Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Inside the cave at Changchun Peak.

‘Boom! ’

A powerful, muffled thud reverberated throughout the entire dojo.

Lin Changsheng sat cross-legged in the cultivation room, completely naked. His entire body was covered with a faint purple hue, and his flawless white skin resembled a beautiful jade.

The area around the meditation room was littered with wisps of clothing.

Lin Changsheng opened his eyes, and the enormous power of his blood and qi slowly rose within him, giving people a burning and boiling feeling.

He raised his hand, clenched his fist, and gently swung it in the air. His boiling blood and qi surged, instantly creating a gust of wind that swept up the surrounding shredded pieces of clothing.

"A late-stage second-tier body refinement realm cultivator is actually this powerful!"

A rare hint of joy appeared on Lin Changsheng's usually indifferent face.

After converting his accumulated spirit stones into resources to improve himself, and after several years of quiet cultivation, Lin Changsheng's strength underwent a qualitative leap.

Then, he summoned Qingzhi and Lanhua, who had been waiting outside. They came in with brand-new clothes and graceful steps.

……

That year, Lin Changsheng was ninety-four years old.

In order to cope with the increasingly complex situation in the surrounding area, he decided to accelerate the pace of his own strength growth.

Seven or eight years ago, Lin Changsheng contacted Zhao Wanning of the Fengling Chamber of Commerce and purchased a large number of cultivation resources.

The main types of pills used are second-tier pills that enhance cultivation and second-tier spiritual items that temper the physical body.

Perhaps because he rarely takes pills, the results of his cultivation this time were surprisingly good.

In just a few years, he cultivated the initial stage of Foundation Establishment to perfection.

Subsequently, with the assistance of the Breakthrough Pill, he successfully broke through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The magical power within his body has more than doubled compared to before.

Compared to when he first entered the Foundation Establishment stage, his magical power has increased more than fivefold.

In contrast, the slow increase during regular cultivation, combined with the power of elixirs, provides a more direct and visceral experience.

However, Lin Changsheng did not indulge in the pleasure of improving his cultivation level and ignore the drawbacks brought about by the pills.

Firstly, regardless of one's cultivation aptitude, consuming pills that enhance cultivation can significantly increase magical power after simple refining, saving time and effort and skipping the tedious process of refining spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

However, if this becomes a habit over time, it is inevitable to become dependent on this process of rapidly increasing magical power, and it will be difficult to endure the tedious process of refining magical power on one's own, as well as the meager gains, leading to a sense of disappointment.

This leads to most people lacking self-control becoming addicted to the pleasure brought by elixirs after the initial experience, developing a habit. Consequently, they neglect their cultivation when they lack the resources to purchase elixirs.

Secondly, the pills contain a large amount of purified and compressed spiritual energy from heaven and earth, which is easy to absorb; however, each alchemist has different skills and it is impossible to completely remove impurities from the pills, so there will always be some residue.

Ingesting too many elixirs, exceeding the body's capacity to dilute and neutralize them, will lead to the accumulation of residual impurities and toxins in the body, further hindering one's cultivation and breakthroughs in cultivation realm.

Even with pills like the "Breakthrough Pill" that target the limitations of each stage, it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.

While it may seem like you're forcibly breaking through your current bottleneck with the power of elixirs, it will make the next breakthrough even more difficult, and over time, it will block your path to future advancement.

Thirdly, elixirs are ultimately external forces, and the cultivation gained from them is not as solid or pure as that gained through diligent self-cultivation. Under the same conditions, a person who relies on their own hard work will be slightly stronger than a cultivator who relies on elixirs for external enhancement.

Perhaps one day, when Lin Changsheng's own cultivation progress stagnates and he is unable to advance to the next level, he will consider taking a large number of pills to push his cultivation to the perfection of his current level, and then seek another opportunity to break through.

But now he is in his prime, with a strong body and vigorous vitality. He is at his peak in all aspects, and his cultivation level is steadily improving.

Unless you urgently need to improve your strength, it's best to avoid taking elixirs.

However, his cultivation level has now advanced to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and his physical cultivation level has reached the late stage of the second tier.

With breakthroughs in both areas, Lin Changsheng's strength saw a significant increase.

In the chaotic territory of the Nangong family, they had a greater confidence in protecting themselves.

In addition, he has made significant breakthroughs in the creation of mechanical puppets over the years.

After a while, once some high-level materials are collected, it may be possible to attempt to create a second-tier superior puppet, comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

This is largely thanks to the experience and insights of that Shenji Sect cultivator, Luo Hongtu.

Although this person was not very strong, his skill in making mechanical puppets was truly remarkable, saving Lin Changsheng a lot of time.

……

these years.

Many significant events occurred during Lin Changsheng's period of seclusion and arduous cultivation.

Two years ago, a sizable beast tide broke out in the Wanfeng Mountains.

The impact on Thousand Crane Immortal City was significant, with even 'quasi-third-tier' level demonic beasts launching sneak attacks on the city.

Equivalent to a human cultivator at the Pseudo-Core stage.

Fortunately, in recent years, the number of cultivators in the area has increased several times over, with more than ten cultivators at the Pseudo-Core stage alone.

They averted the beast tide crisis without serious incident, and even made a fortune by using the bodies and cores of these monsters.

The cultivation grounds of Foundation Establishment cultivators, which are independent of the Immortal City, were also affected.

Faced with an endless tide of beasts, the power of Foundation Establishment cultivators seemed insignificant, barely able to protect themselves.

Some Foundation Establishment cultivators even discovered the beast tide in advance and cleanly abandoned their dojos, letting them become a paradise for monsters. Only after the beast tide receded did they return to wipe out the remaining monsters in the dojos.

Changchun Peak, which is near the Wanfeng Mountains, was naturally not spared.

However, Lin Changsheng has three second-tier demonic beasts guarding his dojo.

Most monsters below the second rank kept their distance after sensing the three-headed ferocious aura.

A few low-level demonic beasts, oblivious to their own mortality, trespassed and instantly became food for the three-headed demonic beast, without Lin Changsheng having to lift a finger.

Even ordinary second-tier demonic beasts are far weaker than ferocious beasts like the Crimson Centipede, the Wind Crow, and the Snow Demon Wolf!

During this time, Changchun Peak was invaded by a 'quasi-third-tier' leopard monster.

On that occasion, Lin Changsheng personally led three great demonic beasts into battle, along with three second-tier puppets, including the 'Four-Unlikes'.

They even used the 'Vajra Cone' talisman treasure, which they had nurtured for many years, and the 'Netherworld Spirit Pearl'.

Finally, with the help of the power of the rune array, they managed to kill the 'quasi-third-tier' leopard demon beast inside Changchun Peak, where it was devoured by the three demon beasts.

……

In addition, Master Hu Dan consumed many longevity-enhancing spiritual substances, but ultimately failed to live past the age of 150, passing away peacefully after his lifespan was exhausted.

Lin Changsheng attended the funeral.

With his old friend gone, Master Wu, who had already gained some youthful looks due to his advancement to Foundation Establishment, now appeared much older.

He became quiet and reserved in his daily life.

He dismissed all of Hu Danshi's concubines, but kept his descendants.

Among these people, those with talent for alchemy inherit the legacy of alchemists.

The rest, like Liang Kang, were trained from the talisman-making apprentice stage.

As for his disciple Liang Kang, he has used a large number of pills over the years to forcefully advance his cultivation to the peak of the tenth level of Qi Condensation!

However, due to consuming too many elixirs, toxic substances accumulated in his body, almost completely severing his path to Foundation Establishment. He then focused on cultivating his offspring.

Now, Master Wu has passed on his entire first-tier talisman-making skills to Liang Kang.

Even Master Hu Dan had begun to pass on his alchemy skills to Liang Kang many years ago.

His explanation was both laughable and pathetic; he claimed it was to prove that his teaching skills were superior to those of Master Wu.

As a result, the diligent Liang Kang became the ultimate beneficiary, mastering the two great skills of alchemy and talisman making.

He was also in charge of selling pills and talismans, and his reputation was gradually growing among the rogue cultivators of Thousand Crane Immortal City.

Even Liang Kang's story of diligently serving the two craftsmen for nearly a century, gaining them cultivation, skills, status, and fame, and ultimately achieving a successful turnaround, has been praised by those who care, becoming a beautiful tale.

This prompted most grassroots cultivators to follow suit, flocking to various shops and craftsmen's homes without regard for payment, working tirelessly and without complaint, at their beck and call.