Chapter 706: Dividing the Core Essence (24000 Monthly Tickets Extra)

The Fire True Hall, in fact, had a cultivator at the perfected Foundation Establishment stage. However, that individual was too old, already past two hundred years of age, and certainly had no chance of forming a Golden Core. Among Sheng Zhaoxi's Fire Lineage, the only hopeful candidate was now the disciple Tan Rong.

“Naturally, that’s not a problem. It will depend on the amount of contribution. As long as Junior Niece Tan's contributions to the Five Elements and Five Lineages are sufficient, I can make the arrangements,” Chen Mobai hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. Since the Five Elements and Five Lineages were to be reintegrated, Chen Mobai knew that if he wanted to control them effectively, he would have to ensure an apparent equality in resource distribution. After all, he would still need the Five Elements and Five Lineages to help him condense Five Elements essence. Zhou Ye now possessed the Five Elements Spirit Fruits, enabling him to achieve the Great Accomplishment of the Hunyuan Dao Fruit without needing Five Elements essence. Thus, there was no longer any need to withhold this technique.

“Then I thank you in advance, Junior Brother,” Sheng Zhaoxi was delighted to hear this.

In previous years, the Divine Wood Sect and Huithian Valley had openly cooperated to gather materials for the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill. News of this Core Formation spiritual medicine had consequently spread to almost all major powers in the Eastern Wasteland. Even though to this day, only Chen Mobai had successfully formed a Golden Core using this Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill, it had already become highly coveted by Foundation Establishment cultivators across the Eastern Wasteland. After all, other spiritual items for Core Formation in the Eastern Wasteland were increasingly unreliable. The Blowing Snow Palace utilized Ice Marrow Clear Jade and fourth-tier Water Mist Ice Crystals, while Huithian Valley possessed a set of third-tier pills tailored for the physical body, spiritual power, and divine sense, respectively. These spiritual items, which aided Core Formation, were largely tailored to the cultivation methods of various major sects. Even so, their efficacy paled in comparison to the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill, which was suitable for all cultivators.

Upon hearing that she might have an opportunity, Tan Rong, who was nearby, suppressed her excitement. With steady hands, she picked up the teapot and poured tea for both of them. Chen Mobai was very familiar with the tea; it was, surprisingly, Snow Needle Immortal Buds. As an artifact refiner, Sheng Zhaoxi had a robust internal fire, necessitating the consumption of cold teas to neutralize it. Snow Needle Immortal Buds were ideally suited for this purpose. No wonder the Snow Peak Bai Clan's tea leaves were always scarce after their offerings to the Divine Wood Sect for Core Formation. It turned out they had all been sold to the Fire True Hall.

Chen Mobai, now aware of this, made no further comments. After all, in the Tianhe Realm, it was common for immortal cultivation families to operate with subtlety and multiple contingencies. He certainly couldn't confiscate the property and exterminate the Snow Peak Bai Clan simply because they had conducted business with the Fire True Hall before the Five Elements and Five Lineages were unified.

After leaving the Fire True Hall, Chen Mobai quickly put the matter out of his mind. Flying beyond the borders of Yan Nation, into Jian Nation, Chen Mobai utilized several teleportation arrays and soon arrived at Giant Wood Ridge, where he returned Zhou Shengqing's jade pendant.

“I never would have thought Zhou Ye harbored such a grievance,” Zhou Shengqing exclaimed, sighing with emotion, after Chen Mobai recounted Patriarch Baiwu’s initial attempt to forcefully seize the Hunyuan Dao Fruit. Had Zhou Ye not spoken of it, he would never have known. No wonder after his split from the family, his attempts to visit Golden Crow Immortal City as Patriarch Hunyuan's disciple were repeatedly rebuffed. He had initially believed that Patriarch Baiwu favored Zhou Ye, who had inherited the full mantle. Now, he understood that he was simply deemed worthless in Patriarch Baiwu's eyes because he did not possess the Hunyuan Dao Fruit.

“Henceforth, should Zhou Ye form a Nascent Soul, I will not impede him,” Zhou Shengqing stated after his reflection. Previously, he had intended to obstruct Zhou Ye's path to Nascent Soul formation if it happened before Chen Mobai's, even if it meant risking his own life. Now, understanding the full circumstances, he no longer found his Junior Brother quite so disagreeable.

“Senior Brother, this is the cultivation method for the Hunyuan Dao Fruit…” Having said this, Chen Mobai then transcribed his compiled understanding of the Hunyuan Dao Fruit into a jade slip and presented it to Zhou Shengqing. Zhou Ye, during its transmission, had naturally imposed certain restrictions. The Hunyuan Dao Fruit could only be imparted to disciples of the Five Elements and Five Lineages. As Zhou Shengqing was of legitimate lineage, there was naturally no issue.

“Junior Brother, you've worked hard!” Zhou Shengqing's hands trembled slightly as he accepted the jade slip. Ever since he embarked on cultivation, he had been by Patriarch Hunyuan's side, repeatedly witnessing his master's valiant dominance with Hunyuan True Qi. He had always yearned to inherit this supreme divine ability. Unfortunately, due to insufficient spiritual root talent, Zhou Shengqing never received even a single word regarding the Hunyuan Dao Fruit before Patriarch Hunyuan's passing. Regarding this, he had already given up hope when his branch of the family split. He believed he would never have the chance to witness the full scope of the Hunyuan Dao Fruit in his lifetime. After all, he and Zhou Ye had become sworn enemies! Yet, after a century of twists and turns, he unexpectedly obtained this long-coveted supreme divine ability from Zhou Ye's hands, effortlessly, through an exceptional junior.

“This cultivation method requires at least a Heavenly Spiritual Root. The orthodox version specifically demands a Heavenly Earth Spiritual Root, while Senior Brother Mo's unorthodox approach caters to Heavenly Spiritual Roots of the other four elements. However, mastering it requires ten, or even dozens, of times more effort.” Chen Mobai, holding nothing back from Zhou Shengqing, disclosed everything he had comprehended and everything Zhou Ye had imparted regarding the Hunyuan Dao Fruit.

“Can Qingmei cultivate this?” Fu Zongjue, who was standing nearby, inquired on behalf of his disciple.

“I have already imparted the Longevity Sect’s Immortal Scripture of Deity Transformation to her. Even mastering that alone might consume her entire life’s effort, so it would be unwise to delay her with the Hunyuan Dao Fruit.” Chen Mobai shook his head, rejecting the suggestion.

“I was too greedy,” Fu Zongjue realized his error upon hearing this, offering a bitter smile as he spoke. The Azure Emperor Longevity Scripture was already a path to the grand dao. If Yin Qingmei were to divide her focus with the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, even with a Heavenly Spiritual Root, she would likely achieve nothing, only futile labor.

“Yan Shaoyin refined a considerable number of Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pills this time, five in total. Senior Brothers, do you have any suggestions on how to distribute them?” After concluding their discussion about the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, Chen Mobai brought out the gains from his recent trip to Huithian Valley. When all five Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pills were produced, even the composed Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue showed signs of excitement, their breathing quickening slightly.

“The sect currently has five cultivators at the perfected Foundation Establishment stage. Since there are precisely five pills here, let's distribute them directly to them,” Fu Zongjue was the first to voice his opinion, as among the five perfected Foundation Establishment cultivators, Quan Shanlin and Yin Qingmei were his disciples, and Xie Yuntian was his direct lineage. Zhou Shengqing did not voice an objection, but instead included two other individuals. “Besides those at perfected Foundation Establishment, the sect also has Meng Hong and Luo Xueer, who are unorthodox Golden Core cultivators. If they were to use the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill in conjunction with the Golden Core Displacement Method, their success rate in achieving Core Formation would be even higher…” Zhou Shengqing’s implication was to offer the pills to the cultivators in the sect who had the highest likelihood of forming a Golden Core. However, Chen Mobai understood that this was because Meng Hong and Luo Xueer were both Zhou Shengqing’s disciples. As this concerned the path to Core Formation, both men, brazenly, vouched for their own favored individuals in front of Chen Mobai. However, if that approach were taken, Yue Zutao and Zheng Deming would be excluded. The former was from Chen Mobai's direct lineage, while the latter had performed services for him, making him a semi-insider. Furthermore, having started as a rogue cultivator, Zheng Deming was someone Chen Mobai intended to establish as an exemplary figure.

“In my opinion, the three of us should not directly intervene in this matter,” Chen Mobai proposed. “Let’s set a deadline for exchange, and the five disciples with the highest sect contributions by that time will qualify to exchange for the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill. This would offer all disciples a fair and just opportunity to compete, wouldn’t it?” Chen Mobai found it difficult to openly object, but his words clearly conveyed his disagreement. He was not entirely in agreement with the five names that Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue were advocating for.

“Agreed!” Both nodded immediately. After all, the Divine Wood Sect's current standing was solely due to Chen Mobai's meticulous efforts after forming his Golden Core. Even if he had directly assigned the five Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pills, neither of them would have raised any objections.

After this matter was settled, Chen Mobai then produced three Five Elements Spirit Fruits. “I intend to give this Metal Element Spirit Fruit to Senior Brother Mo. What are your thoughts, Senior Brothers?”

“I’ll thank Junior Brother Mo on his behalf first,” Zhou Shengqing expressed his sincere gratitude to Chen Mobai upon hearing this.

“As for this Earth Element Spirit Fruit and Water Element Spirit Fruit, I intend to keep them for my two disciples when they reach the Core Formation stage.” Just like Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue, Chen Mobai, for the sake of his own disciples, spoke with candid boldness. While the One Yuan Secret Realm was primarily opened by Zhou Ye and Chen Mobai, the four jade pendants were also critically important. Therefore, Chen Mobai had provided Sheng Zhaoxi with many fourth-tier spiritual materials at the Fire True Hall, and here at Giant Wood Ridge, he showed significant deference to Zhou Shengqing.

“Your decision is sufficient, Junior Brother.” Zhou Shengqing nodded generously upon hearing this, and Fu Zongjue, of course, offered no objection. In truth, Luo Yixuan's Core Formation was almost guaranteed even without the Water Element Spirit Fruit. However, as she was his disciple, Chen Mobai's provision of this spiritual fruit would ensure absolute certainty. If she succeeded without needing it, he could keep it and perhaps find an opportunity to gift it to Qing Nu at the Immortal Sect in the future. However, if Zhuo Ming did not achieve Core Formation through enlightenment, her chances would not be as secure as Luo Yixuan's. In that scenario, Chen Mobai considered whether he could refine another batch of Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pills in addition to providing the Earth Element Spirit Fruit.

After distributing the three spiritual fruits, Chen Mobai then produced the fourth-tier spiritual materials he had acquired from the One Yuan Secret Realm. Fu Zongjue's eyes lit up; he needed precisely these materials to refine the Six-Jia Heavenly Generals. He unceremoniously took a selection of each. Zhou Shengqing, being a Nascent Soul of the Dharma Body, had no need for them.

“Junior Brother, I’ll accompany you to Golden Light Cliff and Wind and Rain Dock,” Chen Mobai nodded. Their Wood Lineage had effectively monopolized the greatest gains from the One Yuan Secret Realm. Mo Douguang could still receive one, though it would require exchanging it for Hunyuan Stone. That item held special significance for him and was, moreover, the core of Golden Light Cliff's spiritual vein. It was uncertain if he would be willing to make the exchange. The same logic applied to Fury River at Wind and Rain Dock, as the Water Element Spirit Fruit would also be very beneficial to him. If Zhou Shengqing were to mediate, it would be more appropriate than Chen Mobai doing so.