On the path of cultivation, the late stage of any realm is the most difficult bottleneck to break through.

This is true for every stage, from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment, and all the way to Core Formation.

Once a breakthrough is achieved, one’s Magical Power multiplies, and their strength increases dramatically.

Within the Qingfeng Sect, there were dozens of Elders, but very few were Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators. This meant there was often a shortage of Elders who met the minimum cultivation requirement to serve as one of the Five Halls Masters, forcing one of the Hall Master positions to remain vacant.

For instance, the position of Pill Hall Master had been empty for a long time, ever since the previous master, Tan Changkong, passed away.

In a Quiet Chamber deep within the White Jade Tower, countless streams of Spiritual Qi scrambled over each other as if they had found their home, pouring into the man in the green robe at the center.

Behind him, the illusion of a Fire Flood Dragon flickered, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, its reflection on the wall savage and fierce.

The aura of his Magical Power grew steadily stronger. He had the illusion that he had transformed into a Fire Flood Dragon, weaving through the magma beneath a volcano.

He was like a fish in water, utterly joyful, treating the roiling magma—hot enough to melt gold and shatter stone—as if it were nothing.

When it encountered the dark-red Spirit Fires drifting in the magma, the Fire Flood Dragon would even open its massive maw and inhale with the force of a whale, swallowing the Spirit Fire along with a great surge of magma.

’Fifty years old, finally at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment. Core Formation is within sight...’

Bai Zichen let out a satisfied sigh and looked inward. The deep Spirit Pool within his Dantian Qi Sea was nearly overflowing.

The Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo and the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror were both submerged in the Spiritual Liquid.

A vortex had formed above the Spirit Pool, churning all the Liquid Magical Power, which grew thicker and heavier with every passing moment.

Once it took another step and approached a semi-solid state, that would be the time to charge toward Foundation Establishment Perfection.

Of course, if he had higher aspirations for Core Formation and wanted to attempt a perfect breakthrough like Master Ge Cang, he could start contemplating his own path now.

’I can start looking at the Core Formation insights Junior Martial Uncle Ge gave me. If I wait until the last minute, it’ll be too late...’

During the Foundation Establishment Stage, the time it took him to cultivate each realm to its peak was always roughly what he had predicted.

This seemed to be a side benefit of practicing the True Enlightenment Sword Technique—a Heart Like a Bright Mirror, which was useful not only in Combat.

To bring his Magical Power to the Peak of Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, he would need at least a hundred years.

This was assuming no assistance from Elixirs and cultivating in an ordinary Tier Two Spirit Land.

Even with all possible advantages combined to create the most perfect cultivation environment available to him, this timeframe could only be shortened to forty or forty-five years at most.

’I forgot to factor in the aptitude boost to my Fire Spiritual Root from cultivating the third layer of the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture. That should shave off another three or four years... And that’s assuming I can find a Spirit Pill to replace the Earth Flame Spirit Pill. Many Tier Two Elixirs that enhance cultivation are no longer effective for Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.’

It was already like this at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment. Bai Zichen dared not imagine how long it would take to advance each minor realm after reaching Core Formation.

Therefore, clarifying his path and forming a Pill Discussion was an essential step for him.

Only then could he ensure his cultivation would not stagnate after Core Formation.

’Within a radius of three hundred and sixty zhang, every minute detail is clear... The Array set up outside the Quiet Chamber can no longer block my Divine Sense.’

Bai Zichen familiarized himself with the greatly enhanced Magical Power in his body and its various changes.

A few days later, once he felt that the third layer of his Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture was fully consolidated, he poured the last Nine Revolutions Dragon Tiger Pill from the Jade Bottle.

One pill was to be refined for each layer of his realm, so he took the opportunity during this seclusion to consume and refine it at once.

Having taken it twice before, he was already quite familiar with the medicinal properties of the Nine Revolutions Dragon Tiger Pill.

But he still felt a sense of admiration for the Alchemist who designed this Pill Formula, to have created such a restrictive yet incredibly practical Elixir.

It was a month later by the time Bai Zichen had completely absorbed the medicinal power of the Nine Revolutions Dragon Tiger Pill.

He took out the Jade Scroll Master Ge Cang had given him, which contained insights and experiences on Core Formation. He submerged his Divine Sense into it, carefully browsing and savoring its contents.

’Junior Martial Uncle Ge probably never expected I’d be able to use this Jade Scroll after only a few years... "Those who learn from me shall live; those who imitate me shall die"... Let’s see just what kind of Core Formation insights are recorded in here.’

An incense stick’s time later, Bai Zichen’s expression grew solemn, and his brow furrowed as if he had encountered an utterly baffling puzzle.

"Upon a towering green cliff, when the divine wood blooms..."

"The plants and trees flourish, in a cycle without end..."

"Using Wood to generate Thunder, destruction born from life, the two entangling and repeating, growing stronger in annihilation..."

The Jade Scroll contained no actual text, only snippets of Master Ge Cang’s enlightenment from different times, clearly spanning a very long period.

Images and shadows shifted and transformed, finally coalescing into a stream of profound and mysterious information.

A Pill Discussion was the embryonic form of a Great Dao True Intent before the Nascent Soul realm, so it naturally couldn’t be described or recorded with words.

At the very least, it couldn’t be articulated using modern script.

Perhaps only the Flower Bird Talisman script or even the Golden Tadpole Spirit Text from Ancient Times could record such content in written form.

Only those ancient, magical scripts contained the power to bear such a weight.

After all, a single character of the Flower Bird Talisman script could require a lengthy explanation of hundreds or even thousands of modern words to clarify its meaning.

A single phrase in the Flower Bird Talisman script could even be expanded into a thick tome.

’So Junior Martial Uncle Ge’s Pill Discussion was about the Great Dao of Life. After he cultivated the Qiantian Yuan Yang Divine Thunder to its peak, he further deepened his Pill Discussion.’

Bai Zichen was bewildered, only able to make wild guesses based on his shallow understanding.

’Life, destruction, a dual Great Dao... Junior Martial Uncle Ge is incredibly ambitious, but this path is also exceedingly difficult to walk.’

Even if these two Great Dao True Intents were not on par with the Path of Time, their power was still immeasurable.

What’s more, for one person to attempt to master two Daoist Ritual Paths simultaneously... one could only imagine how perilous the journey would be.

Of course, if he succeeded, the rewards would be equally abundant.

At the same time, Bai Zichen finally understood the meaning behind Master Ge Cang’s words, "Those who learn from me shall live; those who imitate me shall die." He now knew why Master Ge Cang hadn’t placed his Core Formation insights in the Transmission Hall for other juniors to consult.

If you didn’t have Master Ge Cang’s Wood Element Celestial Spiritual Root or his attainments in Thunder Skills, how could you possibly succeed by blindly rushing down the same path?

For an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator, insights like these, which contained no Core Formation Techniques or Breakthrough Techniques, were utterly useless.

This was because Master Ge Cang’s Core Formation insights were never intended for those cultivators.

Instead, they were for those disciples who had a chance at a Perfect Core Formation, to serve as a-reference, to help them understand themselves and walk their own path.

Bai Zichen put the Jade Scroll away. His mind was a tangled mess, and he needed to sort things out.

However, he still had plenty of time; he didn’t need to formulate his Pill Discussion in a short period.

Moreover, judging from how Master Ge Cang constantly adjusted and improved his own Pill Discussion, it wasn’t something set in stone after its creation but could evolve along with one’s understanding.

But the changes probably couldn’t be too drastic, like adding completely unrelated content.

’Next time I go to the Mountain Gate’s Transmission Hall, I’ll first borrow all the standard versions of Core Formation experiences to read... I should learn to walk before I try to run.’

Bai Zichen thought for a moment and decided he still needed to keep his feet on the ground.

He wasn’t a Celestial Spiritual Root Cultivator like Master Ge Cang, favored by the Great Dao and able to grasp the Great Dao True Intent more easily than other cultivators.

For people like them, forming a Pill Discussion was naturally much easier.

...

"Have you heard? Hall Master Dai Hui feels his accumulation is complete and has decided to attempt Core Formation in three days!"

"That’s old news! The latest intel is that Ancestor Ge Cang himself will be acting as Dharma Protector for Hall Master Dai Hui... Who knows, our Qingfeng Sect might be about to welcome its second Core Formation True Man!"

Beneath the Mountain Gate’s Grand Array, several disciples on duty discussed the hottest topic in the Sect, their voices low.

"I just don’t get how Hall Master Dai Hui got ahead of Sect Leader Wei. It was clearly Sect Leader Wei who reached Foundation Establishment Perfection first..."

Although Wei Dao had long since stepped down from his position as Sect Leader, the vast majority of disciples still referred to him as such.

"You can’t say for sure. Just because I reached Mid-Stage Qi Refining two years before you, Junior Brother Ma, does that mean I’ll be ahead of you for life? Who’s to say you won’t surpass me in another couple of years?"

"True, true. But it’s impossible for me to surpass you, Senior Brother Zhang. Everyone knows that your ancestors included a Foundation Establishment Elder."

"Quiet! Someone is entering the array. It must be an Elder returning to the Mountain Gate."

This young man, whom everyone called Senior Brother Zhang, clearly held considerable prestige, as the others immediately obeyed his command.

A young cultivator in a simple Daoist Robe walked out slowly from the Duality Illusion Moon Array, his expression calm and his features relaxed.

"Greetings, Elder Bai. May Elder Bai’s path on the Great Dao be evergreen."

Senior Brother Zhang scrambled to his feet, bowing respectfully in greeting.

"Where has Senior Brother Dai chosen as the site for his Core Formation attempt?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

When Bai Zichen ended his seclusion, he saw the notice on his Elder Token.

Hall Master Dai Hui of the Artifact Refining Hall will formally attempt to break through to Core Formation in five days. All fellow sect members are welcome to come and observe the ceremony.

"It’s at the place where Ancestor Yangg used to go into seclusion. It’s a Tier Three Top-Grade Spiritual Land, which has enough Spiritual Qi for Hall Master Dai Hui’s Core Formation."

Senior Brother Zhang explained to Bai Zichen, his expression excited.

Not until Bai Zichen transformed into a streak of Sword Light and vanished among the clouds did he turn his head back to continue guarding the Grand Array.

"Senior Brother Zhang, which Elder was that just now? Judging by his Magical Power fluctuations, he doesn’t seem much weaker than the Hall Masters..."

"Are there that many Elders with the surname Bai? Of course, it was the one with a Sword Heart of iron and unrivaled combat prowess, Elder Bai Zichen."

Senior Brother Zhang said, looking slightly pleased with himself, "Speaking of which, Elder Bai and my Zhang Family share a bit of history."

But no matter how the other disciples prodded and pressed him, he refused to reveal the story behind it.

It made one wonder if Senior Brother Zhang had just made the whole thing up.

’I never thought that in the end, it would be Senior Brother Dai who took the lead among the four of us...’

The moment Bai Zichen received the notice, he had rushed to the Mountain Gate.

He didn’t know when the message had been sent and was afraid he had missed it, so he had hurried to the Sect in a mad dash.

He was only able to relax after confirming that the time had not yet passed.

How could he miss the opportunity to witness a fellow sect member attempt to form their Golden Core?

Such a scene was a rare sight and would be of immense benefit to him as someone who would follow this path later.

There was bound to be a huge difference between knowledge gained from paper and insights gained from observing it firsthand.

’Senior Brother Wei is superior to Senior Brother Dai in every aspect, yet there’s been no news from him... I wonder if establishing his own path is that time-consuming, or if he still hasn’t given up on his old idea of setting up the Celestial Spirit Gathering Spirit Array?’

One thing Bai Zichen was sure of was that Dai Hui was attempting a normal Core Formation breakthrough, not a Perfect Core Formation backed by a Pill Discussion.