Innate Immortal Seed

"The Core Formation phenomenon..."

Bai Zichen’s gaze burned with anticipation, wondering what kind of phenomenon would appear on the day he reached Core Formation.

Core Formation phenomena vary endlessly depending on each Cultivator’s Cultivation Technique and personal experiences; they can take any form imaginable.

’He’s just one step away. Looks like I’ll have to start calling him Martial Uncle Dai soon... huh?’

Just as he mentally changed how he addressed Dai Hui, he saw the phantoms of over a hundred Spiritual Artifacts let out mournful cries, many of them bursting like bubbles.

Only a few remained, about a dozen phantoms of Spiritual Artifacts like the Celestial Xin Sword and Sound Bamboo Sword that Bai Zichen recognized, as well as a rustic Oil Lamp and a pair of Dragon and Phoenix Double Rings, which circled once before plunging into the valley floor.

A massive whirlpool seemed to form in the valley, devouring all the nature’s spiritual energy within a ten-mile radius before a great golden cauldron shot out from it.

The Golden Cauldron contained all the remaining Spiritual Artifact phantoms. Its Treasure Light glittered, soaring into the heavens and emitting fluctuations far surpassing the level of Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Bai Zichen’s brow furrowed slightly; he sensed that something was wrong.

The Golden Cauldron looked incredibly powerful, but to his Divine Sense, it felt like it was running out of steam.

"Alas, to fail at the last step... His Divine Sense failed to connect with the Core Formation. Forcing it now would only waste his Essence, and a drop in his Realm is now inevitable."

Within Master Ge Cang’s pupils, a Divine Wood rapidly grew from a tender sprout into a towering tree, only to wither in an instant, leaving behind a single seed. This cycle of the Divine Wood’s life and death repeated endlessly.

He rose to leave, tossing a Jade Bottle to Qi Yue.

"There’s a Nourishing Spirit Pill inside. Take it to Dai Hui later... We don’t want his Divine Sense to be severely damaged, causing irreversible injury to his Sea of Consciousness."

Qi Yue held the Jade Bottle, staring dumbfounded as Master Ge Cang took two steps and vanished in a flash of lightning. "Junior Brother Bai, what does Master mean by this? Does he not have faith in Senior Brother Dai? Does he think his Core Formation has already failed..."

Bai Zichen was busy envying Master Ge Cang’s Body Technique. ’That Divine Technique, Close as the Palm of Your Hand, Far as the Ends of the Earth, is so convenient for short-distance travel.’

’And he moves with such elegance, an indescribable, unrestrained grace, completely untainted by worldly concerns.’

’Too bad it’s a Divine Technique one can only master after cultivating the Five Crystal Glaze Body to the fourth level and forming the Glazed Fire Divine Body.’

’Otherwise, a Core Formation Cultivator’s physical body wouldn’t be able to withstand this near-teleportation Divine Technique. A single step would tear their body in half.’

"Brother Qi, can’t you see? Senior Brother Dai is a spent arrow; his failure is already certain."

Bai Zichen shook his head and said regretfully.

To think that Dai Hui would still fail when he was just one step away from succeeding in his Core Formation.

And this was with the combined help of the Clear Spirit Jade Marrow and the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Golden Cauldron in the valley exploded violently, and the phantoms of the highest-quality Spiritual Artifacts also vanished.

The vast Spiritual Qi that had gathered dispersed rapidly, like a receding tide.

The Core Formation phenomenon failed to last until the final moment, heralding that Dai Hui’s attempt to reach Core Formation had ended in failure.

The scene fell silent. All the Elders, regardless of their relationship with him, felt their spirits sink.

They lamented that the Sect had failed to gain another Core Formation True Man, and it also made them reflect on the arduousness of their own path on the Great Dao. Forget Core Formation; even breaking through their current bottlenecks seemed hopelessly distant.

The two Elders from the Artifact Refining Hall flew towards the valley. At a time like this, they naturally had to check on their Hall Master.

"Core Formation truly is a Celestial Chasm, stopping countless so-called genius Cultivators in their tracks."

Even someone as proud as Qi Yue looked shaken by the scene, not daring to claim he could definitely succeed in Core Formation.

"Of course, that doesn’t include you, Junior Brother Bai. With your talent, you must think it’s hilarious that people struggle with something so simple... I have to go deliver the Nourishing Spirit Pill to Senior Brother Dai. I’ll be on my way."

The corner of Bai Zichen’s mouth twitched. Before he could say a word, Qi Yue transformed into a streak of light and fled as if escaping.

’Who said I think Core Formation is simple? I’m even planning to cultivate the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique myself...’

A drop of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow, combined with mastering all three levels of the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique and then burning his lifespan—these were the preparations Bai Zichen was making for his own Core Formation.

’Though with my Mysterious Holy Body, my path to Core Formation should be as smooth as when I reached Foundation Establishment.’

’But it is a breakthrough to a new Great Realm, after all. I’ll feel uneasy if I don’t make a few preparations.’

’I’ll just think of it as buying insurance for myself.’

Seeing the surrounding Elders preparing to disperse, with a few even flying toward the Cloud Viewing Platform, Bai Zichen transformed into a streak of Sword Light and shot into the sky.

He had no desire to chat with these Elders who were trying to curry favor. Especially now that Master Ge Cang had revealed his Realm, a large group would surely try to flatter and befriend him.

Besides, he still hadn’t finished reading all the notes from seniors about their Core Formation experiences in the Transmission Hall, and he planned to read them all in one go.

「Transmission Hall, Third Floor.」

In an elegant study, Bai Zichen reclined on a nanmu wood long chair, a pile of Jade Scrolls and two stacks of handwritten notes laid out on the tea table before him.

’If I don’t pursue a Pill Discussion and follow the normal path to Core Formation, it seems the major points of concern won’t be very difficult for me...’

Once he reaches Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivation, he can begin to gradually transform his Liquid Magical Power, solidifying and sublimating it into True Essence.

Almost everyone can complete this process smoothly, but the time it takes to convert it into True Essence depends on the quantity and quality of one’s Liquid Magical Power.

Some Loose Cultivators with ordinary Cultivation Techniques and bottom-tier Magical Power for their level might take thirty or forty years just for this one step of converting True Essence.

Cultivators like Wei Dao and Dai Hui, on the other hand, had the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine to help purify their Liquid Magical Power and solidify it into True Essence, so they probably completed this step in just two or three years.

The subsequent steps of cleansing the physical body and achieving a state where Water and Fire are in Harmony would not be difficult for him either.

’As for the trial of entrusting the Divine Sense, my current Divine Sense is already far stronger than that of a Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator.’

’If I break through and strengthen it once more before Core Formation, its strength will be nearly half that of a Core Formation Cultivator’s.’

’Plus, with Master Ge Cang’s guidance, I can spend some time in secluded cultivation with the Soaring Dragon Thought Method to improve my control over my Divine Sense.’

’How could I possibly fail the trial of entrusting my Divine Sense?’

Still, the experiential advice in these seniors’ notes, especially regarding matters to pay attention to after Core Formation, was golden advice. He hadn’t wasted his several thousand Contribution Points.

"After Core Formation, a Clear Spirit Qi will be generated, washing away Dirt... You must take advantage of this moment to choose your Lifebound Magical Treasure immediately. If you don’t have a Tier Three Treasure that perfectly suits you, pick a relic left by a predecessor from the Sect’s Secret Vault first. You must not waste the Clear Spirit Qi."

The Jade Scroll in Bai Zichen’s hand was left by a Core Formation True Man named Chixia.

He used his own experience to explain the importance of choosing a Lifebound Magical Treasure immediately, stating that the Clear Spirit Qi can save you half a 60-Year Cycle’s worth of time spent nourishing it with Pill Qi.

If you miss this opportunity, there are no shortcuts. You’ll have to spend a solid century to refine a Low-Grade Magical Treasure into your own Lifebound Magical Treasure.

This puts Loose Cultivators and Clan Cultivators with no backing at a great disadvantage.

Even if they knew this, where would they get the Spirit Stones to prepare a Tier Three Magical Treasure before Core Formation?

Even for Sect Cultivators, it’s very difficult to obtain one on their own unless they have a very caring master or a High-Tier Cultivator among their direct elders who prepares a Tier Three Magical Treasure for them in advance.

Take Zhou Suqing, for example. Just obtaining a Core Formation Spiritual Object was already a huge hurdle for her.

Fortunately, the Qingfeng Sect has a Secret Vault, which contains a considerable number of Tier Three Magical Treasures left behind by predecessors.

As long as one becomes one of the Five Halls Masters or holds a position at the level of a Supervisor Elder for sixty years, they can enter the Secret Vault to choose one Treasure.

Bai Zichen wasn’t worried about this. It was just a Tier Three Magical Treasure. Both the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo and the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror in his Dantian Qi Sea met the requirements.

The former was a Tier Three Sword Embryo that had fallen from a Tier Four, or even Tier Five, Flying Sword. The latter was a legacy treasure from the Celestial Principle Sect, a Top-Grade Magical Treasure that once had a chance to have its Spirit successfully Enlightened.

Even taking a step back, he still had the Seven-Quartet Profound Bead.

Its essence was also Tier Three. As long as he refined seven types of Gang Sha into it, it could instantly sublimate into a Low-Grade Magical Treasure.

’Of course I’ll choose the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo. For a Lifebound Magical Treasure, the higher the grade, the better... Although I probably won’t be able to use it for quite some time, it has the greatest potential for future growth. When it awakens and can be unsheathed, it will definitely astound the world.’

Bai Zichen even had an idea: when the time came, after he mastered the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword, he would lock this Divine Technique onto the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo.

’Doesn’t it have to be a Hidden Sword for a hundred years? After a century, it will surely have been refined into my Lifebound Magical Treasure, and the severely damaged Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo’s nurturing process will be complete, making it barely usable.’

He was eagerly anticipating the power of a strike combining these three elements.

He naturally skimmed past the other advice, such as preparing Elixirs like the Nourishing Spirit Pill and Vein-Protecting Pill for the Core Formation process, so that one could immediately take them in case of failure to avoid severe, lasting consequences.

After returning all the notes and Jade Scrolls to their original places, Bai Zichen made another trip to the Alchemy Hall to ask Jin Lu for help.

He asked him to find any Pill Formulas in the Alchemy Hall that would be useful for a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, or if there were any pre-refined Elixirs on hand.

The result was as he expected: there wasn’t a single ready-made Elixir, and the only thing that met his requirements was a Pill Formula for something called the Golden Marrow Pill.

However, the Alchemy Hall didn’t have any of the Spiritual Materials needed to refine the Golden Marrow Pill in stock, so it was impossible to even start a batch.

"Junior Brother Bai, there are only a handful of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Sect, so very few people have a need for the Golden Marrow Pill... When Brother Tan was still around, he would occasionally refine a few batches, but since he passed away, not a single one has been made."

Jin Lu stuck out his round belly and wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, looking extremely anxious.

"The few senior brothers in the Sect who need this type of Elixir all commission the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to procure and deliver it. Anyway, the cost is about the same as if the Alchemy Hall refined it ourselves." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Bai Zichen was confident that after he advanced to the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, even a blind person could see that the Foundation Establishment Stage could no longer contain him.

If the Alchemy Hall said they didn’t have it, then they really didn’t. No one would risk offending a future Core Formation Ancestor just to deceive him.

’So I can only go through the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion...’

To be honest, the Qingfeng Sect’s legacy in the Hundred Skills of Cultivation was rather mediocre.

Whether it was the most popular skills like Alchemy and Artifact Refining, or the more obscure ones, the Sect had no noteworthy legacies in any of the Hundred Skills.

The Alchemy Hall and Artifact Refining Hall always had the same old things, so many of the Sect’s Elders had to go through the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion to satisfy their needs.

The Talisman Hall, on the other hand, was the exception. Because it had received the complete legacy of a Tier Four Talisman Master, its Talisman techniques were the most presentable skill the Sect had.