Lin Yinyin waited for a week, but Zhang Xian didn’t step out of his room even once.

“Senior is in seclusion.”

Lin Yinyin quickly adjusted her mindset. If she couldn’t figure it out, she simply stopped trying. Besides, with the Zhou Tian Protective Formation safeguarding Shuiyun City, she had no reason to worry about Senior doing anything harmful to her. At least the treasures she carried were all genuine.

Lin Yinyin swallowed a Foundation Establishment Pill, immediately feeling an overwhelming sense of comfort. The dispersed medicinal energy began to surge through her internal organs, smoothing her bones and meridians. After half an hour, she opened her exquisite eyes, filled with newfound clarity. She had sensed the Heavenly Tribulation—she was about to break through! This was two full years earlier than her original plan.

“Thank you, Senior, for your kindness!”

Lin Yinyin left a message transmission behind and headed straight for the Shuiyun Sect’s Steward Hall.

“Registered disciple Lin Yinyin is preparing to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and requests the sect’s protection during the tribulation,” Lin Yinyin said to one of the stewards at the hall.

“Oh? So soon? I remember last year you had just reached the eighth level, Junior Sister Yinyin, and now you’re already at Foundation Establishment? Congratulations!” The steward attending to Lin Yinyin was a young-looking cultivator. Though there were over a thousand registered disciples in the Shuiyun Sect, he remembered Lin Yinyin clearly—mainly because she was exceptionally beautiful.

“Thank you, Senior Brother. I’ve had some recent insights,” Lin Yinyin replied with a smile.

The steward handed her a jade slip. “Junior Sister can choose one of the Elders to protect you during the tribulation.”

In the Southern Region, most sect disciples maintained relationships with their sects akin to employer-employee arrangements: one side fulfilled tasks, the other provided compensation. The Shuiyun Sect was no exception. Only a very few exceptional talents received free, intensive cultivation from the sect—a form of investment, bluntly speaking, aimed at nurturing these prodigies so they could later repay the sect with their strength.

Lin Yinyin examined the jade slip and finally selected a female cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Her protection fee was five mid-grade Spirit Stones per session. “I’ll choose Elder Sun then.”

The steward was somewhat astonished. Elder Sun was the most expensive cultivator listed on the jade slip! Lin Yinyin truly had deep pockets!

In the past, Lin Yinyin would never have dared spend such a sum. But now, with Senior as her backing, five mid-grade Spirit Stones were still precious, but her life was far more valuable.

The Southern Region had enjoyed peace for many years, and most cultivators who met their ends did so due to Heavenly Tribulations. Even armed to the teeth, Lin Yinyin still needed to proceed with utmost caution.

Soon after, Elder Sun arrived at the Steward Hall. She appeared as a gentle, elderly woman. Foundation Establishment cultivators enjoyed a lifespan of 500 years, and she was already over 480 years old. Unfortunately, she had only reached the eighth level of Foundation Establishment and had no hope of further advancement.

Seeing Lin Yinyin’s delicate features and vibrant energy, Elder Sun couldn’t help but recall her own youth. She, too, had once been a beautiful female cultivator, young and full of vitality. But now, with her lifespan dwindling and her spiritual power declining, even maintaining her youthful appearance was becoming increasingly difficult. To eke out a few more years of life, she had resigned herself to letting her appearance age naturally.

Lin Yinyin politely performed a respectful bow to Elder Sun, and the two stepped into the teleportation array within the hall, arriving at a mountain peak inside the Shuiyun Sect grounds. The peak was shrouded in swirling spiritual energy, and the rocks bore numerous scorched marks—this was a common site for disciples to undergo their Heavenly Tribulations.

Elder Sun skillfully tossed several low-grade Spirit Stones, activating a Spirit Gathering Formation that intensified the spiritual energy at the peak. She then thoughtfully cast another recovery formation, this time of the Water element, around Lin Yinyin. After all, she too cared about her reputation.

Once the preparations were complete, Elder Sun sat cross-legged at the center of the formation. “With me here, no one will disturb you. You may cultivate peacefully and await your breakthrough without worry.”

“Thank you, Senior,” Lin Yinyin replied with a deep bow, her expression solemn.

From the moment she left Shuiyun City and lost the protection of the Zhou Tian Formation, Lin Yinyin could clearly feel a shadow descending upon her heart—a sign that the Heavenly Tribulation was imminent, arriving anywhere from half a day to a full week.

Whether it was the protective formation or the surrounding recovery arrays, these were all external factors. Ultimately, overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation depended entirely on oneself. Yet clutching the various magical treasures in her bosom, Lin Yinyin managed to ease her anxiety somewhat.

With that, she calmed her mind and settled down at the center of the mountain peak, patiently awaiting the arrival of the Heavenly Tribulation.

Two days later, dark clouds gathered above the peak, accompanied by thunderous roars and the faint sound of dragon cries echoing between the clouds.

The Heavenly Tribulation had arrived!

The first bolt of tribulation lightning was as thick as an arm, striking directly toward Lin Yinyin’s crown. But she wore her Cage-Silk Robe, whose surface shimmered with a silver glow, instantly neutralizing the tribulation’s force.

Elder Sun’s eyebrows twitched in surprise. Who would have guessed? That seemingly simple white robe adorned with ribbons is actually a mid-grade defensive artifact—its quality even surpasses my own defensive gear!

The second bolt of tribulation lightning came even faster, identical in size to the first, yet winding sinuously from the clouds, striking for a full half-minute. Through the Cage-Silk Robe, the lightning struck Lin Yinyin, turning her delicate face deathly pale. A burning, piercing pain spread throughout her body—so agonizing!

Before long, the second bolt subsided. Elder Sun gazed up at the darkening clouds, growing increasingly astonished. There was still a third bolt coming?!

Cultivation was defying Heaven itself, and the number of tribulation bolts was essentially proportional to one’s innate talent and potential. Typically, Foundation Establishment tribulations involved one or two bolts. Even Elder Sun, whose talent ranked among the top in the Shuiyun Sect, had only faced two tribulations. Yet this lovely little girl had three!

Oh, there is still a third?!

Lin Yinyin sensed this, her heart both anxious and secretly thrilled. Three tribulation bolts were indeed terrifying, but they were also Heaven’s recognition of a cultivator’s worth. And fortunately, she had prepared thoroughly this time.

Calmly, she drew a stack of Spirit Talismans from her bosom and swiftly activated an Earth-element talisman, which instantly formed a humanoid shield around her, providing robust protection. She then hastily consumed a Spirit Pill and sipped from a Spirit Spring.

Elder Sun’s lips twitched as she watched this spectacle. Each Earth-element talisman cost five mid-grade Spirit Stones, and Lin Yinyin still had a whole stack! And those Spirit Pills and Springs—she herself felt envious! This little girl was simply too wealthy!

If you’re so well-prepared, what need do I have to be here?

Then came the third tribulation bolt, even more colossal than the previous two, yet unable to pierce the protective barrier created by the Earth-element talisman.

As the tribulation clouds dissipated and dawn broke, Lin Yinyin’s Foundation Establishment Tribulation passed without incident.

The gaseous spiritual energy within her body gradually transformed, flowing like a rushing stream.

She had successfully reached Foundation Establishment!

“Congratulations, Fellow Cultivator!” Elder Sun greeted her with a smiling bow, addressing her as an equal now that they shared the same cultivation stage.

Lin Yinyin responded with heartfelt gratitude, visibly noticing how her skin had become even fairer and more delicate than before—she absolutely loved it!

“Fellow Cultivator, would you consider joining our Shuiyun Sect’s inner circle and becoming a Direct Disciple under the Sect Master?” Elder Sun extended an invitation, eager not to miss out on such a promising talent blessed with three tribulation bolts.

“I… I’ll think about it,” Lin Yinyin replied softly. Had it been in the past, she would have been overjoyed beyond words—after all, the Shuiyun Sect Master was a veritable Golden Core cultivator!

Elder Sun sighed inwardly, realizing that Lin Yinyin’s wealth likely stemmed from other, unknown opportunities. Nevertheless, she politely handed over a transmission talisman, believing that Lin Yinyin’s talent and abundant resources made her worthy of cultivating a good connection.

Lin Yinyin bid farewell to Elder Sun and returned to Shuiyun City, reluctantly purchasing a pair of boots.

These mid-grade magical boots were comfortable, beautifully designed, and crafted by the Baoqing Workshop. Priced at fifteen mid-grade Spirit Stones, they were the most expensive magical item she had ever bought.

She knew Senior certainly didn’t lack such things, but it was the thought that counted. She wanted to gift them to Senior, hoping he would appreciate them!

Lin Yinyin happily returned to her residence, only to find Zhang Xian gone, leaving behind a single note:

“I’ve gone to find my younger sister. Have fun on your own for a few days.”

Hmph! Senior has another younger sister? How disappointing!