17: Chapter 17 Core Formation

Three bolts of purple lightning suddenly struck down toward the top of Su Fan's head.

Su Fan had no experience with Undergoing Tribulation.

However, he was very calm. He glanced at Old Ancestor Bing and said quickly, "To tell you the truth, I have zero experience with Undergoing Tribulation. If I die, perhaps you all will suffer a loss, right?"

"Come on! Strike me dead!!!"

Su Fan shouted, spread his arms, and struck a pose of facing death unflinchingly.

Old Ancestor Bing's mouth twitched. Very well, very well. You want me, a Mahayana Stage Great Perfection cultivator, a half-step Immortal, a Supreme of the human world, to take these three bolts of purple lightning for your Core Formation, right? You really are something!

However, despite his inner grumbling, Old Ancestor Bing acted immediately.

He saw his finger trace a line through the Void Realm and shouted, "Condense!"

In that instant, three walls of ice condensed above Su Fan's head, blocking the three bolts of purple lightning. The purple lightning struck the ice barriers, but they dissipated without even shattering the ice.

Soon, the dark clouds dispersed, and the sky returned to clarity.

[Half an hour later]

[You probed your body with your Divine Sense and were stunned to see a golden inner core condensing within your Dantian, like a golden pearl—brilliant and dazzling!]

[Is this Core Formation?]

[You were overjoyed. You didn't expect that less than a year after Foundation Establishment, you would already reach Core Formation!]

[After Core Formation, your overall sense of strength and Mental Energy increased dozens of times. Even your spiritual pressure manifested, though it was still quite thin.]

[At the Golden Core Realm, one's Lifespan can reach five or six hundred years.]

[Moreover, if you went to any Sect, even a top-tier Sect like the former Jianren Sect, you could easily land a position as an Elder...]

[Having bypassed the process of 'Enlightenment', you felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted; you were enlightened, and your whole body felt refreshed!]

[So, the constant 'Questioning the Dao' was actually a necessary stage before Core Formation. No wonder it nearly caused a mental breakdown, as if you had developed a mental illness...]

[Now it was better; your mind was clear, your body was full of strength, and you felt completely relaxed!]

"Right, that old man..."

He glanced around; the old man had left at some point.

After Old Ancestor Bing condensed the three ice barriers to block the three bolts of purple lightning for Su Fan, he had left sullenly.

Old Ancestor Bing walked on air, layers of ice barriers forming beneath his feet like transparent glass. Even more remarkably, as he stepped over the ice, ripples resembling lotus flowers spread out—a spectacular sight!

"Why on earth did this happen? I already destroyed his Dao Heart, yet he was still able to reach Core Formation... and even triggered a Lightning Tribulation..."

He had seen those who could trigger a Lightning Tribulation during Core Formation, but it was a once-in-a-millennium event...

That was secondary; what he was worried about now was, if Su Fan's Dao Heart hadn't been destroyed, did that mean there was something wrong with his own Dao Heart?

After cultivating for over twenty thousand years, without the recognition of the Heavenly Dao and unable to achieve Ascension, could he really be inferior to a brat of sixteen or seventeen?

At this very moment, Old Ancestor Bing fell into deep self-doubt...

[Three days later]

[In the small town, the tavern opened its doors again.]

[The waiter was beaming with a wide smile, full of energy as he bustled about. Though busy, he was very happy because his illness was cured.]

[Miss Ruyun (the new songstress) sat down opposite you, her eyes and brows filled with smiles.]

["Young Master, what song would you like me to sing for you today?"]

[You handed her a piece of paper, "Sing this one today!"]

[Ruyun glanced at it with smiling eyes and said crisply, "Alright!"]

[After tuning the zither, Ruyun plucked the strings with her slender fingers, her eyes fixed on you the entire time. The emotion in her gaze was self-evident.]

She parted her lips, red as cinnabar, and a beautiful melody sang out lightly from her mouth...

"Fame as small as a snail's horn, profit as tiny as a fly's head; what is all the rush for? Everything is predetermined; who is weak and who is strong? Let us take advantage of our leisure while we are not yet old, and allow ourselves a bit of wild abandon. Within a hundred years, let us be drunk for thirty-six thousand rounds."

"Reflecting on how much time we have, worries and wind and rain hinder us by half; why must we stubbornly argue over rights and wrongs? Fortunately, we face the clear breeze and bright moon, with mossy mats spread out and cloud curtains hung high. Jiangnan is wonderful, with a thousand cups of fine wine and a song of 'Mantinfang'."

"A song... 'Mantinfang'..."

[After finishing the song, Ruyun seemed somewhat reluctant, her eyes still fixed straight on you.]

"Young Master, are you really leaving?"

[You stood up and said, "We met by chance; it is better to forget each other in the Jianghu."]

[Ruyun shed tears, her eyes turning red, and sobbed, "But I have yet to repay Young Master's life-saving grace. I was a person on the brink of death; fortunately, Young Master intervened. Young Master must not be a Mortal, right? You are an Immortal, aren't you?"]

[You stretched lazily and said, "Whether Immortal or Mortal, as long as it has the word 'person' in it, aren't we all just trying to be human? Alright, I must be on my way. If fate allows, we shall meet again!"]

[Ruyun nodded silently, unable to stop her tears.]

[After leaving the small town]

[Perhaps because you had entered the Golden Core Realm, your Divine Sense range increased significantly, and you actually detected someone following you.]

[Thinking it was those two old men, you instantly realized they were trying to follow you to find Senior Ji.]

[You also missed Senior Ji a bit; after all, she was the one person in this world who had truly helped you. To say nothing of anything else, just that Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique, 'Qiankun Spirit Gathering Art', had benefited you immensely.]

[However, you didn't know where she was, nor did you know if you would have the chance to meet again in this lifetime.]

[Even if there was a chance, you would rather not see her again.]

[After all, that old man was someone who could hurt her.]

[Thinking of this, you suddenly turned back using Sword Flight. Your speed was like an explosion, catching Old Ancestor Bing and the group following you leisurely off guard.]

"Seniors, we meet at last!"

After Old Ancestor Bing and the others exchanged glances, Yang Kui laughed and said, "Little friend, I didn't expect you to have already reached Core Formation. You've got some skills!"

"I still have to thank you, Senior, and the help of this Senior here..."

Your gaze deliberately turned toward Old Ancestor Bing; at this moment, Old Ancestor Bing had an ice staff in his hand.

Yang Kui's eyes rolled around, and he stole a glance at Old Ancestor Bing. Seeing that Old Ancestor Bing's expression was normal, he withdrew the hidden force in his palm and continued to laugh it off: "Little friend, what do you plan to do next?"

Su Fan chuckled and said, "Next? How about I fly around Liuyun Kingdom another fifty or a hundred times?"

"You..."

Yang Kui's face darkened, his tone carrying a hint of anger.

However, the matter of using Su Fan to find The Demoness could not be exposed yet, so he had to swallow his anger.

Who knew that Su Fan would smile slightly again and say, "I'm the type of person who is good at being idle. If you tell me to Cultivate, I feel uncomfortable all over. But if you let me look at the scenery, drink wine, eat meat, and listen to music, then I won't be sleepy at all. How about it, Seniors, shall we go drink together?"

"You're already at the Golden Core Realm, and you still drink? You're too boring!"

A Soul Transformation Early Stage Venerable couldn't help but say.

Su Fan nodded lightly and said, "Indeed, yellow wine tastes like water going down the throat. As one's Realm improves, one can no longer taste it; it really is tasteless..."

"However, I am just that boring. If you insist on me going to find someone or something, that is impossible."

After saying this, he saw the old geezers glaring at him as if they had been thwarted.

Su Fan thought to himself, it seems I guessed right; their goal is Senior Ji!

He originally thought that as long as he didn't go to find Senior Ji, it would be fine.

Who knew that the will of Heaven is hard to defy.

Ji Yao had actually come to find him...