Xiaoxiao.

As consciousness gradually returned, the mysterious cultivation technique within his body began to operate on its own.

This strange phenomenon startled Kuang Zheng, but he quickly calmed down.

His eyes flashed, and as if to verify his inner conjecture, he immediately probed his consciousness into the dragon ring he carried with him.

In the blink of an eye, he took out dozens of beast cores that emitted various lights.

With the appearance of the beast core, a huge energy fluctuation suddenly spread out.

Although the Spirit Nourishing Pill was the best option to restore spiritual energy at this moment, he had already exhausted all of his Spirit Nourishing Pills due to the fierce battle with the three lords earlier.

Refining pills now is simply not fast enough. Although Ying Yue still has some pill reserves, he is more focused on verifying his inner conjectures.

If things go as he expects, then Ying Yue's Spirit Nourishing Pills are just a drop in the ocean for him, and won't do any good at all.

If the conjecture is wrong, then there is not much difference between absorbing a beast core and using the Spirit Nourishing Pill.

Because he had already basically recovered, the pills only replenished his strength quickly, and he didn't need that much time now.

Moreover, Ying Yue was still deeply immersed in her own emotions at this moment.

Seeing her pained expression, Kuang Zheng couldn't bear to disturb her at this moment.

Furthermore, due to a series of fortuitous encounters, there was not much difference between beast cores and spirit-nourishing pills for him.

However, the Spirit-Nourishing Pill is like a highly concentrated nutrient solution that has been carefully purified, and it can be quickly and fully absorbed by the human body as soon as it enters the mouth.

In contrast, the beast core is more like pre-cooked food; it needs to be chewed and swallowed before it can take effect.

To give his beloved more time to calm down, and just in case his guess was right, Kuang Zheng did not hesitate to choose the numerous beast cores that had been lying quietly inside the dragon ring.

Now is the time for them to play their role.

What he didn't expect was that he had seriously underestimated the amount of energy he would need this time!

As he began to absorb, the golden core in his dantian transformed into an enormous vortex in an instant, as if a starving ghost had been reincarnated.

The vortex spun wildly, greedily absorbing the energy carefully transformed by Kuangzheng on one hand, and expanding its devouring power at an astonishing rate on the other.

In just a few breaths, all thirty Rank 6 beast cores were completely absorbed, as if they had sunk into the sea.

Based on past experience, with the blessing of these energies, one's spiritual energy should be replenished to about 70-80%.

This time, however, the presence of spiritual energy could not be sensed at all. The immense energy that had just been swallowed was like a stone sinking into the sea, without causing the slightest ripple.

To his surprise, the devouring force within him, which should have gradually subsided, showed no signs of weakening; instead, it surged even more violently.

This extremely bizarre scene left Kuang Zheng dumbfounded, and he couldn't help but wonder to himself, "When did this golden core in my body become so powerful? It can actually withstand such a massive amount of spiritual energy!"

Suddenly, fragments and images from his dreams flashed through his mind, like a ray of light piercing the darkness.

His suspicions were confirmed for the first time, so he took out more beast cores without hesitation.

The newly extracted beast core was also quickly consumed, and the spiritual energy within his body did not show any significant increase.

At the same time, he also discovered that the golden pill with gray stripes that was floating in the Niwan Palace had disappeared at some point, whether it had turned into part of the vortex or was obscured by the vortex's airflow.

If this bizarre scene had happened normally, Kuang Zheng would have been scared out of his wits.

But he showed no panic at all; instead, a smile appeared on his lips.

At that moment, all his doubts vanished, and he finally became convinced that those dreams were not entirely unreal.

At the very least, the fact that one's strength is greatly enhanced in a dream is very likely real.

Upon realizing this, Kuang Zheng immediately and without hesitation took out all the beast cores from the Dragon Ring.

In an instant, countless beast cores surged forth like a tide, piling up around him.

In the blink of an eye, these numerous beast cores had formed a small mountain!

The colorful beast cores instantly illuminated the entire cave, and a huge energy fluctuation filled the entire dragon's nest.

Such a huge commotion could not escape Ying Yue's keen perception.

When she witnessed this astonishing scene, her eyes widened in disbelief.

After listening to Kuang Zheng's detailed explanation of the whole matter, Ying Yue suppressed her inner joy and, without daring to delay, quickly retreated to a safe place.

She knew that Kuang Zheng would inevitably cause a huge commotion, so in order not to interfere with his cultivation and for her own safety, she naturally stayed as far away as possible.

Their long-term protection of the Dharma has given them ample experience, so they can coordinate perfectly with just a glance.

Kuang Zheng's explanation relieved Ying Yue of a huge weight in her heart. The spiritual energy in her lover's body had not disappeared forever as she had worried, but had been severely depleted.

For her, this was undoubtedly fantastic news.

The thought that the person she deeply loved might have already reached that legendary realm filled Ying Yue's heart with joy.

Fortunately, she was not overwhelmed by the joy. Recalling the earth-shattering scene that occurred when she rectified her breakthrough last time still made her feel lingering fear.

That sudden turn of events caused her considerable trouble.

If Wu Ren hadn't reacted quickly, he might have been seriously injured on the spot.

Therefore, she will not take that risk again this time.

With Ying Yue's quiet departure, Kuang Zheng's last worries disappeared.

At this moment, he could immerse himself wholeheartedly in absorbing and refining these beast cores.

For a long time, the three of them firmly believed that the highest level of cultivation they could reach was the Golden Core stage.

This is not because they are unaware that beyond the Golden Core stage, there are even more profound levels.

However, due to the extreme scarcity of spiritual energy on the planet Penglai, they lacked sufficient energy to break through the constraints and reach a higher realm.

Moreover, whether it was the legendary Shennong, Peng Zu, or more recent figures like Chunyangzi and Zhang Sanfeng, their highest level of cultivation was limited to the Golden Core stage.

Therefore, they believed that the energy provided by Penglai Planet was only enough to cultivate to the Golden Core stage, which is also the origin of the Golden Core Path.

However, as time went by and their respective realms improved, the gears of fate began to turn quietly.

Especially from the moment they inadvertently encountered Zhu Xian's divine consciousness, everything changed.

After witnessing Zhu Xian's divine sense display strength far exceeding that of the Golden Core stage at the sixth level, the three's understanding of the upper limit of cultivation was completely overturned.

Although that chance encounter almost wiped them out, it also raised their highest expectations for cultivation.

Unfortunately, although their horizons were greatly broadened, the three of them were still at a loss when faced with the difficult question of how to successfully enter the Nascent Soul stage.

It's like being in a fog, unable to figure out which way to go.

The Nascent Soul stage is known as "entering sainthood," and it can be considered the most arduous and difficult hurdle to overcome on the path of cultivation.

Countless gifted and brilliant individuals have devoted their entire lives to exploring this mystery, yet they have never been able to unravel its profound secrets. In the end, they are helplessly trapped at the Golden Core stage, filled with regret for the rest of their lives.

This is one of the reasons why, even though they are both at the Golden Core stage, there is a huge difference in their strength.

From this point onward, the difference in strength between cultivators becomes increasingly apparent with each advancement in their cultivation level.

This is why cross-realm challenges are commonplace before the Golden Core stage.

The fundamental reason why, after the Golden Core stage, not to mention "crossing realms" in challenges, even "crossing ranks" in challenges is a once-in-ten-thousand-years occurrence.

Before reaching the Golden Core stage, a cultivator's true nature remains that of a "mortal."

Once one enters the Nascent Soul stage, one is considered to have "entered sainthood".

One is "mortal," the other "saint," one is heaven, one is earth.

The reason why the Nascent Soul stage is called "entering sainthood" is that once a cultivator enters this stage, they will no longer rely solely on their physical innate abilities, but will need to comprehend and experience the mysterious and unpredictable "Dao".

"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao." This simple word "Tao" contains endless mystery and philosophy that is difficult to grasp.

"Mysterious and mysterious, the door to all mysteries."

In comprehending the Tao, some people can have a sudden flash of inspiration, as if enlightened by a sudden awakening, thus gaining insight into the true essence of the Tao hidden behind the mortal world;

However, some people spend their entire lives searching and exploring, yet they still find it difficult to capture even the slightest glimmer of light.

And this fleeting glimmer of light is precisely the enlightenment of the "Tao".

If you attain the Way, you have attained the Way; if you haven't, you haven't attained the Way.

Everything in the world has a reason, yet everything is difficult to fathom.

It is truly mysterious beyond words, the Dao is ineffable, yet it speaks of everything.

Therefore, it is by no means easy to advance from the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage.

At this point, advancement in one's realm no longer relies solely on the gradual accumulation of cultivation; it also requires the budding of one's Dao heart.

Only by comprehending the "Tao," taking one step at a time to approach the "Tao," and ultimately finding one's own unique "Tao," can this qualitative leap be achieved.

Such mystery is truly indescribable.