Chapter 287: Mid-Golden Core, Geng Metal Spiritual Body

Chapter 287: Mid-Golden Core, Geng Metal Spiritual Body

Delighted, Chu Ning carefully collected the few drops of spirit liquid and then turned to give Ling Xiaobai some instructions before leaving the cave.

Usually, Chu Ning would have taken Ling Xiaobai with him. But now that he had the precious Snow Crystal herb in his cave, he dared not be so careless. It was safer for Ling Xiaobai to stay behind; in case of any unexpected events, the little guy could still hide the treasure in his stomach and escape.

As Chu Ning made his way to Frostmoon Pavilion, the group of Golden Core cultivators from Mirage Spirit Sect, whom he had met before, were already there.

This time, Wu Lingwei was not present, and it was Tang Jinchuan who handled the transaction.

"Fellow Qiu, in the past three months, no one has come to sell Sky Lizard Grass.

This herb is extremely rare even in Snow Mist Valley, and its effects are not that significant.

So, it's uncommon for cultivators to go out of their way to gather this type of spiritual herb."

Upon hearing this, the elderly man surnamed Qiu, dressed in the robes of the Mirage Spirit Sect, furrowed his brows slightly.

"Even your Frostmoon Pavilion hasn't been able to acquire any? Fellow Tang, please continue to help me keep an eye out. I'm willing to pay a hefty sum for the Sky Lizard Grass, or even exchange it for several rare spiritual herbs."

After hearing this, Tang Jinchuan readily agreed.

After the group left, Tang Jinchuan's face was filled with confusion.

"Why has Mirage Spirit Sect suddenly become so interested in Sky Lizard Grass? I haven't heard of them having any special elixirs or cultivation techniques that require this ingredient."

As he spoke, he turned to a young female cultivator in the distance:

"Bai Ruo, keep an eye out recently. If any cultivators come to sell items, ask them if they have Sky Lizard Grass. It seems like that elder from Mirage Spirit Sect is serious about acquiring this herb, and it could be a big deal. Oh, and just ask if they have it; don't mention who's buying."

"Yes, Elder Tang," Bai Ruo replied obediently and then went downstairs on her own.

Soon, she spotted a familiar figure in blue approaching the pavilion.

Bai Ruo's eyes lit up, and she immediately got up to greet him.

"Senior Chu, you're here."

Seeing the fair-faced young female cultivator, Chu Ning recalled Wu Lingwei's previous instructions and decided not to bother looking for her.

Instead, he directly said:

"Miss Bai Ruo, I'm here to collect the spiritual herbs I ordered. Can you get them for me?"

"Of course, please follow me, Senior," Bai Ruo replied with a sweet smile, leading Chu Ning upstairs.

Halfway up, Bai Ruo remembered what Elder Tang had said earlier, and since Senior Chu had come to the pavilion several times to buy spiritual herbs, she asked out of curiosity:

"Senior Chu, have you heard of anyone buying Sky Lizard Grass recently while purchasing spiritual herbs here in Immortal City?"

"Sky Lizard Grass?" Chu Ning was slightly taken aback by Bai Ruo's question, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face.

His sharp mind immediately made some connections.

He had only seen this herb once before, in Gu Feng's storage bag.

Initially, he had even considered bringing it to the trade fair the next day to exchange for other items.

But in the end, out of caution, he had decided to hide it away.

Hearing Bai Ruo mention it now, he suddenly recalled that incident.

"I haven't seen it before," Chu Ning replied casually. "Why? Is your pavilion trying to acquire this spiritual herb?"

"Yes, we're also acquiring it on behalf of someone else," Bai Ruo answered casually.

Chu Ning's heart skipped a beat, and he merely said, "Oh," without probing further.

"It seems like the cultivators from Mirage Spirit Sect have concluded that something must have happened to Gu Feng. This herb used to be very rare, and it's highly likely that they're trying to find some clues through it. Good thing I was cautious and didn't take this herb out for exchange."

Chu Ning made a rough guess and made up his mind.

He would never take out the items he got from Gu Feng, no matter what.

In this cold northern land, he was alone and didn't want to attract the attention of Mirage Spirit Sect, which was rumored to have late-stage Yuan Ying cultivators.

With these thoughts in mind, Chu Ning took out the talismans he had prepared and handed them to Bai Ruo.

At the same time, after inquiring about several types of demon pills, he was surprised to find that Frostmoon Pavilion had them in stock, so he bought several from Bai Ruo.

This delighted the young female cultivator.

Initially, Chu Ning had planned to go to the area near the Central Sea to hunt for more demon beasts and obtain their inner pills.

However, upon realizing that the people from Mirage Spirit Sect were still investigating nearby, he abandoned the idea.

Who knew what kind of trouble he might stir up by going to the Central Sea region?

It was better to solve problems with spirit stones whenever possible.

Little did Chu Ning know that his cautious decision had indeed helped him avoid a major problem.

After searching for several months without finding any clues, the group of Golden Core cultivators from Mirage Spirit Sect even went as far as to request the help of a Nascent Soul cultivator from their sect.

Since they were only in the middle region of the Boundless Sea and had not ventured into the inner sea, they weren't worried about being noticed by a Yuan Ying cultivator from Long Kong Temple.

This Nascent Soul cultivator from Mirage Spirit Sect questioned many Golden Core cultivators near the Central Sea region.

It was only after a few days, when Long Kong Temple sensed their presence and issued a warning to Mirage Spirit Sect, that the Yuan Ying cultivator left.

In just a few days, quite a stir had been caused.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Chu Ning.

After purchasing the desired spiritual herbs and demon pills, Chu Ning returned to his cave and began refining a large number of elixirs.

Then, he entered another half-year of closed-door cultivation.

During this period, Chu Ning consumed one drop of Snow Crystal spirit liquid every month for refinement.

The rest of the time, he either cultivated by absorbing the heavenly and earthly spiritual energy or by using the elixirs he had refined.

This pattern of six months of cultivation followed by a brief period of activity became Chu Ning's routine, and his time in Ice Spirit City gradually accumulated.

Occasionally, Chu Ning would socialize and exchange insights with the other Golden Core cultivators in the city.

When he had the time, he would also attend the trade fairs held by Frostmoon Pavilion.

During these gatherings, he would casually inquire about any possible methods to travel from the icy lands to the Western Alliance Continent.

However, he never received a satisfactory answer.

Although Golden Core cultivators were already highly revered figures in the eyes of most cultivators, these particular Golden Core cultivators had spent their entire lives in the northern cold lands and had not ventured elsewhere.

In fact, most Golden Core cultivators in the Western Alliance Continent had led similar lives, never leaving their homeland.

Every time he emerged from seclusion, Chu Ning would take Ling Xiaobai and the two Golden Thunder Eagles to the sea to hunt for demonic beasts.

Occasionally, he would also pay a visit to the Snowpeak Mountains.

However, adhering to his principle of safety, he would never venture beyond areas inhabited by sixth-grade demonic beasts.

He avoided seventh-grade demonic beasts, whose strength rivaled that of late-stage Golden Core cultivators.

Fortunately, over the years, nothing too unexpected occurred.

In the sixth year, Ling Xiaobai entered her advancement phase and fell into a deep slumber.

In the seventh year, after fifteen years of cultivation, the golden spirit root that Chu Ning had cultivated with the help of the Spirit Vein Qi finally reached completion.

This spirit root turned out to be the strongest among Chu Ning's five spirit roots.

Upon careful examination, he found that it was comparable to a metal-attribute heavenly spirit root!

This was undoubtedly due to the fact that he had nurtured it with three strands of Spirit Vein Qi.

With a golden spirit root that rivaled a heavenly spirit root, Chu Ning could theoretically cultivate the metal-attribute techniques of the Five Elements Chaos Formula.

After all, a spirit root comparable to a heavenly spirit root would be exceptionally fast at absorbing spiritual energy.

However, Chu Ning did not rush to cultivate these techniques.

This was because his cultivation of the Five Elements Chaos Formula was already nearing the peak of the first layer.

At the same time, Chu Ning could sense that as he approached the completion of the first layer of the Five Elements Chaos Formula, he would also be on the verge of breaking through to the mid-Golden Core stage.

Thus, Chu Ning once again dedicated himself to closed-door cultivation.

Time flew by, and another year passed in the blink of an eye. It had now been eight years since the Snow Mist Valley had opened its gates.

On this day, Chu Ning, clad in a blue robe, stepped out of his cultivation chamber and made his way towards the Snow Crystal herb.

After a brief inspection, he sat down in the courtyard, in front of the herb.

Sipping a cup of spirit tea brewed with the pristine spring water from the Snowpeak Mountains, he proceeded to check his proficiency levels.

【Five Elements Chaos Formula (Mid-Tier Heavenly Rank), First Layer (49,987/50,000)】

【Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, Second Volume, Second Layer (23,600/90,000)】

【Refine God Technique, Fourth Layer (57,045/64,000)】

"After collecting the Snow Crystal spirit liquid tomorrow, I'll consume one drop, and I should be able to break through to the peak of the first layer of the Five Elements Chaos Formula."

Chu Ning's heart was filled with anticipation.

In fact, he still had some Snow Crystal spirit liquid in his possession.

Over the past few years, Chu Ning had been able to collect four drops of spirit liquid every three months but chose to consume only three.

As a result, he had accumulated several dozen drops.

However, as his cultivation of the first layer of the Five Elements Chaos Formula approached its pinnacle, possibly due to the impending breakthrough, the rate of improvement had noticeably slowed down.

Previously, one drop could increase his proficiency by around 200 points, but recently, it barely reached 100 points.

Consequently, Chu Ning's consumption of the Snow Crystal spirit liquid had increased.

The Snow Crystal herb would be ready to yield its spirit liquid the following day, and Chu Ning did not want to waste any time in refining more.

Ever since Ling Xiaobai entered her slumber due to her advancement, the time it took for the Snow Crystal herb to condense its spirit liquid had lengthened.

Even with Chu Ning's daily use of the Spring of Youth technique, it still took around five months for the herb to produce the liquid.

Interestingly, the Snow Crystal herb seemed to relish the process of being ripened by Chu Ning and Ling Xiaobai, as it never attempted to escape after that initial incident.

After finishing his cup of spirit tea, Chu Ning did not immediately return to his cultivation chamber.

Instead, he opened his mouth and spat out a thin, blood-red ray of light.

This ray of light moved with incredible speed, piercing through a large piece of metal that Chu Ning had prepared before disappearing into a restriction formation in front of him.

It circled around within the formation before returning to Chu Ning, who promptly swallowed it back into his mouth.

Blood Cloud Needle!

The secret technique Chu Ning had just used was none other than the Blood Cloud Needle, which he had obtained from Gu Feng.

He had learned Cloud Thousand Mountain's shadow escape technique using spirit soil back when he was about to plant the Snow Crystal herb.

As for the Blood Cloud Needle, he had only started cultivating it a few years ago when he had some free time on his hands.

Before cultivating it, Chu Ning had made discreet inquiries.

During his exchanges with Chang Lingshan and the others, he had learned about the various secret techniques of the major powers in the northern cold lands.

However, none of them mentioned the Blood Cloud Needle.

Moreover, this secret technique had been carried by Gu Feng, and it was not recorded on a jade slip but on an ancient material that Chu Ning did not recognize.

It seemed likely that Gu Feng had obtained it from some unknown source.

Only then did Chu Ning feel assured enough to cultivate it.

And it was only after he started cultivating it that he discovered that the needle also had the effect of breaking restrictions.

Perhaps due to the concentration of essence blood, elixir force, and spiritual sense into an extremely fine form, ordinary restrictions were unable to withstand its attack.

In cultivating the Blood Cloud Needle, Chu Ning also incorporated the cultivation methods of the Condensing Yuan Slash and the restriction-breaking techniques he had learned from Shen Meng Shangren.

Over these eight years, Chu Ning had not neglected his training in other magical arts.

His mastery of the Heaven Fire Sword Manual and the Blazing Inferno Manual had already been quite profound, leaving little room for significant improvement.

On the other hand, his understanding of the Void Finger had improved immeasurably due to his years of studying and comprehending the power of spatial forces.

During this period, he also gained profound insights into the ways of formation and artifact crafting.

One of his greatest achievements, however, was in the art of talismans.

With a flick of his wrist, a jade talisman appeared in Chu Ning's hand.

It was the top-grade lower-tier Ice Shadow Sword Talisman!

Chu Ning had long been able to craft high-grade upper-tier talismans, but he hadn't specifically set aside time to decipher the Ice Shadow Sword Talisman until now.

Over the years, as he had to deliver talismans to Frostmoon Pavilion every six months, he had more time to work on crafting, and thus he began to unravel the mysteries of the Ice Shadow Sword Talisman.

It took him several years, but he finally completed the analysis of the talisman's source and fully grasped the art of crafting it.

"This Ice Shadow Sword Talisman has extremely high requirements.

It needs to be crafted with earth vein jade, especially the ice condensation jade, which is the best option.

Additionally, a specialized brush crafted from precious materials is required for inscribing the talisman."

Chu Ning pondered these requirements, realizing that he didn't have any of these materials at the moment, so he set the idea of crafting the Ice Shadow Jade Talisman aside for the time being.

For now, advancing to the next cultivation stage was his top priority.

After all, over these years, his primary focus had been on cultivating his magical arts.

Time passed as he tended to his spirit plants and played with his spirit beasts.

Early the next morning, after practicing the Refine God Technique, Chu Ning made his way to the Snow Crystal herb.

As expected, one of its leaves had finished condensing the spirit liquid. He collected the liquid into a jade bottle and returned to his cultivation chamber.

Seated with his legs crossed, he dripped a drop of the spirit liquid into his mouth.

The familiar spiritual energy and fragrance filled his mouth.

Chu Ning began to circulate the Five Elements Chaos Formula to refine it.

Six days later...

If someone had been observing Chu Ning, they would have noticed a significant change.

Compared to six days ago, his aura was now much more powerful.

And Chu Ning, who usually took ten days to refine the Snow Crystal spirit liquid, had finished his cultivation and slowly opened his eyes.

A gleam flashed in his eyes.

"Golden Core mid-stage!"

At this moment, Chu Ning could clearly sense that his cultivation had progressed beyond the early Golden Core stage and entered the mid-stage.

It had taken him over twenty years to reach this point.

Of course, six of those years had been spent on Wuling Island, where he hadn't cultivated the Five Elements Chaos Formula.

"As expected of the Golden Core mid-stage, the rate at which I refine the Snow Crystal spirit liquid has doubled!"

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Chu Ning checked his proficiency levels.

【Five Elements Chaos Formula (Mid-Tier Heavenly Rank), Second Layer (8,300/100,000)】

【Nine Transformations Body Refining Art, Second Volume, Second Layer (23,600/90,000)】

【Refine God Technique, Fourth Layer (57,045/64,000)】

【Host possesses a Gold Spirit Root.】

【Talent Refresh, Reward Talent "Geng Metal Spiritual Body":

1. Significantly enhances the perception of metallic spiritual energy, increasing the speed of cultivating metal-attribute magical arts and spells; can be combined with Yin Wood Spiritual Body, Wu Fire Spiritual Body, and Xu Soil Spiritual Body, resulting in faster cultivation of magical arts and spells involving the four attributes of wood, fire, soil, and metal.

2. When using metal-attribute spells, the power of restrictive spells doubles.

Hidden Talent:

Absorb the Geng Metal Qi from heaven and earth treasures, and refine it to gain an edge in battle.】

"Phew, it's a good thing I condensed the Gold Spirit Root in advance!"

Upon seeing this talent refresh notification, Chu Ning's first thought was that his decision to go to the Gold Spirit Species Spirit Domain had been the right one.

Now that he had refreshed the talents for the four major attributes of Dan, Fu, Qi, and Zhen, the system had rewarded him with a cultivation-related talent.

If he hadn't condensed the Gold Spirit Root, he might not have received this talent.

Subsequently, Chu Ning began to examine the various talents below.

The bonuses to cultivating metal-attribute magical arts and spells were to be expected.

However, the talents that followed surprised him somewhat.

The talent that doubled the power of metal-attribute spells when used in conjunction with restrictive spells was similar to the Wu Fire Spiritual Body's talent, which doubled the power of spells.

But the Geng Metal Spiritual Body's talent also increased the power of his ability to break through various restrictions, including formation restrictions and defensive restrictions.

"Geng Metal Qi!"

At this moment, Chu Ning focused on the hidden talent of the Geng Metal Spiritual Body.

He began to ponder, realizing that this talent seemed somewhat similar to the hidden talent of the Yin Wood Spiritual Body, which allowed him to convert and absorb the spiritual energy gathered by wood-attribute spells cast on spirit plants.

Yet, there were also distinct differences.

Firstly, this Geng Metal Qi was not gathered through his own spells, but was inherently present in certain metal-attribute heaven and earth treasures.

Secondly, it could be absorbed and refined for use in battle, presumably enhancing his attacks.

Metal-attribute spells were inherently destructive, and this talent would further elevate the power of his attacks!

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Chu Ning's attention shifted from his proficiency levels to his dantian.

Within it, there was not only the Gold Spirit Species but also three strands of Gold Spirit Species' spiritual essence.

Previously, he had been unable to refine them, but now, with a top-grade Gold Spirit Root comparable to a Heavenly Spirit Root and the Geng Metal Spiritual Body, he should be able to refine them by cultivating the metal-attribute techniques of the Five Elements Chaos Formula!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end