Chapter 1: Failed Tribulation

Chapter 1: Failed Ascension

"KABOOM—"

Dark clouds gathered densely over the mountaintop, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled—someone was undergoing a heavenly tribulation there.

Beneath the dark clouds, on the corresponding peak, the woman's cyan Daoist robes had already been torn into shreds by the heavenly lightning. Apart from her face, which remained somewhat recognizable, the rest of her body had been reduced to bare, stark white bones. Blood-stained cloth strips hung from the skeletal frame, and her breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible.

Under the illumination of the lightning, the bones emitted an eerie pale luminescence, appearing exceptionally tragic.

"CRACK—"

The final bolt of heavenly lightning descended, striking the woman with annihilating force, completely reducing her to a skeleton.

The woman's name was Jiang Yingxue, a cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage. Since the highest cultivation level in this realm was Nascent Soul, cultivators who reached this stage had to undergo a lightning tribulation to ascend to the Spirit Realm. The tribulation she was facing now was precisely for that ascension.

Whenever someone successfully passed the tribulation, celestial music would play from the heavens, and sweet dew would fall. At this moment, the dark clouds in the sky had dispersed, but neither celestial music nor sweet dew appeared. Jiang Yingxue had completely turned into a lifeless skeleton.

It was evident that her tribulation had failed.

*

Blue Water Star, City Y.

"BOOM—"

A dazzling bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and struck the city, followed by an explosive clap of thunder.

The lightning struck a black umbrella beneath a large tree. The person under the umbrella staggered slightly, and the jade pendant on her body emitted a flash of light before shattering. Just as the pendant was about to fall to the ground, she instinctively caught it.

The person under the umbrella was Jiang Yingxue, and yet she wasn't. Although her facial features resembled those of her cultivation world self, they were far less beautiful, and this was the body of a mortal.

The residual electric current from the collision between the lightning and the jade pendant coursed through Jiang Yingxue's body. Two seconds later, her eyes snapped open, and she warily surveyed her surroundings.

Her gaze fell upon cement and steel structures unlike anything in the cultivation world. The roads were bustling with traffic, and her ears were filled with lively sounds—the hawking of street vendors, the chatter of pedestrians, and music playing from shops along the street, all exuding the vibrant hustle and bustle of the mortal world.

"Jianbing guozi, delicious jianbing guozi!"

"Selling watermelons, sweet and juicy watermelons!"

"Sis, I'm going to the clothing store to buy a dress."

"Let's check out the one up ahead."

...

"H-how is this place so similar to Blue Water Star?" Jiang Yingxue was utterly astonished. Hadn't she died after failing her tribulation? How could she be here? Or was she still undergoing the tribulation, and this was an illusion?

She looked down at her slightly rough hands and noticed the shattered jade pendant in her right palm turning to dust under her gaze. Her eyes narrowed, and she flicked her hand toward a large tree by the roadside.

With a "bang," the tree snapped in half and fell to the ground, the broken section still emitting tendrils of steam.

Jiang Yingxue knelt to carefully examine the smoking trunk and the surrounding objects. To her amazement, she realized her surroundings were not an illusion but real.

This was a real world, not a fabricated illusion.

She closed her umbrella, a flicker of inscrutable light passing through her eyes. Her hands trembled slightly with excitement as she allowed the rain to beat against her face and body.

This body was 23 years old—it was her body from her previous life.

"I'm back. I actually came back! Heh."

A few passersby occasionally noticed her strange behavior but only gave her odd glances before moving on.

In a big city, the pressure of life was immense—who wouldn't go a little crazy? Venting in the heavy rain wasn't unheard of. Besides, maybe the girl just enjoyed getting drenched. Better not meddle.

Jiang Yingxue walked forward along the street. Suddenly, she collapsed to the ground as an intense pain wracked her body and mind.

"Pfft—" A mouthful of blood sprayed out. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, she leaned against a tree trunk and examined her body, realizing that her fragile mortal vessel couldn't withstand her powerful soul. Her body began to crack inch by inch, and soon she was a bloody mess. Fortunately, her position was relatively secluded, so no one saw her condition.

"Seal!" To preserve her body, Jiang Yingxue had no choice but to temporarily seal away ninety-nine percent of her soul's power.

After the sealing, the cracks on her body healed before her eyes. She stood up, and when her eyes were level with a nearby trash can, she inadvertently spotted a discarded newspaper on top.

"It's actually that specific date..." Jiang Yingxue took out her phone and turned on the screen. The time displayed matched the date on the newspaper.

This day was a turning point in her life, and it was burned into her memory.

It was on this very night, on her way back to her rented apartment after work, that she helped a man who had collapsed by the roadside and sent him to the hospital.

It was this act of kindness that led to her unbearable suffering. The rescued man was named Zhao Bingming. The Zhao family wielded immense power in City Y, and Zhao Bingming, the eldest son, was a paranoid and unscrupulous psychopath who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

After recovering, Zhao Bingming relentlessly pursued Jiang Yingxue despite her repeated rejections. During his one-sided pursuit, he allowed his fiancée to destroy her career, ruin her reputation, cause the deaths of her grief-stricken maternal grandparents, and ultimately led to her own death in this lifetime.

Even separated by two realms and a thousand years, Jiang Yingxue's hatred for them had never faded. This was a feud that could never be forgiven! Zhao Bingming and Shen Jiaqing were still her sworn enemies!

However, judging by the location and time, she hadn't yet performed her "good deed," and her grandparents were still alive and well. A wave of fierce joy and relief washed over her. In this lifetime, she would definitely ensure the two elders lived happily and contentedly!

Jiang Yingxue looked toward the alley entrance not far away, a strange smile playing on her lips. That man was right ahead.

Although she had returned to the past, and the events of the man harming her family hadn't yet occurred, Jiang Yingxue had genuinely experienced that pain. That was reason enough for revenge.

"Heh, want to own me? See if you're even worthy!" She plugged her earphones in, pretending to listen to music, walked straight for 20 meters, then turned left into the alley.

Jiang Yingxue glanced at the surveillance camera on the wall facing the alley and lightly tapped her finger. A black cloth descended from above, shrouding it completely.

As she passed a dimly lit section, she clearly heard a man's painful groans. She stopped in her tracks.

Zhao Bingming's eyes lit up. He thought the passerby had noticed him and would extend a helping hand to him, lying bloodied in the grass. He was about to be saved.

To be fair, he deserved it. He had been caught in bed with another man's wife by the husband. The betrayed husband, enraged, picked up a wooden stick and beat Zhao Bingming until he was bleeding profusely. Even after Zhao Bingming revealed his identity as the young master of the Zhao family, it was useless. His phone was smashed, both his legs were fractured, and finally, the man dumped him in the alley to fend for himself.

Zhao Bingming pleaded, "Miss, miss in the purple dress, s-save me, please! I have money, I can give you money! Just save me..."

However, Jiang Yingxue merely adjusted her earphones. She reopened her umbrella, making no move to help Zhao Bingming.