A ruthless bandit from the celestial realm, he began his cultivation journey after kidnapping the Em

After the initial joy subsided, Ye Chen put away the purple-gold gourd.

He has already memorized the "Supreme Response Technique" and can practice it at any time...

He recalled his promise to Liu Ruyan to break through to the Golden Core stage within a year.

"With my talent, it shouldn't take long, right?"

Ye Chen muttered hesitantly.

He believed in his talent and the cultivation method he practiced, but he didn't yet have a clear understanding of the cultivation realms and wasn't sure how long it would take to break through to the Golden Core realm...

"Senior brother..."

Lin Ningxue called out from outside the door.

"The spiritual energy in the courtyard has suddenly disappeared. Has something happened?"

After noticing something was wrong, she immediately went to find Ye Chen, thinking that something had happened.

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen recalled the process of drawing qi into his body earlier, which undoubtedly involved absorbing all the nearby spiritual energy. He immediately understood and didn't offer any further explanation.

"Come in..." Ye Chen said.

"Eeya!"

The door opened, and Lin Ningxue strode in. Seeing Ye Chen sitting cross-legged on the prayer mat, her anxiety subsided...

Seeing that Ye Chen was safe and sound, she was relieved.

Sudden...

Lin Ningxue stared blankly at Ye Chen, her face full of shock.

"One layer of Qi refinement..."

"Senior brother, did you... guide your Qi into your body just now?"

"You absorbed all the spiritual energy around you?"

She couldn't help but ask.

Ye Chen glanced down at the surging spiritual energy around him and knew that his cultivation had been seen through. He no longer concealed it and simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"That's right, I sensed something just now and completed the process of drawing qi into my body..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ningxue was so shocked she couldn't speak, staring at Ye Chen in disbelief as if she'd seen a ghost...

If my senior brother is only now inducing Qi into his body, then he really had no cultivation at all before.

She initially thought Ye Chen was joking and hiding his cultivation level, but it turns out he really didn't have any...

How is it possible for someone with no cultivation to defeat a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining with a single punch?

If Lin Ningxue hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed that what had happened before was real...

How did you do that, senior brother?

He's really daring to make a move; isn't he afraid of getting beaten to death?

Lin Ningxue's mind was filled with questions at this moment...

Before she could even ask, Ye Chen spoke first.

"You've come at the perfect time..."

"Tell me, how long does it take to break through to the Golden Core realm?"

Is a year enough?

He looked at Lin Ningxue with anticipation, hoping that this would happen within a year, or even just six months...

This gave him the confidence to achieve his goal as soon as possible, allowing Liu Ruyan to take him to rescue his sister, Ye Qing'er...

Lin Ningxue: ? ? ?

"A year? Golden Core stage?"

She was completely stunned.

I understand each of those words individually, but putting them together completely confuses me...

Coming to her senses, Lin Ningxue looked at Ye Chen with a strange expression, as if she were looking at a madman...

Has my senior brother gone mad?

When she met Ye Chen's gaze, Lin Ningxue saw that he was serious and couldn't help but smile wryly as she began to explain.

"Senior brother, you may not know this, but the cultivation realms from lowest to highest are: Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Deity Transformation Stage, Void Refining Stage, Body Integration Stage, Mahayana Stage, Tribulation Transcending Stage, and Quasi-Emperor Realm."

"The Qi Refining stage is further divided into ten minor realms, from Qi Refining Level 1 to Qi Refining Level 10. Above the Foundation Establishment stage, there are four minor realms: early stage, middle stage, late stage, and peak stage."

"Everyone's spiritual roots and talents are different, and their cultivation speed varies. As for how long it takes to go from the Qi Refining stage to the Golden Core stage, there is no precise conclusion..."

"However... a year is definitely not enough..."

She had seen many prodigies, and no matter how fast their cultivation speed, none of them could break through from the Qi Refining stage to the Golden Core stage within a year...

Ye Chen's idea was nothing short of wishful thinking in her eyes!

The path of cultivation is long and arduous; it's never easy...

Upon hearing Lin Ningxue explain the realm divisions, Ye Chen nodded in understanding, a hint of joy flashing across his face.

"So, the difference between the Qi Refining stage and the Golden Core stage is only two major realms?"

"It might take you a year or two, but I, with my extraordinary talent, could probably break through in just three to five months..."

He spoke with obvious confidence, suddenly feeling much more relaxed about his promise to Liu Ruyan...

I thought it would be much harder!

Lin Ningxue: ? ? ?

She froze for two seconds, and the way she looked at Ye Chen changed...

"Three to five months?"

"Golden Core Stage..."

Lin Ningxue couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

She never dared to think that way in her wildest dreams. How could her senior brother dare to say such a thing?

Do you really think cultivation is easy?

She's been a disciple of the Qingyun Sect for over a year, but her cultivation level is still stuck at the second level of Qi Refining...

She has no idea whether she'll ever reach the threshold of the Golden Core stage in her lifetime...

Lin Ningxue gave a wry smile and said slowly.

"Senior brother, do you remember Elder Mo whom we met at the mountain gate a few days ago?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen recalled the old man beside the large blue stone who had said he had no spiritual roots, and nodded to Lin Ningxue.

"I remember him, why are you suddenly bringing him up?"

Meeting Ye Chen's gaze, Lin Ningxue took a deep breath and explained.

"I've heard that Elder Mo possesses a Profound-grade spiritual root and joined the Qingyun Sect at the age of thirteen, and has been there for eighty years..."

"Last month, Elder Mo just condensed his Golden Core, stepping into the early stage of the Golden Core realm..."

After she finished speaking, she gave Ye Chen a knowing look...

Spiritual practice is no easy task...

A single Golden Core is a goal that many cultivators may not be able to achieve even after a lifetime of effort...

"Eighty years? Early stage of Golden Core?"

Ye Chen frowned slightly and couldn't help but purse his lips.

"This old man isn't good either..."

"I thought he was so amazing, but it turns out he's just like that..."

Lin Ningxue: ? ? ?

She was completely dumbfounded.

I thought Ye Chen would realize the difficulty of cultivation, but I didn't expect him to complain about the elders.

"Senior brother, Elder Mo is already very powerful..."

"I'm telling you all this because I want to tell you that cultivating to the Golden Core stage isn't easy. It might take three to five years, let alone three to five, to break through..."

"I've been at the Qingyun Sect for over a year, and I'm still only at the second level of Qi Refining..."

Lin Ningxue sighed softly, her face filled with melancholy...

If even Elder Mo can't do it, then isn't she useless?

After listening to her, Ye Chen looked up at her, pursed his lips, and didn't seem to feel any pressure.

"Well, you can't do it either..."

"You've only reached level two of Qi Refining after more than a year? You've really come here to farm?"

Lin Ningxue: ? ? ?

"I..."

Lin Ningxue hesitated, then spread her hands, feeling utterly wronged...

She has been cultivating very hard, but she just can't break through her cultivation level. Who can she blame?

"Senior brother, you'll know how difficult cultivation is once you start practicing..."

Lin Ningxue said with a helpless expression.

People can't learn by being taught, but they can learn by doing...

"How difficult could it be?"

Ye Chen, refusing to believe in superstition, immediately sat cross-legged on the futon, closed his eyes, and silently recited the "Supreme Response Mantra"...

In an instant, the newly restored spiritual energy around him surged wildly into his body...