Born with immortal seed

Chapter 432 Perfect Core Formation
"Lu Song and Long Long are both Core Formation cultivators, so there are already four Core Formation cultivators in that sect..."

Bai Zichen was initially delighted, but fell silent after hearing the second half of the sentence.

Back then, on the shores of Feiyue Lake, he lived next to Su Li, and they were considered to have a good relationship among their fellow disciples.

The requirements for Core Formation in the Qingfeng Sect are top-notch even in the Northern Region. With the Desolate God Stealing the Sun Technique and the Pure Spirit Jade Marrow, only the descendants of True Monarchs from a few major Nascent Soul sects could possibly receive better treatment.

True core disciples rarely use spiritual items at the level of Enlightenment Lotus Seed, Buddha Light Relic, and Spirit Tempering Yellow Water that are used for Core Formation.

With their aptitude, reaching the Core Formation stage would be virtually effortless for them.

On the contrary, the direct descendants of those Nascent Soul True Monarchs, whose aptitude is average and whose cultivation has been built up through pills, are more likely to need these top-tier Core Formation spiritual items.

With numerous advantages, it's not difficult for a Qingfeng Sect disciple to save their life even if they fail to form their core.

But Su Li clearly didn't think that way. His last few decades of life meant little to him, so he might as well risk everything.

If you fail, you will die.

Even if I fall on the path to Core Formation, I will have no regrets, for I have already fought for this my whole life.

Despite possessing a talismanic spirit body and having ample cultivation resources, Su Li still failed to successfully form her core; the path of the Great Dao is indeed ruthless.

For every step they took to climb higher, many times more cultivators would fall into the abyss, never to rise again.

In fact, all three of them were advanced Foundation Establishment cultivators, and in the traditional sense, they had all passed the optimal time for Core Formation.

Lu Song's ability to form a core was within Bai Zichen's expectations.

The Seven Luminaries Spirit Body allows Lu Song to be unafraid of physical aging and declining blood and energy, making it possible for him to break through to the Core Formation realm even a year before his death.

In addition, the spiritual body he received from the secret realm had clearly improved his aptitude without him even realizing it. Otherwise, no matter how abundant the cultivation resources were, it would be impossible for someone with four spiritual roots to reach the Foundation Establishment stage before their lifespan was exhausted.

Bai Zichen had long felt that the Seven Luminaries Spirit Body had more than just its surface function, but Long Long's ability to form a core was somewhat unexpected.

This famous ice queen was initially inconspicuous among the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect. It wasn't until the original successor of the Law Enforcement Hall was so outstanding that he had to skip the Hall Master level that Liang Yu took notice of her and made her his successor.

Only then did they begin to show their talent and start to exert their strength later on.

Bai Zichen's strongest impression of her was her captivating beauty and her disdain for the idea that becoming Qi Yue's Daoist partner would be a shortcut to easily becoming a Core Formation True Person.

Unexpectedly, she successfully formed her core despite everyone's skepticism, becoming the sect's fourth Core Formation True Person.

"These demonic cultivators reappeared later, but we guarded our gates carefully and did not give them an opportunity. After several years, they disappeared without a trace... However, in recent years, calamity cultivators have frequently appeared within the sect's territory, and we can only send disciples to deal with them. After a series of bitter battles, several Foundation Establishment disciples have been lost."

Wei Dao had already seen clearly that as long as the few Core Formation cultivators didn't get into trouble, the hidden opponents wouldn't have a better way out but to instigate a large number of Tribulation Cultivators to enter the Hejian and Heishan counties.

As for higher-level intervention, Nascent Soul True Monarchs are all assigned specific roles and positions; it's impossible for one to suddenly appear incognito.

Unless the person in charge behind the scenes has decided to step forward and dare to face the retaliation from Ge Cang and Bai Zichen in the future.

Otherwise, the ones who would take action would be Core Formation cultivators who could conceal their identities, and Foundation Establishment cultivators who would be used as cannon fodder.

"Are there any unusual phenomena among the major Nascent Soul sects in the Northern Region?"

Bai Zichen tapped his fingers lightly on the table. It seemed that his disappearance for a period of time after the Zengguang Immortal City was a wise move.

Unable to find any trace of him, the mastermind behind the scenes hesitated to actually make a move.

"The Heavenly Principle Sect and the Holy Lotus Sect are still locked in a fierce battle. The Heavenly River Sword Sect is said to have lost the right to allocate spirit stones in the Northern Yuan, and things are not going well for them... In other places, there are not many changes. Oh, and the Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons has gained another Nascent Soul True Monarch. If the Heavenly Principle Sect hadn't confronted the Holy Lotus Sect in advance, they might have been the ones to make a move."

"Give the order to keep my return a secret as much as possible, at least for a year, so that no one knows that I have returned to the sect."

Forming alliances and maneuvering, and shaping the overall situation of a sect, are not his forte.

Bai Zichen only understood one thing: if someone didn't want the Qingfeng Sect to eat at the table in Liang Kingdom, then they might as well overturn the table and everyone would be unable to eat.

Once he reaches the Nascent Soul stage, even if Ge Cang is not in the sect, no one in the Northern Region cultivation world will dare to offend him.

He then handed over the two fourth-tier inheritances he had obtained from the Great Wilderness Marsh, the Beast Taming Technique and the Puppet Technique, to Tong Huan, who placed them in the Transmission Hall.

At the same time, Foundation Establishment elders who were interested were arranged to cultivate, and talented disciples were recruited.

Once students have completed their studies, the number of members in the Spirit Beast Hall may be increased, and a new Puppet Hall may be established as appropriate.

After finishing their conversation, Bai Zichen told Wei Dao to get some rest and then prepared to head to Flaming Mountain immediately.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Following behind was his eldest disciple, Tong Huan, who had grown up by his side since childhood.

One gesture was enough to tell that he was hesitant to speak, and that he was hiding something from me.

“It was Third Junior Sister… Four years ago, a group of cultivators fled to the heart of Black Mountain. Junior Sister Huo led a group to deal with them, but they never returned. By the time Junior Sister Ma arrived, they had only found the corpses of a few cultivators. Junior Sister Huo just disappeared like that.”

Tong Huan lowered his head and spoke silently. Having served as the sect leader for decades, he was dignified and authoritative in front of the sect's disciples, and his word was law.

He acts with integrity and is quite adept at handling conflicts between various factions, keeping them completely subdued.

But in front of his master, he remained humble and cautious, just as he had been when he first became a disciple.

As the senior disciple, he failed to take good care of his junior brothers and sisters, which was also a dereliction of duty for him, and he felt guilty.

"Fortunately, Third Junior Sister's soul lamp is still burning and she has not met with any misfortune..."

Seeing his master stop walking, he quickly added another sentence.

“Very good, let’s set our sights on my disciples… Have someone investigate the identities of the tribulation cultivators and see where they come from.”

An inexplicable anger rose in Bai Zichen's heart; this was blatantly aimed at him.

"Once I succeed, any force that has been involved in this matter will pay the price!"

I had originally planned to go back to Thunder Cliff halfway through, but now it seems unnecessary. I need to make the most of every moment.

……

Flaming Mountain, Star Gazing Pavilion.

A fire dragon roared silently, and fire-elemental spiritual energy, almost tangible, rushed into the dragon's body in a visible form.

A fourth-tier spiritual land where fire-type spiritual energy accounts for the vast majority is a perfect match for Bai Zichen.

In just a few breaths, the fire dragon became even more majestic. The scales on its body were clearly visible, its whiskers fluttered, and its horns shimmered with a crimson light like magma, making it dazzling even in the deepest volcano.

Seven days later, the fire dragon circled once before absorbing into his body.

"Tianyuan Qionghua Dew is indeed extraordinary, worthy of being a fourth-grade spiritual wine... It's a real pity that we couldn't recruit Gu Changsanren as a guest elder."

Bai Zichen opened his eyes, which were still filled with flickering flames, and his pupils had turned crimson.

He had already consumed and refined the first sip of Tianyuan Qionghua Dew, which was indeed equivalent to ten years of arduous cultivation.

Moreover, unlike elixirs, this wine does not cause erysipelas, and can be consumed continuously as long as the body can tolerate it.

Unfortunately, the brewing process was too complicated and time-consuming, so it could only be used as a supplement to elixirs and could not become the main method.

Judging from Gu Changsanren's willingness to do anything to trade for the Crossing the Calamity Pill, he has not given up on his pursuit of the Great Dao and still wants to try his luck.

He hadn't reached the point of considering his final days and enjoying the rest of his life, so naturally he wouldn't accept the Qingfeng Sect's invitation.

Only a place like Zengguang Immortal City would be the most suitable place for him.

"Just seven or eight years away, another sip of spirit wine and I'll reach the peak of the late Core Formation stage..."

The Heavenly Origin Jade Dew is extremely domineering, and the surging spiritual energy of heaven and earth violently invades the meridians. It was originally a spiritual wine prepared for Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

After taking a single dose, a Core Formation cultivator will definitely need to recuperate and repair their meridians to avoid any potential problems.

Bai Zichen estimated that it would take at least ten sips to potentially put a strain on his meridians.

This level of spiritual energy impact didn't even cause him the slightest swelling or pain in his limbs or bones.

After cultivating to the Five Crystal Glazed Layers, his ability to withstand the spiritual energy of heaven and earth also reached the Nascent Soul level.

The jade bottle swayed gently, and a stream of spiritual liquid flew out, swirled in the mouth, and flowed into the stomach.

Even with the spiritual energy of a fourth-tier spiritual land, it became thinner after being absorbed twice by the Fire Dragon Returning to Origin Scripture, resulting in a void.

The formation activated, automatically diverting spiritual energy from elsewhere on Flaming Mountain.

Just then, another fourth-tier spiritual land on the summit was empty, and the abundant spiritual energy split into countless threads, rushing towards the Star Gazing Pavilion.

Those disciples standing on the mountain who witnessed this scene were all deeply moved and unable to contain themselves.

Such methods are nothing short of miraculous and unimaginable for cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining levels.

The second dose of Heavenly Origin Dew took twelve days to complete. Only after a thin golden line appeared in the fire dragon's pupils and it let out a deafening roar did it transform into a beam of fire and merge into one.

Feeling the rising energy, the true essence within his body surged and increased by more than half.

At the same time, the Fire Dragon Returning to Origin Scripture embarked on a completely new operating route, and with a simple reach, wisps of fiery clouds would linger.

His affinity for fire-based spiritual energy has reached a new level.

"The Core Formation stage is complete; this realm has been reached!"

Bai Zichen closed his eyes and comprehended a completely new realm. For 99% of Core Formation cultivators, this was the end of their cultivation in this lifetime.

One step further, and you're in the celestial realm; another step, and you're in the abyss.

There is no middle ground.

The transformation of the elixir into an infant and the attainment of a True Monarch is an incredibly difficult and arduous feat for an individual cultivator, no matter how you describe it.

There are many sects with a history of thousands or tens of thousands of years, yet none of them have ever produced a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

That is a peak that even the efforts of dozens or hundreds of generations of cultivators and countless people could hardly climb.

For Bai Zichen, having cultivated to the peak of the late Core Formation stage, he could easily switch to the next level of cultivation with a single thought.

"My cultivation has reached its limit, and it's hard to quantify how much my fire spirit root aptitude has improved... My divine sense range has increased to sixty miles, but that's not a big change. It seems that only when I advance to the Nascent Soul stage will a qualitative change occur."

(End of this chapter)