Mortal: Fifteenth Realm Sword Cultivator

Upon hearing this, Lu Jianghe breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Fortunately, I didn't miss it.

Or rather, before he sank into that long "sleep," he had quietly set a hint deep within his Dao heart, so that he would wake up on his own at a certain predetermined time.

Apart from that, only when faced with a powerful enemy or deep-seated hostility can he be forcibly pulled back from that mysterious state.

His gaze shifted to Yan Ruyan, landing on her small feet.

"Although cultivators who reach the Core Formation stage are immune to heat and cold, aren't you being a bit too careless, going barefoot in this snowy weather?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Ruyan subconsciously tightened her grip on the white silk socks hidden in her sleeve, and said shyly, "It's...it's just that I was momentarily distracted by the comfort of the heater and neglected my duty."

Lu Jianghe then asked, "Have Xin Ruyin and Yuan Yao formed their cores yet?"

Upon hearing this question, Yan Ruyan said, "After Xin went into seclusion, she began to attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage. However, she may have been too impatient at the time, and her mental state may still be somewhat flawed. She failed her first attempt and almost damaged her foundation."

Fortunately, Senior Zhuang noticed the anomaly in time and acted decisively, thus preventing any potential harm. He then devoted himself to preparation for many years, finally succeeding in forming his core recently. He is currently consolidating his cultivation and has not yet emerged from seclusion.

She paused for a moment, then continued, "As for that little girl Yuan Yao, her talent is indeed average, but she is hardworking and has no shortage of spirit stones and other resources. Thirty years ago, she had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment. After that, the process went quite smoothly, and she successfully condensed her core in one go."

Say it all in one breath.

After hearing this, Lu Jianghe nodded slightly.

Okay.

For both of them, breaking through to the Core Formation stage wouldn't have been too difficult with sufficient resources.

To be able to add several hundred years to one's lifespan is already a remarkable achievement.

From now on, they will have to rely more on themselves to walk their own path to immortality.

As a Core Formation cultivator and a master of formations, Xin Ruyin already possessed ample resources and the ability to protect herself in this chaotic star sea.

As for whether she can take another step forward and form a nascent soul, that depends on her own destiny and temperament.

Lu Jianghe asked himself honestly, and he had done his best.

At this point, this responsibility of protecting the Way can be considered to have come to an end.

"Sixty years have passed..."

He muttered to himself, his gaze fixed on the snowflakes falling outside the window. It was time to go and seize that fragment of the illusory map.

It's not really about seeking personal gain.

It was simply taken from the hands of the Yin.

Lu Jianghe suddenly asked in his mind, looking at her calmly:

"If you had the chance to return to Tiannan, would you still be willing to go back?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Ruyan felt a moment of disorientation.

Having been in the Chaotic Star Sea for nearly a century, it would be a lie to say I don't miss my homeland.

Seeing her changing expression, Lu Jianghe immediately understood.

"Okay, I understand."

Upon hearing this, Yan Ruyan's face paled slightly. Thinking that her earlier hesitation had displeased him, she hurriedly explained, "Senior Lu, that's not what I meant. As long as I can stay by your side, Ruyan is content and has no other intentions!"

Lu Jianghe looked surprised, then chuckled and shook his head: "What are you talking about? I'm asking about your true desires, not whether you want to stay by my side. After all, I forcibly brought you to the Chaotic Star Sea without distinguishing right from wrong."

Upon hearing this explanation, Yan Ruyan's face did not show any calmness; instead, she began to feel anxious and uncertain.

Homesickness was real, but the desire to stay by his side was even more genuine.

If I were to be taken back to Tiannan like this, even though it would be my homeland, I would probably still be just like I was back in the Ghost Spirit Gate, living like a caged bird.

Rather than doing that, it would be better to stay in the vast world of the Chaotic Star Sea and focus on cultivation.

Once he has achieved the Nascent Soul stage and has a true foundation for self-preservation and survival, it will not be too late for him to return to Tiannan.

Having made up her mind, Yan Ruyan raised her head, her gaze fixed firmly on Lu Jianghe, her expression more solemn than ever before:

"Senior Lu, I have no plans to leave the Chaotic Star Sea for the time being. The spiritual energy here is abundant, and there are not many restrictions. I wish to continue my cultivation here until I achieve the Nascent Soul stage."

Lu Jianghe asked again, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!"

Yan Ruyan's voice was resolute, without the slightest hesitation.

Looking at the unwavering determination in her eyes, Lu Jianghe secretly scoffed.

A woman's mind is truly hard to fathom...

One moment their mind is in turmoil, the next they can make such a decisive and swift decision.

Lu Jianghe stepped silently through the snow-covered courtyard.

Snowflakes fell from the sky, but they vanished without a trace three feet away from his body, leaving not even a trace of moisture.

He walked straight to the front yard, and with a slight thought, all the array formations and restrictions that had enveloped the shops and buildings in front and behind him dissipated silently like ripples on water.

Seeing this, Yan Ruyan did not immediately follow.

She hurriedly took out the white silk socks that she had just taken off from her sleeve, disregarding her manners, and sat down hastily. She put them on in a flustered manner, then quickly put on her shoes before hurrying after him.

My heart was pounding the whole time.

Such behavior, seemingly driven by a desire for the comfort of a warm stove, was in fact not without a trace of deliberate intent deep down.

According to the Yan family's ancestral precepts, an unmarried woman's feet are her most private area, and there is always a story waiting to be uncovered. They should not be shown to anyone other than her closest relatives and partner.

If outsiders were to witness this, it would be considered improper and would damage the family's reputation.

Yan Ruyan was surprised that Lu Jianghe would suddenly wake up.

She could only reveal these thoughts when he was "asleep".

If the other party were truly sober, she would never dare to be so bold...

No matter what.

Nascent Soul cultivators have long lifespans, often exceeding a thousand years.

He possesses a heavenly spiritual root, exceptional talent, and a bright path ahead.

From any perspective, she was the perfect choice for a Daoist partner; a thousand years was enough time for them to walk side by side.

After Yan Ruyan saw Lu Jianghe leave the courtyard, she took a step and her figure disappeared instantly.

The divine sense of a Core Formation stage cultivator instantly enveloped an area of ​​dozens of miles in radius, like an invisible spider web.

However, no matter how she searched, there was not a trace of Lu Jianghe in the world.

The opponent did not transform into a rainbow, nor did they use any escape techniques.

It was as if he hadn't moved, but rather been "erased" from his original spot by this world.

How did it disappear?

Yan Ruyan was surprised.

She had witnessed the teleportation of Nascent Soul cultivators, which at least left some spatial fluctuations and traces of magical power.

Could it be some kind of top-tier supernatural power similar to the "shrinking earth technique"?

Lu Jianghe is currently trapped because the spiritual energy of this world is scarce.

Reaching the peak of the Golden Core realm is the ultimate goal, and it is difficult to make any further progress.

If one were in another world with orderly paths and abundant spiritual energy, this journey would be like a dream of ten thousand years in the Western Continent.

Perhaps by taking advantage of the situation, one can break through to the next level and directly enter the Jade Uncarved Realm.

Unfortunately, the rules of the Great Dao in the human realm are incomplete, making it impossible to perform such a leap to the heavens.

Given the scarcity of spiritual energy in the world, there's even less reason to think about it.

Lu Jianghe did not return to the fiftieth level of the cave. With a thought, he appeared in the thirty-ninth level of Tianxing City where Han Li was located.

Whether it was destiny or pure coincidence, the moment his figure solidified, a pillar of four-colored spiritual energy shot straight through the sky from the depths of the mountain.

It tore apart the thick, accumulated clouds in the sky.

The heavy snow that had been falling for an unknown period of time gradually disappeared under the impact, and the world was cleared up.

Lu Jianghe ignored this as if he were in an empty place, and strolled through the several layers of restrictions surrounding the courtyard.

My gaze turned toward the quiet room, which was the source of the strange change in spiritual energy.

The formation of the Golden Core was quite a significant event.

Ordinary, exceptionally talented Core Formation cultivators can achieve their goal in twenty or thirty years of seclusion.

Those like Han Li, who possess the Third-Rank Heavy Yuan Technique and spent a full sixty years to take this step, are truly "extremely rare."

The moment the phenomenon of Core Formation erupted, it immediately attracted the attention of several nearby divine senses.

Once the towering pillar of light completely dissipated and the world returned to calm, those divine senses, with a sense of understanding, all retreated.

Before long, more than a dozen phonographs of different colors flew in from all directions. After passing through the outermost layer of restrictions, they swirled and hovered in the air.

With a casual wave of his hand, Lu Jianghe summoned the talismans, which flew into the hall one by one, following the direction he was guiding.

Just as they entered the main hall, Zhang Tie suddenly attacked from the side.

He grasped the air in his hand, gathering spiritual power, which transformed into a massive, blood-red blade tens of feet long, slashing horizontally!

Lu Jianghe's expression remained unchanged; he simply extended two fingers and precisely pinched the terrifying blade.

Then flick your fingers lightly.

With a crisp "crack," the blood-red giant sword shattered, turning into countless sharp fragments that scattered in all directions.

Zhang Tiegang was about to unleash the Hunyuan Wave when Lu Jianghe's figure swayed, creating a series of lingering, unyielding afterimages.

This is an extreme display of speed.

He instantly closed in on Zhang Tie's side, casually placing a hand on his shoulder.

Zhang Tie was instantly pinned to the spot, unable to move, and even the spiritual energy gathered at his fingertips dissipated instantly.

This was a contingency plan that Han Li deliberately left behind before going into seclusion.

This wisp of divine consciousness has no independent consciousness; it can only rigidly execute preset commands.

Anyone who trespasses into this area without permission will be indiscriminately intercepted or attacked.

A few more days passed.

A bright sun hung high in the sky outside, sweeping away the chilly wind.

In the main hall, Lu Jianghe sat quietly in a chair, holding a book and leisurely sipping spiritual tea.

Zhang Tie stood motionless beside him like a statue.

Just then, a somewhat hasty beam of light suddenly shot out from the direction of the quiet room, directly piercing through the dividing rock wall, and landed in the center of the main hall with a "boom", bringing up a large cloud of dust and debris.

The light faded, revealing Han Li's figure. He wore a long blue robe, and his body was filled with surging spiritual energy.

He looked back at the wall he had smashed through, somewhat dazed, and muttered subconsciously, "Tsk, the speed of a Core Formation cultivator is really fast. I almost lost control of my strength in the blink of an eye, even this wall..."

Before he could finish speaking, a voice carrying a distinctly mocking tone slowly rang out, interrupting his self-talk.

Before he could finish speaking, a voice carrying a distinctly mocking tone slowly rang out, interrupting his self-talk.

"I don't think that's the reason. He's been in seclusion for so long, he has excess energy with nowhere to vent, so he's deliberately taking it out on the wall?"