114: Chapter 114 Strange Phenomena

A figure stood in mid-air.

His green robes were tattered, his hair disheveled, and his body was covered in charred wounds, with blood still lingering at the corners of his mouth.

But he stood.

He stood firmly.

In his hand, the mountain-cleaving sword pointed diagonally toward the earth. On its blade, purple-black thunder patterns flickered and flowed, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

And at his Dantian position—a golden speck of light, dazzling to the extreme, pure to the extreme, as if it had condensed all the light in Heaven and Earth, was slowly rotating, expanding, and solidifying!

The embryonic form of a Golden Core!

"It's done... It's done!"

It was unknown who shouted first.

Immediately, cheers erupted like a mountain torrent, sweeping through the entire Sect!

"Senior Brother Qi has succeeded!"

"A Golden Core! It's a Golden Core!"

"Our Sanyang Sect has gained another Golden Core Immortal Master!"

Countless Disciples rushed out of their dwellings, cheering toward the sky with tears in their eyes.

But the phenomenon had only just begun.

Seeing above in the sky, the thick tribulation clouds covering a hundred miles did not immediately dissipate, but instead suddenly contracted inward!

It was as if an invisible giant hand had firmly grasped the entire tribulation cloud, compressing and refining it!

The tribulation cloud shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye, from a hundred miles, to ten miles, to one mile...

Finally, it transformed into a cloud mass no more than a hundred zhang in diameter, interwoven with purple and gold, hovering above the Golden Sun Grotto-Heaven.

The next moment—

"Boom!!!"

Ten thousand zhang of golden radiance burst forth from within the Golden Sun Grotto-Heaven, shooting straight into the sky!

That golden radiance was pure, magnificent, and warm, carrying an indescribable sense of auspiciousness and majesty, instantly dyeing half the sky!

In the sky, auspicious clouds gathered spontaneously, forming shapes of lotus flowers, immortal cranes, and Auspicious Beasts. Faintly, it seemed as if immortal music was coming from the Nine Heavens, ethereal and spiritual, cleansing the human heart.

And as the golden radiance spread, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi for hundreds of miles around seemed to receive some kind of summons, frantically rushing toward Rising Sun Peak like baby swallows returning to their nest!

The Spiritual Qi was concentrated to the extreme, condensing and compressing in the high sky, and finally—

turned into rain.

Pitter-patter, the spiritual rain, crystal clear and containing boundless vitality and pure Spiritual Qi, fell from the sky!

The raindrops landed on the light curtain of the mountain-protecting Formation, not being blocked, but passing through the Formation and spreading evenly across every inch of the Sect's land.

Wherever the spiritual rain reached, plants grew wildly!

The bamboo forest, which had been somewhat withered by the earth vein tremors and the Spiritual Qi storm, now sprouted new buds at a speed visible to the naked eye, its bamboo nodes grew taller, and its leaves became even more verdant and dripping with vitality.

Those Disciples injured in the battle saw their wounds heal rapidly under the nourishment of the spiritual rain, and their fatigue was swept away.

Even those who had overexerted their minds from watching the tribulation now felt invigorated, their minds feeling clearer than ever before.

"Golden radiance filling the sky, Spiritual Qi turning into rain... This is the highest grade of Golden Core phenomenon!"

An old Disciple with extensive knowledge trembled with excitement.

"Legend has it that only a Golden Core Cultivator with an incredibly solid Foundation and infinite potential can trigger such a phenomenon!"

"Senior Brother Qi... No, Immortal Master Qi's future achievements will be limitless!"

The entire Sect was in an uproar!

Lin Xuan stood in the courtyard, letting the spiritual rain fall on him.

The raindrops were cool and carried an indescribable warmth. As each drop of rain seeped into his skin, he could feel a pure, gentle spiritual power merging into his Meridians, nourishing his body.

What was even more wondrous was that this spiritual rain seemed to contain a trace of an extremely faint... "Dao Rhyme".

That was the projection of Qi Tianyuan's own comprehension of the Dao when he was condensing his Golden Core; it was the product of a Golden Core Cultivator resonating with Heaven and Earth.

Although it was so faint that it could almost be ignored, for a Cultivator at the Qi Refinement Stage, it was a rare Opportunity.

Lin Xuan immediately sat cross-legged and circulated the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art.

The moment the Cultivation Technique circulated, he clearly felt that the Bottleneck in his body between Qi Refining Stage 5 and 6 had actually... loosened a bit!

Although he was still far from a Breakthrough, this slight loosening saved him at least several months of hard work!

He exerted all his strength to absorb the Spiritual Qi and that trace of Golden Core Dao Rhyme from the spiritual rain, refining it and integrating it into himself.

Inside his Dantian, the purple thunder seed, nourished by the Dao Rhyme, had its light become more restrained and solid, and the spark of spirituality at its core seemed to have grown a bit stronger.

At the same time, Lin Xuan's thoughts stirred, and he entered the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

Inside the space, the thunder Spiritual Qi was becoming... even purer at an astonishing speed!

Although the spiritual rain could not directly fall into this independent space, the overall leap in the quality of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi outside was still fed back into the space through some mysterious connection.

At this moment, the thunder Spiritual Qi in the space was at least half a percent purer than before!

Don't underestimate that half a percent; every increase in the purity of Spiritual Qi brings huge benefits to Cultivation, the growth of spiritual plants, and the nourishment of Spirit Beasts.

In the center of the spirit field, that fruit on the thunder essence fruit tree was now expanding another circle at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The ovary, which was originally the size of a quail egg, had now grown to the size of a chicken egg, its surface natural thunder patterns deep as if carved, and faintly, fine electric sparks were flowing and jumping between the patterns.

The exotic fragrance was even richer; just taking a breath made one feel their cultivation base stirring.

The thunder-attracting vine was also growing frantically, its vine body thicker by a whole circle, the new vines winding like spirit snakes, and the leaves densely covered with thunder patterns.

The two little guys, the Herb-Seeking Mouse and the Pangolin, were bathing in the pure thunder Spiritual Qi, both squinting their eyes in comfort, their auras faintly more solid.

"Is this... the blessing of a Golden Core's birth?"

Lin Xuan exited the space, feeling moved in his heart.

When one person attains the Dao, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

Although it was a bit exaggerated, the birth of a Golden Core Immortal Master could indeed benefit a region of Heaven and Earth and bestow favors upon thousands of living beings.

And at this moment, the Sect Master's voice finally sounded again, carrying undisguised gratification and pride:

"My Disciple Tianyuan, the Golden Core is formed!"

"From this day forth, he is bestowed the title of 'Master Tianjian' and shall enjoy the authority of a Golden Core Elder!"

As the voice fell, earth-shaking cheers erupted throughout the Sect again.

"Master Tianjian!" "Master Tianjian!"

Amidst the cheers, Master Qingyang's voice paused, then turned cold and stern:

"Additionally, the 'Yingu Old Demon', the Golden Core Middle Stage Cultivator sent by the Xuanyin Sect to harass us this time, has been heavily injured by the mountain-protecting Formation, his Foundation damaged, and he has fled back to his lair. The twelve Foundation Establishment elites under his command: eight died, three were captured, and one escaped, nearly wiped out."

"This battle has raised the might of our Sanyang and dampened the enemy's arrogance. All Disciples should take this as encouragement, Cultivate diligently without stopping, and protect our Dao lineage!"

As the battle report spread, the Disciples' cheers became even more enthusiastic.

They tried to gain an advantage but ended up suffering a loss!

The Xuanyin Sect had gone to great lengths, using spies, harassment, and sneak attacks, but in the end, not only did they fail to prevent Qi Tianyuan from forming his Core, they lost a Golden Core Cultivator and eight Foundation Establishment Cultivators, truly suffering a double loss.

And the Sanyang Sect not only gained a young Golden Core Cultivator with outstanding combat power but also used this Opportunity to root out internal traitors, clear away hidden dangers, and boost morale.

One gain, one loss—the gap widened.

Lin Xuan stood in the courtyard, bathing in the gradually thinning spiritual rain, watching the golden radiance atop Rising Sun Peak in the distance as it gradually receded.

An era, with the birth of this young Golden Core, was about to change.

The scales of war were perhaps quietly tilting.

And he, too, had to seize this rare Opportunity, and in this great upheaval, continue to walk his own path well.

The spiritual rain gradually ceased.

The golden radiance faded away.

The sky returned to a clear blue.

But everyone knew that some things were already different.

The Sanyang Sect had gained a Master Tianjian.