Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Da Zhou, Wanfeng Mountain Range.

The secret realm of the ancient sect.

Within the deep pool beneath the cliff waterfall, faint, shimmering light emanates.

Not far away, a young man, looking hurried, appeared furtively.

"Ice Wall Cold Pool, a superior 'resource point' in the secret realm. A large amount of 'Cold Algae' grows in the cold pool, which can be used as a foundation-building spiritual item for cultivators who mainly cultivate water attribute techniques."

About twenty feet away from the cold pool, the boy cautiously stopped, took out a map from his pocket, looked around at it, and muttered to himself.

"Huh, that's strange. According to the senior brother who has been here before, there is a pair of peak first-tier demonic beasts here, the Ice Jade Frost Serpents. Why is there no demonic aura here?"

"Could it be that the senior brother who sold the secret realm map is lying to me? Or is it that the pair of Ice Jade Serpents just happened to be out hunting for food?"

The boy looked somewhat suspicious as he used his divine sense to carefully examine every corner around him.

Soon, he found five or six fist-sized monster eggs with black patterns all over their bodies on a stone wall near the cold pool.

The boy was taken aback at first, then nimbly leaped between the boulders and flew to the front of the monster eggs.

A strong, fishy smell wafted over.

Many blue scales fell from the crevices in the rocks around these monster eggs.

"Snake-like demonic beasts love to devour the eggs of other demonic beasts, but these eggs are unharmed. Could they be the eggs of the Ice Jade Frost Serpent?"

After a moment's thought, the boy's face lit up with delight.

He immediately reached out and swept the five or six eggs away.

Then, mustering his courage, he cautiously probed the edge of the pool, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn't resist and jumped in with a "plop."

……

Before long, another petite figure dressed in black and wearing a bamboo hat arrived at the edge of the cold pool, displaying agile and unpredictable movements.

Just then, ripples appeared in the cold pool beneath their feet.

A boy leaped out from the crowd and landed on the surrounding rocks.

"who!"

"Oh no, someone's here!"

Two exclamations, one from a man and one from a woman, rang out simultaneously.

The petite figure, dressed in a black outfit, alertly summoned a top-grade first-tier magic weapon, her entire body surging with magical power.

The other boy, however, looked rather disheveled. He held a handful of blue water-attribute spiritual herbs in his hand, his skin was bluish all over, and a layer of white frost had formed on his body. He was shivering from the chilling air.

The young man had no time to pay attention to the mysterious woman; he subconsciously activated his cultivation technique and used his magic power to dispel the chill.

"'Mysterious Fiend Technique'? Which lineage of the Spirit Control Sect are you a third-generation disciple of?"

Sensing the rising magical energy within the boy, the mysterious woman in black softened her tone slightly, but still asked in a cold voice.

Her voice was as clear and crisp as a young girl's.

"Doesn't this fairy know that she should introduce herself before asking questions of others?"

After circulating his cultivation technique, the boy's condition improved. Seemingly dissatisfied with the mysterious girl's condescending tone, he retorted.

But when his gaze swept over the top-grade magical artifact floating in front of the girl, a hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes.

“I’m asking you, if you’re tired of living, then keep talking nonsense.”

As she spoke, the girl unleashed the aura of the peak tenth level of Qi Condensation, and the magical artifact in front of her seemed to sense her intentions and began to hum softly.

"Senior sister, please don't be angry. I, Wang Zhen, am indeed a disciple of the Yuling Sect, but I am only a nominal disciple and have not yet joined any lineage."

Upon seeing the girl's high level of cultivation and her quick change of expression, Wang Zhen immediately yielded.

"So you were just a nominal disciple with a mere eighth level of Qi Condensation cultivation. You're practically at the bottom of this training. With such low cultivation, how dare you dive into the cold pool? If the cold energy from the pool invades your body, it will leave hidden injuries that will be detrimental to your future cultivation."

"I have half a flask of 'quasi-second-tier' fire-attribute spirit wine here, which can dispel the cold. Leave your 'Clear Cold Algae' here, and take the spirit wine to find a place to meditate."

The mysterious girl dressed in black took out a delicate wine gourd the size of a palm, and her clear voice carried an unquestionable tone.

Although he was wearing a straw hat, Wang Zhen could feel that the girl's gaze was fixed on the 'Qinghan Algae' in his hand.

"Hehe, is this fairy also a disciple of the Spirit Control Sect?"

"I need not trouble you, Fairy, with the chill in my body. As for this 'Qinghan Algae,' I have no intention of selling it cheaply for the time being."

Wang Zhen's expression turned slightly cold, and his tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

Although this 'Qinghan Algae' is only useful for cultivators who mainly cultivate water-attribute techniques, and is considered a low-grade spiritual item among Foundation Establishment spiritual items, its value is not high.

However, if a suitable opportunity is found and a cultivator who desperately needs this item is encountered, it can still be sold for a good price.

The girl in front of him had a haughty attitude and asked him to keep the spiritual herb he had worked so hard to obtain, so he naturally wouldn't give her a friendly look.

"Hmph, if I hadn't gone to great lengths to lure those two icy green snakes away, you little thief would have been devoured by them long ago. How could you have had the chance to sneak in?"

The mysterious girl snorted and said in a disdainful tone.

"So it was you who lured the Ice Jade Serpent away."

Wang Zhen looked astonished, then suddenly realized what was happening.

No wonder the marked Ice Jade Serpent didn't appear; it turns out it was lured away by this mysterious girl.

Finally, after some discussion, the two decided to divide the 'Qinghan Algae' in two, each taking one portion.

"The Ice Jade Serpent may return to its nest at any time. Your cultivation level is still low, so you should leave as soon as possible."

After accepting the 'Qinghan Algae', the mysterious girl spoke to Wang Zhen on her body.

"Those are peak first-tier demonic beasts, aren't you leaving, Senior Sister?"

Wang Zhen's eyes flickered as he pondered.

This woman possesses profound cultivation and exquisite magical power. She has come here specifically because there might be some treasure in this cold pool that she is unaware of.

Could it be that they came for the eggs of the Ice Jade Serpent?

Wang Zhen felt a little guilty and subconsciously planned to say goodbye and slip away.

But soon he noticed that the woman kept looking at the steep mountain in front of her, as if she had something on her mind.

"It's just an unnamed, solitary peak. No matter what other opportunities it may have, they can't compare to the egg of the Ice Jade Serpent."

"The experience has been more rewarding than I expected, so I'll call it a day while I'm ahead."

After a moment's thought, Wang Zhen took his leave.

The mysterious girl dressed in black took out a more detailed map and stared at a place marked 'Hua Dan Peak'.

"Ordinary opportunities in ancient sect secret realms are not very helpful for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm. Only in these places with hidden names can there be truly great opportunities."

Beneath the straw hat, the girl murmured words, a hint of anticipation in them.

But the next moment, Wang Zhen, who had left, returned and rushed over.

The mysterious girl was furious and was about to speak when she noticed a powerful demonic energy spreading from behind Wang Zhen.

"Senior sister, run! The Ice Jade Serpent is back!"

The two of them didn't care about being exposed at the moment, and they both activated their flight techniques to fly towards the mountain in front of them.

Below, the icy green snakes relentlessly pursued them, creating a great commotion.

"Something's not right. There's something strange about this Ice Jade Serpent."

"Besides the 'Qinghan Algae', did you tamper with anything else?"

As they flew away, the mysterious girl seemed to sense something and turned to question Wang Zhen.

"I don't know. I just...picked up a few monster eggs by the pool..."

Wang Zhen looked flustered and spoke in an innocent tone.

"Snake-like demonic beasts are extremely sensitive to scents and hold grudges. You're practically asking for death!"

The mysterious girl had lost her previous composure; her tone was urgent, and she sounded somewhat disappointed in her son.

From the direction of Huadan Peak, two beams of light continued to rise, heading towards the summit.

Down the mountain, two icy green snakes continued their pursuit, raising a cloud of dust.

Half an hour later, at the summit of Huadan Peak.

With nowhere to retreat, the two were surrounded by two icy green snakes.

……

On the other side of Huadan Peak.

Beneath the unassuming ruins, a long-dormant teleportation array suddenly began to glow faintly.

A loud crash came from the ruins.

The next moment, a flash of light appeared.

A young man dressed in white suddenly appeared in the center of the teleportation array.