“Little Hong… now that the Core Formation spiritual medicines are already in hand, why are you still not investigating the successor of the Devouring Sea Demonic Art?”
Within her sea of consciousness, Old Turtle was once again urging her onward.
Zhan Hongxiu sounded somewhat helpless. “Just wait a little longer. Zhong Lingxiu suddenly announced a northern campaign against the Blue Sea Sect. I think that Fellow Daoist Fang’s desperate final gamble is about to begin. No matter what, I should at least witness a cultivator forming a Core.”
“Hehe… you are now considered part of Taibai Island. Which side are you planning to stand with this time?”
Old Turtle sounded rather curious.
“Naturally, neither side,” Zhan Hongxiu replied. “After all, my benefactor, that ‘Guest Elder Bai,’ supposedly took the Core Formation Pill and departed immediately afterward.”
“For a cultivator like you, even remaining neutral is already a declaration of your stance.”
Old Turtle seemed to think of something and spoke no further.
Inside the spiritual herb gardens.
After the spell was completed, droplets of dew shimmered across the herb’s leaves, sparkling like crystal beneath the sunlight and reflecting multicolored radiance with extraordinary beauty.
“I wonder how the sect is doing…”
Only after tending the entire patch of spiritual herbs did Bei Lingshu rise and wipe her cheek, her expression somewhat forlorn.
“I heard that Zhong Lingxiu has once again raised troops against the Blue Sea Sect with tremendous momentum. Even Heiyuan True Personage has been stirred into action. Could it be that another great war is about to erupt in the cultivation world? Sigh… I am already someone who betrayed the sect. What right do I have to worry about the Blue Sea Sect anymore?”
Back then, because of a single moment of hesitation, she had failed to immediately choose death and instead was sealed and imprisoned by Zhong Lingxiu.
Later, Xiang Dahu and Fang Qing had visited her several times. Eventually, she accepted reality and half surrendered, agreeing only to continue tending spiritual flowers and herbs while firmly refusing to act against her former sect companions.
To her surprise, Zhong Lingxiu had actually agreed.
“Sigh… as someone who surrendered, I should not concern myself with these matters. I only hope my final end will not be too miserable.”
Bei Lingshu suddenly thought of Xiang Dahu. Such an honest and straightforward man, yet back then he had been the very first to kneel before Zhong Lingxiu.
“Sure enough, until life and death truly arrive, one never sees a cultivator’s real face.”
After adjusting her breathing for a moment, Bei Lingshu prepared to continue tending herbs when her expression suddenly changed.
Rumble!
Heaven and earth spiritual qi erupted violently, sweeping across the entirety of Taibai Island.
Spiritual qi surged forth from the void, from the earth, from snowy mountains and vegetation alike, gathering high in the heavens to form a massive spiritual cloud filled with deep oppressive pressure above a certain cave abode.
“This… a Core Formation phenomenon?”
Bei Lingshu had, after all, come from a Core Formation sect and possessed broad experience. With only a single glance, her face was filled with shock.
“Who on the island is forming a Core right now?”
Rumble!
The entire Taibai Island shook violently. Faint Buddhist chants echoed through the air as heavenly flowers scattered and golden lotuses bloomed from the earth. It was clearly the activation of a third-rank grand array.
Xiang Dahu’s voice spread across the island together with the array’s power:
“By order of the Island Lord, the grand array is now activated. All cultivators are forbidden from acting recklessly. Violators… will die!”
“This is… Xiang Dahu? As Taibai Island’s chief steward, he indeed possesses authority over the formation. Could this be some Core Formation seed personally arranged by True Personage Zhong to secretly attempt Core Formation?”
Bei Lingshu mentally reviewed every Foundation Establishment cultivator on Taibai Island. Aside from the mysterious “Guest Elder Bai,” who had already departed long ago, no other candidate came to mind.
“Do not believe this man! Xiang Dahu, you are nothing more than a dog raised by my family’s True Personage, yet you dare bite your master?”
A streak of snowy-white light shot into the air. Inside was clearly one of the Zhong Family Foundation Establishment cultivators, sounding furious and panicked.
But in the next instant, a stream of Buddhist radiance descended.
The Zhong Family cultivator did not even have time to scream before his body transformed into white bones that scattered across the sky.
“If anyone disobeys, they shall share this man’s fate!”
Xiang Dahu’s voice brimmed with killing intent.
Bei Lingshu’s eyes immediately brightened.
“The heavens of Taibai Island… are about to change? Could it be that Senior Brother Xiang had been enduring humiliation all this time?”
“Then who exactly is the one forming a Core?”
“So that’s how it is… I was wondering how Island Master Fang dared form a Core inside enemy territory. It turns out he had already made preparations.” Upon seeing this scene, Zhan Hongxiu suddenly understood.
“I met this Xiang Dahu before. He was utterly loyal to Island Master Fang. So his surrender back then was fake all along. For years he endured humiliation to gain Zhong Lingxiu’s trust and obtain control over the grand array. Was all of it for the sake of one day rebelling?”
“This is gambling with one’s life directly beneath a Core Formation True Personage. Even if he succeeds, offending a Core Formation cultivator is no joke. He truly cast life and death aside.”
In truth, this was merely a performance Fang Qing had arranged for his subordinates.
First of all, he genuinely required the protection of a grand array in order to form his Core.
And Xiang Dahu was the only possible person capable of controlling that formation.
As for surrendering to the enemy years ago? No. That had merely been for the sake of finding an opportunity to strike back at the critical moment.
It was simply washing his reputation clean.
As long as one kept washing, anything could be cleaned.
“These are all minor matters. With a third-rank array formation protecting him, that boy will not suffer interference from external forces during Core Formation. And with a Core Formation Pill in hand, he should at least reach the step of ‘condensing the True Core.’ The true question is what quality his Core will possess, and whether he can survive the heavenly tribulation afterward.”
Old Turtle’s voice echoed from within her sea of consciousness.
“The quality of the Core?”
“Correct. The step of condensing the True Core actually possesses considerable differences in quality depending on the cultivation method. Within the secret records of our Zhoutian Star Palace, there are three classifications: low-grade True Core, mid-grade True Core, and high-grade True Core.”
“These correspond respectively to the so-called ‘Pseudo-cores’ formed at Foundation Establishment perfection. The quality of the Core affects cultivation speed during the Core Formation realm, the strength of future bottlenecks, and even one’s chances of breaking through into Nascent Soul.”
“Generally speaking, anyone who condenses a low-grade True Core has no hope whatsoever of reaching the Nascent Soul realm.”
Old Turtle’s voice slowly explained.
“Then what about that True Personage Zhong…?” Zhan Hongxiu asked curiously.
“That ice spiritual root cultivator condensed a mid-grade True Core. Although the chances of reaching Nascent Soul in the future are exceedingly slim, there is still a fair possibility of cultivating to the late Core Formation stage and becoming a great cultivator among Core Formation experts.”
“As for that Core Formation cultivator from the Blue Sea Sect and that demonic cultivator, both condensed only low-grade True Core. In this lifetime, even breaking through to mid-stage Core Formation will be extremely difficult.”
“Little Hong, you must take this as a warning.”
Old Turtle cautioned solemnly, “Do not think that possessing a Core Formation Pill guarantees success. You must still cultivate the Core Formation secret art from the Tortoise-Crane Longevity Art, and if possible, obtain another one or two Core Formation spiritual materials.”
A moment earlier.
Inside the cave abode, Fang Qing slowly opened his eyes. His essence, qi, and spirit had already reached perfect fullness.
The Core Formation portion of the Blue Sea Art flowed through his mind like a clear stream trickling downward.
“So-called ‘Core Formation’ in the Qi Refining path is merely the process of transforming liquid true essence into a solid True Core…”
“The quality of the True Core is divided into three grades. To form a high-grade True Core, one requires a deep foundation, a top-tier cultivation technique, and assistance from Core Formation spiritual medicines and spiritual objects.”
“According to Blue Sea True Personage, cultivating this Core Formation secret art is equivalent to possessing one high-grade Core Formation spiritual object.”
“Let’s begin.”
He closed his eyes and silently began breaking through toward the Core Formation bottleneck.
Crash!
As the Blue Sea Technique circulated, the spiritual qi within the cave abode rose and fell like ocean tides, surging like storm waves as it was completely absorbed into Fang Qing’s body.
Above the cave abode, spiritual qi gathered wildly, forming an astonishing Core Formation phenomenon.
“Like Foundation Establishment, Core Formation also has three barriers.”
The immense spiritual qi of heaven and earth poured into his body, placing tremendous strain upon his physique.
“The first barrier is the qi and blood barrier. Thanks to the assistance of the two Dumu, my body refinement has already reached the third rank.”
Fang Qing remained completely at ease. He guided the heaven and earth spiritual qi through his meridians without the slightest discomfort before allowing it to descend into his dantian, where it transformed into surging waves of mana that continuously hammered against the half-solidified mana core.
“The Core Formation secret art, Hundred Revolutions Thousand Cycles Art, uses mana to imitate the raging waves of the sea, endlessly tempering the mana core in pursuit of forging it a hundred times into steel.”
At a time like this, one’s divine sense was tested to the extreme. The slightest mistake could easily result in the cauldron overturning and the pill shattering.
Fortunately, Fang Qing’s divine sense had long since reached the third rank. At this moment, its immense strength fully manifested as he controlled every strand of mana, compressing and tempering the liquid mana core with all his power.
Under this refinement, the azure-green great core continuously compressed inward, the mana within increasingly crystallizing and solidifying.
Without him even noticing, the divine sense barrier passed successfully.
What followed was the final stage, the mana barrier.
This stage required transforming liquid true essence into True Core power. What it tested was the cultivator’s accumulated cultivation foundation.
And for the first time, Fang Qing finally felt a trace of strain. “With the Dao-Genesis Pearl, my mana contains absolutely no pill toxins and is incomparably pure. The only problem is the same one I encountered during Foundation Establishment. Most of my mana was accumulated through pills, making it somewhat unstable.”
“But that is hardly a major issue. Breakthrough pills exist precisely for times like this.”
He took out the genuine Core Formation Pill and swallowed it.
Crash!
The instant the Core Formation Pill entered his stomach, it was refined by his innate true fire, immediately transforming into streams of incomparably pure mana that poured into the liquid core.
Within the half-solidified True Core, a point of golden light emerged, growing brighter and brighter.
Because Fang Qing had already overcome the qi and blood barrier and the divine sense barrier ahead of time, not a single trace of the Core Formation Pill’s medicinal power went to waste. Every bit of it poured perfectly into his dantian.
“Dao-Genesis Pearl!”
With a thought, the massive reserves of essence he had accumulated beforehand came surging down, transforming into Blue Sea Technique mana of the same origin and pouring into the True Core.
Boom!
His dantian trembled violently.
An immense amount of heaven and earth spiritual qi flooded inward as a completely azure-green True Core silently emerged.
The moment this True Core appeared, a perfectly rounded and full core power instantly spread outward, radiating a terrifying aura.
“Core Formation is halfway complete…”
“So this is True Core power. It truly differs completely from the liquid true essence mana of Foundation Establishment.”
Fang Qing took a deep breath.
The spirit-gathering formation surrounding him instantly activated. One superior-grade spirit stone after another began burning away as enormous quantities of spiritual qi gathered together, condensing into droplets of spiritual liquid that fell upon the newly formed True Core.
The Core became increasingly full and lustrous, while its aura continued growing more terrifying.
“The enhancement of quality, has begun.”
His heart stirred as he sensed the grade of the True Core within his body.
It had already reached the absolute limit of low-grade True Core before suddenly breaking through.
Fang Qing felt a bottleneck within his body instantly shatter apart. Both his divine sense and Core power rose significantly.
Meanwhile, the azure-green True Core shrank considerably, becoming even more dazzling and radiant.
“Middle-grade True Core…”
He sensed the hunger of the True Core as it continued devouring heaven and earth spiritual qi at a frenzied pace.
The Core power of the mid-grade True Core surged upward continuously until it finally encountered another bottleneck.
“I’ve reached the limit.”
“Could it be that this time, I can only condense a mid-grade True Core?”
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