421: News of the Core Formation Manual (Chapter 420)

The Human Race is protected by the Heavenly Dao Spirit Seed, and Geniuses emerge in an endless stream. Meanwhile, the Yao Race has been secretly hunting down human Prodigies and suppressing the Luck of the Human Race. If the Yao Race were to cultivate a powerful group in the future, or if a powerful being of the Yao Race wanted to forcibly nurture Yao Race Prodigies and invade human territory, this Spirit-Severing Seed would be the strongest trump card to keep them in check.

One only needs to bury the Spirit-Severing Seed in the territory of the Yao Race to directly sever the Spiritual Roots of the new generation of the Yao Race, seal the birth of top-tier Yao Race Prodigies, and cripple the subsequent strength of the Yao Race from the root.

Qin Changsheng waved his hand, and a pitch-black, bone-chilling seed appeared in his palm. The surface of the seed was wrapped in fine, dense extinction patterns. All vitality had dissipated, leaving only the slowly flowing, deathly power of the Restriction.

Looking at this seed, Qin Changsheng had already made a decision in his heart: to bury it in the capital of the Yao Race, Yaoling City.

As long as this Spirit-Severing Seed is buried in Yaoling City, the Yao Race will no longer have any Luck.

After Qin Changsheng put the Spirit-Severing Seed into his Storage Space, he sat cross-legged on the prayer mat.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, dispelling all distractions. Combining his existing trump cards with the current situation, he calmed his mind to reorganize his complete cultivation and strategic plan for the future.

As thoughts flowed through his mind, four clear and definite plans were finalized in his heart one by one.

The first priority is to continue searching for the heavenly dao fragments scattered between heaven and earth. The goal is clear: to upgrade the Golden Trait [Spirit-Severing Seed] in his hand into a Heavenly Dao Trait.

The current Golden Spirit-Severing Seed has a limited range of Restriction, and its restrictive power also has shortcomings. It can only achieve spirit breaking within ten thousand miles and seal special Spiritual Roots within one hundred thousand miles; its deterrent power is not yet sufficient.

But once it is upgraded to a Heavenly Dao Trait, the Restriction range and extinction power of the Spirit-Severing Seed will undergo a qualitative change, and the Restriction effect will be doubled.

Only by completely transforming into a Heavenly Dao-level Spirit-Severing Seed can the possibility of the birth of new generation Yao Race Prodigies be completely severed from the root, firmly cutting off the future reserve forces of the Yao Race, allowing the Human Race to completely occupy the upper hand in the confrontation between the two races, and forever eliminating the hidden danger of Prodigies being hunted.

The second priority is to find the right opportunity to personally go to the hinterland of the Yao Race and bury this Spirit-Severing Seed deep underground in the core city of the Yao Race, Yaoling City.

Yaoling City is one of the Holy Lands of the Yao Race. The entire city gathers the myriad Luck of the Yao Race and is also the place where the most Yao Race Geniuses are born and where the young generation of Prodigies gathers.

Burying the Spirit-Severing Seed here allows the extinction Restriction to directly cover the core territory of the Yao Race, precisely striking the new generation of Yao Race forces. Compared to burying it at the border of the Yao Race, the effect will be a hundred times stronger.

Without making a sound, he can secretly weaken the Luck of the Yao Race. Without a frontal war, he can cause a generational gap in the Yao Race's descendants.

The third priority is to inquire about the whereabouts of a high-level Nascent Soul Secret Manual.

After one year of closed-door cultivation, he has reached the sixth level of Golden Core. His cultivation has advanced by leaps and bounds, his Foundation has been polished to be extremely solid, and he is getting closer and closer to the Golden Core Great Perfection.

Core Formation is a crucial hurdle on the path of cultivation. The superficial Cultivation Techniques circulating in ordinary Sects carry extremely high risks; a slight carelessness will result in the shattering of the Golden Core and the total waste of cultivation.

He must find a top-tier Nascent Soul Secret Manual to avoid Heart Demon and Heavenly Tribulation hidden dangers during Core Formation, and steadily break through to the Nascent Soul realm, stepping into the ranks of true powerful Cultivators.

The fourth priority is to fully prepare Spirit Stones to enhance a Heaven-Grade defensive Magical Artifact.

Although he already has many heaven-grade magical tools.

But he still needs a top-tier Heaven-Grade defensive magical tool.

Only with a Heaven-Grade defensive magical tool can Qin Changsheng remain invincible.

The fifth is to go to the Azure Cloud Sect to participate in the Golden Core Gathering held every three years.

To see if there are any special major events.

To see if he can inquire about heavenly dao fragments and Nascent Soul Secret Manuals.

After taking stock of all his plans, Qin Changsheng opened the Heavenly Dao Entry Intelligence.

In the next instant, a piece of information appeared on the attribute panel.

[heavenly dao fragment: A special treasure that can upgrade a Golden Trait to a Heavenly Dao Trait!]

[Holder: Great Elder of the Demon Clan]

[Location: Azure Cloud Sect, Qingyun Tower]

Looking at the information on the attribute panel, a hint of joy flashed in Qin Changsheng's eyes.

He did not expect that he would actually obtain information about the Great Elder of the Demon Clan.

You must know that ever since Shen Guhong launched the battle a few years ago, there had been no clues about the Great Elder of the Demon Clan.

But unexpectedly, the Great Elder of the Demon Clan appeared in the Azure Cloud Sect today.

Qin Changsheng's heart moved, and he began to contact his Incarnation Hu Nan, while letting Hu Nan go to the Azure Cloud Sect to see if there was an opportunity to seize the heavenly dao fragment from the hands of the Great Elder of the Demon Clan.

...

Azure Cloud Sect.

Qingyun Tower.

Every three years, the Azure Cloud Sect holds a Golden Core Gathering at Qingyun Tower.

As long as one obtains the invitation of Shen Shuying and has a cultivation level reaching Golden Core, one can come here to participate in this gathering.

By the time Qin Changsheng controlled his Incarnation Hu Nan to step into the pavilion of Qingyun Tower, there were already more than ten Golden Core Cultivators with deep auras in the hall.

These people were all covered in black clothes and masks, their auras restrained.

But this Disguise was nonexistent in front of Qin Changsheng.

He possessed the Golden Trait [Detection].

He could easily detect the identities of many Cultivators.

Qin Changsheng's gaze swept lightly across the people in the hall, and with just a casual glance, he instantly locked onto a figure in the corner who was deliberately suppressing their aura.

The other party's Demonic Qi was completely sealed by a secret method, but it was still forcibly stripped of all Disguise by the Golden Trait Detection.

In the next second, a clear character panel appeared directly in Qin Changsheng's line of sight.

[Name: Great Elder of the Demon Clan]

[Cultivation: Peak of the ninth level of Golden Core]

[Status: Seriously injured, Slow Cultivation]

[Purpose: Came to Azure Cloud Sect to purchase high-grade healing Medicinal Pills at a high price to Repair his own injuries]

Looking at the information on the attribute panel.

A hint of joy flashed in Qin Changsheng's eyes.

Originally, Qin Changsheng thought it would be very difficult to obtain the heavenly dao fragment in the hands of the Great Elder of the Demon Clan.

But he did not expect that it would only require a top-grade healing Medicinal Pill.

Qin Changsheng might not have other things.

But Qin Changsheng had many top-grade healing Medicinal Pills.

Qin Changsheng possessed the Golden Trait Alchemy, and many of the healing Medicinal Pills he refined were top-grade.

Moreover, this Great Elder of the Demon Clan had a grudge against Shen Guhong.

After the Great Elder of the Demon Clan's injuries healed, he would inevitably seek revenge on Shen Guhong.

This way, the Yao Race would be even more chaotic.

In the short term, the Yao Race would be unable to launch an attack on the Human Race.

A quarter of an hour later, the figure of Shen Shuying appeared in the pavilion.

With the arrival of Shen Shuying, this Golden Core Gathering officially began.

Everyone began to share recent major events.

Some spoke of Yao Race movements at the border, some exchanged information on scarce Heaven And Earth Treasures, some were inquiring about the Spirit Stone Secret Realm, and some said that a large number of rat infestations had appeared in Harbor County.

Discussions rose and fell in the venue, only the Great Elder of the Demon Clan remained silent and did not speak.

However, afterwards, Shen Shuying raised her slender hand slightly, signaling for the whole venue to be quiet.

"Everyone, three years from now, the South Region Golden Core Competition, which is held once every fifty years, will be held as scheduled."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall was in an uproar, and the originally quiet atmosphere boiled over completely.

All the Golden Core Cultivators present whispered to each other, their faces full of emotion beneath their masks.

"I didn't expect the South Region Golden Core Competition to be held so soon!"

"This competition is open to all Golden Core Cultivators in the entire South Region, regardless of Sect or background. As long as one's cultivation is in the Golden Core realm, anyone can sign up to fight. It is the highest stage for all Golden Core Cultivators in the South Region."

"It is rumored that the competition rewards are extremely generous, with massive amounts of Spirit Stones, high-grade magical tools, and rare Medicinal Pills. Every prize is enough to make us Golden Core Cultivators jealous."

Everyone discussed endlessly, all yearning for this world-class competition.

When the discussion slowed down, Shen Shuying spoke again, throwing out the most important news about the grand prize, instantly making the whole venue silent: "The exclusive reward for the first place in this Golden Core Competition is the ancient Legacy treasured by the Azure Cloud Sect — the complete version of the Nascent Soul Secret Manual."

Boom! The minds of all the Cultivators in the hall were shocked, and even those who had been pretending to be calm could not help but breathe rapidly at this moment.

Core Formation is the ultimate pursuit of all Golden Core Cultivators, and a complete Nascent Soul Secret Manual is a treasure that is hard to buy with ten thousand gold.

Qin Changsheng, who was on the side, was originally calm and had no interest in this Golden Core Competition.

His cultivation was steadily improving, and he had many trump cards. He had no intention of participating in the competition among the Cultivators in the region, only wanting to safely prepare for his own Core Formation.

But the moment he heard the seven words 'complete version of the Nascent Soul Secret Manual', the eyes beneath Qin Changsheng's mask suddenly brightened, and a flash of genuine anticipation flickered.

If he had the complete Nascent Soul Secret Manual of the Azure Cloud Sect, then Qin Changsheng's chances of Core Formation would be greatly improved.

Shen Shuying waited for a moment, and after the emotions of everyone in the venue had calmed down slightly, she continued to speak, clearly explaining the complete participation rules for this South Region Golden Core Competition.

The threshold for this competition is very low. All Golden Core Cultivators, regardless of cultivation level or whether their Sect is righteous or evil, can sign up unconditionally without any additional Restrictions.

The entire Golden Core Competition is divided into two rounds of trials. Only after passing both rounds can one compete for the final ranking.

The first round is the Peak Climbing Trial. All participating Cultivators need to successfully climb to the top of Azure Cloud Peak within one hour. Anyone who exceeds the time limit and fails to reach the top will be directly eliminated and will have no chance for subsequent competitions.

Hearing that it was just a mountain climbing trial, many Cultivators in the venue breathed a sigh of relief, but the next moment, Shen Shuying's words made everyone's expressions change.

"Everyone, do not take it lightly. Azure Cloud Peak is not an ordinary mountain. The entire mountain is blessed by the ancient Formation of the Azure Cloud Sect, and the mountain body is covered with layers of Pressure from heaven and earth from bottom to top. The closer you are to the top, the more terrifying the Pressure."

"This exclusive Pressure specifically suppresses Golden Core Cultivators. Even for experts in the Late Stage of Golden Core, moving forward will be difficult, and the circulation of spiritual power will be sluggish for the most part."

"It is extremely difficult to break through layers of Pressure and successfully reach the top in just one hour. More than half of the participating Cultivators will be eliminated."

After these words fell, many Cultivators in the hall instantly became solemn.

Everyone originally thought that the first round was just a simple physical mountain climbing, but they did not expect that there would be terrifying Formation Pressure added, specifically to restrain Golden Core cultivation. For a time, many people in the venue were fearful, secretly weighing whether they could withstand the heavy Pressure of the mountain.

Shen Shuying swept her gaze over everyone, and then announced the rules for the second round of the arena competition: "Cultivators who successfully reach the top of Azure Cloud Peak and pass the first round of trials can enter the second round of the arena championship."

"The rules for the second round are extremely simple and straightforward: one-on-one duels on the stage. The winner directly advances to the next round, and the loser is eliminated on the spot. There are no revivals, no make-up competitions, and one must fight continuously until the final first, second, and third places are decided."

The rules were shallow and rough, without any twists and turns. It was entirely based on hard power. Those with insufficient combat power, even if they survived the difficult climbing trial, would quickly be defeated on the arena.

After hearing the complete rules for both rounds, the discussion in the hall started again.

"The first round of climbing actually comes with Formation Pressure. This threshold is too high!"

"A one-hour time limit, and having to climb the mountain while bearing the heavy Pressure that suppresses Golden Core. I'm afraid at least half of the participants will stop at the first round."

"I heard that only twenty people reached the top in the last South Region Golden Core Competition!"

"I don't know how many people there will be this time!"

In the corner, Qin Changsheng sat motionless, his mask covering his expression, silently reviewing the two trials in his heart.

The Formation Pressure of Azure Cloud Peak is a huge obstacle for others, but he possesses the Golden Trait Pressure, so such Pressure is nonexistent to him, and he has no Pressure to reach the top in the first round.

As for the arena duels, he has countless trump cards, and he is invincible among his peers.

This Golden Core Competition is a desperate trial for others, but for him, it is just the necessary path to steadily pick the Nascent Soul Secret Manual.

A quarter of an hour later, seeing that everyone was no longer discussing major events, Shen Shuying let everyone start trading freely.

As the voice fell, the atmosphere in the hall instantly became lively.

This secret gathering was originally based on trading treasures and exchanging Intelligence. A group of black-clothed masked Cultivators stood up immediately and successively took out their treasured items and placed them on the jade trays in front of them.

Some took out high-grade offensive Talismans, some displayed incomplete ancient Cultivation Technique manuals, and some took out rare Ores for refining magical tools. Each piece of cultivation treasure was shining, and they looked at each other and whispered to inquire about prices and Exchange.

Qin Changsheng remained seated in his original position, and through his black mask, his gaze was always calmly locked on the figure in the corner of the hall.

The Great Elder of the Demon Clan was currently suppressing the injuries in his body, his gaze eagerly sweeping across all the treasures displayed in the venue, his eyes fixed on every healing Medicinal Pill.

Seeing the appearance of the Great Elder of the Demon Clan, Qin Changsheng immediately stood up and said: "Everyone, I have a bottle of top-grade healing Medicinal Pills here!"

After speaking, Qin Changsheng tilted the jade bottle slightly and poured all the Medicinal Pills in the bottle onto the white jade tray in front of him.

Such a rich and pure medicinal power instantly attracted the eyes of all the Golden Core Cultivators in the audience. Everyone turned their heads in unison, their eyes falling on the Medicinal Pills in the tray, and then the exclamations exploded one after another.

"My God! This is actually a real top-grade healing Medicinal Pill!"

"I have never seen a healing Medicinal Pill with such strong medicinal power. A whole bottle, the quantity is too amazing!"

"Being able to take out a whole bottle of top-grade Medicinal Pills casually, is this Fellow Daoist a reclusive Alchemy Grandmaster?"

Many Cultivators gathered not far from Qin Changsheng.

Their cultivation inevitably left behind hidden internal injuries, and ordinary healing Medicinal Pills recover very slowly.

But top-grade healing Medicinal Pills can quickly restore injuries.

They can even treat hidden injuries in the body.

Therefore, top-grade healing Medicinal Pills are scarce and good items that have a price but no market. At this moment, a whole bottle appeared, enough to make everyone in the audience tempted.

"This Fellow Daoist, how do you intend to sell this top-grade healing Medicinal Pill? Is it for an equivalent Exchange of treasures, or for Spirit Stones?" A Cultivator appeared not far from Qin Changsheng.

And in the corner of the hall, the Great Elder of the Demon Clan, who had originally looked indifferent, suddenly stiffened, and the eyes beneath his mask suddenly lit up with a hot glow, and he could no longer look away.

He had originally only come to Qingyun Tower to try his Luck.

But he did not expect that someone would actually take out a top-grade healing Medicinal Pill.