Innate Immortal Seed

’It’s a pity Zengguang Immortal City has no branches in the outside world. The risk of making a rash trip is too great... Otherwise, for purchasing elixirs like the Jade Marrow Pill, the Immortal City would be a much better choice than the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.’

Bai Zichen hadn’t forgotten that it was in Zengguang Immortal City that he had run into the Youlong Sect cultivators.

If the other party was patient, they could have sent disciples with Meng Shigui’s Soul Lamp to lie in wait at the Immortal City’s gates.

If he were to show up now, wouldn’t he be walking right into a trap?

Even without the Youlong Sect factor, it was still very risky for him to leave Black Mountain at this time.

After the sect war, the name Bai Zichen had surely been placed on the desks of the Ghost Spirit Sect’s upper echelon.

The news of his advancement to Late-Stage Foundation Establishment certainly couldn’t be hidden for long. With the Ghost Spirit Sect’s intelligence-gathering capabilities, they would find out within ten days to half a month.

Having one Master Ge Cang was already enough of a headache for them. If another Core Formation Sword Cultivator with unrivaled combat power appeared, the Ghost Spirit Sect would have to worry about how to defend its own Mountain Gate.

The Ten Thousand Ghosts Fierce Soul Array alone likely wouldn’t be able to stop two Gods of Slaughter.

Therefore, eliminating this Unparalleled Sword Cultivator before he reached Core Formation was clearly the most cost-effective, once-and-for-all solution.

Things were different now. Bai Zichen wasn’t overestimating the temptation he presented as a target.

If he truly had a plan to travel to Zengguang Immortal City and the news leaked, he would undoubtedly face ambushes from the Ghost Spirit Sect along the way.

There would certainly be Core Formation Cultivators among them, perhaps even more than one.

Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit.

What’s more, when dealing with him, they would surely pull out all the stops.

’After I reach Core Formation, perhaps I can use this to plot against the Ghost Spirit Sect... ’

A thought struck Bai Zichen. No matter how optimistically the Ghost Spirit Sect estimated, they could never guess how little time he truly needed to attempt Core Formation.

When the time came, if he could secretly achieve Core Formation while only showing a cultivation of Foundation Establishment Perfection, then under the pretext of traveling to Zengguang Immortal City to purchase Core Formation Spiritual Objects, he could certainly lure out the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators.

Then, with his own power, he could teach the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators an unforgettable lesson.

He hadn’t managed to obtain the elixir he wanted from the Pill Hall, but at least he had familiarized himself with several common cultivation elixirs used in the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.

He now had an understanding of their various functions and approximate prices.

「White Jade Tower.」

’Junior Martial Uncle Ge is so generous! This wine pot is actually a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact... No, I should say that the Holy Lotus Sect’s Core Formation Cultivator he traded with is truly magnanimous!’

Bai Zichen toyed with the Suanni Wine Pot in his hand. Its interior was a world of its own, divided into thirty-six compartments that could hold thirty-six different types of Spiritual Liquid simultaneously without them affecting one another.

Moreover, any Spiritual Liquid stored in the Suanni Wine Pot was guaranteed not to lose its Spiritual Qi for a hundred years.

’Or perhaps all transactions between Core Formation True Men are like this, where a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact is merely a small bonus that can be given away casually...’

He counted and found fifty drops of Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine in one of the Suanni Wine Pot’s compartments.

This alone would cut the time he needed to cultivate to the Peak of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment by half.

’I can refine this half-pot of Spirit Wine in about a year... From now on, I will cultivate while also considering my future path.’

Having someone powerful looking out for you really made a difference. If he had to rely on his own step-by-step cultivation, even with the best possible cultivation environment, it would still take him around forty years.

But with half a pot of Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine, he was confident he could reach the Peak of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment within twenty years.

And those twenty years would also be a process of clarifying his own path.

If, like Wei Dao, he could form a Pill Discussion while still in the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, then the time Bai Zichen spent at Foundation Establishment Perfection would be remarkably short.

Setting aside the thought of the Pill Discussion for now, Bai Zichen lightly tapped the Suanni Wine Pot, and a drop of Spiritual Liquid flew out from its spout.

Switching between extreme cold and heat, the Spiritual Power contained within the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine seeped into his body, nourishing the liquid in his Dantian Qi Sea, causing its waves to surge ever higher.

At an average rate of refining one drop of the Spirit Wine every seven days, the amount of Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine in the Suanni Wine Pot rapidly decreased.

At the same time, the Liquid Magical Power in his Qi Sea grew increasingly viscous.

...

Two years after Dai Hui, the Hall Master of the Artifact Refining Hall, failed his attempt at Core Formation, the Lake Heart Island at Feiyue Lake welcomed a temporary master.

The former Sect Leader, Wei Dao, had chosen this place to enter seclusion for his Core Formation.

However, unlike Dai Hui, Wei Dao did not send out invitations to all his fellow sect members this time.

Besides his few disciples, only a handful of others knew of this and came to Feiyue Lake.

"Even though we couldn’t set up the Celestial Spirit Gathering Spirit Array, we at least managed to gather nine Top-Grade Spirit Stones... I hope Master succeeds in one attempt."

Several cultivators hovered in mid-air. The one in the lead had a cold and fierce demeanor, with gaunt, severe features.

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother. Senior Brother Dai was only a single step away... Master has two more Core Formation Secret Treasures than he did. Plus, by using a Secret Technique to simultaneously draw out the Spiritual Qi from all nine Top-Grade Spirit Stones, he can push the Spiritual Qi here to a level infinitely close to a Tier Four Spirit Land," a young man in black robes said, full of confidence.

Wei Dao’s disciples had arranged the Core Formation Spirit Land, while he himself had been focused on accumulating his power and conserving his strength.

Soon, the auspicious time arrived. The disciples, led by Wei Chuming, moved away from the Lake Heart Island and waited quietly for the Core Formation process to begin.

"Senior Sister Zhou, why don’t I see Junior Brother Bai?"

Qi Yue looked around everywhere but couldn’t find any sign of Bai Zichen.

"I notified Junior Brother Bai several days ago. Perhaps he’s in seclusion and didn’t receive the message..."

Zhou Suqing stared nervously at the island. After refining her twenty-five drops of Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine, her cultivation was no longer too far from the Peak of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.

The process of every Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator attempting Core Formation was a source of precious experience for her.

This time, Wei Dao had chosen not to make the event public and hadn’t invited any guests, but as the de facto host, Zhou Suqing couldn’t be kept in the dark.

In fact, the Core Formation Spirit Land itself had been borrowed from her.

As for Qi Yue, he was here representing his master to observe the event because Master Ge Cang was in the middle of cultivating a Secret Technique and couldn’t get away.

Suddenly, countless Water Beasts at the bottom of Feiyue Lake began to flee in a frenzy, getting as far away from the Lake Heart Island as possible.

The thousand-year-old turtle sank down early, abandoning the spot it hadn’t moved an inch from since becoming a Spirit Beast, and drifted over to the shoals in front of the White Jade Tower.

Ripples spread across the lake’s surface, growing larger and larger as if a tide had been triggered, causing waves to surge violently.

An inexplicable breeze stirred on the island. At first, it was just a gentle caress, but after ten breaths, it had become a gale that scattered the clouds and kicked up waves ten feet high.

"Senior Brother Wei has a Wind Spiritual Root. Could his Pill Discussion be following a path of wind and rain?"

A Pill Discussion concerned a cultivator’s fundamental path, shared only with the closest confidants. Outsiders only saw the surface phenomena, which was all Zhou Suqing had to base her deductions on.

"I don’t think so. Master said that Senior Brother Wei has a meticulous mind and always acts only after careful planning... He said even his Pill Discussion was unexpected, but a perfect fit for him."

Although Qi Yue’s cultivation was only at the Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, he had picked up a great deal by being at Master Ge Cang’s side and was thus more knowledgeable about such secrets.

The wind howled, sweeping countless Water Beasts from the lake into the sky, only for them to fall back down with a great SPLASH.

If it weren’t for the protection of the Tier Three Array, Feiyue Lake would have long since overflowed and flooded its banks.

A point of light gradually emerged at the center of the island, growing from a faint fluorescent gleam into a blazing sun. Only then did the two of them realize that no matter how great the storm raged outside, the very center of the island was impervious to the wind and rain. In fact, the surrounding clouds had even been blown together by the gales.

As soon as one entered the airspace above the Spirit Land, the wind ceased, and all was silent.

But the sweeping gales still felt like they were lacking something.

At that moment, a Guqin flew out from the heart of the island and began to play a melody on its own, significantly increasing the wind’s momentum.

As the melody ended, the Guqin dissolved into a stream of light and vanished into the air.

"The Du Ren Zither!"

Qi Yue’s expression tightened, a hint of reluctance on his face. "So Senior Brother Wei was the one who redeemed this Secret Treasure. It’s one of the rare Secret Treasures in the Secret Hall that can actually aid in Core Formation."

"The Du Ren Zither? How come I’ve never heard of this treasure? Is it a Magical Treasure passed down from the ancestors?"

"The original Du Ren Zither is supposedly a Spiritual Treasure. The one stored in the Sect’s Secret Hall is merely a Secret Treasure imbued with a wisp of its aura... After activation, it can fortify one’s Primordial Spirit and strengthen one’s Divine Sense for a period of time, which is perfect for the final step of attempting Core Formation!"

Qi Yue felt it was a great pity; that had been the last Du Ren Zither Secret Treasure in the Secret Hall.

He had originally planned to redeem it himself after reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection, to add another layer of security for his own attempt at Core Formation.

A quarter of an hour later, the storm dissipated. It was as if a sun had risen over the Lake Heart Island, dispelling the cold and bringing warm sunlight to the land.

A faint golden radiance scattered across the entirety of Feiyue Lake.

The Spiritual Qi from dozens of miles around seemed to have found an entrance, rushing madly toward the Lake Heart Island.

The other disciples cultivating at Feiyue Lake were terrified to find they could no longer sense any of nature’s spiritual energy, thinking something had gone wrong with their own cultivation.

It wasn’t until about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea that the Spiritual Energy Concentration in the air slowly returned to normal.

Qi Yue and Zhou Suqing exchanged a look, and both could see the deep envy in the other’s eyes.

That unconcealed, powerful aura shot straight into the sky, scattering the thick clouds that had gathered over the island.

Wei Dao had successfully broken through to Core Formation, becoming the Qingfeng Sect’s second Core Formation True Man!

The two of them flew down before the island, landing to stand with Wei Dao’s disciples, feeling a bit more constrained and nervous.

The difference in status between a former Sect Leader and a Core Formation True Man was like the difference between the clouds and the mud. It was only natural that their attitude would change.

Once Wei Dao stabilized his new realm and returned to the Sect, his success would trigger another earthquake.

Even if he himself made no decisions, the factions within the Sect would still realign themselves according to his preferences.

Wei Dao was different from Master Ge Cang. He had served as Sect Leader for a long time and had not been a high-and-mighty figure from the very beginning.

He had a large number of supporters in the Elder Council and possessed a faction of his own.

Now that Wei Dao had become a Core Formation True Man, his status was transcendent, and he no longer needed to contend for power within the Sect.

But that didn’t mean his disciples and followers wouldn’t contend for it, which would inevitably lead to conflict with the factions of other Elders.

’The wind moves, but I do not... Did he abandon his own strengths and walk another path?’

Outside the White Jade Tower, Bai Zichen stood on the back of the thousand-year-old turtle, having witnessed Wei Dao’s entire Core Formation process.

Compared to Dai Hui’s Core Formation, aside from the external help Wei Dao had received, there was a clear distinction between their two Core Formation phenomena.

An ordinary cultivator might not have had such an insight, but at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment realm like Bai Zichen, he could already perceive a trace of profound rhythm contained within the storm phenomenon.

If he wasn’t mistaken, this was the difference between a cultivator who achieves Perfect Core Formation by creating a Pill Discussion and defining their own path, and a normal Core Formation Cultivator.