For the first eight months, Yasenia tried to push her Spiritual Cultivation and Beast Cultivation to the limits of the fourth realm, letting Body Cultivation aside.
The other girls were also pushing their cultivation further, all of them reaching the half-step Unification Realm.
Cecile and Kali also focused on improving their beast cultivation, reaching similarly the tenth level of the Fusion Core beast realm. To increase beast cultivation, time was not as influential as resources.
Beast Cultivation couldn't be practiced intently, so the only way to increase it was by eating a lot of Beast Cores and other resources like spiritual herbs, fruits, etc., that would aid with the beast's development.
With Yasenia's ring's garden being boosted by the Heaven-Born Earth Core Natural Treasure named [Earthquake Splitting Rumbling Earth Core], regrowing the fruits that worked and provided a gentle boost without creating impurities was not hard. Plus, her ring had a spiritual-herb-growth accelerating function, so they didn't lack resources to feed five beasts, even if Yasenia needed as much as the other four combined.
With that, Ebirah and Sierra managed to reach not only the peak of the fourth realm but also consolidate their bodies and cores.
They were in the place to receive tribulations to advance into the Legendary Core Beast Realm. They would be the first to enter the fifth realm out of all the girls.
Andrea looked at Ebirah and asked. "Are you prepared, Ebirah?"
Ebirah clenched her little fists and raised them cutely. "Yeah!"
The light reflected on her beautiful pink crystal-like tail, beautifying her surroundings with just her presence.
Coraline and a few other leaders were also here to spectate. After all, Ebirah was Coraline's daughter, and as a show of respect, attending the tribulation was a matter of courtesy.
Ebirah stepped forward with a confident gait, and her body began glowing with beautiful white, pink, and golden lights.
In a short while, her body grew explosively, and she transformed into her beast form.
The enormous pink lobster looked extremely beautiful, with streamlined curves and a gleaming shell. Her agile-looking body and perfectly slender claws gave her a charm you wouldn't expect from a crustacean. Her eight legs, with crystal-like pink carapace, moved elegantly, carrying her heavy body to the center of the place.
Then, her armored tail looked finely crafted and slender, as if an artisan had taken their time carving her body, finishing her gorgeous body in a fan-like tail that reflected the light ethereally.
The girls couldn't help but exclaim in awe each time they saw Ebirah's beast form; she was extremely beautiful.
Ebirah's head flexibly looked upward; unlike normal lobsters, she had extra joints, carapace sections, and overall increased mobility, making her highly mobile. "Come!"
Her cute voice echoed, and then, her aura ballooned.
A massive hurricane of energy began gathering. Streaks of blue, yellow, and golden moved at her, expressing her Earth, Water, and Sun affinities.
In the sky, dark grey Tribulation Clouds gathered, slowly accumulating lightning bolts. One after another and with a rumbling roar, 81 Lightning Bolts gathered.
That was the standard number for creatures crossing into the Fifth Realm.
Seeing that her daughter wasn't "contaminated" by Yasenia's ridiculous cultivators, Coraline released the breath she was holding. 'Although the bolts are certainly stronger than usual, it is completely manageable.'
Tengliu laughed. "You look relieved, Coraline."
Coraline nodded without shame and said honestly. "I thought that spending time with Yasenia, the tribulations would become crazy and attack her relentlessly."
Yasenia smiled wryly. "It's not contagious."
Coraline looked at her with an apologetic gaze, but Tatyana's words silenced her. "It actually is."
Yasenia and the rest looked at the Death Empress with questioning looks, and Tatyana smiled. "The Heavenly Tribulation is increased by Karma and many other factors, like bloodline, constitution, and if a creature has done anything to go against the Heavens. If someone stays close to Yasenia for a long time, they will be affected by Yasenia's Karma, so the Heavens will naturally increase the strength of their tribulations, sensing that the creatures are close to the one going against them."
Wuria, the Glass Scale Lamia Leader, asked. "So… If we join little Yasenia's Alliance… Will we also be affected?"
Tatyana smiled and nodded, making them flinch. Tatyana rolled her eyes. "Why are you flinching? It is a good thing!"
The leaders looked at Tatyana with a deadpan, and Tatyana sighed and explained. "What does the Heavenly Tribulation being stronger entail?"
Du Xian, who was actually present, muttered. "More pain?"
Tatyana looked at the cute squirrel woman with an exasperated look. "Du Xian, I know that you are young, but you are the leader of a race. Try to think deeper."
Tengliu laughed. "Only you can call a several-hundred-year-old woman 'young,' hahaha."
Tatyana asked Tengliu. "Have you thought of an answer?"
Tengliu nodded and answered seriously. "The Tribulation being stronger means that there will be more Heavenly Energy concentrated, and if we manage to survive, it will make us stronger than our peers. While increasing a Tribulation's strength is dangerous, danger and reward go hand in hand, as that is only fair. The Heavens can't do anything unfair."
Du Xian understood. "I see, high risk, high reward." She paused and looked at Yasenia. "Then, what about Yasenia?"
The other leaders also looked at the dragoness with realization and wondered how many benefits Yasenia was getting for surviving her crazy tribulations.
Tatyana smiled. "She wouldn't have the strength to fight against some High-level Epoch Core cultivators if it weren't like that. Moreover, she has yet to cultivate her three paths to the limits, so she is far from her power ceiling before ascending to the fifth realm."
The leaders gulped, and Wuria asked. "Say, Lady Tatyana. Will Yasenia be able to fight us when she breaks through?"
Tatyana shrugged and honestly admitted. "I don't know. I've tried to predict Yasenia's growth a few times without using skills, and I've failed quite miserably each time. In my initial assessment, one I made before she started the cultivation path, I predicted that at this point in time, about ten years after she started cultivating without my help, Yasenia should've been around level 7~9 Unification Realm."
The leaders were confused. Coraline asked as she saw Ebirah smashing the lightning bolts one after another. "Isn't Yasenia 54 years old? She is slower than what you predicted, no?"
Tatyana smiled and took out a bone-age measuring device. "Use it, Little Treasure."
Yasenia placed her hand on it, and a number that made the leaders doubt their eyes appeared.
Gireila, the Ember Phoenix Race Leader, exclaimed. "T-Thirty-one-years-old!?"
The leaders looked at Yasenia with horror in their eyes. Yasenia laughed. "I'm 54, but I gained 23 of those years in a special way, so It's normal for the device to be confused. This measures bone age, not mental age, after all."
Angel muttered, her face burning. "I almost forgot that Yasenia was actually almost four years younger than me." The fact that she acted like a baby since almost day one with someone younger was a bit embarrassing, no matter how pampered Angel was.
Andrea coughed. "She was more than a decade younger than me."
Evelyn smirked and was about to tease Andrea, but she received a gaze from a pair of red eyes that made the words stuck in her throat. She coughed and commented. "that's nothing, Andrea. Don't worry much."
Andrea looked strangely at her. "So rare that you actually say something normal."
Tengliu looked at Ebirah, who was repelling the last five bolts and looked back at Yasenia. "So… How did you gain those 23 extra years, little Yasenia?"
Yasenia smiled. "A Trial in a secret realm extended two weeks into 23 years of experience."
Coraline muttered, her eyes still locked on Ebirah. "Such a magical thing is possible? I thought Time was immutable and impossible to alter."
Tatyana added. "Slowing or speeding time in an area to a certain extent becomes possible after reaching a certain level of strength. But the effects are very, very limited. Even I, with very time-consuming and complex formations, can barely alter it. The effort is not worth the results yet."
Evelyn asked, stunned. "How strong is the person who created that secret realm, then? They could dilate two weeks into nearly 1250 weeks!"
The leaders also stiffened.
Only Coraline spoke after seeing Ebirah cross successfully. Her voice was laced with pride and emotion, and she walked forward to hug her little daughter, who had returned to her humanoid form. "It still feels like yesterday when I gave birth to you, love. And yet, you've crossed the fifth realm to become a Legendary Core Beast. I'm so proud of you."
Ebirah laughed happily and snuggled close to her, burying her face in her breasts while her lobster tail flopped up and down. "Mommy~."
Coraline patted Ebirah's head full of pink, soft hair with a gentle smile and looked at Yasenia. The gratitude in her purple eyes was evident. "Thank you for lending her the Transcendence Ranked materials for her breakthrough, little Yasenia. I know it's not much, but I swear that the Lobster Race will live and die with the Astral Sky Clan as long as I'm their leader."
Yasenia laughed. "No need for that, Aunty Coraline. As Andrea's contracted beast, Ebirah is part of my family. Giving her less than the best is not something I would want to do."
Ebirah laughed sweetly, and like a little bird, she left Coralline's arms to hug Yasenia, her face accurately diving into the deep valley. "Thank you~."
Yasenia patted her head softly, looking at the other person about to break through. "Ready?"
Sierra nodded resolutely and walked forward.
If Ebirah had little problems with the Tribulation, Sierra, as a [Winter Tribulation Thunderstorm Wolf Queen], had even less.
Without any signs of struggling even once, not only did Sierra break through into the fifth realm smoothly, but she also surpassed Kali's bloodline level and crossed into the low-level Ancient Beast Bloodline.
Once the Tribulation finished and her aura spread around, the faces of the people spectating became stiff. Ancient Beasts were entirely above the maximum level Distancia's beasts could reach. Even Ebirah was "only" a peak-level Divine Beast.
Of course, the main reason for Sierra's explosive growth was that for Sierra, Heavenly Tribulations were nothing but nourishment.
Yasenia looked at Sierra and asked with a laugh. "How is it? Do you feel stronger?"
Sierra blinked and smirked at Yasenia. "I think I'm not far from you, Lady Yasenia."
Yasenia lifted an eyebrow and disappeared from her position, reappearing at Sierra's side while punching without holding back, using her bodily strength.
Sierra turned around with a wild grin and met her head-on with pure physical strength.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave spread around, forcing Sierra to take ten steps back, leaving behind deep footprints in the solid ground.
Meanwhile, Yasenia moved back five steps, which surprised the dragoness. Yasenia laughed. "Not bad."
Sierra rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You are still physically stronger? What the heck are you made out of, Lady Yasenia? Heavenly Steel?"
Yasenia smugly moved her chest to make it jiggle from side to side. "I don't know what you are talking about. I'm actually very soft and delicate. Hugging me is softer than hugging a pillow."
Sierra looked down, and her lips twitched. "I can't refute it… But why are you still stronger?"
Yasenia blinked. "I'm a Dragon."
Sierra and the others wanted to complain, but they all couldn't say anything. The leaders have been informed about "common" information about the outside world, not being as ignorant as before, so they also didn't say anything.
Who would've thought that the dragons that they looked at as a lower-ranked species would be so tyrannical outside Distancia?
The leaders wanted to cry as almost everything they considered "normal" was completely overturned.
Evelyn trotted forward and hugged Sierra with a wide smile. "Congratulations, Sierra! You are a Legendary Core Beast!"
Sierra smirked. "A level two one, at that."
Evelyn blinked. "Eh?"
Sierra laughed. "I managed to make a small breakthrough after absorbing all the Tribulation Energy."
The rest who heard her wanted to bite her out of envy. 'Her bloodline is a cheat!'
The Forest Sky Empress appeared and looked at Yasenia. "Little Yasenia, we can finally reveal where the gathering will occur."