Time flowed on in the blink of an eye.
The Minor Huan Sea had become increasingly turbulent. Rumor had it that the True Personage of the Zhong Family from Taibai Island had joined forces with Heiyuan True Personage in an attempt to assault the Blue Sea Sect’s mountain gate on Verdant Jade Island, only to retreat in failure.
Even so, True Personage Zhong had rallied loose cultivators under the banner of “Taibai Island,” truly gathering a sizable force to wage war against the Blue Sea Sect.
The Sea-Destroying Alliance naturally joined the conflict as well, leaving the Blue Sea Sect suffering on all fronts.
Yet as the opening date of the secret realm drew nearer, battles between high-level cultivators became increasingly rare.
Clearly, cultivators pursued longevity and eternal life. Few were willing to fight to the death before the true opportunities had even appeared.
Taibai Island, restricted zone, Ice Soul Cave.
It was rumored that a third-rank alchemist was imprisoned here. From time to time, supreme-grade pills would circulate from Zhong Lingxiu’s hands, used to win over the cultivators of Taibai Island.
The spiritual qi in the surrounding area was extraordinarily dense, faintly reaching the level of a third-rank spirit vein.
Contrary to the bleak and miserable image outsiders imagined, Fang Qing had moved all the furnishings from his original cave abode here. Zhong Lingxiu had also presented numerous rare treasures from the Eastern Sea, making the place even more luxurious, elegant, and comfortable.
Moreover, after so many years of recovery and recuperation, the third-rank spirit vein beneath Taibai Island had gradually restored itself.
The Ice Soul Cave where he resided now possessed the richest spiritual qi on the island, allowing him to enjoy genuine third-rank spiritual qi.
Inside the secluded cultivation chamber.
Fang Qing sat cross-legged as the [Blue Sea Technique] circulated within his body. A deep azure lake phantom emerged around him.
Large quantities of third-rank spiritual qi surged in like mist, coiling around his body and making him appear even more like an immortal descended into the mortal world.
Drip.
Who knew how much time passed.
Streams of mist-like spiritual qi were absorbed into Fang Qing’s body, circulated through a grand cycle, and finally entered his dantian, condensing into drops of deep azure liquid mana that fell into the lake below.
At that instant, the lake gave off a sensation of absolute completion.
No matter whether he continued consuming pills that enhanced mana or used the Dao-Genesis Pearl’s [Return to Origin] conversion, he could no longer condense even a single additional drop of liquid mana.
‘Ninety-nine drops of liquid mana… at last, I have fully perfected the mana cultivation of late Foundation Establishment.’
Fang Qing slowly opened his eyes and calculated with his fingers.
‘Without realizing it, I’ve spent so many years in seclusion that I’ve already passed my hundredth birthday… Heh. If I had remained in the Blue Sea Sect, endless trivial affairs would have tied me down. How could I possibly have enjoyed such leisurely cultivation days?’
Originally, according to his plans, his hundredth birthday should have been celebrated properly.
Unfortunately, he was still publicly maintaining the appearance of living in secluded confinement here, so he needed to avoid attracting attention.
‘Since nothing is happening over in Ancient Shu either, this is the perfect chance to push forward in one go and break into the pseudo-core stage of Foundation Establishment Perfection!’
Fang Qing took out a jade bottle from his robes.
After opening it, a richly violet medicinal pill appeared inside. Four intricate and beautiful pill patterns decorated its surface.
It was none other than the third-rank Great Barrier-Breaking Pill!
When refining this pill, he had incorporated numerous pill-refining methods from the Qi Ingestion path. Not only had this greatly accelerated the refinement process, it had also improved the medicinal efficacy.
Its sole effect was to assist late Foundation Establishment cultivators whose mana cultivation had reached its limit in breaking through into Foundation Establishment Perfection!
‘As expected, the Qi Refining path really does have its advantages. As long as there are enough resources, even pigs can form a Core or condense a Nascent Soul.’
Fang Qing swallowed the Great Barrier-Breaking Pill and closed his eyes, slowly refining its medicinal power.
Outside the cave abode, spring turned to autumn, and heat alternated with cold.
Inside Ice Soul Cave, the Ice Soul Cold Spring surged endlessly, releasing strands of freezing qi.
But for Fang Qing, whose body refinement had long since reached the third rank, it merely felt like pleasantly cool air.
Silently circulating the [Blue Sea Technique], he entered a state of deep secluded cultivation.
When he finally regained awareness in a hazy daze, his dantian had undergone a tremendous transformation.
‘So I’ve broken through the bottleneck and reached Foundation Establishment Perfection?’
Fang Qing examined his dantian inwardly and saw that the original deep azure lake of liquid mana had vanished completely.
In its place floated a single water sphere!
After breaking past the limit of ninety-nine drops of liquid mana, the hundred drops of [Blue Sea Technique] mana had fused into one unified whole, forming a jade-blue sphere of water.
Not only that, its color had become far purer, and its size had shrunk by more than half. At its very core, there were even traces of semi-solid crystalline mana.
‘As expected. While consuming the Great Barrier-Breaking Pill, I simultaneously cultivated the secret art left behind by True Personage Blue Sea. That produced these strands of crystallized mana.’
‘The so-called Core Formation of the Qi Refining path is ultimately nothing more than compressing liquid mana to its absolute limit until it solidifies into a “True Core.”’
‘Foundation Establishment Perfection is merely the minimum threshold for condensing a True Core. If one’s cultivation method is exceptional and supplemented with special secret arts, then upon reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection, one can already begin partially solidifying the mana within the dantian, greatly benefiting Core Formation and increasing the success rate by at least twenty percent!’
Fang Qing gazed at the mana core within his dantian and nodded slightly.
‘Ordinary versions of the [Blue Sea Technique] do not contain such advanced secret arts. At most they naturally provide a ten percent increase in Core Formation success.’
‘But what I inherited was the true legacy of True Personage Blue Sea. By combining these secret arts with the Great Barrier-Breaking Pill and many years of secluded cultivation, I managed to increase the probability by twenty percent.’
Yet this still was not his limit!
‘Besides that, my divine sense has already broken through and transformed into Core Formation-grade divine sense. That alone should provide at least another ten percent chance.’
‘And my third-rank physique and blood qi should contribute another ten percent as well.’
Combined together, that amounted to roughly a forty percent chance of successful Core Formation.
In other words, even if Fang Qing attempted Core Formation right now without consuming any spirit pills or Core Formation treasures, his odds would already surpass those of many cultivators in the Minor Huan Sea.
But to Fang Qing…
‘Less than a fifty percent chance, and you call that enough to attempt Core Formation? How is that any different from courting death?’
Fang Qing had remained in secluded cultivation without haste precisely because he had been waiting for the opening of the Zhoutian Star Palace secret realm ruins. There, he hoped to obtain the “Five Elements Spirit Fruit” needed to refine the “Core Formation Pill”!
Even then, he still felt somewhat uneasy. Even with a Core Formation Pill in hand, if the chances of Core Formation were not pushed to the limit, it simply did not feel safe enough.
This was where the advantages of trade between the two worlds became apparent.
‘The divine abilities of Ancient Shu are wondrous beyond compare. There should be secret arts there greatly beneficial for Core Formation, along with other spiritual objects that can assist the process. I can have Sangji borrow them, purchase them, or seek them out by any means necessary, just to ensure absolute certainty!’
Fang Qing let out a long breath, then performed a quick calculation with his fingers.
‘Breaking through this time with the Great Barrier-Breaking Pill, while simultaneously cultivating the Core Formation secret art of Blue Sea True Personage to accelerate the crystallization of mana, unexpectedly consumed several more years.’
‘I am already one hundred and ten years old now? And there are less than three years left before the Zhoutian Star Palace secret realm opens.’
‘At one hundred and ten, reaching Foundation Establishment perfection is not considered slow at all.’
With a thought, Fang Qing sensed the Tide-Birth Pearl once more. This external core ultimately still required the cultivator’s own mana to activate.
Now that his cultivation had reached Foundation Establishment perfection, the moment he infused mana into it, the Tide-Birth Pearl immediately became extraordinarily active, releasing mana fluctuations approaching the level of a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator.
Fortunately, Fang Qing possessed a third-rank body refinement physique and could bear it completely.
Taibai Island.
The current Taibai Island was now covered with rows of buildings and bustling with many cultivators.
Quite a few of them were rabble casually recruited by Zhong Lingxiu, meant to serve as expendable cannon fodder against the Blue Sea Sect.
Fang Qing openly walked out of Ice Soul Cave and wandered around the island for a while. Immediately, he felt the sense of how much the world had changed.
It carried the strange feeling that after emerging from seclusion, the outside world had already undergone vast transformations.
“Haha… so Fellow Daoist is that famous alchemy master?”
A vicious-looking mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with scars all over his face blocked Fang Qing’s path. He carried a black saber spiritual artifact over his shoulder.
“This one needs a ‘Barrier-Breaking Pill.’ The rewards will certainly not disappoint you.”
Fang Qing secretly rolled his eyes.
In the eyes of these outsiders, he had probably already been branded by Zhong Lingxiu with restrictions and turned into some sort of servant or slave.
“Peng Yidao, this is not a place for you to speak.”
Xiang Dahu flew over, his expression stern and imposing. “Why are you still not scramming?”
“Yes, Chief Steward.”
Peng Yidao lazily cupped his fists in salute, clearly showing little respect toward Xiang Dahu, before transforming into a streak of light and departing.
“What is going on?” Fang Qing asked curiously.
Xiang Dahu transmitted several sentences through divine sense, and only then did Fang Qing understand.
After Xiang Dahu surrendered, Bei Lingshu and most of the Qi Refining cultivators had also submitted, becoming part of Taibai Island and gradually forming a faction of their own.
However, several years later, some hidden descendants of the Zhong Family who had been living under false identities began returning one after another, and everything changed.
Zhong Lingxiu only listened to Fang Qing’s words and had never stripped Xiang Dahu of his position as chief steward. But naturally, he still favored and cultivated several members of the Zhong Family.
This Peng Yidao had attached himself to one of the Zhong Family young masters and constantly made trouble for Xiang Dahu behind the scenes, hoping to force him out of the chief steward position.
This encounter clearly showed that he had already categorized Fang Qing as part of Xiang Dahu’s faction.
‘A tiny temple yet fierce winds, shallow waters yet countless bastards.’
Fang Qing was speechless as he stepped into the Ice Snow Hall.
Zhong Lingxiu was currently refining Ice Soul Profound Light. The moment he saw him, he immediately sealed the hall and bowed deeply.
“Welcome, Young Master, on emerging from seclusion!”
“I originally intended to go out for a walk and clear my mind, but unfortunately ran into a few blind fools.”
Fang Qing mentioned it only casually before asking, “How goes the matter of the secret realm?”
“Reporting to Young Master…”
Zhong Lingxiu’s heart tightened slightly.
“I went together with Heiyuan True Personage to inspect the bronze underwater palace. Its opening should occur within the next three years. Furthermore, because it was opened once before, flaws have appeared in the operation of the grand formation. This time, it may be possible to send in several Foundation Establishment cultivators.”
“Mm.”
A jade slip appeared in Fang Qing’s hand. It contained Zhong Lingxiu’s knowledge and experiences from the Eastern Sea cultivation world.
“You said that in the Eastern Sea cultivation world there exist the ‘One Palace, One Temple, Three Islands, and Four Sects,’ making a total of nine great powers. Each possesses combat strength equivalent to late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and the top-ranked palace and temple are even rumored to have once produced cultivators who ascended as Soul Transformation experts. Meanwhile, a sect like the Heavenly Frost Sect, with only one or two Nascent Soul old monsters, merely counts as a mid-level power within the Eastern Sea cultivation world.”
“That is correct. The Eastern Sea cultivation world is incomparably vast, and its cultivation resources are incredibly abundant.”
Zhong Lingxiu’s face filled with yearning.
“This subordinate has even heard that some auctions contain treasures for Core Formation and even Nascent Soul condensation.”
“And have you ever heard of… the Zhoutian Star Palace?” Fang Qing asked.
“The Zhoutian Star Palace?”
Zhong Lingxiu thought carefully before replying.
“This subordinate has never seen any mention of it within the records of the Heavenly Frost Sect. Perhaps it was a force that vanished into history long ago.”
“Mm.”
Fang Qing nodded slightly, feeling that this method of conversion was far more useful than his own “Soul-Splitting Search Technique.”
After all, soul-searching techniques always had omissions. How could they compare to having a subordinate who devoted themselves entirely to you? Once they became your subordinate, their memories and experiences naturally became yours as well.
Of course, conversion also had its limits. For example, it could not convert Bright Sons or Wisdom Consorts belonging to other Spiritual Masters.
‘Still, why is the Zhoutian Star Palace so obscure and unknown?’
A thought stirred within Fang Qing’s heart.
‘Perhaps… I will have to personally enter the secret realm ruins and take a look?’
‘In the current Minor Huan Sea, are there even any Foundation Establishment cultivators left who can defeat me?’
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