txolops Chapter 94 The Pursuit Arrives
Chapter 94 The Pursuit Arrives
Chapter 94 The Pursuit Arrives (4000 words)
Within his dantian, one hundred and thirty-three drops of liquid mountain and sea magic power surged forth with astonishing waves.
[His physical body, though restrained in power, resembled a black hole, continuously devouring the surrounding spiritual energy.]
The effects of the Crystal Condensation Pill are spreading throughout your body, making the spiritual pressure emanating from you almost as close as that of a Pseudo-Core Formation True Person.
"Whether we succeed in this attempt to reach the Core Formation stage or not, it's all good. At least we can use this experience to pave the way for the next attempt."
Unlike other cultivators attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage, you are very relaxed.
[It's just a simulation. Even if you fail, you have a chance to try again, unlike other cultivators who almost never have the chance to attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage a second time.]
[Splash—]
With the aid of the Crystal Condensation Pill, your condition rapidly surpasses its peak, and the 133 drops of liquid mana within your dantian begin to compress towards the center.
The most crucial step in breaking through to the Core Formation stage is solidifying liquid mana.
This means forming a golden elixir.
This process is influenced by many factors, including the cultivator's physical physique, the quality of their magical power, the strength of their spiritual sense, their spiritual root talent, their potential, and their specific state of mind.
Whether you can form a golden elixir depends not on your greatest strength, but on your greatest weakness.
Just like a wooden bucket, the amount of water it can hold depends on the shortest stave.
The purpose of the Crystal Condensation Pill is to temporarily improve your weakest area, allowing you to reach the minimum requirements for Core Formation as much as possible.
As for the specific quality of the Golden Core you can form, that depends on your own overall potential.
Regardless of the type of Core Formation artifact, it can only serve as a supplement at most.
【call!】
A large amount of spiritual energy surged into your body, and faintly, a huge vortex of spiritual energy formed high above your cave.
[Endless spiritual energy continuously flows into your body through the vortex, transforming into liquid mana to support your breakthrough to the Core Formation stage.]
[Use your divine sense to manipulate the liquid magic and solidify it as much as possible.]
As time passed, in the very center of your dantian, drops of liquid mana were continuously compressed, finally emerging as crystalline particles.
You immediately took out the Fire Essence Dates and Heavenly Purification Water, and swallowed them one after the other.
More and more crystalline particles are forming, converging, and condensing, constantly rotating and absorbing more liquid magic power.
[After an unknown amount of time, a perfectly round, solid pill finally slowly took shape.]
The surging liquid magic power continued to pour into the solidified pill, causing it to solidify completely.
[Outside, Wu Ming had not left; instead, he quietly watched you attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage.]
As a pseudo-Core Formation cultivator who had attempted to form a Golden Core once, Wu Ming could discern from external phenomena whether a Golden Core had been successfully formed.
As for why this was done...
If you succeed, Wu Ming will naturally be the first to congratulate you.
Even if you fail and die, Wu Ming can still recover your losses immediately.
Even after decades of friendship, Wu Ming wouldn't want your body to be used elsewhere.
The corpses of cultivators, especially those in the Foundation Establishment stage, have many uses.
One source of income for the Immortal City Cave Dwelling District comes from the corpses of these cultivators who failed to break through.
"Master Wang Dan..."
.」】
Wu Ming looked up at the enormous vortex of spiritual energy above the cave.
At this moment, the funnel of spiritual energy vortex is slowly collapsing from the bottom up.
【"pity......"】
Wu Ming sighed.
The collapse of the spiritual energy vortex funnel signifies the termination of the Core Formation process and the failure to achieve Core Formation.
Although failure is the norm among many cultivators attempting to form their core, Wu Ming still felt a little regretful.
"Did Master Wang not die?"
[Wu Ming sensed that your aura inside the cave was still quite stable. He sighed inwardly and then turned to leave.]
It's not that Wu Ming is cold-hearted, but he knows you definitely don't want to see anyone right now.
Any cultivator who fails to break through to the Core Formation stage, even if they survive by sheer luck, will be in a state of extreme despair.
At this point, choosing not to meet is the best course of action.
[Inside the cave]
Your mind and spirit are fully focused on your dantian.
At this moment, the solid pill that you painstakingly created has begun to slowly collapse.
"It failed?"
You are not feeling frustrated, but rather reflecting on the reasons for your failure.
"The quality of my magic is flawless, my mental state is not a hindrance, and the strength of my spiritual sense goes without saying..."
[You carefully sensed, "Is it because of my potential? My potential is too low. I've taken two Breakthrough Pills, burning a lot of my potential, so even with the Crystallization Pill to temporarily boost my potential, I still haven't reached the minimum threshold for Core Formation..."]
You looked thoughtful.
[At the same time, you also realize that as long as you take one less Breakthrough Pill and increase your potential, even if you don't form a Golden Core this time, a False Core will be more than enough.]
Sometimes, the breakthrough to Core Formation is just a matter of being a tiny fraction away.
Although a False Core Formation True Person is not as strong as a Golden Core True Person, and is stuck at the early stage of Core Formation for life, they are still a True Person after all.
[If you have never taken a Breakthrough Pill and your potential is intact, you have a very high chance of forming a low-grade Golden Core during this attempt to form your Golden Core.]
[Your magical power, spiritual awareness, and mental state have all reached the level of a superior Golden Core cultivator.]
"And then there's my spiritual root talent. My spiritual root talent is only mid-grade, which seriously hindered my progress in breaking through to the Core Formation stage..."
.」】
You thought to yourself.
[For someone with a mid-grade spiritual root talent to attempt the Core Formation stage is ultimately too much of a stretch.]
Why do cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots break through to the Core Formation stage so easily? It's because their talent is too high. Developing high-quality mana is as simple as drinking water or eating for them. The same applies to the strength of their divine sense. As for their mental state? Cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots have dominated their peers since childhood; which one has a weak mental state?
In this era, the only thing that might slightly hinder a cultivator with a Heavenly Spiritual Root from breaking through to the Core Formation stage is probably their physical body.
However, one can also consume any kind of Core Formation spiritual item to temporarily enhance one's physical constitution.
Furthermore, cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots can also choose to refine their bodies to compensate for this weakness.
The goal pursued by cultivators with Heavenly Spiritual Roots is to form a flawless Golden Core, not simply to attempt the Core Formation process.
It is said that in ancient times, true prodigies possessed top-tier spiritual roots, as well as a precious body, a Dao body, and many other talents, with a flawless physical physique.
Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, you can directly attempt to form your Core without any external aids.
"If my spiritual root talent reaches the superior level, and my physical body reaches the sixth level of the 'Mountain and Sea Body Refining Technique'... with the help of Core Formation Spiritual Objects such as the Crystal Condensation Pill, I will have the hope of forming a mid-grade Golden Core..."
Your thoughts are racing.
[You have already cultivated the "Mountain and Sea Body Refining Technique" to the peak of the fifth level, but you have been worried about the heavenly tribulation, which is why you have not yet stepped into the sixth level.]
Now that I've had the experience of breaking through to the Core Formation stage, I plan to take a slight risk in the next simulation and advance to the sixth level of the "Mountain and Sea Body Refining Technique".
As for spiritual root talent... with the help of the Azure Moon Pool, reaching the superior grade of spiritual root is only a matter of time.
[Furthermore, with your current abilities, you have also mastered other methods to enhance spiritual root talents. However, all these methods are at most only effective for spiritual roots below the Earth grade.]
Beyond the simulation, Zhou Qing nodded slightly.
Although this attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage was unsuccessful, it made all my weaknesses and hidden dangers clear, which was very worthwhile.
Other Foundation Establishment cultivators who fail to break through to Core Formation have no chance to try again, even if they know their hidden weaknesses.
Failure to break through to the Core Formation stage will result in a backlash. Even if one survives, it will severely deplete one's inherent potential. Even if there is a second chance to break through to the Core Formation stage, the hope is extremely slim.
But Zhou Qing is different. Every simulation is a new beginning, and much of the depleted potential will be restored.
"I survived this attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage because my physical body was strong enough to withstand the backlash."
T
Zhou Qing thought to himself silently.
Most Foundation Establishment cultivators who attempt to form their Core form die from the backlash if they fail.
Shen Lingxiu was like that back then.
"Shen Lingxiu?"
Zhou Qing's expression shifted slightly as he looked towards a certain spot in the Immortal City.
During this period, Shen Lingxiu's parents should still be alive, and she is extremely happy under their care.
After summarizing the reasons for your failed breakthrough, you began to recover.
[The attempt to form the Golden Core failed, and the nearly solidified essence within the dantian disintegrated, reverting back to liquid mana.]
The process of disintegrating from a solid to a liquid state puts immense pressure on the physical body. Although you withstood it, your internal organs were also affected by some injuries.
However, these injuries are not significant. With a physical body comparable to a peak mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, they can recover after a few days of rest.
There's still plenty of time left in the third-tier cave dwelling you've rented.
[You fully recovered after two weeks]
Although you failed to break through to the Core Formation stage, you are still a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the peak of your cultivation level.
[Still the kind of well-rounded, multi-skilled Foundation Establishment cultivator who has reached the peak of cultivation.]
You emerge from the cave.
The female cultivator who received you refunded your remaining spirit stones according to the specific number of days you rented the room.
As you walk through the streets of Taiyuan Immortal City, you feel a little lost for a moment.
The Fallen Maple Mountain Market was sold to the Zhou family, and you have no intention of returning. In the vast world of cultivation, you are like a lone wolf.
"I'll take advantage of the remaining time to thoroughly explore the Taiyuan Domain."
You decide to travel and learn new skills along the way.
[In the 185th year, you are 201 years old]
You have arrived at the easternmost part of the Taiyuan Domain, which borders the Zixiao Domain.
[The Purple Cloud Domain is ruled by the Purple Cloud Palace, a Nascent Soul level power.]
[In the 187th year, you are 203 years old]
You have arrived at the southernmost part of the Taiyuan Domain.
Looking into the distance, hundreds of miles further in this direction lies the Moon Demon Realm.
[That is, the great domain opened up by the Azure Moon True Lord, or rather, the Azure Moon Demon Lord]
Beyond the Great Domain lies the Wilderness.
The spiritual energy in this wild and untamed region is turbulent and unsuitable for low-level cultivators.
Therefore, if a Nascent Soul True Monarch wishes to open up a great domain and establish their own lineage and inheritance,
[In the desolate wilderness, a large fourth-order spiritual vein will be found. Then, using the powerful techniques of a Nascent Soul level cultivator, starting from the fourth-order spiritual vein, the turbulent spiritual energy within a million-mile radius will be pacified.]
This is why it is suitable for low-level cultivators to survive; the large number of low-level cultivators gives rise to mid-level and high-level cultivators.
This is the process of large-scale development.
"That Xuanwang Island... has never been swallowed up by any True Lord..."
What you're thinking is...
The Great Domain War is nearing its end, but Xuanwang Island still exists.
[You are 206 years old, now in your 190th year]
[Back to Azure Moon Immortal City]
To be precise, it's the Exquisite Immortal City.
The century-long Great Domain War produced seven Core Formation True Immortals.
Of course, eight Core Formation cultivators perished.
One of the Core Formation cultivators was named Linglong Zhenren.
[After the war, due to his enormous contributions, he leased a super-large third-tier spiritual vein beneath the former Biyue Immortal City at Taiyuan Palace.]
[And on the original site of Azure Moon Immortal City, Exquisite Immortal City was built.]
You did not enter the Linglong Immortal City; you merely watched quietly from afar.
Although Linglong Immortal City has only recently been established, the number of cultivators entering and leaving is already quite high.
Having survived the Great Domain War, most of the cultivators who did survive had accumulated considerable wealth and were purchasing properties in Linglong Immortal City...
With a real person in charge, Linglong Immortal City is definitely much better than those other markets in terms of both reputation and security.
As for the fate of Biyue Immortal City, the predecessor of Linglong Immortal City? Few cultivators care about it anymore. Linglong Zhenren is not that Biyue demoness.
Your mind is filled with countless thoughts. From Azure Moon Immortal City to Exquisite Dragon Immortal City, it's like a cycle of reincarnation, within which countless cultivators can only drift along.
Your expression was thoughtful, as if you had grasped something.
[A few days later, your eyes regained their sparkle.]
【"I see."】
You murmured to yourself, and over the course of several days, you entered a state of profound realization.
Through this epiphany, you have finally entered the second stage of divination skills.
[Second-order divination!]
[This is the seventh second-tier skill you've mastered, and it's an extremely niche skill: divination.]
For the past hundred years, you've been stuck at the highest level in the lower divination path.
[You have tried more than once to shorten your lifespan in order to forcibly improve the level of this skill.]
But in the end, they gave up.
[Shortening your lifespan to enhance your divination skills... is only a last resort.]
What if I shorten my lifespan by ten or even decades and still fail to advance my divination skills to the second level?
However, this unexpected joy has arrived.
"Let's see what my recent divination results are..."
"】
You become quite interested in doing a divination for yourself.
[The second-tier lower trigram is already capable of predicting the fortunes and misfortunes of Foundation Establishment cultivators.]
Although you have reached the completion of the Foundation Establishment stage, you are still only at the Foundation Establishment stage; the only difference is that the resulting divination is vague and unclear.
[A moment later]
You have completed your self-divination.
[A minor omen of bad luck?]
You gaze at the divination chart before you, lost in thought.
Just then—
More than a dozen streaks of light suddenly appeared and sped towards us from not far away.
[Then they stopped, and the auras of several late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and several mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators erupted.]
[One of the female cultivators, at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, pointed at you through gritted teeth and said to the middle-aged man at the peak of Foundation Establishment, "Guild Leader, it's him! He borrowed 200,000 spirit stones from our guild and hasn't paid it back yet..."]
【"Um?"】
Your expression changed slightly.