The path to the Golden Core realm was vastly different from the Foundation Establishment. While Foundation Establishment involved gathering qi and condensing it into a liquid form that flowed like blood, the Golden Core demanded something entirely new. It required collecting all those individual drops of liquid qi and forging them into a perfect, spherical orb. This orb would become a cultivator's spiritual heart, capable of storing at least fifteen times more qi than a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Bai Xing had found a new, secluded place, where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was incredibly dense, perfect for accelerating his core formation. He'd also put his knowledge of arrays, learned from Tai Bing Chi, to good use. He crafted a small orb, the core of a powerful formation, and meticulously stored almost all of his accumulated qi and even some of his combat skills inside it. This ingenious setup, he mused, could likely deter an early-stage Golden Core cultivator.
With preparations complete, Bai Xing settled into a meditative stance, his focus absolute. He began the arduous task of drawing all 3,048 drops of liquid qi from every corner of his being, guiding them towards his lower abdomen. Slowly, painstakingly, the shimmering drops converged, swirling and intertwining, beginning to take on the ethereal shape of an orb.
But it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough qi for a complete core formation.
Bai Xing had anticipated this. He drew upon the abundant spiritual energy of his chosen location, pulling it into his dantian. Typically, core formation would demand two to three years of continuous qi gathering. Yet, thanks to the unique properties of this place and his rare five spiritual roots, Bai Xing completed the entire process in just sixteen months.
However, in the very last moments of this monumental endeavor, as the Golden Core was on the precipice of completion, a subtle tremor ran through Bai Xing's body.
A whisper, barely audible at first, seemed to emanate from deep within Bai Xing. "Give up… it's too hard… you're not strong enough…" Tai Bing Chi's voice, a desperate attempt to break through the encroaching darkness, echoed in his mind, "Bai Xing! Focus! Don't listen!" Tai Bing Chi, a seasoned master, instantly recognized the insidious nature of the whisper. This was no external threat; it was an inner demon, a formidable adversary born from Bai Xing's own subconscious fears and doubts. This was the true test of his resolve. If he possessed the unwavering will, he could conquer it now. Everything hinged on this moment.
The inner demon intensified its assault, weaving insidious illusions, trying to chip away at Bai Xing's determination. "Remember that time you failed? Remember when you were helpless? This is no different. You'll never succeed." Demotivation gnawed at him, but Bai Xing clung to a stubborn refusal to yield. Yet, he found himself trapped, unable to break free from the mental prison while still needing to focus every ounce of his dwindling will on the nascent core. If he remained ensnared for too long, his efforts would be for naught. He thrashed against the invisible bonds, trying every method he knew to escape, but none worked. Just as despair threatened to swallow him whole, a memory from Tai Bing Chi's vast knowledge resurfaced, a flickering beacon in the darkness: "To defeat an inner demon, one first has to face their past."
A sudden clarity washed over Bai Xing. He stopped fighting the demon's illusions and instead, deliberately opened himself to the flood of painful memories, revisiting every failure, every moment of weakness, every fear he had ever suppressed. He confronted the specters of his past head-on, not with resistance, but with acceptance and understanding. As each painful memory surfaced, he acknowledged it, processed it, and then, released it. The inner demon's power, fueled by his buried fears, began to wane. With a final surge of inner strength, Bai Xing shattered the last illusion, expelling the encroaching darkness. He was free, and with renewed resolve, he poured his remaining essence into the core, its formation accelerating once more.
Two hours later, a vibrant golden light pulsed from Bai Xing's lower abdomen. The core was complete.
Golden Core Early Stage!
"It's truly different from Foundation Establishment," Bai Xing murmured, a sense of awe washing over him. "I'm at least ten times more powerful than before. But it's still only the early stage. I still have to completely fill this core with qi until it reaches its limits, and only then can I breakthrough into the Nascent Soul realm. Well, that's a tale for another day. For now, with a qi regeneration pill, I could probably even take on a peak Golden Core cultivator! Let's test out these new powers!"
Central Continent, Jade Spring Peak
A young girl, her clothes torn and smudged with dirt, ran desperately, clutching a small, green serpent in her arms. Behind her, a formidable spiritual beast, its power radiating at the peak Golden Core stage, gave relentless chase. The girl, her breath ragged, wondered why she had ventured to such a perilous place with only her middle-stage Golden Core cultivation. Her mind raced through the memories that had brought her to this dire situation.
She remembered her tenth year, when both her parents had died, leaving her utterly alone, without a single grain of food. Starvation had been a constant companion, and her attempts to hunt had only led to injury. On the brink of death, a miracle had occurred. The same serpent she now held, then much smaller, had saved her. It had dragged a freshly killed boar to a clearing and, to her utter astonishment, breathed a plume of fire, cooking the meat before her eyes. Never in her short life had she witnessed such a magical feat. The boar's skin crackled, its blood evaporated, leaving only succulent flesh. The serpent began to eat, and the girl, her stomach rumbling with envy, could only stare. She didn't speak, but her stomach did. The serpent, noticing her plight, nudged a piece of cooked boar towards her. She devoured it like a famished wolf. As the serpent began to slither away, she instinctively followed. For ten days, it ignored her, but she persisted, a silent shadow. Eventually, a bond formed, and the girl and serpent became like family.
One day, they stumbled upon a human corpse. The girl didn't notice anything amiss, but the serpent did. It moved towards the body and, with a subtle surge of spiritual energy, extracted a pulsating blue orb from the deceased cultivator. The serpent then gently placed the orb before her. Understanding dawned on the girl. She reached out and placed her hands on the orb, and instantly, a torrent of images, memories of a cultivator who had perished in battle, flooded her mind. From these fragmented recollections, she learned about cultivation.
Her life with the serpent, already extraordinary, grew even richer. She cultivated for ten years, diligently honing her skills until she reached the middle stage of the Golden Core realm. Then, one day, a cultivator appeared and asked her about a body. The girl, mistakenly believing he was referring to the fallen cultivator whose memories she now possessed, gave him no information, shaking her head defiantly. A fierce battle ensued. The cultivator was late-stage Golden Core, far stronger than she was. But the serpent, loyal and fierce, joined the fray. Together, they managed to defeat the formidable opponent, but at a terrible cost. The serpent was gravely injured, its breathing shallow and ragged.
Desperate, the girl resolved to find a way to heal her beloved companion. Soon, rumors of Jade Spring Peak reached her ears—a place said to possess a mythical jade spring, capable of healing even the deepest of wounds. She arrived at Jade Spring Peak, a verdant sanctuary teeming with rich, healing herbs. Deeper and deeper she ventured, until she finally discovered the hidden cave of the jade spring. Overjoyed, she rushed forward, but just as she was about to enter, a powerful spiritual beast lunged at her.
The beast was immensely strong, its raw power far surpassing hers. She fought valiantly, but she was quickly overwhelmed, sustaining severe injuries while the beast remained unharmed. She accepted her defeat and, with the injured serpent clutched tight, turned to flee. But she soon found herself at a dead end, a sheer cliff face blocking her escape. Despair threatened to consume her. She thought this was the end.
Suddenly, a figure appeared from the sky, descending with an ethereal grace. "Let me handle this beast," the figure said, his voice calm yet commanding. "You, take this pill." He then turned, his gaze fixed on the powerful spiritual beast, a silent promise of battle in his eyes.