As Guo Xingyue fell to the ground, the blood he spat out formed shocking crimson mist in the air. Cheng Qian quickly caught Guo Xingyue, who had already lost consciousness. The lightning strike had exceeded Guo Xingyue's limit. Despite his quality of true essence being stronger than that of other cultivators at the same level, and the power of his spiral true essence and lightning ball far exceeding ordinary capabilities, he was still merely at the Spirit Transformation stage. Enduring a lightning strike equivalent to the final stage of a great tribulation was beyond his abilities.
The ninth tribulation began to form in the eye of the Yin-Yang fish, and a thick bolt of lightning, the size of a water barrel, descended toward the cauldron. This lightning was significantly more powerful than the previous one, rendering it impossible for any cultivator to withstand. As the eighth tribulation and the ninth tribulation struck almost simultaneously, Cheng Qian had just caught Guo Xingyue and was preparing to descend when he noticed the immense power of the impending strike. He hurriedly used a teleportation technique to evade the lightning.
The massive lightning struck the cauldron, sending it flying and crashing into the wall of the Long Elder Hall with a resounding boom, creating a gaping hole. The Long Elder Hall, built with exceptionally tough material known as martial stone, reinforced with several defensive formations, would not easily be breached even by an early-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator using a high-grade treasure. However, the residual power of the tribulation shattered the wall completely.
Cheng Qian, holding Guo Xingyue, felt a cold sweat break out as he witnessed the overwhelming power of the heavens. If he hadn't evaded quickly, he wouldn't have survived. Glancing down, he found Guo Xingyue's face pale and eyes closed, unconscious. Cheng Qian thought anxiously, This is bad! His stubbornness led him to take on such a powerful lightning strike, and now he is gravely injured. Cheng Qian attempted to infuse his true essence into Guo Xingyue's body to aid in recovery but was shocked to discover the internal meridians had shattered into countless segments. Even the nascent soul in his dantian was listless and closed-eyed.
Cheng Qian, knowledgeable in both medicine and alchemy, felt a deep sinking in his heart: This is troublesome! The meridians are too severely damaged; medicinal remedies are futile now. He can only rely on himself to recover. Alas, the heavens are jealous of talents!
As the tribulation subsided, the surrounding experts gathered closer. Dong Xu, concerned for Guo Xingyue's well-being, immediately sent his divine sense into Guo Xingyue's body. After a moment, he sighed softly, standing in silence. Qian Yi, however, was more interested in the promised Recovery Pills.
Feigning concern, he remarked, "As long as he's alive, that's all that matters. Haha, my good friend, Guo Xingyue, will surely pull through. Now, about that Recovery Pill I'm due…" Dong Xu glared at him, saying, "No one is allowed to touch the Recovery Pills until Guo Xingyue wakes up!"
Qian Yi was about to protest but noticed the glares from the surrounding experts, so he backed down, saying, "Very well! Haha, very well! I'll take my leave then." With that, he left hastily, not daring to linger.
Guo Xingyue lay unconscious for a decade. Ye Mingcheng and his wife took care of him, while Dong Xu and Cheng Qian regularly checked on his condition. Initially, Dong Xu could probe Guo Xingyue's condition with his divine sense, but three years in, a powerful divine consciousness emerged within Guo Xingyue, blocking any intrusion. Even someone of Dong Xu's caliber couldn't penetrate. Dong Xu sent messages to the celestial realm for assistance but received no reply. Cheng Qian, skilled in both medicine and alchemy, could do nothing but speculate that Guo Xingyue was slowly recovering.
Ye Mingcheng and his wife, though saddened, were helpless. They devoted themselves to caring for Guo Xingyue, hoping for his swift recovery. Over the decade, Ye Kai matured significantly. The impulsive, brash child had become much steadier. Besides diligently practicing the martial arts taught by Guo Xingyue, he sat quietly beside his master, keeping him company.
Ye Kai understood that Guo Xingyue had risked himself to refine the Recovery Pills for their parents. In his early years, whenever the "memorial day" arrived (when Ye Mingcheng believed Guo Xingyue had died), his father would be overwhelmed with sadness. He often recounted Guo Xingyue's tales, describing how talented he was, how he could create layered formations, and how generous he had been. From a young age, Ye Kai aspired to become like Guo Xingyue. Finally having him back as a master only to see him in this state filled Ye Kai with sadness. He regretted his earlier rashness that led to the incident with the Sword Heart Sect's disciple, resulting in such misfortune. He knew that even if he hadn't acted, Sword Heart Sect would have sought trouble for the Recovery Pills.
Determined to become a man like his uncle, Ye Kai practiced hard, aiming to reach the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible to travel and seek ways to save his master.
Ten years passed. Including the two decades before Guo Xingyue's injury, Ye Kai had trained for thirty years. Originally at the early Golden Core stage, he finally broke through to the initial Nascent Soul stage. Now he could travel the world in search of a solution to save his master.
One day, after completing his training, Ye Kai sat beside Guo Xingyue, watching over him. After some time, he spoke softly, "Master, I've finally reached the Nascent Soul stage. I swear, no matter how far I have to go, I will find a way to save you. Please take care of yourself."
Just as Ye Kai turned to leave, a subtle tremor ran through Guo Xingyue's body. His eyelids fluttered slightly, and his fingers twitched before falling still once more.