"Finally, the Golden Core has formed!"

Jia Ren laughed heartily. His years of arduous cultivation had not been wasted for this moment.

Upon Neishi, the golden medicinal strength of the Golden Core Formation Pill had vanished, completely assimilated into the Golden Core.

Within his meridians, Spiritual Power was sparse. Only in his Dantian sat a perfectly round and Ruyi Golden Core.

This Golden Core was pure and crystal clear, as if crafted from eternal, pure gold—flawless in every way.

The only flaw is...

My Golden Core is too small, malnourished, and isn't even emitting Spiritual Power...

"Cang Hai Jue!"

As the Cultivation Technique circulated, the Golden Core spun incessantly, drawing a vast amount of Spiritual Energy that swarmed toward it.

Long starved, it greedily devoured the converging Spiritual Energy. Jia Ren became like a gigantic vortex, absorbing the nature's spiritual energy.

The gathering of Spiritual Energy is too slow!

Jia Ren temporarily ceased his cultivation. He realized that the best way to quickly replenish the Golden Core was to consume Elixirs.

However, this was not the time for that.

It should break through as well!

Thinking of the Insect External Incarnation guarding the pass, he left his seclusion. The Insect External Incarnation also needed to break through to the Golden Core.

The Insect External Incarnation's aptitude was heaven-defying. Aided by Supreme Grade Elixirs, its cultivation speed was not slow, and it had also reached Foundation Establishment Completion.

It's time for it to break through!

The Insect External Incarnation used a Top Grade Golden Core Pill, which offered a forty percent success rate. Combined with the Grandmaster Level Seven Revolutions Mysterious Primordial Secret Technique, the core formation success rate soared to eighty percent.

Although it couldn't compare to his own, it wasn't far off.

For an ordinary Cultivator, this was an unimaginably high success rate, offering a good chance of forming a Golden Core.

This time, with his true body standing guard outside, the Insect External Incarnation would attempt to advance to the Golden Core stage.

This place was guarded by a Thousand-Year-Old Black Turtle and five Flying Stiffs, so security was not a concern. Jia Ren sat in meditation to stabilize his Cultivation Realm and consumed Spirit Origin Pills to cultivate.

After reaching the Golden Core Stage, the effects of Foundation Establishment Stage Elixirs diminished significantly, proving far less effective than before.

The quality of those Elixirs was insufficient, and the Spiritual Power they converted into was also inferior.

This wasn't a difficult problem to solve.

Eastern Forest Market City sold Elixirs for the Golden Core Stage, and he had purchased a few types as samples. Deducing the Alchemy Recipes wouldn't be difficult; Golden Core Stage recipes were no concern for him.

Jia Ren took out a Primordial Marrow Spirit Pill, intended for Early Golden Core Stage Cultivators, and carefully studied it to confirm its medicinal properties.

The quality of these Elixirs is too poor! They're all substandard.

High-quality Elixirs for Golden Core Cultivators were usually supplied to a Sect's High-Order Cultivators. With internal demand already exceeding supply, how could they possibly sell them externally?

If all the benefits were given to outsiders, who would join the Sect?

Typically, Elixirs sold in shops were of inferior quality, containing numerous impurities and posing significant hidden dangers when consumed.

It was a waste to discard substandard Elixirs, so it was more economical to sell them to Loose Cultivators in exchange for Spirit Stones.

If not for his intention to replicate the Elixirs, he wouldn't have taken these inferior ones even if offered for free.

I can only test the poison on myself!

Refining the Primordial Marrow Spirit Pill wasn't very difficult. By the third day after consuming one, he already had a general understanding.

Jia Ren's Alchemy skills and proficiency were ever-increasing, making the reverse-engineering of Alchemy Recipes progressively easier.

The restrictions on Elixirs set by Sects were becoming less and less of a constraint for him.

He skillfully ignited the Elixir Fire and began refining Primordial Marrow Spirit Pills. After three days, a rich fragrance of Elixirs wafted out.

Not bad!

Glancing at the initially reverse-engineered Alchemy Recipe, the Primordial Marrow Spirit Pills he refined were several times better in quality than the purchased ones, with no visible impurities.

He refined three cauldrons in one go, the quality of each batch surpassing the previous. The improvement was visible to the naked eye.

Finally, their quality neared Grandmaster Level, meeting his standards for personal consumption.

After swallowing a Primordial Marrow Spirit Pill, its medicinal strength was completely absorbed. He distinctly felt his Golden Core, like a long-starved person, frantically absorbing Spiritual Power.

The Golden Core changed rapidly, eventually stabilizing at the size of a pigeon's egg before its growth rate finally slowed.

The previous medicinal strength had compensated for the Golden Core's deficiency. At this moment, his Golden Core Realm finally stabilized.

Over the following period, he ingested Primordial Marrow Spirit Pills for cultivation, repaired the Divine Ability Mirror Flower Water Moon, cultivated the Star God Art, and refined the Magical Treasure, Seven Star Sword.

Mirror Flower Water Moon, a powerful Divine Ability of immeasurable value, needed no further explanation.

Once such a formidable illusion-type Divine Skill was mastered, both his combat prowess and survival capabilities would be greatly enhanced.

The Star God Art could increase the strength of his Divine Soul, which was crucial.

As for refining the Magical Treasure Seven Star Sword, he didn't intend to make it his Life-Bound Magic Treasure, but rather to erase the original owner's imprint for temporary use.

This way, he could at most unleash one-half to one-third of the Seven Star Sword's power. Even so, its might far surpassed that of a Top-grade Magical Instrument.

With the Magical Treasure's original owner dead, the Seven Star Sword's resistance wasn't strong.

Having cultivated the Star God Art, his Divine Soul strength surpassed that of ordinary Early Golden Core Stage Cultivators, making it easy to remove the deceased Cultivator's imprint.

The old imprint was removed, and a new one embedded.

It worked!

The Seven Star Sword shimmered, transforming into a streak of silver light that flashed abruptly.

As the sword light flickered, a silver moon and stars lit up the sky. It seemed to possess the power to alter heaven and earth, capable of shaking mountains and rivers with a single strike.

Not bad power!

Indeed, a Magical Treasure!

The Seven Star Sword, after all, was not his Life-Bound Magic Treasure. Using it still felt somewhat awkward, making it difficult to control with complete freedom.

As a temporary replacement, it was still quite good.

I wonder to what extent the power of a Life-Bound Magic Treasure can reach?

Jia Ren stored the Seven Star Sword in his River Mountain Bag and began restoring the Divine Ability Mirror Flower Water Moon.

He had longed for this Divine Ability intensely. After his Xuan Guang Water Mirror reached Extraordinary Saint Level proficiency, its power was incomparable to what it once was.

He used this technique to reconstruct the missing "Mirror Flower" aspect of Mirror Flower Water Moon, leveraging their similarities for the repair.

Since both originated from the same source and shared commonalities, the restoration wasn't difficult.

He felt progress daily. Three months passed in the blink of an eye. After practicing several repaired versions, Jia Ren finally saw changes.

Wisps of mist rose, and two illusions identical to himself materialized. Viewed through his Soul Breaking Technique, they looked exactly like him.

His two illusions and his true body stood together; all three figures were indistinguishable.

The Seven Star Sword in the hands of the two illusions thrust forward, its cold light like agile dragons, bursting forth with a chilling radiance, as if possessing the power to slash the heavens and obliterate the earth.

In that instant, vast expanses of the sea froze solid, turning the region into a frigid, polar landscape.

Jia Ren slowly retracted the technique. The two illusions disappeared; he had, unnoticed, taken the place of one to launch the attack.

What one sees is all an illusion; the transition between reality and falsehood is unpredictable.

With a thought, the Mirror Flowers revolved, transforming the ice-bound nine heavens into a sea of raging fire. The two states switched smoothly, as if he wielded a Great Divine Power capable of changing heaven and earth.

It's done!

Jia Ren put away the Seven Star Sword. The sea of fire vanished without a trace, and the surroundings reverted to their previous appearance.

The sea showed no sign of change, as if everything that had just occurred was an illusion—akin to flowers in a mirror and the moon on water.

Mirror Flower Water Moon was fundamentally an illusion-type Divine Skill. Its first layer, Mirror Flower Illusion Moon, only had the power to create illusions, possessing almost no lethality.

This Divine Skill's bewildering capabilities were incredible. Without a means to counter it, even Golden Core Cultivators could not discern the real from the illusory, falling deeply into the illusions crafted by Mirror Flower Illusion Moon.

The second layer was Mirror Flower Shadow Moon, which not only enhanced the illusion effects but also added the ability of illusory transposition.

Once the Mirror Flower Shadows were arranged, one could freely traverse between any of them within their range.

Only upon reaching the Mirror Flower Shadow Moon realm did the true power of Mirror Flower Water Moon manifest, offering extreme life-preserving capabilities and the ability to shift between reality and illusion.

Once the Mirror Flower Shadow Moon realm was reached, as long as one didn't court death, their life-preserving ability would be incredibly strong.

The third layer was the Mirror Flower Water Moon realm. By then, the illusions were not mere illusions; they would truly possess lethality.

These were the three realms of the Divine Ability Mirror Flower Water Moon.

It's difficult to master the basics of the Divine Ability Mirror Flower Water Moon, and even more difficult to cultivate. Most practitioners remain at the Mirror Flower Illusion Moon realm; those who reach Mirror Flower Shadow Moon are few and far between.

Those who reach the third realm are rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

However, Jia Ren was an exception.

Once he mastered the basics of a Divine Skill, the difficulty and cultivation level were no longer problems for him.

In the following period, he devoted more time to cultivating the Star God Art and the Divine Ability Mirror Flower Water Moon.

Constructing powerful illusions and illusory realms with Mirror Flower Water Moon was inseparable from a strong Divine Soul.

Without the foundation of a potent Divine Soul, the Divine Ability Mirror Flower Water Moon was but a castle in the air, a mere bubble.

If the Star God Art and the Divine Ability Mirror Flower Water Moon progress side by side, the future is promising.

Time flew in cultivation. Before he knew it, more than a year had passed. Jia Ren felt a connection with his Insect External Incarnation, as if sensing something, and looked towards the Coral Grotto Mansion.

The Golden Core formation phenomenon did not manifest, as the Suoling Formation sealed off any fluctuations in Spiritual Energy, preventing even the slightest leak.

The fire-refined Golden Core is complete!

Armed with numerous Mind-Guarding Talismans, the Heart Demon wasn't very powerful; overcoming the Heart Demon Pass posed no problem.

Jia Ren didn't wait long for the outcome.

The Insect External Incarnation emerged from the Coral Grotto Mansion, emitting strong Spiritual Power Fluctuations.

It had successfully formed its Golden Core.

A double blessing!

Jia Ren was in high spirits. With both himself and his Insect External Incarnation having successfully formed Golden Cores, he would gain an extra powerful combatant.

But the most important thing was... he could refine two Life-Bound Magic Treasures.

The most significant difference between an ordinary Magical Treasure and a Life-Bound Magic Treasure was that the former was like an inanimate object; its peak potential was fixed at the moment of its initial forging.

A Life-Bound Magic Treasure, however, could grow alongside a Cultivator through co-cultivation. If a Golden Core Cultivator was willing to spend time nurturing it, its future potential was limitless.

The downside was that if a Life-Bound Magic Treasure was damaged, the Golden Core Cultivator would also suffer greatly.

The disadvantages were far outweighed by the benefits, and no one would complain about having too many Life-Bound Magic Treasures.

Regrettably, a Cultivator could only possess one Life-Bound Magic Treasure. This was a Law of nature, unchangeable. The only exception was the Great Divine Power of an External Incarnation.

The Insect External Incarnation wasn't considered a Great Divine Power, but once its Proficiency Level was raised to the Technique-Nearing-Dao Level, it underwent a qualitative change and possessed extraordinary power.

This could already be considered a Sect's most treasured secret technique.

Even Nascent Soul Cultivators couldn't possess such a method; otherwise, the old eccentrics guarding the Demon-Sealing Tower wouldn't have gone to such great lengths to obtain the Insect External Incarnation.

First, we stabilize our realms, then we settle scores with them.

Jia Ren tossed a few Primordial Marrow Spirit Pills to the Insect External Incarnation to help it stabilize its realm.

He didn't want the Insect External Incarnation, having just broken through to the Golden Core Stage, to fall back to the Foundation Establishment Stage; such a loss would be unbearable.

Once the Insect External Incarnation had stabilized its Golden Core Realm, Jia Ren wouldn't mind testing the mettle of those lurking on Star Pole Island.

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