Zhang Yuhe quickly glanced at the small island in the center of the lake and nodded with satisfaction.
"This is it."
With a wave of his right hand, sword energy swept across the sky above the island, clearing away the trees and weeds.
Soon, Zhang Yuhe had cleared a large space at the island's center.
In the middle of the open space, a raised platform, carved by sword energy, emerged.
Zhang Yuhe flew onto the platform, then waved his right hand again, sending tall pillars flying around the island.
It was the Ren Water Lightning Absorption Array—an array he had found in the library.
This formation served a singular purpose: it weakened the power of the heavenly tribulation a cultivator faced during ascension.
Its principle was somewhat similar to that of a lightning rod on Blue Star, though the underlying mechanics were, of course, vastly different.
These pillars, called lightning-absorbing pillars, numbered twenty-eight in total and stood arranged in the shape of stars around the island's perimeter.
Each pillar was a special magical treasure on its own, not much weaker than a typical Tongtian Lingbao.
Creating them required superb weapon-refining skills, substantial resources, and luck.
Zhang Yuhe had been able to gather the necessary materials only after destroying the He and Li families.
For an ordinary Divine Transformation cultivator, even collecting enough materials for a single pillar would have been a lifetime's effort—let alone twenty-eight.
Cultivating immortality demanded more than talent alone; mastering multiple practical skills was equally vital.
Zhang Yuhe embodied this principle. Whether refining elixirs, crafting talismans, or engraving arrays, he did it all himself—never needing to seek help from others.
After placing the twenty-eight lightning-absorbing pillars, he quickly carved array patterns around the island.
Soon, these pillars became interconnected by intricate designs.
Zhang Yuhe performed a series of magic gestures.
"Set up the formation."
A light blue glow rose from the lightning-absorbing pillars, sweeping outward toward the distant waters.
The entire lake was soon enveloped in a faint blue light.
"Done."
Seeing the lightning-absorbing array successfully established, Zhang Yuhe breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to ordinary sixth-level formations, this one was considerably more complex.
Both the construction of the pillars and the on-the-spot carving of the array required a level of skill and preparation far beyond most Divine Transformation cultivators.
With the array activated, Zhang Yuhe moved to the platform at the island's center and sat cross-legged.
He waved his right hand again, and five flags landed at the platform's four corners and center.
Then he produced a black array plate, placing it a short distance before him.
It was the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array.
When cultivators broke through a realm, they drew massive amounts of spiritual energy from their surroundings.
Normally, the ambient spiritual energy would suffice.
But Zhang Yuhe thought, Wouldn't it be better with the blessing of the Five Elements Gathering Array?
A little extra spiritual energy could only help.
After quickly carving some inscriptions, he activated the array with a simple magic formula.
When the formation was fully operational, Zhang Yuhe pulled out several small jade bottles from his storage ring and set them before him.
Each bottle contained different elixirs—for restoring mana or healing injuries.
Facing his first heavenly tribulation, Zhang Yuhe dared not be careless.
Although he had never witnessed another's tribulation, historical records warned of the overwhelming power of natural disasters.
The tribulation that came when a cultivator attempted to enter the Void Refinement realm was known as the Seven-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.
Seven rounds, nine tribulations each—a total of sixty-three heavenly attacks.
Each strike held the power of a Void Refinement cultivator and grew progressively stronger.
Moreover, the strength of the tribulation varied by individual: the more talented the cultivator, the stronger the heavenly wrath.
Throughout Yu Fantian's history, countless prodigies had fallen beneath such calamities.
Thinking of this, Zhang Yuhe couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
In terms of talent, who could compare to him in all of Yu Fantian's annals?
It was difficult to imagine how devastating the heavenly tribulation would be.
The thought alone was terrifying.
Therefore, he had made extensive preparations.
"I hope there won't be any accidents," Zhang Yuhe murmured.
If he could survive this tribulation, he would be better prepared for future ones.
He exhaled slowly.
"Come on. Dead or alive, let me witness the power of the heavenly tribulation."
Zhang Yuhe silently began circulating the Hunyuan Tianjing technique, and the surrounding spiritual energy surged toward him.
As it poured in, the sea of spiritual energy within his dantian rose into colossal waves.
Above it, a small golden figure—radiating dazzling light—floated serenely.
Suddenly, the golden figure opened its eyes and inhaled a massive stream of spiritual energy.
As it did, spiritual energy from tens of thousands of miles around began rushing toward the lake.
In the Yunmang Mountains, monsters, sensing an impending crisis, fled wildly in all directions.
As spiritual energy flowed in faster and faster, Zhang Yuhe's aura began steadily increasing.
Suddenly, the golden figure burst into blinding light.
The glow spread across his dantian, turning it into a sea of golden radiance.
The golden figure gradually began to solidify.
To transform the illusory into the real—that was the meaning of refining emptiness.
Before reaching the Void Refinement realm, a cultivator's Nascent Soul was merely an illusory entity.
It could be seen, leave the body, and even wield magical powers or weapons.
Yet it remained extremely fragile.
Any direct attack on the Nascent Soul could cause it to dissipate instantly, meaning death for the cultivator.
Thus, very few dared to allow their Nascent Soul to leave the body unless their physical form was already destroyed.
Breaking through to the Void Refinement realm was the process of the Nascent Soul becoming real.
Now, in Zhang Yuhe's dantian, that transformation was underway.
Spiritual energy flooded into him as the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array worked at full capacity.
The air around him thickened with spiritual energy until it resembled heavy rain pouring into his dantian.
Time passed slowly.
The spiritual surge around the lake persisted for three days.
Then, suddenly, the golden figure in Zhang Yuhe's dantian erupted once more with scorching light.
Zhang Yuhe felt his entire being lighten, as if he had stepped across a great threshold into a new world.
His Nascent Soul had fully materialized.
He had successfully reached the Void Refinement realm.
At that moment, the surrounding skies abruptly darkened, and ominous clouds churned overhead.
The heavenly tribulation had arrived.