Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 253 Advancement to True Person
As all the magical energy was poured into him, Li Ji'an's dantian spiritual pressure reached its limit, and all of it pressed down on the pill at the very center, which had already begun to condense into crystals.

The collapsed pill was compressed again with great force, and countless crystal foams on the surface of the grains broke apart, forming a ring of fire cloud dust around the pill.

At the same time, the impurities inside the crystals are rotated at high speed and leave the pill, gather in the fire cloud, and instantly vaporize and attach to the dantian wall. They are then absorbed little by little by the dantian wall and then expelled from the dantian.

As the outermost impurities were gradually peeled away, Li Ji'an activated his divine sense at full power, not only to pass through the outer layer of fire clouds of the pill, but also to penetrate deep into the pill's interior, guiding his magical power to remove the impurities inside the pill.

This places extremely high demands on the spiritual soul of cultivators attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage.

Most cultivators can remove up to 10% of the impurities from the pills using their own divine sense; the rest they need to rely on rare and precious treasures, such as the portion of Qiu Li Water that Duanmu Qin took away back then.

Autumn Departure Water, ranked among the top ten in purification effects among Core Formation spiritual items, can remove at least 60% of impurities.

In terms of the quality of the pill, the fewer impurities there are, the higher the quality, provided that the pill is condensed and compact.

The reason why Xiao Changfeng's pills are considered mid-level true pills is that at least 50% of the impurities inside have been removed.

Besides the purifying effect of the earth's essence, his spiritual sense must be stronger than that of ordinary cultivators attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage.

Li Ji'an's divine sense, comparable to the peak of the early True Core stage, now proved its value.

It not only withstood the scorching heat of the outer layer of the pill, but also meticulously penetrated deep into the pill's interior, methodically removing impurities bit by bit...

After three months,

More than 30% of the impurities inside the pills have been removed!

Upon closer inspection of the pill, its interior glowed with a clear, translucent light, revealing only tiny impurities mixed within the flames, with no large impurities visible.

This was also the limit that Li Ji'an's divine sense could achieve.

Impurities that are too small cannot be accurately captured within the rapidly spinning pill even with divine sense and magical power.

If there were a purification effect similar to that of the Earth Source Essence at this time, Li Ji'an estimated that at least 30% to 40% could be reduced, with a chance of achieving a purity comparable to that of the upstream True Pill.

pity……

Looking at the overall density of the pill, it is still due to insufficient magical power and spiritual pressure. The crystalline texture on the surface of the pill is still very obvious, and the structure of the pill is loose and sparse. There is a concern that it will collapse once the spiritual pressure is released.

Left with no other choice, Li Ji'an had to withdraw his divine sense and continue to use his magic power to compress and solidify the pill until it finally took shape.

If the spiritual pressure in the second step is sufficient, it can be formed quickly, and once the spiritual pressure compresses the magic pill to the extreme, there will be no rebound.

This continued for a full year.

"Phew~" On this day, Li Ji'an sensed the condition of the pill, breathed a sigh of relief, and finally it took shape.

Everything was basically as he expected. Although the pill had completely solidified, transforming from liquid mana into a solid pill, it was not yet fully formed.

The only thing that exceeded his expectations was that his pill, which didn't even reach the level of a true pill, contained very few impurities, making it comparable to the purity of a typical lower-grade true pill.

Therefore, he carefully sensed his current aura of the Dharma Core, and it seemed that it was no weaker than that of Qin Henian, a veteran Pseudo-Dan Master.

It is conceivable that once the realm is stabilized, it may be slightly stronger than its magical power.

This is probably due to the purity of the dharma.

Because of the quality of his Core Formation, he was able to bridge the gap between his innate spiritual root and the cultivation technique he practiced.

Unfortunately, a fake elixir remains a fake elixir, unable to undergo further transformation, and has no hope of progressing any further.

With the dust settled, after a year and nine months of trying to form a core, Li Ji'an successfully condensed a pseudo-core, becoming a pseudo-core cultivator.

At the same time, as the pill stopped rotating, the energy within the dantian calmed down, the spiritual energy of the cave dissipated, and the sky above the cave returned to calm.

"Congratulations to Master Li on successfully forming his core! Congratulations to our sect on the emergence of another Core Formation True Person!" The majestic voice of the Supreme Elder, True Person Yun Qing, suddenly resounded throughout the entire sect.

Congratulations to Master Li on successfully completing his alchemy!

"Welcome, Master Li!"

……

Immediately afterwards, a chorus of congratulations echoed throughout the sect.

"It's done! Master has become a True Person!" Xu Xiaochun rushed out of the alchemy room, and excitedly soared into the sky amidst the overwhelming congratulations.

"Junior brother, you must not overstep your bounds!" Guo Wanzhi, equally excited, saw Xu Xiaochun violating the sect rules by exceeding the flight altitude permitted for disciples and hurriedly reprimanded him.

"It's alright, let this kid have some fun." Master Yu Dan also came out of the alchemy room, looking at the direction of Li Ji'an's secluded cave with a look of satisfaction.

"It actually worked!" A look of delight appeared in his bloodshot eyes.

"Finally, I have a successor!" He was overjoyed that his sect was about to produce another third-tier alchemist besides himself. At least his insights and experiences in making third-tier pills could finally be passed down.

"Boy, go and tell Dan Ding Peak to immediately prepare for the Core Formation Ceremony. Once your master has stabilized and emerged from seclusion, Dan Ding Peak will have a grand celebration!" Finally, Master Yu Dan laughed and instructed Xu Xiaochun. From now on, Dan Ding Peak, with its two third-tier alchemists, will surely become the focus of the entire Bi Yun Sect.

In the Hall of Enforcement, Zhao Qi, who had been calming his mind and trying to transcend the mental state caused by the Core Formation Treasure used by Li Ji'an, suddenly opened his eyes.

"Li...Master Li!"

Even though he was basically certain that the fake core would be formed after that Core Formation Treasure was used, the fact that the other party had succeeded still caused his somewhat unstable state of mind to crack again.

After clenching his teeth for a long time, he suddenly stood up and resolutely headed out of the sect.

Three months ago, he met with the sect leader and received a negative answer again, confirming that he could no longer be provided with a Core Formation treasure, at most a five-hundred-year-old Heavenly Heart Grass.

Furthermore, he was comforted, as even a fake elixir is still a real one, and he was told not to wait any longer, because once he turned 150, the success rate of forming a elixir would decrease.

But... he was unwilling to accept it!

Even Xiao Changfeng, whose aptitude was inferior to his, could become a mid-level True Core cultivator, and even had the hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage. He was unwilling to stop at the False Core stage!

Li Ji, whose pill had taken shape, sat quietly to stabilize his realm. Hearing the congratulations from outside, a smile appeared on his face.

He was already very satisfied that he had reached the Core Formation stage in his second life in the cultivation world.

Moreover, he still has a portion of the Earth Essence and a Seven-Colored Jade Tree that he hasn't used.

If he uses both of these, even with his ordinary spiritual roots and talents in this world, and his common cultivation techniques, he will most likely be able to secure a True Core. The only uncertainty is whether the quality of the True Core can reach the upper-middle level.

In his next life, with the blessing of this Core Formation experience and two more Core Formation treasures, he is confident that he can guarantee a mid-to-high-grade True Core!
Six months later, with his pseudo-core cultivation level stabilized, Li Ji'an finally emerged from seclusion.

"Congratulations on your successful Core Formation, brother!" Xiao Changfeng said with a joyful expression.

"Welcome back Master Li from seclusion!" Elders from all the peaks who had previously attained the rank of True Core came to offer their congratulations.

"Congratulations, Elder Li!" The sect leader also came to offer his congratulations in person.

The true disciples and inner disciples all arrived, leaving Xu Xiaochun and Guo Wanzhi to stand on the outermost edge and watch from afar.

Compared to the other elders who had formed pseudo-cores, Li Ji'an, as a master alchemist with unparalleled alchemy skills, naturally held a more prestigious status. Almost everyone in the Biyun Sect's upper echelons, except for the Supreme Elder and the True Core Elder, was present.

……

"Thank you, Sect Master, thank you, Elders, thank you for the sect's gifts, and especially thank you for Changfeng's help!" Li Ji'an returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

"Elder Li, have you decided on your Daoist name?" The sect leader asked Li Ji'an as he approached him.

Li Ji'an shook his head: "Being able to produce a fake elixir is already a blessing from heaven, so I'll leave the Daoist title as is."

Upon hearing this, the sect leader did not insist further, as it was normal for a fake Dan cultivator not to take a Daoist title.

"Hahaha, good, good, Elder Li, now that the Core Formation is complete, it's time to leave the Soul Lamp and place it in the sect's main hall." The sect leader laughed heartily and ordered someone to bring over a completely black lamp-shaped magical artifact.

This is a soul-path magic artifact made of soul-nourishing wood. In terms of grade alone, it is comparable to a top-grade magic artifact. Moreover, due to the enhancement of soul-path attributes, its true value surpasses that of a top-grade magic artifact.

As for its effects, besides having a slight nourishing effect on the soul, its main function is to sense the existence or demise of the main soul.

The cultivator leaves a wisp of their soul within it. If the main soul is damaged, the soul lamp will weaken; if the main soul dissipates, the soul lamp will go out.

Unlike the Soul Tablet, the Soul Lamp also has a general orientation sensing function.

The soul lamp that preserves a soul is different from the soul-borrowing ants used by Li Ji'an in his previous life. The soul lamp that preserves a soul needs to be connected to the main soul and is only a wisp of the main soul separated from it. The soul-borrowing ants, on the other hand, separate that part of the soul from the main soul, forming a separate soul.

However, soul lamps are very valuable and not everyone can afford them. Even within a sect, only elders and true disciples are generally qualified to use soul lamps to nourish their souls.

Once someone is qualified to leave their soul lamp in the main hall, they become a core member of the sect, an extremely important person within the sect, and also a symbol of their status to the outside world.

"Thank you, Sect Master!" Li Ji'an didn't mind at all, smiled and thanked him, then injected a wisp of his soul into the soul lamp.

The moment the divine soul was injected into the soul lamp, a slow flame immediately rose from the lamp.

This flame is unaffected by wind and rain; it can only be extinguished by destroying magical artifacts or by the dissipation of the main soul.

Moreover, even if the soul lamp is extinguished by external force, it has almost no effect on the main soul; at most, a wisp of the soul will dissipate.

After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, Li Ji'an returned to Dan Ding Peak.

During this time, True Person Yudan, in his capacity as the Peak Master of Danding Peak, sent out invitations to the sect, inviting the elders of each peak and the sect's true disciples to attend Li Ji'an's Core Formation Ceremony.

"Congratulations, Master! Congratulations, Master!" Xu Xiaochun and Guo Wanzhi knelt down in uncontrollable joy, their expressions even more excited than Li Ji'an himself.

"Reward!" Li Ji'an smiled slightly and casually tossed out two pill formulas, one for each person.

Previously, Li Ji'an had not passed down many elixirs in order to lay a solid foundation for them.

"Thank you, Master!" The two bowed again in joy.

"Hmm, Xiaochun, have you completed the tasks I gave you over the past two years?"

"Reporting to Master, it's already finished. Please take a look." Xu Xiaochun patted his storage bag proudly and handed the basic pills inside to Li Ji'an for inspection.

Li Ji'an nodded slightly. In fact, on the way back, Master Yudan had already told him about the boy's performance during his seclusion.

Master Yudan thought highly of Xu Xiaochun, praising this grand-disciple as someone who had won his heart and whom he liked very much.

This was also within Li Ji'an's expectations. It wasn't that Xu Xiaochun's potential in alchemy was exaggerated, but rather that for an old man like Master Yudan, in addition to alchemy potential, respect, esteem, and flattery, he also needed to be amused and made happy.

In this regard, Xu Xiaochun followed Li Ji'an for several years, and his personality was shaped by Li Ji'an's easygoing and unconventional manner.

If it were another master, regardless of Xu Xiaochun's nature, he would probably be as reserved and timid as many other disciples, given the rules of the cultivation world and the etiquette of the sect.

His divine sense swept over the batch of pills he had refined, and the quality of the pills met his requirements. However, they were still somewhat unstable, with a significant difference between the upper and lower limits. The best one was close to being a fine product.

He offered a few words of encouragement and then checked Guo Wanzhi's progress in alchemy.

This girl is the complete opposite of that boy; she's well-rounded and stable in every aspect.

Over the course of two and a half years, both of them have made steady progress in their cultivation, and they have now both entered the fifth level of Qi Refining. However, compared to those inner disciples who focus on cultivation, their progress is a bit slower.

After all, besides being distracted by alchemy, they also didn't go to the ruins and wilderness for trials like the inner disciples.

After checking the two disciples' studies, Master Yudan hurriedly came to discuss the date of the Core Formation Ceremony with him.

Throughout the entire Tiancang Domain, anyone who successfully forms a core, even a fake one, can be considered to have entered the upper echelons and will generally celebrate.

It's not just about announcing it to the world, but also about building relationships and networks.

Li Ji'an did not refuse and, following the advice of Master Yudan, set the celebration date for six months later.

The only exception was that Master Yudan added Xiao Qiao and Yan Qingwan.

Once the time was set, Master Yu Dan couldn't wait a moment longer. He immediately pulled Li Ji'an back to his alchemy room and began to impart his insights and experiences in refining third-tier pills.

Previously, Li Ji'an claimed that all his attempts to refine third-tier pills ended in failure, citing insufficient magical power and inadequate pill fire as the excuse.

Now that Li Ji'an has reached the False Core stage, his magical power has made a qualitative leap compared to the late Foundation Establishment stage. His own Core Flame has also reached the third rank. Even without relying on the Little Fire Spirit, he can refine early third-rank pills without any problem, and he even has hope of refining mid-third-rank pills.

Over the next three months, under the sincere guidance of Master Yudan, Li Ji'an successfully advanced to the third-level alchemist.

Only then were they finally able to leave Dan Ding Peak and return to the outer peak.

"Boom~" After returning to the outer peak for three days of quiet cultivation, Li Ji'an came to an open space on the first floor and used the Explosive Flame Slash spell that Yan Hongsheng had taught him.

The Fiery Blade instantly grew dozens of feet in length, engulfed in endless flames, and struck a nearby mountain peak.

The mountain peak had its summit cleaved off by a single stroke, leaving the rocks at the crack a fiery red, like a mirror of fire.

"Not bad!" Li Ji'an nodded in satisfaction.

This was his first attempt after achieving the Golden Core stage.

Previously, he sensed that his magical power was more than ten times stronger and more refined than when he was in the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Once the core is formed, all the drawbacks from before the core formation are completely eliminated, including the spiritual root and cultivation method.

However, that last strike only unleashed less than 50% of the power of his pills.

This is mainly because the spell is somewhat too much for him now.

To fully unleash the power of the pills, a more advanced spell is needed.

"Real person..." After verifying his current magical power, Li Ji'an looked up into the distance with a smile on his face.

He has just turned 115 years old. Since he was sent to Biyun Sect for trials by Yan Qingwan when he was 15 years old, he has truly embarked on a century of cultivation.

(End of this chapter)