Volume 4 Chapter 16

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Volume 4 Chapter 16: Core Formation

Outside the grass hut, the sun was setting, casting dim yellow light across the earth, creating a desolate scene.

It had been more than half a year since Xu Qingfan last emerged from seclusion, so the top of Jiuhua Mountain was now a world of white snow and howling cold winds.

As Xu Qingfan looked at this familiar world, he was slightly taken aback and asked Liu Huaxiang beside him, "Martial Uncle Liu, where have Ting’er and Little Green gone? Why don’t I see them?"

Liu Huaxiang sighed and said, "They went down the mountain to find Ma Hualing."

Xu Qingfan was startled and asked, "The Martial Uncle from ‘Tianyang Hall’? Why are Ting’er and Little Green looking for him?"

Ma Hualing was the elder most skilled in healing on Jiuhua Mountain, and "Tianyang Hall" was the place used by Jiuhua Gate’s people for recovery, so upon hearing that Ting’er and Little Green went to find Ma Hualing at "Tianyang Hall," he became worried.

Liu Huaxiang showed a hint of remorse on his face and explained, "I underestimated the influence exerted by this secret technique. You were in the midst of enduring the pain of reshaping your body, so you didn’t feel it. Actually, while you were transforming, the entire top of Jiuhua Mountain was filled with sinister energy and wailing sounds. If it weren’t for the Qi Hiding Formation set up beforehand, the entire Jiuhua Mountain would have been disturbed by the wails and sinister energy. But because of this, the sinister energy and wails were confined to this small top of Jiuhua Mountain by the Qi Hiding Formation. I did not expect such force, so the protective formations I set around Ting’er and Little Green were relatively simple. As a result, the sinister energy and wailing broke through those defenses, causing harm to Ting’er and Little Green. Fortunately, the secret technique was near completion when the defenses were breached; otherwise, it could have been disastrous."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang’s account, Xu Qingfan was startled and quickly asked, "Is Ting’er alright? With her body altered by the demonic pearl, she is the least able to withstand such intrusions."

Poor Little Green was completely ignored by Xu Qingfan at that moment.

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s worried face, Liu Huaxiang reassured him, "Qingfan, you underestimate Ting’er. Do you still think she’s just a little girl who needs your care? She’s already a mid-stage Inedia Stage cultivator, and her dark fire is more powerful than we could imagine. The evil qi and resentful spirits attacking her were completely burned away by her black fire. Yet Little Green, who is almost as powerful as a Condensed Core Stage cultivator, was quite frightened by the evil aura and ghostly cries. I wonder if it’s really a high-level demon beast or just an ordinary pet."

Pausing for a moment, Liu Huaxiang continued, "I’ve been taking care of you lately, and Ma Hualing is more skilled in this area, so I asked Ma Huaguang to look after them. According to Brother Ma’s assessment, they’re fine. But since evil qi tends to hide deeply, I want them to check in with Brother Ma again today."

Hearing Liu Huaxiang’s words, Xu Qingfan nodded in relief, though he still planned to personally check on Ting’er’s safety once she returned to the mountain, despite knowing he was far less knowledgeable than Ma Hualing of Tianyang Hall.

At this time, a thoughtful look appeared in Liu Huaxiang’s eyes, as he suddenly realized that if the power of this secret technique was so great, Zhang Xusheng might have used it multiple times eight hundred years ago. So why hadn’t he noticed it before?

"Could it be that Zhang Xusheng left more things on Jiuhua Mountain than these? Maybe there are other things he left behind that I haven’t discovered? At least I have no clue about the exact place he used this secret technique."

Liu Huaxiang thought to himself.

With these various thoughts in mind, Liu Huaxiang led Xu Qingfan to a huge boulder at the top of Jiuhua Mountain.

The boulder shimmered faintly with a golden hue, even more conspicuous in the golden light of the sunset. It was over a yard tall and weighed several thousand pounds. Xu Qingfan recognized it as the "Golden Light Stone," the hardest material in Jiuhua Mountain. Some cultivators even used it to forge magical artifacts, needless to say, its solidity was unmatched.

During the mountain’s transformation, the "Golden Light Stone" somehow remained at the top of Jiuhua Mountain. With the beautiful scenery around it, neither Liu Huaxiang nor Xu Qingfan disturbed it.

"Use thirty percent of your mutated Wither Qi to attack that ‘Golden Light Stone’," Liu Huaxiang instructed Xu Qingfan, pointing at the massive stone.

Xu Qingfan nodded silently, without saying more, and quickly gathered thirty percent of his mutated Wither Qi. He formed it into a cluster and launched it at the "Golden Light Stone."

But the mutated Wither Qi seemed unable to condense properly. Though Xu Qingfan shaped it into a sphere within himself, once it left his body, it scattered immediately, transforming into a chaotic black whirlwind that fiercely charged towards the "Golden Light Stone."

For a moment, sand and stones flew, dust whirled, blinding Xu Qingfan and Liu Huaxiang and preventing them from seeing the power of the mutated Wither Qi.

After a long while, when the dust settled, the scene before them finally came into view, and the force exerted by the mutated Wither Qi left both Xu Qingfan and Liu Huaxiang speechless with amazement.

The "Golden Light Stone," originally used for trials, turned into countless specks of dust with just a touch from the mutated Wither Qi, drifting in the air.

Even more frightening, not only did the "Golden Light Stone" become powder under the power of the mutated Wither Qi, but the ground within thirty feet around it was also flattened by more than three feet, completely eroded by the Qi.

Xu Qingfan thought to himself that if he used "The Formula of Wither and Flourish" to cause such powerful destruction, he would need seventy percent of his strength to conjure a thousand "Explosive Flame Flowers." If using Phoenix Spirit Qi, he would have to use fifty percent of his power to unleash a "Flame Phoenix."

By using this mutated Wither Qi, only a third of its power was needed to achieve such formidable strength. Moreover, this was while Xu Qingfan was still unfamiliar with it and had no special techniques to maximize its power.

Otherwise, if Xu Qingfan developed techniques to fully amplify its power, and then used all his strength, how massive would its power be?

Xu Qingfan could barely imagine it.

However, this mutated Spirit Qi, despite its tremendous power, carries the characteristics of withering energy. As everyone knows, to this day, no cultivator has ever been able to master withering energy.

The critical point is that this mutated Wither Qi not only corrodes the enemy but also corrodes the user. Especially when Xu Qingfan used it just now, he discovered it could not be restrained from harming his body, and the damage was far greater than usual. So, although the mutated Wither Qi is powerful, it harms the enemy substantially but also injures the user to a significant extent.

Moreover, this mutated Wither Qi has other drawbacks. Firstly, once it leaves the body, it cannot gather to attack an enemy. In mass attacks, it is extremely powerful, but when facing adversaries with strong defenses, it doesn’t cause much damage. Secondly, Xu Qingfan found the attack range of the mutated Wither Qi to be too short. Just now, even with all his effort, it only reached about thirty feet. If he exerted all his strength, he estimated it would only reach about fifty feet, which is somewhat insufficient for cultivators who usually fight from distances over a hundred feet.

Yet these deficiencies seem less significant given the mutated Wither Qi’s extraordinary power.

Liu Huaxiang also appeared stunned by the power of the mutated Wither Qi and, after a long time, asked Xu Qingfan for confirmation, "Did you really use only a third of the mutated Wither Qi’s power in your attack?"

Xu Qingfan nodded and confidently responded, "A third, not more, not less."

Liu Huaxiang pondered for a moment, then said, "I didn’t expect this Wither Qi to be so powerful, but this mutated Wither Qi is also a double-edged sword. The stronger it is, the more harm it can cause to yourself. It seems that its power in the future could pose dangers beyond what we can imagine."

After a pause, Liu Huaxiang continued, "Moreover, considering the corrosive nature of this mutated Wither Qi, its effect on the human body and Spirit Qi is even greater. If you can fully master this mutated Wither Qi, you might even be able to defeat a cultivator stronger than you."

Xu Qingfan replied with a wry smile, "But the main issue is that I still haven’t found a way to fully control this mutated Wither Qi."

Liu Huaxiang nodded and said, "I understand that, so in the coming days, we need to carefully contemplate the use of this mutated Wither Qi. As long as we think it through, we will find a way, so don’t worry about it. Since this mutated Wither Qi is only within you, and you witnessed its formation firsthand, you’re the only one who truly understands it. So, while I can offer some suggestions, ultimately it’s up to you."

Xu Qingfan nodded silently. Seeing Liu Huaxiang’s firm and steady appearance, Xu Qingfan’s initial fear of the mutated Wither Qi quickly faded away.

Liu Huaxiang added, "Also, until we completely understand this mutated Wither Qi, don’t try to cultivate it, to prevent any additional harm to yourself. Don’t use it lightly either. Your task now is to try your best to reach Core Formation in half a year, and then enter ‘Jiuji Cave’ with Jin Qinghan and Feng Qingtian to cultivate when it opens for the last time. ‘Jiuji Cave’ requires a great deal of spirit stones to maintain, so my Jiuhua rarely uses it. You must seize this rare opportunity to enhance your cultivation inside."

Xu Qingfan exclaimed in surprise, "Cultivate inside ‘Jiuji Cave’?"

After seeing Liu Huaxiang nod in confirmation, Xu Qingfan said gloomily, "But the sect leader thinks I’m not talented enough and didn’t invite me."

Seeing Xu Qingfan’s woeful expression, Liu Huaxiang laughed and said, "The reason you didn’t enter ‘Jiuji Cave’ initially was because I requested Zhang Hualing. Now, as my tasks are temporarily completed, I can let you go for a while."

Seeing the realization on Xu Qingfan’s face, Liu Huaxiang continued, "Not only that, Zhang Hualing also promised that if you can safely come out of ‘Jiuji Cave,’ he will find the most powerful elder who has taken the ‘Sky Spiritual Pill’ to guide you and then grant you the title of Elder Jiuhua."

After hearing this, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but show a joyful expression, as being valued by the sect is a delightful thing for anyone.

However, Xu Qingfan hesitantly said, "But the matter of Core Formation cannot be forced. I’m afraid I won’t be able to successfully achieve Core Formation in six months. If forced, it might lead to a mental imbalance and fall into the state of Qi deviation, doing more harm than good."

Seeing that Xu Qingfan remained calm in this situation, Liu Huaxiang looked at him with appreciation but shook his head and said, "It’s not six months, but five months. You need to reserve one month to balance your mindset; otherwise, you cannot enter ‘Jiuji Cave.’ However, I don’t insist that you reach the Condensed Core Stage within these five months, it’s just a hope. Although breaking through in ‘Jiuji Cave’ is very fast, it is extremely risky. But as you said, do your best and don’t force it."

"Yes, I understand," Xu Qingfan replied.

Xu Qingfan bowed and said.

Liu Huaxiang continued, "Actually, I believe it’s very possible for you to reach the Condensed Core Stage within five months. Your current skill level already far surpasses that of a typical cultivator at the late stage of the Lingji Stage, and you’re just a step away from the Condensed Core Stage. Though five months is short, it should be enough time."

After saying these things, Xu Qingfan and Liu Huaxiang began to chat casually, and during their conversation, they didn’t shy away from intense debates due to different views, during which Xu Qingfan was once again defeated.

While Xu Qingfan and Liu Huaxiang were chatting, they suddenly noticed two figures, one large and one small, appearing in their sight from afar. Taking a closer look, it turned out to be Ting’er and Little Green.

Xu Qingfan couldn’t afford to chat any longer, bowed to Liu Huaxiang, and then quickly rushed towards Ting’er.

Upon seeing Xu Qingfan appear, a sense of relief fleetingly passed through Ting’er’s eyes.

…

In the following days, Xu Qingfan calmed his mind, stabilized his level, and after familiarizing himself with his new body, he made arrangements with Liu Huaxiang and Ting’er, then went back into seclusion again.

Four and a half months later, at the top of Jiuhua Mountain, a majestic aura suddenly erupted, causing winds and clouds to shift.