The ten days following the cave operation passed in a mixture of intense preparation and careful cultivation management. Word of Axel's performance had spread through the examination candidate community—the independent cultivator who'd charged into a battle between Core Formation and Soul Projection cultivators, who'd demonstrated Stage 5 power output from Stage 3 cultivation, who'd helped bring down a demonic cultivator when more experienced disciples had hesitated.
Some candidates viewed him with respect. Others with suspicion. A few with open hostility, seeing him as competition for limited sect resources.
Axel ignored them all, focusing instead on the increasingly urgent need to breakthrough to Foundation Establishment. The pulse in his dantian had grown from a gentle rhythm to an insistent pressure that couldn't be suppressed much longer. His body, his Qi, his very spiritual essence was demanding transformation.
On the evening before the examination, Wei Chen pulled him aside with serious expression.
"You need to breakthrough tonight," his companion said flatly. "I can see the strain in your spiritual presence—you're holding back a flood with a paper dam. If you try to go through the examination while suppressing an imminent breakthrough, it could trigger at the worst possible moment."
"The tribulation will attract attention," Axel objected. "Every cultivator within miles will sense it."
"Let them sense it. Better to face the examination as a new Foundation Establishment cultivator than to risk catastrophic breakthrough failure during the tests." Wei Chen gestured toward the forest. "I've found a good location—a clearing about half a li from here with natural Qi concentration. It's isolated enough that you won't be disturbed, but close enough that I can intervene if something goes wrong."
Axel knew Wei Chen was right. The suppression had reached its limit. Another day, maybe two at most, and the breakthrough would trigger whether he wanted it or not. Better to control the timing and location than to have it forced upon him.
"Alright," Axel agreed. "Tonight."
They made their way to the clearing as the sun set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. The spot Wei Chen had chosen was perfect—a natural formation where ley lines converged, creating a vortex of ambient Qi that would support the breakthrough process. Ancient trees surrounded the space, their roots forming a natural barrier that would help contain the spiritual pressure.
"I'll maintain a perimeter," Wei Chen said. "If anyone tries to interfere with your tribulation, I'll delay them. But understand—if you draw attention from someone truly powerful, someone at Golden Core or above, I won't be able to stop them. You'll be vulnerable during the breakthrough."
"I understand. Thank you, Wei Chen."
His companion clasped his shoulder briefly. "We've come far together, Axel King. Don't die now when things are just getting interesting."
With that, Wei Chen moved to the edge of the clearing, settling into a watchful position where he could monitor approaches from multiple directions.
Axel was alone.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the clearing, hands resting on his knees in the meditation posture that had become second nature over three months of cultivation. The pulse in his dantian beat strong and urgent, like a drum calling him to action.
It was time.
Axel stopped suppressing the breakthrough. The effect was immediate and overwhelming. The dam he'd been maintaining for weeks shattered instantly, and power flooded through his entire spiritual system. Qi that had been carefully contained exploded outward, then rushed back in a tide that threatened to tear his meridians apart.
His eyes snapped open as pain lanced through his body. This was tribulation—not the gentle progression of normal cultivation, but a violent transformation that tested whether a cultivator's foundation was strong enough to support the next stage.
The Qi in his dantian began to condense, compressing under forces that Axel couldn't fully control. He'd spent days preparing for this moment, practicing the Pillars of Heaven Foundation Method, understanding the theoretical process. But theory and reality were vastly different things.
The energy wanted to simply compress into a solid core—the lazy path, the weak foundation that would limit future advancement. But Axel refused to accept that. He would build proper pillars, even if the pain killed him.
He focused his will inward, visualizing the first pillar with absolute clarity. Not just its size and shape, but its purpose—to bear the weight of all future cultivation, to support powers that didn't yet exist, to serve as an unshakeable foundation for realms beyond imagination.
The Qi in his dantian responded to his vision, slowly beginning to separate from the chaotic swirl. But the process was agonizing—like trying to sculpt stone with your bare hands while that stone was on fire and the fire was inside your soul.
Blood trickled from Axel's nose. His breathing became labored. Every instinct screamed to just let the Qi compress naturally, to take the easy path and end the suffering.
But then something shifted.
At the edge of Axel's awareness, something that had been dormant since his arrival in this world stirred. That strange system interface he'd occasionally glimpsed—the thing that gave him insights he shouldn't possess, that guided him toward solutions he shouldn't be able to find—it flickered into full visibility.
[HONGMENG BLOODLINE RESONANCE DETECTED]
[FOUNDATION ESTABLISHMENT BREAKTHROUGH IN PROGRESS]
[ANALYZING CULTIVATION METHOD...]
[ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[PILLARS OF HEAVEN FOUNDATION METHOD - GRADE: COMMON]
[RECOMMENDATION: BLOODLINE COMPATIBLE ALTERNATIVE DETECTED]
[PRIMORDIAL PILLARS FORMATION - GRADE: MYTHICAL]
[WARNING: USING MYTHICAL-GRADE TECHNIQUE AT CURRENT CULTIVATION LEVEL CARRIES SIGNIFICANT RISK]
[PROCEED? Y/N]
Axel stared at the floating text that only he could see, his pain-addled mind struggling to process the information. This system—this interface—what was it? He'd assumed it was some kind of golden finger, a transmigration bonus for being dropped into a cultivation world. But "Hongmeng Bloodline Resonance"? What did that even mean?
The pain in his dantian intensified, forcing his attention back to the immediate crisis. He was in the middle of breakthrough—he didn't have time for philosophical questions about mysterious systems and bloodlines.
But the offer was tempting. A Mythical-grade technique versus the Common-grade method he'd been planning to use. The difference in quality could determine the ultimate ceiling of his cultivation potential.
Risk versus reward. The story of his life in this world.
Axel made his decision.
Yes.
The system interface pulsed once, and then knowledge flooded into his mind. Not just information about the Primordial Pillars Formation, but understanding—deep, intuitive comprehension of why each step mattered, how the energy needed to flow, what the final structure would accomplish.
It was like the difference between reading instructions for assembling furniture versus having a master craftsman guide your hands through the process. The knowledge felt ancient, primal, as if it had existed before cultivation itself was codified into formal methods.
Axel's hands moved into new positions without conscious thought, forming seals that felt simultaneously foreign and perfectly natural. His Qi responded to the seals, beginning to flow in patterns that violated every principle of the Pillars of Heaven method he'd been planning to use.
Instead of creating nine solid pillars in a grid formation, the Primordial Pillars Formation called for something far more complex—nine pillars arranged in a three-dimensional geometric pattern that created a stable structure in four-dimensional spiritual space.
It was impossible. The human mind couldn't properly visualize four-dimensional geometry. Trying to create structures in spaces that didn't physically exist should be beyond any Foundation Establishment cultivator's capability.
And yet Axel could see it perfectly. The bloodline—whatever that meant—was guiding his perception, allowing him to perceive and manipulate spiritual dimensions that normal cultivators couldn't access until far higher realms.
The first pillar began to form, but not at the edge of his dantian like the Common method prescribed. Instead, it rose from the absolute center, a column of condensed Qi that blazed with golden light so pure it seemed to carry its own weight in reality.
The pillar stabilized, and Axel felt something fundamental shift in his spiritual structure. The Common method would have created support pillars that bore weight through simple structural integrity. This pillar did something different—it created a nexus point, a place where the laws of spiritual cultivation could be anchored and manipulated.
The second pillar rose at a precise angle from the first, not parallel but intersecting in ways that normal three-dimensional geometry shouldn't allow. The two pillars created a resonance, their energies harmonizing in patterns that amplified rather than simply added together.
Three pillars. Four. Each one added exponentially more complexity to the structure forming within his dantian. The pain was beyond anything Axel had experienced—his spiritual body was being restructured at a fundamental level, expanded to accommodate formations that shouldn't fit within the space available.
But through the pain came wonder. He could feel his cultivation foundation becoming something unprecedented, something that would support powers he couldn't yet imagine.
Five pillars. Six. The geometric structure was becoming clearer now—a three-dimensional matrix that extended into spaces that mortal eyes couldn't perceive. If someone could see the full formation, it would look like a constellation made solid, a map of cosmic principles translated into spiritual architecture.
The seventh pillar was where things went wrong.
As the pillar rose into position, something external reacted to the formation taking shape within Axel's dantian. The ambient Qi of the entire region—perhaps the entire mountain range—suddenly focused on his location like a lens concentrating sunlight.
The pressure was immense. Reality itself seemed to press down on him, as if the world was rejecting what he was attempting to create. The Primordial Pillars Formation was apparently so far beyond normal cultivation methods that heaven itself took notice.
This was tribulation in its truest form—not just internal transformation, but external judgment. The world testing whether a cultivator had the right to advance, to claim power that could reshape reality.
Lightning gathered in the clear night sky above the clearing. Not normal lightning, but spiritual lightning—condensed heavenly Qi that existed to destroy anything that violated natural law.
Wei Chen's voice called out from the perimeter, alarm clear in his tone. "Axel! That's lightning tribulation! That shouldn't happen until Golden Core at the earliest! What are you doing?!"
Axel couldn't answer. All his focus was on maintaining the formation, on completing the seventh pillar before the lightning struck. Because he understood with terrible clarity—if the formation was incomplete when the tribulation hit, it would shatter. And a shattered foundation during breakthrough meant death or permanent crippling.
The seventh pillar locked into place just as the first lightning bolt descended.
Pure white energy tore through the air with the sound of reality breaking. It struck Axel directly, bypassing all physical defenses to target his spiritual body, his dantian, the formation taking shape within.
Pain beyond pain. Agony that existed in spaces between thought and sensation. The lightning was trying to unmake what he'd created, to reduce the Primordial Pillars back to raw Qi and scatter them beyond recovery.
But the formation held.
The seven completed pillars resonated with each other, creating a network of connections that distributed the tribulation's force across the entire structure. What would have destroyed a simple pillar formation instead only stressed it, testing the integrity without breaking it.
The lightning dissipated, its judgment rendered and... accepted? No, not accepted. Delayed. The world acknowledged that the formation might have the right to exist, but it wasn't finished yet. Two more pillars remained.
Axel had seconds before the next bolt would fall. He poured everything he had into forming the eighth pillar, ignoring the pain, the exhaustion, the damage the first lightning strike had inflicted on his body.
The eighth pillar rose into place with agonizing slowness. Each inch of progress felt like lifting a mountain. The Qi required was enormous—Axel was drawing not just from his own reserves but from the ambient energy of the entire clearing, pulling in power so aggressively that the trees around him began to wilt from Qi depletion.
Wei Chen was doing something at the perimeter—Axel could sense his companion channeling Qi into a formation, probably trying to stabilize the area or provide some additional protection. But it was a futile gesture against tribulation lightning. Nothing could stop heaven's judgment except the cultivator's own power.
The eighth pillar locked into place. The formation was nearly complete now—eight pillars creating a structure so complex that Axel's conscious mind could barely follow it. Only the bloodline guidance allowed him to perceive the full geometry.
One pillar remained.
The second lightning bolt descended before Axel could even begin forming the ninth pillar. This one was stronger, more focused, carrying clear intent—the world had decided that this formation was too dangerous to allow completion.
The lightning struck the eight-pillar formation and the entire structure shuddered. Cracks appeared in the pillars, stress fractures where heaven's judgment found weaknesses in the incomplete architecture. The formation was holding, but barely.
And Axel understood something terrible: the ninth pillar had to be formed while the lightning was still striking. The formation needed to be completed under pressure, forged in the crucible of tribulation, or it would never reach its full potential.
It was insane. Trying to construct delicate spiritual architecture while being actively destroyed by heavenly lightning was like trying to perform surgery during an earthquake. The failure rate should be one hundred percent.
But Axel had never been particularly good at accepting statistical impossibilities.
He gathered the last dregs of his Qi reserves, pulled in every bit of ambient energy he could reach, and began forming the ninth pillar while lightning coursed through his spiritual body.
The pillar rose slowly, each fraction of its length carved out of pure determination and suffering. The lightning tried to unmake it as fast as Axel could create it, resulting in a terrible equilibrium where the pillar both existed and didn't exist simultaneously.
Reality itself seemed confused by what was happening. The ninth pillar occupied space that should have been impossible, connected to the other eight in ways that violated conventional geometry. As it rose toward its final position, the formation as a whole began to resonate with something vast and ancient.
The bloodline was fully engaged now, guiding Axel's hands through seals so complex they would have taken years to learn normally. Each seal added another layer of stability to the ninth pillar, anchoring it more firmly in spiritual reality.
The pillar reached halfway complete. Three-quarters. The lightning intensified in response, as if the world realized it was losing this battle and decided to commit everything to stopping the formation's completion.
Axel's physical body was breaking down under the strain. Blood leaked from every orifice—eyes, nose, ears, mouth. His meridians were cracking from the amount of energy being forced through them. His dantian was stretched beyond its designed limits, containing far more power than a Stage 3 Peak cultivator should be able to handle.
But the ninth pillar continued rising.
Ninety percent complete. Ninety-five percent.
The lightning reached a crescendo, multiple bolts striking simultaneously in a final desperate attempt to destroy what was being created.
The ninth pillar locked into position.
The Primordial Pillars Formation was complete.
And the world... stopped.
Not literally—time didn't freeze, reality didn't pause. But for a single moment, everything that existed seemed to take notice of what had just been created. The formation within Axel's dantian pulsed once with power that felt older than cultivation itself, and something deep in the structure of reality... recognized it.
The tribulation lightning vanished. Not dissipated—simply ceased to exist, as if heaven had decided that judgment was no longer necessary or even possible. The formation had transcended the rules that governed normal cultivation, operating on principles that predated the concept of tribulation itself.
Axel collapsed forward, catching himself on his hands, gasping for air that burned going into his damaged lungs. But despite the pain, despite the exhaustion, he could feel it—the transformation was complete.
He was Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment Early stage, specifically, but the quality of that foundation was beyond anything the Mortal World typically saw. The nine Primordial Pillars within his dantian created a structure that could support cultivation methods that wouldn't be possible for centuries, that could bear the weight of powers that didn't yet exist.
The system interface flickered back into visibility, displaying new information:
[PRIMORDIAL PILLARS FORMATION - COMPLETE]
[FOUNDATION QUALITY: MYTHICAL]
[HONGMENG BLOODLINE AWAKENING: 2%]
[NEW CAPABILITIES UNLOCKED]
[SPIRITUAL SENSE RANGE: +500%]
[QI PURITY: +300%]
[CULTIVATION SPEED: +200%]
[TECHNIQUE COMPREHENSION: +400%]
[TRIBULATION RESISTANCE: ACTIVATED]
[WARNING: FOUNDATION EXCEEDS MORTAL WORLD STANDARDS]
[RECOMMENDATION: CONCEAL TRUE CULTIVATION QUALITY FROM OBSERVATION]
[AUTO-CONCEALMENT FORMATION: AVAILABLE]
[ACTIVATE? Y/N]
Two percent. The bloodline was only two percent awakened, and it had already allowed him to complete a Mythical-grade foundation formation. What would happen at ten percent? At fifty? At full awakening?
And what was this Hongmeng Bloodline anyway? The system had mentioned it twice now but provided no explanation of its origin or purpose.
Questions for another time. Right now, Axel needed to deal with more immediate concerns—like the fact that Wei Chen was sprinting toward him with panic evident on his face, and multiple powerful Qi signatures were converging on the clearing from various directions.
His tribulation had apparently attracted more attention than expected.
Axel accepted the auto-concealment formation without hesitation. The system interface pulsed once, and he felt a subtle shift in his spiritual presence. The overwhelming power of the Mythical-grade foundation was suddenly masked, appearing to external observation as merely an excellent Common-grade formation. Still impressive for someone his age, but not world-shaking.
"Axel!" Wei Chen reached him and immediately began checking his condition. "Are you insane? Lightning tribulation for Foundation Establishment? I've never heard of such a thing! What were you—" He stopped, his Qi sense sweeping over Axel's newly formed foundation, and his expression shifted from panic to shock. "Your foundation. It's... I can't even properly sense it. The structure is too complex."
"The breakthrough was more complicated than expected," Axel said, which was technically true. "But I'm stable now. Foundation Establishment Early. The pillars are solid."
"Solid? They're..." Wei Chen shook his head. "We need to leave. Now. Multiple powerful cultivators are approaching—I sense at least three Golden Core signatures, probably sect elders coming to investigate the tribulation lightning."
Axel tried to stand and immediately swayed, his body still recovering from the ordeal. Wei Chen caught him, providing support.
"Can you walk? We need to get away from here before they arrive and start asking questions."
Before Axel could answer, a figure materialized at the edge of the clearing—not walking in but simply appearing, as if crossing the distance between far away and here without bothering with the space in between.
An old man in Azure Sky Sect robes, his cultivation so far beyond Axel's ability to measure that he might as well have been a god. Golden Core? Nascent Soul? Higher? There was no way to tell—the man's power was controlled so perfectly that barely any spiritual pressure leaked out.
But his eyes... his eyes saw everything. And when they focused on Axel, there was a moment of profound confusion followed by deep interest.
"Interesting," the elder said, his voice surprisingly warm for someone with such overwhelming power. "Very interesting indeed. Foundation Establishment breakthrough that triggers lightning tribulation. I haven't seen that in... hmm, must be three hundred years at least. Tell me, young cultivator—what technique did you use for your formation?"
Axel met the elder's eyes, knowing that lying would be instantly detected but also knowing that the full truth would paint an even bigger target on his back.
"A variant of the Pillars of Heaven method, Elder," he said carefully. "I... may have made some modifications based on my own understanding."
"Modifications." The elder's smile widened. "Yes, let's call them that. Modifications that made heaven itself take notice and pass judgment on a mere Foundation Establishment breakthrough. Modifications that created a foundation structure I can barely perceive despite having cultivated for over six centuries."
He stepped closer, and Axel had to fight the urge to retreat. This was predator studying prey, power examining something that had caught its interest.
"What's your name, young cultivator?"
"Axel King, Elder. I'm registered for tomorrow's examination."
"Axel King. Foreign name, foreign appearance, foreign cultivation method." The elder circled him slowly. "You're the one who helped eliminate the demonic cultivator in the cave system last week, aren't you? Stage 3 Peak who demonstrated Stage 5 power output. Everyone's been talking about the talented independent."
"I was fortunate to participate in that operation, yes."
"Fortunate. Modest. Smart." The elder completed his circle and nodded to himself, as if reaching a conclusion. "I am Elder Shen, Formation Master of Azure Sky Sect and one of the examination overseers. Your breakthrough tonight has saved me some trouble—I was planning to test your foundation quality during tomorrow's examination, but you've already demonstrated it quite spectacularly."
He raised his hand, and a jade token appeared from nowhere, floating in the air between them. "Congratulations, Axel King. You pass. Welcome to the Azure Sky Sect as an outer disciple."
Axel stared at the token in shock. "The examination—"
"Is a formality for someone who just completed a tribulation-grade Foundation Establishment breakthrough," Elder Shen interrupted. "The examination exists to separate those with potential from those without. You've already proven you have exceptional potential—making you jump through hoops would just waste everyone's time."
He gestured and the token floated into Axel's hands. "Report to the Outer Disciple Hall tomorrow at noon. They'll assign you quarters, explain the rules, and get you started on your sect duties. Questions?"
Axel had about a thousand questions, but only one that mattered right now. "Will my breakthrough cause problems? With the other disciples or elders?"
Elder Shen's expression became more serious. "Honest question deserves honest answer. Yes, it will cause problems. You've demonstrated abilities that make you simultaneously valuable and threatening. Some will want to recruit you. Others will want to eliminate you before you become too powerful. Most will simply watch you closely, waiting to see if you're an asset or a threat."
"That's not very encouraging."
"It's not meant to be. The cultivation world doesn't encourage—it tests, constantly, until you either grow strong enough to stop being tested or die trying." Elder Shen's eyes softened slightly. "But you have advantages now. Sect protection, access to resources, teachers who can guide your development. And..." he paused meaningfully, "you have my attention. I don't know what you did to achieve that foundation, but I intend to find out. In the meantime, anyone who wants to harm you will have to answer to me first."
It was both a promise of protection and a warning that Elder Shen would be watching closely. But given the alternatives, Axel would take it.
"Thank you, Elder Shen."
The old man waved dismissively. "Thank me by not dying stupidly before I figure out your secrets. Now go—you need rest and recovery. Tomorrow your real education begins."
Elder Shen vanished as suddenly as he'd appeared, leaving Axel and Wei Chen alone in the clearing once more.
Wei Chen let out a breath he'd apparently been holding. "Well. That was terrifying and fortunate in equal measure. Elder Shen is known for taking personal interest in promising disciples—having his protection is like having a shield against ninety percent of potential threats."
"And the other ten percent?"
"Will be so powerful that his protection won't matter anyway, so let's not worry about them." Wei Chen helped Axel toward the path back to their camp. "Come on. You need actual rest. Tomorrow you start your new life as a sect disciple."
As they walked, Axel was acutely aware of the changes in his body and spirit. The nine Primordial Pillars within his dantian pulsed with contained power, creating resonances he was only beginning to understand. His Qi flowed through enhanced meridians with unprecedented efficiency. His spiritual senses extended far beyond their previous range—he could perceive Qi signatures over a mile away now, where before he'd been limited to a few hundred yards.
The Foundation Establishment realm had transformed him from a talented amateur into a true cultivator. And the Mythical-grade foundation meant his potential had expanded exponentially.
But questions nagged at him. What was this Hongmeng Bloodline? Why had it awakened during his breakthrough? What did two percent awakening even mean, and what would happen as it progressed?
The system interface had gone silent again, returning to its dormant state where it only appeared when truly needed. But Axel could feel it now, a presence in the back of his mind that hadn't been there before. Like someone was watching through his eyes, guiding his steps, helping him navigate a path he couldn't fully perceive alone.
Tomorrow would bring new challenges. New rivals, new allies, new tests of ability and character. The sect life Wei Chen and Lian Fei had warned him about would begin in earnest.
But tonight, walking back to camp with his first real friend in this world, having just achieved Foundation Establishment with a foundation quality that defied conventional understanding, Axel King allowed himself a moment of satisfaction.
He'd survived his first three months in the cultivation world. He'd gone from confused transmigrator to sect disciple. From complete ignorance to Foundation Establishment.
The path ahead was long and dangerous. But for the first time since dying on Earth and waking in this strange new reality, Axel felt like he might actually belong here.
The pulse of his Primordial Pillars beat steady and strong, a rhythm of power and potential that resonated with something vast and ancient hidden in his bloodline.
Two percent awakened. Ninety-eight percent waiting to be unlocked.
The real journey was just beginning.