A few days later...
In the dead of night, Meng Chuan sat cross-legged on his bed. Moonlight shone onto his body through the window.
My Lightning Divine Body is completely perfected. I can now attempt to condense my core. Meng Chuan was filled with anticipation.
Mortal cultivation had five major realms.
The realm with the slowest progress and expended the most cultivation resources was the Mortal Shedding realm. This was when a person began shedding one’s mortal coils and gradually possessed Godfiend powers. During this process, one would need to consume a large number of supplements like lucidum or ginseng pills to support the expenditure. For instance, even with the Meng family providing him a limitless supply of supplements, it took him nearly three years before he completed the shedding process.
For those who were not wealthy enough—without sufficient supplements to allow their bodies to undergo a mortal shedding—their body’s transformation would be slow. It was normal for them to spend ten to twenty years. Furthermore, they would be “malnourished.” Their physical bodies and Quintessential Energy would also be weaker than experts of the same level.
The Zhou family—the instigator of the Idle Stone Garden battle—had given a thousand-year-old ginseng that was worth ten thousand taels to Meng Chuan as an apology gift. It was meant for their young master when he underwent his Mortal Shedding cultivation. This was a testament to how expensive cultivation was in the Mortal Shedding realm. Many Mortal Shedding experts took up jobs as guards and subordinates to earn resources for their cultivation.
If they were talented, the family clan would view them in a different light.
For example, Meng Chuan and Yan Jin not only had sufficient resources, but they also had all kinds of natural treasures to establish their Godfiend foundation.
For Mei Yuanzhi, he was groomed by the Dao Academy and the Godfiend families, allowing him to complete his Mortal Shedding in three years. However, they couldn’t provide him rare treasures that could establish a strong Godfiend foundation. Mei Yuanzhi’s talent was still a little lacking in the end, and he failed to enter Archean Mountain. If he had the talent of King Calm Sea’s fifth son, he would have been recruited by Archean Mountain and groomed tremendously even if he were a commoner.
On the contrary, the Seamless realm expended the least.
As long as one broke through to the Seamless realm, they just needed a few months of preparation to reach the mortal body’s pinnacle. There was no point in cultivating any further once this happened. If one wished to improve their body further, they had to become a Godfiend!
Using Quintessential Energy to condense a core. That’s the final threshold before the Life-and-Death juncture. Meng Chuan’s eyes were filled with anticipation.
Eastcalm Prefecture only had three Core Condensation experts.
But in the past few decades, almost all of the geniuses who had appeared in Eastcalm Prefecture had fought in wars to accumulate contribution credits. A few of them had succeeded in condensing a core.
For example, Fairy Meng had become an outer sect disciple of Archean Mountain. She had been fighting outside all this while. Her teammates were all equally talented as her, and almost all of them had succeeded in condensing a core. They worked hard together to accumulate credits in exchange for a chance to attempt the Life-and-Death juncture. Fairy Meng had managed to obtain a chance to enter the Godfiend Blood Pool and attempt a breakthrough after she had enough credits. Failure meant death. She succeeded and absorbed the powers within the Godfiend Blood Pool to become a true Godfiend. But most of her companions—those who had already successfully condensed a core—died in battle while accumulating credit. They didn’t even have the chance to enter the Godfiend Blood Pool.
There were only two people who made an attempt. Only Fairy Meng succeeded.
Mei Yuanzhi would take a similar path. The path to becoming a Godfiend was that difficult. If he couldn’t enter Archean Mountain, he could only work hard and accumulate credit for a chance to enter the Godfiend Blood Pool.
The three Core Condensation experts in Eastcalm Prefecture, such as Yun Fucheng stayed in the prefecture to live peaceful lives because they no longer had any hope of becoming Godfiends. Those who still had hope remained on the battlefield.
With the body seamless, Quintessential Energy will condense into a core. That’s just one prerequisite for becoming a Godfiend. The sooner I succeed, the better. Meng Chuan closed his eyes. It’s time.
Inside his dantian, concentrated Quintessential Energy gathered. After a mortal body reached the peak, the Quintessential Energy in one’s dantian would reach maximum concentration.
Arise!
The thick, mist-like Quintessential Energy began to fuse with Meng Chuan’s Force. The wisps of Quintessential Energy fused with Saber Force. It allowed Quintessential Energy to undergo a qualitative change. The prerequisite for condensing a core required the comprehension of Force.
Wisps of Quintessential Energy condensed into saber lights that were much denser than before. They began to revolve and gather in the center like countless small fish.
Condense! Condense!
Meng Chuan put his all into controlling the Quintessential Energy, compressing it with full force. The more compressed it was, the better. Once the density reached a certain level, it would completely change.
As the revolutions and pressure continued, some of the saber light in the innermost region began to wear away and was squeezed into a ball.
Revolution, compression, condensation!
One’s Saber Force had to be strong enough before one had a chance of successfully condensing the core. Otherwise, it would disperse. Many experts who had comprehended Force were unable to condense a core for the rest of their lives.
Meng Chuan had comprehended Saber Force at the age of 16. In the past two years, he had been cultivating arduously every day. He had also cultivated the remnant moves of the Lightning Devastator Saber and had improved tremendously. This was how he could suppress Yan Jin without using his Power of the Soul.
His Saber Force was quite strong.
Boom!
After his Quintessential Energy revolved for over an hour, Meng Chuan heard a rumbling sound from his dantian. Saber lights and Quintessential Energy swirled around for a long time before finally turning into a tiny sphere. This was also known as the Essence Core. The Essence Core was white in color, and his Quintessential Energy had been completely converted into Quintessential Essence. The power of Quintessential Essence was much greater.
The same move, but with Quintessential Essence complementing the body, could unleash greater strength and speed, making it far more powerful.
I succeeded! Meng Chuan opened his eyes and smiled. He extended his finger.
Chi! Chi! Chi!
Lightning danced across his finger tips.
“After condensing a core, I can finally release lightning,” Meng Chuan muttered softly. Previously, the lightning within his body could only increase the speed of circulation. Now, he could release it to affect the enemy.
If he were to become a Godfiend, he could blast out lightning with a wave of his hand! It would be normal for him to transform into lightning to travel.
There’s one final step left to becoming a Godfiend—the Life-and-Death Juncture.
Disciples of Archean Mountain didn’t need to risk their lives to accumulate credit, but they had to be absolutely confident before they entered the Godfiend Blood Pool.
As for Fairy Meng, Mei Yuanzhi, and others who were lacking in talent, they needed to accumulate credit to exchange for opportunities. However, even if they were not fully confident, they could still attempt to make a breakthrough. This was because it was an opportunity they had risked their lives for.
From the standpoint of the human race, it was better not to waste precious resources like the Godfiend Blood Pool on those with low hopes of success.
But sometimes, people needed to be given hope!
When breaking through in the Godfiend Blood Pool, I will be struck by lightning because I have a Lightning Divine Body. My Life-and-Death juncture will be extremely difficult. I need to make even more preparations.
Standing in front of the window and staring out at the bright moon, Meng Chuan was still in a good mood.
He had sworn an oath when he was six. Now, he was getting closer and closer to becoming a Godfiend.
...
The days in Eastcalm Prefecture were very peaceful. Many people within the city began to discuss the upcoming Demon-Slaying Meet that was held once every three years! The last time, Meng Chuan and Yan Jin had shone the brightest. Now that both elites had already gained insights into Force, what would happen this time?
“I heard that the Wind Center Dao Academy has a disciple named Zhang Fan. He figured out the secret technique at seventeen. The Zhang family has produced another powerful figure.”
“That’s nothing. The Blazing Sun Dao Academy has a female archer named Liu Qiyue. She’s not from a Godfiend family clan either. She realized the secret technique at sixteen. Her talent is even greater. She should be the most impressive at this Demon-Slaying Meet.”
“Have you forgotten? I heard that this year, both Young Masters Meng Chuan and Yan Jin will be last to go on stage.”
“Young Master Yan Jin is truly formidable. He has defeated three Core Condensation experts. Young Master Meng Chuan also comprehended Force at the same time. He is also quite impressive.”
“I did hear that Young Master Yan Jin has visited Mirror Lake Meng Manor many times, but he has never won.”
In the tea house at night, the people were chatting very excitedly. Some people in Eastcalm Prefecture were drinking in restaurants or having fun at brothels, while ordinary people had gone to bed early.
And at this moment—
Fifty feet beneath Eastcalm Prefecture, land began to twist and distort. Some of the dirt and rocks were reduced to dust. On the other side of the distorted region, there was a mountain, and a giant bird hundreds of feet wide flying in the sky. Soon, a black beam rose up from a distant mountain, landing near this distorted area. It was a black ape carrying a staff.
The black ape looked towards the distorted space, a savage look in its eyes.