Chapter 470 - 442: Late-stage Golden Core

Chapter 470: Chapter 442: Late-stage Golden Core

Spiritual Light flowed within the stone house as a Concealment Array sealed off all auras from the outside.

Li Yuan sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. After completing a Grand Circulation, he slowly withdrew his power.

His Late-stage Golden Core power had been completely stabilized. Within his Dantian, the grayish-purple, Low Grade Golden Core spun with a steady rhythm, and twelve Divine Sense Lines lay neatly aligned in his sea of consciousness. The circulation efficiency of Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi within his meridians had leaped to a whole new level compared to before his breakthrough.

His personal dimension had also expanded along with his cultivation realm. The originally three-zhang-square space had now grown to nearly four zhang. The silver patterns on its barriers were denser, and the stability of the space itself had been significantly enhanced.

He sank his consciousness into his Dantian, sensing the comprehensive changes brought by the Late-stage Golden Core.

The total volume of his Demonic Qi, the strength of his Divine Sense, and his Qi Blood reserves had all ascended to a new level.

The effect of a permanent ten percent increase to his limits of essence, qi, and spirit, stacked upon his already incredibly profound foundation, felt far more significant than the numbers suggested.

Li Yuan composed himself and took three items from his personal dimension, placing them one by one on the stone floor in front of him.

The Demon-Spirit Fusion Cultivation Technique. The Primordial Pill Jade Tablet. The Celestial Essence Pill.

Li Yuan first picked up the Demon-Spirit Fusion Cultivation Technique.

It was a beast-hide scroll that shimmered with a faint, dark light. The text on its surface was written in a dual ink of Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi, two completely different energies that intertwined within the script without conflict.

[Equippable Item Detected: Demon-Spirit Fusion Cultivation Technique (Complete)]

[Equip Entry Preview: Demonic-Spirit Homogeny (Purple)]

[Effect: Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi can be freely interconverted; Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi can undergo moderate fusion; Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi caps are each increased by ten percent.]

[Permanence Condition: Cultivation must reach the Late-stage Golden Core.]

’A purple entry.’

"Equip. Make it permanent."

[Demonic-Spirit Homogeny (Purple) has become a permanent entry.]

The illusory image of the cultivation technique scroll flashed for an instant before dissolving into purple motes of light that fused with his body.

The change was instantaneous and violent.

The surface of the grayish-purple Demon Qi Golden Core in his Dantian abruptly shimmered with a dark blue halo.

Pulled by this halo, the once-distinct Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi in his meridians began to slowly draw together. The boundary between the two energies blurred; he no longer had to consciously switch channels to call upon powers of a different nature.

Spiritual Power could be directly converted into Demonic Qi, and vice versa. The process was perfectly smooth, with virtually no loss.

More crucial was the moderate fusion. His Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi no longer simply ran in parallel; they could now converge and mix within specific meridian circuits, forming a hybrid energy that possessed the traits of both. This new energy had the purity and precision of Spiritual Power, as well as the sharp, domineering might of Demonic Qi.

His Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi caps each rose by ten percent. Stacked upon his Late-stage Golden Core foundation, the increase in his total reserves was remarkably substantial.

After the entry became permanent, another line popped up on the panel.

[Purple Permanent Entry Progress: 3/5 → 4/5]

Without dwelling on it, Li Yuan picked up the Primordial Pill Jade Tablet.

[Equip Entry Preview: Primordial Pill Separation (Blue)]

[Effect: Golden Core Stage cultivation speed increases by fifty percent; the Golden Core can leave the body; connection to the physical body and Divine Soul is maintained while separated.]

[Permanence Condition: Cultivation must reach the Mid-stage Golden Core.]

"Equip. Make it permanent."

[Primordial Pill Separation (Blue) has become a permanent entry.]

The jade tablet shattered into blue motes of light that flowed into his body.

A fifty percent increase in his Golden Core Stage cultivation speed. This meant his efficiency at refining Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi had just jumped by half for any given period of time. When combined with the automatic cultivation from his Spirit Vein’s spiritual nurturing and his automatic Spiritual Power recovery, his overall cultivation efficiency had been stacked to an astonishing level.

Li Yuan picked up the last item: the Celestial Essence Pill.

[Equip Entry Preview: Core Solidification and Sustenance (Blue)]

[Effect: Golden Core solidity continuously increases by thirty percent; Spiritual Power recovery speed increases by fifty percent.]

[Permanence Condition: Cultivation must reach the Mid-stage Golden Core.]

[Core Solidification and Sustenance (Blue) has become a permanent entry.]

The Celestial Essence Pill shattered into blue motes of light that flowed into his body.

A continuous thirty percent increase to Golden Core solidity. This meant that even though his was currently a Low Grade Golden Core, its internal density and structural integrity would now slowly increase under the constant effect of Core Solidification and Sustenance. While this couldn’t directly change its grade, his actual combat strength and cultivation efficiency would rise steadily along with its solidity.

’All three entries, now permanent.’

Li Yuan then rose and walked over to the stone table.

On the table were piled three storage bags.

They were the spoils he had taken from the three Abyss Sect Demon Cultivators he had ambushed and killed on the outskirts of the Ghost Mist Forest.

He had spent all his time cultivating and hadn’t gotten around to sorting through them. After breaking through to the Mid-stage Golden Core, he had immediately used the Realm-Breaking Tempering to jump to the late stage. Then he had been busy stabilizing his realm and making the entries permanent. Only now did he finally have a moment to spare.

Li Yuan emptied the first storage bag.

It was the storage bag of the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had led the group.

Thirty-seven Mid-grade Spirit Stones. A Tier Two Low Grade Demonic Edge Saber, its blade pitch-black and its edge gleaming with the dark red luster of Demonic Qi. Two bottles of Magic Recovery Pills and one bottle of Healing Pills. A Demon Pattern jade tablet engraved with the outer-sect insignia of the Abyss Sect. A few common Demon Dao Talismans.

Li Yuan picked up the Demon Pattern jade tablet.

The jade tablet was entirely jet-black. Its front was carved with a complex Demon Pattern totem, while the back bore a string of extremely fine Demonic Qi coding.

The panel popped up.

[Equippable Item Detected: Demon Pattern Jade Tablet (Complete)]

[Equip Entry Preview: Demonic Aura Tracking (White)]

[Effect: Increases Demonic Qi perception range by thirty percent; Demonic Qi signatures become clearer.]

[Permanence Condition: Cultivation must reach Late-stage Qi Refining.]

’A white entry.’

"Equip."

[Demonic Aura Tracking (White) has become a permanent entry.]

The change was immediate. The coverage area of his Dark Evil Insight’s sensory web didn’t change, but its sensitivity to Demonic Qi-type signals within that web shot up significantly.

Li Yuan continued to sort through the remaining storage bags.

The second and third bags belonged to the two Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators.

The haul was more or less the same. In total, there were over forty Mid-grade Spirit Stones, several Demon Dao Magical Artifacts ranging from Tier One Top Grade to Tier Two Low Grade, and various pills and Talismans. There were no items with entries.

Li Yuan moved all the Spirit Stones into his personal dimension, sorting the Magical Artifacts and pills. The Demon Dao Magical Artifacts were of average quality; later, he could have Xu Zhang dispose of them through his covert channels, or he could melt them down for Artifact Refining materials.

After finishing his inventory, Li Yuan sat down cross-legged again.

From his personal dimension, he took out the Profound Nether Bead—the item Chen Yi had given him to mask his Golden Core aura.

The Profound Nether Bead’s entry allowed one to experience a rough approximation of the next realm’s abilities, but it couldn’t increase one’s actual strength.

With a flicker of his thoughts, Li Yuan equipped it.

The change this time was completely different from before.

The next realm for the early and mid-Golden Core stages was still within the scope of Golden Core, but the next realm after the Late-stage Golden Core was Nascent Soul.

Li Yuan closed his eyes and experienced the perspective of a Nascent Soul.

’Space.’

He could now feel the very texture of the space around him. From the Nascent Soul perspective, the walls, floor, and ceiling of the stone house were no longer solid entities but were instead membranes formed by layers of incredibly dense spatial structures. Infinitesimally small gaps existed between these membranes, through which the ripples of spatial power flowed.

’It’s so much clearer than before.’

For his cultivation of Void-Rending Slash and the Teleportation Skill, this elevation in perception was of monumental importance.

Li Yuan retracted the Profound Nether Bead’s Nascent Soul perspective and opened his eyes.

In the days that followed, Li Yuan threw all his energy into his cultivation.

’Now I can put some focus on my Body Refining Technique.’

[Mystic Iron Bone Forging Skill: Proficient → Mastered]

[Golden Body Skill: Mastered → Minor Achievement]

「On the fifth day.」

Ji Wenchuan came to report on the affairs of the marketplace.

"The seven people from the Celestial Peak Sect have all arrived and are at their posts."

Ji Wenchuan opened a ledger. "The two Late-stage Foundation Establishment Artifact Refiners and one Talisman Maker have been assigned to the Weapon Pavilion, while the other four have been settled in residences in the eastern district. As for the expanded procurement mentioned in the official stationing letter, the Weapon Pavilion has already put up a new acquisition list."

He handed over a ledger.

Li Yuan took it and glanced over the contents. The acquisition list was extensive, ranging from Tier Two Combat Talismans to various types of Artifact Refining ores, covering most of the categories the marketplace traded in. The acquisition prices were ten percent higher than the market rate.

The ledger also detailed the profits from the auction, which were substantial.

Li Yuan put the ledger down and spoke.

"Hold auctions periodically. Make it a regular event."

’The profits are secondary. The main goal is to collect entries.’

"Also, for the Spirit Fields surrounding the marketplace, after this year’s harvest, stop planting the current crops and switch to these medicinal herbs instead."

Li Yuan casually listed several types of medicinal herbs, and Ji Wenchuan noted each one down.

’Changing the Spirit Field crops is to support my tri-continental trade.’

Ji Wenchuan nodded in understanding, put away the ledger, and turned to leave. He paused at the door.

"Oh, right, Pavilion Master. There’s been increasing activity over at Skeleton Ridge lately. The patrol team reports that the Spiritual Qi fluctuations to the northwest are growing more frequent by the day. And this morning, two Loose Cultivators came running to the marketplace saying they’d encountered unidentified Cultivators on the outskirts of the Ghost Mist Forest. They were so scared they fled through the night to get back here."

"Just keep an eye on them," Li Yuan said, his tone flat.

"Increase patrol frequency, run a check on the outer network of Spirit Detective Talismans, and report any abnormalities to me immediately."

Ji Wenchuan nodded and departed.

After the stone door closed, silence returned to the stone house.

Li Yuan closed his eyes, sinking his Divine Sense into his Dantian.

The effect of Demonic-Spirit Homogeny continued to operate. Spiritual Power and Demonic Qi flowed alternately through his meridians, the boundary of their fusion growing more natural with every cycle.