’So this is Daoist He’s ace in the hole? The Magical Treasure that could evade my Divine Sense?’

Setting the two storage bags aside, Bai Zichen picked up a piece of light gauze several feet square. It felt weightless in his hand.

One side of the gauze had a clear tear, indicating that this was not a complete Magical Treasure.

The fact that a mere fragment could achieve such an effect piqued his interest even more.

Other cultivators lacked his talent of Sword Heart Clarity, which made things As Clear as Daylight, and more importantly, they didn’t have the enhancement from the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box.

Otherwise, Daoist He wouldn’t have been so confident. He never would have revealed a flaw in front of other Core Formation True Men; his death was truly unjust.

He tried to refine the light gauze, but his True Essence simply flowed through it and slipped out, showing no signs of being refinable.

He tried a different method, infusing his Divine Sense into it. As expected, it worked.

The gauze shrank into a ball, which he could roughly control. Draping it over himself, he instantly vanished.

However, after taking two steps while wearing the gauze, he broke the sense of harmony with the world, even though he remained invisible.

Bai Zichen had a gut feeling that while moving with the gauze, he could at most deceive cultivators with a Divine Sense similar to his own.

But if he stood perfectly still, he feared not even a Nascent Soul True Monarch could find him.

Since it couldn’t be refined, the gauze didn’t contain Daoist He’s spiritual imprint, allowing Bai Zichen to use it immediately.

At the same time, he learned the name of this Magical Treasure: Mystical Immortal Gauze.

It wasn’t that information was being transmitted; the broken Magical Treasure had no spirituality. It was as if the name was engraved deep within it, and every cultivator who obtained it would know.

’With this gauze in hand, I can go anywhere in the world, save for a few Desolate Lands... No, I’d better be careful. The Cultivation Realm is vast; there are bound to be others with similar methods who could see through my invisibility. If I become too reliant on the Mystical Immortal Gauze, it’ll be too easy for things to go wrong.’

Bai Zichen took off the Mystical Immortal Gauze. Unfortunately, since it couldn’t be refined, it couldn’t be stored in his Dantian Qi Sea.

He would have to take it out of his storage bag every time he wanted to activate it, which was significantly less efficient.

Over the next few months, Cyan Bull Valley was only attacked by a few groups of Tier Two Demon Beasts, which naturally didn’t require a Core Formation True Man like him to intervene.

Once the Tier Two Top-Grade Array from the Sect arrived and was set up, Tier Two Demon Beasts would no longer pose any threat.

’This current cultivation speed is slower than a snail’s crawl...’

He stopped his Cultivation Technique, and the scorching red light in the stone cave retracted. Having grown accustomed to rapidly increasing his cultivation by taking Elixirs, Bai Zichen truly felt as if his cultivation hadn’t improved at all since reaching Core Formation.

Purely meditating and refining Spiritual Qi could only be this slow.

If he hadn’t achieved Perfect Core Formation and thus didn’t need to worry about his path afterward, most newly-ascended Core Formation True Men would still be adjusting their Cultivation Techniques to adapt to the new realm.

’Also, this Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade is becoming less and less effective.’

The Ice Jade on his chest had already turned dark red, and the Fire Poison generated in his body was running rampant, no longer flowing in a clear direction.

Before this piece of Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade could shatter, Bai Zichen proactively replaced it with a brand new one.

As he became a Core Formation Cultivator and his Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture reached the fifth level, the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade alone was no longer enough to effectively neutralize the Fire Poison.

Given the current ferocity of the Fire Poison, a single piece of Thousand-Year-Old Ice Jade would last four to five years at most.

Unfortunately, the Nine Yang Divine Fire Mirror was only effective on cultivators below Core Formation. Once past the Core Formation Realm, the Divine Capturing Treasure Mirror was limited by its tier and couldn’t provide a solution.

’This is the one bad thing about the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture. The deeper my cultivation, the stronger the Fire Poison... But as long as it can improve my Fire Spiritual Root, I can’t possibly change my Cultivation Technique before reaching Nascent Soul.’

The quality of his Spiritual Root was the biggest obstacle on Bai Zichen’s path of cultivation.

After Nascent Soul, each level of cultivation would require hundreds of years of practice. Even if his Mysterious Holy Body allowed him to break through realms smoothly without bottlenecks, he would still need enough lifespan to cultivate to the very peak.

When the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture was cultivated to Perfection, it could elevate his aptitude to a level equivalent to most of a Fire Element Celestial Spiritual Root, granting him an Inferior Celestial Spiritual Root.

Only then could his speed of refining nature’s spiritual energy keep up with those Celestial Spiritual Root Cultivators.

Since he wouldn’t be changing his Cultivation Technique, his only option was to find a High-Tier Spiritual Object capable of expelling or absorbing the Fire Poison.

「Half a year later.」 Gu Xisheng came to report that the construction projects in Cyan Bull Valley were all on track.

As the Sect Leader, he couldn’t stay away from the Mountain Gate for too long, so he had come to take his leave.

"Very well. After you return, set up a plan. Skew the rewards for Sect missions toward this location to attract disciples to move here voluntarily. Try to avoid using forceful measures."

"Junior Martial Uncle Bai’s words are gold and jade, truly farsighted. I will certainly study this matter carefully upon my return and devise a proper plan."

The first time the two of them met was during the reclamation war at Feiyue Lake. At that time, both were Foundation Establishment Elders.

One was a young and brilliant talent with a boundless future.

The other was in charge of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, and it was rumored that the Sect’s upper echelons had taken a liking to him and were planning to give him a significant role.

Decades later, Gu Xisheng had indeed become a Sect Leader, holding a high position and great power.

It was just that the young elder’s growth was even more astonishing; he had become the Sect’s third Core Formation True Man.

Moreover, with unstoppable momentum, his sword had shaken the Liang Country’s Cultivation Realm, making him seem even more dazzling than Master Ge Cang had been in his day.

"Also, post a long-term mission in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall for me... For any disciple who turns in a Refining Secret Method for a Tier Three Flying Sword, I will personally add another reward on top of the Sect’s own."

’One person’s strength is limited. Gathering the power of the entire Sect might yield different results.’

Normally, Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Qi Refining Disciples would have no opportunity to come into contact with a Tier Three Sword Refining Secret Method.

But everyone has their own Karma Technique. Disciples like Lu Song, who was blessed with great fortune and found a key to an Ancient Secret Realm as a child, were rare, but it wasn’t entirely impossible to obtain a Tier Three Sword Refining Secret Method while traveling.

’The Qingfeng Sect has several thousand disciples now. If just one or two of them get lucky, wouldn’t that be the same as an opportunity for me, Master Bai?’

Even without considering the Star River Sword Array, Bai Zichen, with his Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, already had enough True Essence to wield two more Tier Three Flying Swords in addition to his Moon Xuan Sword.

"Yes, I will have the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall treat this as a top priority when I return."

Gu Xisheng immediately perked up at this. The opportunity to help a Core Formation True Man solve a problem was rare; others could only dream of such a chance.

If nothing else, he could at least use this as an excuse to visit Master Bai several times in the future.

He had already decided in his heart to double the Contribution Points reward for turning in a Tier Three Sword Refining Secret Method, using the reward for other Tier Three Magical Treasure refining inheritances as a reference.

’No, I’ll triple it!’

An exquisite egoist like Gu Xisheng had dissolved his Dao Companion agreement with Lan Hong the moment the news of Bai Zichen’s Core Formation spread. He even found excuses to strip several Lan Family disciples of their Steward positions.

He did all this for fear that Bai Zichen might still remember the conflict with the Lan Family back then and hold a grudge against him by association.

...

The Seeking Truth Ship left a white streak across the sky, leaving a brief sonic boom in its wake.

Cyan Bull Valley was on track, with Spirit Fields being divided and mineral resources being gathered.

Bai Zichen had no plans to establish his Cave Mansion in Cyan Bull Valley. After meeting Tong Huan and giving him some guidance, he returned to Feiyue Lake, picked up Genggeng, and set off for the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

"Don’t worry, I’ll buy you the two best Spirit Beast advancement Elixirs this time. I guarantee you, little guy, you’ll break through to a Tier Two Spirit Beast..."

Genggeng lay on its back at his feet, all four paws in the air, completely undignified as it squeaked.

He really didn’t know what kind of Demon Beast bloodline it had mixed in it to turn a normally ferocious and aggressive Tai Chi Bear into such a lazy creature.

Furthermore, the difficulty of its advancement seemed to be much greater than that of a normal Tai Chi Bear.

Given the conditions Genggeng enjoyed, a normal Tai Chi Bear would have long since grown into a Tier Two Spirit Beast after all these years, reaching the minimum strength of an adult of its species.

But Genggeng’s size hadn’t increased, and its realm remained stuck at Tier One Peak. He didn’t know if it was because its powerful Spiritual Sense talent came with limitations in other areas.

The last time Bai Zichen went to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, he took another passage through the Black Mountain Range, taking a long detour.

Now, he no longer needed to avoid the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators. He could pass openly through Hejian County, and he’d like to see if any Ghost Spirit Sect disciples dared to block his way.

However, given the Seeking Truth Ship’s flight speed, cultivators below Core Formation could only look on and sigh.

One could tell at a glance that a Core Formation True Man was passing through. Given the Ghost Spirit Sect’s current state of panic and paranoia, they would absolutely not have the courage to intercept him.

Bai Zichen had a poor sense of direction. Even with a map, he strayed from his course several times, wasting several days.

It wasn’t until he ran into a flock of wild geese, with Ten Thousand Beasts Sect disciples riding on the leading few, that he could confirm he had come to the right place.

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect raised countless Spirit Beasts, and the most arduous duty for low-level disciples was to let these Spirit Beasts out for exercise.

The leader of this group of Ten Thousand Beasts Sect disciples was only at Qi Refining Great Perfection, though the goose he rode was a Tier Two Low-Grade Spirit Beast.

Bai Zichen suppressed his cultivation to appear to be at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment realm. After he explained that he wanted to go to the Ten Thousand Beasts Pavilion to purchase some spirit beast-related items, the leading disciple immediately called someone over to ride a goose and lead the way for this "elder."

He slowed the Seeking Truth Ship, and after three hours, Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain finally appeared in his line of sight.

"Thank you for leading the way, young man."

Bai Zichen put away the Seeking Truth Ship, tossed over a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone, and flew toward the Ten Thousand Beasts Pavilion at the foot of the mountain.

"Thank you, Elder! I hope you can find the item you’re looking for."

The dark and chubby Ten Thousand Beasts Sect disciple took the Spirit Stone, his face beaming. It wasn’t often he came across such a good thing as earning over a hundred Spirit Stones for half a day’s work.

’This elder is so generous! Most Foundation Establishment Elders just toss two or three Spirit Stones to dismiss you, and many don’t give a single coin.’

Everything in the Ten Thousand Beasts Pavilion was as it had always been. It was completely unaffected by the great war between the righteous and demonic paths, and was still bustling with activity.

Bai Zichen had a clear goal and went straight to the Spirit Beast Pavilion to ask for someone.

"Is Fellow Daoist Hu Yushan in the pavilion?"

Years ago, when he came to the Spirit Beast Pavilion, the one who had sold Genggeng to him was this very woman, Hu Yushan, the person in charge of the Spirit Beast Pavilion.

He preferred not to involve a third party. Back then, the woman had tried to tease him and Su Li with a Charming Skill, which he had dispelled with the Divine Casting Technique. However, he remembered that her professional expertise with spirit beasts was quite outstanding.

He believed she could pick out the most suitable Elixir for Genggeng.

"And how should I address you, Fellow Daoist?"

Because of the cultivation level Bai Zichen was displaying, the person who received him at the Spirit Beast Pavilion was a young man at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment, whose mannerisms were still somewhat reserved.

"I am Baii Yuanhao. Senior Sister Hu broke through to Foundation Establishment Perfection several years ago and has already returned to the mountain for secluded cultivation to make final preparations for Core Formation."

"I see. I haven’t been to the Ten Thousand Beasts Pavilion in many years, so I wasn’t aware that Fellow Daoist Hu had already reached this stage..."

When he had come to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect with Ancestor Yang back then, Hu Yushan was already at Late-Stage Foundation Establishment. It was normal for her to have reached the final step before attempting Core Formation after all these years.

Bai Zichen casually lied, "I am Su Li. I am an old acquaintance of your sect’s Fellow Daoist Hu and Fellow Daoist Honglian. I’ve come this time for this little guy... Fellow Daoist Hu was the one who picked this Spirit Beast for me back then. It has been stuck at Tier One Peak, and I’d like to purchase a few Elixirs to help it advance."