"A place for the Heaven-Tribulation breakthrough?" Ryan Ling froze for a moment, but quickly realized what was up. China’s Divine Dragon had always been planning to break through the Heaven-Tribulation Stage and restore its old power, so that spot was obviously meant for itself—yet it was now being handed to Ryan. That made Ryan’s already guilty heart ache even more.
"Don’t overthink it. I know what I have to do, and I’m not dying anytime soon. I’ll soar again sooner or later. But for you, breaking through the Heaven-Tribulation Stage is what matters most right now. If you fail, the overseas Chinese in America might all be wiped out!" The Divine Dragon was badly injured, but clearly had a perfect grasp of the outside situation.
"But, that place is yours..." Ryan blurted out, but was instantly cut off by the Divine Dragon.
"Enough. I don’t have time to chat. Do what I say—there’s no time left! Go, now! Paula, you take Ryan and show him the way, got it?" The Divine Dragon, even with its mind briefly restored, was clearly in agony with every word. Its wounds were nowhere near healed and still extremely severe.
"Okay!" Paula Bloom nodded, grabbed Ryan’s arm, and said urgently, "Ryan, stop talking. Don’t waste the Divine Dragon’s kindness. What you need most right now is to hurry—for Huaxia, for everyone, let’s go!"
Paula didn’t waste any more words either. With things this tense, there was no time to hesitate—every second counted.
After saying that, the Divine Dragon was totally spent. It closed its eyes and sank back into a deep sleep.
Ryan didn’t have the heart to disturb the Divine Dragon either. Gritting his teeth, he followed Paula Bloom right away!
"Where exactly is this Heaven-Tribulation breakthrough spot?" Ryan asked, following Paula along the Southcape Archipelago. Their boat sped on for over two hours, but they still hadn’t reached the destination.
"Don’t worry, Ryan. We’re almost there. It’s an island up ahead—Thunder Isle. Even in the dead of winter, thunder rumbles nonstop, and now, with rainy season in full swing, the storms are absolutely savage. You have to be careful going in! Breaking through the Heaven-Tribulation Stage is even riskier!" Paula Bloom bit her lip, clearly nervous.
"Is it really that intense?" Ryan steadied himself, still a bit skeptical.
But the Ghost Elder inside him immediately got nervous: "Paula Bloom’s right. That place is no joke. Thunder Isle probably formed when a thunder god’s artifact fell to earth and evolved, so it naturally draws lightning. That’s why there’s thunder even in deep winter. It’s a great spot for breaking through Heaven-Tribulation—but also super dangerous. One wrong move and you could die!"
"Got it!" Ryan steadied himself. The Ghost Elder’s warning was serious, but Ryan knew just how brutal the Heaven-Tribulation breakthrough was—definitely the biggest hurdle in cultivation.
From Foundation-Building to Golden Core, then to Nascent Soul—all those upgrades are just laying the groundwork. The real test of the Immortal Path is Heaven-Tribulation. Only by surviving it can you prove your path is solid, and that you might actually become a Human Immortal someday.
That’s why, no matter how tough it is, countless Nascent Soul experts risk their lives every year trying to break through Heaven-Tribulation!
Of course, if a monster like Ryan manages to break through, even he can’t imagine how strong he’ll get!
Right now, Ryan’s strong enough to beat a typical first-layer Heaven-Tribulation expert—like Warren Damon, who he literally stomped on. But if the opponent’s second-layer, that’s a whole different story.
But if he levels up to Heaven-Tribulation, forget ordinary second-layer experts—even third or fourth layer, he’s confident he could take them on!
And with his Immortal Artifacts, he’d even dare to challenge fifth-layer Heaven-Tribulation!
That’s exactly why Ryan’s so desperate to break through Heaven-Tribulation!