Chapter 210: Golden Core Tribulation

A month has passed since the great battle.

The camp is empty.

The comrades have all been transferred; the entire battalion now only has Zhang Xingyu.

According to Ouyang Lanlan, due to heavy losses in the First Battalion, all officers died in battle, and the military headquarters once suggested abolishing the battalion's designation.

However, Xu Yun Lao Dao argued forcefully and finally managed to retain the battalion's designation.

Xu Yun Lao Dao said, the First Battalion is a model of the Second Master; preserving the battalion is preserving the Second Master's immortal military spirit.

Every morning, Zhang Xingyu wakes up on time.

He washes up, eats, raises the flag, inspects the barracks, then returns to his room to cultivate.

After the great battle, he once carefully reflected and examined himself.

This time, the reason he survived was entirely thanks to Ouyang Lanlan's great formation.

His strength is truly too weak. Faced with the vicious high-ranking demons, he can only get beaten.

To survive on this cruel, bloody battlefield, relying on luck alone is not enough.

Improving his cultivation and strength is urgent.

Mountains of spirit stones piled up in the barracks, and Zhang Xingyu's cultivation increased day by day.

That day, Ouyang Lanlan dragged Qin Rushuang to find Zhang Xingyu.

Just as they reached the gate of the First Battalion's camp, they suddenly heard a tremendous roar from the sky.

Immediately after, a thunderball several zhang in size came crashing down from the heavens.

Qin Rushuang grabbed Ouyang Lanlan: "Don't go, someone is undergoing the Golden Core Tribulation!"

"Golden Core Tribulation? Could it be Zhang Xingyu?" Ouyang Lanlan doubted her own judgment.

Qin Rushuang nodded: "Impossible. A month ago he was only at mid Foundation Establishment, still far from late Foundation Establishment. How could it be him?"

"This is the First Battalion's camp; if it's not him, who else could it be?" Ouyang Lanlan asked.

Qin Rushuang shook her head: "I don't know either. But it definitely won't be Zhang Xingyu. Given his cultivation level, he absolutely couldn't undergo the Golden Core Tribulation this quickly. From mid Foundation Establishment to late Foundation Establishment usually takes over ten years, and from late Foundation Establishment to peak Foundation Establishment often takes another twenty years. Unless it's a once-in-a-century genius, one cannot reach peak Foundation Establishment from mid Foundation Establishment in over ten years."

"Just over ten days ago, Zhang Xingyu was still at mid Foundation Establishment. Even if he were a genius among geniuses, it's impossible for him to reach peak Foundation Establishment from mid Foundation Establishment in just over ten days." Qin Rushuang stated firmly.

Inside the camp, Zhang Xingyu sat on a patch of grass.

The grass was covered with a layer of gleaming high-grade spirit stones.

Beside him stood a low table, on which lay a stack of roasted spirit beast meat and a jug of spirit liquor.

Today is the great day of his tribulation to form a Golden Core.

For some reason, his cultivation speed has become astonishingly fast lately.

From mid Foundation Establishment to late Foundation Establishment, he only spent ten days.

From mid Foundation Establishment to peak Foundation Establishment, he also only spent twenty days.

Zhang Xingyu couldn't understand.

How could he possibly cultivate so quickly?

At first, he even thought he was hallucinating.

Later, he pinched his thigh and bit his tongue, finally confirming it was not a hallucination but reality.

Since he couldn't figure it out, there was no point in thinking further.

Zhang Xingyu spent ten points of God Yuan Value to awaken the sleeping system.

"System, help me analyze: why did I, in just thirty days, advance from mid Foundation Establishment to peak Foundation Establishment?"

"Ding dong, host, you idiot. Why are you asking me? You can't figure it out yourself—do you think I can?"

Zhang Xingyu was speechless.

This system is sometimes effective, sometimes not, sometimes serious, sometimes mischievous—truly speechless.

Unable to understand or clarify, Zhang Xingyu decided not to think about it anymore.

Who knows—maybe he's a peerless genius that appears only once in ten thousand years.

He heard that undergoing tribulation consumes a great deal of spiritual aura and stamina.

So he set up a Spirit Gathering Array around him and also prepared roasted meat and spirit liquor to replenish his stamina.

The tribulation lightning came down from the heavens.

It was a red tribulation lightning.

It looked like the legendary Li Fire Burning Heaven Thunder.

Zhang Xingyu drew a black greatsword from his ring and hurled it forcefully into the sky.

Li Fire meets demonic qi; heavenly thunder draws earthly fire.

On the greatsword, Li Fire crackled and burned, while demonic qi fiercely rebounded.

After a quarter hour, the Li Fire gradually faded.

The greatsword transformed into a black dragon that coiled and danced in the sky.

I'm dizzy—is this guy showing off?

Don't pretend to be cool; pretending brings lightning strike!

Above the camp, black clouds gathered.

A white thunderball roared as it rushed toward the black dragon.

Tai Bai Golden Light Thunder!

The black dragon let out a long cry and charged toward the thunderball.

"Boom!" a tremendous roar.

The thunderball struck the black dragon, turning into a blinding ball of white light that scattered in all directions.

The Black Dragon was hit by that thunderball, and the demonic aura on its body dimmed a few more points.

The Black Dragon shook its head and shrank its body a little.

At that moment, a blue thunderball shot out from the clouds again.

Kwai Water Purifying Thunder.

Awo!

Facing the massive thunderball, the Black Dragon raised its head to the sky and let out a long howl.

Clusters of black demonic aura spewed from its mouth, charging straight at the thunderball.

Boom!

Kwai Water splashed.

The Black Dragon was knocked dozens of meters away.

Its body shrank a little again, and the emitted demonic aura faded considerably.

Above its head, the Calamity Cloud churned, and a larger green thunderball had already formed.

Qingmu Radiant Thunder.

Seeing this, the Black Dragon lunged at the thunderball again.

This fellow really gets braver with each battle!

The thunderball dispersed, and clusters of cyan light shone on the Black Dragon's body.

Awooo!

The demonic aura evaporated, and the Black Dragon let out a painful wail.

When the lightning faded, the Black Dragon turned back into a massive sword.

However, the sword now no longer bore the ominous demonic aura it once had.

It is a dark‑yellow flying sword, forged entirely from an unknown metal.

The blade is thick and broad, and the long hilt is engraved with two huge seal characters.

Yellow Dragon!

So the name of this massive sword is Yellow Dragon.

Zhang Xingyu reached out and lifted the Yellow Dragon.

Within the Yellow Dragon, a small amount of black demonic aura still lingered.

Zhang Xingyu activated the Transforming Creation Technique, frantically devouring the demonic aura inside the sword.

At the same time, the Calamity Cloud changed again.

At the center of the Calamity Cloud, a brown thunderball flickered.

This is the final thunder of the Five Elements Calamity Thunder, the Thick Earth Seizing Life Thunder.

Without the Yellow Dragon's provocation, the thunderball finally targeted the true master of the tribulation.

Zhang Xingyu frowned.

It seems this final strike still has to be done by his own hand.

Originally, he intended to use the demonic aura on the Yellow Dragon sword for an easy tribulation.

It appears this lazy tribulation plan cannot be fully realized.

Azure Dragon, go!

Fire Dragon, attack!

An azure and a red beam of light met the incoming thunderball head‑on.

Boom!

The thunderball exploded, and the Azure and Fire Dragons shot back.

Above his head, the Calamity Cloud quickly dispersed, and the sun showed a smiling face.

The Golden Core tribulation was easily passed!

Zhang Xingyu took a bite of roasted meat, drank a sip of Spirit Liquor, and rose leisurely.

At this moment, in his dantian, a Golden Core the size of a red bean had quietly formed.