Am I About to Form My Core?

Very quickly, Luo Chen overturned his previous sentiment! It was fortunate he had not joined Ice Fort back then! The reason was simple: Ice Fort was far too impoverished in resources. In between bouts of bitter cultivation, Luo Chen had wanted to refine some pills and explore the nature of the Wither-Bloom Fire. But after he submitted a list of requested herbs, Ice Fort took several days just to scrape together a batch. The quality varied wildly, the ages did not match, and they had barely been processed properly. *Strange!* *Ice Fort clearly had an alchemy master before. By all rights, their personnel arrangements and herb-processing procedures should have had well-established precedents!* *On top of that, several materials are missing.* After sifting carefully through the supplies on hand, Luo Chen could only conclude one thing: at most, he could open the furnace a few times and refine about a hundred portions of pills. *Forget it. In the end, they aren't cultivators from the Luotian Association's Pill and Medicine Halls whom I personally trained. They don't understand my refining habits, and their quality control on herb processing is lacking.* *This is no place for pill refining. I'll reconsider once I leave the Ice Prison!* Setting aside his thoughts of pill refinement, Luo Chen turned his attention back to his daily cultivation. He discovered something. Good news! His divine soul foundation had grown by another thirty percent! At present, the strength of his soul was not in the least inferior to those veteran late-Foundation Establishment cultivators who had practiced bitterly for one or two centuries. *It must have something to do with dispelling my inner demons and clearing my mind.* *Besides, spending three years refining the Wither-Bloom Fire required constant exertion of my soul. Now that the strain has suddenly lifted, allowing it to recover gradually, it has reached a new height instead.* Originally, Luo Chen's soul foundation had already surpassed his cultivation realm, reaching the level of the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. Now, advancing even further, it had arrived at the realm of Great Perfection. If it could climb one step higher, it would rival the soul strength of a Golden Core cultivator. However, that step would surely be exceedingly difficult. *Rumor has it that the Luoyun Sect possesses a secret art specifically for tempering the soul, allowing Foundation Establishment cultivators to command puppets stronger than themselves and even control multiple puppets at once.* *If only I could obtain it.* Of course, that was merely wishful thinking. Such a secret art was undeniably among a sect's most vital core arts. How could it be acquired so easily? *Perhaps I can find time to ask Senior Sister Canglong?* With that thought, Luo Chen could not help but look forward to their next meeting. Having given up on pill refinement, Luo Chen spent what little free time he had outside pure cultivation on reading. He read many texts, but they all fell into a single category: Core Formation secret techniques! *Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation*, *Hunyuan Method*, *Breaking Free from the Cage*, and *Locking the Beaded Curtain*. Three lower-tier and one upper-tier—four secret arts in total. In addition, there were the cultivation insights for the *Locking the Beaded Curtain* secret art that the Luoyun Sect had traded to him—one of the terms he had secured in Heavenly Fire Immortal City through Tianxingzi. He studied these secret arts thoroughly because he had no other choice. He had once asked Canglong if Ice Fort possessed a better Core Formation secret art than *Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation*. She had replied frankly that they did: a middle-tier Core Formation secret art called the *Ice Heart Art*. However, that technique was unsuitable for Luo Chen. It was meant for female cultivators, particularly those specializing in water and ice arts. According to Canglong, combining it with Jade Dew Pills yielded miraculous results. That was precisely why Ice Fort had been so adamant about hiring him as a guest elder once they learned he was under Fairy Jueqing's banner. Even though it was not suitable for him, Canglong had assured Luo Chen that he could consult her whenever he had questions regarding Core Formation. If she was unavailable, he could turn to Fairy Jueqing. Canglong had already briefed Jueqing in advance, so she would not refuse him. With such wholehearted sincerity, it was no wonder Luo Chen had abandoned his earlier reluctance to become deeply entangled with Ice Fort and warmly addressed her as "Senior Sister." *Since I can't rely on Ice Fort for a Core Formation secret art, I can only depend on the resources at hand.* *Three lower-tier and one upper-tier—four secret arts are more than enough.* Luo Chen first opened the cultivation insights for *Locking the Beaded Curtain* provided by the Luoyun Sect. By sheer coincidence, the author of these insights was Linghu Jie—the very Golden Core cultivator who had commanded three puppet ghost kings to besiege Pang Renxiong at Dahe Mill. Recalling the man's formidable prowess, Luo Chen was filled with anticipation. *"The art of Locking the Beaded Curtain was obtained by our founding ancestor from a secret realm, accompanied by three cultivation methods and two techniques, which laid the foundation of the Luoyun Sect's heritage. Cultivating this art is excruciatingly painful and fraught with immense difficulty. Practicing it alongside our sect's other soul-inheritance secret art yields the best results. Without it, one must possess an exceptionally powerful soul foundation; otherwise, a cultivator risks soul derangement at best or the complete destruction of their Dao path at worst, making the Great Dao of Golden Core utterly out of the question. When this old man formed his core back then, I only cultivated this art to minor accomplishment, simply because the torment was truly unbearable and time waited for no man..."* The tiny, fly-headed characters lacked literary flair, but their substance fascinated Luo Chen, drawing him in completely before he even realized it. *** Three months later. Looking at the cold woman standing before him, Luo Chen could not help but smile. "Fellow Daoist Tantai, it has been many days. Why do you look so gloomy? If something is bothering you, do share—it might bring some cheer to this bitter recluse." Tantai Jin glared at him. "Elder Luo, please conduct yourself with dignity!" Luo Chen chuckled, unfazed. He had long seen through her icy facade; she was merely imitating her master, Fairy Jueqing. Her true nature was undoubtedly quite different. Having cultivated in solitude for so long, he was simply teasing her in good fun. His gaze fell upon the wooden tray in her hands. "What is this?" "Elder protocol items from our sect: two sets of dharma robes bearing the sect's insignia for changing and washing, a formal elder identity token—your previous one was temporary—and one storage bag. "There were originally allocations of spirit stones, pills, dharma artifacts, and talismans as well. But the Supreme Elder said you do not lack pills, and since our sect maintains a Jade Dew Pill business with you, the spirit stones need not be issued. She said you would understand." Seven items in all, neatly arranged and complete. Luo Chen asked with great interest, "And what about my missing dharma artifacts and talismans?" "Do you lack dharma artifacts?" Tantai Jin looked at him speechlessly. Fair enough! Luo Chen truly did not lack them; he had a pile of magic treasures on hand. "As for the talisman, it is actually an Ice God Jade carved from profound ice, used to prevent disciples from succumbing to heart demons. My master gave one to you long ago." Luo Chen touched his chest, where an Ice God Jade was indeed hanging. That jade was crafted using talisman carving arts, so calling it a talisman was not incorrect. Luo Chen accepted the robes, token, and storage bag. Once donned, he would truly be considered an authentic guest elder of Ice Fort. "Why deliver these out of the blue?" At this question, Tantai Jin's expression soured. "Three months from now, the sect is holding a Core Formation Grand Ceremony for Ice Soul. As an elder, even though you stated in advance that you would not attend, they sent these just in case. The Supreme Elder instructed my master to have the appropriate items delivered to you." Luo Chen understood at once. Suddenly, he realized why she was in such a foul mood today. Ice Soul Fairy was more renowned than Tantai Jin, had seized the title of Dao Child, and overshadowed her peers in Ice Fort. Now she had formed her core ahead of everyone else and was poised to assume the mantle of Ice Fort's Sect Master. How could Tantai Jin possibly feel pleased? He shook his head. "You aren't doing poorly yourself. Your aura is steady and your spiritual power is well restrained. I'd wager you're only forty or fifty years away from Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. When that time comes..." At first, Tantai Jin found his words comforting. But toward the end... What did he mean, *only* forty or fifty years? In a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator's lifetime, how many forty or fifty years were there to spare? She shot him a glare, spun on her heel, and stalked off. Luo Chen smiled and shook his head, paying no mind to her attitude. Looking down at the elder token engraved with a crystalline snowflake insignia—which carried an instantly castable Tier-2 defensive spell, the Ice Shield Technique—Luo Chen fell silent. What subdued him was Ice Fort's current predicament. Having stayed in the Ice Prison for over three years, he had gradually gained an understanding of Ice Fort through the few people he interacted with. Ice Fort was not weak. In fact, because the sect resided in the harsh environment of the Jade Cauldron Domain, its cultivators possessed greater individual combat strength than those of Azure Pill Valley or Mount Ailao. Yet that very poverty of resources hindered their further growth. Supporting nine Golden Core cultivators had already strained them to the limit. Now that Ice Soul Fairy had also advanced to the Golden Core stage, it was an added burden for an Ice Fort unable to expand its territory. Sometimes, having more powerhouses was not necessarily better. It depended on whether internal resources could sustain them. If not, it would drag down the cultivation of the high-tier cultivators instead. From what Luo Chen gathered, Ice Fort's primary sources of revenue came from operating their own single immortal city and controlling roughly twenty market towns, such as Snow Lotus Market, which they had established themselves. Beyond that, Ice Fort sold specialty resources from the Tianshan mountains, mostly related to water and ice attributes. Because the sect's finances were so limited, most high-tier female cultivators took up auxiliary crafts to earn spirit stones for personal use. Fairy Jueqing was skilled in talisman making, while Supreme Elder Canglong possessed consummate medical skills. But those were private earnings, strictly separated from sect revenue. *Looking at it this way, Ice Fort's situation reflects the reality of most sects in the Jade Cauldron Domain.* *Spiritual energy is abundant and resources are plentiful in this realm, but human cultivators emerge in endless waves. No matter how rich the resources, they cannot withstand the consumption of such vast numbers.* *To solve this problem, a sect must either engage in internal infighting to purge a portion of cultivators and free up resources—which is precisely what the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect is doing by ignoring the destruction of the Yan Alliance—or expand outward to enlarge the cake.* *And outward expansion...* A term surfaced faintly in Luo Chen's mind. A pioneering war! Yet he quickly dismissed the thought. While the Luoyun Sect might meet the criteria for a pioneering war, Ice Fort fell far short in strength. Most importantly, they lacked a Nascent Soul True Monarch! *** Time flowed by steadily, drawing ever closer to Ice Soul's Core Formation Grand Ceremony. A festive atmosphere permeated the entirety of Ice Fort. Groups of female cultivators bustled about, cleaning, repairing, and decorating the ceremony grounds. Cold Ice Immortal City, though ranked lowest among the ten great immortal cities, saw a marked surge in foot traffic over these past months. Cultivators from other sects arrived in continuous streams, led by their respective elders. It was even rumored that their rival, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, had dispatched a special envoy to Cold Ice Immortal City. No one knew whether they intended to cause trouble or offer congratulations at the ceremony. Yet this gesture from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect signaled to many that the years-long Jade Cauldron Civil War might reach a turning point at the ceremony: either the fighting would escalate, or a truce would be struck to allow recuperation. The outside turmoil had little bearing on Luo Chen, who remained immersed in solitary cultivation. On this day, as Luo Chen sat cross-legged upon the ice bed, his body suddenly trembled violently. The spiritual energy fluctuations surrounding him surged wildly. What had been diffusing outward suddenly reversed! It was not just the stray spiritual energy outside—even the spiritual power circulating through his meridians, acupoints, and internal organs was flowing backward! Such a phenomenon was by no means an ordinary sign of breaking through a realm. Luo Chen turned his vision inward, his spiritual sense locking firmly onto his qi sea. The vortex! The vortex that had appeared when he achieved minor accomplishment in the *Clear Source Wondrous Elixir Method*! Over the years, this vortex had expanded and spun continuously. Whenever Luo Chen ingested pills, the refined spiritual power would enter this vortex first. Cleansed and purified within, it was transformed into purer, cleaner spiritual power, while the pill toxins were expelled from his body. Luo Chen had long grown accustomed to the vortex formed by this alchemy technique and had paid it little mind. What had concerned him was that years ago, his progress in the *Clear Source Wondrous Elixir Method* had stalled at Grandmaster 999/1000, unable to advance an inch. That was a rare occurrence. In the past, as long as he accumulated enough proficiency in a spell or alchemy technique, it would naturally reach Great Perfection. Yet the *Clear Source Wondrous Elixir Method* alone had remained stuck for years without consummating. This strange state had persisted for so long that Luo Chen had eventually let nature take its course. Yet he never expected that today, the *Clear Source Wondrous Elixir Method* would suddenly reach perfection! It came so abruptly that it caught him entirely off guard. Within his qi sea, the clockwise-spinning vortex reversed into a counterclockwise rotation, expanding madly in an entirely different manner. All the spiritual power in his body converged toward it. That spiritual power was liquid spiritual essence refined over many years, purer than ordinary qi. Now, like an oceanic surge, countless streams of spiritual liquid cascaded down into the vortex. Converging! Compressing! Merging into one! A hazy, indistinct core materialized faintly within the qi sea. A profound, enigmatic sensation welled up in Luo Chen's heart. *Sun and moon within the furnace, creation reveals itself, something from nothing, dragon and tiger converge...* This was the phenomenon of a middle-tier Core Formation secret art recorded in the *Nanshan Daoist Expositions*. "Am I about to form my core?"