Chương 12: Little Gold Advances! Level 1 Top Tier!

Level 1 Top Tier!

Chapter Twelve: Little Gold Advances! Level One, Top Tier!

Inside the Spirit Eye Spring, the clear water is calm and still, with only tiny splashes of water occasionally rising from the center of the spring.

Little Jin's burly, dog-like body was completely submerged in the spring water, with only his nostrils and tightly closed golden eyes visible.

It lies quietly at the bottom of the pool, its pores open, greedily absorbing the pure spiritual energy and vibrant life contained in the spring water.

The concentration of spiritual energy here is far superior to that of the outside world. Every drop of spring water is like a liquid spiritual stone, and it is gentler and easier to absorb.

Xiao Jin's demonic power was growing and condensing at a visible speed. Its gray-black fur became increasingly shiny under the influence of spiritual energy, with a faint metallic matte sheen. Its physique also seemed to be slowly but steadily becoming more robust.

It remained motionless, as if it had entered a deep state of hibernation, but in reality, a tremendous change was taking place within its body, steadily advancing towards the top level of a first-class demon beast.

……

Xuankun Mountain, a quiet room in a small courtyard.

Zhou Ding sat cross-legged, his hands forming a mudra on his knees.

The thirteenth level of the "Azure Wood Technique" has been activated to its limit. Within the dantian and sea of qi, the azure qi-like power surges and swells, constantly impacting the final barrier leading to the realm of perfection.

The medicinal power of the Condensing Essence Pill transformed into a surging heat current, flowing into the meridians and propelling the magical power through repeated cycles.

As the opening of the Crimson Forbidden Land draws ever closer, the atmosphere within the valley grows increasingly subtle.

Many late-stage Qi Refining disciples who felt confident in their ability to fight back either stayed even more secluded, focusing on intensive training, or began to move around more frequently, trying to win over allies and increase their chances of success in the forbidden area.

On this day, Zhou Ding had just completed a cycle of Qi circulation and was about to adjust his breathing when a fluctuation came from the early warning array set up outside the courtyard.

Zhou Ding frowned slightly, slowly finished his practice, and got up to leave the quiet room.

Upon opening the courtyard gate, standing outside was Chen Qiaotian, whom I hadn't seen for a long time.

He was still dressed in a brocade robe, with a kind smile on his face, but there was a hint of seriousness between his brows.

"Junior Brother Zhou, I apologize for disturbing you," Chen Qiaotian said with a cupped hand and a smile.

"Senior Brother Chen, you're too kind. Please come in." Zhou Ding led him to sit down at the stone table in the courtyard, while secretly trying to figure out his purpose.

Chen Qiaotian didn't beat around the bush. After a few pleasantries, he got straight to the point: "Junior Brother Zhou, as you probably know, the Crimson Forbidden Land is about to open. I wonder... if you'd be interested in participating in this trial and hoping to gain a Foundation Establishment opportunity?"

Zhou Ding remained calm and shook his head, saying, "To be honest, Senior Brother Chen, this matter concerns my life and death, and my talent is mediocre and my strength is limited. I am still weighing the options and have not yet made a final decision."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qiaotian's eyes flashed with understanding, seemingly unsurprised by the answer.

He leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, saying, "Junior Brother Zhou, let's not beat around the bush. With the opening of this forbidden area, the competition will be extremely fierce. The chances of survival in a one-on-one fight are slim."

As your humble brother, I have contacted several other scions of respectable families who are also interested in going there, and we plan to form an alliance to support each other.

We all belong to the same lineage of immortal cultivators from Huangfeng Valley, and our interests are aligned. We are much more reliable than those rogue cultivators of unknown origin or disciples from other sects.

"Junior Brother Zhou... would you be willing to join? More people mean more strength and a greater chance of success."

They really came here to form an alliance.

Zhou Ding understood.

Chen Qiaotian's actions were not unusual. In the perilous forbidden area, sticking together for warmth was a common choice, especially for these scions of noble families who valued blood ties.

But Zhou Ding merely shook his head slightly in his heart.

Having read the original novel, he knew that the dangers within the Crimson Forbidden Land came from far more than just monsters and restrictions.

For the sake of a rare herb, a treasure, or even just suspicion, it is common for fellow disciples to turn against each other and for allies to turn against each other.

Entrusting your back to a temporary ally or with conflicting interests may not be less risky than acting alone.

Moreover, his greatest reliance is Xiao Jin. Whether it's scouting, providing early warnings, or searching for elixirs, Xiao Jin's abilities far surpass those of ordinary people. Teaming up with others would only restrict his actions and expose his secrets.

Thoughts raced through Zhou Ding's mind, but a perfectly measured hint of hesitation and gratitude appeared on his face: "Thank you for your high regard, Senior Brother Chen. This matter is of great importance, so please allow me to consider it carefully. If I ultimately decide to go, I will definitely give priority to your suggestion."

Seeing that Zhou Ding did not refuse outright, Chen Qiaotian did not press the matter and smiled, "Of course, of course. There is still some time before the registration for the forbidden area, so Junior Brother Zhou can take his time to consider it. If you make a decision then, you can come and find me at any time."

After chatting for a few more minutes about the recent situation in the valley, he got up to take his leave.

After seeing Chen Qiaotian off, Zhou Ding returned to the quiet room, his eyes regaining their composure.

"It seems everyone is preparing for the Crimson Forbidden Land... an alliance?" He shook his head slightly.

It's better to rely on yourself than on others, especially in this kind of hastily assembled alliance where everyone has their own agenda.

With Xiao Jin as his best "partner," he could handle most reconnaissance and resource-finding problems. Acting alone, with his agility and smaller size, actually suited him better.

Putting aside his distracting thoughts, Zhou Ding took another Condensing Essence Pill.

The most urgent task is to push my cultivation to the perfect thirteenth level of Qi Refining before the forbidden area opens!

With further improvements in strength by then, the chances of success will be even greater.

……

Time slipped away quietly during cultivation, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

In the quiet room of the small courtyard on Xuankun Mountain, Zhou Ding was clear-headed and focused on guiding the vast magical power within his body, making the final accumulation and refinement.

It seems that only a thin veil separates us from that perfect barrier.

At this crucial moment of focused cultivation, a strong and familiar tremor suddenly came from the point of connection between souls!

It's not a crisis, but a sense of vibrant life and power, full of energy, swelling, and about to burst forth!

It's Xiao Jin!

Zhou Ding was startled and immediately separated a wisp of his consciousness, switching to his clone in the Spirit Eye Spring a thousand miles away.

Inside the sealed cave where the Spirit Eye Spring is located, the spiritual energy fluctuated violently!

The once calm spring water now seemed to boil, bubbling up a large number of fine bubbles.

Little Gold, soaking in the spring water, was trembling slightly uncontrollably, and a powerful aura was rising from its body!

Enveloped in spiritual light, its size expanded again at a visible speed, growing from the size of a mongrel to the size of an adult wolf!

The muscles became more defined and powerful, and the bones made a slight popping sound, becoming thicker and tougher.

Its four claws turned completely dark gold, with long, curved nails resembling steel hooks that left deep grooves on the hard stone surface of the pool bottom with a gentle stroke.

Those golden eyes suddenly opened, and the golden light surged, like two small suns, captivating the soul!

A top-tier level one monster!

The peak realm of a level one demon beast is equivalent to the Great Perfection of the thirteenth level of Qi Refining in a human cultivator!

The moment the advancement was completed, the warm torrent that had been waiting for so long, originating from the bond of souls, rushed back to Zhou Ding's body like a river bursting its banks!

"They're here!"

Zhou Ding immediately focused all his attention, returned to his original body, and fully accepted the feedback.

A surge of intense heat instantly swept over my entire body!

The limbs, meridians, acupoints, internal organs, and even the depths of consciousness were all being cleansed and purified by this force.

Pain followed: the throbbing pain of the meridians being forcibly widened and reinforced, the tingling and numbness of the flesh and bones being repeatedly tempered, and the tearing sensation of the consciousness being suddenly stretched open!

Zhou Ding gritted his teeth, veins throbbing on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his robes.

But his heart was burning with passion, because he could clearly feel that his body was undergoing a qualitative leap under this painful transformation!

About an hour later, the heat finally subsided.

Zhou Ding exhaled a long breath of foul air, which had a faint fishy smell, and slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes shone with a clear, bright light, even more profound and luminous than before.

He couldn't wait to begin examining the changes within himself.

Clenching your fist, you can feel an explosive power surging beneath your skin, tendons as tough as steel wire, and bones as heavy as refined iron.

With a few casual swings, the wind from his punches whistled, and the air crackled with subtle pops.

His pure physical strength has increased by at least 50% compared to before!

Its resilience and recovery ability will inevitably increase accordingly.

With a single thought, one's consciousness expands outwards like mercury spilling onto the ground, without any hindrance.

Three hundred meters, three hundred and fifty meters, four hundred meters... Finally, it came to a steady stop at an astonishing four hundred and fifty meters!

"Four hundred and fifty meters of divine sense!" Zhou Ding was shocked.

This is almost the level of spiritual power that only a typical early Foundation Establishment cultivator can achieve!

Having such powerful divine sense during the Qi Refining stage means that he will have an overwhelming advantage in detection, early warning, manipulation of magical artifacts, and even learning more complex spells.

Looking inward at his dantian, the originally blue gaseous magical power now seemed to have become even darker, and its flow carried a faint viscous feel, showing signs of liquefaction!

Although it is still far from the true liquid mana of the Foundation Establishment stage, its purity and condensation are already infinitely close to the threshold of Foundation Establishment!

This means that he will be able to activate his magical artifacts with less effort and greater power, and his spellcasting speed will also be faster, with his mana recovery speed also increasing.

"Great! That's wonderful!" Zhou Ding couldn't hide his elation.

The feedback from this clone's advancement has far exceeded expectations!

In particular, his mana was approaching liquefaction and his divine sense was increasing dramatically. This paved the way for his future foundation building and gave him a lot of confidence in the upcoming Crimson Forbidden Land!

Suppressing his excitement, he immediately switched his attention to Xiao Jin, personally experiencing the changes after the advancement.

Its demonic body was incredibly strong, with power permeating every cell, and its claws seemed invincible.

The Earth Listening Technique was activated, and an invisible detection wave instantly covered an area of... three thousand meters!

The area has doubled in size compared to before!

The feedback information is clearer, more three-dimensional, and more detailed, and can even vaguely distinguish the structure of deeper strata.

With a slight thought, Xiao Jin's enormous body instantly became ethereal and sank into the ground using the Earth Escape Technique.

The speed at which we traveled underground was almost twice as fast as before!

Like a fish swimming in water, it is agile and swift, consumes less energy, and seems to have a stronger stealth effect.

"With hearing three thousand meters underground and the ability to burrow underground like a fish... Excellent! With this clone, how can we not find the spiritual medicine in the Crimson Forbidden Land? How can we fear an ambush?"

Zhou Ding's consciousness returned to his body, and a confident smile appeared on his face.