Whoosh
Flames roared, surging with intensity, but all the scorching heat was tightly bound within three feet of the cauldron by the formation, not a trace leaking out.
Refining third-tier spiritual herbs required fire of higher temperature and power. The natural earth fire of the Chidi Mountains was, at best, second-tier.
But with the help of a formation and fire spirit stones as fuel, the flame's potency could be temporarily raised to third-tier levels. Since the entire power of the fire was governed by the formation, its control was even more precise and responsive.
Li Ye sat cross-legged before the cauldron, his expression serious and focused.
His divine sense was split and multitasking simultaneously managing the fusion of various herbs, carefully neutralizing conflicting properties, and maximizing their integration.
The Golden Core Pill wasn't particularly difficult to refine; the key was to fully draw out the medicinal properties of each ingredient.
Thanks to his experience from years of "farming" and accumulating knowledge, he had recently advanced to a solid mid-tier third-level alchemy mastery. Combined with experimental refinements to the original pill recipe, he now had a fair degree of confidence if not total ease with the process.
However, that single Transformed Spirit Root the rare core ingredient could barely yield two attempts' worth of the pill. And with no suitable spiritual energy attributes to support the refinement, he had little room for error. One failure would mean a total loss.
He couldn't afford even the slightest carelessness.
As the dark-purple Transformed Spirit Root slices melted into the mixture, the medicinal energy, initially clashing, gradually harmonized and fused.
Wisps of smoke began to rise from the cauldron this was the illusory pill fragrance taking shape.
But not a trace of it escaped; the refining techniques and cauldron had locked it in completely.
Such phenomena indicated the pill's refinement was more than halfway complete and of promising quality.
Li Ye remained calm and composed, steadily purifying the medicinal essence and condensing it into pill form.
Forty-nine days passed in a blink.
Inside the cauldron, the liquid mixture had fully transformed into a solid pill. Even the earlier fragrance was reabsorbed back into the pill, its power now complete and the timing perfect.
With a series of hand seals, the flames died down and the cauldron opened.
A glowing violet pill shot out into the air.
It spun gracefully before being wrapped in a flash of verdant light and caught by Li Ye.
"Golden Core Pill…"
Holding the luminous pill, Li Ye's expression carried a hint of emotion, but he didn't store it away immediately.
Instead, he extracted a sliver of its medicinal energy and ran a battery of alchemical techniques to evaluate it.
"Stabilized potency, low toxicity, capable of reversing imperfect solidified true essence back into liquid mana… Effectiveness on complete Golden Core cultivators still unknown… Possible cultivation regression for those with insufficient foundation, but within acceptable limits… Almost identical to the experimental results."
He muttered under his breath, recording his findings one by one. Only then did a smile finally emerge at the corners of his lips.
"This pill is a success!"
Li Ye felt a strong sense of accomplishment.
He knew that with this pill complete, not only was his path to forming a Golden Core now secure if he chose to share it, but countless Foundation Establishment cultivators would gain newfound hope and a significantly better chance at a breakthrough.
After all, thanks to the pill's effect, even a failed breakthrough wouldn't mean death. The partial conversion of mana into true essence would still be a net gain. And with each attempt, their success rate would only improve.
"This is practically on par with the Foundation Establishment Pill a pill capable of reshaping the entire cultivation world…"
Li Ye chuckled. "But even so, this Golden Core Pill will remain for my use only. Even if I don't need it for my breakthrough, I won't just hand it out carelessly…"
Sure, the chance to leave a mark on history with such a revolutionary creation might appeal to others, but to Li Ye, it meant little.
What if he accidentally helped some future enemy ascend to the Golden Core realm? That would be utterly ridiculous.
With that thought, his excitement quickly cooled.
If he ever perfected the recipe for a true Golden Core Pill, that might get him a bit more worked up. But for now, his sense of accomplishment from crafting this Golden Core Pill had already run its course.
With a flick of his hand, he sealed the pill inside a jade bottle with multiple layers of talismans to suppress its aura, then turned and walked out of the alchemy chamber.
His expression quickly returned to calm, with no sign that he had just refined a pill countless Foundation Establishment cultivators would dream of obtaining.
........
With the Golden Core Pill successfully refined, Li Ye had taken one step closer to forming his Golden Core.
As for Wu Nation, now sharing similar characteristics with the Chidi Mountains but holding far more value, it had become a lawless land capable of harboring all kinds of cultivators rogues, and monsters alike perfectly fulfilling Li Ye's expectations for it.
In recent years, the attention of restless cultivators from all nations had largely shifted toward this region. Amid the growing chaos, a fragile balance was gradually formed. Though killings occurred daily, it hadn't yet spiraled into total upheaval.
Ironically, the Chidi Mountains, once dubbed a land of chaos, had since become a place of rare peace.
No more reckless cultivators came seeking death.
The once unstable Lava Palace, under Li Ye's barrier formations and the relentless hunting efforts of numerous cultivators, had seen the fire beasts brought mostly under control.
Though not completely eradicated and still active underground, their impact on the surface was now minimal.
During these few years, in which Li Ye pushed toward perfecting his Foundation Establishment stage, life in the Chidi Mountains had been the most peaceful since his arrival.
And so, eight years passed.
Within his cave abode, mighty waves of spiritual power surged.
The Wood God Art circulated without pause, completing another great cycle.
Inside Li Ye's dantian, as a thread of spiritual energy was tempered by the Wood God True Flame and refined into pure mana, it merged with the liquid mana at the base of his internal vortex forming the three hundred sixty-fourth drop of liquid mana.
Once it formed and seamlessly merged into the existing formation of over three hundred drops, a subtle shift occurred.
Each drop of liquid mana trembled slightly, releasing a thin strand toward the center.
A new drop of liquid mana took shape initially ethereal, but it quickly condensed into reality as external spiritual energy was rapidly drawn in, fully solidifying in a flash.
With that, three hundred sixty-five drops of liquid mana were now complete.
Li Ye's body trembled as his cultivation surged once more, exuding a profound sense of perfection and completion.
The liquid mana circulated swiftly. As his technique continued running, the mana clustered together and began to take on a solidified quality. A faint phantom of a Golden Core even began to emerge.
This was a phenomenon that only appeared when mana solidification reached nearly fifty percent, and when one's technique had been cultivated to a very deep level.
With such a manifestation, Li Ye could almost initiate his breakthrough immediately if he chose to.
But instead, he kept his breathing steady, maintaining his cultivation technique and continuously absorbing spiritual energy, firmly stabilizing his Foundation Establishment peak realm.
Only when his energy completely settled did he slowly open his eyes, gaze calm.
"If I had an Earth-grade spiritual root, I could break through to the Golden Core Realm without hesitation right now…"
"But with only high-grade spiritual roots, I'm still held back somewhat."
"Since I still have preparations to make, I might as well perfect everything before attempting core formation."
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