The Nascent Core Art was a method of refining a suitable medium—in this case, Hidden Dust Sand—into a cultivator's second Golden Core. This core could potentially advance and become a second Nascent Soul, hence the name Nascent Core. Once successfully refined, the Nascent Core was almost no different from a true Golden Core. In certain aspects, it even surpassed it, as it was not bound by the limitations of a cultivator's minor realms and possessed remarkable adaptability. Its ultimate potential depended solely on the tier of the medium. The peak-third-tier Hidden Dust Sand could hardly be more suitable for this purpose; as long as Luo Chen refined it well, he could remain at the fourth stage while his Nascent Core was at the late stage.

What did that mean? It meant Luo Chen could immediately double his mana reserves, if not triple them, upon successfully producing the core. If he had possessed one during the last battle, he would never have been constrained by his mana. He could have unleashed large-scale spells without hesitation. Even if six or seven opponents had surrounded him, he would not have felt the slightest pressure. No matter how many enemies there were, he could have faced them with ease. Even this point alone was sufficient to make the Nascent Core Art worth tens of millions. If he were to develop the Nascent Core further and elevate it to a second Nascent Soul, its value would become simply immeasurable. At that point, it could no longer be weighed in spirit stones.

Moreover, Luo Chen now also had a Nascent Soul Pill formula, something that ordinary Adepts could only dream of obtaining. Nascent Soul was not a distant dream but a reasonable goal.

"This time, you really struck it rich!" Han Zhan said sourly. In all his years, he had rarely taken a loss like this. But when you're under someone else's roof, you don't have much choice.

Luo Chen smiled, then said with a somewhat solemn expression, "This art is rather demanding."

Han Zhan replied, "How could it not be? If it were easy, I would have used it myself back then. Why would I let you have it?"

To use the Nascent Core Art, there were three strict requirements. The first was an exceptionally high-quality Hidden Dust Sand. The second was a divine soul foundation that far exceeded the cultivator's own realm. The third was a vast reserve of mana, along with access to at least a mid-grade third-tier spirit land.

Luo Chen fell into thought. The first requirement had already been fulfilled: the Hidden Dust Sand in his possession was a supreme-grade specimen, something rarely seen in the cultivation world even across many centuries. This Primal Cloak might not have been anything special in terms of combat strength, but its cultivation had truly reached the peak of the third tier. It was comparable to a Perfected Mastery Adept! Yet it was precisely because of this that the latter two requirements had become far more demanding.

"To be fair, your divine soul foundation already surpasses most Adepts. You're only at the fourth stage, yet your divine soul is on par with someone in the late stage. If I didn't know better, I would've suspected you've secretly practiced one of the Falling Cloud Sect's soul cultivation techniques. With a foundation like yours, you can definitely use the Nascent Core Art. But not in your current state. Your mana hasn't even recovered halfway, and you don't have access to a mid-grade third-tier spirit land either. What point was there in giving you the art now?"

Luo Chen listened to Han Zhan's explanation and gave a slight nod. After studying the art himself, he knew Han Zhan had spoken the truth. Yet...

"Even if I can't use it yet, I can start preparing for it," Luo Chen said.

"You're planning to begin refining the medium now?" Han Zhan asked in surprise.

Luo Chen gave a soft hum of acknowledgement.

"Then what are you going to do about the massive energy inside that Hidden Dust Sand?"

Luo Chen let out a light laugh. "Use it, of course."

The confidence in that reply left Han Zhan somewhat stunned. "Are you out of your mind? That power was cultivated by Primal Cloak itself. It's not compatible with your mana."

Luo Chen responded with a faint smile and said nothing, but his expression was clearly confident. And upon further thought, Han Zhan also came to understand the source of that confidence.

The Hidden Dust Sand race was known as Sea Demon Spawn, but they were not actually demonic beasts. They were more like natural spirits of plants and minerals. Because of this, the energy they cultivated lacked the coarse and chaotic nature of demonic beasts.

Hidden Dust Sand was also known by another name: Pearl Demon. A pearl that could be polished and refined until it shone flawlessly. The energy within them was not particularly aggressive toward cultivators. If not for that, Hidden Dust Sand would not have become one of the medicinal ingredients most commonly used by cultivators. Even so, seamlessly converting that energy was not something that could be done casually.

But Han Zhan knew why Luo Chen was so sure he could do it. It was that moment of enlightenment! During that time, Luo Chen had clearly understood some of the deeper principles of power. Though his cultivation did not allow him to freely transform every kind of energy, converting relatively mild energy like that of Hidden Dust Sand into mana should not pose too much of a problem.

"Looks like you've already made up your mind."

"Mhm."

"But I still need to warn you—doing this once in a while is fine, but don't become reliant on it. If you continue, your mana will grow increasingly impure, and that'll cause serious problems for your future cultivation."

It could only be used in emergencies, not relied upon regularly. Luo Chen understood this clearly. But right now, he was indeed in urgent need. Now that he'd made up his mind, he wasted no more time. He took out the round Hidden Dust Sand pearl from his storage ring and examined it for a long while. In the end, he forced out a drop of blood essence from his fingertip and infused it into the pearl. The moment the blood essence entered, the flawless white glow turned into a faint red hue. But very quickly, that redness began to fade.

Hm? Luo Chen frowned. One drop of blood essence was not enough to bind it?

After thinking for a moment, he squeezed out another drop. Yet it was still not enough. He gritted his teeth. Even this preliminary step demanded so much, yet he had already invested too much to stop now. With resolve, he forced out three more drops of blood essence. Only then did he finally sense a faint connection between himself and the Hidden Dust Sand.

The loss of five drops of blood essence struck him hard. He was in no condition to waste his physical assets, and this only made things worse. His aura weakened visibly. The sallow complexion he had been using as a disguise now became genuine.

Luo Chen gave a dry laugh. "Binding this Hidden Dust Sand made me think of those pseudo-Adepts in the Northern Sea using a Demon King's core as a substitute for their own."

Han Zhan replied without missing a beat, "You are not wrong. The Nascent Core Art was actually inspired by that very method."

Luo Chen was taken aback.

Cultivators of the Northern Sea had developed a method to create what was known as a pseudo-core. For those who had failed to form a core yet managed to survive, the Golden Core Realm lay impossibly far away. Still, they were unwilling to remain trapped at the Foundation Establishment Realm. At some point, whether through the insight of a genius or the ingenuity of an unorthodox cultivator, a method was devised to solve the problem—using a demon core in place of a Golden Core. Obviously, this came with plenty of side effects; for instance, those who formed a core through this method could never advance beyond the first stage. Even their lifespan saw little improvement.

Luo Chen had not expected the Nascent Core Art to share the same principle as the pseudo-core method. Yet upon closer thought, the connection made sense. The key difference lay in the material. Hidden Dust Sand possessed a far more stable and refined nature than demon cores, which made it suitable for forming a second Golden Core.

As for why cultivators of the Northern Sea had never used Hidden Dust Sand for the pseudo-core method, that lay in the complexity of the subsequent refinement. The Nascent Core Art was leagues above in terms of difficulty.

Luo Chen shook his head and dismissed these thoughts. He looked once more at the blood-stained Hidden Dust Sand, then swallowed it in a single gulp.

As soon as it entered his sea of qi, the accumulated mana within stirred violently. His crimson core shook without rest. How could one mountain house two tigers? Yet under the guidance of Luo Chen's blood essence, the turmoil gradually subsided.

"Looks like cultivating a Nascent Core is going to be a long road."

Luo Chen sighed with emotion, then poured all his focus into the Hidden Dust Sand. He could clearly sense the vast reserves of energy that remained within it. Even after a few years of dissipation, the amount was still considerable. If he could draw it all out and convert it into his own mana, it would undoubtedly resolve his current predicament, and at the same time, clear out the energy inside the Nascent Core. Once that was complete, he could proceed to the next step. He would use his divine soul to map out a unique mana circulation route within the Hidden Dust Sand pearl, one that belonged solely to him. That was considered the real first step to initiate the Nascent Core Art. Every bit of it was delicate work with no room for mistakes.

"One step at a time." Luo Chen murmured and began drawing out the energy within the pearl.

***

Time passed by slowly.

Since boarding the ship, Luo Chen had not stepped out at all and had never interacted with the cultivators aboard. To many of them, his behavior seemed somewhat reclusive, but to those in charge of Resonant Jade, it was a good thing. It spared them many unnecessary complications. Wang An, who had brought Luo Chen aboard, also felt quite at ease.

On the third floor, several young Initiates stood in respectful silence before an Adept, listening to his instructions.

"You all are the future of Resonant Jade Mountain! This trip to Giant Whale Harbor isn't just for you to gain experience and see the cultivation world. It's also to place you under the protection of the Heaven Origin Dao Sect, so you won't be dragged into the war. The Grand Elder has been pondering lately about which side to choose. But no matter what, once a decision is made, Resonant Jade Mountain will be pulled into the heart of the storm. One wrong step, and a thousand years of foundation could be destroyed. If it comes to that... it will fall to you all to restore the sect's glory. So when you get to Giant Whale Harbor, don't indulge yourselves or waste time on pointless socializing. You are to practice our sect's techniques day and night and prepare yourselves. Do you understand?"

The late-stage Adept of Resonant Jade Mountain was stern and strict. The young Initiates all shuddered.

"We understand!"

"We won't disappoint you, Second Elder! We'll live up to the Sage's expectations!"

Hearing their clear and immediate response, the Second Elder of Resonant Jade Mountain allowed his stern expression to soften slightly. But the unease in his heart made him add a few more words. "Really, don't waste time along the way. Make full use of the second-tier cultivation rooms the sect assigned to you. And refine the enchanted treasures you were given. No slacking off. I'll be checking on your progress at any time. If any of you show no improvement, don't blame me for dragging you back from Giant Whale Harbor!"

After the lecture, the previously spirited Initiates walked out in low spirits. They had believed they were being sent to Giant Whale Harbor to take up important positions. They had not expected it to be a form of refuge. And even while taking refuge, they still had to cultivate diligently! They had only recently reached Foundation Establishment and had just come out of long seclusion. Even the oldest among them were only in their forties or fifties, still very young by cultivator standards. They had thought that after reaching Foundation Establishment, they could finally live gloriously. To their dismay, reality proved much harsher than they'd expected.

"Wang An, we used to laugh at that guest you brought for cultivating every day like a monk. Who would've thought we'd end up the monk ourselves?"

Faced with their self-mockery, Wang An shrugged. "Look on the bright side. Plenty of people in the sect would kill for this opportunity."

"Hehe, that's true."

Wang An shook his head and headed back to his room. As he passed by Luo Chen's room on the second floor, he paused for a moment. Fellow Daoist Murong is truly hardworking. Even with injuries, he never stops cultivating. No wonder a rogue cultivator like him managed to establish his foundation. That's something I should really learn from.

While he was sighing in admiration, inside the room, Luo Chen finally reached a milestone in cultivation. "I've finally refined the first bit of Hidden Dust Sand energy! The efficiency is really bad, but it's still the remnant power of a peak Demon King. If I refine it all, I'll easily be able to return to my peak. If anything, my mana might even improve."

Feeling his internal condition, Luo Chen revealed a satisfied expression. After resting for half a day, he resumed his repetitive work. In his sea of qi, the blood-colored pearl spun continuously as green flames scorched it from below. Under the refinement of the primordial true fire, something that looked like vapor rose from it. The crimson core beside it absorbed the vapor bit by bit.

This refinement method was quite different from anything he'd done before. This was the result of Luo Chen continuously applying what he had gained from his enlightenment. Cultivation was like this: Although there were established methods, their effectiveness and efficiency differed from person to person. Following the rules rigidly would never yield optimal results. Only through constant adjustment could one find the method that best suited oneself.

***

Half a year later, the massive Resonant Jade suddenly shifted course under the helmsman's command. "Bypass Firebreak Island. The righteous and devilish forces are fighting here. Head to the third route and request passage from Deep Water Palace. Initiates, stay alert for nearby battles and be ready to fight at any moment!"

Orders rang out from the third floor. Everyone on the ship stood on high alert. Luo Chen had just come out of seclusion and stood on the deck with a grave expression. He could feel the massive fluctuations of mana coming from the island ahead. Aside from countless Qi Refinement cultivators and Initiates, there were more than ten Adepts locked in fierce battle.

Wang An was standing nearby. He sighed. "The war is really getting worse by the day. Even Adepts have to take the field themselves. Then again... this whole war was sparked by a life-and-death clash between four Sages."

At the same time, Han Zhan's voice echoed in Luo Chen's mind. "Be careful. The divine consciousness of a Sage is scanning the surroundings. It just swept over our ship."

"A Sage? Who?"

"How should I know? But from what some low-tier cultivators are saying, it seems to be Heaven Splitter from Devil's Snare."

Luo Chen's brow arched. He had heard of this person. At the Adept gathering in Jadecold City's Heaven Origin Tower, a subordinate of Heaven Splitter had been present, Hundred-Faced Fiend. It seemed the war had truly escalated if even Heaven Splitter had arrived in person. Though he had not yet taken action on the battlefield, his presence alone showed that Devil's Snare was fully determined to seize Firebreak Island.

"Forget it. This has nothing to do with me," Luo Chen muttered.

He exchanged a few words with Wang An on the deck. The ship had already changed course and met no enemy attack, so he took his leave and returned to his room.

Wang An watched his departing figure with admiration in his eyes. Fellow Daoist Murong is always thinking about cultivation.

In truth, even after returning to the cultivation chamber, Luo Chen couldn't calm down his thoughts, and he was in no mood to continue converting mana. "Since nothing's happening, I might as well go through the loot. Maybe I'll find something useful."

The corner of Luo Chen's mouth lifted slightly as he waved his hand toward the table. In an instant, several items appeared: a giant hammer, a golden sword, a copper coin, two flying sabers, several storage pouches, and a plain brass basin that glowed with restrained light.