Translator: AnubisTL
After Li Qing's true essence completely solidified within his dantian, it coalesced into a chaotic, crystalline mass that floated and pulsed like a living entity.
I've heard that cultivators with superior spirit root aptitude form smoother, more rounded crystals when their mana solidifies.
For those with heavenly spirit roots, their mana solidifies directly into a natural Golden Core.
Li Qing felt a pang of envy. No wonder they say cultivators with heavenly spirit roots face no bottlenecks during core formation. They simply need to focus on solidifying their mana, and the Golden Core forms naturally, without any need for the arduous refinement I'm facing.
The poorer one's spirit root aptitude, the more chaotic and irregular the crystalline mass becomes, requiring immense effort to refine into a true Golden Core.
This is because cultivators with multiple spirit roots absorb heaven and earth spiritual energy that is a mixed blend of various elemental attributes.
Quickly dismissing his envy, Li Qing narrowed his eyes and fully immersed his consciousness within his dantian.
Step Three: Refining the Golden Core!
This step hinges entirely on the strength of one's divine sense. Insufficient divine sense power can lead to failure at the final moment.
Fortunately, Li Qing had already cultivated a soul core, granting him a divine sense far surpassing that of his peers—comparable to the divine soul strength of a core formation realm cultivator!
With such formidable divine sense, refining and sculpting his Golden Core would naturally proceed swiftly and efficiently, achieving twice the results with half the effort.
Li Qing unleashed his divine sense, enveloping the irregular crystalline mass within his dantian, and began meticulously refining it.
As time trickled by, Li Qing's aura gradually subsided, no longer surging upward as it had moments before.
Outside, Shen Ningbing, who was guarding Li Qing, furrowed her brow slightly.
Having experienced this process herself, she understood exactly what stage Li Qing had reached.
"The final step... Senior Brother, you must succeed."
For cultivators with average spirit root aptitude, this step is particularly challenging. The irregular shape of the crystalline mass inevitably demands far more divine sense power than required by their peers during the core formation process.
Many cultivators with average spirit root aptitude often faltered at this stage, their divine sense completely depleted, leaving them unable to refine the condensed Golden Core into perfection.
Ultimately, their Dao Fruit would remain incomplete, leading to the core shattering and their demise!
By now, an increasing number of cultivators had gathered at Nanyang Spirit Peak, all eager to witness this grand spectacle of core formation.
Even Clan Heads from prominent cultivation clans had personally come, hoping to curry favor with the rogue cultivator who was on the verge of success.
Of course, if the cultivator inside failed, the crowd would disperse like scattered birds and beasts, relegating the event to mere gossip over tea.
No one would respect a failure. At most, they might sigh with pity once or twice before lamenting the arduousness of the dao, where everyone was vying to cross the river of cultivation.
In time, the incident would fade into oblivion.
After all, a pile of withered bones held little worth remembering.
"Why is the aura weakening? Could he have failed?"
"I'm not sure. That overwhelming, majestic aura from just now suddenly dwindled to a faint flicker."
However, an expert among the onlookers offered a cold explanation:
"This is the critical moment," one cultivator explained. "Senior Li is refining his Dao Fruit. Once the refinement is complete, he will emerge from seclusion."
Patriarch Zhao, whose ancestors had been core formation realm cultivators, nodded in agreement. "Indeed. But considering how long it's taking him to refine his Golden Core, his spirit root aptitude probably isn't very high."
This remark sent ripples of shock through the crowd. They couldn't believe a cultivator with such ordinary spirit root aptitude had reached this stage.
The truth was precisely this: if news of Li Qing's four spirit root were to spread, it would cause a sensation.
Curiosity aside, no one dared approach to observe. They could only discuss the matter from a safe distance.
At the forefront stood a slender figure in ice-blue robes, her sword held aloft. With her presence alone, she deterred the assembled cultivators.
Most of the cultivators present were rogue cultivators, but even Patriarch Zhao Tianxiong of the Zhao Family dared not show the slightest disrespect.
Offending a core formation realm cultivator was a terrifying prospect.
Meanwhile, the other cultivator was still guarding their companion's core formation attempt. If successful, this place would gain two powerful core formation realm cultivators!
What did that mean?
Even the major sects of the righteous and demonic paths would have to carefully consider their actions and treat these two with utmost respect. After all, core formation realm cultivators weren't as common as roadside cabbages!
Another two days passed quietly. Li Qing's aura grew increasingly weak, as if it had plummeted to its lowest point.
Shen Ningbing, who was acting as Li Qing's guardian, felt her heart clench with anxiety.
By her calculations, Li Qing's core formation attempt had already lasted nearly five days—significantly longer than her own core formation process.
"Could he be about to fail?"
"Hiss... It's hard to say. Enduring this long suggests his divine sense is extraordinary."
"Then there's only one explanation: his spirit root aptitude must be exceptionally poor, likely a Pseudo Spiritual Root."
A Pseudo Spiritual Root typically refers to cultivators with four or five spirit roots!
This conclusion sent shockwaves through the observing crowd, leaving many with their mouths agape in astonishment.
"How is that possible? A rogue cultivator with a Pseudo Spiritual Root? He probably won't even make it past foundation establishment!"
"Attempting core formation with a Pseudo Spiritual Root aptitude? That's utterly unbelievable!"
"If he actually succeeds, wouldn't he create a legendary tale in the Great Wilderness Domain?"
"I doubt it. His aura has been so weak for so long. If he hasn't finished by now, he's likely to fail."
"..."
Inside his cave abode, Li Qing remained completely focused on refining his Golden Core, oblivious to the discussions raging outside.
Finally, within his dantian, the previously irregular, angular crystal had become perfectly round and smooth, without a single protruding edge!
The Golden Core was complete!
This was the greatest Dao Fruit he had attained in his entire cultivation journey.
Roundness, embodying the ultimate truth of the Dao.
No one truly understood why the core formation realm required condensing a perfectly round pill. It was simply that without this perfection, the Dao Fruit would remain incomplete and ultimately collapse!
Gazing at the Golden Core within his dantian, Li Qing couldn't suppress a smile.
He couldn't help but recall memories from his previous life—scientists who had dedicated their entire lives to calculating the infinite digits of pi!
Was this Golden Core he had formed truly a flawless sphere?
"At least to my eyes, it's perfect beyond perfection!" Li Qing murmured.
As his words faded, a sudden gale swept through the surroundings!
No, it wasn't the wind—it was the overwhelming aura erupting from Li Qing's body!
Boom!
In an instant, the heaven and earth spiritual energy was devoured like a whale swallowing its prey, surging into Li Qing's body with the force of a storm.
His aura soared, exploding to an unprecedented level of power.
And it didn't stop there. The spirit stones he had prepared beforehand were drained dry, their spiritual energy instantly extracted, leaving behind a pile of withered stones.
At that moment, Li Qing felt as if he were undergoing a baptism, nourished from the outside in, from his fleshly body to his divine soul.
He understood: he had successfully achieved core formation.
After nearly five days of relentless effort, he had finally formed his Golden Core. Before this, he had been merely a cultivator in the foundation establishment realm; now, he was a genuine core formation realm cultivator!
Everything felt surreal, like a dream, yet the experiences of the past few days remained etched in his memory with crystal clarity.
"It's fortunate I mastered the Soul Transformation Core method," Li Qing thought with a self-deprecating smile. "Otherwise, today's core formation would have been far more precarious."
He threw his head back and let out a thunderous roar.
"ROAR!"
The terrifying sonic wave, infused with his refined mana, surged outward, instantly sweeping across dozens of kilometers!
"Hahahaha! I actually made it this far! Unbelievable!" Li Qing's laughter rang out, his radiant, pearly-white teeth flashing in an unrestrained grin.
Without hesitation, he condensed true essence in his palm and unleashed a palm strike.
Bang!
The powerful restriction he had erected at the entrance of his cave abode shattered instantly under the force of the true essence palm strike.
So powerful!
With the boundless mana surging through his veins, Li Qing felt an unprecedented sense of power. He could crush his former self with ease.
"This must be the strength of a core formation true lord," he mused. "The quality and quantity of true essence within me far surpass anything a foundation establishment cultivator could ever possess!"
Li Qing spread his palm, nodded, and clasped his hands behind his back as he strode out of the cave abode.
Under the astonished gazes of the surrounding cultivators, Li Qing emerged from the cave abode.
Seeing this person soar through the air without the aid of a magic artifact, and sensing the overwhelming intensity of his aura, even a pig would understand: he had successfully achieved core formation!
"Thank you for your efforts, Junior Sister!" Li Qing clasped his hands in a respectful salute toward Shen Ningbing, who stood poised with her sword.
Shen Ningbing smiled radiantly, like an ice flower blooming.
"Congratulations on your successful core formation, Senior Brother!"
Her joy was genuine. Witnessing Senior Brother Li's success in core formation brought her even greater joy than her own achievement of the same milestone.
Li Qing merely nodded in acknowledgment before his gaze slowly shifted to the cultivators gathered nearby.
"Heh heh heh, I never imagined my core formation would attract such attention from so many fellow cultivators. I apologize for any inconvenience and hope for your understanding!"
With these words, Li Qing casually clasped his hands in a salute toward the assembled crowd.
Upon hearing this, the cultivators stepped forward with expressions of deep respect and bowed reverently.
"Congratulations on your successful core formation, Senior Li!"
"We offer our congratulations to Senior Li on achieving core formation!"
"Senior Li, I am Fan Ming of the Azure Wind Merchant Guild. I have come to congratulate you on your successful core formation and present this congratulatory gift!"
"Zhao Family, Zhao Tianxiong, offers sincere congratulations to Senior Li on his successful core formation! May your dao flourish eternally and your lifespan be boundless!"
"Beast Taming He Clan."
High above, Li Qing calmly surveyed the scene, accepting the Clan Heads' congratulations with detached composure.
(End of the Chapter)
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