440: Chapter 440 Comfort

Yun Xuanxuan grit her teeth and circulated the spiritual energy within her body.

She engaged in a silent tug-of-war with the astral wind that was tearing at her Divine Soul.

The spiritual energy transformed into a gentle barrier, protecting the exterior of her Sea of Consciousness, only to be torn apart by the astral wind time and again, reforming each time.

Her face grew increasingly pale, and beads of sweat slid down her cheeks, dripping onto her jacket and skirt to form small wet patches. Yet her eyes remained bright as she desperately held onto her crumbling Divine Soul.

But unfortunately...

Many things were decided from the very beginning and could not be changed simply by gritting one's teeth.

Yun Xuanxuan watched the surrounding scenes gradually dissipate, looking at the vast desert shrouded in yellow sand as she whispered, "It seems I've failed the tribulation."

When the first blast of astral wind struck, an old wound deep within her Divine Soul was torn open; the piercing pain nearly caused her to faint.

From that moment, she knew she lacked the talent for immortality.

Years ago on the Rain God Continent, she had been abducted by the Chusheng Sect to be used as a test subject for medicine, and a Slave Seal was forcibly branded upon her Divine Soul. Although she later managed to escape and used precious Spirit Medicine to repair her Divine Soul, the defect left by that Slave Seal was like a maggot on a bone, impossible to eradicate.

The Wind Tribulation tempers the Primordial Spirit, serving as the ultimate test of the Divine Soul's purity and resilience.

Her repaired, branded Divine Soul had ceased to be pure the moment the Slave Seal was applied. Since she couldn't even pass the test of "purity," there was no point in testing her "resilience."

To her, this Wind Tribulation was more like an uncheatable background check; the outcome had been predetermined long ago.

As Yun Xuanxuan's thoughts drifted, another figure emerged from the chaotic astral winds and slowly landed beside her.

Seeing the person with disheveled hair and blood at the corner of their mouth, she was stunned for a moment before softly speaking, "Senior Dongfang?"

Dongfang Li's eyes were vacant, her face filled with disbelief.

The Cultivation Techniques and Divine Abilities she practiced were among the best on the Nine Provinces Continent, and her natural talent and cultivation base were uniquely outstanding—otherwise, she wouldn't have been taken in as a Disciple by Heavenly Venerable Mogong.

But she had actually failed? She didn't possess the talent for immortality?

Compared to Yun Xuanxuan's composure, this dignified Pavilion Revered Master of the Tiangong Pavilion seemed quite devastated. Hundreds of years of cultivation, day and night of arduous practice, discarding countless distracting thoughts—all she sought was the path to immortality.

Yet a single Wind Tribulation had shattered all her hopes.

To put it simply, her current state of mind was like a graduate student being rejected while looking for a job.

Another gust of astral wind swept past, causing their sleeves to flutter.

Yun Xuanxuan called out "Pavilion Master Dongfang" three times before Dongfang Li finally snapped out of it, gazing at the Void Realm with a complex expression and letting out a soft sigh.

"It seems the talent for Immortal Ascension is not something everyone can possess, after all."

"Senior Dongfang, you needn't take it too much to heart. Revered Master often says that the opportunities in this world are a blessing if gained, and fate if lost," Yun Xuanxuan consoled her softly.

"How could it be so simple, so easy?"

"Since I stepped onto the path of cultivation, though I didn't start with the goal of becoming an immortal, I have braved Secret Realms, slain demons, and poured my heart and soul into it for hundreds of years. I never allowed myself a moment of slack. I thought that with my cultivation base and willpower, even if I couldn't undergo the tribulation easily, I wouldn't fail at the Wind Tribulation..."

"But in the end, I don't even have the talent. These hundreds of years of persistence feel like a joke."

Dongfang Li's chest heaved slightly; she was clearly still troubled.

"Miss Yun, do you not feel even the slightest bit of resentment?"

"No."

Yun Xuanxuan shook her head gently, her eyes as clear as mountain stream water, as if she were stating something obvious. "To be able to study under Revered Master is, for me, the greatest talent for immortality in this life."

She paused, then continued to comfort her:

"On the path to immortality, there are times of smooth sailing and times of stumbling. If you trip over a stone and take a hard fall while walking, does that mean you've taken the wrong path?"

"Revered Master once said, just because someone else's Great Dao is good, does that mean the path we walk is bad? Such binary, childish thinking—how can one even talk about cultivating immortality?"

"The Great Dao shouldn't be so narrow."

Dongfang Li stared blankly at the woman beside her, waves of emotion rising in her heart.

In her mind, the figure of a man in snow-white robes involuntarily appeared! After carefully mulling over Yun Xuanxuan's words and reflecting on her previous mindset and resentment, she suddenly found it somewhat absurd and laughable.

To think that after hundreds of years of cultivation, her state of mind was not even as clear as a young girl's.

Dongfang Li exhaled a heavy breath of pent-up frustration and bowed to Yun Xuanxuan with her hands clasped, her tone sincere.

"Thank you, Miss Yun, for clearing my doubts."

Yun Xuanxuan quickly took a step forward to stop her. "Senior, you overstate it. I was merely relaying Revered Master's teachings."

"Alright," Dongfang Li said, looking around at the stabilizing scenery, her voice low. "Since only the two of us are here, it means the others might have undergone their tribulations without issue."

"This desert is a place of trouble, after all. I don't know if those great demons from before were completely eliminated. We should find a place to settle down first."

"I have already used a message talisman to inform the other Disciples; I expect a response soon."

Yun Xuanxuan gave a soft hum of agreement. With Revered Master around, she had nothing to worry about.

...

On the other side!

After successfully passing the Wind and Lightning Tribulations, Xiao Lingxian watched the surrounding scenery dissipate, replaced by blazing red flames. She knew this was the final tribulation Revered Master had mentioned.

The Fire Tribulation tempers the Dao Foundation!

"I wonder how Eldest Senior Sister and Little Junior Sister are doing..." she whispered to herself before striding into the flames.

Just as she stepped in, a scorching aura exploded from within her body!

"Ugh!"

Even though Xiao Lingxian was long accustomed to such sensations due to her Physique, she was still caught off guard and let out a muffled groan.

This fire was not an external one but an internal fire originating from herself. As soon as it ignited, it traveled along her Meridians, and everywhere it passed... it actually felt rather tingly and numb.

Internal fire burns the body, and Primordial Qi destroys itself.

She immediately recalled Revered Master's warning about the Fire Tribulation. Forcing herself to remain conscious, she circulated her cultivation base to suppress the rampaging flames, only to find that the more she suppressed the internal fire, the more fiercely it burned. It even began to backfire on her Primordial Qi, causing her cultivation base to show signs of collapsing.

"I can't resist it head-on..."

Xiao Lingxian immediately sank her Divine Sense into her body, carefully sensing the changes in the Fire Tribulation.

Soon, she realized that although the Fire Tribulation seemed violent and chaotic, it was actually well-ordered. Ultimately, it was a test of one's "Dao Foundation."

Crimson flames flowed through her blood vessels like lava, searing her bones, organs, and even permeating every pore of her skin.

Xiao Lingxian could clearly feel the remaining mortal Impurities in her body, the Karmic Obstructions stained from past experiences, and the Turbid Yin Energy she had failed to fully refine during cultivation all gradually melting under the roasting of the flames, turning into wisps of grayish-black mist that drifted out from her body.

The suffering involved could only be described as polarized.

If one's Dao Foundation was as solid as a rock, it would feel tingly and pleasant; otherwise, it would be like submerging one's internal organs into a vat of boiling oil.