Chapter 35: A Golden Core and a Strange Encounter

Coming out of the Black Desolation Sect, Gu Yuan, who was flying on his leaf-shaped flying treasure, couldn’t help but move up and down for a moment.

It was his second trip outside the sect, but his first trip alone. Yet, instead of feeling nervous or afraid of what he might encounter outside, Gu Yuan found himself more fascinated by the experience of flying on his own.

It wasn’t the first time he had flown like this, but the earlier times had been with others, not on his own. Controlling the flying treasure himself was simply more fun.

Gu Yuan even felt some regret that he hadn’t learned the flying technique earlier.

As fun as his time flying was, Gu Yuan didn’t forget the main purpose of this trip outside the sect.

As soon as he had put some distance between himself and the sect, he landed on the ground. After confirming that no one was around, he used his Thousand Forms Ring and changed his appearance.

The Heaven Grade ring didn’t only help him conceal his cultivation. It could even change his appearance. In fact, that was its main function.

After doing that, Gu Yuan resumed flying, searching for an appropriate place to break through.

Before long, he found a forest. He entered it, and soon found a suitable cave.

"Is this a demonic beast?" he muttered as his gaze landed on a large snake.

Compared to the snakes he knew on Earth, this one was much larger and far more ferocious.

It was still only a First Grade Demonic Beast though. Gu Yuan casually killed it, swept the place with his spiritual power to clean it up somewhat, then finally sat down and began meditating.

He adjusted his condition for an entire week before finally beginning his breakthrough.

To reach the Golden Core Realm, as the name suggested, he needed to condense a Golden Core from his spiritual Qi. The method for doing so was naturally recorded in his Golden Mountain Scripture.

He proceeded smoothly and was nearly finished. He could even feel clouds beginning to form high in the sky, a sign that his heavenly tribulation was approaching.

Yet, at that moment, Gu Yuan suddenly paused.

The Golden Core he had condensed was only Second Grade.

Should he really continue like this?

Gu Yuan couldn’t help but feel conflicted.

According to what was mentioned in a few notes he had read from the storage ring he received from Ji Yue, Golden Cores were divided into four grades: Third Grade, Second Grade, First Grade, and Top Grade.

Most people could only form a Third Grade Golden Core. He had been able to condense a Second Grade Golden Core because the technique he cultivated was an Earth Grade technique. Without it, a Third Grade Golden Core would have been his limit.

At this point, he either needed special herbs or treasures to help raise the grade of his Golden Core, or he had to delay his breakthrough and try to raise its grade through his own efforts.

Either choice was extremely difficult.

There was no treasure capable of doing that among the gifts he had received from the twins. And trying to raise the grade of his Golden Core on his own could instead cause him to fail to form it altogether, leaving hidden injuries behind.

Still, Gu Yuan decided to take a step back and try again.

He took a deep breath, dissolved the semi-formed Golden Core, and resumed cultivating.

One month passed, then another.

Gu Yuan spent six months trying his hardest to suppress his breakthrough before he finally reached his limit and began his breakthrough again.

He gathered the increased amount of spiritual Qi inside his dantian and began condensing it into a spherical shape.

"One last push."

Gu Yuan muttered as he activated his special ability, Heart of Comprehension.

With his mind completely clear, reaching the Second Grade was much easier this time. But Gu Yuan wasn’t satisfied. He continued refining and condensing his Golden Core, trying to push it even further.

Click.

Gu Yuan felt as though he had heard the sound of a lock being opened.

At the same time, the Golden Core he had formed underwent a transformation and advanced to the First Grade.

Gu Yuan didn’t hesitate anymore and continued with his breakthrough.

As for reaching the Top Grade?

Unfortunately, that was impossible through ordinary means, and Gu Yuan was already satisfied with the First Grade.

Shortly afterward, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and lightning began raining down on him.

The ceiling of the cave was immediately penetrated as if it were nothing more than paper in front of the lightning. Gu Yuan had expected to struggle against the tribulation, but he didn’t.

His defensive treasures, the Cloudveil Robe and Silent Moon Ring, blocked everything, while Gu Yuan calmly used the lightning to temper his body.

It was during this joyful time, when everything was going so smoothly, that Gu Yuan suddenly turned his head toward the distance and opened his eyes.

A cultivator had appeared there at some point.

He clearly had no intention of interfering or attacking, and he was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm. So, while Gu Yuan kept his presence at the back of his mind and didn’t let down his guard, he continued with his breakthrough.

Everything went smoothly.

Before long, the lightning clouds seemed to have been completely spent and began dissipating. Yet, just as Gu Yuan thought the tribulation was over, the dark clouds suddenly gathered again, seemingly noticing something they had missed before.

This time, they were denser and far more ferocious.

Gu Yuan’s expression changed slightly, but he didn’t lose his calm. He simply prepared himself to block them.

He stood up and took out the saber he had received from Deacon Zhao. Using it, he attacked the lightning coming toward him.

Drawing the Horizon.

Breaking the Mountain.

Gu Yuan wasn’t stingy with his spiritual power. He performed the two moves one after another, shaving away at the strength of the lightning strikes until they were weak enough for his defensive treasures to block without any problem.

The battle between Gu Yuan and the heavenly tribulation continued, while some distance away, the man watching him stood there in amazement.

"Even if it’s a First Grade Golden Core, the lightning tribulation shouldn’t be this strong..."

"This is more like a heavenly tribulation for someone breaking through into the Spiritual Core Realm, not the Golden Core Realm. So, what’s going on?"

He muttered to himself, clearly unable to make sense of what he was seeing.

He kept watching until Gu Yuan’s fight with the tribulation finally ended. The clouds dispersed completely, and Gu Yuan had successfully become a genuine Golden Core cultivator.

Then, without hesitation, Gu Yuan made his way toward the distant observer.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist." The unfamiliar cultivator cupped his hands and smiled. "Congratulations on your breakthrough."

Gu Yuan returned the greeting, but he remained quite wary of this unknown man.

Seemingly noticing this, the man chuckled.

"I’m Yunshan, a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. I was actually in this area with a group of people to attack the Black Desolation Sect."

"But then I found a chance to slip away from my team."

Hearing this, all kinds of thoughts flashed through Gu Yuan’s mind in an instant. He quickly decided how he should treat this man.

"Oh? You’re also here for the Black Desolation Sect?" Gu Yuan asked.

"You mean...?"

"Yes. I came for the same reason. I’m Ye Fan, from the Silent Valley Sect. I got separated from the others because of my breakthrough."

Yunshan nodded. He then looked at Gu Yuan as though he had found someone on the same side and advised him, "Well, then, it’s better if you don’t go to the Black Desolation Sect."

"What do you mean, fellow Daoist?"

"The Black Desolation Sect is strong. Even after being ganged up on by this many sects, I don’t think we’ll be able to accomplish much by attacking them."

"We’ll only be throwing our lives away."

"Even so," Gu Yuan replied in a righteous tone, "they went too far with what they did to the Crimson Flame Sect."

Yunshan shook his head.

"If the Crimson Flame Sect hadn’t kept picking fights with the Black Desolation Sect, even after being warned, would they have ended up like this?"

"They wouldn’t have. So, they’re simply reaping what they sowed."

"But it’s still an evil sect," Gu Yuan didn’t seem to be convinced, "It would be better if they were gone."

"That’s just what the other sects call them. Let me ask you something. What exactly has the Black Desolation Sect done that the other sects haven’t?"

Gu Yuan seemed at a loss for words, so Yunshan continued on his own.

"They haven’t done anything different. If anything, at least they’re direct about what they do. The other sects will put on a righteous appearance while doing the same things, or even worse."

"Cultivators are selfish by nature. Most don’t really care about anyone other than themselves. So, this talk about what is black and what is white doesn’t really hold up in the first place."

The conversation between Gu Yuan and Yunshan continued for quite some time.

Gu Yuan’s impression of the man was that he was quite eccentric.

Do you not fear that I might suddenly get angry and attack you?

Gu Yuan wondered this as he looked at the man.

Yunshan appeared to be only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, and with Gu Yuan’s current cultivation, killing him would actually be quite easy.

Yet Yunshan didn’t seem worried about that at all.

Naturally, Gu Yuan didn’t attack him either. Instead, the two continued talking for a long while, and as they spoke, Gu Yuan found that they unexpectedly had quite a lot to talk about.

Eventually, Gu Yuan decided to wrap things up and left.

Naturally, he didn’t head toward the Black Desolation Sect. Instead, he deliberately moved in the opposite direction.

Left alone, Yunshan looked toward the direction Gu Yuan had taken and let out a quiet chuckle.

"What an interesting Black Desolation Sect disciple," he muttered.

Then, without any flying treasure, he rose into the air and left as well.