The entire Luanyang Palace grounds went dark—a hundred miles of oppressive shadows swallowing everything in sight. Xue Mengtao looked up in alarm at the storm clouds gathering above Phoenix Roost Peak. “The Palace Lord is about to break through,” she gasped. “But she’s only advancing from early to mid Golden Core stage. Why would there be tribulation clouds?” Siyi pushed open her window, gazing at the ominous sky with a slight smile. “Don’t worry. As cultivators who defy heaven’s will, we’ve always faced tribulation lightning during breakthroughs. Our Palace Lord has achieved Great Perfection—one in ten thousand. Heaven naturally fears such talent. Even minor breakthroughs will trigger tribulation, though the number and power of strikes pale compared to major ascensions.” Xue Mengtao nodded thoughtfully, watching the dark clouds churn. Even with exceptional talent, the cultivation path isn’t easier than others—everyone faces their own trials. Rather than envy others, I should focus on strengthening myself. Her respect for Seraphine deepened, along with her resolve. Meanwhile, Seraphine landed on a barren mountaintop. The moment her feet touched stone, a small orb shot out from her robes and perched on her head. I surveyed our surroundings dramatically, striking a pose atop her hair ornament. “Great winds rise and clouds take flight, black storm-veils shroud the mountain height!” Really? Poetry? Now? Seraphine’s expression went flat. She drew her natal weapon with a sigh. Blazing flames erupted around her, cutting through the darkness like a beacon. Spiritual energy swirled as thunder rumbled overhead. She looked up with a cold smile. “Echo, watch me crush this tribulation.” I pulled out my support stick. The first lightning bolt descended like an enraged celestial beast, its roar shaking the earth. Wild grass pressed flat against the ground as if kowtowing to heaven. Through the flying sand and debris, storm clouds gathered their full fury before unleashing a massive bolt thick as a dragon. Seraphine’s flame whip met the lightning head-on. Fire-phoenix cries echoed as the collision sent rainbow sparks dancing through the air—a light show that would’ve been beautiful if it wasn’t trying to kill us. She exhaled calmly, cracking her whip as the electricity dispersed. “First strike.” Her low voice seemed to carry directly to the heavens. The tribulation clouds gathered faster, more violently, giving no time to react before unleashing their wrath. Thunder roared as absolute darkness fell. You couldn’t see your hand in front of your face—only occasional lightning flashes revealed the massive storm barrier pressing down like a second sky, blocking any cultivator’s path to transcendence. I stared at the clouds, twirling my glowing support stick through a few sword flourishes. Being virtual data had its perks—perfect grip strength, zero chance of dropping anything. I pointed my stick skyward just as the third tribulation bolt crashed down. The world went silent. Everything vanished into that consuming darkness as lightning poured down like a shattered galaxy, pressing against the earth with the weight of ten thousand mountains, trying to nail mortals permanently to the ground. But in that darkness, someone let out a distinctly unimpressed sigh. Seraphine’s whip lashed out, and hundreds of fireballs materialized instantly, transforming into towering pillars that caged the arrogant tribulation lightning in the very space it sought to dominate. “Whoa!” I cheered, pointing my support stick at the trapped storm. The stick’s color shifted to match the flames, and in that moment, a fire phoenix burst from the cage, diving straight into the tribulation clouds. Red battled black. The phoenix spread its wings, slowly driving the storm back to whatever celestial realm it came from. Seraphine leaped skyward, following her phoenix. I spun around her in delighted circles as she lashed out with her whip, releasing waves of fire that burned away the storm clouds entirely. “Third strike.” She hovered in midair, gazing upward with satisfaction. The once-mighty tribulation clouds cowered like beaten animals. Darkness gradually lifted as a single ray of sunlight pierced through, bringing spiritual rain that nourished the barren mountain. Grass sprouted and flowers bloomed as if spring had returned to the world. Seraphine chuckled softly, descending to sit cross-legged on the ground. Her consciousness sea expanded wildly, a Golden Core spinning at its center until the turbulence subsided and everything fell into calm. Spiritual energy that had been in chaos finally settled into order. I circled Seraphine, catching the waves rolling off her body. With a dramatic flourish, I waved my glowstick—then promptly shoved it into my mouth like a lollipop. “Seraphine, that little tribulation didn’t stand a chance,” I declared, patting her cheek approvingly. “You’re absolutely amazing.” Seraphine’s eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes, having perfectly advanced to mid Golden Core stage at a speed that would leave others speechless. But before any pride could reach her expression, she thought about the other “Echo” who sitting in the cultivation chamber and clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Shut up. Your compliments don’t feel right coming from you.” I blinked in surprise, then flew over to the newly sprouted grass to pick a flower. The butterfly-like petals still held dewdrops that rolled around precariously. One slipped down the pink petal and plop—landed right on my spherical head. “Ow!” I yelped softly, presenting the flower to Seraphine with a cheerful laugh. “Please don’t feel inferior! You’ve done wonderfully!” Get full chapters from novel[f]ire.net Inside my little bubble, I raised a sparkling golden thumbs-up. “Don’t compare yourself to the system. We must be true to ourselves!” Seraphine stared at Echo. If she has an inferiority complex, who in this world would dare call themselves confident? She snatched the flower from Echo with a cold laugh, using the stem to tap her spherical form twice. Watching Echo’s “ball with a golden star”, she smirked and thought: Having such an remarkable system companion isn’t easy. And of all the countless cultivators in the world, I just had to pick this particular dense ball. Dense. Completely without any openings for subtlety. This is going to be a long journey. She tucked the flower behind her ear and poked Echo’s surface just as a long howl echoed from distant peaks. Her expression brightened. “Now that I’ve reached mid Golden Core, Error is ready to take human form too.” “Ooh!” I perked up immediately. They hurried back to Phoenix Roost Peak, where chaos greeted us in the cultivation chamber. A serpentine dragon thrashed wildly, scattering spiritual liquid everywhere. In the corner, a diamond-shaped stone had wedged itself into a crevice, trembling and dripping condensation in terror. Error writhed between agony and ecstasy as its bones crackled and reformed. It carefully squeezed through the chamber door before letting loose with wild celebration dances outside. Seraphine landed and stared. “What is it doing?” I zipped into the cultivation chamber to check on things. The space looked like a hurricane had hit it, but Error had been considerate—despite her dancing, she’d left the other me completely untouched. That version sat peacefully on her meditation cushion, spiritual energy flowing steadily inward, a perfect emotionless cultivation machine. I landed on my shoulder, pulling out a tiny comb to fix my hair, then gave myself an encouraging pat on the cheek. After tucking away my styling tools, the human me opened her eyes, caught the falling orb, and placed it on the cushion. The spiritual energy immediately redirected toward the orb version of me. Your system ball is now on duty. The off-duty me happily extracted the Spirit Heart from its hiding spot, setting it on another cushion before heading out to find Seraphine. The chamber finally fell quiet, and the Spirit Heart relaxed with relief. Stones like darkness. Stones enjoy solitude! Outside, Seraphine stood with hands clasped behind her back, watching Error soar through the sky. The dragon was experiencing pre-transformation ecstasy, clearly overjoyed about the change coming. I walked over to stand beside Seraphine, waving at our airborne friend. “Error’s about to become human too. Being human is hard work.” You? Hard work? Seraphine glanced toward the cultivation chamber, her mouth twitching. Echo is Heaven’s test for me. Ever since meeting her, my dao heart has become unshakeable! The Error in the sky became considerably less stable. Its massive body began changing as scales blazed with blinding light. It bit its own tail and spun frantically, turning itself into a living ring! “Idiot!” Seraphine groaned. The sky blazed with sudden light, sharp enough to sear the eyes shut. When the light faded, Error’s body contracted sharply before plummeting from the sky. The ground shook. Someone yelped “Owwww!” in a clear, girlish voice. I clapped approvingly. “Error’s very sturdy! High defense stats are excellent for tanking damage!” Seraphine chuckled, lowering her arm. “Are you going to stay hidden forever?” Another “owww” echoed from the forest—definitely a young woman’s voice now. After rustling sounds, something red and wobbly emerged from the trees, swaying unsteadily as it approached. The new girl had snow-white skin, large round eyes with green pupils, and long black hair streaked with red strands. But…… Seraphine’s eyebrow twitched. “Why do you have so many flowers in your hair?” Red, orange, yellow, pink—a whole bouquet that dropped petals with every step. Error covered her face shyly. “Pretty!” The moment she’d transformed, she’d grabbed every flower she could find to decorate herself, choosing the biggest, reddest one for behind her ear. Seraphine’s assessment was succinct: “Ridiculous.” “Waahhh!” Error wailed. I walked over and circled her, noting she was quite tall—probably because she’d gotten used to being large as a dragon. Habits die hard. But I had questions! “Why do you have clothes?” I pulled out the red disciple robes from my storage ring—Error’s pre-ordered outfit. Clearly, they wouldn’t fit now. Error held up the robes, comparing them to her new frame, then let out a mournful dragon-roar of disappointment. “We’ll just have another one made for you,” Seraphine said, amusement flickering in her eyes. “Today’s a good day. Come, I’ll have a feast prepared. Tonight we—” She swallowed the words won’t leave till we’re drunk and, with a playful smile, amended, “—won’t leave till we’re full.” My eyes lit up instantly, flowers blooming above my head as I grabbed Seraphine’s hand with a beaming smile. Error tried to make flowers appear too but failed, so she bent down to collect the ones she’d dropped. Of course, this caused her entire floral crown to tumble to the ground. “Waahhh!” She scrambled to gather the scattered petals. Seraphine sighed, feeling her responsibilities multiply. Only Echo remained cheerful, thinking how wonderful it would be now that Error had hands for chess instead of a tail that kept sweeping the board clean or splashing me with plant debris during games! Everything has two sides. I should definitely play more chess with her. Error, walking behind them with an armful of flowers, shuddered and glanced nervously at the sun. I’m a fire dragon! Why am I getting chills? News of Seraphine’s breakthrough spread quickly through Luanyang City. Sect leaders from various factions sent congratulatory gifts, hoping to curry favor. With Seraphine’s obvious talent, if she passed the second round and entered Insight Academy Palace, her future would be limitless! Compared to the scheming, perpetually losing Crimson Thunder Sword Sect, Luanyang Palace was clearly the better investment. Seraphine received a few visitors personally before growing tired of the parade. Using “closed-door cultivation” as an excuse, she left the entertaining to Siyi, who’d also passed the first round. Siyi smiled graciously through meeting after meeting, then handled palace business before returning to find the supposedly “secluded” pair strolling hand-in-hand back from the city, carrying candied hawthorn and sugar sculptures. One of them always waved politely, saying, “Hello, Siyi!” I’m way too nice, Siyi thought wryly. Whenever Error tried to follow them into town, Seraphine sent her to find Xue Mengtao instead. Soon the new human was fast friends with Mengtao, Mu Rong, and the other disciples. Being human grew more delightful daily, especially when Error discovered that nobody could beat her at five-in-a-row! Error was unusually excited. By day, it watched the disciples of Luanyang Palace brawl; by night, it went to challenge Xue Mengtao and Mu Rong at five-in-a-row. Late at night…… surely you’re all awake too, right? “Whoa—did the dragon just turn into a flower hoarder? Chaos, confusion, and one very flustered human—catch the full spectacle 20 chapters ahead at Pxtreon➡️LoveisLove520! 🌸🔥”