Cultivating meant going against the will of heaven. 16

Cultivators were people who had overcome the limitations of talent that heaven had bestowed upon human beings through the practice of defying the natural order. They even extended their lifespans, but defying the natural order would bring forth a heavenly sword to strike them down. The phenomenon of heaven sending down lightning to bury the sins of human beings who dared deviate from the heavenly command was called the Thunder Tribulation. 40

The time when the thunderbolts struck down was influenced by the cultivator’s original destiny—in other words, their lifespan. For a cultivator in the qi refining realm, who would die at the age of 60 if they stayed mortal, they would be struck by thunder at 60 years of age. 8

Quite a few cultivators endured this first wave of Thunder Tribulation without difficulty. However, many would not be able to withstand the second Thunder Tribulation that came 30 years later, and they would end up burning to death. Then, for the third Thunder Tribulation that came another 30 years later, the majority would be unable to withstand it and die. 4

This was because the Thunder Tribulation became stronger the more a cultivator experienced it. Therefore, the safest way for a cultivator to survive the thunder was to increase...9