Back in Teyvat, Ling Feng glanced at the dark environment outside the window and then at the clock hanging in the room. It was exactly midnight, the same time he had left.
Ling Feng tilted his head towards the simple hourglass he had made next to his work desk. It was a stack of three hourglasses, each representing twenty-four hours.
Before he left, he had flipped the topmost hourglass. Now, the topmost one had completely run out of sand, and the second one had just begun to trickle. This indicated that only one day had passed since he left.
There were now two possibilities. First, the flow of time was different between the two worlds. Second, every time he visited another world, no matter how long had passed, only a single day would have elapsed in Teyvat.
Since his strength had grown to the point where he could protect himself, the system no longer answered all his questions. It would only reveal a little if a matter was special, such as his heavenly tribulation.
Therefore, some answers had to be found and discovered by himself.
"It's getting late, I'll sleep first. I'll find a secluded place tomorrow."
Ling Feng collapsed limply onto his bed. The reason for finding a secluded place was that during the tribulation, if anyone stepped within a hundred-meter radius of him, the heavenly tribulation would count them in and intensify.
His heavenly tribulation was already terrifying enough compared to ordinary cultivators due to his spiritual roots. If someone trespassed, it would likely become even more dreadful.
The next morning, Ling Feng was awakened by a knock on the door. He groggily climbed out of bed and went to open it.
"Who is it?" Ling Feng asked, yawning as he opened the door, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
However, the moment his eyes fell upon Crane standing at the doorway, all his sleepiness vanished instantly, as if someone had doused his face with a bucket of cold water, making him wide awake.
"Master! Wh-why are you here?" Ling Feng stammered.
"The strong smell of blood in your room needs to be cleaned up. A celestial grotto-heaven is a place for pure cultivation," Cloud Retainer lectured. Then, she noticed Ling Feng's tattered black windbreaker and reminded him, "Your attire is disheveled, and your hair is unkempt. What kind of manner is this?"
Hearing this, Ling Feng glanced at himself and realized his windbreaker was indeed torn and ragged. His hair was also messy from just waking up. He scratched his head awkwardly, "I came back too late last night and forgot to change."
"Now that you've returned, your cultivation continues as usual." With that, Cloud Retainer turned to leave.
"Master, wait, I have something to do today."
"What is it?"
"It's like this..." Ling Feng explained his situation to Cloud Retainer. Having stayed in Jueyun Karst for so long, she should know of some sparsely populated places.
After listening to Ling Feng's account, Cloud Retainer was surprised that Ling Feng's cultivation method required such a tribulation. After a moment's thought, she said,
"In that case, the summit of Qingyun Peak should be the best place. The mountain is high and steep, and no one dares to climb it. Birds rarely pass by."
"Qingyun Peak summit? That's the same idea I had." Ling Feng nodded. Qingyun Peak's summit was the very first place he had intended to visit today.
"I will inform the other Adepti about this. You can undergo your tribulation with peace of mind; we will handle the rest."
"Thank you, Master." Ling Feng was surprised that Cloud Retainer would help. He had initially thought she would not get involved and leave him to handle it himself.
With the Adepti taking action, the possibility of an accident during his tribulation was now practically zero.
"You should go and find Moon-Bane Hall Master. According to what you've said, formations can also withstand heavenly tribulations. You can seek him out and have him guide you in setting up a formation, which can increase your safety," Cloud Retainer suggested.
"Mm, I understand, Master. I'll go after I wash up." Ling Feng nodded. He had almost forgotten that Moon-Bane Hall Master was a master of formations. Setting up a formation would add another layer of security.
After Cloud Retainer left, Ling Feng returned to his room and took off the "scarred" black windbreaker. However, he didn't discard it directly but stored it in his space as a memento.
After a bath to relax, he changed into a white robe of better material and left Mount Aocang.
Using a teleportation array, Ling Feng arrived at Qingyun Peak. Moon-Bane Hall Master had already prepared the materials needed for the formation and was waiting at the entrance of his abode for Ling Feng's arrival.
"Master Moon-Bane," Ling Feng bowed respectfully, performing the rites of a disciple.
"Cloud Retainer has informed me of your situation. Let us now head to the summit to set up the formation," Moon-Bane Hall Master nodded, then took to the air and ascended towards the peak.
Seeing this, Ling Feng summoned his Yazhili, displayed the freely roaming sword-riding technique, and followed him on his sword. His current true essence was enough to sustain flight for a period of time.
Upon reaching the summit of Qingyun Peak, Moon-Bane Hall Master handed Ling Feng the materials for setting up the formation and then guided him through the process.
An hour later—
The formation was completed.
"Hoo..." Ling Feng wiped the cold sweat from his brow. It was his first time setting up a formation, and he was too unpracticed. If Moon-Bane Hall Master hadn't been there to correct his mistakes, he probably would have taken much longer.
"Hmm, it's passable. It should be able to unleash seventy to eighty percent of its power. This is the Golden Gang Formation, a defensive formation. Since you need to withstand lightning, this is the best formation you can currently set up. If I were allowed to set it up myself, I could create a formation with even stronger defense."
Moon-Bane Hall Master surveyed the mountaintop. He had learned from Cloud Retainer about the uniqueness of Ling Feng's tribulation: no foreign aura or power was allowed to interfere, or it would cause complications.
Not long after the formation was set up, Cloud Retainer and Xiao arrived one after another.
Cloud Retainer looked at Ling Feng and said, "I have asked Shenhe to drive all creatures on the mountainside of Qingyun Peak down the mountain. I have also set up wind barriers on the ascent to ensure no creatures will climb during this period."
Xiao said calmly, "This tribulation is yours to overcome. We will eliminate any other threats for you."
"Thank you, the three Masters," Ling Feng expressed his gratitude.
"Since all preparations are complete, we should temporarily leave this place and conceal ourselves. We will only intervene if there are unexpected developments," Cloud Retainer said. The other two Adepti nodded, and then the three of them departed, leaving Ling Feng alone.
"Hoo, I'll study the Thunder Body Forging Art first. For the first two lightning tribulations, I can try to endure them with my physical body. I have the Star-Patterned Armor and the Feather of Revival as my final trump cards," Ling Feng mused to himself, taking out the bamboo slip containing the Thunder Body Forging Art and studying the body-refining technique.
One minute later, Ling Feng slowly opened his eyes. The Thunder Body Forging Art was now stored in his mind. He checked the items prepared in his space once more, and upon confirming everything was in order, he prepared to face the heavenly tribulation.