21: Chapter 21: Top-Grade Golden Core

Back at the Eternal Night Palace, Xiao Ran was preparing to enter seclusion to digest his rewards when Li Changsheng's voice came through the Soul link.

"Xiao Ran, the Sect's minor competition on my end is finished!"

"Oh? What place did you get?" Xiao Ran asked.

"Second..."

"I lost to a True Disciple from Misty Peak. He's in the Early Stage Golden Core, and I'm at Foundation Establishment Peak. I couldn't beat him."

Li Changsheng was a bit dejected because he really wanted the reward for first place in this Sect competition.

"That's normal."

"How long have you even been cultivating?" Xiao Ran comforted him upon seeing this.

"That's true."

"But I did get the second-place reward—a bottle of Clarity Dew that can purify True Yuan. By the way, how are things on your end?" Li Changsheng quickly perked up again.

"Oh, I was just average."

"I barely managed to take first place!"

"Awesome!"

Li Changsheng was genuinely happy for his brother.

"Right, there's something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead."

"My Master said that the Eternal Night Demon Sect has already started preparing to take over the Blood Fiend Sect." Li Changsheng said, lowering his voice.

"I know. Blood Demon Son is leading the team." Xiao Ran nodded and said.

His information was a bit more up-to-date than Li Changsheng's this time; after all, several Inner Sect Elders from the Sect had personally visited the Blood Fiend Sect a while ago.

Ever since they returned from there, news of taking over the Blood Fiend Sect had spread throughout the Sect.

"Then when are you leaving?"

"Xiao Ran, I think this is an opportunity. Although the Blood Fiend Sect's Sect Master failed his Breakthrough, their accumulated wealth from hundreds of years is still there. Blood Child definitely can't swallow it all by himself; he'll surely bring people. If you could sneak in..." Li Changsheng said.

This was the reason he told Xiao Ran this news; he wanted Xiao Ran to sneak in and get a piece of the pie.

"I think that's unlikely. That dwarf Blood Demon Son doesn't get along with me. How could he possibly take me unless someone from above orders it?" Xiao Ran said after thinking for a moment.

"Just try to strive for it anyway. This is a good job for making some extra profit." Li Changsheng urged him a few more times.

After hanging up the link, Xiao Ran sat in his chair, his fingers tapping on the tabletop involuntarily.

This was a habit from his past life, learned from business elites in TV dramas. He heard that doing this made one seem calculating and shrewd.

Whether he was actually calculating or not, Xiao Ran didn't know, but this habit had indeed stayed with him.

Blood Child leading the team to take over the Blood Fiend Sect... This was indeed an opportunity.

Not only could he get benefits, but he could also observe this future opponent up close.

But the problem was, how to get in?

He was currently only at Foundation Establishment Peak, while Blood Child was at Middle Stage Golden Core and was also the Eighth Demon Son.

Who to take and who not to take was up to Blood Child.

"I have to find a way..." Xiao Ran muttered.

Just as he was thinking, a voice came from outside the door.

"Is Junior Brother Xiao in?"

The voice was somewhat familiar; it was White Bone Scholar.

Xiao Ran immediately stood up to open the door, a trace of a smile on his face: "Third Senior Brother, is something the matter?"

"Good news."

"I just returned from the Sect Master. I heard that Blood Child is going to lead a team to take over the Blood Fiend Sect. According to the rules, such a mission requires bringing at least three Inner Sect Disciples... or one Demon Son of the same rank." White Bone Scholar said, waving his bone fan with a smile.

Xiao Ran was stunned. This pretty boy is being so kind? What exactly is he trying to do?

Sure enough, White Bone Scholar paused and continued, "That guy Blood Child picked two Inner Sect Disciples, but he's still short one. The Sect Master asked me to recommend someone, so I recommended you."

Hearing this, Xiao Ran pretended to be stunned: "Third Senior Brother, you recommended me?"

"What, you don't want to go?" White Bone Scholar didn't answer but asked with a smile.

"I do!"

"Thank you, Third Senior Brother!"

"When I return from this mission, I will definitely scavenge some treasures to thank you, Senior Brother." Xiao Ran said immediately; he was just worrying about not finding a way in!

White Bone Scholar had delivered the opportunity to his doorstep. Although he didn't know what schemes he had, it didn't matter; getting the loot was the priority.

"Junior Brother, you're being too polite."

"The well-known treasures of the Blood Fiend Sect have likely already been scavenged clean by the Elders. This time, the purpose of your team is just to handle the aftermath."

"However, Junior Brother, I must remind you: this person Blood Child... is petty and vengeful. You've been too prominent lately, and he might find you an eyesore. Be careful on this mission." White Bone Scholar patted his shoulder, looking like a good-natured gentleman.

"Understood." Xiao Ran nodded.

"Alright, get prepared. We set off at the beginning of next month." After saying this, White Bone Scholar turned and left.

Xiao Ran closed the door, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Blood Child finds him an eyesore? What a coincidence, he finds Blood Child an eyesore too.

"Next month..."

"I'll finish Core Formation first, and then I'll have some real fun with you."

Xiao Ran clenched his fists, turned around, walked into the cultivation room, and took out the Demon Blood Pool token. It was time to break through.

...

The Demon Blood Pool was located deep within the Forbidden Ground of the Eternal Night Demon Sect.

Xiao Ran entered with the token, and led by a Deacon Elder, he passed through layers of Restrictions and arrived before a massive blood pool.

The pool water was scarlet, viscous like blood, and emitted a dense smell of blood and Devilish Qi.

On the surface of the pool, various demonic phantom images appeared from time to time, letting out shrill roars.

"Go in."

"Remember, you only have three days. How much you can absorb depends on your own fortune." The Deacon Elder said routinely.

Because many Disciples came to the Demon Blood Pool to Cultivate, and out of greed—like a snake trying to swallow an elephant—they ended up drawing in too much chaotic energy and were forcibly burst apart.

However, this was something Xiao Ran didn't need to worry about at all. He had come this time specifically to absorb as much as he could.

"This Disciple understands!" Xiao Ran nodded in acknowledgment, took off his outer garment, and stepped into the blood pool.

The pool water instantly boiled!

Countless blood threads burrowed into his body, and majestic energy surged into his Meridians, impacting his Dantian.

Xiao Ran gave a muffled groan and immediately circulated the Eternal Night Demon Codex. At the same time, he swallowed the barrier breaking pill.

The Medicinal Pill entered his stomach and transformed into a stream of cool Qi, protecting his heart Meridians and Sea of Consciousness.

The energy in the Demon Blood Pool was too violent; without strong measures to protect the Sea of Consciousness, it was very easy to suffer Qi Deviation.

Time passed bit by bit.

Xiao Ran was immersed in cultivation, crazily absorbing the energy in the pool.

On the first day, he polished his Foundation Establishment Peak cultivation to the extreme.

On the second day, he began to compress his Devilish Yuan and condense his demonic core.

On the third day...

Boom!!!

Inside his Dantian, the liquid Devilish Yuan spun violently, continuously compressing, until it finally condensed into a pitch-black demonic core the size of a pigeon egg.

The demonic core was formed, and the Golden Core was established!

Xiao Ran opened his eyes, a phantom of a black vortex flashing in them, and a lifelike demonic statue appeared behind him.

The Golden Core realm, achieved!

And what he had achieved was not an ordinary Golden Core, but the fighter jet among Golden Cores—a Top-Grade demonic core.

On the surface of the demonic core were twelve golden patterns; that was the mark of the Golden Core's quality.

An ordinary Golden Core has one to three patterns. A Medium Grade Golden Core has three to six patterns. A High Grade Golden Core has seven to nine patterns.

Only the legendary Top-Grade Golden Core bears twelve golden patterns. Xiao Ran, remarkably, had twelve golden patterns.

"Being a Genius is great!"

"Just by casually cultivating, I achieve a Top-Grade Golden Core."

Xiao Ran secretly rejoiced in his heart. If he had started as a Trash-style protagonist, he wouldn't know how many times he would have had to go through life and death to achieve a Top-Grade Golden Core.

And he just cultivated step by step, reaching a height that others couldn't surpass in a lifetime.

"It's still not enough... The Demon Blood Pool still has energy; I can't waste it." Xiao Ran felt the surging power within his body and looked at the still-dense Devilish Qi in the pool.

He closed his eyes again and continued to absorb.

When the three days were up and the Deacon Elder came to call him, Xiao Ran's cultivation had already stabilized at the Early Stage Golden Core Peak. He was only a sliver away from the Middle Stage.

"You're out?"

"Early Stage Golden Core Peak... Good lad, you've gained quite a bit." Seeing Xiao Ran, a flash of surprise crossed the Deacon Elder's eyes.

If he remembered correctly, when Xiao Ran had just gone in, he was only at Foundation Establishment Peak. He didn't expect that in just three days, not only had he broken through to Golden Core, but he had also climbed another level on the path of the Golden Core.

"Thank you, Elder." Xiao Ran said, bowing.

A Deacon Elder capable of guarding such an important place was at least a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor, firmly in the realm of his Seniors. How could Xiao Ran dare to be presumptuous?

"Alright, go back." The Deacon Elder waved his hand.

"Yes." Xiao Ran acknowledged and took his leave.

Returning to the Eternal Night Palace, he decided to consolidate his cultivation first, then begin counting his assets.

By this time, his cultivation had already reached the Early Stage Golden Core Peak.

Cultivation Techniques: "Eternal Night Demon Codex" Golden Core Chapter (Heaven Rank Fragment), "Guixu Demon Scripture · Golden Core Chapter" (Heaven Rank Fragment, System Reward), "Demon Shadow Clone Technique" First Layer (Earth Rank Low Grade), "Three-Part Return to Origin Finger" Major Achievement (Profound Rank High Grade).

System Points: 9100 (Previous 2100 + Minor Competition Mission 2000 + Breakthrough Golden Core Mission 5000).

Items: Demon Heart Pill (two remaining), various healing Medicinal Pills.

"It's time to get ready to set off." Xiao Ran muttered.

Blood Fiend Sect... He hoped this trip wouldn't disappoint him.