As soon as Rui returned from the realm, the scouts of the Guang family were immediately alarmed.
They had been laying in waiting for months on end, having almost lost hope; however, the still intact soul fragment was signifying that Rui was not only fine but that he had also gotten stronger.
The head of the squad was a young scout from the family who had just awakened not too long ago.
His name was Guang Jin, and he awakened with a Laguz rune. Jin's position in the clan was different from Rui's, who was a direct descendant of the grand elder. Rather, he was the great grandson of Guang Xin.
Jin pulled out a talisman and began casting a runic hex, sending a notification message to the clan headquarters.
He was taught to be a great scout, despite his young age. He didn't approach Rui as soon as he appeared, observing from a distance. Soon, three more figures appeared in front of Rui, surprising Jin and the scouts greatly.
Soon, they began moving in to reconvene with Rui.
Jin always recalled his great-grandfather's words whenever he was about to go into action.
"Senses can be a great tool if they are used correctly, but some senses are better than others... Intuition, kiddo. You have to train your intuition."
Guang Xin was born into a commoner lineage of the Guang Clan, awakening as a Raido user despite his low chances.
He soon discovered that the normal clan behind him wasn't so normal, as he was enrolled in training as soon as he awakened. He went through countless scouting missions, from information gathering to, soon after, assassination.
By this point, he was already an elder of the clan with over 300 years of experience in their field of work. He had reached the peak of the fourth rank, which was an incredible feat. Not every cultivator had the talent to reach this stage at such a pace.
The average rune master would never be able to reach the fourth rank unless they were supported by some sort of treasure or background.
And the reason he was able to reach this position was due to his heightened sense of intuition. He called it his gift.
Jane, Silas, and Maverick were slowly regaining their senses after exiting the orb. Since the orb placed them in a sort of time stasis, they needed a few seconds to recover.
Silas was first to recover, followed by Maverick and Jane. The three of them looked around in confusion, their gazes soon falling on Rui.
Rui was still wearing the tech-wear-style clothes he did back on earth, while Sunny sat on his shoulder, his glowing golden eyes inspecting the strange people in front of him.
Sunny could immediately tell that they were different from the other humans he had encountered. Not only did they have an unstable cultivation by his standards, but they were even using extremely filthy energy while doing so.
He was used to Rui's pure runic energy, so their energy seemed to reek for him.
"So, did it work? Did we leave Earth?"
The first to speak was Maverick, his voice shaking in excitement. He clearly felt different as soon as he regained his senses, as if the air itself was full of energy.
Rui smiled at the question, his gaze falling on the approaching scouts in the distance.
"Take a guess."
He said, as he sat down cross-legged to cultivate, Sunny flying off his shoulder and soaring to the distance.
His body was currently reacting to the sudden energy change, as it was starving for runic energy. He was currently on the verge of a breakthrough, so he didn't have time to explain a lot of things.
Jin and the scouts approached in a hurry, their runes hidden behind their signature bandannas.
The three earthlings looked at the scouting group in confusion, trying to get an explanation from Rui.
"Just follow Jin. He will explain things properly."
Rui was in a critical portion of his advancement, so it was not a great idea for them to stay close. Jin, who was taught a lot of things at a young age by Grandpa Xin, already knew that Rui was about to breakthrough.
Bowing slightly and in a bit of a hurry, he politely spoke.
"Guests, please come this way. Young Master is currently trying to breakthrough, so it would be best if we didn't stay close to him."
Jane raised an eyebrow but kept her mouth shut as she quickly rushed, following a guard that was moving away.
Silas and Maverick exchanged glances before nodding, confused about the situation.
After a few seconds of running, Jin stopped them, signaling that the distance was safe.
"This far should be enough. Since Young Master Rui is about to reach the third stage, there could be a tribulation once again, like there was with his second stage advancement."
He explained, heaving a deep sigh.
Silas and Maverick were still confused, but Jane seemed to understand the situation a little. Unlike the two of them, Rui had explained quite a lot about the world of rune masters to her, so she was prepared for a situation like this.
"What tribulation? Don't tell me it's one of those heavenly tribulations you read about in novels."
Asked Silas in confusion. He was an avid fan of web novels after all, especially before the events of "Ruins".
Jin stared at him strangely, scanning him from head to toe like he was some sort of strange creature.
"Of course it's a heavenly tribulation I'm talking about; what else would it be? Anyway, since the young master experienced a third-grade tribulation while advancing to the Rune Sea stage, the tribulation this time will be even more powerful."
Jin continued explaining, completely disregarding Silas's confused gaze.
"Usually, rune masters that advance to the second rank don't experience a tribulation, so for him to experience one, it means that even the world itself is against his progression."
Jane continued Jin's explanation, her eyes glancing at Rui's figure in the distance with a hint of worry. Rui had already explained his situation to her, already expecting such a scenario when they arrived.
Jin nodded at her words, pleased that this guest knew common sense.
Maverick and Silas looked at Jane in surprise. They couldn't understand the situation, nor did they have any idea about how cultivation functioned in this world. They had made a deal with Rui after explaining their story to him, but Rui never told them about the world they would travel to.
Suddenly, the sky darkened, as if the sun itself had disappeared. The area around Rui began warping, his runic energy levels rising steadily as he was in the process of advancing.
The third rank of rune masters was the rune core formation stage, where one would transform their runic sea and compress it into a core.
For this stage, two things were extremely important. The purity of the runic energy and the 'bowl' that was created during the rune-forming stage
Since Rui had a true 'bowl', his core formation process was quick and easy. All he had to do was condense the energy in his bowl, forming a solid mass of runic energy.
The space around Rui began warping as the effects of the true 'bowl' became evident. Just like a black hole, energy began siphoning into Rui, creating a vortex that seemed to be reaching the sky.
The sky rumbled, and a windstorm picked up, causing damage to the mountainous terrain. It was like a natural disaster was happening in a localized area, leaving the surrounding areas undamaged.
Unlike Rui's first tribulation, advancing to the third rank was a unique experience for every cultivator. Some would experience lightning tribulations, while others would experience an inner demon as their tribulation. There were also those that would experience completely new and unheard of tribulations, just like the tribulation Rui was currently experiencing.
The earth beneath him began to split, and the raging winds cut like blades. Lava oozed out of the cracks in the earth, while rain began falling despite there being no clouds in the sky. The rain itself had a strange red color, similar to that of blood.
In just a few moments, the entire area around Rui had turned into hell. Shadowy figures also began appearing all around the ground as Rui reached a critical point in his advancement.
Unlike his first tribulation, he didn't have enough time to prepare before he advanced, as his body itself pushed for it.
Maverick and Silas were gobsmacked, not wanting to believe their eyes, while Jane, Jin, and the scout team were worried.
"So the young master encountered a unique tribulation, just like the clan predicted."
Jin muttered, his face turning slightly pale. Pulling out another talisman from his storage pouch, he informed the clan about Rui's current state. He hoped that an elder would come to assist Rui with his tribulations.
Although interfering directly with one's tribulation was impossible, they could still redirect some of the damage by using arrays.
Rui was in a world of his own as he carefully and steadily solidified his core. Although he was focused on advancing, he knew that the tribulation wouldn't be as simple as his previous one.
Since his foundation was far too great, the tribulation began before he even finished his advancement, which meant that the world itself didn't want him to advance further. He was far too much of an anomaly.
Gritting his teeth, Rui opened his eyes and began casting a runic hex while still refining his core. Thankfully, his [Parallel Thinking] skill was hard at work as usual, giving him an advantage in such situations.
Rui could see the approaching lava puddles as well as the pooling blood-red rain. The winds were slowly tearing his clothes, almost turning them into rags in the process.
The shadowy figures that had manifested suddenly approached him in a hurry, as if ready to attack.
Rui clicked his tongue, annoyance evident in his face.
"Shadow fiends, huh… As if I'd let you parasites prey on me."
He scoffed, his still unstable aura rushing out, stopping the figures.
Shadow Fiends, or otherwise known by rune masters as Tribulation Parasites, were an extremely annoying low-rank demon that preyed on cultivators that were undergoing tribulations.
Although they were weak individually compared to a third-rank rune master, they usually attacked in groups, making weak willed cultivators succumb to their tribulations.
It was clear that the scale of his tribulation had far exceeded that of a normal third-rank tribulation.
Seeing that the shadow fiends merely stopped and didn't disappear after he launched his aura, Rui frowned.
Finishing his runic hex, he covered the array around him with a low-level defensive hex.
Since Rui still wasn't the most adept at runic hexes, all he could cast were low-ranking ones, though he was knowledgeable about most of them. He was more of a jack of all trades when it came to them.
The sky rumbled, and a lightning bolt came crushing down on Rui. Not having enough time to process the attack, Rui's was struck and momentarily shocked by it.
The shadow fiends took this as an opportunity and came rushing in, hideous grins appearing on their otherwise faceless, shadow-covered figures.
Flustered, Rui quickly pulled out [Sun Cutter] as soon as his senses returned, activating [Void Cutter].
In an instant, black-colored energy covered his entire body, [Sun Cutter] getting completely devoured by the dense and ominously colored energy.
Countless [Dimensional Slash]'s were launched as soon as Rui swung, the shadow fiends smiles fading in the process, while their bodies warped and disappeared in the ground, just like shadows, before reappearing again.
"Fuck!"
Rui couldn't help but swear at this scene, flustered and worried. He still hadn't finished his core creation, which meant that he wasn't strong enough to deal with the shadow fiends. If he had already finished his advancement, dealing with them would have been simple.
His runic energy was currently split between fighting and advancing his stage, which only slowed his advancement further.
"Rai, is there any way to get rid of these pests?"
Just as he was about to ask for help from R.A.I., a flash of blinding golden light rushed, cutting the shadow fiends and eliminating them in a single moment.
Rui, with his unique vision, could tell that the energy came from a familiar source.
"Sunny!"
He said in excitement, pleased to see his companion beast help him out.
Although Sunny's form had once again changed from its small, normal-looking crow size to that of a pterodactyl, Rui didn't mind.
Crown-like golden feathers covered Sunny's head, while his feathers glowed in an iridescent hue.
Sunny screeched at the sky with glee, pleased to have helped Rui out, before his figure flew up high again, lying in wait to assist Rui.
Rui smiled at the sight before focusing once again on his advancement.
Although his tribulations were not yet over, the main problem had been dealt with. Now all he had to do was focus on resisting the upcoming tribulation attacks while condensing his core.
Meanwhile, as soon as Jin used the talisman, the entire clan was informed of Rui's return, and a squad was sent to escort him home.
The squad is composed of Daito, Jian, and Grandpa Xin.
Even though Jian was two years younger than Rui, he had just recently advanced to the second rank, officially becoming a rune sea stage cultivator.
Originally, only Daito and Grandpa Xin were going to escort Rui back, but Jian insisted on coming with them, citing that he really wanted to see his brother.
Although for Jian it had been less than a year since they had seen each other, for Rui it was much longer. Although Rui had lost track of time inside the realm, if he asked R.A.I. to calculate the time he spent there, he himself would be astonished.
Thanks to their powerful cultivations of the fourth rank, it was simple for Daito and Grandpa Xin to arrive at the eastern mountains. Carrying Jian, Daito's figure flew at astonishing speeds that would boggle the eye.
What was even more surprising was the fact that even though they exceeded the sound barrier in speed, they didn't create any sonic booms or shock waves, as if their figures traveled in empty space rather than air.
Not long after they began their travel, another talisman message arrived, astonishing the group.
"Rui is advancing? Quickly, we have to assist him!"
Jian said it in worry, knowing how dangerous his brother's first tribulation was for his rank. Even with Jian's talent, he didn't incur a heavenly tribulation when he advanced to the second rank.
Not even the current emperor created such a phenomenon while advancing to the second rank. Usually, geniuses with such potential die way too young, either by the tribulations themselves or by more powerful cultivators due to fear.
They nipped the bud before the genius became too strong for them to handle. The rune master world was dominated by the powerful after all.
"Jian, hold on tightly; we will increase the speed."
Ordered Daito, his expression betraying his worry.
Grandpa Xin also nodded, agreeing with Daito's order. The two of them instantly increased by threefold, sparing no energy as they rushed towards Rui's location.
Not long after, they had reached close to the mountain range, noticing the strange phenomena that were transpiring due to Rui's tribulation.
"It's a five-element tribulation!"
Grandpa Xin screamed in horror, dread covering his entire body.
"Quickly, we have to help him deal with all of the tribulations one by one!"
Grandpa Xin ordered, clearly knowing more about the specific kind of tribulation Rui was experiencing.
Although Daito didn't recognize the kind of tribulation Rui was experiencing, he didn't hesitate for even a fraction of a second, rushing to guard Rui.
"A five-element tribulation is a tribulation that uses five different elemental attributes to test the individual's progress. It usually appears when one understands a 'Law', but for it to appear at such a simple advancement... We can only help Rui deal with the elements one by one, which will at least lessen his burden significantly."
Grandpa Xin patently explained the tribulation to Daito through voice transmission, going into detail on how they should proceed.
Inside the imperial palace of the Illusive Empire, inside the emperor's quarters, two figures sat leisurely, enjoying their time.
The figures belonged to the Rune Sword Immortal and the Lotus of Life.
After they realized the Guang clan here was a part of their family that belonged to their deceased second son, they decided to sit quietly and observe the situation.
Although Guang Fu Wen Jian was a man who thought that family was the most important, he couldn't just take in an entire branch clan without any preparation.
First, he needed to confirm how and why his son had created this branch clan and then choose a few good seedlings to bring back to Sword Island.
The number of branch clans that existed in his lineage was numerous, and he couldn't care less for those that weren't talented enough or didn't have the heart of cultivation.
Although branch families didn't really matter in his eyes, as long as an individual with talent showed up from a branch family, for example, someone with his rune, he would take them in.
An inherited rune was different from a diluted bloodline. Once someone awakened an inherited rune, they would be connected to their ancestor on a much deeper level. Guang Fu Wen Jian could already feel multiple auras of his unique ancestral rune inside this branch clan.
It had been very hard for him to hold back his urge to go and take these talented seedlings back with him. The reason he had even waited was for one missing seedling.
The Rune Sword Immortal glanced at his wife, who was enjoying her immortal tea, and asked.
"Darling, did the one named Rui return yet?"
Lianhua glanced at her husband with a smile, waving her hand lightly. In an instant, a reflection of the outside world appeared like a floating mirror, showcasing the current situation inside the clan.
Although the two of them were incredibly powerful, since they were in another's territory, they couldn't expand their senses as far as they first did due to the rules.
The two of them focused their gaze on the reflection, while thousands of images flashed by in fractions of a second.
"So he did return... Wait, this kid is going through a five-element tribulation while advancing to the third rank? What kind of grudge does that bastard have with him to send such a rough tribulation? Wait, no, it is not an artificial one, but rather a natural one? What kind of talent does this kid have for the heavenly rules to send down punishment for real?"
Said Fu Wen Jian, his eyes narrowing slightly. It seemed like it was worth it for him to wait patiently for this seedling.
Lianhua, on the other hand, had a worried expression on her face. Waving her hand, life energy gathered while she began divining Rui's outcome.
Suddenly, the energy in her hand turned black, while a corrosive aura began spreading to her entire body. Horrified, Lianhua activated her rune, purifying the energy in an instant.
The Rune Sword Immortal didn't stop her, nor did he interfere with her divination, knowing more than well that his interference would just cause more trouble.
"So, what's the result?"
He asked in curiosity, not worried that she would suffer any damage. After all, her rune was extremely special, especially when it came to life energy.
Lianhua shook her head.
"I don't know. I wasn't able to tell anything."
She spoke, her hands still shaking slightly.