Born with immortal seed

Chapter 207 Breakthrough to Core Formation
On the path of cultivation, the later stages of each realm are the most difficult bottlenecks to overcome.

This process applies from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, and finally to Core Formation.

Once you break through to a higher realm, your magical power will increase exponentially, and your strength will grow significantly.

Within the Qingfeng Sect, there are dozens of elders, but very few late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. This results in a shortage of elders who meet the minimum cultivation requirement to serve as the head of one of the five halls, leaving one hall head position vacant.

Just like the Dan Hall Master, the position has been vacant for a long time since the previous master, Tan Changkong, passed away.

In the quiet room deep within the White Jade Pavilion, countless spiritual energies seemed to have found their home, rushing to pour into the man in the blue robe in the center.

Behind him, a fiery dragon phantom flickered, clawing and snarling, its image reflected on the wall as ferocious and savage.

The magical aura around him kept increasing, and he had the illusion that he had transformed into a fire dragon and was traveling through the lava beneath a volcano.

Feeling like a fish in water, they were extremely happy and regarded the molten lava that could melt gold and stone as nothing.

Even when it encounters dark red spirit fire floating in molten lava, the fire dragon will open its huge mouth and suck it in, swallowing the spirit fire and a large amount of molten lava.

"At the age of fifty, I have finally reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and Core Formation is in sight..."

Bai Zichen sighed with satisfaction, looking inward at himself. The deep spiritual pool in his dantian was almost overflowing.

Both the Purple Star Thunder Sword Embryo and the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror were soaked in spiritual liquid.

A vortex has formed on the spirit pool, swirling all the liquid magic power around, making it increasingly viscous and thick every moment.

When it reaches a further stage, approaching a semi-solid state, it is the time to complete the foundation building process.

Of course, if he has higher requirements for Core Formation and tries to break through to Core Formation in a perfect manner like Ge Cang Zhenren, then he can start considering his own path now.

"You can start reading Uncle Ge's insights on Core Formation now, or it will be too late at the last minute..."

During the Foundation Establishment stage, the time it takes to cultivate the current realm to its peak each time is basically the same as what I estimated.

This seems to be an additional ability that comes with practicing the Wuzhen Sword Technique: a clear mind that can be used not only in combat.

If he wants to reach the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, it will take him at least a hundred years.

This refers to the situation where one is in an ordinary second-tier spiritual land without the aid of elixirs.

Even with all the conditions combined, providing the most perfect cultivation environment currently available, this timeframe would at most be reduced to forty to forty-five years.

"I forgot to substitute the requirements for improving the fire spirit root aptitude when cultivating the Fire Dragon Returning to Origin Scripture to the third level. It should reduce the time by another three or four years... This is even if we find a spirit pill that can replace the Earth Flame Spirit Pill. Many second-tier pills that can improve cultivation have lost their effect on late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators."

If the late Foundation Establishment stage is already this advanced, Bai Zichen can't even imagine how long it will take him to complete each level after Core Formation.

Having clearly understood the path, the theory of generating elixir is an essential step for him.

Only in this way can one's cultivation not stagnate after forming the Golden Core.

"Within 360 feet, every detail is clearly visible... The array set up outside the quiet room can no longer block my divine sense."

Bai Zichen became familiar with the greatly enhanced magical power within his body, as well as the various changes.

Several days later, feeling that the third level of the Fire Dragon Returning to Origin Scripture was completely consolidated, he poured out the last Nine-Turn Dragon Tiger Pill from the jade bottle.

Each realm corresponds to refining one pill, so I'll take advantage of this seclusion to refine it all at once.

Having already taken it twice, I am quite familiar with the medicinal properties of the Nine-Turn Dragon-Tiger Pill.

However, he still admired the alchemist who designed the formula, for being able to refine such a limited but highly practical elixir.

It was a month later when Bai Zichen had fully digested the medicinal power of the Nine-Turn Dragon-Tiger Pill.

He took out the jade slip containing the insights and experiences on Core Formation that Master Ge Cang had given him, and immersed his divine sense into it, carefully reading and savoring it.

"I bet even Uncle Ge didn't expect that I'd be able to use this jade slip after only a few years... Those who learn from me live, those who imitate me die... Let me see what kind of insights into Core Formation are recorded inside."

After a stick of incense had burned, Bai Zichen's expression gradually darkened, his brows furrowed, as if he had encountered a very perplexing problem.

"On the towering green cliff, when the sacred tree blooms..."

"Plants and trees grow lush and green, in endless cycles..."

"From wood comes thunder, from life comes destruction, the two are intertwined and recurring, growing stronger in the midst of death..."

The jade slip contained no specific text, only Ge Cang Zhenren's insights at different times, clearly spanning a very long period of time.

The images shifted and transformed, eventually becoming a mysterious and enigmatic message.

The theory of alchemy is the rudimentary form of the true meaning of the Great Dao before the transformation into an infant, and naturally it cannot be recorded or described in words.

At the very least, it cannot be explained using current language.

Perhaps only ancient talismans depicting flowers and birds, or even ancient inscriptions containing golden tadpole spirits, could record these contents in written form.

Only these ancient and magical scripts contain this power and are capable of withstanding it.

After all, even a single character in the floral and bird talisman requires a lengthy explanation, using hundreds or even thousands of characters in modern Chinese, to fully convey its meaning.

A passage in the style of a flower and bird talisman can even evolve into a thick book.

"It turns out that Uncle Ge's theory of alchemy is the Great Dao of Vitality. After he cultivated the Qian Tian Yuan Yang Divine Thunder to its peak, he further deepened his theory of alchemy."

Bai Zichen was completely bewildered and could only guess based on his limited understanding.

“Life and destruction, the two great paths... Uncle Ge has great ambitions, but this path is also quite difficult to walk.”

These two profound truths, though not as powerful as the Way of Time, are still immeasurably potent.

Moreover, one can imagine how arduous it would be for someone to attempt to master two different paths of ritual at the same time.

Of course, once you achieve something, the rewards can be just as substantial.

At the same time, Bai Zichen finally understood the meaning of what Ge Cangzhen had said: "Those who learn from me will live, those who imitate me will die." He also understood why Ge Cangzhen did not put his insights on Core Formation into the Transmission Hall for other juniors to refer to.

You don't have Ge Cangzhen's wood-type celestial spiritual root, nor his mastery of thunder magic. How can you possibly succeed by rushing down the same path?

Such a guide, which doesn't involve any Golden Core formation techniques or breakthrough skills, is practically useless to ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Because Ge Cang Zhenren's insights on Core Formation were not intended for these Foundation Establishment cultivators at all.

Instead, it provides a reference point for those disciples who have the potential to perfectly form their core, allowing them to understand themselves and forge their own path.

Bai Zichen put away the jade slip. His mind was a jumbled mess, and he needed to sort it out.

However, he still has enough time and does not need to make a theory on alchemy in a short period of time.

Furthermore, judging from Ge Cang Zhenren's continuous adjustments and improvements to his alchemical theories, this is not something that remains unchanged after it is generated, but rather something that can change continuously with one's own understanding.

However, the scope shouldn't be too broad, and completely unrelated content shouldn't be added.

"Next time I go to the mountain gate's training hall, I'll borrow all the regular versions of the Core Formation experience books and read them through... I should learn to walk first before thinking about running."

Bai Zichen thought about it and decided that he still needed to be down-to-earth.

Moreover, he was not a cultivator with a heavenly spiritual root like Ge Cang Zhenren, who was favored by the Great Dao and thus more likely to touch upon the true meaning of the Great Dao than other cultivators.

For people like them, the theory of alchemy was much easier to grasp.

……

"Have you heard? Palace Master Dai Hui feels he has reached the pinnacle of his cultivation and has decided to attempt Core Formation in three days?"

"That's old news. The latest intelligence is that Ancestor Ge Cang is personally protecting Palace Master Dai Hui... Who knows, our Qingfeng Sect might be about to welcome its second Core Formation True Person!"

Beneath the grand formation at the mountain gate, several disciples on duty lowered their voices and discussed the hottest topic in the sect recently.

"I don't know how Palace Master Dai Hui ended up ahead of Sect Leader Wei. He clearly advanced to the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage one step ahead of Sect Leader Wei..."

Although Wei Dao had long since relinquished his position as sect leader, most disciples still referred to him as sect leader when they mentioned him.

"That's hard to say. Just because I entered the mid-stage of Qi Refining two years earlier than you, Junior Brother Ma, does that mean I'll stay ahead of you forever... Who knows, maybe in two years you'll surpass me again."

"Yes, yes, but it's impossible for me to surpass Senior Brother Zhang. Everyone knows that Senior Brother Zhang's ancestors included Foundation Establishment Elders."

"Silence! Someone is entering the formation. It must be an elder returning to the mountain gate."

This young man, whom everyone called Senior Brother Zhang, clearly had considerable prestige, and everyone obeyed his orders.

A young cultivator dressed in a plain-colored Taoist robe slowly walked out of the Yin-Yang Illusion Moon Formation, his brows relaxed and his expression calm.

"Greetings, Elder Bai. May your path to enlightenment continue forever."

Senior Brother Zhang jumped up in a panic and bowed respectfully to greet him.

"Where did Senior Brother Dai choose as his Core Formation site?"

When Bai Zichen finished his seclusion, he saw the notification on the elder's token.

The Hall Master of the Weapon Refining Hall, Dai Hui, will be officially attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage in five days. All fellow disciples are welcome to attend the ceremony.

"It is located in the place where Elder Yang once secluded himself for cultivation. It is a third-grade high-quality spiritual land, with enough spiritual energy for Palace Master Daihui to form his core."

Senior Brother Zhang excitedly introduced the product to Bai Zichen.

Only after Bai Zichen transformed into sword light and disappeared into the clouds did he turn back to continue guarding the great formation.

"Senior Brother Zhang, who was that elder just now? Judging from the fluctuations of his magical power, he seemed to be no less powerful than the Palace Masters..."

"Are there many elders with the surname Bai? Of course, it is Elder Bai Zichen, whose sword heart is as hard as iron and whose combat power is unparalleled."

Senior Brother Zhang looked slightly smug and said, "Speaking of which, Elder Bai and my Zhang family have a connection."

But no matter how much his other disciples urged and pressed him for details, he did not reveal any further details of the story.

This raises suspicions that this might have been fabricated by Senior Brother Zhang himself.

"I never expected that it would be Senior Brother Dai who would be the first of the four to pass away in the end..."

Upon receiving the notification, Bai Zichen immediately rushed to the mountain gate.

Because he didn't know the date the message would arrive, and fearing it might have been too late, he rushed to the sect.

I only felt at ease after confirming that the time had not yet arrived.

How could he miss the opportunity to witness his fellow disciples break through to the Golden Core stage?

Such a scene is rare and of great benefit to him, a latecomer.

Knowledge gained from books will certainly be vastly different from what you learn through firsthand observation and understanding.

"Senior Brother Wei is superior to Senior Brother Dai in every aspect, yet he hasn't made a sound yet... I wonder if it's because establishing his own path takes so long, or if he still hasn't given up on the idea of ​​setting up the Heavenly Gang Gathering Spirit Array?"

What Bai Zichen was certain of was that Dai Hui's Core Formation was a normal process of impact, not a perfect Core Formation based on his profound understanding of the Core Formation theory.

(End of this chapter)