266: Chapter 264 Golden Core Perfection

Within the Quiet Room, Yun Ming sat cross-legged.

Five Golden Cores rotated slowly in his Dantian, with five-colored light—gold, azure, crimson, black, and white—intertwining, filling the entire Quiet Room with shimmering colors.

He had been in seclusion for seven days.

For seven days, he had been tempering these five Golden Cores, pushing them to the limit of the Late Golden Core Stage.

The Bottleneck of Golden Core Perfection had already loosened; he was only one step away.

The five Golden Cores had spun countless times in his Dantian. Yun Ming's Divine Sense sank into his Dantian, guiding the Five Elements spiritual energy to flow slowly according to the methods of the Dao Scripture. Metal spiritual energy was sharp, water spiritual energy was soft, wood spiritual energy was vibrant, fire spiritual energy was blazing, and earth spiritual energy was heavy. Five distinct forces intertwined within his body like five rivers of different colors, eventually merging into the same ocean.

The Bottleneck of the Late Golden Core Stage might only be one layer for others, but for him, it was five.

Each Golden Core had its own temperament and needed to be tempered individually.

Yun Ming was in no hurry, taking them one by one. The metal-attributed Golden Core reached Perfection first, followed by the water, wood, fire, and earth attributes. One after another, the five Golden Cores lit up, their glow changing from dim to bright, and then from bright to dazzling. They were like five ignited stars, burning fiercely within his Dantian.

Spiritual energy surged through his Meridians like a river bursting its banks.

Yun Ming steadied his mind, guiding this majestic power to circulate within his body. The mantras of the Dao Scripture surfaced in his mind, each word transforming into a ray of spiritual light and merging into his Dantian. He had long since mastered the principles of the mutual generation of the Five Elements, but truly pushing five Golden Cores to Perfection simultaneously required more than just theory; it required profound accumulation and precise control.

The Golden Cores began to expand.

It wasn't an unlimited expansion, but rather an expansion to a certain critical point, followed by a sudden contraction. With each contraction, the texture of the Golden Cores became more solid, and their light more pure. After repeating this nine times, the five Golden Cores emitted a crisp chime simultaneously. That sound wasn't a physical noise but a resonance perceived by the Divine Soul, like five instruments playing together in harmony and resonance.

Yun Ming opened his eyes.

A flash of five-colored brilliance passed through his eyes before they returned to tranquility.

Looking inward at his Dantian, the five Golden Cores were a full size larger than before, each one round, full, and shimmering with spiritual light. They no longer operated independently but rotated slowly around a virtual center in the middle of the Dantian, like five planets orbiting a sun. Golden Core Great Perfection. He had finally taken this step.

His spiritual energy was at least thirty percent more robust than in the Late Golden Core Stage, and it was more solid and pure. If the spiritual energy of the Late Golden Core Stage was a surging river, then the spiritual energy of Golden Core Perfection was a deep underground river—calm on the surface, but with powerful undercurrents. Yun Ming clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. He could feel that both his body and Divine Soul had reached an unprecedented Peak state.

He stood up from the prayer mat and stretched his limbs. After seven days of seclusion, his body was a bit stiff, but his spiritual energy was abundant and his spirit was full. He pushed open the door; the sunlight was blinding, and he squinted slightly.

In the courtyard, Ah Yuan was cultivating. The array-breaking sword hovered before her, the formation patterns on the blade already seventy percent lit; it wasn't far from being completely refined. Xue Ji wasn't there; she must have gone to the Sundries shop.

Hearing the door, Ah Yuan opened her eyes. Seeing Yun Ming walk out, she quickly stood up. "Master! You've come out of seclusion!" Her voice was full of surprise and joy as she trotted over, looking Yun Ming up and down.

Yun Ming nodded. "Yes."

Ah Yuan circled him once, her eyes sparkling. "Master, you seem... different. Your aura is much more stable than before." She couldn't say exactly what was different, but she felt his aura was more composed, like a deep pool of water—calm on the surface, but with hidden depths.

"Golden Core Perfection. Another step forward." Yun Ming's tone was flat, neither feigning modesty nor exaggerating. From the Late Golden Core Stage to Golden Core Perfection was only a small step, but having taken it, he was much closer to the Nascent Soul Stage. He wasn't in a hurry and didn't force it. What was meant to come would eventually arrive.

Ah Yuan's eyes grew even brighter, and she clapped her hands. "Congratulations, Master! Master, are you about to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage now?"

Yun Ming shook his head. "It's still a long way off. From Golden Core Perfection to the Early Nascent Soul Stage is a major hurdle. It requires accumulation and Opportunity. It's not something that can be achieved through seclusion alone."

Ah Yuan nodded, only half-understanding. She hadn't been cultivating for long and didn't have a deep enough grasp of high Realms, but she knew whatever her Master said was right. She ran to the stone table, poured a cup of tea for Yun Ming, and offered it with both hands. "Master, you've worked hard. Please have some tea."

Yun Ming took the teacup, took a sip, and set it down. "How has the shop been these past few days?"

Ah Yuan said, "Sister Xue Ji has been looking after it, and she's amazing. A few days ago, someone tried to steal something, and she just threw them out. The patrolling soldiers saw she was a Nascent Soul True Lord and didn't dare say a word."

Yun Ming nodded and didn't ask further. Xue Ji was a Nascent Soul True Lord; dealing with a few petty thieves was more than enough.

Ah Yuan added, "Also, the Princess Royal came by two days ago. She came alone, without any attendants. She said she had something to discuss with you and asked you to find her at Paradise once you finished your seclusion. I asked her what it was about, but she didn't say. She only spoke a few words with Sister Xue Ji. Sister Xue Ji didn't look very well that day and hardly spoke when she came back that evening."

Yun Ming's hand paused for a moment. The Princess Royal? Paradise? He put down the teacup and looked at Ah Yuan. "What else did the Princess Royal say?"

Ah Yuan thought for a moment. "She said... for you to go as soon as possible. And she said not to let anyone else know. That's all."

Yun Ming was silent for a moment. Paradise was the largest den of decadence in Tianyuan City, with gambling houses, brothels, theaters, and spiritual delicacies—it had everything. For the Princess Royal to arrange a meeting there, it wouldn't be a small matter. The fact that she didn't say it directly at the Sundries shop meant it wasn't convenient to make it public. And Xue Ji's poor complexion after hearing it suggested it wasn't good news.

Seeing Yun Ming silent, Ah Yuan asked cautiously, "Master, did something happen?"

Yun Ming shook his head. "It's nothing. Continue your cultivation and don't be lazy. I'm going to the shop to take a look."

Ah Yuan nodded vigorously and returned to her prayer mat to continue refining the array-breaking sword. The array-breaking sword hovered before her, its formation patterns seventy percent lit, only one step away from being fully refined. She closed her eyes, calmed her mind, and continued the refinement.

Yun Ming stood up and placed the teacup on the table. He straightened his robes, left the small courtyard, and headed toward the Sundries shop. The sunlight shone on him, casting a long shadow. Huai Tree Alley was very quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

He didn't walk fast, thinking about the Princess Royal's words. Paradise—he hadn't been there, but he had heard of it. For the Princess Royal to meet him there, there must be something going on. And it wasn't a small matter. He wasn't in a rush to go, nor was he in a rush to ask Xue Ji. Once he reached the shop, he would naturally find out. He quickened his pace.