97: Chapter 97 Preparation

It was a trait: "The strong never complain about the environment."

Its effect was to immunize or resist negative effects caused by terrain and environmental factors.

Whether it was the scorching heat of volcanic lava, the freezing cold of extreme regions, or the erosion of swamp miasma, as long as the environment wasn't too ridiculously extreme, it could offset most of the impact.

Yun Ming raised an eyebrow. Immunizing against map damage and negative buffs? If he ever went to some dangerous place or Secret Realm in the future, this might come in very handy.

He accepted the trait and reached out to grab the second purple light; it was another trait.

["I want to verify the card (French accent)"]

Its effect was to see through disguises.

Whether it was disguise techniques, illusions, or certain Cultivation Technique that concealed one's form, as long as the opponent's Realm did not exceed his by too much, he could see through it.

Yun Ming nodded. This was good; it was also useful.

The last purple light was a spiritual talisman.

The talisman paper was entirely golden, with complex patterns drawn in some sort of dark red runic script. Just by looking at it, one could feel the terrifying power contained within.

Lightning flickered faintly at the edges of the talisman paper, carrying an unsettling aura.

Fourth-tier Low Grade Profound Lightning Sky-Piercing Talisman.

Attack type.

Immense power.

He carefully put the spiritual talisman away.

One thousand draws, three purple lights, and over ten thousand Spirit Stones.

No golden light, no colorful light.

Yun Ming was not disappointed.

Such things as card drawing always had wins and losses.

Moreover, if he thought about it carefully, those three purple lights were actually quite useful.

It was just a pity that he hadn't drawn anything that could help him with Core Formation.

In the Quiet Room, moonlight continued to spill through the window lattice, and Jiu Jiu was still fast asleep in the corner.

Yun Ming exhaled softly.

It was time to prepare for Core Formation.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Yuan Zhenzi stood in his Immortal Cave with his hands behind his back, his brows slightly furrowed.

He hadn't expected Yun Ming to be so patient; so much time had passed, and yet there was absolutely no movement.

This was a case of 'not releasing the hawk until seeing the rabbit.' Without some benefits, the reputation of the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion alone wouldn't be enough to intimidate him.

The more Yuan Zhenzi thought about it, the more he felt this person was difficult to deal with.

Either he was naturally cautious, had other motives, or... he simply didn't trust him at all.

He raised his hand and rubbed his brow.

Time waited for no one.

The stability of that Secret Realm was worsening day by day.

According to the news from the Disciple responsible for monitoring, at most, there was one more year; even if the teleportation was not activated, the Secret Realm where this teleportation Formation was located would collapse.

He didn't want to be accused of incompetence by the people from the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion.

Come to think of it, this matter was frustrating to begin with.

Given the status and strength of the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion, if they really wanted this teleportation Formation, they could just ask for it directly.

Even if the Cangxuan Immortal Sect was unwilling, they would never dare to refuse on the surface.

With some additional compensation in resources and Spirit Stones, they could easily obtain it.

But the problem was—the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion was not a monolith.

That Old Ancestor at the Soul Transformation Stage had not concerned himself with worldly affairs for over a thousand years.

But in the entire Xuanhuang Pill Mansion, only he held the secrets and Cultivation Technique for breaking through to Soul Transformation.

Which Nascent Soul was not tempted? Which Nascent Soul did not try their best to curry favor?

Especially those veteran Elders who had been stuck at Nascent Soul Perfection for many years; their Lifespan was approaching its limit day by day, and every day was a torment.

They dreamed of advancing further; they dreamed of gaining the favor of the Old Ancestor.

Yuan Zhenzi recalled a piece of news he had heard not long ago; some time ago, in the Ximing Continent, a Nascent Soul demonic Cultivator had refined the people of an entire nation in an attempt to Breakthrough to Soul Transformation, but failed and perished.

He didn't want that.

The person behind him wanted it even less.

As long as this teleportation Formation could be brought out of the Secret Realm intact, the person behind him would be able to repair it.

By then, it would no longer be a consumable that could only be used once, but a strategic asset that could be activated repeatedly.

The Xuanhuang Pill Mansion only had two such teleportation Formations.

If he could secure this one...

Yuan Zhenzi took a deep breath, suppressing the restlessness in his heart.

Regardless of that person's background, as long as he was willing to cooperate, the terms could be negotiated.

He raised his hand to tear open the Void Realm and stepped inside.

In the next instant, he had appeared outside Yun Ming's Immortal Cave.

The door of the Immortal Cave was tightly shut, and the Formation was operating normally.

Yuan Zhenzi's Divine Sense probed inside, sensing that an aura in the Quiet Room was immersed in Cultivate.

In seclusion?

Yuan Zhenzi's brows furrowed slightly.

He waited quietly for a while, but the person inside had no reaction.

That aura was steady and long, clearly having entered a deep state of Cultivate, unaware of the outside world.

No, that wasn't right.

Yuan Zhenzi suddenly became vigilant.

This person didn't go into seclusion early or late, but chose to do so right after he showed up?

And it was this kind of deep-level Cultivate where one was "unaware of the outside world"?

Would a Nascent Soul Cultivator Cultivate in their own Immortal Cave to the point of being unaware of the outside world?

What a joke.

This was clearly avoiding him.

A complicated look flashed in Yuan Zhenzi's eyes.

What exactly did this person... know?

Had he sensed something wrong, or was he waiting for a better opportunity?

Or perhaps, he was simply stalling and had other motives?

The more he thought about it, the more he felt this person was unfathomable.

The people he had sent to investigate hadn't found anything useful.

It was as if he had popped out of a crack in a rock; his first appearance was in the Sect's Imperial Sovereigns Legacy Abode Secret Realm, where he saved a few Disciples, and was then favored by Yao Chenzi and joined the Sect.

He couldn't find any information from before that, and he couldn't match him to any known Nascent Soul Cultivator; he had even considered asking the people from the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion to help with the investigation.

But one thing was certain: he must have come for the teleportation Formation, only he had gone to the wrong Secret Realm; otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared in the Secret Realm from the very beginning.

Yuan Zhenzi pondered for a moment and ultimately decided not to force an interruption.

He took a Jade Slip from his sleeve, pressed it against his brow, and left a few words.

Then, he placed the Jade Slip on the stone steps at the entrance of the Immortal Cave and raised his hand to set up a layer of Restriction to protect it.

After doing this, he took one last look at the tightly shut door of the Immortal Cave and turned to leave.

The crack in the Void Realm slowly closed behind him.

The night wind blew, and the area in front of the Immortal Cave returned to silence.

A moment later, another figure appeared silently; their cultivation was higher, their aura was more steady and even more unfathomable.

It was Cang Xuanzi!

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling directly on the Jade Slip on the stone steps protected by the Restriction.

After casually breaking the Restriction and reading the message inside, he didn't say a word.

Then he put the Jade Slip back in its original place and raised his hand to reapply a layer of the exact same Restriction.

Then his figure dissipated into the night, as if he had never appeared.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Yun Ming was completely unaware of this.

He sat cross-legged in the Quiet Room, his five centers facing the sky, his breathing steady and long.

In his Dantian, more than three thousand drops of spiritual liquid were circulating slowly, following the trajectory of the stars in the heavens, circle after circle.

His mind was immersed within his body, completely unaware of anything in the outside world.

When his mind was adjusted to a state of clarity and purity, a portion of five elements gold-condensing jade liquid floated before him.

Five-colored spiritual light swirled, and misty Qi rose unceasingly.

The jade liquid entered his throat like cold spring water dripping down, then transformed into a scorching torrent, rushing directly into the lake of spiritual power deep within his Dantian.

With a boom, like thunder exploding within his body, the jade liquid transformed into tens of thousands of strands of incomparably pure Spiritual Qi.

Like a heavenly river pouring backwards, it rushed into his limbs and meridians like a wild horse breaking free from its reins, violently tearing at Yun Ming's body.

Yun Ming was thankful that he had also made progress in Body Refining previously; otherwise, he truly wouldn't have been able to withstand this intense pain.

Immediately, he activated the Dao Sutra, releasing the shackles on the lake of spiritual power in his Dantian!

Core Formation officially began!