Chapter 170: Subdue Sang Biao! Breakthrough To Late Golden Core!
By the time Ming Zhaoshuang and Sang Biao had completely formed a contract, it was already evening.
It wasn’t that the process of forming the contract was difficult, but rather that during the process of her forming the contract, the spiritual power within her body surged, directly breaking through the mid-stage Golden Core and reaching the late-stage Golden Core.
From this, it could be seen that although Sang Biao had been suppressed for over three thousand years, his strength was still not to be underestimated.
Ming Zhaoshuang had benefited from his influence.
The System, seeing her breakthrough to the late-stage Golden Core, was overjoyed and said, “This is excellent. It’s also considered breaking through a barrier. You truly live up to your reputation, Host! So strong, so amazing, so awesome!”
Ming Zhaoshuang, however, frowned and said, “I feel that this late-stage Golden Core is not very stable.”
She felt that her late-stage Golden Core had a sense of emptiness that she couldn’t quite describe, completely different from the solid breakthroughs she had made before.
The System said with a chuckle, “Oh, it’s alright. As long as you consolidate it later, it won’t have any impact.”
This is also a drawback of breaking through with external aid. Ming Zhaoshuang’s late-stage Golden Core spiritual power is not substantial; it will only truly enter the late-stage Golden Core after continuous accumulation through battles and cultivation.
However, the biggest barrier has been broken, which is not necessarily a bad thing for her.
Ming Zhaoshuang smiled upon hearing this and said, “It seems I have gained the most from this Great Sui Secret Realm.”
Cheng Zhaoyang glanced at the Li Imperial Family, whom she had long since dealt with thoroughly, and nodded with a smile, saying, “Perhaps I have as well.”
The Li Imperial Clan wanted to revive through Sang Biao’s strength, but Ming Zhaoshuang intercepted them. This might not be a bad thing for their Cheng Clan.
Fei Changxiu spread his hands and sighed to the sky, “I’m the only one who got nothing!”
Qin Feilong also said, “I’m the only one who got covered in injuries!”
Ming Chenxing: “…”
Cheng Zhaoyang smiled and said, “You all can divide the Primordial Spirit Fruits this time; I don’t need them.”
She did not need to rely on external aids to increase her cultivation; every step she took was a result of her own continuous breakthroughs. Therefore, this time, she was willing to give all the Primordial Spirit Fruits to Ming Zhaoshuang and the others.
Ming Zhaoshuang also said, “I only want a small portion.”
The System had told her earlier that she could first use the Primordial Spirit Fruits to reach the late-stage Golden Core Great Perfection, and then slowly supplement the cultivation gained from external sources until it completely became a part of her.
This way, it would be twice as effective with half the effort.
The three people behind them rejoiced upon hearing this and were about to speak when they noticed that the secret realm before their eyes was beginning to collapse gradually, shattering bit by bit.
It seemed that with Sang Biao recognizing a master, the core supporting the Great Sui Secret Realm was lost, and the secret realm naturally broke apart.
As Ming Zhaoshuang fell into the black hole of the secret realm, she couldn’t help but think.
She was truly incredible, destroying a secret realm every time she entered one. It was truly absurd.
Fortunately, the Great Sui Secret Realm was derived from a formation. Although the landing points of the secret realm’s collapse were not fixed, they were all within the scope of Great Sui Changjing, so the few of them were not considered lost.
Since Ming Zhaoshuang and the others had killed so many members of the Imperial Family and destroyed the secret realm, they were naturally questioned.
However, Cheng Zhaoyang was no ordinary person. She did not let them come forward to explain at all, shouldering all the blame herself. She only told them to cultivate well and wait for the day of enlightenment.
It was already mid-December when Ming Zhaoshuang came out, and the teleportation array of Qingyun Tower had only half a month left before its activation.
After a few more days, Cheng Zhaoyang finally settled the matter of the Great Sui Secret Realm’s destruction, forcing the Imperial Family to make concessions step by step. Ming Zhaoshuang felt that it would probably only take a few years for Empress Dowager Cheng to overthrow this decadent dynasty.
Immediately after, she went to receive the enlightenment.
Their expedition had swept through the entire Great Sui Secret Realm. Out of the one hundred Primordial Spirit Fruits, after giving two-tenths to the Cheng family, eighty remained.
Ming Zhaoshuang used seven or eight of them and felt that she had reached the realm of late-stage Golden Core Great Perfection. Following the System’s advice, she handed the Primordial Spirit Fruits to Fei Changxiu and the others.
She now only needed to slightly consolidate her late-stage Golden Core Great Perfection realm to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage.
Shen Liqian’s cultivation level could already represent the highest level in the Upper Cultivation World. She also only entered the Nascent Soul Stage at the age of fourteen, but Ming Zhaoshuang, now only thirteen, was on the verge of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage.
The System watched and couldn’t help but marvel, “In the entire cultivation world, no one cultivates faster than you.”
Ming Zhaoshuang smiled and asked, “Not even Feng He?”
The System replied, “What are you comparing her to? She only embarked on the path of cultivation at the age of fifteen. She has a dual Peak Grade Spirit Root of Wood and Water, so her cultivation speed was never going to be as fast as yours.”
Cultivators begin their enlightenment at six years old. Generally, a Peak Grade Spirit Root can reach the Golden Core Stage by fifteen. However, Feng He only began her enlightenment at fifteen, so naturally, she couldn’t compare to Ming Zhaoshuang and the others.
Moreover, Feng He had a Dual Spirit Root, which would generally slow down her cultivation speed by half compared to a Single Spiritual Root. Sometimes, she even struggled to balance the two, which could easily lead to the abandonment of her cultivation path.
Ming Zhaoshuang said, “I just wanted to compare with her to see whose cultivation speed is faster.”
The System smiled and said, “Before entering the Body Integration Stage, Feng He relied heavily on her spiritual beast. She only began climbing the Heavenly Ladder at fifteen, and coming from a small place, she probably only entered the Spirit Transformation Stage in her sixties.”
Feng He could not possibly have had the same excellent cultivation conditions as Ming Zhaoshuang. The pills, spirit tools, and talismans that Ming Zhaoshuang now casually dismissed were things that Feng He had to put in a thousandfold more effort to obtain. Their resources were inherently different, making comparison impossible.
As for her entering the Spirit Transformation Stage and ascending to the Upper Realm, she was already over sixty years old.
The System continued, “After entering the Spirit Transformation Stage, she happened to stumble upon Rim of Dusk Mountain Range and met Wei Shuo. Wei Shuo, being very knowledgeable, discovered that she did not have a Peak Grade Dual Spiritual Root, but rather an Innate Dual Spiritual Root.”
“Since ancient times, only the physique of the Divine Race could possess two Innate Spirit Roots simultaneously. Therefore, Wei Shuo left Feng He with two paths: Rim of Dusk Mountain Range has Phoenix Pool, and Phoenix Pool can perform Marrow Cleansing and Blood Replacement, which is similar in effect to Qin Feilong’s Dragon Clan Bloodline. However, this process is very slow, taking about three full years to completely inherit the Phoenix Race’s bloodline.”
“During this period, the person undergoing blood exchange must endure inhuman pain, and all their previous cultivation will be dispersed.”
In other words, Feng He’s efforts for the first sixty years would be in vain.
“So, at that time, she either had to choose to enter Phoenix Pool and awaken her Innate Dual Spiritual Root, or choose to continue cultivating with only the talent of a Peak Grade Dual Spiritual Root forever. Feng He is a person who is exceptionally ruthless to herself. She chose the first path and cultivated again for over ten years, only then reaching the Spirit Transformation Stage.”
This is why, in the words of others, Feng He had reached the Spirit Transformation Stage before the age of one hundred.
Although reaching it before the age of one hundred was considered genius, it was still insufficient in the face of true heavenly prodigies, so Feng He did not attract attention at that time.
At that time, people treated her as merely an appendage of Dragon King Ao Tian.
Ming Zhaoshuang recalled how the world had described Feng He, and couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t they say that she awakened her Innate Spirit Root only after becoming Dao Companions with Dragon King Ao Tian?”
The System, upon hearing this, seemed to find it somewhat amusing. “If Innate Spirit Roots were so easy to awaken, wouldn’t everyone be eager to enter the Dragon Domain for a marriage alliance?”
Ming Zhaoshuang frowned, suddenly remembering that her own body was destined for a marriage alliance with Qin Feilong.
Qin Du said that her mother’s first request was for this marriage alliance. However, for such a marriage alliance, there was no need to use the word “request,” especially since she was the female party, who was inherently at a disadvantage.
And she had an Innate Ice Spirit Root, but it only had the effect of a Peak Grade Ice Spirit Root. She also had a seal in her mind.
Ming Zhaoshuang couldn’t help but speculate that she was very likely an Innate Dual Spiritual Root, just like Feng He. After all, no one would specifically seal the talent of an Innate Spirit Root into that of a Peak Grade Spirit Root, unless she could only exert the effect of a Peak Grade Spirit Root.
But why was she, an Innate Dual Spiritual Root, sealed as an Innate Single Spiritual Root?
Before Ming Zhaoshuang could figure it out, she heard the System say, unable to help itself:
“Feng He’s Innate Spirit Root was obtained after enduring three years of suffering from Marrow Cleansing and Blood Replacement and re-cultivating from scratch. Yet, people only praised her for her good luck in hitching herself to Dragon King Ao Tian.”
Especially up to now, even though Feng He has garnered attention from the entire Thirty-Six Heavens, she still cannot escape the identity of Dragon King’s wife.
It’s not that the System dislikes Ao Tian, but rather that the System hopes Feng He is just herself, possessing an independent personality, rather than someone’s wife.
It hopes that when people mention Feng He, they will say Feng He, the Beast Taming Saint, the Immortal Crossing, not Dragon King’s wife.
It hopes that when people mention Feng He, they will say Feng He, whose Dao Companion is Ao Tian, and that they are in an equal relationship.
