Once he survives his final tribulation, Zeng Yan will become a True Ascendant cultivator. In this continent, where cultivation is practiced everywhere, True Ascendants occupy the highest ranks. Once he becomes one, he will take revenge: for his family’s massacre, for his master, and for his beloved. He is consumed by thoughts of vengeance, forgetting that he is undergoing a tribulation, the final Heart-Demon Tribulation.
The tribulation consists of nine stages. The first is Tempering the Skin, which tempers the skin all over the body so it can better resist external harm. The second is Tempering the Meridians, which tempers all the meridians so they become more flexible and can withstand more spiritual energy. The third is Tempering the Flesh, making every muscle more agile and easier to control. The fourth is Tempering the Bones, hardening them so they can bear greater weight. The fifth is Tempering the Organs, giving the five organs greater vitality and energizing the body. The sixth is Tempering the Sea, or spiritual consciousness, which expands one’s sea of consciousness. The seventh is Tempering the Acupoints, opening the body’s acupoints and increasing their storage capacity. The eighth is Tempering the Soul. Everyone has three souls and seven spirits; tempering them makes them more cohesive and solid, allowing the soul to leave the body. The ninth is Tempering the Heart, also known as the Heart-Demon Tribulation. It is the hardest stage to overcome. It tests whether you understand the Great Dao, revere the heavens, and believe in yourself. If you fail to overcome the heart demon, your soul will be scattered, and you will never return to the world. But Zeng Yan has forgotten that he is undergoing the Heart-Demon Tribulation. Just as his soul is about to be scattered, the black stone hanging on his chest emits a green light, enveloping his departing soul. It passes through the atmosphere and vanishes from this world.
