Mythical Cultivation

However, the Golden Core Realm is divided into two important levels. The first is the Dan Duan Realm, where cultivators at this level must meticulously polish their Golden Core, gradually smoothing out any imperfections and bumps on its surface until it is flawless.

The second stage is the Mana Realm. When the Golden Elixir reaches perfection, it begins to generate miraculous mana. From then on, the cultivator must transform all of his true essence into mana, continuously accumulating it until the entire Dantian is filled with mana. Only then can he have the opportunity to advance to the next level.

Elder Dongfang was in a state of disarray, his only remaining defense, powerless to fight back. Not only were the six men's magical weapons and treasures pounding at him relentlessly like a torrential downpour, but even more devastatingly, their hands were constantly on the move. While manipulating their weapons to launch attacks, they also unleashed a variety of powerful spells. These spells ranged from thunder and lightning to blazing flames and biting ice, each one imbued with astonishing destructive power.

You should know that magic tools are divided into four grades: low-grade magic tools, medium-grade magic tools, high-grade magic tools, and top-grade magic tools. Generally speaking, most cultivators in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages will choose to use magic tools. Even some cultivators who have just entered the Golden Core stage will still use top-grade magic tools for various reasons.

After all, crafting a magical weapon is no easy task. First, sufficient materials must be prepared. Even then, creating a magical weapon from scratch would take at least several years. If one were to start from scratch, including sourcing the right materials and other steps, it could take decades, or even hundreds of years. Therefore, not all cultivators at the Jindan stage possess their own magical weapon. And now, facing these six enemies armed with both powerful magical instruments and terrifying spells, even Dongfang Yishan, for all his strength, could not help but feel a sense of dread.

Magical weapons are treasures unique to cultivators at the Golden Core stage. Not to mention the rarity and scarcity of the materials needed to craft them, the sheer amount of true essence consumed each time they are used is daunting enough. Even a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage, exhausting all their true essence, would likely only be able to barely activate a magic weapon for a moment.

Only cultivators who have reached the Golden Core stage can freely wield the power of magical weapons. More precisely, the true source of power behind magical weapons is not true essence, but mana. After all, the power exerted by the same amount of mana as a magical weapon is 30% greater than the same amount of true essence!

At this moment, Dongfang Yishan's cultivation had already reached the Mana Realm, and the flying sword he wielded—the Taiyue Sword—was a divine weapon of the magical treasure level. The situations of the remaining six individuals were different. Among them, Hehuan Sect Elder Lin Sufei, Liu Family Elder Liu Guanglin, and Zheng Family Elder Zheng Shuguang—although all three were cultivators at the Mana Realm, only Liu Guanglin and Lin Sufei possessed magical treasures. Zheng Shuguang, on the other hand, possessed only a top-grade magical instrument and no magical treasures.

The remaining three figures, Jian Wuxia, Lin Hanlun, and Nangong Wentian, were all at the Dan-forging stage. However, Jian Wuxia was unique in that he wielded a magical flying sword, while the other two were equipped with only top-grade magical instruments.

You know, creating a magical treasure is far from as easy as creating a magical tool. First and foremost, the key lies in finding the right materials. After all, these materials are all extremely rare and precious treasures. Regardless of their value, the sheer difficulty of finding them is enough to daunt one.

Secondly, there are two crucial factors: one must possess the ability to refine weapons; the other is to have close friends who are skilled in refining weapons; and the third is to have a skilled refiner within one's faction. As for seeking help from outsiders for refining, or simply purchasing weapons, this is a rare practice. This is only done by emerging factions with initial Jindan cultivators or solitary cultivators who lack the necessary channels and resources.

It's important to understand that there's a vast difference between magical treasures and magical instruments. Magical instruments require only conventional rituals and can be replaced at any time. However, magical treasures have a unique designation—their own natal magical treasures. They require years of meticulous ritual cultivation by the user, using their own essence, blood, true essence (i.e., mana), and spiritual consciousness—to fully unleash their true power.

Furthermore, a magical weapon holds immense significance for a cultivator. It accompanies them through the ages, like a close companion. How could they easily hand it over to strangers? Take the Tianjian Sect, to which Jian Wuxia belonged, for example. There's a saying: "As long as the sword survives, the person lives; when the sword dies, the person dies." While not all cultivators are so resolute in their devotion to their natal magical weapon, losing it inevitably depletes their strength, and even more so, their vitality and spirit. It's for this reason that Dongfang Yishan, possessing a magical weapon and having reached the realm of mana, was able to withstand the fierce and ferocious siege of the six for so long. Without this support, he would have been crushed in a matter of rounds.

Meanwhile, the fierce battle continued in full swing. Liu Guanglin, the highly respected elder of the Liu family, unleashed his renowned unique skill—Raging Fire. In an instant, the sky was engulfed in blazing flames for miles around, resembling a boundless sea of ​​​​inferno. This sea of ​​fire spread rapidly, encircling Dongfang Yishan in the blink of an eye.

The originally ochre-colored Earth Shield was now illuminated like a vast crimson shield. The surging flames at the periphery continued their advance, continuously converging towards the center, causing the temperature in the central area to rise steadily. It seemed as if these flames were determined to completely reduce the Earth Shield at the center to a pile of dust that would be blown away by the wind.

Thankfully, Elder Dongfang's shield was actually an earth-attributed magical weapon, and earth controls fire! At this point, Liu Guanglin unleashed his seemingly immensely powerful and imposing blazing prairie fire technique. However, this move didn't actually pose much of a threat to Elder Dongfang. On the contrary, due to the fire's ferocity and widespread reach, it even disrupted his teammates' offensive rhythm and strategic planning to a certain extent.