Chapter 844: Enlightenment and Forming the Core (12,000 Monthly Tickets Bonus)

Zhuo Ming had been on the Eastern Barrens Plateau for a full forty years, having arrived there on Chen Mobai's orders.

Over these four decades, she first carved out major rivers in Yan Commandery. Then, in the lands irrigated by the Baijiang and Mohe rivers, she reclaimed thirty million mu of spiritual fields, ensuring that all cultivators of the Five Elements Sect could eat spirit rice at every meal.

Afterward, in Hong Commandery, she planted trees for sand control, transforming the desert into fertile land.

By now, even rogue cultivators could obtain spirit rice daily.

Not long before this, the greenery Zhuo Ming had cultivated over the years finally covered the entire Hong Commandery, flourishing under her meticulous care and that of many other cultivators.

This meant Zhuo Ming had achieved the minor goal Chen Mobai had set for her.

She had transformed Hong Commandery's desert-covered landscape back into a vibrant land of green mountains and clear waters.

Beginning this year, whenever Zhuo Ming stepped onto the ground, she felt pure streams of qi surge towards her from deep within the earth's crust.

These earth energies didn't even require her guidance; they actively penetrated her body and were spontaneously refined.

Zhuo Ming's cultivation also deepened considerably, quickly bringing her to the threshold of Core Formation.

However, upon reaching this stage, she found herself somewhat flustered.

Although Chen Mobai had spoken to her about forming a core through enlightenment, she had no prior experience and feared failure after taking that crucial step, or even perishing under the heavenly tribulation.

Therefore, Zhuo Ming proactively sealed her cultivation. However, reluctant to waste the pure earth energies, she stored them within the Myriad Things Thick Virtue Cauldron.

She then traveled to Beiyuan City to seek out her master, Chen Mobai.

"Even I have only heard about forming a core through enlightenment," Chen Mobai said. "However, your concerns are not unfounded. I will accompany you from now until you complete your Core Formation."

Even within the Immortal Sect, instances of enlightenment-based Core Formation were exceedingly rare.

Yet, for his own disciple, Chen Mobai was willing to dedicate his time to accompany her.

"Thank you, Master!" Zhuo Ming exclaimed.

Zhuo Ming was overjoyed to hear this.

Xue Ting, standing nearby, wore an expression of envy; after all, having a Nascent Soul cultivator personally guard one during cultivation was a privilege likely exclusive to the Xiaonanshan lineage in the entire Eastern Barrens.

Shortly after, Yuan Chiye arrived, having received the summons.

Chen Mobai entrusted him and Liu Wenbai with the task of overseeing the takeover of Blown Snow Palace. This was a significant meritorious act for the Five Elements Sect, and since he no longer required such merits himself, he generously bestowed them upon the two.

After making these arrangements, Chen Mobai instructed them to take Xue Ting to meet Lan Lingping and Zhu Jinyu to discuss the specific terms of their allegiance.

"Have you considered where you wish to form your core?" Chen Mobai asked.

Once only the master and disciple remained in the hall, they began discussing the crucial aspects of Core Formation.

"Master, I wish to return to Xiaonanshan," Zhuo Ming replied.

The location Zhuo Ming suggested surprised Chen Mobai slightly, as it was merely a low-grade fourth-tier spirit vein.

However, for Zhuo Ming, the quality of the spirit vein was irrelevant; even in the wilderness, endless earth energies would surge forth to aid her.

The most crucial aspect was to comprehend her own Dao.

"Very well," Chen Mobai said. "But before we return, I will take you on a journey through the Eastern Barrens Plateau."

Within the Immortal Sect, the most recent instance of enlightenment-based Core Formation, excluding Chen Mobai's feigned one, was that of the former Hall Master of Immortal Affairs, Lin Daoming.

After forming his core, he had even written a paper detailing the entire process.

The most critical point was to clearly envision the Dao path one had diligently followed and completed before attempting Core Formation.

Zhuo Ming listened to Chen Mobai, understanding some parts but not others.

The master and disciple did not use a teleportation array; instead, Chen Mobai directly maneuvered the Taiyi Five-Smoke Luo, flying them to the very origin of the Eastern Barrens Plateau's transformation.

This was the Snow Mountain in Shuang Commandery.

The snowmelt from this peak, guided by modified terrain and formations, became the source of the Baijiang River.

The master and disciple reached the summit of the snow mountain.

"What do you perceive?" Chen Mobai asked.

"Dead silence, cold... yet it seems to hold endless vitality..." Zhuo Ming replied.

Although Zhuo Ming's cultivation was not yet profound, her Myriad Things Spiritual Connection allowed her to faintly perceive tiny lives tenaciously struggling deep within the cold, barren mountains, awaiting the glaciers to melt and carry them away.

Chen Mobai smiled faintly upon hearing this, then led Zhuo Ming onto the ice and snowmelt, descending from the mountain into the large lake at its foot. From there, they followed the excavated river channels, eventually merging into the Baijiang River in Yan Commandery.

Upon arriving, Zhuo Ming's spirits suddenly invigorated.

The scenery along both banks of the Baijiang River—the lush trees on the levees, millions of mu of spirit rice, resilient spirit herbs thriving everywhere, and herds of spirit sheep and cattle feeding on them—all clearly imprinted themselves upon her Purple Mansion Sea of Consciousness. It was as if she had become the very land, with everything unfolding within her.

The vibrant scene of life striving captivated Zhuo Ming.

She gradually forgot her goal of Core Formation, following Chen Mobai as they journeyed along the Baijiang and Mohe rivers.

On the banks of Xiao Commandery, she gazed at the turbulent Yunmeng Marsh, sensing the slow yet inevitable soil erosion around them. She vaguely seemed to glimpse a primordial scene, where the land had not yet emerged from the water, and the entire Heavenly River Realm was submerged by endless oceans.

This vision caused her to furrow her brows, her heart to clench, and a rising anxiety that bordered on a suffocating inability to breathe.

Just then, a bell chimed, rousing Zhuo Ming from her trance.

"You embody the Dao of Earth," Chen Mobai stated. "You must revere water, but never fear it."

As Chen Mobai spoke, Zhuo Ming nodded gently.

Just moments ago, she had merged too deeply with the land, experiencing its slow erosion over millennia against the relentless force of Yunmeng Marsh. That sense of powerlessness had felt akin to an inner deviation.

Zhuo Ming knew she couldn't afford to be consumed by it at this critical moment, yet she was unsure how to proceed.

Fortunately, Chen Mobai had rung the Morning Bell beside her.

After leaving Xiao Commandery, the master and disciple journeyed to the final destination, Hong Commandery.

This was where Zhuo Ming had invested the most energy and time. Upon their arrival, even without using the Sound of Empty Valley, Chen Mobai could sense an inexhaustible flow of earth spiritual energy surging from deep within the ground, eagerly rushing towards Zhuo Ming.

Under Chen Mobai's guidance, Zhuo Ming released the seal on her Nine-Ren Dharma Body, allowing the vast earth spiritual energy to pour into her. Her already perfected Earth Mother Art automatically activated, assisting her in absorbing and refining it.

The master and disciple followed the Black Water to Luo Yixuan's Cold Ying Lake, from which the latter immediately flew out, her face alight with pleasant surprise.

After staying there as guests for two days, Chen Mobai once again led Zhuo Ming towards the Boundless Sand Sea.

This time, however, Luo Yixuan accompanied them.

"Ming'er, this too is part of the earth," Chen Mobai said. "You should feel it as well."

Chen Mobai's voice resonated in Zhuo Ming's ears, like a spring breeze, bringing a sense of calm to her heart.

Because she could perceive the emotions of the earth, every time she approached the Boundless Sand Sea, she would feel a profound empathy, as if she herself had contracted a grave illness, filled with overwhelming fear.

But with Chen Mobai by her side this time, she summoned her courage and stepped into the sand sea once more.

The deeper she ventured into the sand sea, the more she felt the earth's desolate stillness, like an endless, lifeless darkness engulfing her. The profound gloom and melancholy made the usually bright Zhuo Ming look helpless.

At this critical moment, a bell chimed, and a burst of firelight ignited beside Zhuo Ming, dispelling the darkness and bringing forth light.

The appearance of Chen Mobai and Luo Yixuan provided Zhuo Ming with crucial support as she connected spiritually with the sand sea.

Chen Mobai led the way, holding the firelight and gently swinging the Morning Bell in his hand, while Luo Yixuan reached out to hold Zhuo Ming's hand, accompanying her as they advanced through the darkness.

After an unknown period, they had ventured deep into the Boundless Sand Sea.

This place was rarely trodden by humans, desolate and eerily silent.

Chen Mobai found a high sand dune and paused, then guided Zhuo Ming to awaken from the profound darkness of her spiritual connection with the Boundless Sand Sea.

"Enlightenment-based Core Formation is not merely an advancement in cultivation, but a sublimation of the spirit," Chen Mobai explained. "All you need to do is see your own heart clearly and understand what you truly desire—it's that simple."

This final sentence from Lin Daoming's paper, spoken by Chen Mobai, seemed to spark a realization within Zhuo Ming.

She emptied her mind, once again resonating with the Boundless Sand Sea.

This time, however, amidst the dead silence and darkness, she heard a hidden lament.

This place had once been a landscape of green mountains, clear waters, and fertile land. But at some unknown point, endless, sky-darkening swarms of locusts arrived, devouring everything edible.

Consequently, the soil weakened and became barren, transforming into its present state.

Zhuo Ming saw the past of the sand sea beneath her feet: layers of lush green vegetation, vibrant with life. Whenever rain fell, new green shoots would break through the soil, cloaking the earth in verdant growth.

With this understanding, Zhuo Ming no longer found the darkness terrifying.

It was at this very moment that the Boundless Sand Sea began to tremble gently.

Luo Yixuan, witnessing this, couldn't help but be surprised. Chen Mobai, however, smiled faintly as he observed an unprecedented tranquility and serenity on Zhuo Ming's face.

Guided by the Sound of Empty Valley, he heard faint wisps of incredibly pure and dense creation qi beginning to rise from unknown depths underground.

The heavy sands that had accumulated for hundreds of millions of years, which should have been an obstruction, now parted, allowing this creation qi to burst through, emerge from the sand surface, and surge towards Zhuo Ming.

Simultaneously, the Myriad Things Thick Virtue Cauldron flew forth, and the immense earth energy accumulated within it began to pour down upon Zhuo Ming.

Subsequently, a small green blade of grass sprouted at Zhuo Ming's feet, followed by the appearance of a small pale yellow flower...

In this desolate Boundless Sand Sea, where spiritual energy was scarce and life was absent, such a vibrant scene suddenly appeared, leaving Luo Yixuan utterly astonished.

At this very moment, a dark cloud abruptly gathered overhead.

This signified that Zhuo Ming's Golden Core had formed within her, and she was about to face her tribulation.

Seeing this, Chen Mobai raised the Morning Bell in his hand, just as he was about to intervene, when a sudden drizzle began to fall.

First, it was a misty drizzle, then a torrential downpour, with water pouring from the sky, creating a vast expanse of white mist over the yellow sand sea.

This great rain seemed poised to engulf the entire landscape.

Yet, Chen Mobai detected no signs of a heavenly tribulation. Instead, he sensed vital essences within the rain, guided by the Myriad Things Thick Virtue Cauldron, slowly flowing into Zhuo Ming's body.

Where was the heavenly tribulation?

While Chen Mobai was filled with surprise and doubt, Zhuo Ming, having absorbed the essences of heaven and earth, underwent a tremendous transformation.

Her Nine-Ren Dharma Body, already at the third tier, rapidly ascended to the fifth perfection stage, her skin becoming translucent like yellow jade. She then swiftly broke through another bottleneck, reaching the sixth stage, which corresponded to the mid-grade third-tier Body Refinement realm.

Furthermore, a rounded, apricot-yellow pattern appeared on her glabella.

This was the "Earth Mother Seal," manifested when the Earth Mother Art was cultivated to its zenith.

With this, she gained the ability to manipulate the earth's geomagnetism.

This signified that Zhuo Ming had successfully formed her core, found her own Dao, and taken the most crucial step in her cultivation journey.

Witnessing this, Chen Mobai felt a wave of relief.

He then quietly stood guard, awaiting her to consolidate her new realm.