Chapter 690: Gold Core Sixth Layer

In the year 6526 of the Yuan Era, the nation-building army conquered the States of Xiao and Hong.

Under the command of the Divine Wood Sect, all territories, except for a small area of the Yan State centered around its imperial capital, had fallen into the hands of King Han. Facing a furious assault from hundreds of thousands of troops, although Duan Shuyu's defenses were unparalleled, over time, a decline gradually began to show. Just as Jiang Zongheng believed the overall situation was decided, King Han passed away.

“Such is fate!” Chen Mobai sighed and uttered these four words after listening to Jiang Zongheng's account.

“Master, after King Han’s death, the First Prince and Second Prince of the fledgling nation might fight over the throne,” Jiang Zongheng also looked regretful; King Han had been just one step away from becoming the co-ruler of the world.

After King Han's death, Jiang Zongheng personally examined his body and confirmed that it was not an accident, nor was it a secret attack from Yan State. Instead, his lifespan had simply run out, leading to death from the exhaustion of his mind and body. King Han should have had a few more years of life left, but his son's death had stirred his emotions, and his subsequent decision to personally lead the army had completely depleted his vital essence. In this situation, no medicine could help, and Jiang Zongheng had no solutions.

“Go handle it,” Chen Mobai, however, fully entrusted these mundane affairs to Jiang Zongheng, as he had more important matters to attend to. After a year of continuous use of the Lantern Art, his cultivation at the fifth level of the Golden Core stage was thoroughly consolidated, and he was preparing to pluck and consume the Tier 4 Immortal Peach Fruit.

Chen Mobai, controlling the Crimson Cloud Silk, arrived at Mount Xiaonan. Before he even landed, he saw a swirling mist of spiritual energy at the mountain peak, with a slender figure discernible at its center. A pale red light emanated from within, resembling a blooming red flower. Seeing this, Chen Mobai stopped himself, so as not to disturb Han Zhiling's Foundation Establishment breakthrough.

He closed his eyes, performed the Voice of the Empty Valley technique, and listened to the transforming rhythm of the spiritual energy mass on the mountaintop. About three days later, as the last surge of spiritual energy was refined, the 'melody' of the transformation began to wane, until it completely subsided. The spiritual energy dispersed, and the firelight receded. Han Zhiling opened her eyes with joy, feeling the liquid spiritual energy in her Dantian and Qi Sea, which had grown immeasurably stronger. She was about to try it out. Then, she saw the young man drinking tea under the immortal peach tree not far away.

“Greetings, Grandmaster!” Han Zhiling was startled. She immediately rose and approached Chen Mobai, respectfully bowing to him.

“Rise. You are the first third-generation disciple of Mount Xiaonan to achieve Foundation Establishment. As your Grandmaster, I have prepared three gifts for you.” Chen Mobai smiled and spoke, then flicked his sleeve. Three items landed on the tea table: a Qingyang Fire Seed, two jade slips, and a branch!

“Grandmaster, aren’t these too valuable?!” Han Zhiling didn’t know what the jade slips and the branch were, but she recognized the Qingyang Fire Seed. This item's market price in the Divine Wood Sect was at least 10,000 spirit stones. Moreover, it was a priceless treasure, rarely available for purchase.

“If you wish to cultivate the Crimson Flame Sword Art, this wood-origin fire is the foundation. Originally, I thought of refining a complete one for you, but that would set your starting point too high, and you would lack the necessary integration with the Qingyang Fire. This could hinder your progress towards higher realms in the future.” Chen Mobai pointed at the purple Qingyang Fire Seed in front of him. He had obtained this from the Artifact Tree and then painstakingly cultivated it using the Pure Green Art. During this process, he had grown and advanced with the fire seed, laying a solid foundation for cultivating the Azure Flame Sword Aura.

“Anything Grandmaster arranges must be right!” Han Zhiling treated every word Chen Mobai spoke as a profound truth. After listening, she began to envision her future invincible demeanor once she mastered the Sword Aura.

“Of these two jade slips, one contains the Crimson Flame Sword Art, which I deduced as suitable for you, and can be cultivated all the way to the perfected Golden Core stage. The other contains my insights into this sword art over the years, including corresponding sword dao realms and experiences in drawing sword talismans. You can decide which path to take. Finally, this branch is a piece of Immortal Wood that I cut off when I mastered the Extreme Yang Slash. Senior Brother Mo Douguang once obtained something similar in the Divine Tree Secret Realm, and it has now become his renowned Immortal Sword of the Eastern Barrens. Consider this my expectation for you.”

These three gifts from Chen Mobai would at least enable Han Zhiling to cultivate up to the Golden Core realm. In the entire Eastern Barrens, only he could afford such a grand gesture.

Han Zhiling's beautiful face turned red with excitement, rendering her speechless. She could only repeatedly prostrate herself before the young Grandmaster, who sat composed and elegant under the immortal peach tree.

“I will also teach you the Pure Green Art for refining Qingyang Fire…” Chen Mobai then instructed Han Zhiling on various common-sense matters to note after Foundation Establishment, taught her some minor spells, and then told her to find Gu Yan. After her breakthrough, Han Zhiling's status within the Divine Wood Sect needed to be re-registered and changed. She would need to collect her various entitlements and apply to enter the Divine Tree Secret Realm. Considering the numerous tasks, Chen Mobai called Gu Yan over and had her take Han Zhiling to handle these miscellaneous affairs.

After the two women left, Chen Mobai looked up at the five vibrant, plump peaches on the immortal peach tree. These Tier 4 Immortal Peach Fruits had easily ripened thanks to the effects of the Ten Thousand Transformations Thunder Water. However, at that time, Chen Mobai had just reached the fifth level of the Golden Core stage, so he had waited, ensuring his cultivation was thoroughly consolidated and his foundation solid before coming to harvest them.

Using the Voice of the Empty Valley, Chen Mobai listened carefully and selected the one that appeared relatively the plumpest. In truth, each fruit contained nearly the same amount of energy. After plucking it, he took a direct bite. Its taste was no different from a Tier 3 fruit. It melted in his mouth, flowing through his body like a gentle, pure spiritual liquid, seamlessly integrating into every part of his being. Chen Mobai then refined it into vast spiritual power using the Pure Yang Scroll.

Under his spiritual sense, the Tier 4 spiritual energy at the mountaintop surged like strands of flowing air. In an instant, the phenomenon surpassed Han Zhiling's Foundation Establishment breakthrough by dozens of times. Soon, the entire mountaintop was enveloped in a misty spiritual aura, resembling an immortal mountain veiled in clouds. As the spiritual energy flowed in and was refined, Chen Mobai noticed his Pure Yang spiritual power rapidly increasing. In just a few breaths, it was equivalent to one or two months of his normal cultivation. Yet, only about one percent of the Immortal Peach Fruit's potency had been consumed.

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Chen Mobai focused on absorbing spiritual energy and refining the peach fruit. However, he soon discovered a problem: the spiritual energy seemed insufficient.

Because Chen Mobai had just had a breakthrough at the Immortal Sect, he didn't go to Mount Danxia this time to avoid potentially triggering signs of another breakthrough. After all, a year was too short; even extraordinary talent for Spirit Transformation couldn't explain such rapid progress. Wouldn't it be overtly revealing his astonishing fortuitous encounter to the Immortal Sect? Although Chen Mobai enjoyed showing off, this would be too high-profile.

In fact, Mount Xiaonan's Tier 4 low-grade spiritual vein would have been sufficient for a normal, gradual breakthrough. However, after consuming this Tier 4 Immortal Peach Fruit, Chen Mobai was refining a year's, or even several years', worth of spiritual energy in an extremely short period. This led to the spiritual energy supply on Mount Xiaonan becoming insufficient.

However, Chen Mobai was experienced in such matters. Two methods immediately flashed through his mind. One was to seal the Immortal Peach Fruit's potency within his body and slowly refine it over time. The second was to use spirit stones to supplement the insufficient spiritual energy.

Generally, cultivators would choose the first method, as it would stabilize their foundation, prevent spiritual power from becoming unstable, and avoid injury to the physical body from refining too much spiritual energy in a very short time. But Chen Mobai chose the second method. He possessed the Lantern Art and the Longevity Dao Body; these potential risks could be compensated for later. When a sect encountered an opportunity for rapid cultivation advancement, they must firmly grasp it.

However, just as he was about to pour out a pile of high-grade spirit stones from his realm, he remembered the supreme-grade spirit stone he had placed there a year ago. With a thought, Chen Mobai drew it into his palm. Given his current cultivation, a single high-grade spirit stone would certainly not be enough. Using this supreme-grade spirit stone, which was still partially charged, would save him the trouble of repeatedly replacing spirit stones. Moreover, it could be recharged after use, making it economical and environmentally friendly.

Chen Mobai no longer hesitated and began to absorb the vast spiritual energy from the supreme-grade spirit stone. In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Sitting atop Mount Xiaonan, Chen Mobai, relying on his Longevity Dao Body, worked day and night without rest, finally refining the entire Tier 4 Immortal Peach Fruit. At this point, the Pure Yang spiritual power within him surged to its peak, unable to increase further. This was a clear sign of encountering another bottleneck!

Feeling his current cultivation realm, a smile appeared on Chen Mobai’s face. He hadn’t expected that a single Tier 4 Immortal Peach Fruit would directly bring him to the perfected fifth level of the Golden Core stage, which he had just broken through to. According to his own estimates, even with all external resources maximized and the Golden Crow Sun-Swallowing Pill, it would have taken at least ten years to reach such a realm. One peach had saved him ten years of arduous cultivation, which further solidified Chen Mobai's belief that his chosen path was the most correct.

He looked up at the remaining four Tier 4 Immortal Peach Fruits still hanging on the branches, his smile widening. With a thought, Pure Yang Purple Qi and a Blood Spirit Pill appeared from thin air. Because this completion of the fifth Golden Core layer was achieved with external aid, he couldn't naturally induce a breakthrough and could only rely on pills to overcome the barrier. The Blood Spirit Pill, in particular, was used in the Celestial River Realm for breakthroughs from early to middle stage, and middle to late stage cultivation. However, compared to the Pure Yang Purple Qi, Chen Mobai preferred to use this pill. This was because the Blood Spirit Pill had a low success rate—reportedly only ten to twenty percent—for breaking through the mid-Golden Core bottleneck. Perhaps it would be perfectly suited for this situation.

Nevertheless, Chen Mobai was mentally prepared to use the Pure Yang Purple Qi as well. After all, external resources could be accumulated again after use. But if his cultivation realm became stagnant, too much time would be wasted. Chen Mobai would not allow himself to be trapped by a mere bottleneck at the fifth Golden Core level when he possessed so many resources.

Thinking this, Chen Mobai no longer hesitated and immediately consumed the last Blood Spirit Pill. Another month quickly passed. The supreme-grade spirit stone in Chen Mobai's hand had significantly dimmed, on the verge of complete depletion, when two sharp beams of light pierced through the clouds shrouding the mountaintop. Feeling the Pure Yang spiritual power in his Dantian and Qi Sea breaking through the bottleneck under the last vestiges of the Blood Spirit Pill's medicinal energy, Chen Mobai showed a look of relief. He had already held the glass tube of Pure Yang Purple Qi in his hand, ready to open it. Fortunately, he managed to save it in the end. He had reached the sixth Golden Core level!

Soon, the joy of the breakthrough surged within him, and Chen Mobai couldn't help but laugh heartily. He stood up, gazed at the clouds drifting across the sky and the sea of rice fields below the mountain, and then took out his mobile phone. He looked up the life story of Ancestor Yuanyang.

When Chen Mobai saw that Ancestor Yuanyang had broken through to the sixth level of the Golden Core stage at the age of 66, the triumphant expression on his face immediately receded. He was also 66 years old this year. To think, after using so many resources, he could only match Ancestor Yuanyang. Indeed, he still needed to work harder. With this thought, Chen Mobai looked up at the remaining four Immortal Peach Fruits.

For these Immortal Peach Fruits, consuming the second fruit would only yield half the effect of the first. The third would yield half the effect of the second, and so on. This meant that even if Chen Mobai consumed all four remaining fruits, their combined efficacy would only be about 94% of the first fruit's potency. But even if it was less, it would still save him nine and a half years of arduous cultivation.

Chen Mobai no longer hesitated. He plucked all four remaining peach fruits, intending to consume and refine them all once his cultivation was stable and the pill toxins from the Blood Spirit Pill had dissolved.

After sealing the peach fruits, Chen Mobai placed the significantly dimmed supreme-grade spirit stone back in its previous charging position. He then opened the Cloud Mist Array. Han Zhiling and Gu Yan had been waiting for a long time at the tea garden on the mountainside. Upon seeing the mist on the mountaintop dissipate, the two women waited a little longer until Chen Mobai spiritually transmitted a summons to them before daring to ascend.

Gu Yan: “Greetings, Sect Master!” Han Zhiling: “Greetings, Grandmaster!”

Chen Mobai had already resumed his seat under the immortal peach tree. He gestured for them to rise. After rising, Gu Yan immediately came to his side to help condense water and brew tea. Meanwhile, Han Zhiling began recounting her experiences in Divine Wood City after achieving Foundation Establishment. As a third-generation disciple of Mount Xiaonan, and with Gu Yan accompanying her, she had received the finest courtyard and shop in Divine Wood City. The Spiritual Vein Department had even offered her a cave mansion with a Tier 3 high-grade spiritual vein as a cultivation site, though the place was a bit small and required tending to nearby hundred acres of medicinal fields. However, with Mount Xiaonan as her base, Han Zhiling felt she lacked the energy to manage it, so she politely declined. After receiving the courtyard and shop, Yue Zutao and Quan Shanlin personally appeared to invite her to join the two great halls of Reward Goodness and Punish Evil. Besides them, leading figures from the other twelve departments also made appearances. These high-level cultivators of the sect, who had previously seemed so imposing and unapproachable in Han Zhiling's eyes, now treated her with unprecedented enthusiasm. This made her deeply realize the class elevation that came with cultivation advancement! Before, although she was a third-generation disciple of Mount Xiaonan, without Foundation Establishment, everything was superficial. Now, after achieving Foundation Establishment, she was truly recognized by everyone as a core disciple of the Mount Xiaonan lineage.

Chen Mobai: “Of the three halls and twelve departments, where would you like to go?”