Chapter 552: Major Cultivation Boost, All Breakthroughs

Chapter 552: Major Cultivation Boost, All Breakthroughs

In the Great Tianyuan World, the Gongshu Clan.

On a massive mountain peak, spiritual energy swirled, and spirit cranes and butterflies danced about.

It was a scene befitting a paradise of immortals.

However, in this peaceful and blessed land, a woman with a stern face and icy eyes stood.

"Have you still not found the origin of the evil demon who harmed Yu'er, or where he has fled to?"

A middle-aged woman, with a beautiful and noble appearance, asked coldly.

"Reporting to Lady", a guard answered cautiously, "the evil demon's origins are shrouded in mystery. No matter how hard we investigate, we can only determine that he is an outsider cultivator who entered the Xiaocang Realm through a teleportation array from Star City.

However, his specific background and lineage remain unknown.

As for his whereabouts, since he entered the City Lord's Manor in Canglan City, no one has seen him again.

I believe he must have used the teleportation array in the City Lord's Manor to leave for the Upper Realm through Baihua Valley.

However, over the past two years, we have conducted thorough investigations in the cities within tens of thousands of miles around Baihua Valley.

We found no traces of the evil demon appearing.

Therefore, I believe there is a high possibility that the evil demon is either hiding within the Nangong Clan or has escaped to another state, or even left our Upper Realm."

Buzz!

Upon hearing this, the noble middle-aged woman's body shuddered, and a cold, icy aura spread out.

The ground instantly froze, and a layer of frost formed on the guard kneeling on one knee. Frost even clung to his eyebrows.

However, the guard did not dare to move or resist with his cultivation.

He endured everything with sheer physical strength.

"A bunch of useless fools!" the woman's voice was unbearably cold. "I gave you two years, and you still found nothing. What use are you to me!"

The guard dared not speak. He knew that since the death of Young Master Yu, the lady's mood had been unstable.

If he tried to defend himself now, it might bring even greater punishment, possibly even costing him his life.

The woman's aura continued to spread, and the frost on the guard's body grew thicker, almost freezing his flesh.

Only then did she slightly retract her aura, her face regaining its coldness.

"What about Lord? Has he found nothing after all this time?"

"Lord has been in seclusion and has given no other instructions", the guard replied, his voice trembling.

The woman's aura shuddered again.

"Hmph, another useless fool. Even after his own son's death, he dare not seek revenge, only focusing on daily cultivation.

Even if you become more powerful, will the position of Clan Head fall into your hands?

And those old, fearless elders in the clan are all cowards!

They let their direct-line disciple die at the hands of the Nangong Clan, yet they lack the courage to declare war on the Nangong Clan!

Fine, since none of you are willing to avenge my Yu'er,

I, this woman, will take matters into my own hands!

Nangong Yuanwu, you dared to kill my son. I swear, I will make you suffer eternal torment, with no hope of rebirth!

And as for that evil demon, no matter where you hide, I will find you.

I will refine your soul into a lamp, to be placed before my son's spirit tablet.

Day and night, I will torment you, making you atone for your sins to my son!"

Hearing the woman's venomous words, filled with the dread of the underworld, and the terrifying aura emanating from her, the guard was utterly terrified.

Before he could react, he was completely frozen by the icy aura.

...

Lu Qing was unaware that in the Gongshu Clan, a woman harbored an intense hatred towards him.

He was meditating in an unknown cave, his aura as still as a stone.

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Qing's aura suddenly trembled slightly, and he slowly awoke.

"Finally, the fourth stage is complete."

Lu Qing's eyes were filled with reflection.

After being in seclusion in this cave for over two years, he had finally advanced from the initial stage of the Fourth Stage of Golden Core to the fourth stage of perfection.

Next, as long as he refined his cultivation further, he could attempt to break through to the fifth stage of the Golden Core realm.

"However, once I reach the fifth stage, I cannot remain in seclusion here."

Lu Qing furrowed his brow.

The cave he was in, though only the den of a spirit leopard at the Zhu Ji Realm, was rich in spiritual energy, which was already abundant in the Great Tianyuan World.

The spiritual energy in this ordinary cave was sufficient for him and Xiao Li to cultivate for a long time.

However, with his cultivation advancing, there was something Lu Qing had to consider.

His "Perfect Golden Core Technique" had only been deduced up to the sixth stage.

The higher stages were currently beyond his ability to deduce.

The reason was that the "Perfect Golden Core Technique" was derived from the great Daoic principles bestowed by the Heavenly Dao after his successful tribulation, combined with various cultivation techniques he had mastered over time.

But in his home world, the number of advanced cultivation techniques he could obtain was limited.

Those that could reach the Primordial Soul Realm were even fewer, numbering only a handful.

Using this as a foundation, he managed to deduce the Perfect Golden Core Technique up to the sixth level, but could not proceed further.

"To deduce the cultivation methods for the seventh level and beyond of the Perfect Golden Core Technique, I need to find more cultivation techniques and draw inspiration from them. Only then might I succeed."

Lu Qing's Perfect Golden Core was exceptionally rare.

A complete world might only give rise to one such core under the most fortuitous circumstances, and even then, it was not guaranteed.

Without the emergence of a truly exceptional genius, coupled with various fortuitous events, some worlds might never see the birth of a Perfect Golden Core from their inception to their demise.

Such a unique core had no established cultivation methods.

Thus, Lu Qing could only rely on his extraordinary abilities to slowly deduce and create his own cultivation techniques.

However, while his abilities were remarkable, they were not omnipotent and could not conjure something out of nothing.

To deduce new cultivation techniques, he needed sufficient references to compare and draw from, in order to create new methods.

Back in his home world, the cultivation techniques he had mastered could only support him in deducing the Perfect Golden Core Technique up to the sixth level.

Trying to deduce the seventh level was beyond his capabilities.

At that time, Lu Qing realized that his knowledge and resources were insufficient.

This was one of the reasons he left his home world.

Staying there, his cultivation could not advance, and his attempts to deduce cultivation techniques had stagnated.

Only by venturing out and gaining exposure to more advanced techniques could he hope to create the subsequent methods for the Perfect Golden Core Technique.

"After this breakthrough, I'll start my journey through the Great Tianyuan World."

After making this decision, Lu Qing glanced at Xiao Li and Wu Xing.

Xiao Li had reached the first level of the Golden Core Realm and was nearly at the peak of that level, just a step away from the second level.

As for Wu Xing, it had been in a state of deep sleep for the past two years, digesting the remains of the strange bird. Its aura was steadily growing stronger.

Once it awoke, its cultivation would certainly have advanced significantly.

By the time Lu Qing broke through, these two little ones would also be ready to wake up.

Lu Qing closed his eyes again, entering a deeper state of cultivation.

As for the den of spirit leopards, he had already sealed them inside the Lihuo Cauldron, temporarily imprisoning them.

Since he had taken over their den, he did not wish to kill them.

However, spirit beasts at the Zhu Ji Realm had a fair amount of intelligence and could communicate with other beings.

To ensure his movements were not exposed, he could not release them and had to keep them confined within the Lihuo Cauldron.

Fortunately, the Lihuo Cauldron, now fully restored to its peak power, could easily sustain the needs of the spirit leopards.

Days passed as Lu Qing continued his cultivation.

To his surprise, after half a month, Xiao Li broke through first, advancing to the second level of the Golden Core Realm.

Another half a month later, Wu Xing awoke.

However, despite digesting the remains of the strange bird, it only reached the peak of the first level, still some distance from the second level.

It would need more time to accumulate and refine its cultivation before attempting to break through.

Seeing both of them successfully break through, Lu Qing felt relieved and focused fully on his own cultivation.

One day, in the quiet mountain cave, Lu Qing's mind stirred.

Without hesitation, he took out a handful of mid-grade spirit stones from his Qiankun One-Qi Bag and scattered thirty-six of them around him, forming a simple spirit-gathering array.

With a thought, the array activated, and a surging wave of spiritual energy poured out from the thirty-six mid-grade spirit stones, converging on him.

Lu Qing's cultivation technique was in full motion, akin to a true dragon drawing water, as it continuously absorbed the vast spiritual energy into his body.

After being refined by the Wu Xing gourd, this energy transformed into pure, potent magical power.

As Lu Qing absorbed large amounts of spiritual energy, his aura grew increasingly formidable.

Finally, when the last of the thirty-six medium-grade spirit stones released their final trace of spiritual essence and crumbled into dust, Lu Qing absorbed this vast spiritual essence into his body, causing his entire being to tremble.

A formidable aura, akin to an ancient beast awakening, radiated from him.

Fortunately, he had already set up an array outside the cave to conceal his aura.

Otherwise, the aura of his breakthrough would have spread out, likely causing a disturbance throughout the entire mountain range.

However, with the array outside the cave, the aura was contained and did not spread.

Xiao Li and Wu Xing, however, were jolted awake from their cultivation by the commotion of Lu Qing’s breakthrough.

"Ah Qing has finally broken through?"

Xiao Li, feeling the terrifying aura emanating from Lu Qing, immediately understood what had happened, her eyes lighting up with joy.

Wu Xing also wagged its tail excitedly.

The two young ones waited with eager anticipation for Lu Qing to complete his breakthrough.

Soon, Lu Qing's aura rapidly subsided, and he quickly returned to his usual state.

Then he opened his eyes, his gaze profound, as if containing an endless expanse of starry skies, making anyone who looked into them feel as if their soul would be drawn in.

However, this strange phenomenon was fleeting, quickly brought under control by Lu Qing.

"Ah Qing, you’ve successfully broken through?"

Xiao Li approached Lu Qing, her curiosity barely contained.

"Yes, I’ve just advanced to the Fifth Stage of the Golden Core Realm", Lu Qing nodded with a smile.

"Fifth Stage of the Golden Core Realm..." Xiao Li’s eyes showed envy, "Your human race really progresses quickly. Compared to us spirit beasts, our cultivation speed is so slow."

"Your cultivation speed isn’t slow either.

Many spirit beasts might struggle for decades or even centuries without advancing a single stage.

You’ve already reached the Second Stage of the Golden Core Realm, which is quite fast even among all spirit beasts."

Lu Qing reached out and ruffled Xiao Li’s head, smiling.

"Of course, I’m a genius!"

The little one, flattered by the praise, proudly lifted her head.

Lu Qing chuckled again but didn’t contradict her.

He knew she wasn’t exaggerating.

Xiao Li and Wu Xing were indeed geniuses among spirit beasts.

After all, they had both condensed superior demon cores.

Especially Xiao Li, who had successfully endured the full nine stages of lightning tribulation.

Her superior demon core was flawless and complete.

Such talent would be considered top-notch even in the Great Tianyuan World.

The Golden Core Tribulation is a manifestation of the Great Dao’s rules, derived from the heavens.

Its power is determined by the cultivator’s own accumulation and the depth of their sins, not by the size of the world.

In other words, if a cultivator who has reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm in the Great Tianyuan World were to cross over to another world, such as Lu Qing’s home world, to undergo the tribulation, the heavenly tribulation would remain the same in power.

Under the heavenly tribulation, all beings are equal.

No matter how powerful a cultivor from the Zhu Ji Realm might be, they cannot surpass the heavens of a world.

Under the resonance of the Great Dao, the Golden Core Tribulation will not become weaker simply because one has changed worlds.

If the Golden Core Tribulation could be so easily circumvented, the Zhu Ji Realm cultivators from the great worlds would have long sought out smaller worlds to undergo their tribulations.

Therefore, the superior golden cores condensed in the small worlds are not significantly weaker than those condensed in the great worlds.

This information was detailed in the Core Formation Realm chapter of the Great Dao that Lu Qing had obtained.

That’s why he didn’t contradict Xiao Li’s words.

Because the flawless superior demon core Xiao Li had condensed after enduring the nine stages of lightning tribulation was indeed among the best in the Great Tianyuan World.

Of course, this applies to the Golden Core Tribulation. Whether the same holds true for the Essence Spirit Tribulation, Lu Qing wasn’t sure.

At that level, one begins to comprehend various rules of the Dao.

The specific subtleties and changes are beyond what Lu Qing could currently understand.

"Ah Qing, now that you’ve broken through, are we going to leave?"

Xiao Li asked again.

"Indeed, since we’ve come to the Great Tianyuan World, we shouldn’t stay in seclusion forever. It’s time to go out and explore."

Lu Qing patted Xiao Li’s head, smiling.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end