies of various races on the 'Half-Saint List' and 'Half-Saint External List' are all standing still?"
"Your current rate of progress is definitely surpassing them, leaving a large number of strong cultivators behind. But if you don't continue to cultivate diligently, they will catch up and push you out of the 'Half-Saint External List' again."
The Azure Dragon Ruins Realm had given birth to countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Obtaining just one could allow a cultivator's cultivation to soar, making them a top-tier expert and leaving other cultivators far behind. Even Zhang Ruochen dared not slack off even a little; he had to cultivate desperately to maintain his current advantage. If he became self-righteous and complacent, he would soon be squeezed out of the first-rate expert sequence and fall behind again.
For this reason, Zhang Ruochen stepped forward to ruthlessly deflate Sun Dadi, hoping he would continue to cultivate diligently and gradually expand his advantage.
Sun Dadi, however, remained quite optimistic, laughing: "No matter what, from now on, when I encounter beast kings, I can fight them to the heavens and earth, without having to flee in panic. Besides, I've just reached the first-tribulation quasi-saint realm. There's still plenty of room for improvement. Soon, I'll definitely be able to crush them."
The Thirty-Six Tribulations were not particularly dangerous. Most half-saints could successfully cross the tribulation. Only a few half-saints with insufficient accumulation would fall in the tribulation lightning.
White Li Princess, Grand Minister of Works, and Second Minister of Works all successfully passed the Thirty-Six Tribulations, reaching the quasi-saint realm.
White Li Princess's cultivation had greatly advanced. She cast a glance toward Zhang Ruochen with her big, round eyes, then gently swayed her perky buttocks.
"Snap!"
Her white tail formed a curved arc and lashed out, growing longer and longer, attacking Zhang Ruochen, who stood a hundred zhang away. The white tail emitted a chilling cold, causing snowflakes like blades to condense in the air and fly out with the tail.
Zhang Ruochen's alertness was extremely high. The moment White Li Princess swayed her buttocks, he immediately used spatial displacement and vanished from his spot. The next moment, holding the Abyssal Ancient Sword, he appeared before White Li Princess, pointing the sword tip at her brow, his voice icy: "Do you want to die?"
"I just wanted to test if I've entered the first-rate expert sequence after reaching the quasi-saint realm. Why are you so fierce?"
White Li Princess retracted her tail, pouting her crystal-clear red lips with a hint of grievance, and said, "If I were really going all out, how could I use such a slow attack? You know, my speed is not slower than yours. You're just relying on spatial displacement to be a little faster than me. Hmph!"
White Li Princess wanted to convince Zhang Ruochen, not wanting to invite death because of what just happened. She knew that this guy in front of her had a capricious personality—very friendly to friends, able to laugh and talk, but ruthless and merciless to enemies, with no humanity, having killed enough beasts to pile up into a mountain. (To be continued...)