Following Andrea's triumphant tribulation, life seemed to regain its usual rhythm. However, deeply impacted by Andrea's words, Kali and Cecile made a crucial decision. They would delay their plans for the tribulation, for if Andrea's experience was any indication, they were about to face not two but three simultaneous tribulations.
Their beast core was already strained and ready to break through, their spiritual path similarly at its limit, and their body path on the brink of forcefully increasing its level.
They chose to utilize these additional weeks not for physical strengthening, a feat nearly impossible in such a short span, but to fortify their mental resilience.
Will was a powerful facet of a cultivator that was needed during tribulations. A Heavenly Tribulation was usually seen as a bunch of lightning bolts striking a cultivator. However, it was much more than that.
The feeling of being below the dark thunderous clouds and knowing that lightning bolts would fall on you to try and kill you was a mental strain. Then, the innate pressure carried by the heavens was also something that attacked the mind during the whole ordeal. The Heavens were nothing but an almighty figure in the eyes of most. That kind of entity aiming right at you while preparing to strike you dead was something that not everyone could overcome mentally and emotionally.
A Heavenly Tribulation, putting it in the simplest way, was a terrifying event for everyone.
Yasenia had shown her anxiety toward her oncoming one several times over. Now that they knew they had to face all tribulations simultaneously, the other girls also lacked their previous confidence.
With such a mentality, challenging the heavens was nothing else but a suicide mission. Andrea could go through thanks to her unwavering determination reflected by her [Perseverance Intent], but the truth was that she was scared the second both paths broke through.
Yasenia walked around their manor with a direction in mind. She had just finished her cultivation session and daily work and was free for the rest of the day. Her steps were light, and her tail gently swished behind her. She wore a light purple dress with a loose fit that still highlighted her curves. With her figure, finding a dress that completely hid her figure would be like putting on a potato sack, something our dragoness naturally didn't want to do.
The maids walking around the mansion greeted her as she walked, and Yasenia smiled at them and sometimes even stopped to chat for a few minutes at a time. After forty minutes of walking, she arrived at a simple yet luxurious-looking door. It was wooden with intricate details that went unnoticed until you focused on the design. It gives a cozy feeling while not looking lacking in any way.
Lifting her beautiful hand and bending her long and slender fingers, Yasenia knocked three times. "Honey, are you inside?"
The dragoness waited patiently, her hands behind her back as she waited patiently. If she entered without knocking, Yasenia knew that Kali wouldn't get angry. Not any of them, to be exact. They were always pleasantly surprised each time they saw her, after all.
With their current focus on cultivation, their time together had lessened for quite a lot. Thankfully, they didn't need to go into close-door cultivation yet because Yasenia's dual cultivation made things much more efficient, quick, and overall better than close-door cultivation.
It didn't take long before the door gently opened, revealing the fox woman. Her chestnut-colored hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she looked youthful and casual. Her two large fox ears were straightened, clearly showing her delight from seeing Yasenia, while her three tails were wagging happily behind her.
The dragoness saw Kali's clear and happy verdant green eyes and couldn't help but feel happy, too, making her own tail wag.
Flora, who came with a few things Kali asked for, couldn't help but clutch her heart after seeing both of them. 'What is this!? Is tail wagging infectious!? They are so cute!'
Yasenia opened her arms and asked while surrounding Kali in a hug. "How are you doing, Honey?"
Kali passed her arms around Yasenia's slender and soft waist while burying her face in her neck. Thanks to their height difference, Yasneia's neck was right there to snuggle, making it a really comfortable position. Of course, there was a big plus, and that was their breasts squishing together.
The feeling of the dragoness's abundant chest colliding with hers was honestly divine as her entire body softened like a blob in the seductive woman's arms. 'Ah~, I think I will never get tired of Yasenia's hug.'
"I'm doing fine, Yasenia. Is there anything you wanted when coming here?"
The dragoness smiled and entered, walking awkwardly without breaking the tight hug and leaving the door open for Flora. "Well, I wanted to check up on you. What we discovered about the tribulations must've placed pressure on you, right? The previous hurdle that you were sure to overcome, now you are doubting yourself."
Kali paused, and Yasenia took the chance to lift her up and sit on the bed, placing Kali's soft hand behind her lap while surrounding the fox's waist with her arms.
Kali blinked and looked sideways, right into the dragoness's loving golden eyes, making her flustered. The slit pupils that gently expanded and constricted were hypnotizing, while the golden color swirled slowly in what seemed waves of liquid gold.
The enchanting eyes of her lover were such that Kali didn't doubt that if she wanted, her lover could probably seduce people with just her gaze. Kali blinked, bringing back her focus to the conversation. "Um, well. It's true that I was a bit shocked, but I'm already fine. It was just that I didn't expect to need to fight so hard, hahaha. However, with Valeria, I'm honestly not afraid."
Yasenia agreed with her. Valeria was considered Kali's strength since she was part of her skills. The same was true with Mirrory, as she was considered Angel's tool, not an outside being.
Ebirah and Sierra, on the other hand, had limits in their ability to interfere with their masters' tribulations.
In short, she was in a position where she could intervene. Still, Valeria and Kali had talked about this matter a lot, and unless absolutely necessary, Valeria didn't want to interfere in Kali's growth other than positively.
Fighting off the Heavenly Tribulation was a way of growth that didn't lose out to constant training. Tribulations forged the cultivator's mind and body in ways any other thing couldn't.
There was always a noticeable difference between cultivators who had advanced using only natural advantages and others who heavily relied on tools.
Kali looked at Yasenia and became worried. She opened her mouth a few times, not knowing how to ask without seeming too negative.
The dragoness saw through her hesitation and leaned forward to kiss her lips once softly. Kali was momentarily surprised but quickly reciprocated. The feeling of Yasenia's tender lips was like medicine for her heart. After kissing for a few minutes, Kali separated, her verdant green eyes moist and her face tainted with a blush. Even though she wanted, she couldn't really put into words how much she loved kissing her. So, she just expressed herself in the most natural way. "Yasenia, I love you."
The dragoness smiled, poking the tips of the nose together. "I love you too, Kali."
Kali smiled and laughed softly, feeling happy. Then, she grabbed one of Yasenia's hands and started playing with it. Her tails moved behind her, searching for Yasenia's tail, which promptly moved to play with them.
As their digits interlocked, Kali finally asked. "Aren't you scared?"
Yasenia paused for a few seconds and answered. "Hm… To be honest, I'm not scared." Kali looked into Yasenia's eyes as the dragoness spoke. "I'm… How to say it… Worried? No, that's not it. Hm…"
Kali blinked and asked. "Uneasy? Anxious?"
Yasenia shook her head and sighed. "Concerned should be the word. I'm not fearful, but I always wonder what would happen if I ever don't make it. I'm not uneasy, but I can feel that the time is getting close. I'm not anxious, but I can feel my mind drifting more."
The dragoness smiled. "So, I think Concerned is a good word to describe how I'm feeling."
Kali nodded, understanding where Yasenia was going. During all this time, she had been secretly monitoring Yasenia's heartbeat, and she didn't feel a change throughout. While it was a bit underhanded, Kali knew that their dragoness rarely showed her weak part to them.
Mind you, it was not because Yasenia was scared that showing her weak side would change their views or something, but because her nature as a Dragon, as the head of the harem, and as the de facto leader of their group pushed her to be strong.
Everything Yasenia faced was something someone of her age would never have to face. Although Yasenia was close to 60, her opponents had always been the people the average 60-year-old looked up to as seniors.
If Yasenia fought with people of her age instead of fighting always up, it wouldn't even be a fight. The dragoness was so far outside the "average" scale that those called "average" would be suppressed with just the pressure from her gaze.
A look from Yasenia would bring down to their knees almost anyone of her age. Kali and the rest similarly never considered themselves as someone who could confidently follow her.
The fact that they had similar cultivation levels was all thanks to Yasenia's ridiculously rich and nourishing Yang energy, which she shared with them during dual cultivating. Yes, they worked hard. Yes, they never lacked the effort. Yes, they were talented individuals.
But, above everything, Yasenia's heavy lifting allowed them to be where they currently were.
Kali couldn't help but sigh. She felt like something was chasing Yasenia, always behind her. If Yasenia ever stopped for a second, that something would try to swallow her whole, not leaving even her remains behind.
That's why they never told her anything about taking a break. Instead, they chose to step up and carry her burden together. That's why, recently, Yasenia's workload has lessened considerably. Evelyn, Andrea, Kali, Cecile, and even Angel all had become strong in their own fields, completely stripping the dragoness of the need to check on anything profession-related.
Yasenia shifted their position a bit so that they were more comfortable, and Kali looked at her with her usual gentle and soothing smile. "Say, how many bolts do you think my tribulation will have? 200? 300?"
Yasenia pondered, unsure. Then, her mellow and slightly low, seductive voice reached Kali's fox ears. "Honestly, mom never taught me things about various cultivation paths besides some speculative matters, so in this matter, I'm as ignorant as you are."
Kali hummed and asked. "Well, if you had to guess?"
The dragoness laughed and asked. "Do you want me to say a number at random?"
Kali lifted her eyebrow and smirked. "That's right."
Yasenia chuckled and thought for a few seconds. "How about… 140!"
Kali blinked twice. "140? That's less than Andrea, right?"
The dragoness nodded. "Yes, but I feel like the heavens don't really like to throw lightning. There must be a moment where each bolt changes and becomes stronger, or something similar."
Kali asked with interest. "Ho? How so?"
Yasenia pointed at one fact. "Can you imagine someone of mom's level being targeted by these lightning bolts?"
Kali imagined it and almost burst into laughter. "I just imagined it, and the Tatyana in my imagination rolled her eyes while looking at the Heavenly Tribulation."
Yasenia laughed aloud. "That's something she would certainly do. Moreover, do you remember the bolt that killed me in the secret realm? Or the one that targeted Mom when she first arrived at Distancia? Those hints pushed me to think of that outcome."
Kali found it logical and agreed. "It makes sense. If not, high-level cultivators wouldn't be that terrified of Heavenly Tribulations. I've heard that many just don't advance even when they can because they fear death."
Yasenia nodded. "It's a very common matter. That's why you see so many low-level old people, even in worlds where it is possible to go further. First, talent is a limiter, but mental strength is a bigger limiter, in my opinion. While some can achieve more, they are not ambitious enough to risk everything for that when their lives are practically solved as they are."
Kali agreed wholeheartedly.