Born with immortal seed

Chapter 208 Sitting in a well and looking at the sky
One major difference between breaking through to the Core Formation stage and the Foundation Establishment stage is that the former can divide the entire breakthrough process into several stages, unlike the Foundation Establishment stage which requires passing through three stages in one go.

Therefore, when a Foundation Establishment cultivator says he is about to attempt to break through to Core Formation, he has actually been doing so for several years.

The transformation of liquid magic into true essence has been completed, the physical body is perfected, water and fire are in harmony, and the elements of Kan and Li are in balance.

Basically, a bright, round golden elixir has taken shape in the dantian.

Only the final step remains: entrusting one's consciousness to the Golden Elixir, thus enabling the transformation of essence, energy, and spirit, and the sublimation of the essence of life.

Gold represents nature, cinnabar represents the heart; their essence is called the Great Dao.

Even in ancient times, when immortals frequently appeared, the traces of Nascent Soul cultivators were still visible, and the descendants of various powerful immortal beasts existed, Core Formation cultivators were the backbone of various sects.

Of course, Core Formation cultivators at that time certainly wouldn't have been addressed with the title of "True Person".

Since ancient times, immortals have vanished without a trace, and even powerful beings at the Nascent Soul stage are rarely seen; they are extremely rare in the world.

The title was given to Core Formation cultivators as their status rose.

"Since Senior Brother Dai has invited so many fellow disciples, he must have some confidence in his abilities..."

Long Qi was in his prime, but his topknot was covered in white hair because his first attempt at Foundation Establishment had failed and depleted his vital energy and lifespan.

Even with years of gradual treatment, he has not recovered, and his cultivation has progressed slowly as a result.

"The attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage may only happen once every few decades in a sect... Regardless of success or failure, fellow disciples will observe so that everyone can learn from the experience."

Whether it's related to her cultivation techniques or not, Long Long has become increasingly aloof and cold-faced in recent years.

She had already cultivated to the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, but her attempts to break through to the next level all ended in failure, and she even suffered a minor injury.

Knowing that one's accumulation is not yet complete, unless there is a more effective breakthrough pill or a sudden enlightenment opportunity, one can only rely on time to slowly hone one's skills.

Therefore, she attached great importance to this ceremony and arrived at the scene early, hoping to gain some inspiration from it.

This is not a vague and unreal thing. If someone survives the Heavenly Tribulation, successfully transforms into a Nascent Soul, and becomes a True Lord of the Nascent Soul, a sound of the Great Dao will resound within their body.

The moment a cultivator is closest to the true meaning of the Great Dao before achieving the Divine Transformation is when they sweep away external demons and elevate their divine soul.

Aside from the Nascent Soul cultivator himself who reaped the greatest benefits, all living beings within a hundred miles of the Great Dao would also receive some advantages after hearing the sound of the Great Dao.

For example, the bottleneck that has hindered one's cultivation for many years is loosened, or the obscure supernatural powers that were difficult to master are enlightened, or the various arts of immortal cultivation that have been stagnant are made great progress.

This is especially evident among low-level cultivators.

"It's not like this happens only once every few decades anymore. Maybe in a couple of years we'll see Sect Leader Wei break through to the Core Formation stage again... and even Senior Sister Zhou and Senior Brother Bai will have the chance within the next few decades."

Long Qi withdrew his gaze. Dai Hui's secluded spiritual cultivation site was at the bottom of a valley, where clouds were moving and obscured the view.

“Senior Brother Wei took longer to reach the Foundation Establishment stage and even used the inner core of a third-tier demon beast to gain some insight into the realm of a pseudo-Core cultivator, so he should have a greater chance of success… He hasn’t made a breakthrough yet, probably because he’s aiming for a higher Core Formation probability. In comparison, Senior Brother Dai is quite old, and delaying it any longer would be disadvantageous.”

As the most renowned Foundation Establishment cultivator in the Qingfeng Sect, Long Long naturally had no shortage of suitors.

The Long siblings stood around them, surrounded by several elders. If they weren't so unapproachable, someone would have already come up to chat with them.

"Senior Sister Zhou's cultivation speed is extremely fast, but some people have always felt that she is not good at combat and has shortcomings in her temperament. These shortcomings will definitely be exposed when she reaches the final stage of Foundation Establishment... As for Junior Brother Bai, even though he is a genius, he has only been in Foundation Establishment for a short time and is only in the middle stage, which is far from perfection."

"That's true, but Senior Brother Bai is only in his early fifties. Even if he spends a full sixty years cultivating to the peak of Foundation Establishment, he'll still have plenty of time to attempt to break through to Core Formation..."

The Long siblings communicated telepathically, unaware that their evaluations of the others would be overheard by others.

Long Qi looked around and said curiously, "It seems that Senior Brother Bai hasn't arrived yet; I haven't seen him."

"This is a major event, and it will be of great help to those of them who are on the verge of forming their core. They won't fail to help..."

Long Long's expression was icy, and he closed his eyes to rest, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay, like an iceberg.

Long Qi knew her older sister's temperament well. In addition, the cultivation method she practiced required her to be detached from desires, with a heart and body as cold as ice, and immune to external demons. Over the years, it had become increasingly difficult to communicate with her.

Gradually, almost all the elders who had free time went outside the valley, some occupying a peak by themselves, others gathering in groups.

"Elder sister, it's Elder Ge! Let's go and pay our respects quickly."

Seeing the elders taking flight one by one, Long Qi called out anxiously.

Ancestor Ge Cang, accompanied by Qi Yue, landed on the central Cloud Viewing Platform. This platform offered the best view and had been cleared and prepared long ago, but no one went up to it.

"Greetings to the ancestor."

May our ancestor enjoy eternal prosperity.

The elders stepped forward one by one to pay their respects, but Master Ge Cang remained indifferent, merely nodding slightly.

Unlike Elder Yang, True Person Ge Cang traveled extensively after achieving the Core Formation stage, spending less than a third of his time within the sect.

His contact with sect elders is very limited; he might not even be able to match the faces and names of most of the people here.

In the past, elders who wanted to curry favor with Ge Cang Zhenren all tried every means to start with his only disciple, Qi Yue.

As it turned out, Qi Yue was also a withdrawn and taciturn person with an arrogant attitude and a strong sense of self-protection.

No one has managed to traverse this route either.

Only when a hall master like Liang Yu or Luo Qiuzhen stepped forward to greet him could they receive a response from Ge Cang Zhenren.

And for Qi Yue to step forward and exchange a few words with him was already giving them plenty of face.

In terms of cultivation level alone, the Long siblings were unremarkable among all the elders. After bowing respectfully, Long Qi was about to leave when he heard an unexpected greeting.

"Long time no see. I heard that Junior Sister Long has been cultivating the Ice Soul Cold Light technique. Is there any progress?"

Qi Yue stepped forward and greeted them, drawing meaningful glances from many elders.

It seems I need to adjust my attitude towards Long Long in the future?
Long Qi's gaze shifted back and forth between Qi Yue and his sister; in his memory, the two didn't have much of a relationship.

'Could it be that even Qi Yue has succumbed to the eldest sister's charm?'

Long Qi glanced at Qi Yue, whose sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes hinted at arrogance, and thought that it wouldn't be unacceptable for him to be her brother-in-law.

He possesses exceptional talent and is said to have some kind of mysterious spiritual body, and has already reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment cultivation.

As Ge Cang Zhenren's only disciple, he held a prestigious position, and even the sect leader treated him with utmost respect.

If Long Longzhen and Qi Yue were to become Daoist partners, the siblings' lives in the sect would certainly be much easier.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Qi. I am rather slow-witted and have not yet grasped the technique."

Long Long bowed, feeling the scrutinizing gazes from all around, and sneered inwardly.

Not to mention that she disdained marrying male cultivators, she had set her sights on becoming the first female Core Formation True Person of the Qingfeng Sect since childhood.

Based on her understanding of Qi Yue, she knew that he was arrogant and, because of the Qing Sang spirit body, he was wary of all female cultivators, worried that they were after that pure spiritual energy.

The only interaction between the two was when they were jointly pursuing a demonic cultivator; otherwise, they had no contact whatsoever, and this person had absolutely no romantic feelings for her.

"Oh, Ice Soul Cold Light is only a third-tier spell. It's indeed quite difficult to master it during the Foundation Establishment stage without possessing an ice spiritual root..."

Qi Yue walked up to him, and the icy light was indeed just a pretext; he didn't care at all.

"Has Junior Sister Long been to Jade Moon Lake recently? Have you seen Junior Brother Bai? I haven't seen him since the sect war ended!"

"I have never met Junior Brother Bai either. I heard that he has been in seclusion cultivating."

Long Long recalled that carefree, confident figure; it turned out it was because of news about Junior Brother Bai.

In the last sect mission, Qi Yue was completely outmatched by Bai Zichen, and he's probably been holding a grudge ever since, wanting to find an opportunity to win back.

"That's true. Icefire Dragon Blood Wine is a third-tier spirit wine, so you have to be careful when refining it to avoid getting drunk... I have the Primordial Yang Divine Thunder, which dilutes the wine's potency with lightning magic, allowing me to refine a small half-bottle of spirit wine in three years."

The Ice and Fire Dragon Blood Wine was such a fine item that Master Ge Cang bestowed it upon the four of them. How could he not leave a portion for his personal disciples?

With the abundant Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine, Qi Yue has reached the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and is expected to break through to the late-Foundation Establishment stage within ten years.

A bitter feeling welled up in Long Long's heart. This was the difference; the other party could drink third-tier spirit wine at will.

Who can blame them for having such a good mentor?

Qi Yue wasn't deliberately showing off. The Ice and Fire Dragon Blood Wine was just a normal bottle of spirit wine to him. He already had quite a few third-tier items.

With the Ice Heart Technique activated, Long Long quickly froze her negative emotions, maintaining a pure and icy heart.

"Junior Brother Bai has arrived!"

Qi Yue was about to turn away in disappointment when his eyes suddenly lit up, and he stared intently ahead.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master Ge. May your path to enlightenment last forever."

These past few days, Bai Zichen has been holed up in the Transmission Hall, spending thousands of contribution points to exchange for all the scrolls related to Core Formation experience.

I was so engrossed in watching that I almost forgot today was the day I was witnessing Dai Hui's breakthrough to the Core Formation stage.

"You're already in the late Foundation Establishment stage?"

Master Ge Cang let out a soft exclamation; with his strength, he could naturally see Bai Zichen's true cultivation level at a glance.

"Thanks to my master's treasure, I was able to refine the Ice and Fire Dragon Blood Wine and reach the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage smoothly... Later, while strolling in Jade Moon Lake, I had an epiphany and successfully broke through the realm after one attempt in seclusion."

Bai Zichen altered his story, speaking in a way that was half-true and half-false.

"Okay, very good!"

Master Ge Cang laughed twice and pointed to the side: "As expected, I did not misplace my knowledge... I will leave it here and watch Dai Hui break through to the Core Formation stage together."

"Yes, Uncle Ge."

Bai Zichen responded and walked leisurely to Qi Yue's side: "Senior Brother Qi, it's been a long time."

"Yes, it's been a long time..."

Qi Yue stared blankly into his long, bright eyes for a long time before finally asking, "Are you really in the late Foundation Establishment stage?"

"Indeed, it was just a stroke of luck."

Bai Zichen smiled slightly, answering as casually as he mentioned what color Taoist robe he was wearing that day.

“My master often says that I’m like a frog in a well, only seeing the sky from the bottom of my own mind. If I don’t step out of the cultivation world of Liang Kingdom, I’ll never know how many outstanding young cultivators there are in the world…”

Qi Yue's expression returned to normal, and he slowly said, "Actually, we don't even need to leave the sect. Junior Brother Bai alone is enough to make people put away all their arrogance."

The previous chapter may not have been clear. The requirement of a hundred years of cultivation refers to the time required for a cultivator with three spiritual roots to achieve this without taking any pills, being in a second-tier spiritual land, using ordinary cultivation techniques, or receiving any external assistance.

In other words, if you are an average cultivator with limited resources and no extraordinary encounters, you shouldn't even dream of reaching the late Foundation Establishment stage or higher.

Because lifespan is never enough.

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(End of this chapter)