Giving Up

What followed would be the main event. No matter how powerful an external core might be, it was ultimately an external object. Only by forming his own golden core could he truly take this step along the path of immortality. Whether the experiences left behind by those predecessors were true or false would soon be put to the test. At this point, Qin Sang suddenly stood and left the cave abode. He first sent a transmission to Yunyouzi to report his safety and let him know that he might remain in secluded cultivation for a few more days. Then, after searching through the deep mountains, he finally found a spirit vein. When forming a core, heaven and earth would clash, wind and clouds would gather, and the spiritual qi of the world would be drawn down to pour into the body. When attempting Core Formation, other cultivators invariably sought out cave abodes brimming with spiritual power in hopes of raising their chances of success by even a fraction. Qin Sang, however, feared missing his opportunity and had no time to search thoroughly. Though this cave abode was not as good as his own spirit spring cave abode, it would suffice; if he truly succeeded in forming his core, it would provide more than enough spiritual qi for the body-infusion without diminishing its effect. Qin Sang had already confirmed that there were no powerful demons in this mountain range, so he did not need to fear the anomalies of Core Formation bringing trouble. The spirit vein was obscure and small in scope, but its spiritual qi was quite dense. Qin Sang drove away the demon beasts in the mountain and seized the best cave abode on the spirit vein, giving the black bear at the peak Mortal Demon stage dwelling inside a thorough thrashing in the process. After sweeping away the foul odor in the cave, laying down a grand protective array, and adding an extra Spirit Gathering Array, Qin Sang sat cross-legged on the ground and circulated his cultivation method with all his might. Before long, his sea of qi was full, and he had returned to his peak. Due to the Spirit Gathering Array, the spiritual qi inside the cave was exceedingly thick. The instant Qin Sang restored himself to his prime, a strange fluctuation suddenly appeared in the cave's spiritual qi. At the same time, outside the cave, the bright sun hung high in a cloudless sky. In that very moment, the light over the mountain peak abruptly dimmed. Dark clouds drifted in from nowhere, followed by howling winds that swiftly grew into a gale, flattening vegetation and sending withered leaves flying wildly. The birds and beasts nearby were startled by this sudden anomaly. Feeling the strange aura, they were seized by terror and scrambled to flee from the mountain. In the deep mountains surrounding this peak, many uncivilized beasts had developed a trace of sentience by chance. Instinctively absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, they were beginning to transform into demon beasts and were exceptionally sensitive to changes in spiritual qi. They stood on their hind legs one after another, gazing toward the mountain. Though they did not understand the cause of this anomaly, an inexplicable sense of envy arose from the depths of their hearts. It left them scratching their ears and cheeks in bewilderment, not knowing the reason why. "Huh?" Qin Sang was unaware of what was happening outside. His mind was entirely focused on himself, and he let out a soft exclamation of surprise, not expecting such a development. He had thought that after returning to his prime, he would still need to spend some time in seclusion, carefully reflecting and comprehending before having a breakthrough. To his surprise, the signs of Core Formation appeared immediately. It felt as natural as water flowing into an established channel. As long as he wished, he could easily achieve it! He recalled how the writings left by seniors noted that when forming a core, one could not slacken in the slightest; one had to comprehend with utmost care and seize the fleeting window of opportunity to truly succeed. Qin Sang did not know whether it was because the jade Buddha stabilized his Dao heart, because of the method of Congealing Fiend and Refining Astral Qi, because his foundation and accumulation were so profound, or a combination of all three. Core Formation was far easier than he had imagined! Seeing this, Qin Sang did not hesitate for even a fraction of an instant. Without hesitation, he cast aside all stray thoughts, embraced the mysterious oneness, and charged toward Core Formation! The moment his intent arose, the spiritual power inside his sea of qi began to whirl madly. Outside the mountain, the anomaly grew ever more intense. Dark clouds gathered thick and heavy, steadily multiplying until they blanketed a vast expanse around the mountain. Silver threads flickered amidst the dark clouds, and muffled rumbles of thunder became increasingly distinct. Within the mountain, the gale howled, sending sand and stones flying. Drawn by the aura, the worldly spiritual qi throughout the surrounding mountains converged toward the cave abode. Centered on the cave, the faint outline of a massive funnel emerged, visible to the naked eye. The celestial anomaly built to a crescendo, on the verge of manifesting the true wonder of Core Formation. Suddenly, the wind and clouds dispersed, and the lightning vanished without a trace. Cracks appeared along the funnel, which then abruptly shattered, scattering the spiritual qi. In an instant, heaven and earth returned to tranquility. The blazing sun shone down upon the mountain range, sweeping away every trace of darkness as if the preceding anomaly had never existed at all. Inside the cave, Qin Sang clutched his dantian tightly with both hands. His face was flushed red, and he panted heavily, lingering traces of hesitation and resolve still visible in the depths of his eyes. "If anyone found out that someone voluntarily gave up on Core Formation, they'd definitely call me a fool, wouldn't they?" Qin Sang calmed his breathing and murmured to himself. His Core Formation had not failed; he had actively halted it himself! "My spiritual power didn't revert, and the opportunity is still there. I can form my core at any time in the future. Otherwise, I doubt even I could have resisted such an enormous temptation..." Qin Sang gave a self-deprecating smile and looked down toward his sea of qi. Fortunately, he had made up his mind quickly enough; the moment the signs appeared, he forcibly terminated the Core Formation, escaping without injury. He had done so because, at the final moment, Qin Sang had been jolted by a realization: the hidden injury in his foundation would harm the golden core! It was not that Yunyouzi's martial senior had been mistaken. Damage to the foundation truly posed no barrier to Core Formation; Qin Sang's process of forming a core had gone exceedingly smoothly. However, just as the core was on the verge of coalescing, Qin Sang suddenly realized that if he formed a core with a damaged foundation, the resulting golden core would also be affected. He remembered what Yunyouzi had once said. The two words "golden core." "Gold" represented that which was hard, firm, and imperishable; "core" represented that which was complete, bright, pure, and without deficiency. The golden core Qin Sang would form would become a flawed core due to his incomplete foundation and deficient sea of qi, leaving him naturally half a step behind cultivators of the same realm, just as he had been in Foundation Establishment. Only now did Qin Sang realize that unless the damage to his foundation was cured, it would plague him continuously. Furthermore, as his cultivation advanced, this impact would grow ever larger and ever more pronounced! As the saying went, once formed, the golden core knew no regret. Once such a flawed core was formed, trying to remedy it would likely be harder than repairing his foundation. Qin Sang could not be certain how much efficacy the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit would retain at that point. It was precisely for this reason. At the final moment, Qin Sang resolutely made a choice that would leave countless cultivators dumbfounded: resisting immense temptation, he voluntarily interrupted his Core Formation. If he had no news of the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit, he might still have hesitated. But now things were different: the fruit was in Ziwei Palace, and he would be able to enter within a year or two. He had an external core, the Flying Yaksha, Xutian Thunder, and magic treasures... With all these abilities, even without forming a core, he still had no fear of Core Formation stage cultivators. Moreover, his ostensible cultivation was only at the False Core stage; others might underestimate him, giving him the chance to play the pig to eat the tiger. Yet these were not the primary reasons. After its transformation, his spiritual power was exceptionally stable. To Qin Sang, forming a core had become as natural as ordinary cultivation—a matter of water flowing where a channel had formed. Wherever his will went, the core could be formed. As long as Qin Sang wished, he could attempt Core Formation anytime, anywhere. Even inside Ziwei Palace, it would be the same; it was hardly a spiritual qi wasteland. That being the case, why take the risk that the Crimson Cloud Purple Fruit would prove useless just to shave off a year or two?