28: A genius returns! Information about the Profound Core Realm.

Zhang Yang walked along the path and arrived at the entrance of the Clear Wind Sect.

At this moment, a large group of people stood at the gate; at a glance, Zhang Yang realized they were all Inner Sect Disciples.

They were gazing into the distance outside the gate, seemingly waiting for something.

Zhang Yang casually stopped an Inner Sect Disciple beside him and asked, "Brother, do you know why they are all gathered here?"

The Inner Sect Disciple stopped by Zhang Yang looked impatient upon hearing the question,

but after turning his head and seeing Zhang Yang's face clearly, he instantly snapped out of it, revealed a flattering smile, and explained to Zhang Yang:

"So it's Senior Brother Zhang Yang! There's something you don't know!"

"The Genius Disciple Du Qi, who went out for training a year ago, is about to return!!"

"Before he left, his cultivation had already reached Spirit Aperture Perfection! To form a high-grade profound pill, he went out for experiential training, and now he is finally returning!"

Mentioning Du Qi, the Disciple's face was filled with yearning and his tone was respectful.

"Now that he's returning, it must be for the upcoming Inner Sect Grand Competition!"

"Moreover, Senior Brother Du Qi has already formed a high-grade profound pill; it seems the first place this time will surely belong to him!"

After listening to the Disciple's account, Zhang Yang nodded slightly.

Zhang Yang had also heard of this Genius Disciple named Du Qi; back when he was still an Outer Sect Disciple, he had already heard of this Genius's great name.

Rumor had it that he suppressed all the Disciples of his generation and was the undisputed number one at the time!

He had gone out for training and was now actually returning for the Inner Sect Grand Competition.

Zhang Yang's expression became solemn; if Du Qi had truly formed a high-grade profound pill, his strength would be extraordinary.

Even with Zhang Yang's current powerful physical body, he probably wouldn't gain much of an advantage.

He was a formidable opponent!

Zhang Yang took a deep breath. The Profound Core Realm was the next Realm after the Spirit Aperture Realm.

After opening the nine great Spirit Apertures, one would then liquefy their True Qi to fill them before attempting a Breakthrough to the Profound Core Realm.

To break through to the Profound Core Realm, one needed to merge the nine Spirit Apertures into one, use a Concept to shape it, and use the body's innate qi as a foundation to transform it into a Profound Core.

At this point, the liquid True Qi would undergo an evolution, transforming into Origin Power. Compared to True Qi, Origin Power was more robust, violent, and far more powerful.

If one's cultivation broke through to the Profound Core Realm, their strength would undergo a metamorphosis, allowing them to easily kill their former Spirit Aperture Realm self in an instant.

Zhang Yang was confident in his current physical strength; even the Origin Power of a Profound Core Realm Martial Artist would not be able to easily injure him.

After all, Zhang Yang's current body could already reduce the damage from the Lightning Tribulation of Infant Transformation Realm Martial Artists, which was quite remarkable.

However, forming a high-grade profound pill was a different story.

When a Martial Artist breaks through to the Profound Core Realm, the most important factor is their level of comprehension of their Concept.

According to Zhang Yang's understanding, the formation of a Profound Core was divided into four levels.

The first type is the low-grade profound pill,

which is formed by ordinary people in the Spirit Aperture Realm who have not comprehended any Concept. Although breaking through to the Profound Core Realm is already a Realm that ordinary people cannot hope for in a lifetime,

this is also the cruelty of the world: the goal that ordinary people spend their whole lives pursuing is merely something that true geniuses look down upon.

Those who form a low-grade profound pill can be called ordinary geniuses,

but they can only wallow in the Profound Core Realm for the rest of their lives. Without a massive fortuitous encounter, it is almost impossible for them to become Infant Transformation Realm Martial Artists.

The second type is the medium-grade profound pill.

Those who form a medium-grade profound pill must comprehend a Concept while in the Spirit Aperture Realm; these people can be called true geniuses!

If they Cultivate step-by-step, they have hope of breaking through to the Nascent Transformation Realm in their lifetime, though it remains difficult.

The third type is the high-grade profound pill,

which requires a Martial Artist to comprehend their Concept to the fourth level or higher while still in the Spirit Aperture Realm. This is almost impossible to achieve;

even with the help of items containing the dense Concept of Seniors, it is still extremely difficult.

This is because the body's innate qi begins to slowly dissipate from birth, and there are no means to stop it.

After the age of thirty, the body's innate qi will have completely vanished, leaving only Acquired Qi.

If a person does not break through to the Profound Core Realm before the age of thirty, they will be trapped in the Spirit Aperture Realm for the rest of their life.

To achieve a high-grade profound pill, one even needs to comprehend their Concept to the fourth level or higher before the age of twenty-five.

After twenty-five, even if one comprehends their Concept to the fourth level or higher and breaks through to the Profound Core Realm, they can only form a medium-grade profound pill.

The reason lies in the fact that

after the age of twenty-five, the rate at which innate qi dissipates will accelerate rapidly, making it unable to meet the requirements of a high-grade profound pill.

The final type is the Supreme-Grade Mysterious Pill, also known as the dao rhyme golden core!

It exists only in legends. Zhang Yang had once seen a few mentions of it while browsing ancient books in the Clear Wind Sect's Library.

Legend has it that to form a Supreme-Grade Mysterious Pill, one even needs to comprehend their Concept to the seventh level or higher.

Furthermore, the age must be before twenty-two, making the requirements even stricter.

Because of such difficult conditions, the result was that in all his time Cultivating, Zhang Yang had never heard of a single person forming a dao rhyme golden core.

Even the Nascent Transformation Realm Clear Wind Sect Leader or Senior Jiang Dao were only recorded as having high-grade profound pills.

And this Du Qi had actually already formed a high-grade profound pill; it could be said that he already has hope for the Nascent Transformation Realm!

The Origin Power of a high-grade profound pill is even more terrifying, with extraordinary power capable of crushing mountains and severing seas.

I'm afraid that with Zhang Yang's current physical strength, he would only be able to withstand most of the damage.

"It seems I must speed up my Cultivation, and my comprehension of Saber Intent cannot fall behind!"

"It would be best to comprehend Saber Intent to the seventh level before the Grand Competition starts, and see if I can try to form the legendary Supreme-Grade Mysterious Pill!"

Zhang Yang nodded firmly. To comprehend Saber Intent to the seventh level before the Grand Competition would be extremely difficult.

Even though Zhang Yang had the simplification system and Senior Jiang Dao's notes, he was still a bit uncertain.

After all, as Concept comprehension progresses, each subsequent level requires more experience than the last.

And there were only twenty days left until the Grand Competition, and the comprehension of Saber Intent could not be accelerated like the Cultivation of Martial Skills.

Just as Zhang Yang was about to leave, a young man wearing a green robe, with long hair fluttering in the wind and a smile on his face, flew through the air from the distance toward the Clear Wind Sect.

Immediately, a commotion broke out at the entrance of the Clear Wind Sect.

"It's Senior Brother Du Qi, he's back!" Someone with sharp eyes recognized the newcomer's appearance and let out a cry of surprise.

"Flying through the air—Senior Brother Du Qi has indeed broken through to the Profound Core Realm. I just don't know exactly which sub-Realm he's at!"

"In my view, the first place in this Inner Sect Grand Competition is already in Senior Brother Du Qi's pocket."

Someone made an assertion; it was an old man who was actually also an Inner Sect Disciple. He was excited, speaking with spittle flying everywhere.

"Profound Core Realm, high-grade profound pill—in this Inner Sect Grand Competition, who else could be a match for Senior Brother Du Qi?"

The crowd cheered, welcoming the return of this Genius.

Zhang Yang also stared intently at Du Qi in the sky, observing the aura around him, but he didn't discover anything useful.

Du Qi's control over his own aura was too perfect. Zhang Yang only had a cultivation of Spirit Aperture Realm level eight right now, so it was quite normal that he couldn't see through it.

Du Qi looked down at the Clear Wind Sect members below and revealed a smile. He waved his hand,

calling out a greeting. His voice wasn't loud, yet it spread in all directions, allowing everyone below to hear clearly, demonstrating incomparable strength.

As Du Qi's gaze swept across the crowd below, he and Zhang Yang locked eyes. Upon seeing Zhang Yang for the first time, Du Qi was slightly stunned.

The feeling Zhang Yang gave him was very different, like an unsheathed precious saber standing across from him.

However, Du Qi didn't mind. After being stunned for a moment, he smiled and flew toward a mountain peak within the Clear Wind Sect.

He merely took Zhang Yang for a contestant in this session's Inner Sect Grand Competition. Observing his cultivation, it was only at the Spirit Aperture Realm.

Even if he were a Genius, how could he be his opponent in this Inner Sect Grand Competition?

He had achieved invincibility among his peers early on; he had defeated countless opponents like Zhang Yang a year ago!

Although he looked somewhat interesting, why would he need to take it to heart?

He had only one goal in returning this time, and that was to seize the championship of this Inner Sect Grand Competition.