Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 268 - 267: Kuyong Golden Core (Congratulations to Chief JUNE123!)_1

Chapter 268: Chapter 267: Kuyong Golden Core (Congratulations to Chief JUNE123!)_1

Several years ago.

Having prepared everything, Fang Xi came under the Monster Tree to adjust his state, seeking to bring his essence, energy, and spirit to their peak.

Below the Monster Tree at this time, strands of spiritual energy ebbed and flowed like a dream, casting a brilliant spectrum of light that seemed dreamlike and misty, as if it were a fairyland.

Naturally, this was because he had used the "Spirit Gather Array Skills" to enhance the spiritual energy of the small area he was in to the level of a third-order!

Dragon Fish Island was originally a second-order top-quality Spiritual Vein, essentially unsuitable for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to make a breakthrough to Core Formation.

But with the path of arrays, what seemed impossible could be made possible!

However, setting up the "Spirit Gather Array Skills" required a considerably large amount of resources, and once activated, it also continuously consumed Spirit Stones every moment.

Therefore, apart from making major breakthroughs, Fang Xi did not use this array for his regular cultivation practice; in fact, he couldn’t afford to...

At some point, Fang Xi opened his eyes, one pupil sprouted the vibrant green of bursting vitality, while the other glinted with dried-up yellow desolation.

At this moment, Fang Xi felt that his Divine Consciousness, Magic Power, and state were all tuned to their apex!

He no longer hesitated. The chants of the 14th layer of Kuyong Skills flowed smoothly in his mind like a fresh stream, the technique he had long since comprehended countless times, every acupoint intimately familiar.

"Kuyong Transformation, revolving of Life and Death, the fusion of Yin-Yang, the Dragon-Tiger Golden Core!"

Reciting the truth silently in his heart, he formed seals with his hands, resembling Tai Chi; one side of his Magic Power lush and jade-like, the other side withered and desolate.

"Ancient great Divine Skill cultivators formed cores with the belief in ’Solidifying Sky Gang Earth Evil’, ’Water and Fire Refining Golden Pill’... This actually means condensing the unity of Yin and Yang to embrace the core!"

"After enduring the nine turns of Life and Death, one achieves the Grand Accomplishment of Golden Core!"

"From this perspective... ’Kuyong Skills’ are truly worthy of being top-tier techniques, extracting the cultivation experience of ancient cultivators. The underlying concept is indeed lofty... using Kuyong as a metaphor for Yin-Yang and Life and Death... When Kuyong unifies, the Grand Accomplishment of Golden Core is achieved!"

Having understood this principle, Fang Xi’s mind was exceptionally clear, and he began the core formation process!

Core Formation, like Foundation Establishment, had the three stages of essence, energy, and spirit.

He absorbed every bit of the third-order Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi into his body, like boiling water added to hot oil, causing the three hundred sixty-five droplets of liquid Magic Power inside his Dantian Qi Ocean to react violently!

To harmonise the Yin-Yang of Dragon and Tiger seems simple in theory but is incredibly difficult in practice!

Fang Xi grunted, feeling as if his Dantian were pierced by a thousand arrows. The liquid Magic Power, which had gathered to form a green-yellow liquid ’Grand Pill,’ began to oscillate violently, creating waves as if it might explode at any moment!

How formidable was his Magic Power now?

Three hundred sixty-five droplets of liquid Magic Power represented the true limit of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

Waves of Magic Power ripple throughout his body, shaking the marrow of his bones... Instantly, Fang Xi’s entire skin began to crack, revealing stripes of blood marks.

His meridians, unable to withstand the powerful infusion of Magic Power, began to feel the strain and his body’s bones emitted mournful creaks.

Fortunately, Fang Xi was after all a body cultivator, having achieved the body of a Martial God, far tougher than the average Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Not only that but as he felt he could hardly hold on, a series of Silver Seal Script emerged on his bones.

The potent vitality of the ’Yi Wood Magic Body’ burst forth within!

Fang Xi suddenly felt lighter, as if a faint green radiance enveloped the surroundings of his meridians, forming a strong protection.

As his skin continued to peel off, beneath the dead skin emerged even whiter and more delicate new flesh.

Even though his body was continuously being destroyed, the inexhaustible support of the ’Yi Wood Magic Body’ allowed his physique to be tempered like finely-forged steel, advancing further amidst destruction and reconstruction.

Having crossed the stage of bodily metamorphosis, Fang Xi’s expression grew solemn, his entire Divine Consciousness already entering within the Dantian Qi Ocean.

As his hands formed seals, the radiance upon his body grew increasingly intense.

The azure-green and withered-yellow colors cycled and transformed, flashing continuously nine times!

Within the Qi Ocean of the Dantian.

The ’Pill’ created from the liquid Magic Power endured several impacts, on the verge of exploding!

Fortunately, after continuous purification by the ’Yi Wood Magic Body,’ thirty percent of Fang Xi’s liquid Magic Power had completely solidified, acting like a stabilizing anchor.

After several exchanges, the azure-green and withered-yellow liquid Magic Power remained inseparable, yet eventually began to fuse together, emitting a flicker of golden-purple gleam from the center.

This gleam flickered, at first feeble, then firming up into a golden speck, which then began to devour and compress the surrounding liquid Magic Power...

In the end, it formed a Golden Core, with a golden-purple hue and emitting an azure-yellow halo!

"Kuyong Transformation, the Golden Core is thus formed!"

All of this went even more smoothly than Fang Xi had anticipated.

Perhaps it was because he had cultivated the ’Yi Wood Magic Body’, that his gifts were enhanced, or perhaps it was the effect of the thirty percent solidified Magic Power, or maybe it was because he had secured his Magic Power step by step to the extreme during Foundation Establishment...

Or perhaps it was the combination of these factors that made his Gold Core Pill condensation process go very smoothly.

Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness swiftly entered the Golden Core, intending to control this newly formed Kuyong Golden Core to start devouring the surrounding Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi!

Just at this moment, an unexpected change occurred!

Outside the Kuyong Golden Core, Fang Xi felt resistance, or rather a defiance!

That was the mighty force of the Golden Core True Origin, instinctively resisting the cultivator’s Divine Consciousness!

If the Divine Consciousness wasn’t strong enough to break into the Golden Core and draw upon its intrinsic energy for the transformation of the Divine Consciousness...

Then in the end, Core Formation would still fail!

This was the final stage, the Divine Consciousness stage!

Fang Xi only then noticed that the surface of his Golden Core was pitted and even had tiny cracks; it was actually not perfect!

"The Golden Core is the fusion of the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit. If it cannot be perfected, ultimately, it will shatter and one would fall back to the Foundation Establishment realm..."

"Fortunately... My Divine Consciousness, after experiencing the refinement of traversing through numerous heavens multiple times, is unparalleled even among Foundation Establishment cultivators who cultivated Divine Consciousness techniques!"

Fang Xi’s thoughts were sharp as a blade, driving his immensely powerful Divine Consciousness with an unstoppable determination, fiercely surging towards his Golden Core.

Boom!

As if breaking through an invisible membrane, Fang Xi’s Divine Consciousness took control of the Golden Core True Origin, truly entering the interior of the Golden Core!

At this moment, his Divine Consciousness began drawing from the Golden Core’s primal energy, undergoing another transformation!

Originally, Fang Xi could extend his Divine Consciousness outward by about four or five hundred yards.

After it had transformed into a Golden Core Consciousness, his awareness knew no bounds and began to spread to the outside world...

Five miles, ten miles, fifteen miles!

Only after reaching twenty miles did Fang Xi suddenly feel a wave of fatigue and withdrew his Divine Consciousness.

According to the descriptions of Nascent Soul-level techniques such as ’Kuyong Skills,’ normal Core Formation initial stage cultivators should have a Divine Consciousness range of about five to ten miles. My Divine Consciousness limit is twenty miles now, which means its strength is about two to four times that of a beginning Core Formation cultivator?"

This was certainly due to Fang Xi’s inherently mighty Divine Consciousness. With a sufficient base and after experiencing the transformation of Core Formation, he was able to benefit more!

After a brief attempt with his Divine Consciousness, Fang Xi did not dare to slack off and silently started to operate the fourteenth layer of the ’Kuyong Skills’ technique!

’Kuyong Skills’ is a top-tier technique, the first ten layers corresponding to the ten layers of Qi Refining, while layers eleven through thirteen correspond to the Foundation Establishment period.

The fourteenth layer is the Core Formation initial stage technique!

As the technique slowly began to operate, Fang Xi’s Golden Core, under the control of his Divine Consciousness, started absorbing a great amount of Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi.

Drop by drop of Spiritual Liquid entered the Golden Core, gradually smoothing out its uneven surface, and the cracks began to disappear...

By operating the Kuyong Golden Core, one obtains great fortune and magic power!

Even then, Fang Xi felt a blockage; the spiritual energy from the outside was far from enough to meet the demands of the Kuyong Golden Core!

Even a third-tier low-grade Spiritual Vein was insufficient for him who desperately needed to consolidate his cultivation realm at this time.

If he could not consolidate the initial stage of Core Formation in time, there would still be a risk of regression.

With this thought, Fang Xi no longer hesitated, flicking his fingers.

A prohibition was lifted, and dozens of high-quality Spirit Stones that had been prepared appeared before him.

The Kuyong magic power of Core Formation level surged out, engulfing these high-quality Spirit Stones and began drawing the pure spiritual energy within!

To draw spiritual energy from Spirit Stones, which eliminates the need to absorb and refine from the environment... the efficiency was improved by more than just a thousandfold, wasn’t it?

Moreover, the vast and pure spiritual energy contained within these high-quality Spirit Stones was incomparable to any Spiritual Vein!

With each breath, Fang Xi felt streams of spiritual energy turn into mighty rivers, flowing through his meridians and eventually converging in the Dantian Qi Ocean, where the Kuyong Golden Core sucked it in like a whale drawing water!

Hum!

After devouring the last drop of Spiritual Liquid, the Kuyong Golden Core suddenly roared and the last crack disappeared from view, transforming into a plump and radiant, flawless Golden Core!

"Core Formation... it’s finally done!"

Fang Xi opened his eyes, his face revealing an ecstatic expression.

After nearly two hundred years of arduous Cultivation, today he finally achieved the Grand Accomplishment of Golden Core, standing at the pinnacle among cultivators of the three nations!

From now on, he would enjoy a prolonged life and tremendous magic power, free to roam the Cultivation World at will!

"But... I still can’t get carried away!"

Fang Xi did not immediately leave his retreat but sat cross-legged and silently felt the changes within his Golden Core.

At this time, the Golden Core was slowly operating, and with each rotation, strands of Golden Core True Origin were refined.

Not only that, but inside the Golden Core, there was a strand of cyan-colored flame burning vigorously.

This was the ’Core Fire,’ whose power far exceeded the Innate True Fire of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

And it seemed to have merged with ’Yi Wood True Fire,’ resulting in some unknown transformation.

Fang Xi opened his mouth and exhaled a strand of cyan Core Fire, starting the re-sacrificial refining of the two magical artifacts, ’Green Barley Sword’ and ’Life-Death Seal,’ which appeared before him.

Ordinary Core Formation ancestors, after achieving the Golden Core, still have to consider the issue of life-bound magical artifacts.

But Fang Xi had no such concerns, he had long prepared one offensive and one defensive magical artifact!

The power of the ’Green Barley Sword’ goes without saying.

The ’Life-Death Seal’ is even more extraordinary in material and has been nurtured over a long time with ’Treasure Planting Jue,’ its power far exceeding ordinary magical artifacts.

"With this... I’m not at the bottom among Core Formation cultivators, right?"

Refining the two life-bound magical artifacts was an extremely easy matter.

Fang Xi thought for a moment and then took out two more magical artifacts, namely the ’Three Yang True Fire Cover’ and the ’Sealing Spirit Stake’!

These two magical artifacts contained the magical power imprints of You Kun, which he couldn’t refine before without great effort.

But now, with Golden Core True Fire combined with the magic power of Core Formation level, it was much easier to refine.