Chapter 256: Golden Core Elder, Array Dao Spirit Body

Chapter 256: Golden Core Elder, Array Dao Spirit Body

Within the cave abode of Lingyan Peak.

Chu Ning opened his eyes as the spirit vortex before him faded from sight, and at that moment, a profound and mysterious sensation, unlike anything he had experienced before, surged within his mind.

It was as if his connection to the heavens and earth had deepened.

For the first time, he perceived the profound concept known as the Dao.

"The Great Dao of Golden Core!"

Chu Ning murmured these four words softly, his face reflecting a mix of delight and complexity.

"When I first formed my core, it was incredibly perilous.

My excessively rich spiritual power resulted in an extremely powerful impact.

Fortunately, the life force energy provided by the Jade Bone saved me, or else..."

Recalling the final moments of his breakthrough, Chu Ning couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of fear. However, that feeling quickly transformed into a fond memory.

"That sensation of being infused with spiritual energy was truly mesmerizing!"

Chu Ning sighed, and without even needing to check his proficiency in his mind, he was certain that his cultivation of both body and energy, as well as his soul, had significantly improved.

However, there was no time to inspect his progress further at this moment.

Chu Ning could clearly sense that numerous fellow sect members were approaching the vicinity of Lingyan Peak, and it was evident that they were already aware of his successful core formation.

"! ! !"

Following his heart's instinct, Chu Ning let out a clear and resonant long whistle, and in the next instant, he vanished and reappeared in the air above his cave abode.

"Chu Ning, you have indeed successfully formed your Golden Core!"

A smile spread across Yu Changge's face.

As soon as Chu Ning appeared, everyone could distinctly sense the aura of a Golden Core cultivator emanating from him.

Although it was still unstable, it was exceptionally powerful.

The might of his aura even faintly surpassed that of Fu Lihong and Qi Guangshou, who were also in the early stages of the Golden Core realm.

This was due to Chu Ning's unrestrained aura right after his breakthrough.

Nevertheless, it was enough to capture the attention of countless cultivators from the Jiuhua Sect.

Chu Ning recalled how this core formation, from its unexpected beginning to the near failure at the end, had been full of surprises beyond his expectations.

At this moment, he cupped his hands towards Tang Xuan and Yu Changge, among others, and said, "I was fortunate."

Hearing these words, Tang Xuan chuckled and said, "Forming a Golden Core is a matter of both strength and opportunity; there is no such thing as mere luck.

Your successful core formation is a great joy for our sect!"

After finishing his words, Tang Xuan turned to look at Yu Changge.

Yu Changge understood the meaning behind Tang Xuan's gaze.

In the next moment, his voice resounded throughout the entire Jiuhua Sect.

"Chu Ning has successfully formed his Golden Core and is promoted to the position of Elder in our sect. Everyone in the sect shall congratulate Elder Chu!"

As Yu Changge's voice fell, the Foundation Establishment cultivators surrounding Lingyan Peak took the lead and bowed towards Chu Ning.

"Congratulations, Elder Chu, on forming your Golden Core!"

In the next moment, cultivators from all corners of the Jiuhua Sect echoed their congratulations.

"Congratulations, Elder Chu, on forming your Golden Core!"

Even the Golden Core cultivators around Chu Ning joined in, bowing and offering their congratulations.

"Thank you, fellow sect members!"

Chu Ning immediately returned the courtesy with a bow to everyone around him.

Yu Changge waved his hand towards the Foundation Establishment cultivators and said, "Elder Chu has just formed his core, and there are sect matters to discuss. All of you may disperse now."

"Yes, Sect Master!"

As Yu Changge spoke, the Foundation Establishment cultivators promptly left the area.

However, they couldn't hide their joy and excitement as they discussed the recent developments.

"This is wonderful news! Our Jiuhua Sect now has another Golden Core Elder."

"Elder Chu's cultivation progress is truly remarkable. Over two decades ago, during the Great Luo Sect's challenge, he had just advanced to the late Foundation Establishment stage.

And now, he has successfully formed his Golden Core!"

"I heard that Elder Chu is not even a hundred years old. To achieve core formation within a century—his talent and aptitude are truly astonishing!"

"..."

Chu Ning and the others naturally overheard these cultivators' conversations.

Tang Xuan smiled and said, "Chu Ning, let's head to your cave abode and have a seat."

"Please, Senior Uncle, Sect Master, and fellow Elders," Chu Ning said, gesturing with his hand to invite them in.

Upon hearing Chu Ning's words, Ge Liuyang immediately laughed and said, "Chu Ning, now that you've successfully formed your Golden Core, you should address us as your senior brothers."

Chu Ning chuckled and replied, "This sudden change has caught me a little off guard, and I'm still adjusting to it."

As they conversed, they entered Chu Ning's cave abode together.

Among them, Tang Xuan and Yu Changge were visiting for the first time. As Tang Xuan stepped into the cave abode, he swept his gaze around and said, "Chu Ning, the array formation in your cave abode is quite impressive. Although the restrictions and defenses are not top-notch, the method of array deployment is rather remarkable."

Hearing Tang Xuan's praise for the array, Chu Ning couldn't help but admire the fact that Cen Ziqin had already achieved such a high level of proficiency in array formations during the Foundation Establishment stage.

He replied, "I obtained this array from a friend back in the Eastern Sacred Continent."

As they conversed, the group sat down in Chu Ning's cave abode.

Yu Changge asked, "Chu Ning, why did you rush your core formation so hastily? If you had informed us beforehand, we could have asked Senior Brother to protect you. Fortunately, your cultivation is profound, and your core formation went smoothly without any unexpected incidents."

Hearing Yu Changge's words, Chu Ning let out a bitter laugh and said, "Sect Master, my core formation was indeed very sudden, and it took me by surprise as well.

Actually, it was a few months ago when I started cultivating the Five Elements Chaos Formula of our sect again..."

Chu Ning then proceeded to briefly explain how he suddenly sensed the opportunity to form his core.

Listening to his story, the cultivators present exchanged glances, surprised by the unexpected turn of events.

When they formed their cores, each of them had made thorough preparations to ensure a smooth and flawless process.

But Chu Ning, on the other hand, had simply dived right into it and succeeded on his first attempt.

"It can only be said that your cultivation is profound, and your luck is truly remarkable, Chu Ning," Yu Changge said with a laugh. He then surveyed the cave abode and continued, "Chu Ning, this Lingyan Peak is not a bad place, but the spiritual energy here is insufficient.

Why don't you relocate your cave abode to Tianlan Peak, or do you have any other preferences?

Even Elders Gong Yuyuan and Yuan Zhuo, both in the late Golden Core stage, hadn't been able to secure a residence there.

Noticing Chu Ning's surprise, Yu Changge was about to speak when Gong Yuyuan let out a hearty laugh and said, "Junior Brother Chu, don't worry. Although I'm in the late Golden Core stage, I'm well aware that the chances of me reaching the Nascent Soul stage in this lifetime are slim.

You, on the other hand, have formed your core before the age of sixty, and your future is full of potential.

This peak should rightfully belong to you."

The other Golden Core elders nodded in agreement.

Chu Ning's heart stirred at the offer. Lingyan Peak had been adequate for his cultivation needs during the Foundation Establishment stage, but now that he had entered the Golden Core stage, he would require a more abundant source of spiritual energy.

He cupped his hands and said, "In that case, thank you, Sect Master and fellow elders, for your generosity and support."

The group laughed, acknowledging Chu Ning's gratitude.

They continued to chat with Chu Ning, sharing insights and experiences related to the Golden Core stage, which greatly broadened his understanding.

As his core formation had been unexpected, he hadn't had much time to prepare and was still unfamiliar with the changes it brought.

In particular, Ling Cang and Ge Liuyang shared their knowledge about refining pills and artifacts with danfire, giving Chu Ning valuable new perspectives.

He had long yearned to use danfire for refining, and now that he had formed his core, he was eager to give it a try.

After some time, the elders bid their farewells and departed, leaving Chu Ning with some much-needed time to himself.

Finally, he could examine the changes brought about by his successful core formation.

First, he turned his attention inward, observing the golden core within his dantian, which was about the size of an egg.

A smile appeared on Chu Ning's face.

The size of his core indicated that its power might already rival that of many Golden Core cultivators in the middle stage.

This meant that the depth of his spiritual power far surpassed that of his peers.

Next, Chu Ning checked the proficiency of his cultivation techniques.

Now that he had formed his core, he expected to see some improvements.

【Five Elements Chaos Formula (Heavenly Mid-Grade): First Layer (7000/50000)】

【Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, Second Volume, First Layer (18415/45000)】

【Refine God Technique, Fourth Layer (37701/64000)】

【Host successfully formed a Golden Core. Reward: Array Dao Spirit Body】

【Array Dao Spirit Body: 1. Greatly enhances understanding and talent for array techniques, increasing the success rate and quality of array tools.

2. Possesses the ability to analyze and comprehend the origin of array patterns.】

Upon reading this, Chu Ning couldn't help but feel elated.

First, as expected, his core formation had refreshed his hidden talent, replacing it with the Array Dao Spirit Body. Although he no longer had a hidden talent, these two abilities were almost comparable to the three abilities granted by the original "Symbol Source Spirit Body." Like the Symbol Source ability, he could now analyze array patterns.

However, what truly surprised Chu Ning was the significant increase in proficiency!

"The Five Elements Chaos Formula increased by 6,000 points, the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art by 4,000 points, and the Refine God Technique by 4,000 points! And I've only been in the core formation stage for two months!"

At that moment, Chu Ning truly comprehended the transformative power of achieving the Golden Core stage.

With this thought, Chu Ning released his spiritual sense outward.

Based on his previous experience during the Foundation Establishment stage, such a major advancement in cultivation level would result in a noticeable increase in the strength of his spiritual sense, more so than what the data for the Refine God Technique had indicated.

Indeed, as Chu Ning extended his spiritual sense, he immediately noticed a significant difference from before.

Not only did his spiritual sense easily reach his previous limit of 3,800 zhang, but it continued to extend far beyond that.

It finally stopped at a distance of 5,000 zhang, which was over 33 li.

"Five thousand zhang!! Over thirty-three li!"

Chu Ning was astonished by the extent of his spiritual sense.

Reaching the 5,000-zhang threshold wasn't something that every Golden Core cultivator could achieve.

During their earlier conversation, Ling Cang, a cultivator in the middle Golden Core stage, had mentioned that his spiritual sense didn't even reach 4,500 zhang.

"My spiritual sense is now far superior to that of a typical Golden Core cultivator in the middle stage.

It might even be comparable to those in the late Golden Core stage!"

Chu Ning proceeded to assess his overall strength.

"The depth of my spiritual power should be on par with Golden Core cultivators in the middle stage.

As for the strength of my physical body, it far surpasses that of a typical Golden Core cultivator in the late stage! However, aside from these, my true strength lies in the divine abilities and treasures I possess."

With that in mind, Chu Ning began to take inventory of the divine abilities and treasures he had mastered.

The Five Great Secret Arts of the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art were undoubtedly his most critical trump cards.

However, being the cautious person he was, Chu Ning rarely revealed these cards unless absolutely necessary.

Moreover, the Nine Transformations Body Refining Art was a close-quarters combat technique, making its use inherently risky.

"I still need to rely on spells and treasures!"

With that thought, Chu Ning waved his hand, and a fire scorpion appeared in his palm.

The Inferno Fire Scorpion was a demonic beast that he had cultivated using the Fiery Blaze Art over the years.

This demonic beast was typically a sixth- or even seventh-rank beast, and before forming his core, Chu Ning had been able to summon it, but despite years of practice, he hadn't been able to reach the point of instantaneous summoning.

Now, with the increased spiritual power that came with his core formation,

the Inferno Fire Scorpion could be easily summoned.

"Perhaps I can try another form, the final one recorded in the Fiery Blaze Art—the Blazing Sun Spirit Bird!"

With that in mind, Chu Ning reached into his storage bag and retrieved a jade box—the one containing the feather of the Blazing Sun Spirit Bird.

A fully matured Blazing Sun Spirit Bird was an eighth-rank spirit beast, comparable to a cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage.

And this feather likely contained a wisp of the spirit of that Blazing Sun Spirit Bird.

That was why, when Chu Ning was at the Foundation Establishment stage, the power emanating from just a single feather was already too overwhelming for him to look at directly.

As Chu Ning opened the jade box, a powerful aura once again filled the entire cultivation room and even spread to the entire cave abode.

"Whine!" "Caw!"

Outside the cultivation room, Ling Xiaobai and the Golden Thunder Eagle seemed to sense this aura and cried out simultaneously.

At this moment, Chu Ning's eyes flickered slightly. As a Golden Core cultivator, he still felt slightly uncomfortable facing this oppressive might, but he was now able to withstand it completely.

Chu Ning carefully examined the feather of the Blazing Sun Spirit Bird, immersing his spiritual sense within it, and vaguely sensing...

A primordial spirit bird with a body of fire, carrying the might of the heavens and endowed with a dense fire attribute, seemed to appear before him.

He observed it for a long while, enduring the oppressive might until he reached his limit, before finally closing the jade box.

He closed his eyes briefly and then opened them again.

"With this wisp of spirit, cultivating the Blazing Inferno Technique to condense the Blazing Sun Spirit Bird will be twice as effective."

However, with my current cultivation, even if I condense the Blazing Sun Spirit Bird, I won't be able to refine and assimilate this wisp of spirit."

Of course, Chu Ning had no intention of refining it.

This feather of the Blazing Sun Spirit Bird, along with this wisp of spirit, would be of great use to Chu Ning.

With these thoughts in mind, Chu Ning casually took out the jade slip inscribed with the Five Elements Chaos Formula.

Then, he murmured, "After more than twenty years of understanding in tool refining, I should be able to forge magical treasures now!"

Regarding the magical treasures he would use after reaching the Golden Core stage, Chu Ning wasn't too concerned.

The reason was that after obtaining the Five Elements Chaos Formula, he discovered that it was followed by a method for forging magical treasures called the Five Elements Sword Array.

As the name suggested, it was a method to forge five elemental spirit swords and arrange them in an array.

However, this sword array was extremely difficult to forge, and each sword had to be combined with the cultivator's cultivated technique. Chu Ning couldn't forge all of them at the moment.

Nevertheless, each sword in this sword array could be used as a separate magical treasure, and their power was not to be underestimated.

Chu Ning planned to forge the three attribute spirit swords that he was able to cultivate first.

In fact, this sword array had infinite variations, and different attributes could be combined.

In the past, no one in the Jiuhua Sect had been able to forge this sword array because no one had cultivated the Five Elements Chaos Formula to the level of mastering all five attributes.

However, the sect's tool refining master had deduced a method for creating a Five Elements Tool Array based on the Five Elements Sword Array.

This array could be formed by combining two to five different attribute treasures to face enemies.

Later, it further evolved into the Five Elements Array, where each attribute treasure could be formed by combining two quasi-treasures.

The Three Primal Array that the Great Luo Sect cultivators had used when facing Chu Ning and his companions in the Wolong Valley ruins was a type of Five Elements Tool Array, which originated from the Five Elements Sword Array.

It was fortunate that Chu Ning had killed several of them beforehand. Otherwise, if they had formed the Five Elements Tool Array, even Chu Ning would have found it challenging to deal with.

After refreshing his memory on the method of forging the Five Elements Sword Array, some parts that he couldn't comprehend before becoming a Golden Core cultivator now became clear.

After some thought, Chu Ning realized that his Array Dao Spirit Body talent had played a significant role in this newfound understanding.

After all, this sword array had some similarities with formation paths, even though it wasn't purely a formation.

While it wasn't solely a formation path, possessing the Array Dao Spirit Body, especially the ability to analyze formation paths like the Symbol Source ability, enhanced his comprehension of tool arrays.

With the Array Dao Spirit Body, his understanding of tool arrays had significantly improved.

Chu Ning put the jade slip away into his storage bag and left the cultivation room.

He already had a clear idea of what he needed to do next.

First, he would cultivate the Blazing Inferno Technique to condense the Blazing Sun Spirit Bird, and then he would forge the Wood Element Sword, Fire Element Sword, and Earth Element Sword from the Five Elements Sword Array.

Of course, he wouldn't neglect the Jiuhua Sect's legacy either.

He planned to find a fire-attribute attack spell and an earth-attribute defensive spell.

After all, these two spells would maximize the potential of his Wuhuo Spirit Body and Xutuo Spirit Body talents.

Before that, however, Chu Ning intended to relocate his cave abode to Tianlan Peak.

With its abundant spiritual energy, Tianlan Peak would undoubtedly aid his cultivation in the future.

There weren't many other things in the cave abode, mostly just spirit plants that he had cultivated.

Chu Ning was already very familiar with transplanting these plants, and some that had seemed important before were no longer as crucial now that his cultivation had advanced.

In the end, he only chose to transplant the Flame-Twin Birthfruit, Iron Soulflower, Spirit-Gathering Grass, Purple Phoenix Cedar, and a few other spirit plants.

The rest he directly harvested.

Then, Chu Ning retrieved the array flags and the array plate that he had set up around Lingyan Peak.

"From what they said earlier, Tianlan Peak already has a pretty decent array formation set up.

I might not need to use this array, but since it was a gift from Cen Ziqin, I'll keep it as a memento."

Chu Ning thought to himself, recalling how Cen Ziqin had not only given him the tools for setting up arrays but also some jade slips containing knowledge about formations, which he hadn't studied in detail before.

Now that he had the Array Dao Spirit Body, he could take the time to study them in the future.

Additionally, the Jiuhua Sect possessed several powerful formations as well.

However, the first thing Chu Ning wanted to do was to complete his collection of divine abilities and treasures.

Chu Ning summoned the two Golden Thunder Eagles, leaped onto one of them, and flew toward Tianlan Peak.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end