98: Chapter 98 On the Eve of the Golden Core

On the high platform, they had been waiting for a long time.

The Sect Master had arrived in person.

He was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties, dressed in a simple white robe with a gentle expression. Yet, standing there, he was like the shadow of the entire Rising Sun Peak—heavy, towering, and unshakeable.

The Sect Master of the Sanyang Sect, at the Golden Core Great Perfection, Master Qingyang.

Qi Tianyuan bowed, his movements crisp and clean: "Disciple Qi Tianyuan, returning to the Sect under orders."

His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears, carrying a metallic resonance within its calm tone.

Master Qingyang smiled and raised his hand in a gesture of support: "You have worked hard."

These two simple words carried the weight of a thousand jin.

Qi Tianyuan straightened up and turned toward the ten thousand people below the platform. His gaze swept over them, devoid of joy or sorrow.

"Regarding the war on the front lines, all fellow Disciples have done their best," he began, his voice still calm. "This war cannot be decided in a single day. But the Sanyang Sect has stood for thousands of years, enduring countless calamities to remain standing, and it has never been by luck."

He paused, and every word was like a sword drawn from its sheath: "It relies on the passing of the torch, on being the pillars that hold up the sky, and on the fact that—every single Sanyang Sect Disciple can stand up when needed."

The plaza was silent; one could hear a pin drop.

"I have returned to the Sect this time under the Sect Master's orders to go into seclusion and break through my Realm."

As his voice fell, Master Qingyang stepped forward, his voice booming like a great bell, spreading throughout the entire Sect: "Personal Disciple Qi Tianyuan has obtained the Nascent Soul Legacy of the Purple Sun True Monarch from an ancient Cultivator's ruins and has repeatedly performed meritorious service on the front lines, slaying countless enemies. By the Sect's resolution, he is granted entry into the 'Golden Sun Grotto-Heaven' for seclusion to attempt to reach the Golden Core Realm!"

"If he succeeds, he will be the youngest Golden Core in our Sanyang Sect in five hundred years!"

Boom—the entire crowd erupted! Cheers, shouts, and applause roared like a tsunami, instantly shattering the previous solemnity!

The Golden Sun Grotto-Heaven! It was one of the Sanyang Sect's top-tier secluded spiritual grounds, built at the core of a Tier 4 Spiritual Vein, where the Spiritual Qi was so dense it condensed into spiritual liquid! Only those who had rendered great service or possessed exceptional talent could enter!

If Qi Tianyuan went into seclusion there, his success rate for Core Formation would increase by at least twenty percent! Coupled with his own foundation and the Nascent Soul Legacy... a Golden Core was almost a certainty!

On the high platform, Qi Tianyuan bowed once more, then turned and followed Master Qingyang toward the depths of Rising Sun Peak. His figure disappeared among the palace buildings, but the uproar in the plaza did not subside for a long time.

"Truly amazing..." Chen Hao murmured, his eyes full of longing. "If only I had one-tenth... no, one-hundredth of Senior Brother Qi's talent. I heard that when he was at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, he could kill a Late Stage Foundation Establishment demonic Cultivator across ranks. Now, at the Peak of Foundation Establishment, he kills those of the same rank like cutting vegetables. If he forms a Golden Core..."

He did not continue, but the meaning was clear. A Golden Core Cultivator lives for five hundred years, can fly through the sky and burrow into the earth, split mountains and sever rivers; the difference between them and Foundation Establishment is like clouds and mud.

Lin Xuan stood in the crowd, watching that disappearing figure, his heart complex. The youngest Golden Core in five hundred years. A Nascent Soul Legacy. A god of war on the battlefield. These halos stacked together made Qi Tianyuan's existence like a mountain standing before all Disciples of the same generation. High and unreachable.

But what he was thinking about was something else. Was Qi Tianyuan's return to the Sect to undergo Core Formation really just a natural progression? The war had been going on for seven months, mired in a stalemate, brutal and consuming. At this time, the top combat power on the front line suddenly withdrew to go into seclusion and attempt a major breakthrough... would the Xuanyin Sect sit by and do nothing?

Over the next few days, the entire Sanyang Sect was immersed in an atmosphere of excitement and anxiety. In the Hundred Talisman Hall, the Disciples had a bit more drive when making Talismans—as if, because Senior Brother Qi was about to form a Golden Core, the war situation could be immediately reversed. Even the usually gloomy Junior Brother Zhao had a faint smile on his face these past few days.

But Lin Xuan heard deeper news from Senior Brother Feng. It was a private transaction after a day off, deep in the bamboo forest behind the Hundred Talisman Hall.

Senior Brother Feng handed over two bottles of Golden Bone Grass Powder, his sallow face expressionless, his voice lowered to a whisper: "The Sect has made a great determination for Senior Brother Qi to return at this time. With him gone from the front lines, the pressure will greatly increase. I heard the War Department has already adjusted its deployment, preparing to contract its defenses, at least to hold out through these few months of his seclusion."

Lin Xuan took the jade bottles and checked their quality: "Is the risk very high?"

"Of course it is." Senior Brother Feng gave a bitter smile, one uglier than crying, "But the potential gains are also great. If Senior Brother Qi succeeds in Core Formation, with his combat power, he could equal three ordinary Golden Core Cultivators. Then it won't be a stalemate; we will be the ones pushing back."

"Will the Xuanyin Sect sit by and watch?"

"How could they?" Senior Brother Feng's voice was even lower, almost a breathy whisper, "I heard the demonic Sect has already let out word that they will spare no cost to disrupt Senior Brother Qi's Core Formation. Recently, the Sect has been relaxed on the outside but tense on the inside; the Great Mountain Protection Formation is activated around the clock, and patrols have tripled. Danding Peak and Artifact Refining Peak are working day and night to prepare the Formations and Magical Artifacts needed to deal with the Heavenly Tribulation."

He paused and gave Lin Xuan a meaningful look: "Junior Brother Lin, at a time like this, it never hurts to prepare more life-saving items. I have... recently received a batch of good goods, Medium Grade 'Vajra Talisman', do you want them?"

Lin Xuan's heart stirred: "How much?"

"Nine hundred contribution points each." Senior Brother Feng held up two fingers, "I only have two in stock."

Nine hundred points. It was almost his net income for a month and a half. But Lin Xuan did not hesitate: "I'll take them both."

He also bought three bottles of "Rejuvenation Pill"—this was a life-saving medicine with better effects than ordinary healing Medicinal Pills, costing three hundred points a bottle.

The transaction was completed, and Senior Brother Feng hurriedly left, his figure disappearing into the depths of the bamboo shadows.

Lin Xuan stood in the bamboo forest; the summer afternoon sun shone through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled light and shadows, and the cicadas chirped noisily. He gripped the jade bottles and Talismans in his hand.

Two Medium Grade Vajra Talismans, which, once activated, could withstand several full-force attacks from a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, lasting for fifteen breaths. In a critical moment, this was fifteen breaths of survival.

Three bottles of Rejuvenation Pill; as long as he still had a breath left, he could hang onto his life.

But was this enough? If he were really caught in the aftermath of a fight at the Golden Core level...

He remembered Qi Tianyuan's eyes, calm as a deep pool. For such a Prodigy, how terrifying would the Heavenly Tribulation be during Core Formation? And what means would the Xuanyin Sect and the demonic Sect use to disrupt it?

Late at night, in the small courtyard on Emerald Bamboo Peak. The cicadas had ceased their chirping, and the summer night breeze, carrying the lingering heat of the day, blew, making the bamboo leaves rustle.

Lin Xuan entered the Spirit-Taming Tower Space. Unlike the summer night outside, the space always maintained a comfortable temperature and humidity. The Thunder Spiritual Energy was as thick as fog, and with every breath, one could feel a slight numbing nourishment.

The thunder essence fruit tree had blossomed with six petals, and the entire bud was about to fully bloom. The pale purple petals were as thin as cicada wings, with silver patterns flowing along the edges, and the rich fragrance condensed into a faint mist within the space.

The fruit on the thunder-attracting vine was a deep blue-purple, its surface covered in complex thunder patterns like heavenly scripts. Sparks jumped and crackled, and occasionally a tiny arc of electricity would explode, leaving a fleeting white mark in the air.

Sensing him enter, the Herb-Seeking Mouse squeaked and darted over, hopping onto his shoulder in a few bounds, its little nose sniffing around his ear.

The Pangolin poked its head out of the burrow, its dark golden eyes blinking under the thunder light, conveying the thought of "all is well."

Lin Xuan squatted down and stroked his two companions' heavy back armor and sleek fur.

"Things are tense lately," he said in a low voice, his words exceptionally clear in the silent space. "Something big is going to happen in the Sect. If there really is any trouble, you must be prepared."

The Herb-Seeking Mouse squeaked as if it half-understood, rubbing its little head against his cheek.

The Pangolin let out a low growl; the sound was dull like thunder, conveying a clear thought—ready to fight at any time.

Lin Xuan smiled, took out the Golden Bone Grass Powder he had just obtained today, and fed them each a small spoonful.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse hugged the grass powder and nibbled happily, while the Pangolin licked it slowly, its dark golden scales shining with a warm luster under the thunder light.

When he exited the space, it was already midnight outside. Lin Xuan began his cultivation for the night.

He circulated the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art, and the Thunder Spiritual Energy surged through his Meridians like a great river. After a year of bitter cultivation, his cultivation base had reached the Middle Stage of Qi Refining Level 4, not far from the Late Stage.

The tiny purple thunder seed at the core of his Dantian vortex was now the size of a soybean, shining with brilliant purple light. With every breath, it resonated, and there was a faint feeling of thunder rumbling.

The fourth layer of the Thunder Body Refining Technique, "Thunder Tempering the Five Viscera," was also about to be mastered. His five viscera were becoming stronger day by day under the nourishment of the Thunder Spiritual Energy, his blood and Qi circulation was smoother, and his physical strength had increased by another twenty percent compared to half a year ago.

But it was not enough. A Prodigy like Qi Tianyuan could kill those of the same rank like cutting vegetables at the Peak of Foundation Establishment and had obtained a Nascent Soul Legacy; now he was about to form a Golden Core. And he, he was still struggling in the Middle Stage of Qi Refining. A difference like clouds and mud.

Lin Xuan opened his eyes, a purple electric arc flashing in his pupils before quickly fading away.

No rush. He had the Spirit-Taming Tower Space, shared talent, this space that belonged solely to him, and two increasingly powerful Spirit Beasts. The road was still long.

Outside the window, the summer night was deep. In the direction of Rising Sun Peak in the distance, golden light faintly flowed, outlining a hazy halo in the night sky—that was where the Golden Sun Grotto-Heaven was located, the place where Qi Tianyuan was in seclusion.

The wind was rising, signaling an approaching storm. A Prodigy's Golden Core Tribulation might stir up even greater turmoil. And all he could do was, on the eve of this changing storm, continue to lie low, continue to grow, continue to root himself deeper. Sharpen his sword, and see the path more clearly.