Within the Cosmos Branch Academy, Li Fan appeared to be sitting in quiet meditation, as was usual during seclusion. In truth, a world-shaking transformation was occurring within him.
The black-and-white Golden Core devoured all the disparate energies within the vortex of his dantian, growing stronger with each passing moment.
As time flowed, the vortex slowly diminished, while the Golden Core became increasingly solid and vibrant. Its form grew more perfectly spherical, the black and white colors on its surface swirling with ever-greater speed.
When the vortex was completely consumed, and the black and white finally merged into one at that extreme velocity, a wave of power erupted from the core. It swept through his dantian in an instant, then propagated throughout Li Fan's entire body.
Wherever this wave passed, all the chaotic energies remaining from the core formation process, scattered throughout his body, were utterly pacified and dissolved.
All turbulence subsided into perfect calm. The wave completed its circuit and rushed back, carrying with it the spiritual qi suffusing his limbs and bones, as well as the Tribulation Bodies stored in his dantian that held his accumulated cultivation.
The mass of light formed by the Return to Truth followed this returning wave, transforming into a strand of pure radiance that plunged deep into the Golden Core's interior.
With this final missing piece in place, Li Fan's Golden Core was at last fully formed. It fell into a state of absolute stillness for a fleeting moment, then released a blinding, glorious light. It illuminated his entire being, so intense it even disrupted his internal vision.
As the light gradually receded and Li Fan looked inward once more, he saw a seemingly ordinary, unadorned Golden Core floating serenely within his dantian.
Before he could even process this sight, a torrential surge of spiritual power erupted from the core, flooding from his dantian out to every corner of his body.
This was a new power, surpassing his Foundation Establishment realm strength in both quality and quantity by an immense degree.
Every cell in his body, bathed in the nourishing spiritual power of the Golden Core realm, seemed to sing with joyous exultation.
A long-lost sense of vitality and youthfulness welled up in Li Fan's heart.
Through countless hardships and dangers, surviving brushes with death time and again... today, I have finally achieved Golden Core.
It was truly hard-won. I am truly fortunate indeed.
With a sigh in his heart, Li Fan opened Return to Truth’s panel to examine the changes after core formation.
Name: Li Fan
Realm: Early-stage Golden Core
Biological Age: 48/599
Psychological Age: 1240/4200↑
Virtualization Charging Progress: 200%
Charging Progress of Next Anchor Point: 2%
Anchor Points In Use: 3
Available Anchor Points: 0
Bound Items: Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture, Taiyan Boat, Halt Stele Fragment (Damaged), Myriad Mortal Essence Blood, Dao Transformation Stone
Techniques: Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra, Cloudwater Dream Illusion Art, Heaven-Swapping Art, Creation Forge Technique, Thousand Mechanisms Jade Cosmos Scripture, Mountain-Sitting Art, Intent Spirit Illusion Art
Divine Abilities: Interlocking Chains of Life and Death, Formless Killing Mechanism, Insect Binding, One Congyun Sword Strike, Heaven-Overturning Palm
Special: Eternal Remnant Will (Tian Yang) <Usages Left: 1>
My biological age limit has jumped from four hundred years to six hundred, an increase of nearly 50%. The upper limit of my psychological age has also begun to rise again.
The cultivation one needs to accumulate at the Golden Core realm is indeed vastly greater than at Foundation Establishment. I had thought the cultivation stored in those few Tribulation Bodies would propel me straight to the mid-stage Golden Core realm after core formation. Yet, I barely progressed past one-third...
Perhaps this is also because I formed my core using nine laws. A Nine-Law Golden Core is naturally incomparable to an ordinary one.
Recalling the process of core formation just now, Li Fan had to admit that a measure of luck had been involved in his success this time. The power of the five elements had been hastily cobbled together, with the power of water and fire far outstripping that of metal, wood, and earth. This resulted in the circulation of the five elements being less than harmonious and smooth. Instead, it constantly teetered on the brink of losing control, nearly causing his endeavor to fail at the final hurdle.
Fortunately, the end result is acceptable. I've barely managed to form a Golden Core of passable power. The Golden Core, now complete, was one with Li Fan. He naturally understood all its myriad wondrous functions.
The nine laws included in his core formation process, and the various functions of Return to Truth as a Foundation Establishment Curio, were all now contained within this Golden Core.
From now on, whenever Li Fan employed arcane arts of the five elements, those elements would respond to him as naturally as moving his own limbs, amplifying his power, with water and fire yielding the most pronounced effects.
The five elements would generate each other in an endless cycle, improving his combat endurance by an incalculable level compared to the Vine of Shared Hatred.
Li Fan was confident that if he were to return to the spiritual qi-barren Immortal Forsaken Land now, he could last for a considerable time just relying on the spiritual qi within his own body, even in a state of constant expenditure from combat.
Furthermore, the existence of Hidden Reserves' Law would allow Li Fan to recover from his injuries at an extremely rapid pace.
These two factors combined practically made Li Fan an entity that could neither be worn down nor broken.
The Blue Flame phantom spirit had vanished, no longer residing in his sea of consciousness. Instead, it had become part of the Golden Core's laws. Now, Li Fan could enter that previous state of absolute rationality at will, without relying on the Blue Flame phantom spirit.
And as for Heaven-Scorning and Ink Death... At the very moment the Golden Core was formed, a profound, inexplicable insight blossomed in Li Fan's heart. He contemplated it and obtained a single killing move that fused the characteristics of both.
Use the power of the five elements as the core driver, with the annihilating force of Heaven-Scorning and Ink Death as the blade's edge. Add to that the indomitable, strike-with-unerring-accuracy spirit of the Twenty-Eight Congyun Swords.
In his mind's conception, Li Fan named it the Great Five Elements Annihilation Sword.
A pity this is my ultimate trump card, not something to be revealed lightly. This Cosmos Branch Academy has multiple layers of surveillance; I cannot test its effects here.
After mentally envisioning the power of this new divine ability, Li Fan reluctantly suppressed the thought. Having summarized his gains, he also engaged in reflection and future planning.
The disharmony of the five elements must be rectified sooner or later. Otherwise, even if there's no issue during the Golden Core realm, I will surely face setbacks when seizing those perfect, self-contained Five Elements Grotto-Heavens.
The Heavenly Venerable's new methodology allowed for fast cultivation, that was true. But upon breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, one would inevitably begin to face the counterattacks of heaven and earth.
If peering into the laws of heaven and earth could be compared to copying from a canvas, then seizing the essence of heaven and earth could be seen as forcibly stealing a precious painting from a museum filled with treasures.
Naturally, one would face the retaliation of the security system.
Li Fan was not yet clear on the specific details, having only read mentions of it before.
Next, I will cultivate while gathering relevant information.
It will not be easy to obtain information on the Five Elements Grotto-Heavens or five elements forces that can rival Hanhai and Crimson Flame.
This will require careful planning.
When Li Fan, now in the Golden Core realm, resumed his cultivation, he felt the slow crawl of his progress for the first time in a long while.
He couldn't help but think of Xiao Heng, He Zhenghao, and Su Xiaomei.
Xiao Heng should currently be in Shilin Province, and Su Xiaomei has yet to emerge from the ruins of the Chaoyuan Sect.
He Zhenghao has finished his closed-door training, but he seems burdened with official duties and hasn't had much opportunity to cultivate.
Hmm, they have all broken through to the Golden Core realm. Any further progress can no longer be accomplished in a matter of days.
Seems like it’s time to cultivate some new crops.