The Long Journey to Immortality

Xiao Ran longed to achieve the Nascent Soul stage and become a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Therefore, he did not want to simply reach the third rank of Core Formation as Han Lu had predicted.

He was willing to spend time finding an auspicious burial site, and at the same time rely on a few auspicious objects around him to further improve the quality of his elixir.

As far as Xiao Ran knew, both Nascent Soul cultivators from Dongzhou Prefecture had formed second-grade Golden Cores, which was why they stood out from the many Golden Core cultivators.

Although both the second and third grades of Core Formation represent high-grade Golden Cores, the difference between these two adjacent grades is far greater than the difference between a lower ninth-grade Golden Core and a middle sixth-grade Golden Core.

The probability of achieving Nascent Soul from the second stage of Core Formation is much higher than that from the third stage.

Han Lu, as Xiao Ran's assistant, had no objection to Xiao Ran's reasonable arrangements. On the contrary, she took the initiative to suggest, "How about finding two more feng shui items? If you don't have any spirit stones, I can lend you some."

Xiao Ran said, "That's not necessary. I've already divided the Heavenly Pillar Stone I bought at the auction, and it's enough to set up a formation to improve the feng shui."

"Besides, Fairy Han is willing to protect me for free, so how could I possibly owe her a favor?"

Since Xiao Ran had already said that, Han Lu wouldn't try to stuff spirit stones into his arms.

Although they decided to set off immediately, Xiao Ran and Han Lu did not rush headlong into the deep blue desert.

Instead, they lingered a little longer in Mingsha Village to make some additional preparations.

Han Lu once again used her water divination technique to determine the exact location of Xiao Ran's Core Formation point.

Xiao Ran then used the results obtained from Han Lu's water divination technique to mark the candidate locations for Core Formation on the newly purchased Deep Blue Desert map.

During the three water divination tests, Han Lu pointed out three suitable locations for Xiao Ran to form his core, according to the "divine will."

"Han Xianzi has saved me a lot of time again," Xiao Ran said, having memorized the three locations. He rolled up the map and said, "Let's go check out the place closest to Mingsha Village first."

Chapter 312 Auspicious Land

The Deep Blue Desert is located at the westernmost part of Dongzhou Prefecture.

The reason for this name is very simple.

This area is a desert, and the sand in this desert is unique in that it is a deep blue color.

Han Lu didn't know why the sand here was such a strange color, but she had heard several explanations from time to time in Mingsha Village.

One theory is that the sand contained some metal, which caused it to change color.

Another popular theory is that during the ancient cultivation era, the Western humans fought a fierce battle with a race of blue-blooded demonic beasts in this place. The Western humans won a great victory, and the sand was dyed blue by the many blue-blooded demonic beasts that perished in the desert.

However, regardless of the explanation, it had no impact on Xiao Ran's decision to form his core in the desert under Han Lu's guidance.

As the two of them ventured a little deeper into this desert composed of different colored sand, they discovered that the spiritual energy in the surrounding environment was indeed much denser than in other ordinary places in Dongzhou Prefecture.

"I've never heard of the Deep Blue Desert being a treasure land for cultivation due to its abundant spiritual energy. It seems that Fairy Han's divination is indeed true. In a few days, there will indeed be a burst of spiritual energy in the Deep Blue Desert." Xiao Ran felt the fairly dense earth-attribute spiritual energy and was sincerely impressed by Han Lu's divination skills.

The two traveled on their swords and did not come into contact with the monsters that plagued merchants on the surface of the deep blue desert.

The flying monsters, which did not actively attack humans, caused some trouble for the two of them as they soared through the deep blue desert.

Fortunately, the two were highly skilled, and these groups of three to five demonic birds at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining could not cause them any trouble, only slightly delaying their journey.

The two could have reached the first Core Formation site before sunset on the first day, but due to several bird attacks and their poor sense of direction, they didn't arrive until the moon rose in the sky.

As they landed together, stepping onto the deep blue sand for the first time, Xiao Ran took the initiative to assign tasks, "Does Fairy Han have a compass? Why don't you help me assess the feng shui of this place? I'll go take a look around and see if there are any Foundation Establishment level demonic beasts lurking around here."

Xiao Ran naturally possessed a compass; he could even do something as simple as measuring feng shui.

However, knowing that he was only at the Pseudo-Core Formation stage and that his cultivation was much higher than Han Lu's, he took the initiative to take on the more troublesome and potentially dangerous tasks.

Han Lu nodded and said, "Alright, however, there should be ferocious beasts equivalent to the Golden Core realm in the Deep Blue Desert, so Fellow Daoist Xiao should be careful."

"It's alright, I'm just taking a look, not trying to provoke them," Xiao Ran had his own plans. "This is just the edge of the Deep Blue Desert. If there really are Golden Core demon beasts nesting here, it should be noted on the map I bought."

"Besides, if we really do encounter it, it means I'm not destined to achieve the Golden Core stage, and I deserve to die here."

"If Fairy Han sees me being chased by a Golden Core beast, don't worry about me, just run away."

Xiao Ran joked, and Han Lu followed up with, "Don't worry, if Fellow Daoist Xiao unfortunately ends up in the belly of a ferocious beast, I will burn paper money and spirit stones for you every hundred years on this day to commemorate you."

After the joke, the two went their separate ways.

Xiao Ran casually buried a talisman on the ground, then once again flew on his sword, using the location of the talisman as the center to explore outwards, sensing the fluctuations of spiritual energy, and using the moonlight to observe whether any demonic beasts were gathering in the vicinity.

Han Lu took out a compass that she rarely used, made a few hand gestures, observed the changes on the compass needle, and wandered around the talisman as the center.

Unlike Xiao Ran, Han Lu simply followed the compass needle, going wherever it led her.

Although the elemental attribute of the Deep Blue Desert is mainly earth, there will always be some other elements mixed in with it.

At this moment, Han Lu was looking for a "very remote place" nearby so that Xiao Ran could build a temporary cave dwelling there and form his core there in seven days.

Places with only one type of feng shui attribute are not easy to find, which is why pseudo-core cultivators like Xiao Ran need to purchase feng shui items to modify the feng shui of their core formation sites.

A suitable location for Core Formation, coupled with sufficient feng shui talismans, can give cultivators attempting Core Formation an environmental advantage over their peers, giving them a slight edge in the process.

After circling around, Han Lu buried four marking talismans in the sand of the deep blue desert for positioning.

These four locations were the ones Han Lu discovered were the most auspicious places in the vicinity for Xiao Ran to build a temporary cave dwelling.

Since the four locations are evenly matched, the final decision will naturally rest with Xiao Ran on where to choose to form his core.

After returning to the location of the first talisman, Han Lu rested for about fifteen minutes while gazing at the bright moon in the sky. Xiao Ran then returned, carrying his spirit sword.

"How is it?" Han Lu asked.

"It's alright," Xiao Ran said. "There are two places where demonic beasts gather nearby, which means there shouldn't be any Golden Core level demonic beasts here."

Any group of ferocious beasts with even a modicum of intelligence would not settle in an area where Golden Core ferocious beasts are active.

"However, dealing with these two groups of demonic beasts is a bit troublesome. There are Foundation Establishment level demonic beasts in both groups, so it is not appropriate to forcibly drive them away or kill them."

"And those two groups of demonic beasts are both ferocious, so it's difficult to expect them to stay out of each other's way."

"This place is not too far from Mingsha Village, and there are ferocious beasts that will attack cultivators. If you try to form your core here, you might encounter some trouble."

"Let's take a look at the other two places."

Xiao Ran had already made up his mind.

Han Lu naturally had no objection. "Alright, but I've found four suitable places for you to build a temporary cave dwelling for Core Formation. Take a look and choose one, so as to avoid any trouble later."

After saying "okay," Xiao Ran followed Han Lu and flew around the area on their swords for a while before choosing a place that he felt was acceptable.

After noting down the exact location and general situation on the map, the two continued their journey under the moonlight, flying towards the next approximate location predicted by Han Lu as suitable for Core Formation.

It took the two of them three and a half days to cross the deep blue desert three times.

After returning from the third location to the second, Xiao Ran finally determined the suitable place for him to form his core.

"There is only a group of relatively docile demonic beasts in the vicinity, and none of them are at the Foundation Establishment level."

"It's quite a distance from the villages and counties of the four surrounding prefectures, and it's not on the trade route, so there shouldn't be any cultivators or caravans passing through this area."

"Although the feng shui is a bit bad, I should be able to temporarily transform this place into an extremely fertile land by relying on the feng shui talismans in my storage bag."

"Let's form our core right here."

After analyzing the situation further in front of Han Lu, Xiao Ran then instructed Han Lu to begin building the cave dwelling there.

The two cultivators worked together and used their magic. In just a hundred breaths, a temporary cave dwelling made of solidified sand, naturally covered with a layer of "protective coloration," began to take shape.

After Xiao Ran planted the array flags he had bought with spirit stones and activated the array, their temporary residence in the deep blue desert and Xiao Ran's core formation site were finally completed in the next few days.

Chapter 313 Core Formation

There are two rooms in the temporary cave dwelling, one for Han Lu and one for Xiao Ran.

Because the Deep Blue Desert is rich in earth-attribute spiritual energy, it is not suitable for Han Lu, a cultivator who mainly practices water-attribute techniques. So, after two months, Han Lu once again closed her eyes, lay on the mattress, and took a nap in the Deep Blue Desert, just like an ordinary person.

Protected by magic arrays and restrictions, the sandstorm outside the cave did not affect the two people inside in the slightest.

Unlike Han Lu, who was fast asleep on the mattress, Xiao Ran spent the whole night sitting on a futon meditating and regulating her breathing.

The process of forming the Golden Core requires the right timing, location, and people.

Now that the time and place are both in place, he naturally doesn't want to mess things up on the "human element" aspect, or cause trouble at this most crucial point.

Having traveled as an ordinary person two months in advance, Xiao Ran had already adjusted his state of mind to the extreme.

Now, all he can do is to increase the spiritual energy in his dantian, make the false core in his dantian a little bigger, and solidify the foundation for core formation.

The next day, Han Lu saw that Xiao Ran's room door was tightly closed, so she did not disturb his meditation in the slightest.

After popping a fasting pill into her mouth, she carefully checked whether the restrictions and magic arrays inside and outside the cave were functioning properly and whether there were any signs of sabotage.

After confirming that nothing unexpected had happened, she fulfilled her duty as a Dharma protector by moving out a Dharma seat in front of Xiao Ran's room and sitting down.

Although this place is not suitable for Han Lu's cultivation, she can still do other things related to cultivation.

While helping him "stand guard," she continued to comprehend the numerous sword techniques and swordsmanship knowledge that the ancient cultivator Fang Lin had imparted to her in her mind.

Time flies.

In the blink of an eye, when Han Lu felt dizzy and woke up from her meditative state, the sun and moon had risen and set three times.

Over the past three days, the spiritual energy in the deep blue desert has been completely activated for unknown reasons, creating what is known as a spiritual energy burst in this large area.

During this period, the earth-attribute spiritual energy in the deep blue desert was at least ten times denser than usual.

Even the edge of the deep blue desert was temporarily transformed into a cultivation paradise like the Cold Cicada Peak of the Zhengyi Sect during this short period of time.

During the three days that Han Lu comprehended the sword intent and Xiao Ran meditated to regulate his breathing, two cultivators flew past the vicinity of the temporary cave on their swords.

Both cultivators were at the Pseudo-Core Formation stage. They had cultivated supernatural abilities to enhance their eyesight and discovered the temporary cave dwelling where the two were residing.

However, the two of them reached a tacit understanding with Xiao Ran, who was completely unaware of this in his cave, and did not come to disturb him, seize his territory, or build their own caves and form their cores nearby.

Xiao Ran feared cultivators more than the monsters in the desert, and the same was true for these two cultivators.

Anyway, the Deep Blue Desert is so vast that there must be a suitable place for pseudo-core cultivators who come to the Deep Blue Desert like they're going to a market to form their core again. Why put your safety on the moral character of a stranger?

No one would choose to participate in a bet with unequal returns.

The two pseudo-core cultivators' tactful decision to step aside saved Han Lu and Xiao Ran, who had already secured their spots, a lot of trouble.

On the fourth day at noon, the day Xiao Ran planned to form his core, Han Lu woke up from her meditative state, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

Looking at the still tightly closed door to Xiao Ran's room, she muttered to herself.