Chapter 796: True Cold

After arranging his family matters, Chen Mobai came to Mount Danxia for secluded cultivation.

This place was like his second home, so he knew his way around upon returning.

With full access to fourth-tier high-grade spiritual energy, Chen Mobai activated the Yinyou Array, causing dense fire spiritual energy to converge continuously.

Since he had already refined his Pure Yang True Qi to its utmost, all this fire spiritual energy was directed to nourish the orange-red wisp of light in his palm.

This was the fourth-tier Primal Yang Sword Fiend he had refined.

Having cultivated to this realm, the Primal Yang Sword Manual stated that to fully unleash the Sword Fiend's power, it needed to be nurtured with sentience, much like a magical artifact.

A sword with sentience embodies intent!

Once Sword Intent is achieved, any sword artifact wielded can unleash fourth-tier power.

Chen Mobai had known the path of "one sword creates myriad methods" for a long time.

At that time, through the Great Dao Tree's empowerment, he had cultivated Sword Light Manifestation. From Zuo Gong, he learned about the subsequent stages of Sword Intent forming momentum and Sword Heart Clarity.

However, he had too many things to cultivate, and his talent in swordsmanship wasn't particularly good, so he had remained stuck.

Even later, when he used the Heaven and Earth Crown of Sentient Beings to analyze the Heaven-Slicing Immortal Sword Intent, Chen Mobai still lingered at the threshold of Sword Intent.

Of course, this was primarily because he had focused all his energy on preparing for his realm breakthrough and hadn't dedicated himself to Sword Intent.

However, he now had time to review some of the Immortal Sect's data.

Chen Mobai multitasked: with his left palm cupping the orange-red wisp of light, he continuously absorbed fire spiritual energy to enhance it, manipulating it with his spiritual sense.

His right hand held his phone, and he watched theses, videos, and other materials related to the Primal Yang Sword Manual from the Immortal Sect National Library.

He had basically already seen most of these.

However, during the few years he had been in seclusion, four new related theses had appeared. Chen Mobai looked at the authors' names and couldn't help but marvel.

It was Nangong Xuanyu.

After forming his Nascent Soul, Nangong Xuanyu seemed to want to establish his reputation as a grandmaster of the sword path, so he uploaded all his insights and experiences from cultivating the Primal Yang Sword Manual.

These four theses essentially covered Nangong Xuanyu's lifelong understanding of the Primal Yang Sword Manual.

After reading them, Chen Mobai also gained a considerable amount.

However, he still couldn't quite grasp the content of the last thesis, which was about Sword Intent.

But it didn't matter, because Nangong Xuanyu knew that Sword Intent was too profound for many to grasp, so he thoughtfully attached a video of himself demonstrating it.

Chen Mobai immediately opened it to watch.

He saw an orange-red wisp of light leaping in the palm of a handsome young man, like a nimble elf, flickering with a warm glow. It resembled a streak of red light in the afterglow of a sunset, exuding a feeling of warmth and vitality.

The wisp of light danced in his palm like a brilliant red pearl, completely concealing its power and heat. At times it flew swiftly like an arrow, at times it drifted slowly. Each leap was charged with power, causing twisted cracks to appear in the void, as if it were performing a beautiful yet destructive and transformative dance.

As Chen Mobai watched, he couldn't help but begin to wield and manipulate the Sword Fiend in his own hand, using the Fang Cunshu system to mimic the movements.

Gradually, the orange-red wisp of light leaped in his palm, moving joyfully like an elf. It brought him a wondrous feeling, as if he could touch the pulse of life and feel the rhythm of nature.

And yet, with a single slash from this wisp of light, life could be extinguished...

He didn't know how much time had passed before Chen Mobai awoke.

He looked at the wisp of light in his palm, as calm as ever, and fell into contemplation.

In that moment, Fang Cunshu extracted its years of analysis regarding the Heaven-Slicing Immortal Sword Intent. It combined this with the Primal Yang Sword Manual, using its Pure Yang Scroll as a foundation, intending to guide Chen Mobai in comprehending his own powerful Sword Intent.

Unfortunately, this Sword Intent seemed too powerful. With his current knowledge of swordsmanship, he couldn't support Fang Cunshu in completing its derivation.

"I should form my Nascent Soul first!"

Chen Mobai was very clear-headed. Since he hadn't comprehended the Sword Intent, he would let it go for now.

It must be because his current realm was too weak. He refused to believe that once he reached the Nascent Soul stage, he still wouldn't be able to cultivate Sword Intent.

He continued to activate the Yinyou Array, allowing the Primal Yang Sword Fiend to absorb and refine the surrounding fire spiritual energy, feigning a breakthrough to the ninth-tier Golden Core.

Time slowly passed. Every day, crimson spiritual energy clouds condensed above Mount Danxia, enveloping more than half of the peak. They resembled a red sun resting on the mountaintop, illuminating the entire mountain.

Beneath this red sun was a sea of clouds.

The sea of clouds churned and surged, and faint streaks of purple auspicious glow could be seen, veiling the mountain peak and adorning it like an immortal realm.

In Wangwu Grotto-Heaven!

Still in that same room, Nangong Xuanyu received a report and video content from Sui Shanpu, the Lord of Danxia City. After reviewing them, he couldn't help but nod slightly. "It seems this boy is about to break through to the ninth-tier Golden Core," he murmured.

Besides Nangong Xuanyu, Ying Guanghua and Gongye Zhixu were also there.

"Do you think he'll try to form his Nascent Soul directly, without relying on Nascent Soul formation elixirs, after he's refined enough Pure Yang True Qi?" Gongye Zhixu asked.

"It's not impossible," Ying Guanghua offered his opinion. "Though he's an ascetic cultivator, he's also extremely arrogant. And being touted for so long as having the potential for Spirit Transformation and even becoming an Immortal should make him quite conceited."

"So, should we give him a push?" Nangong Xuanyu suddenly asked.

Nangong Xuanyu's sudden remark made Ying Guanghua and Gongye Zhixu frown slightly.

Conflicts among the upper echelons of the Immortal Sect were generally quite restrained.

But with limited resources, the emergence of another cultivator at their level meant they would inevitably have to share. Therefore, unless it was a close friend, they generally didn't favor newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Ancestor Baiguang is still around, after all. Some things can't be taken too far," Ying Guanghua said, declining the suggestion.

"I will act within the bounds of what the rules allow," Nangong Xuanyu said again.

"How will you do it?"

"We can subtly accelerate things. Instead of obstructing him, we can even encourage his secluded cultivation. Then, we apply pressure on the Wuqi lineage's position within the Three Halls to create a sense of urgency for him. If we can make him anxious, our objective will be achieved."

Hearing these words, both Ying Guanghua and Gongye Zhixu remained silent.

As experienced cultivators, they knew best that rushing was the worst thing to do when attempting a breakthrough. Once one became impetuous and tried to force a success, it almost always ended in failure.

And Chen Mobai, as the most hyped genius in the Immortal Sect over the last thousand years, was undoubtedly extremely confident in himself. After a series of successful breakthroughs, he might believe he could also succeed at the critical Nascent Soul formation stage.

"Coincidentally, the Golden Liquid Jade Reversion Pills are about to be distributed," Gongye Zhixu suddenly spoke. "We can find an excuse to filter out those with a background in the Wuqi lineage."

Then, he and Nangong Xuanyu both looked towards Ying Guanghua, who slowly nodded.

"This matter is entrusted to you. Remember not to go too far."

Lan Haitian watched Nangong Xuanyu leave with a smile and could only sigh.

Chen Mobai, of course, had no idea that the Nascent Soul cultivators in the Immortal Sect's upper echelons were already preparing to use their means against the Wuqi lineage.

But even if he had known, he surely would have disregarded it.

After all, Ancestor Baiguang was still around; the Butian lineage couldn't genuinely drive the Wuqi lineage out of the Three Halls. He would certainly wait until he was fully prepared before attempting to form his Nascent Soul.

He remained in seclusion on Mount Danxia for half a year.

From a distance, the Azure Jade Parasol Tree seemed to stand at the center of a sea of clouds, condensing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth around it, forming a ceaselessly churning spectacle of swirling clouds and radiant mists.

Afterwards, Chen Mobai feigned a breakthrough to the ninth-tier Golden Core. After a violent surge of spiritual energy, he released the restraint on the fire spiritual energy.

Accompanying a burst of radiant light, the sea of clouds began to dissipate into light, ethereal mist, gradually scattering downwards from the mountaintop.

The teachers and students below the mountaintop, seeing this scene, all looked unfazed.

After all, for someone with the potential for Spirit Transformation, a minor realm breakthrough was quite normal.

Now, only Chen Mobai forming his Nascent Soul would cause a sensation in the Immortal Sect.

After the breakthrough, Chen Mobai did not leave Mount Danxia. He pretended to be consolidating his realm, continuing to occasionally absorb spiritual energy and creating the churning spiritual energy cloud sea on the mountaintop.

During this period, he also made a trip back to the Eastern Wilds. He retrieved the Five Elements Essence Qi that Zhou Shengqing and others had refined for half a year, and began slowly refining it into Primordial Unity True Qi using the Tushita Fire.

For the rest of the time, Chen Mobai reviewed materials within the Immortal Sect related to Nascent Soul formation.

However, as there were simply too many, he filtered them down.

Most importantly, he focused on the insights into Nascent Soul formation from the Pure Yang Scroll, followed by insights from its various branches, such as the Burning Heaven Art.

From the Primal Yang Patriarch down to the recently advanced Nangong Xuanyu, there had been a total of eight cultivators in the Immortal Sect's history who had formed Nascent Souls using the Pure Yang Scroll.

Chen Mobai observed that, apart from the Primal Yang Patriarch, the highest number of Pure Yang True Qi strands refined by others at Golden Core completion was sixty-four.

This person was none other than the Primal Yang Patriarch's direct disciple.

As for Nangong Xuanyu, despite his widely lauded reputation, he only had forty-nine strands of Pure Yang True Qi before forming his Nascent Soul.

After reading this, Chen Mobai felt even more confident in himself.

The quantity of Pure Yang True Qi was crucial for the second step of Nascent Soul formation: nurturing the Nascent Soul. With his profound foundation, almost comparable to the Primal Yang Patriarch's, infusing 107 strands of Pure Yang True Qi into his Golden Core virtually guaranteed the success of his Nascent Soul formation.

After finishing the insights on Nascent Soul formation from the Pure Yang Scroll, Chen Mobai then reviewed those from the Pure Yang branches, such as the Burning Heaven Art.

After finishing those, he still had time, so he continued to download more insights on Nascent Soul formation. He made sure to remember them all, so that if he encountered various situations during his breakthrough, he could always retrieve information using Fang Cunshu.

Another month passed.

On this day, after refining his forty-fifth strand of Primordial Unity True Qi, Chen Mobai, for once, put aside his cultivation and reading to relax.

Just as he was about to brew a pot of tea, he suddenly received a message.

It was from Yan Bingxuan.

She informed him that in early next year, she had applied for a teaching assignment to lead new students with Ice Spirit Roots from the Natural Academy to the Extreme North Grotto-Heaven, to familiarize themselves with natural ice veins.

After seeing it, Chen Mobai immediately called her.

"I'm on Mount Danxia now..."

"That's right, I had a breakthrough in cultivation, so I came back to my hometown..."

"Of course, it was successful. You know, I've never failed before..."

"Mm, I've been here lately..."

Since he had last mentioned going into seclusion, their daily calls had become fewer. It seemed Yan Bingxuan was worried about disturbing his cultivation, so she always sent text messages if she had anything to say.

If Chen Mobai saw her messages when he returned to the Immortal Sect, he would call back whenever he had time.

Perhaps the news of his breakthrough wasn't as sensational as before.

This time, Chen Mobai's breakthrough to the ninth-tier Golden Core didn't cause widespread discussion on the Immortal Sect's network. Thus, Yan Bingxuan, who taught at the Natural Academy, didn't know he had returned to Mount Danxia and still thought he was in the Extreme North, watching snow and fishing.

After their phone call, as the year was drawing to a close, Yan Bingxuan simply decided to take a vacation and returned to her hometown, a place she hadn't visited for nearly ten years.

"Long time no see."

On the summit of Mount Danxia, Chen Mobai looked at the unchanging cold and beautiful woman before him, his face filled with joy.

Yan Bingxuan had tied her long black hair into a high ponytail, which, paired with her delicate and beautiful face, made her eyes appear exceptionally bright and cool. Her attire today was a black and white ensemble: a white knitted sweater clung to her graceful and ample curves, looking very soft and comfortable, while her long legs were tightly wrapped in black stockings, highlighting her perfect physique.

"Congratulations on reaching the ninth-tier