Chapter 3: The Nine Hundred and Ninety-Ninth Tribulation

Iron Skin looked at her in confusion and asked, "Sister Little Burly has no physical form, right? Can you actually hold things?" She wanted to reach out and touch, but in the end didn't dare.

Little Burly replied, "It's fine, there's a robot."

"Robot?!" Iron Skin was utterly curious. Another thing she'd never heard of.

Little Burly explained, "It's a service robot. Its program is connected to mine, so I can control it freely. You can think of it as a puppet."

As soon as she finished speaking, a machine rolled over—its lower half was wheels, its upper half resembled a human-shaped chunk of metal. One hand held a large tray; the other, a smaller tray with two cups of milk tea, each with a straw, and a small bowl of milk tea.

After distributing the drinks to the two people and the cat, the robot placed a leg of lamb on the tray and rolled away with it.

Iron Skin stared, eyes tracking that leg of lamb until it disappeared from sight. Only then did she reluctantly turn her gaze to the milk tea before her.

It was her first time encountering these curious objects. The cups didn't even have openings—how was she supposed to drink from them? Next to her, the little cat was already sprawled by the bowl, lapping happily with its pink tongue.

How unfair! If only she'd known, she would have asked for a bowl too!

Luckily, seeing Luo Xingchen drinking, Iron Skin followed suit, and soon managed to slurp the milk tea through the straw into her mouth.

"Wow!!! It's delicious!!" Iron Skin's eyes turned to shining stars.

"Thank you, esteemed master, thank you, Sister Little Burly, thank you for letting me and the little cat taste such wonderful things! Thank you so much!!"

It was her first time drinking milk tea, and the taste was so good it made her want to cry. She kept sipping, and in no time, the cup was empty.

Still not satisfied, she set the empty cup down. As she debated whether to ask for another, a tempting aroma wafted through the air.

"This smell..." Iron Skin stood up, sniffing the air, and stared in the direction the fragrance came from, eyes wide.

Moments later, the robot approached, carrying a freshly prepared leg of lamb.

Little Burly smiled and said, "Please, try it."

Luo Xingchen said, "Eat." With that, he sliced himself a piece.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!" The girl and the cat threw themselves at the lamb, devouring it without a shred of dignity, as though starved.

Good heavens, such a huge leg of lamb! Luo Xingchen had barely put a small piece in his mouth, and when he looked up, only the bone remained.

Just a bare bone, not a scrap of meat left.

If Iron Skin were on Earth, she'd definitely qualify as the ambassador for the 'Clean Plate Campaign'.

Luo Xingchen couldn't help but ask, "How long has it been since you last ate?"

Iron Skin's mouth was stuffed with meat, her cheeks bulging, yet she managed to speak clearly.

"Umm... Ever since I left the Supreme Qi Drawing Sect, I haven't had a single filling meal!"

"Supreme Qi Drawing Sect?" Luo Xingchen raised an eyebrow.

"You were a disciple of the Supreme Qi Drawing Sect?"

Iron Skin replied, "I was, until half a month ago."

Luo Xingchen asked, "What do you mean, 'until half a month ago'?"

Iron Skin complained, "Because I ate too much, the sect said they couldn't afford to keep me, so they kicked me out half a month ago."

Luo Xingchen: "..."

"So are you full now?"

Iron Skin rubbed her belly and said, "Counting the snacks I stole earlier, I'm about half full, barely."

Soon enough, Luo Xingchen saw what Iron Skin meant by 'half full'.

Five bowls of white rice, each the size of a basin!

Three bowls of braised pork, a plate of mapo tofu, a plate of shredded pork with garlic sauce, a bowl of stewed meat, five chicken drumsticks, ten cups of milk tea, ten cups of cola, ten cups of Sprite, ten cups of milk...

That was her remaining 'half full'.

Luo Xingchen suspected that Iron Skin's idea of 'snacks' might mean she'd cleaned out someone's entire pantry.

Luckily, he had won a gourmet tablecloth from the system; otherwise, the ready food wouldn't have been nearly enough for her alone.

"Ah! Finally full!" Iron Skin lay back on the sofa, rubbing her belly—which showed no sign of swelling—and groaned in contentment.

Then, she broke through.

In an instant, she advanced from the third to the fourth stage of Qi Refinement.

Iron Skin seemed not to notice, reclining comfortably as usual, perhaps because she was used to it.

Luo Xingchen watched her and asked, "What cultivation technique do you practice?"

"Huh? Cultivation?" Iron Skin looked completely bewildered.

"I don't know how to cultivate..."

"Then how do you have the fourth stage of Qi Refinement?"

"Oh, that. Every time I eat my fill, I break through on my own. I don't know how it happens."

Eat your fill and break through! What a talent!

Luo Xingchen felt as if he'd found a treasure.

He asked again, "Why have you only just reached the fourth stage? Or does that mean, in your whole life, including now, you've only eaten your fill four times?"

"No, no. It was only last year, when I turned fifteen, that eating my fill started giving me cultivation. Then each time I ate my fill, I broke through."

Mentioning this made Iron Skin want to cry.

No wonder—she'd barely eaten her fill while at the Supreme Qi Drawing Sect. If the sect had noticed this, they'd have made sure she was always well fed, no matter how much she ate, and never have expelled her.

Being able to break through just by eating, even if she ate a lot, was much faster than relying on talent alone. Any power would want to keep such a prodigy.

After understanding her situation, Luo Xingchen introduced himself.

"I'm also from the Supreme Qi Drawing Sect. I came out this time to face my tribulation. Once I've finished, I'll take you back to the sect."

"Tribulation?" Iron Skin sat up straight.

"So you're a mighty cultivator facing tribulation! No wonder you have so much delicious food and drink. Mighty cultivators are truly formidable!"

"I wish you success in your tribulation and ascension!"

Iron Skin clasped her hands in salute, offering her blessings.

But right after, she sighed.

"Too bad, if you ascend to the immortal realm, I won't get to enjoy so much delicious food and drink anymore."

Luo Xingchen scolded lightly, "Don't say such discouraging things!"

"Huh? Do you mean you think I could become a mighty cultivator facing tribulation too, and have as much good food and drink as you?"

The thought of carefree eating and drinking made Iron Skin instantly excited.

Luo Xingchen looked serious. "I mean, you should wish for me to fail my tribulation!"

"Huh?" Now Iron Skin was truly puzzled.

"Alright, I'm going out to face my tribulation. You and the little cat stay here for a while. If you're bored, chat with Little Burly or ask her to help you find something to watch on TV."

Luo Xingchen didn't explain further, but rose and left the palace.

Outside, he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky.

The once clear sky was now churned with oppressive clouds.

Above, the dark clouds grew denser, exuding a chilling, ominous aura, but Luo Xingchen felt no pressure.

"The nine hundred and ninety-ninth heavenly tribulation..." he murmured.

Luo Xingchen was one among Earth's countless transmigrators.

He had been in this world for a hundred thousand years.

When he arrived, he activated a system called [Universal Support], and gained an ability called [Never Die Unless Ascended].

The description said it was to protect him on his path to immortality; until he ascended, he could never die.

Luo Xingchen mused... Cultivation was meant to seek immortality, but now he had this 'never die unless ascended' ability—so why bother becoming immortal?

Forget immortality—he wouldn't ascend!

Of course, whether he ascended or not, cultivation was still necessary.

With the system's help, Luo Xingchen spent a hundred years rising from an ordinary man to the tribulation stage.

Just one step away from ascension.

After that... he stopped cultivating altogether.