An Invitation

Qin Sang did not know how to comfort him. Yunyouzi did not need his sympathy either. Quickly putting away his melancholy, he chuckled and said, "Just a momentary indulgence in sentiment. I've made a fool of myself in front of you, Brother Qin." Qin Sang shook his head. "Senior's Dao heart is steadfast. This junior truly admires it." Yunyouzi laughed heartily, a surge of heroic pride suddenly coloring his voice. "The Great Dao is heartless! We cultivators must naturally possess the spirit to never give up. Otherwise, with countless talents and extraordinary figures under heaven, how many ever form a Golden Core? Why should it fall to you and me? Only by striving thus can one look up without shame before Heaven and look down without guilt before oneself. Even if body dies and Dao perishes, one can still go to the Yellow Springs with a smile!" (The original quote comes from *Mencius, Jinxin I*: "Looking up, not ashamed before Heaven; looking down, not ashamed before man.") He tilted his head slightly, his eyes crystal-clear. Though deep underground, his gaze seemed to pierce through the ancient cultivator's abandoned abode and look toward the blue sky. Qin Sang fell silent. Looking back over the past forty-odd years, wasn't the reason he had reached where he was today step by step precisely as Yunyouzi had said—seizing every single opportunity and never giving up easily? It came down to just four words: Never forget your original aspiration! "Brother Qin, this old Daoist is not trying to be alarmist," Yunyouzi said, withdrawing his gaze and offering a word of advice. "Take the two words 'Golden Core.' 'Gold' signifies something hard, unyielding, and forever indestructible; 'Core' signifies something round, complete, radiant, and without flaw. With an injury to your sea of qi, I fear it will be difficult for you to achieve perfection. You should seek medicine to heal the wound as early as possible. Otherwise, if you wait until you bitterly cultivate your way to the False Core stage and then rush to treat it, time will wait for no one, and regret will come too late." Qin Sang asked in a grave tone, "Has Senior seen past precedents for this?" When he consulted ancient records at Shaohua Mountain, he discovered that every cultivator's journey was different, making it difficult to determine just how much damage to one's foundation would affect Core Formation. Over twenty years of practical experience, the *Origin Soul Sword-Nurturing Chapter* had proven viable, and could even be said to be the cultivation method best suited to him. Barring unforeseen accidents, he would certainly be able to break through to the False Core stage before his lifespan ran out and make an attempt at Core Formation. Even without Yunyouzi's reminder, Qin Sang knew full well that he had to start considering Core Formation from this very moment. One must prepare for a rainy day. Yunyouzi slowly shook his head and said, "It is hard to say. The path of cultivation is like tens of thousands of troops crossing a single-plank bridge, all fighting for a sliver of hope. Fewer than one in ten False Core cultivators succeed in forming their core, so failure is the most common outcome of all. It is hard to say just how much an injured sea of qi will impact it. However, every cultivator seeking a Golden Core searches heaven and earth, sparing no effort to find anything that might increase their chances of success. Even if it can only raise the odds by a sliver, one must never let it pass by. How much more so for people like you and me? We must naturally find a way to make amends and strive for perfection if at all possible." Qin Sang looked thoughtful. After a moment's consideration, he said, "To be frank with Senior, I have also been inquiring about healing methods. I found out about the Heyun Pill, the Five Ganoderma Divine Paste, and the Snow Ginseng Jade Life Pill. These three pills might be useful for my injury. Coincidentally, they are all items Senior's sect once auctioned at Taiyi Elixir Pavilion. I wonder if Senior knows anything about them?" "Those..." Yunyouzi glanced at Qin Sang. "The three medicines you have your eye on, Brother Qin, all possess the effect of nurturing and protecting one's foundation, and they truly are top-grade among such pills. However, if you wish to buy them at Taiyi Elixir Pavilion, Junior Brother Qin, I fear it will not be easy. For these pills, the key main ingredients required by the recipes were reportedly discovered in an ancient medicinal garden and were limited in number to begin with. It was only because a martial uncle wished to hone his alchemy skills that he fired up the furnace to refine them, making the quantity even scarcer. Ever since the sect auctioned those pills off, there has been an endless stream of people seeking them at our doors, including major factions and rogue Golden Core cultivators. It is virtually impossible for any to still be circulating out there. You may go to Taiyi Elixir Pavilion to ask in detail, Junior Brother Qin, but those pill auctions took place decades ago." Hearing this, Qin Sang's heart sank. Twenty years ago, when he had inquired with the manager at Taiyi Elixir Pavilion, he had noticed that those auctions took place long ago. He had possessed a premonition all along, and now it was confirmed by Yunyouzi. In today's cultivation world, spiritual herbs were scarce. Especially for pills of the Heyun Pill's grade, the main ingredients were nurtured by the spiritual essence of heaven and earth and almost never appeared in the outside world; they could basically only be found in the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, which was why they were so rare. If he went to their door to plead for medicine... Qin Sang had caught the subtext in Yunyouzi's words as well. When the Taiyi Dan Sect dispensed medicine, it was not merely a matter of how high an offer was, but also to forge good ties. How could an Early Foundation Establishment cultivator like him compete with those major factions and Golden Core Masters? Unless he was willing to bleed dry and be thoroughly fleeced by offering something capable of moving the Taiyi Dan Sect. The spiritual materials Old Man Dique had gathered to refine the Primordial Concentric Rings were each extraordinarily valuable. If he brought out a few, he could surely persuade the Taiyi Dan Sect. However, unless he was driven into a corner with no other way out, Qin Sang did not want to part with these treasures. Old Man Dique had searched painstakingly for so long before finding just these few, which showed how precious these spiritual materials were; once given away, he might never find them again. Qin Sang had reviewed the refining method for the Primordial Concentric Rings and discovered that only two types of spiritual materials were missing. In other words, once he formed his core, he would only need to find two more materials to gain an additional magic treasure to protect himself. The temptation was simply too great. Of course, if he could not achieve Core Formation, all of it would be nothing more than flowers in the mirror and the moon reflected in water. When the final moment came, what had to be traded would still have to be traded. But Qin Sang was currently only in the early stage of Foundation Establishment and still had plenty of time to prepare. "Thank you for the guidance, Senior. This junior understands." Qin Sang offered his thanks, quietly calculating how he should proceed down his future path. Just then, Yunyouzi hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Brother Qin, if you are intent on finding such spiritual medicines, I actually know of a place, though I do not know if Brother Qin would be willing?" Qin Sang looked at Yunyouzi in surprise. "Please speak, Senior." Yunyouzi nodded. "Brother Qin, do you still remember our first encounter half a year ago at the Changyang Cultivation Market? Back then, I was preparing to head west because I had tracked down an ambiguous rumor claiming that someone had discovered a secret tunnel inside an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling, one that might lead to that cultivator's medicinal garden. Over the past half year, after thorough investigations from various angles, I believe there is a seventy to eighty percent chance it is true. The garden was only recently discovered, so the spiritual herbs inside surely haven't been picked yet, and they might well include the medicines you and I need. However, I fear this old Daoist's strength alone will fall short, which is why I planned to recruit helpers upon my return. When I ran into Brother Qin at the Tianjing Secret Realm, I wanted to bring this up, but was delayed by the mission. If Brother Qin is interested, I can count you in." Qin Sang recalled that during their first meeting at the Changyang Cultivation Market, Yunyouzi had indeed mentioned receiving news about resolving his latent ailment and that he was going to investigate it. However, with Yunyouzi suddenly extending this invitation, Qin Sang could not easily accept or refuse on the spot. He still wanted to return to Taiyi Elixir Pavilion to ask whether there truly were no auctions for those three medicines—the Heyun Pill and the others. Seeing Qin Sang hesitate, Yunyouzi did not press him. He added, "There is no rush to answer, Brother Qin. Entering that cave dwelling is no simple matter, and it won't open for another two or three years. We might as well wait until we escape our current predicament before discussing it in detail."