Chapter 242: Golden Core And The Lake
Beast King Sect, Guizang Valley
As soon as Su Yan returned to Guizang Valley, he directly controlled the Six-Winged Blood Centipede toward the Main Peak.
The Main Peak was the mountain peak where the Head Seat resided, overseeing the Gui Cang Land of Guizang Valley.
He had just landed on the Main Peak when the Yin Soul Silver Toad’s massive body lay on the Mountain Peak like a Mountain Range, opening one eye and glancing at him.
“Senior, I have come to see Grandmaster.”
Su Yan slightly cupped his hands, and the Yin Soul Silver Toad raised one hand, pointing toward the nearby Cave Dwelling.
He strode over, and just as he reached the entrance of the Cave Dwelling, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
“You brat broke through to Dan Qiao Realm?!”
Gu Sanqian had a grave expression, reaching out to grab his shoulder as massive True Essence surged in.
Su Yan’s internal True Essence stirred, instinctively dispersing the incoming True Essence.
Gu Sanqian’s grave expression changed to one of surprise, and he nodded slightly.
Gu Sanqian was indeed a Dharma Aspect True Person; having experienced much, he could tell from this extremely refined True Essence that Su Yan’s Core Formation was no simple matter.
‘Good kid, able to disperse my True Essence. Looks like he didn’t greedily form a One-Revolution Golden Core. That’s good.’
Breakthrough was already extremely difficult for ordinary disciples, so naturally, there was no requirement for them to continuously refine the Golden Core in their Dan Qiao.
Lifespan, talent, resources… under various limited conditions, breakthrough was the only choice for ordinary disciples.
But for disciples at the forefront of the Tiger Ranking, especially someone like Su Yan who possessed an Innate Martial Body and had a Dharma Aspect lineage behind him, breaking through to Dharma Aspect was not impossible in the future.
Thus, the level of Core Formation also had requirements.
Gu Sanqian asked solemnly: “Core Formation to how many revolutions?”
“Nine Revolutions”
Su Yan’s mouth curved up, and Gu Sanqian widened his eyes: “How many?”
“Nine”
Hiss
Gu Sanqian looked incredulously at his grand-disciple. Core Formation to Nine Revolutions, and he had been a disciple for barely two years since entry, not even three years counting his secular martial arts practice.
Monster
These two words unconsciously arose in his mind.
“Reckless!” Gu Sanqian scolded: “Since you achieved Nine-Revolutions Golden Core, you should know how terrifying the Spiritual Energy and True Essence required for a Nine-Revolutions Golden Core is. You didn’t even notify the sect—are your wings stiff now?”
Su Yan was scolded outright but didn’t dare retort against this little old man.
If he had broken through in the Beast King Sect, on this Main Peak with its Fourth-order Spiritual Vein, the breakthrough would have been much easier, saving many Pills.
He smiled apologetically: “I didn’t want to either, but after coming out of the Blood Flood Dragon Secret Realm, my Bloodline Metamorphosis happened soon after, forcing the breakthrough.”
Forced breakthrough
Such a niche phrase—if other disciples heard it, they might want to kill him.
Gu Sanqian narrowed his eyes slightly: “You’re quite lucky. Looks like your Bloodline might even reach Fourth-order High-grade.”
“Perhaps.” Su Yan said: “During General Qin Jingtian’s trial, by a stroke of opportunity, he obtained a Dragon-Eating Worm, which awakened his Bloodline.”
Gu Sanqian said in surprise: “He has that thing too? It suits you well.”
He pondered briefly, then led Su Yan into the Cave Dwelling.
What was called a Cave Dwelling was actually a Palace, specially for his living and cultivation.
The Palace interior was simply furnished, but exquisite Formations gathered Spiritual Energy around it.
With a wave of his hand, two cups of tea appeared on the table.
“Clear Mind Spirit Tea. You’ve just broken through; this tea will help steady your mind and spirit, allowing you to master your body’s power faster. With Nine-Revolutions Core Formation, your future cultivation steps will be much harder than others’.”
Su Yan sat upright, sipping the Clear Mind Spirit Tea from the cup. He immediately felt his spirit solidify somewhat, as if immersed in cool spring water.
“Because of accumulation?”
“Mm.” Gu Sanqian nodded: “In the past, I didn’t tell you and your Master much, but it’s not too late now. Do you know how many revolutions Junior Brother Xuan Xing achieved in Core Formation?”
Su Yan shook his head: “Could it be the same as mine?”
“Seven Revolutions.” Gu Sanqian smiled: “How many in the Archaic Martial Realm can match you? Even in the Dali Dynasty, among the Dali Imperial Family disciples, Great Evolution Daoist Gate direct disciples, and Longevity Pavilion direct disciples, only they might reach Seven or Eight-Revolution Golden Core cultivation. Nine Revolutions is exceedingly rare.”
He said slowly: “Xuan Xing has a Seven-Revolution Golden Core; your Martial Uncle and I only had Six-Revolution Golden Cores. Generally, to Nurture Dharma Aspect and fuse Artistic Conception, at least a Four-Revolution Golden Core is needed.”
A doubt arose in Su Yan’s heart, and he asked: “Does that mean breaking through with a Golden Core below Three Revolutions cannot achieve Dharma Aspect?”
“No.” Gu Sanqian shook his head: “Natural Dharma Form takes the Golden Core as seed to Nurture Dharma Aspect and communicate with heaven and earth. Summoning the Dharma Aspect, which spans hundreds of meters, can destroy cities, move mountains, fill seas, Sky Lifting, Star Slaying… To nurture such divine ability Dharma Aspect, do you think an ordinary Golden Core can do it?”
“Body Tempering Realm tempers the physical body’s Qi and Blood to nurture True Essence. True Intent Realm nurtures True Intent Beast Spirit, but that’s merely a stream. Only Dan Qiao Realm opens the upper, middle, and lower three Dantians, with Golden Core as sun and moon, Acupoints as Stars, is it sufficient to nurture Dharma Aspect. Thus, the Golden Core is the lake gathering True Essence, Spirit, and Qi and Blood.”
Su Yan’s eyes brightened slightly, inspiration striking: “The size of the lake determines the size of the Dharma Aspect it can support?”
“Right.”
Gu Sanqian nodded, showing a satisfied expression of “this child can be taught”: “Nurturing Dharma Aspect and communicating with nature requires Golden Core strength of at least Four Revolutions. This Four Revolutions refers to at the time of breakthrough. The upper, middle, and lower three Dantians are Divine Soul Golden Core, Qi and Blood Golden Core, and True Essence Golden Core respectively; all three must reach Four Revolutions for the possibility of breaking through Dharma Aspect. The weaker the Golden Core, the higher the chance of core shattering and death during breakthrough.”
Su Yan showed a thoughtful expression and asked: “After Core Formation, can one continue fusing power and increasing Dan Patterns?”
“Yes”
Gu Sanqian said: “But the difficulty multiplies several times. The Golden Core is the foundation of one’s cultivation; after formation, it’s extremely tough. To shatter and recast it is no easy task, and the required Essence, Spirit, and Energy are immeasurable. Thus, at the time of Core Formation, if there’s spare capacity, one strives for the highest quality Golden Core possible.”
His gaze fixed on Su Yan, scrutinizing him up and down, then suddenly said: “With your physical body, when your middle Dantian condenses the Qi and Blood Golden Core later, even without Nine Revolutions, it will likely be at least Six Revolutions or higher. Your spirit strength is already not weak, at least Five Revolutions; if suppressed before breakthrough, Seven Revolutions is possible. Heh, truly a Dharma Aspect Seed.”
Su Yan showed a humble smile, but in his heart thought: “With Insect Bone Armor Body plus Body Cultivation plus the current Insect Lord Bloodline from the Bloodline Gift, Nine Revolutions won’t be hard. Insect Consciousness Seed is a bit weaker, but not bad.”
“Don’t get too happy yet.”
Gu Sanqian reminded him: “Junior Brother Xuan Xing achieved Seven Revolutions in Core Formation, then aimed for the same in middle and upper Dantians. Especially during All Stars Heaven, he actually tried one Acupoint one intent, filling three hundred and sixty-five All Stars Heavens. The resources needed for each step were several times that of ordinary people. He stubbornly persisted until the All Stars Heaven seclusion, but the Dharma Aspect realm was like an ancient pass of ten thousand zhang, immovable. Excess is as bad as deficiency; foundation too thick leads to this. With your Nine-Revolutions Golden Core start, think about it yourself.”
Accumulation just right leads to natural breakthrough, but if too thick, it increases difficulty.
This was a matter of trade-offs.
“With Three Elixirs Nine Revolutions, does the breakthrough Dharma Aspect have any advantages?”
“Dharma Aspect like gods, Myriad Laws Golden Body”
Gu Sanqian said word by word: “The stronger the Dharma Aspect, the greater the heavenly human resonance at breakthrough, granting innate divine abilities. Divine Ability is Law; body with Laws takes the lead, laying foundation for Golden Body Realm breakthrough. One step fast, every step fast.”
Su Yan suddenly asked: “What about Martial Uncle Xiang Ge?”
“That kid broke through two layers of heaven, using Dragon and Tiger True Intents with Dragon Tiger Suppressing Heaven Skill to condense lower and middle Dantians, probably around Five Revolutions, but with dual cores resonating, raising to Six Revolutions later should be easy; Seven Revolutions will take some effort.”
After Core Formation, continuously shattering and recasting was no easy task.
Su Yan’s eyes brightened slightly, and he suddenly asked: “Master she?”
“Core Formation Six Revolutions”
Dual cores Five Revolutions vs. Core Formation Six Revolutions—hard to judge superiority; both for future Dharma Aspect True Person breakthrough.
Su Yan then realized that for these geniuses, realm was sometimes just a threshold.
Gu Sanqian asked seriously: “For the remaining Qi and Blood Golden Core and Divine Soul Golden Core, if aiming for Eight Revolutions, your Master and Grandmaster will do everything to find opportunities for you, boosting Qi and Blood and solidifying Divine Soul, paving the way for your Dharma Aspect breakthrough.”
He paused slightly, then said: “But for Nine Revolutions, it would depend on heaven’s will. Nine is the extreme; resources alone may not suffice. In any case, our lineage won’t interfere with your choice. Understand?”
The path of cultivation can only be walked by oneself; what use are predecessors’ experiences?
“Thank you, Grandmaster, for your guidance.”
Su Yan committed Gu Sanqian’s words to heart; such guidance was worth countless Manuals.
He took out a list and placed it on the table.
“Disciple accidentally captured a Dan Qiao Realm Martial Artist affiliated with Yan Ying. His attack methods and movement origin resemble the Three Flames Divine Palace; under interrogation, I got these.”
Gu Sanqian took it and glanced, cold light flashing in his eyes as he sneered: “So it’s these rats.”
Su Yan slightly raised his gaze: “Grandmaster knows?”
“Demonic Sects’ ambition to control Lingnan Prefecture persists; they constantly pull strings there. Our sect disciples have gone down to kill Demonic Path lackeys more than once or twice. This organization called Yan Ying is long on record, but hard to uproot.”
Gu Sanqian said: “Quite a few names here; uprooting them would be a great merit. By the way, do you need Materials to raise your Fierce Insect? I’ll get some from Sect Leader Senior Brother.”
Su Yan’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, immediately telling Gu Sanqian those few Molting Materials.
“Mm, all rare items, treasures even among Third-order.”
Gu Sanqian pondered briefly, and a black branch-like crystal tree and a porcelain bottle emanating heat appeared in his hand. Iron Fir Crystal Bone and Subspecies Fire Qilin Blood
“I only have Iron Fir Crystal Bone and Poison Fire Ink Qilin’s Essence Blood on hand; take them.”
“Thank you, Grandmaster.”
Gu Sanqian smiled: “Your Innate Martial Body is far stronger than we expected. With such foundation, it must be utilized.”
He wasn’t surprised that Su Yan clearly knew the materials needed for Fierce Insect Bloodline Metamorphosis.
Innate Martial Body was inherently guided by Bloodline; high-rank Bloodlines instinctively know the evolution paths of subordinate Fierce Insects—what’s strange about that?
Gu Sanqian left Su Yan alone and strode out, his figure vanishing into the clouds.
……
Gu Sanqian went directly to the Beast King Peak Main Peak to find Chu Qidao.
Unknown what arrangements the two martial brothers made, but when Gu Sanqian emerged, large numbers of Mountain Guard disciples successively went down the mountain.
Cloud Piercing Sparrows flew like shuttles; in merely half a day, dozens took flight.
Disciples in the sect successively took missions from the Sect Affairs Pavilion and went down the mountain.
Though Beast King Sect acted like a sect, with its structure of Mountain Guard, steward disciples, and Inner Disciples, it had sufficient execution power.
Sect like army—no more than that.
Su Yan naturally noticed the changes, but this operation didn’t involve top Tiger Ranking disciples like them.
Just returned from Blood Flood Dragon Secret Realm, everyone had gained benefits.
Whether Yuan Yi or Suo Yunyi and others, most were in seclusion.
Either tempering foundation or preparing for breakthrough.
For Golden Core embryos like them, even suitable missions were usually coordinated among themselves or assigned by the sect.
An inappropriate analogy: like the sect’s reserve double-flower red sticks.
Su Yan was among them.
Having just broken through, he naturally didn’t need seclusion, but he had another matter to handle: Mountain Splitting.
“Here, that stingy Chu Qidao couldn’t even provide all six items.”
Gu Sanqian brought Su Yan cloud-riding straight to the unclaimed mountainous area of Guizang Valley, several more items appearing in his hand: Fire Heart Profound Ore Crystal, Heavenly Heart Lotus, and Earth Heart Profound Crystal.
“Grandmaster, did you rob the Sect Leader?”
All three were First-order High-grade treasures; together, more precious than a single Fourth-order Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
Gu Sanqian snorted coldly: “Oil Light Spirit Flame isn’t available in the sect, or I’d get it for you. Your merits from Blood Flood Dragon Secret Realm warrant a reward, and now breaking through Dan Qiao Realm and capturing Yan Ying people—if you didn’t already have a Natal Spiritual Artifact, he’d reward you a Fourth-order Spirit Tool embryo.”
Gu Sanqian didn’t even need to mention Su Yan’s Nine-Revolutions Golden Core; just these matters guaranteed a solid Dharma Aspect in a century.
Chu Qidao had this judgment.
“Fourth-order Spirit Tool embryo? That’s not cheap.”
Gu Sanqian said: “Don’t worry. After you open your Mountain Gate, Sect Leader Senior Brother will personally open our sect’s Water-Fire Secret Realm, using Heavy Water and Heavenly Fire to help you Temper your Natal Spiritual Artifact—that’s the main reward.”
Su Yan’s eyes brightened slightly: “What kind of Secret Realm is that?”
“Half-Saint Secret Realm. Heavy Water and Heavenly Fire can temper disciple foundations; even Dharma Aspect True Persons benefit greatly. Only great merits allow entry.”
The sect had plenty of heritage, like Hundred Tiger Peak’s Tiger Fiend Secret Realm; Guizang Valley also had Gui Cang Land containing life-death power.
And Water-Fire Secret Realm was one of the sect’s foundations.
“Here”
Gu Sanqian pointed ahead; countless Mountain Peaks loomed, some high, some low, some like Sword Edges piercing clouds, others like Giant Beasts crouching, aura majestic.
“Guizang Valley has thirty-one spare mountains, all with sealed Spiritual Veins inside, at least First-order High-grade. Protected by Formations; whichever you choose is your Cave Dwelling Mountain Peak.”
Su Yan’s gaze swept over; the Mountain Peaks were lush, forests thriving, Spiritual Energy gathering, faint ape cries echoing.
“Grandmaster, are these Mountain Peaks different?”
“No great difference.”
Gu Sanqian said: “All discovered by Fuyue Peak disciples as suitable sealed Spiritual Veins—not too long, not too short. They moved mountains and veins back. Spiritual Veins similar, Formations too. If you want a fine treasure peak, spend time yourself or hire some Servant Disciples.”
Dan Qiao Realm long had qualification to recruit Servant Disciples.
Su Yan’s eyes moved; indeed, Mountain Peaks needed disciples to tend.
Though Xuan Shuang Mountain was vast, with his Master’s temperament, she disdained recruiting Servants; the whole peak had few Medicine Fields, underutilized.
Originally, with disciples, they could be arranged.
But Su Yan focused on cultivation even more than Long Qiushui; truly no one to manage.
Su Yan looked for a while, pointing to a medium-height Mountain Peak stretching several li, like a crawling centipede.
“I want this Mountain Peak.”
Gu Sanqian swiped his Token: “Drip blood on it.”
Su Yan did so, and immediately the Mountain Peak shone to the heavens, surrounding mists dispersing to reveal the peak fully—lush and verdant, shape handsome.
Su Yan was very satisfied, saying repeatedly: “Then let’s call it Ten Thousand Insect Peak.”
Gu Sanqian’s gaze lifted slightly: “Good. Soon find some Servants to tidy it. When free, go find Chu Senior Brother yourself to enter Water-Fire Secret Realm and Temper your Natal Spiritual Artifact.”
