The first rays of dawn broke over the horizon.
As the initial sunlight bathed the Five Peaks, the entire Sea of Clouds sensed an extraordinary fluctuation, its direction unmistakably pointing toward the Divine Radiance Sect.
Ever since the Senior Disciple of Celestial Phenomena Peak had switched to the path of an Elixir Cultivator, strange phenomena had frequently appeared within the sect. Everyone had long grown accustomed to it.
But this time was different. Waves of energy surged from all directions, forming a roaring vortex high above the Sea of Clouds, with wind and thunder faintly carrying the might of heaven.
‘Wait, someone is forming their Golden Core!’
A sharp-eyed Elder craned his neck in shock, hurrying off to report to the Grand Elder.
Cultivation was inherently an act of defying heaven. The greater the commotion caused by the “Heavenly Tribulation” provoked during a realm breakthrough, the more it signified the person’s boundless future.
‘For the Golden Core tribulation to possess such imposing power, it must be a Heavenly Dao Formation. Today, our Divine Radiance Sect gains another Golden Core Sword Cultivator. A cause for celebration!’
‘Who’s about to break through? There aren’t many disciples at the Foundation Establishment peak among the Inner Five Peaks… I haven’t heard anything. And right at this critical juncture of the Sect’s Great Competition?’
‘Who could be breaking through? Could it be the Princess? And right at this critical juncture of the Sect’s Great Competition?’
The assembled Elders thought it highly probable. If Jing Tan’er were also to participate in the competition, this year’s spotlight might not fall on the Divine Radiance’s Twin Beauties.
Meanwhile, the young man within the green cocoon was in a state of light slumber. His body was covered in flowers and plants, completely unaware of the celestial disturbance.
Qin Xiang was extremely intelligent. Half-drunk and half-awake, she understood her Master’s intentions. Moved, she utilized the Tree Sea Soul Essence to perform the Soul-Haunting technique, soothing her husband’s trauma. By a stroke of fate, she helped Yun Liu completely shatter his Jade Palace Spirit Foundation.
The Tianxing Method required Reincarnation Dissolution at every major realm—destruction before establishment. One truly needed to be a bit ‘unwell’ to learn it.
During the Qi Refinement stage, he had used the Reversion Pill to forge a new path, forcing his Qi Sea to disperse into his hundred meridians, building a Heavenly Dao Spiritual Foundation.
Now, with the spiritual foundation’s abode completely collapsed, it signified the Great Circle. A flawless Golden Core slowly rose, coalescing from the ruins.
Yun Liu used his Divine Sense for internal observation. Around the Golden Core, different colors intertwined, with four streams of light entangled and swirling.
‘It’s done!’
Yun Liu sat cross-legged in meditation, suddenly sensing something unusual.
One crimson Supreme Way stream came from Xiao Ran, who had broken off the engagement. The dazzling Star Mark belonged to the ‘silly girl.’
As the Divine Tree of Yingzhou’s guide, the third, faint green thread, if it existed at all, pointed toward the Divine Tree of Yingzhou, resonating with his Junior Sister.
‘Then where did this fourth, dark and murky ripple come from?’
This Luck Trajectory was extremely faint, but it undeniably existed, establishing a preliminary connection.
The Core Formation had come so abruptly. Yun Liu didn’t dwell on it, suddenly standing up, immersed in the joy of his realm breakthrough.
His previous frail and exhausted state was swept away, replaced by a vigorous life force. Compared to the Sword Furnace’s falling fire, this Tree Sea Soul Essence was even more wild.
‘Being “kidney-deficient” for so long, I’m finally saved.’
His internal cultivation and spiritual veins were self-renewing. Although the third realm of the Heavenly Walk couldn’t suppress the Mingzun Holy Body, it could now contend with it, maintaining the balance of his Dao Heart.
Crackle!
A bolt of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, piercing through the Mist Tower’s dome and striking Yun Liu, but it felt like a mere tickle. His physical vessel had already become terrifyingly robust.
‘The Golden Core tribulation?’
This heavenly might seemed intent on suppressing him, the lightning crackling menacingly. ‘Back off!’
Yun Liu threw a punch, easily shaking off the electric current. A flying sword shot from his ring, its Sword Qi cleaving the air, instantly dispersing the vortex. The world returned to clarity.
Turning around, he saw the little steward outside the door, wearing a onesie pajama, with heavy dark circles under her eyes and an aura full of resentment.
The young girl covered her eyes, complaining, “You clean this up yourself. I don’t want to step in here for the next month.”
“Yeah, you’ve worked hard.”
Yun Liu gave an awkward smile.
Youyou had been guarding him here all along. Seeing that her boss could handle it, she didn’t intervene, merely giving a thumbs-up—though it was pointed downward!
“Hmph hmph hmph, the young man has quite the appetite.”
The Kanban Girl’s muttering made someone blush even more. He shifted his gaze back to his side.
The Chief’s office was a complete mess, unrecognizable from its original state, overgrown with dense flowers, plants, and vines.
Within the woven web of the cocoon lay two beautiful young girls, sleeping soundly and sweetly.
“They all say milk tea has a strong after-effect. Senior Sister Qin couldn’t escape it, but the little Princess was collateral damage… Should I say this was also within your calculations, Second Mother?”
Yun Liu gritted his teeth, feeling both love and hate for that madwoman.
He changed into clean clothes, bent down, and gently stroked their cheeks.
Listening to their soft breathing beside his ear, he felt a wave of contentment.
“In any case, let’s clean up the room first.”
Lin Shu, who had just finished her morning training and was still sweaty, was summoned to work before she could even bathe. Seeing this shocking scene, her expression became extremely animated, as if she had walked into a damp garden. It was hard to imagine what had happened here.
‘Miss Xiao is in danger! Fine, Miss Qin is one thing, but does the Young Master have the guts to have handled Sage Empress Zhu as well?!’
Lin Shu frantically cleaned up the scene, not daring to look up at the Young Master, let alone get close.
The demonic mark on her body still remained. She couldn’t help but be drawn to her ‘feeder,’ unable to tear her gaze away.
She was terrified that if the boss went completely mad, he might silence her, and she’d accidentally end up lying on the ground too. Although she would obey the Young Master’s every command, her past traumatic memories inevitably brought fear.
“Um, Lin Shu.”
“I’m here! Young Master, spare me! I swear to heaven I won’t tell anyone, please let me go!”
Before Yun Liu could even finish, Lin Shu confessed without being pressed, covering her head as if to flee.
“I just wanted to say, take good care of the two of them.”
“It was an accident… well, a beautiful accident.”
Lin Shu covered her face in shame.
“Huh? Oh.”
Yun Liu smiled. It was rare to see General Lin in such a panicked state.
He wasn’t a good person, but he wasn’t a bulldozer desperate for any meal either.
Imagining the scene when the two woke up, a smile appeared on his face. He planned to properly ‘reward’ Xiang’er and Tan’er.
If anyone deserved the most credit, it was Second Mother’s killing two birds with one stone. Even a birth mother might not have done as much.
He originally intended to go to Clear Mist Peak to demand an explanation, but remembering that the Lan Seat had also had a few drinks with them, Yun Liu chickened out again. She was capable of anything; only things you couldn’t imagine were beyond her.
‘Shiyu should be fine, right? Her Nirvana body has exceptional resistance to abnormal statuses. I’ve never seen anything that could knock her out.’
Now that his cultivation had reached the Golden Core stage and his Divine Sense was sufficient, he could consider refining a fourth-grade Heavenly Path Soul-Nurturing Pill.
His Qi Sea had reached the Great Circle, with one foot already stepping into the Nascent Soul realm. After this ‘battle,’ Qin Xiang, like Ruan Yu, was in a state of ‘pseudo-infant,’ with her Divine Soul stabilized.
‘Speak of the devil.’
Just as he left the Shanhai Pavilion, Yun Liu ran into the group from the Radiant Light Sect.
Ruan Yu’s eyes sparkled. She gave a shallow bow, having rushed over to congratulate him first.
“Congratulations, Mister, on your Heavenly Dao Formation.”
“Just luck.”
“It really was you!?”
Zhou Yan covered her mouth in surprise. The Senior Sister had said it earlier, but they hadn’t believed her. It really was this guy!
Early in the morning, the entire Five Peaks were filled with jubilation. People ran around sharing the good news, trying to find out which Elder’s esteemed disciple the newly advanced Golden Core cultivator was. After all the commotion, it turned out no one knew.
Bai Yu was filled with envy. “So this is a Heavenly Dao Alchemy Master? Breaking through realms is like child’s play. I’m still lingering at the Golden Core’s doorstep.”
“By that logic, Brother Yun, you must be fully confident in refining the Heavenly Dao Soul-Nurturing Pill now?”
Zhuang Heng chuckled foolishly, his focus always uniquely clear, hinting at something.
However, he didn’t need conventional means to break through the realm. In the eyes of others, the Heavenly Dao Soul-Nurturing Pill would naturally be the masterpiece of the Master himself.
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