Back on Earth, I am the only cultivator.

After the meal, the brother and sister cleaned up the dishes together.

Wu Xi hummed a cheerful tune as she washed the dishes by the sink, clearly in a very good mood.

Since her brother came back, she felt that the whole world had brightened up, and even the usually tedious housework had become interesting.

"Brother, go watch some TV, I'll be right there!"

Wu Xi turned around and gave Wu Fan in the living room a sweet smile, revealing two shallow dimples on her cheeks.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?"

Wu Fan leaned against the kitchen doorway and asked with a smile.

"Really, you don't need to! It's just washing two dishes. I can wash them clean with my eyes closed. You should go and rest!" Wu Xi said coquettishly, waving her foam-covered right hand.

Seeing Wu Xi's insistence, Wu Fan stopped insisting, smiled, and turned to sit on the old fabric sofa.

Although the sofa is a few years old, Wu Xi has kept it very clean.

A light blue sofa cover was also laid on top to keep out dust.

The sofa cover is printed with several adorable little bears, which are very cute and clearly reflect a girl's taste.

Wu Fan picked up the remote and casually turned on the TV, which was broadcasting the news from a satellite channel.

"Recently, a serious violent brawl occurred in our city, resulting in four deaths and multiple injuries."

The suspect was apprehended on the spot!

Wu Fan glanced at the suspects being escorted on TV for a few moments, then lost interest and turned off the TV.

Just then, Wu Xi's voice came from the kitchen: "Brother, I'm ready!"

Wu Fan turned his head and saw her walking out briskly while wiping her hands with a towel.

Wu Xi plopped down next to Wu Fan, her shoulder against her brother's, and asked with some confusion, "Brother, why aren't you watching TV?"

"Just finished watching it, then closed it. It was all trivial news, nothing interesting."

Wu Fan said gently.

"That's true, TV isn't interesting at all these days, mobile phones are much more fun."

Wu Xi nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I almost forgot, I haven't paid off the loan yet!"

After saying that, Wu Xi hurriedly took out her newly bought phone and opened the online loan app.

However, when she saw what was displayed on the screen, she froze instantly.

"This...how is this possible?!"

Wu Xi's eyes widened, her mouth slightly open, staring at the phone screen in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Wu Fan asked, turning his head, though he already knew the answer in his heart.

"Brother! Look!!"

Wu Xi held her phone close to Wu Fan's face, her voice trembling with excitement:

"My loan...my loan shows it's paid off! All paid off! I don't owe a single penny!"

She stared intently at the green "settled" sign on the screen, her eyes slightly reddening.

This loan weighed on her like a mountain for six whole months.

Every month on the repayment date, she would feel anxious and unable to sleep.

"That's great...that's really great..."

Wu Xi murmured to herself, tears finally welling up in her eyes.

Suddenly, she seemed to realize something, and she abruptly raised her head, looking at Wu Fan with red eyes.

"Brother, was it you? You paid off my debts, right? But where did you get so much money?"

Wu Fan smiled slightly, reached out and ruffled her hair, saying:

"I told you, leave everything to me, brother."

"elder brother!!!"

Wu Xi sobbed, releasing all the pent-up grievances she had held back for half a year.

She suddenly threw herself into Wu Fan's arms, hugged his neck tightly with both hands, buried her face in her brother's shoulder, and burst into tears.

"Thank you, brother... Waaah, thank you!"

"Silly girl, why are you thanking me?"

Wu Fan gently patted his sister's thin back, feeling her body tremble, and his guilt deepened.

Just as Wu Xi had finished crying and was about to climb out of Wu Fan's arms...

"Buzz, buzz"

Her phone suddenly vibrated, accompanied by a crisp text message notification tone.

Wu Xi sniffed, picked up her phone with some confusion, and glanced at the pop-up message on the screen.

The next second, the expression on her face became interesting again.

If paying off the loan was a pleasant surprise, now the expression on her face was as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight.

"elder brother…"

Her voice became strange, stammering.

"What's wrong now?" Wu Fan asked patiently with a smile.

Wu Xi turned her phone screen around, pointed to the bank message that had just popped up, and said in a trembling voice:

"I...I have an extra 100 million in my account, a whole 100 million!"

Fearing Wu Fan wouldn't believe her, she quickly held the phone up to his face and pointed to the string of numbers on the screen:

"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions, hundreds of millions. One hundred million! It really is one hundred million! Bro, I didn't miscount, did I?"

Wu Xi counted on her fingers three times to make sure there were eight zeros following it, confirming that she hadn't misread it.

She was completely stunned and sat blankly on the sofa.

"Brother, what... what's going on?"

Her voice was trembling with tears; she was truly terrified by this astronomical sum.

"Is there a problem with the bank's system? Or... or have I been scammed?"

The more she thought about it, the more horrified she became, and she gripped her phone tightly in her small hands.

"I heard from a classmate that there's a scam going on where they transfer a large sum of money to you first, then ask you to return it. Once you return it, the money is gone!"

"Brother, what should we do? Should we call the police? Should we contact the bank?"

Seeing his younger sister's shocked, frightened, and helpless expression, Wu Fan couldn't help but laugh.

He reached out and held his little sister's hand, saying gently, "Don't be afraid, it's not a scam or a bank malfunction."

"What is that?" Wu Xi looked up, her eyes full of confusion.

"It's compensation," Wu Fan said calmly.

"Compensation? What compensation?" Wu Xi was even more confused.

"Those guys scared you half to death and even slapped you in the face. Shouldn't they pay you back?"

Wu Fan spoke casually, as if a hundred million was nothing more than a small amount of one or two dollars.

"But this is too much."

Wu Xi swallowed hard, still feeling a bit unreal.

"One hundred million? I've never seen so much money in my life. No, I can't even imagine it."

"Brother, can we really afford to spend this money?"

"Of course."

Wu Fan pinched his sister's cheek and laughed, "Anyway, the money's already in the account. You can spend it however you want—buy a house, a car, bags, travel the world, it's all up to you."

"I...I."

Wu Xi opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that she had no idea what to say.

Her mind was still blank; she was completely stunned by this astronomical figure.

Finally, she just nodded blankly and said "Oh" like a puppet.

Wu Fan couldn't help but smile as he looked at his younger sister's adorable yet bewildered expression.

He knew that it would take time for ordinary people to accept such a huge change, so he said nothing more and just quietly stayed with her.

……

Late at night.

The hustle and bustle outside the neighborhood gradually faded away, leaving only the occasional rustling of the cold winter wind blowing through the treetops.

As usual, Wu Fan coaxed his younger sister to sleep.

Perhaps because of her emotional ups and downs today, the little girl began to breathe softly and evenly not long after lying in bed.

Wu Fan waited until she was completely asleep before quietly closing the door and returning to his own bedroom.

He closed the door and walked to the window.

"Crunch."

Wu Fan opened the window.

A biting cold wind rushed in, but was blocked by an invisible barrier half a foot away from his body.

On a winter night in the city, the sky was overcast and the clouds hung low, making it difficult to see any stars.

"It's time."

Wu Fan muttered to himself softly.

He leaped out of the window, summoned his natal immortal sword, and rode it as a streak of light towards the deep mountains on the western outskirts of the city.

To reach the ninth level of Foundation Establishment and complete it, one needs a catalyst, a trigger, to break through to the Golden Core stage.

And this opportunity was the tribulation of lightning.

In the world of cultivation, every cultivator who breaks through to the Golden Core stage will be subject to a heavenly tribulation.

The strength of a heavenly tribulation depends on the cultivator's aptitude, cultivation method, and fortune.

Some people undergo tribulation, during which thunder roars and lightning lasts for three days and three nights.

For some, overcoming tribulation is nothing more than a few flashes of lightning.

When Wu Fan was undergoing the Golden Core Tribulation in another world, he attracted eighty-one heavenly lightning bolts, each of which possessed the power to destroy the world.

Now that he has a second chance, he wants to see just how powerful Earth's tribulation lightning can be.