Rubbing Shoulders with Heavenly Tribulation, Fleecing the Sheep, part 7

As the final thunderbolt struck, countless streams of spiritual energy converged on the First Pill Tower.

The persistent drizzle ceased, dark clouds parting to reveal a vibrant blue sky. The weather cleared, and a round, red glow emerged from the tower’s peak, the air turning light and crisp.

The month-long tribulation had ended. Elder Danxia, without incident, broke through to Spirit Transformation.

This speed was remarkable, owed to Danxia’s prodigious talent. For some, a tribulation could drag on for a year or more—a common ordeal.

Dan Peak, scorched by lightning, bore blackened marks everywhere except the twelve unscathed pill towers. A burnt smell lingered.

Six of the thirty-six pill pavilions had collapsed, twelve were damaged, and repair costs were billed to Elder Danxia—a daunting sum.

But her finances were no concern. Congratulatory guests flooded in, their lavish gifts—flowers, treasures, and more—enough to bury the peak if unpacked from storage bags.

With cultivation came wealth and influence.

Moreover, Danxia wasn’t just a sword cultivator but a Spirit Transformation alchemist. Her hands, adept at controlling flames, refining herbs, and crafting pills, were a beacon of hope and desire.

Chen Yu had waited outside the gate for ages. Normally, she was an unremarkable steward in the vast Sword Sect, even less noticeable among these wealthy guests.

She carried no grand gifts—just a wine gourd in her left hand, a blooming plum branch in her right, and a plain blue robe that seemed almost shabby.

Onlookers whispered: *Sword Sect lets just anyone offer gifts now?*

Yet, after Danxia bid farewell to the Sect Master and eleven pill pavilion elders, the first she summoned was this insignificant steward.

Soon, a Dan Sect disciple emerged. “Steward Chen Yu, Teacher Danxia requests your presence. This way.”

Chen Yu, carrying her wine and plum, followed, leaving the crowd puzzled: *Who is she?*

“Senior Sister.” Chen Yu smiled upon seeing her. “Congratulations on your breakthrough!”

Elder Danxia, named Xu Mingxia, had succeeded smoothly, her realm stable at Spirit Transformation Layer 1.

Xu Mingxia looked weary but spirited, her unrestrained spiritual energy radiating an imposing aura. After entertaining guests, she’d need a twenty-year secluded cultivation to consolidate.

Seeing Chen Yu, her lips curved, but her smile quickly faded, brows furrowing in displeasure. “Twenty years ago, you were at Nascent Soul Layer 8. Why no progress?”

Her divine sense scanned Chen Yu, then she unceremoniously pinched her muscles and bones. “Stagnant energy, loose bones, muscles wasting away—what kind of cultivation is this? Are you even trying? Need a beating?”

Chen Yu sighed. “Senior Sister, I’m no genius. Nascent Soul’s my limit.”

“You’re at Layer 8—Spirit Transformation’s within reach!” Xu Mingxia snapped. “Nascent Soul gets you five to six hundred years. You’re three hundred years younger than me—planning to die first? Quit being a steward. Before your cultivation slips, pack up and train off the mountain!”

“Senior Sister, my potential’s limited. Even if I reach Spirit Transformation, then what? I’d rather stay, train more students.”

“Don’t give me excuses! Talk after you hit Spirit Transformation! What, we’re all dead, and Sword Sect’s your burden? My third batch of students is still here. If the sky falls, I’ll hold it—you go!”

*But Senior Sister, what about your cultivation?*

Advancing from Spirit Transformation to Void Refining was grueling—even great clans struggled to produce such experts. Time spent on mundane tasks would sap her focus.

Sword Sect’s priority was nurturing absolute powerhouses—not just Spirit Transformation, but Void Refining, Unity, even Tribulation—to challenge great clans and seize full autonomy.

For years, Sword Sect produced countless Golden Cores and Nascent Souls, but since Carefree Immortal, no true peerless expert had emerged.

Their foundation was too thin.

Chen Yu had much to say but knew Xu Mingxia wouldn’t listen. She held back.

Xu Mingxia wasn’t just her Senior Sister but her sister figure, the one who’d brought her to Sword Sect.

Her concern warmed Chen Yu’s heart.

“I won’t say much, but I’ve got pills aplenty. Eat them like candy—daily. I refuse to believe you won’t break through. Didn’t you love sweets as a kid? Sleeping with candy, crying from toothaches at midnight, snot and tears all over, running to me…”

Xu Mingxia recounted old stories with relish, leaving Chen Yu sweating.

*Senior Sister, can’t we let that go?*

After a spirited recount, Xu Mingxia concluded, “Eat like that, and you’ll hit Spirit Transformation.”

“Alright, alright, I surrender.” Chen Yu raised her wine and plum. “Can we celebrate now?”

Xu Mingxia, still worried, was about to lecture more—knowing she’d lose control over Chen Yu in seclusion—but her gaze softened on the plum branch, nostalgia flooding her eyes. “Such vibrant plums. Pour the wine!”

*

Flower Offering, a Sword Sect tradition, traced back to Carefree Immortal giving flowers to disciples who broke through. It evolved into a custom, passed down.

Whenever a disciple advanced, won a sect competition, or topped the Sword Ranking, others offered flowers to congratulate.

Any flower worked, but plums were paramount—Sword Sect’s emblem, etched in their insignia.

Those with means offered plums; others used roadside wildflowers, no less cherished.

The ritual was simple: infuse petals with spiritual energy and make them dance vibrantly. Legend said the most dazzling display won a prize.

Tang Jiu told Su Qing, “The prize is the real deal. A Spirit Transformation breakthrough is huge—I bet everyone gets something.”

With such a milestone, it’d hit the confession wall and school paper. Tang Jiu was there snapping photos.

Su Qing’s eyes lit up: *Prizes? This good?*

Rubbing the tribulation, eating and taking, and now free gifts.

What a haul!

She grew excited, forgetting she had no flowers. But that was no issue. Her withered spiritual root, reshaped by lightning, had stretched—her wood and metal roots growing fastest, especially the wood, now fingernail-sized.

She seemed attuned to wood.

Focusing, Su Qing poured energy into her wooden sword. When her dantian was half-drained, the sword bloomed with yellow-stamened, red-petaled double plums.

Their cool, fragrant scent filled the air.

“I’ve got plums—top-tier!”

Tang Yueling rifled through ten storage bags, producing ten pots of radiant, icy jade plums. “I’ve got top-tier too!”

Tang Jiu sweated. “Third-tier, high-grade Ice Stamen Jade Plums? The prize won’t match that value.”

Su Qing shared her plums with Tianning and Tang Yueling. “Use mine. They’re free.” @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

With petals ready, the Dan Peak crowd lingered, eager for the Flower Offering and prizes.

Soon, a white-bearded elder appeared atop the First Pill Tower, his voice clear in every ear. “Elder Danxia has reached Spirit Transformation—” Instantly, countless petals soared, a vibrant tide or dazzling storm rushing toward the tower.

Cheers erupted from all sides.

“Spirit Transformation! She did it!”

“Congratulations, Teacher Danxia!”

“Talisman Sect, Artifact Sect, Body Sect, Beast Sect—see that? Dan Sect’s got another Spirit Transformation! You can’t catch up!”

“Not just Dan Sect—it’s all Sword Sect! Shared joy!”

“Exactly, shared joy!”

Spiritual energy surged, obscuring the sky. Su Qing stood beneath a sea of petals.

Mimicking her seniors, she tossed her petals, using energy to lift them.

Plums danced among the colors, their red vivid like tiny flames. Smiling, Su Qing pushed them higher. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

Higher!

Some clever students aimed at the elder, blasting petals with most of their energy.

Air currents collided, sending petals to the elder’s feet.

A Dan Sect elder himself, he didn’t dodge but opened his arms, laughing. “Let me bask in the youngsters’ joy!”

The Flower Offering lasted long. At first, petals were tossed normally, but someone—unknown who—started bundling them into balls with energy, pelting others.

Those hit were covered in petals, flustered, sparking laughter.

Dan Peak turned into a snowball fight, flower balls flying, bursting into petals and juice.

Su Qing saw friendly Senior Brother Zhang Mingliang not-so-friendlyly shove a flower ball into an Array Sect disciple’s mouth.

Zhuxu and Xu Jiuxing competed over who launched more petals.

“I’ve got more!”

“No, I do!”

Xun Zian, unyielding, used a spirit-gathering spell for a massive flower ball, only to be kicked into its center by Cui Huai, leaving his feet flailing.

Cui Huai smirked. “Hmph.”

Su Qing: *…Grown adults acting like kids.*

Actual kids, Tianning and Tang Yueling, were less thrilled—one dazed, the other dodging grumpily.

But after Su Qing got pelted, she turned three years old, rolled up her sleeves, and joined the fray.

By the end, no one knew who hit whom, who helped, or who pretended to help while attacking. Chaos reigned. Even Tianning and Tang Yueling joined, their throws ruthless, drawing wails.

“Who’s got such a mean hand?”

Tang Yueling, hands on hips, crowed, “Your grandma here!”

Before she could gloat, a ball hit her head. She spun, furious. “Who?!”

Tianning looked away. “Not me.”

“It was you!”

“…Not on purpose.”

“It was!”

Su Qing, first to run out of energy, sat panting, hair and clothes plastered with petals, skin sticky with juice.

“No more, I’m done.”

Couldn’t keep up.

…

The white-bearded elder watched the chaos, shaking his head with disdain and resignation. “These brats, I knew it.” He signaled to those waiting. “They’re about done. Release the prizes.”

*Whoosh—boom!*

From the First Pill Tower, dazzling fireworks erupted, briefly lighting the sky before plummeting as colorful ribbons.

The prizes—everyone got one.

Su Qing grabbed the nearest, reading it closely.

It read: *First Prize: Choose any pill within a 1,000 spirit stone limit.*

“AHHHH!” Su Qing leapt up, clutching the ribbon, bouncing thrice in disbelief. “Little Rainbow! Thank you!!!” @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City