Qin Shuhan breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage

Chen Yuan, the mastermind behind all this turmoil, had long since distanced himself from the situation.

He reunited with Ye Baixi and the other three women at a ruin.

This ruin had been discovered by Qin Shuhan and was one of the core ruins on the first level.

Upon seeing Chen Yuan again, Ye Baixi and Lin Xue were overjoyed.

A day felt like three autumns.

Although only three days had passed, in the hearts of the two women, it felt like a full nine years!

"Brother." The two women called out sweetly in unison, then threw themselves into Chen Yuan's arms.

Chen Yuan held one in each arm, pressing their faces against his chest.

Just then, Shen Nianchu poked her head out from the main hall. Upon seeing that Chen Yuan had returned, she hurriedly said, "Junior Martial Brother, hurry and go protect Senior Sister!"

Ye Baixi tapped her small head. "That's right! Brother, hurry to the back of the ruins. Senior Sister Qin is preparing for her Soul Transformation Breakthrough."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan's expression tightened. He instantly transformed into a streak of light and sped toward the back of the ruins.

The ruins were quite large, with continuous halls and palaces. Although mostly dilapidated, one could still glimpse their former glory.

The back mountain area was relatively secluded, featuring a fairly intact white jade platform surrounded by the remnants of spirit-gathering array patterns.

At this moment, in the center of the platform, Qin Shuhan sat cross-legged with her eyes tightly shut.

Spiritual Qi surged around her, rising and falling like the tides. Above her head, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was gathering frantically, forming a massive vortex of Spiritual Qi, with faint sounds of wind and thunder echoing from within.

Clearly, she had reached the critical moment of challenging the Soul Transformation Bottleneck.

Shen Nianchu, Ye Baixi, and Lin Xue arrived one after another, guarding from a short distance away, watching the scene with nervous expressions.

Shen Nianchu transmitted her voice in a low tone, "Senior Sister has been preparing to challenge the Soul Transformation Breakthrough for two days now. Her aura is getting stronger and stronger; it should be today."

Chen Yuan nodded, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings as he expanded his Divine Sense to carefully inspect the area.

He wanted to ensure that no danger could interfere with Qin Shuhan.

"Rest assured! I am here." A voice transmission entered Qin Shuhan's mind, settling her heart somewhat.

As time slowly passed, the vortex of Spiritual Qi on the platform became increasingly violent.

Beads of sweat seeped from Qin Shuhan's forehead, and her delicate body trembled slightly; she was clearly under immense pressure.

The Soul Transformation Stage required nurturing the Nascent Soul to form a unique Primordial Spirit and merging with Heaven and Earth.

Suddenly, the sky darkened abruptly, dark clouds gathered, and lightning snakes slithered within the clouds!

"It's the Heavenly Tribulation!" Lin Xue exclaimed.

The Soul Transformation Tribulation!

"Retreat further." Chen Yuan signaled for the three women to step back.

"Boom!"

The first bolt of heavenly lightning, as thick as an arm and carrying an aura of destruction, struck down ruthlessly!

Qin Shuhan opened her beautiful eyes abruptly, a flash of determination in them. She pointed her fingers like a sword, and an extremely condensed ice-blue Sword Qi shot into the sky, colliding fiercely with the lightning bolt.

Amidst the deafening sound, the Sword Qi and the lightning vanished simultaneously, and the shockwave of the dissipating energy caused the platform to tremble.

Qin Shuhan's body swayed slightly, and her face turned a shade paler, but her eyes became even brighter.

Following that, the second, the third... the heavenly lightning grew more ferocious with each strike, and the color gradually shifted from ordinary silver to a hint of pale purple.

Qin Shuhan used all her methods, alternating between Sword Qi, Magic Treasures, and Divine Abilities, struggling to withstand the bombardment of the Heavenly Tribulation.

A trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, and her aura began to become unstable.

Chen Yuan frowned slightly. He could feel that Qin Shuhan's Spiritual Qi was being depleted rapidly, and she would likely be unable to withstand the subsequent heavenly lightning solely by relying on her own strength.

Just as the seventh terrifying bolt of heavenly lightning, thick with a deep purple hue, was condensing and about to strike, Chen Yuan moved.

He waved his hand, and an extremely pure stream of Spiritual Qi, like a gentle brook, silently flowed into Qin Shuhan's body.

At the same time, he channeled a trace of his own Sword Emperor Domain, forming an invisible shield to protect Qin Shuhan's Divine Soul, helping her resist the terrifying pressure and mental impact from the Heavenly Tribulation.

Having received the replenishment of Chen Yuan's pure Spiritual Qi and the protection of her Divine Soul, Qin Shuhan's spirit lifted, and her previously flagging aura instantly recovered by more than half.

She gave Chen Yuan a grateful look, then immediately pushed her Cultivation Technique to the limit. An umbrella-shaped defensive Magic Treasure bloomed with brilliant radiance, meeting the seventh purple lightning bolt.

"Boom!"

The Magic Treasure trembled violently, its radiance flickering, but it ultimately held firm.

The eighth, the ninth!

The final two bolts of heavenly lightning reached the peak of their power, almost illuminating the entire white jade platform in a purple-white hue.

Qin Shuhan gritted her teeth and poured all her remaining Spiritual Qi into the long sword in her hand.

She let out a soft shout, and a Domain erupted from her as the center, colliding fiercely with the final two bolts of destructive heavenly lightning!

Chen Yuan was stunned; he hadn't expected that at this critical moment, Senior Sister's sword path would reach the fourth realm.

"Bang!!!"

After the deafening sound, the blinding light gradually dissipated.

At this moment, a huge deep pit had appeared on the white jade platform.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Chen Yuan leaped into the air and was just able to see Qin Shuhan lying inside, with a damaged, broken sword beside her.

At this moment, she was on the verge of death, her skirt was shattered, and several bloody lacerations appeared on her body, making one feel unavoidable heartache.

Not only that, one could also see her snow-white collarbone and the faintly visible purple undergarment...

The tribulation clouds in the sky began to slowly disperse, and wisps of pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, as if drawn by a force, turned into a rain of light and fell, merging into Qin Shuhan's body.

It nourished her Physical Body and her newly born Primordial Spirit.

A ray of rosy light shot up into the sky from the pit.

Qin Shuhan's injuries were recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye, and her Dantian and internal organs underwent a qualitative leap.

The pressure of the Soul Transformation Stage erupted from within her.

She had successfully made the Breakthrough!

"She succeeded!" Feeling this Soul Transformation pressure, Ye Baixi jumped up in joy.

Lin Xue and Shen Nianchu also revealed smiles of relief.

Qin Shuhan slowly stood up and raised her head, just in time to meet Chen Yuan's gaze.

Chen Yuan looked away, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Originally, Qin Shuhan wanted to thank her Junior Martial Brother, but instead, she saw the awkward expression on his face.

She looked puzzled, then lowered her head and happened to see her tattered clothing.

She revealed a rare trace of shyness and hurriedly took out a brand-new set of clothes to put on.

She flew out of the pit and landed in front of the women.

"Yay! Senior Sister, you're amazing!" Shen Nianchu jumped up and down, genuinely happy for Qin Shuhan.

"Congratulations, Senior Sister!" Chen Yuan landed beside Qin Shuhan and cupped his hands in congratulations.

"This is all thanks to Junior Martial Brother." Qin Shuhan stared into Chen Yuan's eyes with a look that was half-smile, half-tease.

Chen Yuan scratched his head awkwardly; he really hadn't done it on purpose!

Everyone prepared to rest for one more night before setting off for the second level. As it happened, this ruin contained a teleportation array leading to the second level.

There were many rooms, and that night, Shen Nianchu chose the room furthest to the north; she didn't want to suffer any more torture.

This made Ye Baixi and Lin Xue incredibly happy.

Finally, they didn't have to cover their mouths and hold back, afraid to speak.

Actually... Chen Yuan quite liked their expressions of pain, frowning, yet not daring to make a sound.