Cultivation Chat Group Chapter 4: H City’s 3rd stage – Houtian lightning tribulation

Chapter 4: H City’s 3rd stage – Houtian lightning tribulation

After a moment of deliberation, Song Shuhang held down the backspace key, erasing the message he had just drafted in the chat box.

He realized that given the eccentric personalities of the group members, any advice he offered would likely be ignored. Furthermore, since one member had already consumed the concoction and seemed perfectly energetic, the medicine probably wasn't a lethal poison—at least not in the short term.

Even so, Shuhang felt uneasy just leaving things be. Medicines often carry side effects; what if this "body tempering liquid" was a slow-acting toxin? It might not kill instantly, but what if it proved fatal over time?

Because of this, he decided the medicinal recipe required verification.

He couldn't help but feel concerned for this collection of xianxia chuunibyous.

By nature, Song Shuhang was the kind of person who made an excellent and reliable friend.

Reaching for a nearby notebook, he transcribed the thirty-plus ingredients from Medicine Master’s "body tempering fluid" that appeared to be real substances searchable online.

Song Shuhang had a cousin named Zhao Yaya who was a medical student.

Her university possessed a Chinese medicine department, and Shuhang planned to ask her to consult them. He wanted to know if simmering these thirty-odd blood-circulation-enhancing ingredients in a single pot would result in a lethal brew for whoever drank it.

Individually, these health-boosting herbs shouldn't be dangerous. However, when so many components are stewed together, there was no telling what kind of chemical transformation might occur.

As for the items at the end of the list—like Fresh Tyrant Branches or Nine-Yang Scarlet Bamboo slices—they sounded far too much like chuunibyou fantasies. Shuhang naturally ignored them. He had no idea what they were supposed to be and wasn't about to act like a middle-schooler himself.

If he approached his cousin with those names, she would surely think he had lost his mind. By the following day, Mama Song would likely be on a flight to Jiang Nan City to drag him to a neurosurgeon or a psychiatrist.

“I’ll ask my cousin quietly when I go home in two weeks...” Shuhang planned internally. He hoped these xianxia enthusiasts wouldn't kick the bucket before then.

While Shuhang was busy copying the formula, the Nine Provinces (1) Group fell into a temporary lull. Usually, only a few members were active at once; it seemed even chuunibyous had to deal with the demands of daily life.

After all, people in the real world still needed to work, eat, and raise families. There were probably other students in the group just like him.

Once he finished writing down the ingredients, Shuhang stretched his limbs. His eyes drifted to the weather forecast displayed in the corner of his monitor.

June 1st: Clear. June 2nd: Clear.

“The weather looks great; I should probably head out for some exercise later.” Feeling that his physical condition was slipping, Shuhang decided he needed to be more active.

Despite his intentions, his hand instinctively clicked the game icon on his desktop. He figured he’d enjoy one quick session before doing anything else.

......

Though he intended to play just one game, he found himself locked in one match after another, unable to quit.

Before he knew it, the afternoon had arrived.

“Time really flies on the weekends,” Shuhang gave a self-deprecating laugh. He shut down the game and, out of habit, pulled up the Nine Provinces (1) Group window.

Checking the chat upon waking up and once more before bed—it was the secret to a happy day!

Upon opening the window, he saw that the regular, North River’s Loose Practitioner, was already active.

The chat log was filled with new messages.

North River’s Loose Practitioner: “Medicine Master, your pill-refining skills are truly incredible. I tested ten batches of that modified body tempering liquid and succeeded with eight. The potency exceeded my expectations. It’s a shame this liquid only benefits entry-level Cultivation. It isn't very useful for a loose practitioner like me, but it would be invaluable for the disciples of seniors like Daluo Sect’s Rainmoon True Monarch. Once Senior Rain Butterfly and the others get this recipe, they’ll owe you a massive favor.”

The Roaming Cloud Monk Tong Xuan suddenly appeared, posting a simple thumbs-up emoji.

North River’s Loose Practitioner laughed immediately, “I almost forgot, Master Tong Xuan, you have a whole flock of little monks to look after. Medicine Master, it looks like the list of people who owe you favors is growing again.”

Master Tong Xuan sent a smiley face and then went back to lurking.

North River’s Loose Practitioner replied with his own smiley. He found the practice of 'silent meditation' to be a massive hassle. If it weren't for the ability to send punctuation and emojis in the chat, Master Tong Xuan would have no way to be social at all. Buddhist Sects were such a headache; he felt his past decision to reject a monk’s invitation to join was the best move he ever made.

Ten minutes later, Mad Saber Three Waves logged on: “Soft Feather Fairy~~ Soft Feather Fairy, if you’re there, please reply to this Majesty!”

He followed the text with a string of crying and kneeling emojis.

“Oh? Fellow Daoist Three Waves hasn't been around for a few days. Where did you go for your closed-door Cultivation?” North River’s Loose Practitioner teased, clearly knowing the answer.

“Closed-door Cultivation my foot!” Three Waves sent a voice note, his voice sounding strained: “Three days ago, ‘Senior’ Spiritual Butterfly Respected Sage paid me a visit and stayed at my house for the entire time. You all know what happened after that... ahhh!”

“Hehe.” North River’s Loose Practitioner showed no sympathy. A man who goes looking for death deserves no pity!

“Soft Feather of Spiritual Butterfly Island, beautiful Soft Feather Fairy, please come out! I have a favor to ask!” Three Waves wailed. His surname was actually Waves, and his full name was Waves Three.

“?” Soft Feather of Spiritual Butterfly Island appeared, sending a single question mark.

“Fairy, you're finally here! This Majesty begs you, please take your daughter-obsessed father back home. I’m literally on my knees!” Three Waves sent a kneeling emoticon.

“Hehe.” Soft Feather sent a smiley, followed shortly by: “So, this old man is obsessed with his daughter’s relationships, am I?”

Wait... something was wrong.

'This old man'? Heavens, was Spiritual Butterfly Respected Sage using his daughter’s account again?

A faint sound of something shattering echoed—it was Three Waves’ fragile heart.

As expected, that old man was far too protective, constantly hijacking his daughter’s account. Where was the justice?

“...” North River’s Loose Practitioner’s mouth twitched. Finally, he offered a kind reminder: “By the way, Brother Three Waves, I believe Lady Soft Feather is currently busy refining the new body tempering liquid.”

Which meant she wouldn't be coming online anytime soon.

And following that, there was nothing but silence.

Mad Saber Three Waves disconnected... he didn't just log off; his connection cut out entirely.

“Pfft!” Song Shuhang couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He was in a great mood.

After ten days of observing these chats, he noticed these people didn't seem like typical chuunibyou patients. Their dialogue felt too grounded and detailed to be mere fantasy.

The thought crossed his mind briefly before he dismissed it.

“Have I read so much of this that I’m starting to get brainwashed?” Shuhang broke into a cold sweat at the realization.

He was long past the age of such delusions, but everyone has moments they'd rather forget.

His past years of dreaming about being a hero or a wuxia master were his "dark history"—memories so embarrassing he wanted to bury them forever. Just thinking about it made him want to crawl into a hole.

He absolutely could not let himself be influenced by these people.

“Time for dinner.” He reached out to close the Nine Provinces (1) Group window.

Just as he was about to click exit, North River’s Loose Practitioner posted again: “Ah Qi, is the junior in your family done with the tribulation yet? Why hasn't there been any news?”

Su Clan’s Ah Qi answered, “We’re prepping now. It starts in a few hours.”

North River’s Loose Practitioner asked, “Where is it happening? Do you need a hand?”

“It’s taking place in the outskirts of H City. Don't worry, my family’s Ah Shiliu is incredibly talented. A simple 3rd stage – Houtian lightning calamity is nothing; he'll pass it easily. Just wait until he reaches the 4th stage – Xiantian, then he’ll come and challenge you all, wahaha!” Su Clan’s Ah Qi sounded completely confident.

“If you say so, I’m at ease. Ah Shiliu is a gifted kid. 3rd stage – Houtian shouldn't be a problem for him,” North River’s Loose Practitioner agreed.

With that, the chat went quiet again.

......

Song Shuhang rubbed his chin. H City?

That was right next to the Jiang Nan region. His university was essentially at the junction of Jiang Nan City and H City, within the J City district.

H City was a smaller city in Huaxia, but it was an economic powerhouse and a famous shopping destination. It was said you could buy anything under the sun there, provided it wasn't illegal.

If a "tribulation" was happening in H City, would it be visible from Jiang Nan?

“Am I stupid?” Shuhang chuckled. Why was he taking their roleplay seriously?

A lightning calamity? The sky was perfectly clear for thousands of miles with nothing but sunshine. A thunderstorm was impossible.

Besides, modern weather forecasts were quite accurate for the next few days. If they predicted sun, there wouldn't be any sudden thunder or heavy rain.

“Since the weather is so nice, I’ll head to the bookstore after I eat!” Shuhang muttered to himself.