Chapter 581: Chapter 475: Why Bother with a Tribulation, What if I Die?

"Miss, are you sure you’re not going with him?"

In the room, Yue Shi looked at her young lady, who was sitting in a chair, and asked in confusion.

Tushan Jing Ci wasn’t asleep. She knew that after getting the Foundation Establishment Pill yesterday, Xiao Mo would definitely use his free time today to attempt his Crossing the Tribulation.

"No." Tushan Jing Ci shook her head. "If I went with him, Xiao Mo would only get distracted."

"Besides, I told him so much this morning, but he just wouldn’t listen. Honestly... why does he have to cross some tribulation? What if he dies? Things are perfectly fine as they are..."

Tushan Jing Ci muttered softly, a hint of frustration in her tone.

Hearing her lady’s words, Yue Shi wanted to say, ’Miss, you put it so subtly. How could anyone possibly know what you mean?’

But Yue Shi also knew that the reason her lady hadn’t spoken plainly was that "Foundation Establishment" was something Xiao Mo truly wanted to do.

And her lady had never stopped Xiao Mo from doing anything he set his mind to.

"Sister Yue Shi..." Tushan Jing Ci looked up, her eyes fixed earnestly on Yue Shi. "Xiao Mo will be alright... right...?"

...

Xiao Mo circulated the "Wind-Following Art" from the Great Dream of Yellow Millet. Covering a hundred feet in a single step, he quickly arrived at a desolate mountain within Cold Mountain Academy named Jian Mountain.

Cold Mountain Academy covered an immense area, but not every mountain peak had been developed.

Among them were several desolate mountains rich with Spiritual Power, where few people ever went.

Jian Mountain was one of them, and it was extremely far from Cold Mountain Academy’s main peaks.

In Xiao Mo’s eyes, this place was the most suitable for him to undergo his tribulation.

Xiao Mo walked to a wide, flat area on the mountain. After setting up the Array for Crossing the Tribulation and lighting incense to pay respects to heaven and earth, he consumed the Foundation Establishment Pill and began.

Dusting off his clothes, Xiao Mo sat cross-legged in the middle of the clearing. He slowly closed his eyes and unleashed all of his Spiritual Power.

At the same time, Xiao Mo entered a profound and mysterious state.

Although his eyes were closed and he could see nothing,

Xiao Mo could feel every blade of grass and every tree around him. He could sense the Celestial Thunder gathering in the sky, holding back but ready to strike. He could touch the ineffable rhythm of the Dao that surrounded him.

CRACK!

A fierce wind swept through as the thunderclouds parted.

A massive bolt of the Thunder Tribulation descended from the heavens, crashing down toward Xiao Mo.

Meanwhile, in a courtyard on Shallow Study Peak, Xian Xichun, who was perusing a Confucian classic, lifted his head and glanced in the direction of Jian Mountain. He then looked back down and continued reading his book.

But the corners of the scholar’s mouth curved up slightly, as if he were murmuring to himself, "Not bad..."

On the main peak of Cold Mountain Academy, the Academy Director, Cun Caiguang, was lying on a rocking chair, swaying back and forth lazily.

A gentle breeze, carrying the faint might of thunder, wafted past. The Academy Director slowly opened his aged eyes.

But soon after, the Academy Director closed his eyes again, smacked his lips, and went back to sleep.

A book lay on the Director’s chest.

The author of this book had been expunged from the world of the Confucian School.

No one mentioned that name anymore, nor did anyone dare to.

And on the cover of this Confucian classic, four large words were written in standard script: "Knowledge and Action Combined."

...

From afternoon to evening, from sunset to nightfall.

In the villa halfway up Shallow Study Peak, the little girl who always loved to catch butterflies wasn’t even catching butterflies anymore.

She, who usually ate three large bowls of rice for her meals, had only eaten a tiny bit tonight.

While doing her lessons, she just stared blankly at her book, not even noticing as drops of ink fell one by one onto the paper.

The more time passed, the more worried the little girl became.

’Did Xiao Mo succeed in Crossing the Tribulation?’

’If he succeeded, why isn’t he back yet?’

’What if Xiao Mo failed his tribulation?’

’If you fail, you die.’

Beneath the vast, starry sky,

the little girl paced back and forth at the courtyard gate.

The summer cicadas chirped merrily in the woods.

Usually, the little girl would find the incessant chirping incredibly noisy.

But now, in her heart, she paid the cicadas’ calls no mind at all.

"Miss, it’s late, and the summer breeze is getting cool. Let’s go back to the room and sleep."

Seeing her young lady’s anxious state, the maid, Yue Shi, stepped forward and said.

"Sister Yue Shi, I can’t sleep..." Tushan Jing Ci shook her head, looking at Yue Shi with apprehensive eyes. "Sister Yue Shi, why isn’t Xiao Mo back yet? It’s already been ten hours."

"Whether for the Demon Race or the Human Race, Foundation Establishment is a life-or-death trial for a Cultivator. Some people take an hour, while others need a full day and night. It’s never a set time."

Yue Shi explained.

"However, Xiao Mo is someone the Madam has her eye on. His Root Bone and temperament are both excellent. I’m sure he’ll be fine."

Although Yue Shi said this, she wasn’t confident in her heart.

Because no matter how talented a person or how noble the bloodline of a Demon,

when facing Foundation Establishment, failure was always a possibility, which could even lead to one’s body and soul perishing.

No one could ever guarantee they would pass the Foundation Establishment Tribulation.

Listening to Yue Shi’s comforting words, Tushan Jing Ci lowered her gaze slightly, her small hands twisting the hem of her dress. "In that case, Sister Yue Shi, you should go to sleep first. I’ll wait a little longer."

"Then I’ll wait with you, Miss," Yue Shi said.

"It’s fine, really. Sister Yue Shi, you go to sleep first. Don’t worry about me. Rest assured, I won’t run off anywhere..."

Tushan Jing Ci raised her small arms and pushed against Yue Shi’s slender waist, guiding her into the room before closing the door.

Returning to the front courtyard, the little girl sat alone on a chair, her legs held neatly together and her small hands resting on her thighs. She faced the courtyard entrance, gazing intently into the deep darkness of the night.

But as time ticked by, second by second,

Tushan Jing Ci found herself growing sleepier and sleepier. Her little head kept nodding down, as if she would fall asleep at any moment.

Yue Shi watched her lady’s drowsy state through the window and couldn’t help but sigh.

The nobler the bloodline, the more sleep was required during childhood.

This was because only during sleep would the bloodline within the body gradually awaken and nourish the flesh and soul.

And the young of the Demon Race would also gradually comprehend the Divine Abilities within their soul imprints while sleeping.

Therefore, for the Demon Race with noble bloodlines, there was no need to practice Techniques in their youth, because sleeping was the best form of cultivation.

This was even more true for her lady’s clan, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox.

That was why her lady would doze off in class, sleep from her afternoon nap until dusk, and go to bed early at night.

All of this was the instinct of her bloodline, not something her lady could control through willpower alone.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Yue Shi saw her young lady unable to hold on any longer. She had slumped over, fast asleep on the cool table, her shoulders rising and falling with each steady breath.

Yue Shi walked out of the room and went to her lady’s side, intending to carry her back to her room to sleep.

But just then, as if sensing something, Yue Shi looked up toward the courtyard entrance.

Under the moonlight, a small, tattered-clothed boy opened the fence gate and walked into the courtyard.

Seeing Xiao Mo return, Yue Shi let out a sigh of relief. "You’ve reached Foundation Establishment?"

"It was a bit rough, but the outcome was good."

Xiao Mo hadn’t expected his Foundation Establishment to take so long either.

The main reason was that after enduring the Thunder Tribulation, possibly due to his Technique, Xiao Mo had another long dream.

Xiao Mo dreamt he had transformed into a bird, soaring through the thunderclouds.

When Xiao Mo awoke from the great dream, he found that he had already reached Foundation Establishment, and the sky had turned dark.

"Why is the young lady sleeping in the courtyard?" Xiao Mo asked, puzzled, as he looked at Tushan Jing Ci slumped over the stone table.

"What else could it be? The young lady knew you were going to attempt your Crossing the Tribulation, so she’s been waiting for you since this afternoon. She waited all the way into the night, and just a moment ago, she couldn’t stay awake any longer and fell asleep," Yue Shi sighed.

"..."

Xiao Mo thought back to the "reasoning" Jing Ci had given him during the day.

’So that’s why she said all those things. She was worried I would fail the tribulation, and that’s why she seemed so troubled.’

"Xiao Mo... Xiao Mo... When are you coming back...?"

Just as Xiao Mo and Yue Shi were talking, the sleeping little girl’s lips parted slightly, and she mumbled soft, sleepy words.

Xiao Mo and Yue Shi exchanged a look. He then walked over to the little girl’s side, slowly crouched down, and looked at her sleeping face, saying softly, "Miss, I’m back..."

"You’re back..."

The sound of the little girl’s steady breathing filled the air. Her thin lips curved into a slight smile, and even her sleeping eyes seemed to be smiling.

"As long as you’re back..."

"That’s really... wonderful..."

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