Steady Mortal Path: Starting from Obtaining the Golden Core Inheritance

Chapter 273: Dan Formation Failure

Guigu Sect.

Above Tiangui Peak, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth slowly gathered, gradually forming a vortex of spiritual energy that slowly rotated.

"He was able to trigger a celestial phenomenon right from the start, and gather spiritual energy from heaven and earth in just two days. It's clear that Junior Brother Lei Jie is determined to break through to the Golden Core stage. His momentum is strong, and there shouldn't be any major problems with him advancing to the Golden Core stage."

Beside the main peak, a kind-faced, silver-haired old man stroked his beard, looked around for a while, and then a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

Beside the silver-haired old man was a young man wearing a black robe embroidered with exquisite gold patterns.

This person, without relying on any magical artifacts or spells, was strangely and quietly suspended in mid-air.

The young man appeared to be under twenty, but he had a handsome face, a dignified bearing, and deep, star-like eyes as he gazed at the strange phenomena in the sky not far away.

It was none other than the master of the entire Guigu Sect, the True Lord Guigu!

"To cultivate the fourth-order technique taught by the True Lord and trigger a celestial phenomenon within two days can only be considered barely qualified."

The man in the black robe with gold patterns remained expressionless, clearly not very satisfied with the performance of the person who was trying to break through to the Golden Core stage. However, he then changed the subject and said, "However, among the disciples I have taken in recent years, Lei Jie has the best aptitude and is the most diligent in his cultivation. His magical power is basically at its peak and there is no way to advance further. If there are no other unforeseen circumstances, there should be no problem for him to advance to the Golden Core stage."

"Master is a person with extraordinary abilities. Under Master's guidance, even those with mediocre talent will achieve no less than those geniuses in the future."

Upon hearing this, Master Tan offered a respectful compliment from the side.

Deep in his eyes was a look of devout worship, and his words seemed to come from the heart, not from flattery.

"Ha, that's because you haven't seen a real genius."

"But that makes sense. A remote continent like yours with scarce resources has too low a ceiling. How could it possibly nurture such a prodigy?"

"Those who shine with such brilliance are the true chosen ones, people who can never even dream of reaching their level in their entire lives..."

Guigu Zhenjun spoke with a hint of regret and resentment, sighing softly.

Listening to Guigu Zhenjun's muttered words, Tan Zhenren's eyes revealed curiosity and longing, but he did not make any attempt to inquire.

But I couldn't help but recall a fantastical memory from decades ago.

At that time, he was just an ordinary, older Foundation Establishment cultivator.

With only a few decades left to live, he had only prepared an extremely meager Core Formation artifact and was worried about whether he could break through to the Pseudo-Core stage.

As for the Golden Core, I have never harbored such a fantasy.

Until one day, he encountered a boy who was seriously injured and on the verge of death.

A gray nascent soul was bound by layers of black chains, tightly tied to the severely damaged body of the boy, making it difficult for him to break free.

That scene was something Tan Songzhen would never forget for the rest of his life.

In a moment of folly, he inexplicably chose to lend a helping hand, and the young Nascent Soul True Monarch's injuries gradually stabilized within just a few years.

He was rewarded for making the right choice, and more than ten years later, he successfully advanced to become a Golden Core True Person.

This was something that Master Tan would never have dared to dream of before.

……

Half a month later, the whole world was slightly gloomy, and one could faintly feel a sense of oppression.

Unlike advancing to the Foundation Establishment stage, reaching the Golden Core True Person stage involves gathering too many rare and precious materials into one's body, which subtly causes the power of heaven and earth to reject one's abilities.

Above the entire Heavenly Ghost Peak, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was unusually active and restless, and under the influence of an invisible force, its rotation speed accelerated.

Inside the peak, some low-level cultivators, after watching for a long time, felt inexplicably fearful, and even felt dizzy.

Only those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage can barely remain calm in the face of this extraordinary celestial phenomenon.

The Tiangui Peak Mountain Range possesses a third-grade mid-level spiritual vein, and is even infinitely close to a third-grade high-level one.

At this moment, wisps of spiritual energy are constantly rising from the earth's veins, continuously flowing into the enormous vortex of spiritual energy in the sky.

The area within a radius of dozens of miles was affected by this vortex of spiritual energy.

Within the Guigu Sect's territory, the leaders of the other major lineages seemed to share a tacit understanding, each sensing something amiss.

All eyes turned towards the direction of Tiangui Peak.

A Golden Core cultivator is extremely sensitive to the pressure of heaven and earth and changes in spiritual energy. Even without any obvious movement, they can still sense it.

If it were an ordinary Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment cultivator, they would only feel a little depressed and restless today, and would think it was because of the gloomy sky.

Another ten days passed.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth above Tiangui Peak was gathering more and more slowly, as if it were encountering resistance.

The sluggish movement of spiritual energy in the world is closely related to the progress of cultivators attempting to break through to the Golden Core stage. This is a sign of insufficient control over oneself and a lack of follow-up strength.

But in the center of the cyclone, a calm cyclone eye emerged, slowly extending downwards while enveloped by rich spiritual energy.

"The impact is nearing its end, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is pouring in! Junior Brother Lei Jie is about to succeed!"

Upon seeing this, Master Tan couldn't help but show a hint of anticipation on his face.

He had been through this himself, so he knew that it was already quite remarkable that he had managed to hold on until now and was only beginning to show signs of weakness.

"With this promotion completed, my Ghost Valley Sect will have six Golden Core True Persons. I, the True Lord, can't wait any longer. I will speed up the recruitment of other Golden Core True Persons and gather nine people as soon as possible. Such a secret may not be able to be kept for long."

Guigu Zhenjun seemed to be thinking of something, and a hint of eagerness appeared in his calm eyes.

“Master, you have not returned for several years. There is still a Golden Core female cultivator waiting to join our sect, but we are still lacking a suitable cultivation place.”

Upon hearing this, Master Tan seized the opportunity to report.

Before he could finish speaking, the spiritual energy above the main peak suddenly trembled slightly and showed signs of dissipation.

"what happened?"

"Junior Brother's Core Formation process has been stable, how could it suddenly change?"

Master Tan was slightly taken aback, his tone one of surprise.

"It's a tribulation of inner demons."

Master Guigu gazed at him intently for a moment, a hint of disappointment in his eyes, and his tone turned slightly cold.

As a cultivator's cultivation level increases, there is a certain probability that they will encounter inner demons during important moments such as advancement or even seclusion for cultivation.

His disciple was at the final stage of breaking through to the Golden Core realm. Although he was struggling slightly, there were no major problems.

At such a critical moment, if one's mind relaxes even slightly, it gives one's inner demons an opportunity to take hold.

Sure enough, as soon as Guigu Zhenjun finished speaking, the spiritual energy vortex on Tiangui Peak gradually rose, dissipated, and receded like a tide.

Before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea is up, Tiangui Peak returns to tranquility.

The cave within the peak.

A young man who was sitting cross-legged in meditation suddenly vomited blood, and his aura quickly weakened.

The disciple of Master Guigu failed to break through to the Golden Core realm!

Not only Tiangui Peak, but also the Golden Core elders of the other peaks successively sensed the changes in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and guessed the outcome.

But at that moment, a sudden change occurred!

In another remote spiritual vein within the Guigu Sect's territory, the tranquil spiritual energy of heaven and earth suddenly underwent a drastic change.

Such a commotion immediately alerted the elders of the other peaks.

"This aura... another member of our sect is attempting to break through to the Golden Core realm!"

"Judging from this direction, it's Mingling Peak!"

"Could it be that the sixth brother is trying to break through to the Golden Core realm?"

"Oh no! It's this kid who's breaking through to the Golden Core realm?!"

……

Tiangui Peak.

Guigu Zhenjun seemed to sense something and looked with a hint of curiosity in the direction of Mingling Peak.

"That's the 'quasi-third-tier' spiritual vein that the True Monarch has just cultivated. It's actually making noise about breaking through to the Golden Core realm. Interesting."

“Master, that is Zhang Meng, the newly promoted talisman-making elder of our sect. He also possesses near-third-level alchemy skills and his cultivation has reached the peak of Foundation Establishment.”

Master Tan quickly explained, but there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Despite the momentous nature of attempting to break through to the Golden Core realm, Elder Zhang Meng did not seek support or assistance from his sect.

They didn't even report it in advance.