bookbashuk Chapter 184 Refining the Golden Core
Chapter 184 Refining the Golden Core
"So that's how it is, the Devouring Sea Demon Sect?"
The tortoise spirit was shaken and revealed many ancient secrets, which Fang Qing, who was standing next to it, enjoyed listening to.
He secretly resolved that he must never reveal the existence of the "Sea Devouring Technique" in the future.
"This ability to eavesdrop on thoughts is also a powerful cheat code..."
"If this were in the simple and honest Xiaohuanhai, it might be enough for a minor Qi Refining cultivator to rise to prominence..."
Fang Qing sighed inwardly, and seeing that Zhan Hongxiu was eager to investigate, he immediately saw her out of the cave.
"Fellow Daoist, please be patient for now..."
As they parted, Zhan Hongxiu finally revealed some genuine emotion, secretly offering words of comfort through her divine sense.
"Haha... Fellow Daoist Hongxiu, rest assured, I will never give up. Even in poverty, I will remain steadfast and never lose my lofty ambitions! Only in turbulent times can the true nature of a hero be revealed!"
Fang Qing responded with his divine sense as well.
"This Fellow Daoist Fang... seems to have a steadfast Dao heart. It appears that even in the hands of the enemy, he still retains his desire to cultivate immortality..."
Zhan Hongxiu walked a short distance before communicating with the tortoise spirit in her sea of consciousness: "Old Tortoise... what do you think?"
"What do I think? This is how I see it! That Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator... back then, he wasn't even qualified to catch my eye." The turtle spirit's lazy voice came, seemingly returning to its previous calm.
"What? Foundation Establishment Perfection?"
Zhan Hongxiu almost blurted out in surprise, "That Fang Qing has been hiding his cultivation level?"
This was actually a flaw Fang Qing deliberately revealed, wanting the enemy to see through it. A clever person would then confidently follow the pre-set path. "Not bad... but how could it escape my senses?"
"Turtle Spirit said proudly."
"Foundation Establishment Perfection? Golden Core Formation? Does he intend to...?"
Zhan Hongxiu's eyes widened suddenly, as if she had discovered something terrible: "Should I report this to the island lord? What if he takes a desperate gamble and consumes my Golden Core pill?"
The girl froze on the spot, her face contorted in struggle...
Ice Soul Cave.
Fang Qing tidied up the tea set, her expression calm and composed.
If one truly wishes to conceal their cultivation level, they can use the Dao-generating Pearl to dissolve it, so that even a Nascent Soul level expert would not be able to detect it.
His actions were a test!
"I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage and it's highly likely I've secretly succeeded in refining a Golden Core. I'll swallow it immediately and try to form a Golden Core... This is the only way to escape! At least that's how Zhan Hongxiu sees it..."
"Therefore, she can choose to report me to Zhong Lingxiu, or risk her family losing their chance to form a core and stay out of trouble for me..."
If Zhan Hongxiu chooses to report this, then this chosen one of destiny obviously cannot be allowed to live.
It just so happens that she hasn't obtained her Golden Core yet. When the time comes, we can gather a thousand Golden Core warriors, sacrifice Zhong Lingxiu to replace Gui Ling, and we are quite confident that we can completely annihilate her.
If we choose to keep it a secret, then we can allow this woman to form her core and try out the great opportunity of the Zhou Tian Star Palace.
Although Fang Qing joked that as long as there were enough resources, even a pig could condense a Nascent Soul here, the key problem was the lack of resources!
Nascent Soul resources are extremely scarce even in the cultivation world of the East Sea, so we have to make plans early.
"Um?"
Just then, Fang Qing frowned as he received a message from Qin Ruxue: "Has Tian Ding... passed away?"
"Well, this person died of exhaustion of lifespan, so it's a happy death... Moreover, he retrieved a Five Elements Spirit Fruit for the sect, so he got what he wanted." "And according to Qin Ruxue, the sect has a good impression of me, at the level of 'loyal and steadfast'... This is just the right stepping stone for my glorious return to the sect after I reach Core Formation..."
Several more days passed, and Fang Qing still hadn't received Zhan Hongxiu's report.
"Hmm, could it be that we have to wait until the Golden Core is successfully refined?"
He pondered for a moment, then stopped considering it and began to play with a prayer wheel, a Daoist spiritual artifact, in his hand.
This was offered by the White Bone Dharma King Sangji, and is called the "Great Mantra Prayer Wheel Blessed by All Aspects." It is said that with each rotation, countless blessings fall upon the body, increasing good fortune and improving the success rate of alchemy and talisman making...
Fang Qing, clinging to the belief that it might be true, reluctantly spun around a few times, but felt nothing at all...
"Forget it, we still have to rely on our own skills to make a living..."
He arrived at the icy spring, which was now quite different from the previous one. It was surrounded by jade walls, resembling a well. And within the well, yin and yang colors were converging.
This was the result of Fang Qing's years of studying the "Water and Fire Elixir Technique," his continuous increase in the Daoist cultivation of [Ji Shui], and the acquisition of a large number of rare materials, finally allowing him to refine a third-order fire liquid.
After being placed into the Ice Soul Cold Spring, it can be temporarily upgraded to a mid-grade third-tier "Dual Cold and Hot Spring", which is more suitable for alchemy.
He took out the Five Elements Spiritual Fruit and examined it closely: "The 'Golden Core Pill' I'm going to refine this time is also for breaking through realms, and it conforms to the meaning of the [Well Wood] transformation..."
"The presence of both hot and cold springs aligns with the imagery of water and fire interacting harmoniously, symbolizing the balance of the universe and the proper functioning of the axis..."
"Kan and Li represent the interaction of water and fire, while Zhen and Xun represent the generation of wood and fire. [Well Wood] belongs to Xun. Xun and Zhen are both wood, but Zhen represents movement, while Xun represents entry. Therefore, in water-based alchemy, stillness must precede movement, and entry must precede exit..."
As Fang Qing continued his alchemical discourse, one osmanthus tree after another spread throughout the cave, continuously expanding outwards...
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Fang Qing has been refining pills for two years.
Zhan Hongxiu was naturally restless and didn't even bother to return to Sanyuan Island, instead waiting on Taibai Island.
Even the matter of confirming the "Sea Devouring Demon Art" was entrusted to the subordinates of Sanyuan Island.
"This kid's alchemy aura is quite frightening... I thought I had met a fourth-level alchemy master."
The old tortoise continued its incessant chatter within her sea of consciousness.
Zhan Hongxiu remained silent, and would go to check on the vicinity of the Ice Soul Cave almost every few days.
On this day, she clearly sensed something was different.
Splash!
One spring after another flowed out of the cave, filling the air with the fragrance of herbs.
One after another, the osmanthus trees grew strong and tall, with silver crows perched on their branches, cawing incessantly...
"Although there are always extraordinary phenomena when a third-tier pill is successfully made... isn't this kid's phenomenon a bit too much?"
Within his sea of consciousness, the old turtle continued to mutter.
A moment later, the strange phenomena dissipated, and Fang Qing leisurely walked out of the cave, where he saw Zhan Hongxiu.
"Fellow Daoist Fang..."
When Zhan Hongxiu saw Fang Qing come out, a look of excitement immediately appeared on her face.
"I have successfully completed my mission... I have produced two high-quality pills, and I can now report back to the Master."
Fang Qing smiled slightly and led Zhan Hongxiu to the Ice and Snow Palace.
Zhong Lingxiu quickly stepped forward and accepted the two jade bottles he offered.
Upon opening a jade bottle, one could see a pill that radiated golden light and possessed a mysterious Daoist aura.
"It is undoubtedly a genuine Golden Core Pill..."
Zhong Lingxiu was very satisfied. She accepted one jade bottle and tossed the other to Zhan Hongxiu: "Since you didn't want the 30% share before, I'll just give you this 'Golden Core Formation Pill' directly... If you want to find a spiritual place for forming your Golden Core in the future, I can also grant you a third-tier cave dwelling on this island." "Thank you, Master."
Zhan Hongxiu immediately bowed, her heart filled with immense excitement.
Grasp the Golden Elixir, and it's as if you've grasped your own path to enlightenment.
"Alright, what are we waiting for now? The Golden Core has been refined, that kid has no more reliance on us... We can report him to this Golden Core cultivator!"
The old tortoise exclaimed, "But if this kid wants to form a Golden Core, does he perhaps have a genuine Golden Core hidden away? Even my fourth-level alchemy master could only produce four or five genuine Golden Cores per batch. He's only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he can produce three per batch... Just based on this alchemy skill, he's probably qualified to be a true disciple of the Star Palace."
Zhan Hongxiu remained silent, slowly bowed, and withdrew from the Ice and Snow Palace.
"Xiao Hong...aren't you going to do anything?"
Old Turtle was somewhat surprised.
"Although this island lord took advantage of me before, it was a mutual agreement... Later, he helped me establish my foundation and was kind to me..."
Zhan Hongxiu shook her head, her resolve in the Dao reaffirmed.
Fang Qing watched the woman leave, thinking to himself, "It seems I don't need to be so ruthless in destroying this flower..."
If this woman has ill intentions, he will definitely strike first.
As for now? It can still be nurtured for a while longer…
However, one must ensure that one's strength far surpasses that of the chosen one; otherwise, one will have to bear the consequences of being attacked at any time.
"However, the Golden Core is extremely difficult to refine, and I only managed to produce two genuine ones..."
Thinking about the process of refining the pills, Fang Qing's expression became solemn.
If he hadn't obtained the old turtle's insights on refining the Golden Core, he might have failed this time.
Even if they barely succeed, at most they'll only get a low-grade Golden Core...
"male………"
Behind him, Zhong Lingxiu bowed respectfully and presented the jade bottle containing the Golden Core pill with both hands.
"Once I'm in good shape, you'll be heading to attack the Azure Sea Gate..."
"This will give me a chance to form my core..."
A slight smile appeared on Fang Qing's lips.
As a sect alchemist, he endured humiliation and secretly withheld a Golden Core pill. Then, while Zhong Lingxiu was out fighting, he brazenly succeeded in forming the pill... It's quite a story.
Although everything else is fake, our own breakthroughs and strength are real!
Furthermore, supporting Zhong Lingxiu in the past was certainly not unnecessary.
If it weren't for Zhong Lingxiu, I would have been transferred back to the sect long ago, and I don't know how many open and hidden attacks I would have faced. Even if I could resolve them one by one, I would still have to refine pills for others, which would be mentally and physically exhausting. Where would I have the time to quietly cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment?
Furthermore, if Zhong Lingxiu hadn't been placed at the forefront of this secret realm's harvest, how could he have received a third of it?
"Most importantly, before accepting Xiao Zhongdang as a disciple, facing the two Core Formation experts of the Azure Sea Sect, combined with the third-tier grand formation and the sect's foundation, there is still a possibility of defeat."
"If I reveal too much, even Master Heiyuan might come after me..."
Fang Qing arrived at the cave dwelling that Zhong Lingxiu had specially prepared.
This cave dwelling is located at the core of a third-order spiritual vein, where the spiritual energy is most abundant. It even has a "spirit gathering array" set up, and there are also a large number of spirit stones nearby to ensure that the spiritual energy supply will not be insufficient when the core is formed.
He sat cross-legged and casually took out a few items.
They are ten-thousand-year-old stone milk, top-grade spirit stone, fountain of youth, and the genuine Golden Core pill that was just refined!
"In critical moments, no matter how precious the resources are, one's own cultivation level is still the most important... If we encounter difficulties, we can use them..."
Fang Qing closed his eyes, silently recalling the secrets of Core Formation in the "Azure Sea Technique" written by Azure Sea Immortal, adjusting his essence, energy, and spirit, and beginning the final preparations before Core Formation...