The Romantic Cultivator

These are the common rules when attempting for any breakthroughs and tribulations;

One, the heart must first be calmed.

Two, never attempt a breakthrough when you are injured especially when suffering from internal injuries.

Three, find a quiet place with high purity of spiritual auras.

Four, obtain a divine sword, the higher grade the better to act as a soul link to bolster up the cultivator elixir inner sea. There is a higher chance if the cultivator is able to divine harmonize with the divine sword.

Five, prepare as many high grade soul jewels for emergency uses.

Six, ready as many celestial treasures as possible that can aid your chances.

Seven, pray for the blessing of the heavens.

Yuan Ji was frowning at the manual for breakthroughs and tribulations that Xue Qianxue had carelessly throw on the ground. "It seems that I have only met one and four of the manual."

Xue Qianxue chuckled, "It seems that you have only met the fourth rule."

Yuan Ji smiled bitterly, "That is so true..."

"Done!" Ling Feiyue giggled softly as she completed the celestial array setup.

Usually before the Lightning Tribulation would strike, they would have an hour of preparation time.

In less than an hour, Ling Feiyue and Xue Qianxue had placed more than a thousand high grade spirit stones around them. At the same time, they were distributing dozens of fourth rank divine pills and a few fifth rank divine pills to one another.

Yuan Ji had even consumed a fifth realm divine pill and his injuries were rapidly recovering.

All sorts of heaven-step profound treasures were taken out by Xue Qianxue and Ling Feiyue as they hastily placed it within their protective arrays.

The Artefact Bell of the Heaven's Path…

Soul Armor of the War Sovereign…

The Chalice of the Ancient Godly Monarch…

God Emperor's Rope…

Heaven Smiting Cauldron…

Five Elements Profound Mirror of the Forgotten Immortals…

Yuan Ji muttered when he saw the profound treasures that were displayed in front of him, "They are too rich. What is the challenge of cultivation when you have so many profound treasures to aid you?"

Ling Feiyue giggled softly, "If you drink from the Chalice of the Ancient Godly Monarch while you are consuming profound pills, the effectiveness of the profound pills will be doubled."

"The Artefact Bell of the Heaven's Path can be used three times to bring the soul of the cultivator back and refortify the mental fortitude." Xue Qianxue smiled as she flashed it in front of him. "This Soul Armor of the War Sovereign is for me to wear. It has great defensive properties…"

"And this Five Elements Profound Mirror of the Forgotten Immortals is able to reduce the power of the lightning. It is the most useful..."

Yuan Ji gasped as he interrupted Xue Qianxue, "Indeed. How did you get something so precious? How many times can we use it?"

Xue Qianxue pondered for a while, "I forget to ask. I got it from Third Young Master Jian Menghao, who is now your son…"

Yuan Ji muttered unhappily, "You are not to receive any more gifts from now on. And when I am not around, you're not allowed to see him ever again."

Xue Qianxue said with a soft chuckle, "Do you have to be jealous at this critical time?"

Yuan Ji ignored her as he picked up a rope, "This rope has an awesome name. The God Emperor's Rope. What is it used for?"

Ling Feiyue smiled shyly, "In case you think that you can no longer endure it, you can use this God Emperor's Rope to strangle yourself. Absolutely no pain whatever so."

Yuan Ji: …

"I have a profound treasure too." He said as put down a five leaf clover.

Xue Qianxue and Ling Feiyue quickly used their divine sense and were disappointed that the leaf did not seem to contain any profound or spiritual energies.

"You can't figure it out, am I right?" Yuan Ji smiled proudly. "This is my lucky charm. It has aided me on many occasions. I survive all my life and death breakthroughs with this lucky charm of mine."

Xue Qianxue and Ling Feiyue were speechless.

"It is just some cheapskate leaf…" Xue Qianxue muttered.

"It doesn't even have any profound powers within it to aid us…" Ling Feiyue was exasperated.

"But it works nevertheless." Yuan Ji smiled proudly as he lifted it up for the two maidens to admire.

All of a sudden the five leaf clover was torn apart by the furious winds that were blowing all around them.

Yuan Ji: …

"My lucky charm…"

"I guess that your luck has run out this time." Ling Feiyue patted him lightly on his shoulder.

Yuan Ji grinned, "That is alright. I still have more than a dozen of these."

Ling Feiyue, Xue Qianxue: …

Yuan Ji laughed as he held them tightly together.

Soon the three of them were looking gently at each other as they cuddled in one another warmth embrace...

Xue Qianxue was the first to break the silence as she smiled gently, "Ji Yuan, it is so good to have you. Feiyue, if there is a next life, I want to have you as my sister again and I want to be with Ji Yuan as well."

Ling Feiyue smiled bitterly, "My only regrets are that I have met the two of you too late. We have waste a hundred years. I wish that we can have another hundred years together."

"We will not die." Yuan Ji said solemnly as he held them even tighter.

He was now looking keenly at the heavens above. There was a strong foreboding as he turned solemn, "The Lightning Tribulation is about to start soon."

Ling Feiyue and Xue Qianxue were all looking at the multiple flashes of purple lightning nervously.

Although they were all teasing around earlier, it was only to pacify their anxiety as they prepared themselves to face the most dangerous nine-stage purple lightning tribulation.

Yuan Ji had raised his heaven-step divine sword high up, "We will surely overcome it together."

The golden animus of a winged battle maiden had burst forth from Xue Qianxue's profound aura as she displayed her heaven-step divine sword. This was her highest level internal profound art the Ninth Rank of the Sacred Maiden Profound Art!

Ling Feiyue nodded lightly as she raised her heaven-step divine sword high up too and a thin burst of golden light from her Unrighteous Moon Profound Force had surrounded her. "Ji Yuan, do you think that we can use the same lightning trick that we have used in the Lotus Sword Mansion to overcome the lightning tribulation?"

Yuan Ji grinned, "We can definitely try it…"

"Oh no, you don't or you will surely die…" A voice had suddenly said from nowhere, startling Ling Feiyue and Xue Qianxue. The ghostly apparition of Xiang Li had suddenly appeared above Yuan Ji.

Even Yuan Ji was startled because Xiang Li was not supposed to have the ability to take incorporeal form yet until she had merged into his soul sea. At this moment, Xiang Li was just taking residence in his divine sword.

Xiang Li smiled deliciously at the two maidens, "I'm Yuan Ji's spirit entity and my name is Xiang Li."

Ling Feiyue gasped, "You are the spirit entity of the Lotus Sword Mansion! You look much younger now..."

She panicky turned to look at Yuan Ji with a stunned expression, "You didn't lie to me. You really got the spirit entity of the Lotus Sword Mansion as your spirit entity…"

"A sentient spirit entity?!" Xue Qianxue was gasping. "I have only heard rumors of it but have never seen one. Sentient spirit entity are said to have only one in one million chance of occurring…"

"One in one hundred million to be exact." Xiang Li chuckled.

Yuan Ji however was frowning, "Xiang Li, how is it possible for you to appear?"

Xiang Li giggled, "That's because I have now merged with your soul sea. What you are seeing now is the profound energies of your soul sea…"

"Well, don't appear too often. You will drain me of my profound strength and moreover you are scaring the others with your ugly look." Yuan Ji interrupted.

Xiang Li: …

Xue Qianxue smiled, "No, she isn't ugly. She is cute and beautiful."

"She is extremely beautiful." Ling Feiyue was smiling as she looked in awe at Xiang Li. "Very beautiful spirit entity."

All of a sudden Xue Qianxue had a weird expression and there was a flush on her countenance, "Ji Yuan, does it mean that while we are…doing…Xiang Li is able to see and hear us?"

Even Ling Feiyue was startled and she had taken a step backward with a soft gasp, "This…I hope not…"

Yuan Ji panicky stammered out, "Oh no, of course not! Xiang Li is the most innocent spirit entity ever. She has no concept of that sort of thing. Moreover as her master, I have ordered to seal off all her profound senses every time. So don't worry about it."

"That is right! Xiang Li is absolute pure and innocent!" Xiang Li declared proudly. "I always listen to…master."

It took Xiang Li a little difficulty to mutter out the word 'Master'.

Ling Feiyue and Xue Qianxue had a soft sigh of relief.

Xiang Li had suddenly remembered why she was out, "The trick that you use in the Lotus Sword Mansion doesn't work with the Lightning Tribulation. It is because the lightning actually consists of multiple strokes of lightning, able to strike all of you at the same time. Should you lose your divine swords, you will be quite vulnerable. The lightning tribulation will unerringly strike at your soul sea because it drawn its profound strength from you."

Yuan Ji nodded as he muttered, "Our soul sea is the natural magnet…"

"Therefore it is impossible to cheat. As a matter of fact, with the three of you taking the lightning tribulation together, it is also a lot riskier. Even if one of you is killed, the lightning tribulation will still be able to drawn upon the vital energies of the dead. As you know, my master is the weakest link. Once he is killed, all of you will have to bear the burden of his lightning tribulation…"

Yuan Ji interrupted unhappily, "Why am I the weakest link?"

All of a sudden he noticed that Ling Feiyue and Xue Qianxue were nodding lightly as they listened intently to Xiang Li.

"Alright, I am a little weak." Yuan Ji frowned lightly. "But Xiang Li is the weakest here. Moreover she is also useless…"

Xiang Li raised her fingers and all of a sudden Xue Qianxue's winged battled maiden had become a four winged battle maiden and the profound animus has even enveloped Yuan Ji and Ling Feiyue.

"Maiden Qianxue's profound animus is now able to protect the two of you just as effective as protecting herself."

Then Xiang Li pointed at Ling Feiyue's sword and there was a beautiful white halo around it. It was not just on Ling Feiyue's divine sword but the white halo had also appeared in Yuan Ji and Xue Qianxue divine swords as well!

"What is it?" Everyone was startled.

Xiang Li proudly said, "I have enhanced Maiden Feiyue's sword spirit by a little. Moreover as long as Maiden Feiyue is still around and you are near her, her sword spirit would also be able to affect you."

Xue Qianxue and Ling Feiyue were all gasping with shock, "Xiang Li, you are so impressive…you are the most impressive spirit entity that I have ever seen."

"I wish that I can have such a cute and beautiful spirit entity like you." Xue Qianxue was sighing.

"Same here!" Ling Feiyue was looking impressed by Xiang Li. "Xiang Li is the most wondrous spirit entity that I've ever seen."

Xiang Li smiled proudly, "Of course! I am the most awesome spirit entity that can enhance the spirit entities of the others…"

Yuan Ji muttered almost incoherently, "I think that you are still the most useless because you can only enhance the others but not yourself…"

Then he was rubbing his chin, "Should I tell them that it is actually Xiang Li that is causing the Nine-Stage Purple Lightning Tribulation to appear? Or maybe when I tell them about Xiang Li dark side then they would not be so impressed."

Yuan Ji pretended to cough, "Ahem! We should be focusing on our lightning tribulation…"

"Xiang Li, do you think that we can be friends with you?" The two maidens were asking Xiang Li.

"Of course! You can summon me anytime like my master to chat with me!" Xiang Li giggled.

Yuan Ji: …

Yuan Ji cursed Xiang Li in his heart, "I can't remember a time when I can summon you…"