Chương 97: Pill Completed! Nascent Soul Consciousness! Nearing the End of Lifespan!

Nascent Soul Consciousness! Nearing the End of Lifespan!

In the quiet room, time seemed to be stretched out and frozen.

The changing winds and clouds, the roaring spiritual energy, the lightning and thunder, and even the commotion and tremors that arose on the entire Kui Xing Island because of him, have all faded away and become blurred, like watching another drama through a thick water curtain.

Zhou Ding's entire mind and all his thoughts were completely immersed in the mysterious space within his dantian, where a cataclysmic change was taking place.

The "peace" of the past is long gone here.

The vast and pure power of the Azure Origin Sword Technique was no longer a slowly flowing river, but had transformed into a raging ocean with boiling, rolling waves!

The liquid magic was wildly stirred by some invisible force, swirling around the "origin point" that emitted strange red, gold, and blue light at the very center.

That was a "fake elixir" that he had cultivated diligently for decades, refined through repeated feedback, and solidified to an unbelievable degree.

At this moment, a gigantic vortex of spiritual energy is forming, rotating so fast that it is almost tearing space apart!

Each frantic rotation of the vortex generates a terrifying centripetal force powerful enough to crush metal, mercilessly tearing and compressing the outermost, most "edge" liquid magic, and then frantically pouring it into the center!

The "fake core" is like the insatiable core of a black hole, greedily devouring the massive influx of pure mana.

Its size did not increase significantly, but its color continued to deepen, and its radiance became more and more intense and solid. From its initial dazzling brilliance, it gradually converged inward, transforming into a profound, inner, and strange radiance that seemed to contain infinite vitality and destructive power.

Crimson, like fire, represents surging blood and the flame of life; gold, like a sword, symbolizes unparalleled sharpness and unwavering will; cyan, like wood, contains the endless cycle of creation and the essence of the Tao.

The three colors intertwine and flow, forming a layer of magnificent and mysterious glow on the surface of the fake cinnabar.

finally-- The moment the last trace of free liquid magic was completely captured, compressed, and dragged into the three-colored core by the vortex, the entire boiling dantian space suddenly fell into a strange, absolute silence, as if it were before the beginning of the universe.

The next moment!

"boom--!!!"

It wasn't a real sound, but a violent roar at the level of the soul and the Dao! At the center of the dantian, the "origin point" that had devoured all the magic power suddenly shrank inward, shrinking to an infinitely small singularity, as if even time and space were about to be swallowed up by it!

Immediately afterwards, the singularity erupted!

Boundless and dazzling tri-colored light, like the first ray of light after chaos was split open and the primordial chaos was first divided, suddenly illuminated and filled the entire dantian with an unstoppable and indescribable force, and even pierced through the body, making the quiet room bright!

If it weren't for the numerous restrictions that prevented it from entering, this light would have been enough to penetrate the cave and illuminate half the sky!

At the center of the light, the infinitesimally small singularity had vanished.

Instead, there was a solid golden pill the size of a longan, round and flawless, with a beautiful glow of red, gold and blue flowing throughout!

It floats quietly in the center of the dantian, no longer spinning wildly, but slowly rotating at a constant, elegant speed that contains some kind of universal truth.

Each rotation draws upon the remaining, thin yet incredibly pure spiritual energy within the dantian, guiding it to circulate according to the perfect cycle of the Azure Origin Sword Technique, forming a ceaseless and inexhaustible cycle of magical power. The surface of the golden core is not smooth as a mirror, but rather faintly displays and flows natural, mysterious cloud-like patterns, as if engraved with fragments of the laws of heaven and earth, radiating an indescribable profound Daoist charm.

Fake pills are illusory; they are simulations and compressions of power.

The three-colored golden elixir before them was truly a "Dao Fruit" formed by Zhou Ding's decades of arduous cultivation, experiencing life and death, expending endless resources and effort, and integrating the power of feedback from multiple times.

It is proof of a leap in the essence of life, and a sign that one has truly touched the threshold of the "Great Way"!

At this moment, Zhou Ding's soul formed an unprecedentedly close connection with this newly born golden core.

It is no longer just the core of magic power, but more like another core of his life, another "self", as if it is the perfect embodiment of his will and power, connected by flesh and blood, and inseparable by spirit and soul.

Dan Cheng!

The true path to the Golden Elixir begins today!

……

Half an hour later.

Above Lingmu Peak, the dark tribulation clouds that had covered dozens of miles, hung low and seemed to be about to fall, and were accompanied by lightning and thunder, seemed to have completed their final "baptism" and "test" and began to slowly dissipate like the receding tide.

The clouds changed from dark black to deep gray, then to pale white, until finally only a few wisps of clouds, scattered by the strong wind, remained, dotting the sky that had once again become clear and blue.

Those thick, dragon-like bolts of terrifying cyan-gold lightning, imbued with sharp sword intent, had long since subsided, leaving only a faint, chilling aftertaste of thunder and ozone in the air, which was also being quickly dispersed by the mountain wind.

The most awe-inspiring sight was the enormous, milky-white vortex, over ten miles in diameter, that frantically devoured the spiritual energy of the surrounding hundred miles.

Its rotation speed slowed down and its size decreased, like a well-fed giant slowly retracting its invisible tentacles that stretched out to all corners of the world.

Finally, when the last wisp of wandering spiritual energy was completely absorbed by its core, the vortex emitted a faint, almost inaudible hum and vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

The warm sunlight, now unobstructed, poured down upon the summit of Lingmu Peak once more.

Golden light pierced through the lingering, thin clouds of spiritual energy, forming sacred pillars that shone upon the verdant forests, the cascading waterfalls, and the magnificent cave dwelling.

Although the spiritual energy in the mountains had thinned considerably, it was slowly recovering. The sounds of birdsong and animal roars returned, and everything returned to the tranquility and peace of this blessed land. It was as if the apocalyptic scene that had lasted for several hours was just an overly realistic collective hallucination.

Outside the peak, the more than a thousand onlookers who lingered, watching the strange phenomenon in the sky quickly subside, had extremely complex expressions.

Envy, jealousy, amazement, awe, loss, bewilderment... all sorts of emotions flowed and fermented silently among the crowd.

"The celestial phenomena are starting to dissipate... Does this mean it was a success?"

"It must have been a success! Judging from the calming state of the spiritual energy, the Golden Core has clearly been formed, and the cultivation level is being stabilized!"

"In just two years, two Core Formation cultivators from the same mountain peak... Just who are these Zhou brothers from Spiritwood Peak? Their luck is simply outrageous!"

"From now on, it seems that Spirit Wood Peak will be the most revered peak on Kui Xing Island... Two disciples from one family have reached the Core Formation stage, and judging from the power of the celestial phenomena, this Zhou Ding True Person will likely be even more terrifying than that Zhou Jin True Person!"

"From now on, be extremely careful when you encounter anyone from Lingmu Peak; never offend them..."

The whispers were like the buzzing of mosquitoes on a summer night.

Among the crowd were many cultivators who were in the late Foundation Establishment stage or even those who had achieved a pseudo-Core Formation stage and were confident in their high cultivation level and impressive background. Their eyes gleamed with a more complex light.

They too had dreamed of achieving the Golden Core, and knew all too well the difficulties involved.

Witnessing someone else's success firsthand fills me with indescribable emotions.

Some daring and curious individuals have attempted to use their divine sense or eyesight to penetrate the hazy halo surrounding Spiritwood Peak and peek inside.

However, the "Inverted Five Elements Formation" was extremely mysterious. When one tried to probe it with one's divine sense, it was like trying to sink a mud ox into the sea. All one could see were distorted light and shadows, and one could not see the core scene at all.

As for getting closer?

Look at the runes that faintly flow on the array's light screen, runes that even Foundation Establishment cultivators find unsettling, and then think about how the murderous Zhou Jin Zhenren is personally protecting the array from the sky...

No one dares to gamble their own path and their life.

Interfering with someone else's Core Formation, especially one that is clearly extraordinary, will create an irreconcilable enmity.

Even a Core Formation cultivator might not be willing to easily provoke a newly born cultivator of the same level whose potential is unknown.

The crowd lingered for about half an hour, and seeing that Spiritwood Peak had completely returned to calm, the cave entrance was tightly closed, and there was no further movement, they knew that they would not be able to see the true face of the newly promoted True Person today.

Filled with shock and discussion, they dispersed in twos and threes, each riding their own escape lights, some excited, some dejected.

It is foreseeable that today's events will spread throughout Kui Xing Island at the fastest speed, and will spread to the surrounding sea areas, becoming the hottest topic of conversation among all cultivators for a long time to come.

……

Inside the quiet room.

I don't know how much time has passed; it may have been a moment, or it may have been a long time.

When the clamor of the outside world completely subsided, when the rotation of the newly formed golden core in the dantian finally stabilized, and when the surging, almost bursting new power throughout the body was initially tamed and brought under control.

Zhou Ding's eyelids, which had been tightly closed for who knows how long, finally slowly opened.

"laugh--!"

In an instant, two tangible, extremely refined crimson-gold rays of light shot out from the depths of his eyes like peerless swords suddenly unsheathed!

The sharp light swept across the empty space of the quiet room, leaving behind two clear streaks of light that existed briefly, exuding a scorching and sharp aura!

The air in the quiet room seemed to be cut and frozen by those two gazes, and the temperature subtly rose a few degrees. Even the lamp made of thousand-year-old warm jade in the corner seemed to dim for a moment.

Even though Zhou Ding's temperament had been tempered countless times and was already as firm as a rock and as steady as a mountain, he could not suppress the surging waves of joy in his heart at this moment!

It was a sense of liberation, like finally seeing the sunrise after a long period of darkness.

It is also an endless joy that comes from the depths of the soul, resulting from breaking one's own limits and achieving a qualitative leap in one's level of life!

After years of arduous cultivation, the golden elixir has finally been achieved!

A blood-stained forbidden zone, a life-or-death struggle!

The Yue Kingdom was embroiled in war, and people fled overseas!

Establish a foothold in the chaotic Star Sea, proceeding cautiously step by step!

The arduous process of accumulating resources, the planning for forming the Core Formation, the honing of one's own cultivation...

Everything, all the effort, all the waiting, all the forbearance and scheming, finally, at this moment— The elixir is complete!

The Golden Elixir Path is now open!

From then on, he was no longer the "junior" who needed to be cautious in everything he did, struggle to survive between the Foundation Establishment and Pseudo-Core stages, and be constantly on guard against the threat of higher-level cultivators.

He truly stepped into the core ranks of the cultivation world, becoming a Core Formation True Person who could establish his own sect, dominate a region, and be revered by all!

This is a leap in the essence of life, a complete shift in perspective.

It was as if I had broken free from some invisible shackles; the air I breathed was fresher, the world I saw was more expansive, and the laws I perceived were clearer.

Many of the confusions and obstacles in my spiritual practice have suddenly become clear.

This is a mysterious experience that is difficult to describe precisely in words. It is truly standing in a higher dimension, looking down on the past, and touching the threshold of the more vast and mysterious Great Dao.

After a brief, almost overwhelming surge of ecstasy, Zhou Ding took a deep breath.

This breath was long and deep, and the spiritual energy in the quiet room was drawn in, forming a tiny vortex that flowed into his mouth and nose.

He quickly concealed the terrifying glint in his eyes and suppressed the surging waves in his heart.

The mind returned to a state of tranquility, clear and pure.

Core formation is just a new beginning, far from the end.

Ahead lie the Nascent Soul stage, the Divine Transformation stage... and even the legendary higher realms.

The path to immortality is long and arduous; the achievements of this moment are merely the first step onto an even more treacherous mountain peak.

Complacency and laziness are the greatest taboos in spiritual practice.

With a slight thought, his calm and serene consciousness, like a vast spring tide awakened by the spring breeze, surged outwards from the futon where he sat, silently yet powerfully and irresistibly spreading in all directions!

Wherever his consciousness passed, the world was clearly reflected in his sea of consciousness in a more detailed and essential form.

Every speck of dust on the stone wall of the quiet room, its shape, texture, and even the subtle scent that has been attached to it for hundreds of millions of years, can be clearly seen.

The trajectory and energy fluctuations of the spiritual particles floating in the air, which were stirred up during the previous breakthrough, were clearly visible.

Outside the quiet courtyard, the dew that condenses on the leaves of a sacred herb, with its water molecules arranged in a wondrous way and the light it refracts, seems to be magnified a thousand times.

Further away, within the area of Lingmu Peak, one could see the subtle contractions of muscles and the trembling of feathers as each bird flapped its wings.

In the crevices of the mountain rocks, the orderly crawling path of the ant colony and the faint pheromone fluctuations they transmit through their antennae.

Deep underground, the extremely subtle ripples of spiritual energy caused by the slow flow of the spiritual veins...

Everything is under control!

His divine sense continued to spread outward, easily penetrating the light barrier of the upgraded "Inverted Five Elements Array" without any hindrance.

Outside the peak, the cultivators who had not yet completely departed still had expressions of shock on their faces, complex emotions in their eyes, whispers among themselves, and even the slightly disordered flow of their magical power due to the shock, and the slight surging of their blood and qi... all as clear as the lines on the palm of one's hand.

"This Master Zhou Ding is truly remarkable..."

"It seems that things are about to change on Kui Xing Island..."

"Shh! Be careful what you say! The divine sense of a Core Formation cultivator..."

Those gazes of awe, curiosity, envy, and even a hint of deeply hidden jealousy, were all laid bare under his divine sense, which far surpassed that of Tongji University, like ice and snow exposed to the sun, leaving no room for concealment and revealing every detail.

Upon successful Core Formation, a cultivator's spiritual consciousness undergoes a qualitative leap and a quantitative surge, accompanying a leap in their life level. This is common knowledge in the cultivation world.

However, the rate at which Zhou Ding's divine sense surged at this moment had completely exceeded the scope of "common sense"!

Before reaching the Core Formation stage, he underwent multiple transformations through feedback power, especially the powerful feedback brought by Xiao Jin's advancement to the fourth level. His spiritual sense strength had already reached an astonishing sixty-mile radius, steadily surpassing most late-stage Core Formation cultivators and touching the limit threshold of the Core Formation stage.

This time, he condensed his golden core, achieving a fundamental leap in the essence of his life, resulting in a comprehensive improvement. The effects on nourishing and strengthening his soul and consciousness were particularly significant.

As Zhou Ding thought, his divine sense extended outward without reservation.

Seventy li... eighty li... ninety li...

One hundred li!!!

Finally, after covering an area of a hundred miles in radius, the spread of divine sense felt a natural sense of boundary from the rules of heaven and earth, and stopped forcibly expanding outward.

A hundred miles of divine sense!

This has completely and utterly surpassed the theoretical limits that a Core Formation cultivator can achieve!

Even cultivators who have reached the late stage of Core Formation and are just one step away from breaking through to become Nascent Souls usually find it difficult to break through the limitation of 80 or 90 miles in the range of their divine sense.

A hundred miles of divine sense—that's the mark of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator!

It is a vast perception that can only be possessed after a leap in the level of life and a qualitative change in the soul!

Zhou Ding, with his cultivation at the early stage of Core Formation, possessed a terrifying spiritual strength comparable to that of a cultivator at the early stage of Nascent Soul!

How horrifying!

If this gets out, it will be enough to shake the entire Chaotic Star Sea.

Besides the terrifying surge in his divine sense, Zhou Ding clearly felt that the "flame" representing the origin of life and vitality in the deepest part of his body was burning fiercely to an unprecedented degree!

Each heartbeat is strong and powerful, like the beating of a war drum. Blood and qi surge like the Yangtze River in the new, stronger and wider meridians, emitting a deep roar.

Her skin was radiant and glowing, her hair was jet black and glossy, and she exuded a vibrant energy and boundless vitality from the inside out.

Lifespan!

His lifespan has been increased dramatically!

Foundation Establishment cultivators typically have a lifespan of over two hundred years.

A pseudo-core cultivator, due to the further refinement of their magical power and the tempering of their body, can live to around three hundred years old.

Once one successfully forms the Golden Core, their life essence undergoes a leap, and their lifespan will increase dramatically to five hundred years!

This is a consensus in the cultivation world.

However, Zhou Ding's increased lifespan once again defied common sense.

As early as the Pseudo-Core Formation stage, after receiving feedback from the fourth level of Little Gold, his lifespan had already reached six hundred years, surpassing that of ordinary Core Formation cultivators.

At this moment, he had successfully formed his core, achieving the most fundamental leap in his life level. Coupled with the nourishing effect of the three-colored golden core on his physical body, and the powerful vitality brought by cultivating the "Hundred Beasts Tempering Body Technique" to a high level...

Multiple factors combined to cause his lifespan to take another terrifying leap!

He carefully introspected, sensing the vast, seemingly inexhaustible life essence within his body, and a clear understanding emerged in his mind: Nine hundred years!

His lifespan was a staggering nearly a thousand years!

Nine hundred years!

This is extremely close to the lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator, which is about a thousand years!

Many cultivators with ordinary talent or who rely on tricks to form their core may not live to be eight hundred years old, even if they reach the late stage of core formation.

And he, having just entered the Core Formation stage, already possesses a lifespan of nearly a thousand years! What a profound foundation this is, what an extraordinary destiny!

Early stage of Core Formation cultivation.

The strength of divine sense at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Approaching the lifespan of a Nascent Soul cultivator, which is nine hundred years.

Its foundation is so solid that it far surpasses the purity and total amount of magic power of others of the same level.

This is Zhou Ding's current strength!

However, that's not all.

The joy of successfully forming the core and the realization of the changes in himself had just passed through Zhou Ding's mind when his expression suddenly froze!

The next moment, his figure swayed slightly and disappeared from the meditation cushion in the quiet room, leaving only a faint, dissipating phantom.

Almost at the same instant, his true form appeared in front of the tightly closed stone door of the spirit beast chamber.

The stone door slid open silently, and he stepped inside.

The spirit beast chamber is filled with spiritual energy.

However, the atmosphere inside was completely different from when he was peacefully sleeping or comfortably absorbing spirit stones.

Little Gold huddled on its favorite warm jade platform in the center of the spirit beast room, trembling uncontrollably.

Its crimson-gold scales were no longer smooth and even, but were all slightly raised, and between the gaps in the scales, a dark red, lava-like luster flowed and swelled under the skin!

Eight short, thick limbs were tightly curled up beneath it, their sharp claws digging deep into the hard jade platform, making a teeth-grinding "crunching" sound.

Its enormous head drooped, touching the ground, and a suppressed, painful gurgling sound came from its throat, a muffled, thunderous sound that echoed throughout the spirit beast chamber.

Most noticeably, its originally stable and powerful life force is now surging violently like the tide, as if it is undergoing some kind of difficult and dangerous transformation.

The power of feedback!

An unprecedentedly massive feedback force from Zhou Ding's successful Core Formation is raging, transforming, and sublimating within Xiao Jin's body!

This is different from the subtle, accumulated feedback that Zhou Ding received when he rebuilt his cultivation.

This is a one-time, massive, and qualitatively transformative feedback resulting from a fundamental leap in the level of life!

Its ferocity and domineering power far surpassed any previous one!

Although Zhou Ding was not the direct recipient, the mysterious and inseparable mental connection and shared consciousness between him and Xiao Jin allowed him to clearly and vividly feel everything that Xiao Jin was enduring at that moment!

An indescribable, terrifying pain, seemingly originating from the deepest part of his soul and affecting every inch of his flesh, every meridian, and every cell, was like millions of red-hot steel needles simultaneously piercing his senses!

It wasn't just physical pain; it also included a sense of tearing and dizziness caused by the forced breaking, tearing, and then reorganizing and sublimating of a life structure!

Even with Zhou Ding's unwavering will and incredibly strong body, his face instantly turned ashen white, devoid of any color!

Veins bulged on his forehead, and large beads of cold sweat soaked through his inner shirt almost instantly! He groaned, his body swaying uncontrollably, and he instinctively grabbed the stone wall beside him, his knuckles turning white from the force.

What is shared is not only the growth of power, but also the extreme pain that must be endured during this growth process, enough to cause ordinary living beings to collapse instantly!

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand firm. Crimson blood vessels crept up the whites of his eyes, but his gaze remained fixed on Xiao Jin, who was convulsing in pain.

He knew that this was yet another in-depth exploration and terrifying enhancement of Xiao Jin's potential by the feedback force!

If Xiao Jin can hold on, his strength will undergo a dramatic transformation.

"You must hold on..."

Zhou Ding squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. He slowly sat down cross-legged right at the entrance of the spirit beast chamber, closed his eyes, and focused all his energy on circulating his cultivation technique to stabilize his blood and soul, which were also surging due to the shared consciousness.