371: Chapter 371 Breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage!

He guided those powers once again.

This time, he didn't try to suppress them; instead, using the War God Art as his guiding principle, he assigned a suitable position for each type of power.

The War God Power served as the core, sitting at the center of the Dantian.

The Star Power surrounded the War God Power like stars orbiting the moon.

The power of the Myriad Weight Hegemon Body integrated into his flesh and bones, strengthening his Physical Body.

The Demonic Flame Power lay dormant within his Meridians, ready to be called upon at any time.

The Time Power resided in his Sea of Consciousness to comprehend the Law of time.

The Space Power circulated throughout his body, ready to cast Spatial Magic at any moment.

Every power had its own place and its own responsibility. They no longer conflicted or repelled each other; instead, they revolved around the core of the War God Power, coexisting harmoniously and supporting one another.

The trembling of the Golden Core finally stopped.

The cracks began to heal slowly. The golden light became stable and brilliant once more.

Success!

Gao Feng let out a long breath, only then realizing that his back was soaked with cold sweat. The scene just now had been incredibly perilous. If his comrades hadn't risked everything to help him from the outside, and if he hadn't found the root of the problem in time, today might have been the day he perished.

He composed his mind and continued to stabilize the Golden Core.

Time passed slowly.

Three days later, the Golden Core was finally completely stabilized. It floated quietly in his Dantian, rotating slowly and emitting a soft, steady golden light. With every rotation, pure power surged from it, nourishing his entire body.

Gao Feng opened his eyes, which now burned with an unprecedented golden light. It was the mark of a Golden Core Stage expert, representing the realization and confidence that followed a Breakthrough.

He could feel that his power was more than ten times stronger than before! The purity of his Spiritual Qi, the toughness of his Physical Body, and his comprehension of the Laws had all reached a completely new height.

He had succeeded. He had finally broken through to the Golden Core Stage.

Early Stage of the First Level of the Golden Core.

Although it was only the first level, he was confident that with his current strength, he was enough to contend with a Middle Stage Golden Core Stage Cultivator. Even against a Late Stage Golden Core Stage expert, he would have the strength to fight.

He stood up, walked to the door of the stone chamber, and pushed open the stone door.

Outside the door, six figures were waiting anxiously.

Seeing him come out, everyone was momentarily stunned before bursting into cheers.

“Success!” Chu Lan was the first to rush forward, grabbing his arm and looking him up and down. “You really succeeded!”

Luo Li's eyes were slightly red, but she smiled brilliantly: “I knew you could do it.”

Although Su Ning didn't speak, the gratified light in her eyes said everything.

Tian Xin rarely showed a hint of a smile and said, “Congratulations.”

Yao Guang was already in tears but was still smiling: “That's great... that's great...”

Lin Yue punched him on the shoulder and laughed loudly: “Good lad! You're in the Golden Core Stage now! From now on, we have a Golden Core Stage backer!”

Surrounded by them, Gao Feng looked at these familiar faces, and a wave of indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.

“Thank you,” he said softly. “Without you all, I couldn't have done it.”

The group crowded around Gao Feng as they walked out of the seclusion area and into the main hall of the War God Pavilion.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, making the entire hall bright and warm.

Gao Feng stood by the window, feeling the long-lost sunlight, a feeling of having lived a lifetime ago rising within him.

Three months—for three whole months, he had locked himself in that small stone chamber, experiencing life-and-death tests countless times and struggling on the brink of failure repeatedly.

Now, he had finally succeeded.

“Quick, tell us, what does the Golden Core Stage feel like?” Chu Lan asked impatiently, her eyes full of curiosity.

Gao Feng turned around, saw everyone's expectant gazes, smiled slightly, and raised his right hand.

With a thought, a golden light surged from his palm. The light was dazzling and contained an extremely terrifying power, yet it was gentle and restrained, as if it could erupt with world-destroying power at any moment.

The light rotated slowly in his palm, sometimes condensing into a small phantom of a Golden Core, and sometimes dispersing into countless points of light, like a flowing galaxy.

“This is the power of the Golden Core Stage,” Gao Feng said slowly. “The purity of the Spiritual Qi is more than ten times stronger than in the Foundation Establishment Stage. My comprehension of the Laws has also reached a new height. Before, using the Nine Styles of the War God required my full effort to unleash its maximum power. Now, a casual strike has the same power as my previous full-strength blow.”

He waved his hand, and the golden light instantly transformed into an illusory longsword, making a light stroke in the air. There was no sound or ripple, but everyone could clearly feel the terrifying power contained in that strike. If that sword had hit something solid, the entire War God Pavilion would likely have been split in two.

Everyone watched, dumbfounded.

Lin Yue murmured, “This is way too strong...”

Su Ning said softly, “The Golden Core Stage and the Foundation Establishment Stage are indeed worlds apart.”

Luo Li frowned, however, and said, “You just broke through, so your Realm must be unstable, right? Do you need to go into seclusion to stabilize for a while?”

Gao Feng nodded and said, “I do indeed. Although the Golden Core has successfully condensed, I still need some time to stabilize my Realm and adapt to the power of the Golden Core Stage at the same time. Moreover...”

He paused, a thoughtful light flashing in his eyes: “This Breakthrough has given me new insights into the Nine Styles of the War God. Especially the ninth form, War Gods Unity; although I've already grasped it, there's still much that can be deepened. I plan to go into seclusion again for a while to fully digest these insights.”

Hearing this, everyone expressed their support.

Chu Lan said, “Then continue your seclusion. I'll send more spiritual plants that nourish Spiritual Qi over to the Spirit Plant Garden for you.”

Luo Li said, “I will continue to play the Pure Heart Illusion-Breaking Melody to help you stabilize your mind.”

Tian Xin said, “There are still a few body-protecting divine talismans left; I'll stick them in your cultivation room.”

Yao Guang said, “Although the spring return golden pills are used up, I can refine more. You can take them whenever you need.”

Su Ning said, “I will maintain the Spatial Barrier at all times to ensure no one disturbs you.”

Lin Yue grinned and said, “I'll check the defensive Formations every day to ensure everything is foolproof.”

Gao Feng looked at them, and a warm current welled up in his heart. He knew that no matter how far he went, these partners would always stand behind him, supporting and helping him.

“Alright,” he said in a deep voice. “Then I'll have to trouble you all for a while longer.”

For the next month, Gao Feng entered a state of seclusion once again.

This time, his cultivation room was no longer that small stone chamber but a spacious quiet room at the highest point of the War God Pavilion.

The view here was broad, overlooking the entire Meteor War God Realm, and the Spiritual Qi was even denser.

Su Ning set up layers of Spatial Barriers around him, Lin Yue reinforced the defensive Formations, Chu Lan sent over a dozen rare spiritual plants that nourished Spiritual Qi, Tian Xin plastered the walls with body-protecting divine talismans, Yao Guang stood ready with healing pills, and Luo Li played the Pure Heart Melody every morning to help him stabilize his mind.

With such comprehensive assistance, Gao Feng's cultivation stabilized at an amazing speed.

Every morning, he meditated facing the rising sun, guiding the power in his Golden Core to circulate through his body.

That power was much stronger than it was during the Foundation Establishment Stage; every circulation produced a huge impact on his Meridians.

However, the Myriad Weight Hegemon Body and Star Battle Body he cultivated were top-tier Body Refining techniques. Those impacts, instead of harming him, became the best tools for tempering his Meridians.

Every day at noon, he practiced the Nine Styles of the War God. He already knew the first eight forms by heart and could perform them at will. The ninth form, War Gods Unity, required a deeper level of comprehension.

He gathered all his power into the Golden Core and then, using the War God Art as a guide, let them revolve around the Golden Core. Each rotation made the Fusion of those powers more perfect and the rotation of the Golden Core smoother.

Every evening, he meditated on the power of the Laws. Time, space, stars, flames... those Laws intertwined in his Sea of Consciousness, turning into profound patterns. He studied and analyzed them over and over; although progress was slow, every bit of advancement gave him a deeper understanding of the world.

Every night, he took the spiritual fruits sent by Chu Lan and the pills refined by Yao Guang to nourish his Physical Body and replenish his Spiritual Qi. Those spiritual fruits and pills were top-tier resources, and under the nourishment of the time spirit spring, their effects were astonishing. He could feel his Physical Body and Spiritual Qi strengthening at a rate visible to the naked eye.

A month later, when he stepped out of the cultivation room again, his entire temperament had undergone a world-shaking change.

If he a month ago had just broken through to the Golden Core Stage and still carried a trace of the Foundation Establishment Stage's raw power, then the current him was completely stabilized at the Early Stage of the first level of the Golden Core, his entire body exuding a steady and powerful aura. It was the aura that only a true expert possessed, one that could only be owned after experiencing countless life-and-death tests and breaking through one's self repeatedly.

Everyone crowded around, asking about his feelings all at once. Gao Feng answered them one by one with a faint smile on his face.

Just then, a figure sped over from a distance; it was Ling Zhan.

He landed before everyone, his gaze falling on Gao Feng, his eyes full of shock.

“You... you broke through?” Ling Zhan asked in disbelief.

Gao Feng nodded and said, “I've just stabilized my Realm.”

Ling Zhan took a deep breath, a look of wild joy appearing on his face: “Good! Good! Excellent! The Golden Core Stage—you've finally broken through to the Golden Core Stage!”

He excitedly grabbed Gao Feng's hand and said, “Do you know what this means? It means our Human Realm finally has an expert who can contend with the King of Ten Thousand Races! It means we have hope for this great war!”

Gao Feng shook his head and said, “Elder Ling Zhan, you are too optimistic. I am only at the first level of the Golden Core, while the King of Ten Thousand Races is at the ninth level of the Golden Core Perfection. The gap is still very large.”

Ling Zhan replied, “You are being too modest. After the Golden Core Stage, the gap between each level is indeed huge, but you Cultivate the War God Art; your combat power cannot be measured by common logic. You could kill Middle Stage Golden Core enemies when you were in the Foundation Establishment Stage; now that you've broken through to the Golden Core Stage, you should at least be able to contend with Late Stage Golden Core experts, right? Combined with your comrades, there's a good chance you can go toe-to-toe with the King of Ten Thousand Races!”

Gao Feng was silent for a moment and then said, “Regardless, I will give it my all.”