Chapter 1365: Finally Become a Golden Core Master!

Boom!

Two days passed, and after Lin Feng and Gu Xun'er left the bamboo house they were staying in, a sudden, intense Dou Qi shock burst out.

In the next instant, a vast momentum, centered on the bamboo house, surged violently in all directions.

"Ha ha, the scent of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame is really nice, and it even helped Miss me break through to the late stage of the Eight‑Star Dou Saint!"

Immediately, a blonde girl shot up from the bamboo forest into the sky, laughing loudly.

However, while the former was jumping excitedly, Lin Feng below was holding a snow‑white body wrapped in his own coat, leaving the flattened bamboo house and flying toward his house in the distance.

After that, he promptly left the place.

After all, he still has plenty of things to do now and no time to waste here.

"Master, what shall we do next?"

Seeing Lin Feng suddenly appear before her, Xiao Ling slowly withdrew the smile from her face and asked.

"First we'll refine the Nine‑grade Golden Core to boost our strength, then use those Dou Emperor bloodlines to breakthrough, and finally absorb the Wu Nie Tun Yan."

Hearing that, Lin Feng immediately recited the order of his plan to increase strength.

"Wu Nie Tun Yan!"

Upon hearing the name of the second‑ranked exotic fire on the list, Xiao Ling's eyes lit up, and she licked her delicate pink lips with a look of yearning.

Immediately, she nodded rapidly and said, "Master, let's start right away; I can't wait!"

"Since that's the case, Xiao Ling, let's go. First we'll obtain the Dou Emperor bloodline from Xiao Yixian, Qing Lin, and Cai Lin, then head to Tian Mu to refine the elixir."

Seeing the little girl's greedy expression, Lin Feng laughed, scooped her up, and flew toward the distant sky.

"Hehe, luckily I took this Tian Mu before heading to Gu Di Dong Fu, otherwise it would have fallen into the hands of the Soul Heaven Emperor. That guy, with a five‑fold time‑flow boost, would have left my many plans impossible to carry out."

Returning to Tian Mu, Lin Feng gazed at the grayish sky inside and chuckled.

As soon as he finished speaking, he snapped his fingers, and a flash of golden light streaked out.

Dong!

In the next instant, the flame writhed in the sky ahead, eventually forming a towering fire cauldron a thousand zhang tall.

After completing that, Lin Feng promptly performed a Na Jie.

In an instant, a massive amount of herbs of various colors, grasses, fruits, and many other kinds of medicinal materials.

They burst out noisily from the Na Jie, forming a wide river of plants above the gray sky inside Tian Mu.

At the same time, the scent of medicine spread across the sky.

The overly strong medicinal fragrance created a massive colorful mist in the sky that obscured vision.

With the emergence of the 'herb river', it spread outward together.

After the herbs appeared, Lin Feng hesitated not a moment and waved his hand broadly.

He controlled the herbs, sending them en masse toward the distant fire cauldron.

In an instant, the thousand‑zhang golden fire cauldron was packed full of assorted herbs.

As soon as the herbs entered the cauldron, Lin Feng immediately raised the flame temperature, continuously scorching the herbs inside.

During this refining, more than half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

However, in the perpetually gray Tian Mu, the passage of time is hard to discern.

Yet during that period, the tens of thousands of herbs in the scorching golden fire cauldron vanished unnoticed.

What remained on the ground were only colorful portions of herb essence.

"Looks like it's about time to fuse."

After an indeterminate amount of time, the long‑silent Lin Feng suddenly lifted his head and murmured to himself.

Immediately, he began to lower the temperature of the golden flame inside the distant fire cauldron.

After all, now that the herb extraction is complete, if the flame is too hot it will scorch the herb essence, rendering it unusable.

In that case, this refinement would be considered a failure.

Of course, while the thousand‑zhang cauldron's firepower was reduced, a vast soul power rapidly radiated from his mind.

The tangible soul power instantly split into tens of thousands of fragments, enveloping all the distant flames.

Then, Lin Feng's thoughts shifted.

Those fragments of soul power immediately pushed the densely packed herb essence inside the cauldron, slowly converging toward the center.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As the fireballs drew nearer, they sensed each other, and massive energy shockwaves generated by the repulsion of various herbs erupted like New Year's fireworks, booming up and down in the sky—quite a lively scene.

Of course, this description is only from a third‑person's perspective.

But Lin Feng, who is fusing those herb essences, feels extremely uncomfortable.

At this moment, because of the continuously exploding energy shockwaves.

His control over the herbs is severely affected.

Under the interference of shockwaves strong enough to grievously wound or even bring down a four‑star or five‑star Dou Saint, Lin Feng couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

Immediately after, he quickly increased the output of his soul power to stabilize the golden fireballs.

To prevent the herbs from being blown apart or damaged by the mutual energy shockwaves.

At the same time, he continued to control the herb essence, drawing it ever closer.

After all, the fusion of the Nine‑grade Golden Core requires that all the herbs merge almost simultaneously to succeed.

Otherwise, the subsequent herbs could not integrate into the already formed energy liquid.

Therefore, he must hurry to complete the fusion, lest trouble arise.

Boom! Boom!

As time passes, the tens of thousands of herbs inside the fire cauldron draw ever closer, and the resulting energy shockwaves become stronger, continuously bursting out from the cauldron toward the distance.

He briefly rendered this grayish sky into a variegated color.

And Lin Feng, facing this grim scene, could only desperately release his soul power to counteract those shockwaves.

To prevent the medicinal essences from being washed away, which would cause the alchemy to fail.

Of course, during this period, he also had to continue maintaining the stability of the medicinal essences.

However, since he was no longer the Eight-Star Dou Saint who had previously attempted to refine the Nine-Rank Golden Pill.

Therefore, when facing these numerous shockwaves, he was no longer flustered as before; instead, he appeared extremely composed.

After all, the repulsive force between those medicinal ingredients was enough to make even an Eight-Star Dou Saint find it troublesome.

But for himself, who was about to advance to the mid-stage of Nine-Star Dou Saint, it was nothing.

Boom!

After several days of this merging, a fairly strong energy shockwave suddenly emanated from within the distant, thousand-zhang-large golden fire cauldron.

And this shockwave's strength was obviously much greater than before.

But unfortunately, for Lin Feng now, it was still nothing.

Nevertheless, he continued to output his vast soul power without cease.

He poured it into the distant golden fire cauldron, stabilizing the large mass of colorful medicinal liquid that was about to successfully merge.

After all, at this critical moment, it is the node most prone to alchemy failure.

Therefore, even though he was confident in refining this Nine-Rank Golden Pill, he absolutely could not be careless.

Boom!

However, soon another energy shockwave madly surged out from within the fire cauldron, heavily striking the golden cauldron wall.

However, this energy shockwave was quickly quelled by Lin Feng.

And after that shockwave gradually dissipated, he saw within the fire cauldron a mass of medicinal liquid that had completely merged into a variegated hue.

Lin Feng's mouth corner involuntarily twitched, revealing a hint of a smile.

Immediately thereafter, he adjusted the fire temperature, causing the golden flames within the fire cauldron to gradually become violent.

After all, now that the medicinal essences have successfully merged, the next step is to temper these energy liquids, solidifying them into a proto-pill.

For this step, a strong fire is required.

During this tempering, within Tian Mu, several days passed unnoticed once again.

However, during this period, the mass of energy liquid before Lin Feng.

It also gradually changed from its previous water-like liquid state to its present viscous, slimy state.

This change needs no further explanation.

Clearly, this is the process whereby the medicinal essences are gradually transforming into a proto-pill.

Bang!

However, the next moment, a large amount of thick black dust suddenly erupted from the viscous energy liquid, striking the inner wall of the distant fire cauldron.

Due to the excessive amount, in an instant the dense black dust turned the golden fire cauldron a dark black hue.

However, because the flame temperature at this moment is somewhat high,

therefore, in less than a breath's time, those black impurities were roasted into nothingness by the golden strange fire on the inner wall of the medicine cauldron.

Thus the fire cauldron regained its pure golden color.

Along with the disappearance of those black impurities, within the fire cauldron.

That granule, now smaller and more pure, the viscous energy mass, also reappeared within Lin Feng's sight.

This appearance clearly shows that it had expelled that large amount of impurities beforehand.

The purity of its energy has been greatly increased.

As for Lin Feng, he confirmed that everything inside the medicine cauldron was currently normal.

He therefore continued to quietly transmit fighting qi into it, while controlling the flame temperature and awaiting the formation of the proto-pill.

And under this constant roasting, the solid proportion within the energy mass inside the fire cauldron is also steadily rising.

At this rate, it will not exceed three days at most.

This mass of energy liquid will become a proto-pill.

Boom!

After more than two days had passed in this manner, the golden fire cauldron suddenly emitted another strong impact from within.

Immediately thereafter, a large amount of black impurities again erupted from within.

Just as before, it instantly permeated the entire golden fire cauldron.

Gazing into the distance, the thousand-zhang-large fire cauldron instantly turned once again into a black medicine cauldron.

However, under the blazing golden strange fire, the black dust was quickly burned to ashes.

At the same time, the experienced Lin Feng also remained perfectly calm, stabilizing the situation inside the medicine cauldron.

To avoid a repeat of the initial cauldron explosion.

After the dust cleared, a mass roughly the size of a human brain, nearly solidified into a sea urchin-shaped semi-crystal, appeared within Lin Feng's perception.

Of course, this sea urchin-shaped thing is actually not a true crystal.

Rather, it is because the energy contained within the Nine-Rank Golden Pill is too vast, and has been forcibly compressed into a relatively narrow space.

This causes the internal energy to become overly dense, thereby condensing into a substance resembling a crystal.

Meanwhile, as his soul power sensed it, Lin Feng discovered that the energy contained within that sea urchin-shaped crystal had become even purer than before, reaching a new level.

Seeing this, Lin Feng immediately continued to adjust the temperature within the fire cauldron, continuing to temper that proto-pill which was about to take shape.

Whoosh!

After tempering for one day in this manner, an invisible vortex with extraordinarily strong suction suddenly appeared out of nowhere above the distant fire cauldron.

And as soon as this vortex appeared, it immediately stirred all the heavenly and earthly energy within a thousand-li radius centered on the fire cauldron in Tian Mu.

Those vast expanses of energy, at this moment, surged upward like a flood toward the space above the medicine cauldron, and then poured straight down into the vortex below.

Immediately afterward, it was again absorbed into the energy crystal inside the fire cauldron.

Of course, before entering that energy crystal, these mottled heavenly and earthly energies first underwent several temperings by the strange fire.

After removing the impurities within, only then could this pure energy enter the lower energy crystal.

Moreover, the area of this intangible vortex also gradually expanded with the passage of time.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the vortex's sphere of influence.

it had already expanded from the previous thousand li to a colossal vortex capable of drawing in the heavenly and earthly energy within a radius of ten thousand li.

And with such a vast amount of energy converging in one place, the sky above the fire cauldron formed a boundless, variegated whirlwind.

At the same time, as the vortex's suction continually expanded, the speed of the heavenly and earthly energy within it also surged suddenly.

Its speed is now so fast that it has even reached one-tenth the speed of light!

And such great speed, combined with an extremely high energy density,

therefore, during flight, large amounts of energy collide with each other.

Furthermore, this extreme speed endows them with tremendous power.

Thus, each energy collision lights up a fleeting, starlike streak of color in the sky.

And as vast amounts of energy continually strike, the fleeting light they produce, in the hazy Tian Mu, resembles constantly twinkling starlight—beautiful and awe‑inspiring!

And Lin Feng gazed at the ceaselessly flowing heavenly and earthly energy, yet his expression remained unchanged.

He merely continued to control the flame, constantly tempering the sea urchin crystal inside the fire cauldron.

And in this tedious refining process, several days passed quickly.

During this period, the energy vortex in the sky also gradually shrank,

until now, it has almost completely disappeared.

Meanwhile, the sea urchin‑shaped crystal inside the fire cauldron likewise changed completely from its former appearance.

Now it has become an ellipsoid whose surface is covered with pits of various sizes.

In appearance, it somewhat resembles a blue star drained of water.

And this is the result of Lin Feng's efforts over the past month—a prototype of a nine‑rank golden core!

Of course, as the price for forming this golden‑core prototype,

the fire cauldron's surrounding area of tens of thousands of li has had its heavenly and earthly energy drained to an almost nonexistent degree!

Even with Tian Mu's mystic nature, restoring it would likely require a considerably long time.

However, Lin Feng at this moment has no mind to worry about such trivial matters.

He now focuses all his attention on the prototype within the distant fire cauldron.

After all, after spending so much time refining, his efforts have finally borne fruit!

However, upon seeing the prototype take shape, Lin Feng hastily reduced the flame temperature.

Using a gentle fire, he slowly baked the pitted, uneven ellipsoidal prototype, causing it to steadily approach perfection.

And surely, when it becomes completely round and smooth, that will be the day the nine‑rank golden core is born.

Under such baking, two days passed in the blink of an eye.

When the time arrived at the third day, the distant golden fire cauldron finally emitted a similar aura.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

And then, wave after wave of energy surged forth explosively from within the fire cauldron.

"Boom—rumble—rumble"

At the same time, above the hazy horizon, dark clouds of a deeper hue appeared out of nowhere, floating directly above the fire cauldron.

Moreover, at this moment, a thunderous rumble like a dragon's roar began to reverberate slowly throughout this space.

When Lin Feng raised his head to look, he saw only the black clouds gathering in the high sky.

Strands of brilliant, dazzling golden light gradually emerged from within them, continually growing stronger.

At the same time, an aura as if it could destroy heaven and earth suddenly suffused this sky.

Faced with this situation, Lin Feng, who had clashed several times with the Nine Mystic Golden Thunder,

instantly recognized this aura as coming from the Nine Mystic Golden Thunder.

However, compared to Little Nine, these thunderbolts really amount to nothing.

"Sizzle!"

After a moment, a bolt of golden thunder thicker than a person's waist suddenly plummeted from the black clouds above.

In the blink of an eye, it shattered the fire cauldron's lid, violently struck the fist‑sized red pill inside, and then broke into countless tiny golden thunder‑snakes that incessantly corroded this round red medicinal pill.

Yet facing this situation, Lin Feng did not intervene to block the pill thunder.

Because he knows that pills of this grade

need to temper themselves with this pill thunder's power to become more perfect.

Meanwhile, under Lin Feng's tense gaze from afar, golden thunderbolts continued to fall from the sky.

Then they turned into numerous thunder‑snakes that eroded the fist‑sized red pill inside the fire cauldron.

However, under the bombardment of this thunderous power, the pill was not destroyed.

On the contrary, it became ever more round and pure, shining especially brightly under the blazing Nine Mystic Golden Thunder.

The pill thunder's such frantic bombardment lasted a full quarter of an hour before gradually beginning to wane.

And just as the thunder weakened, a dazzling red light suddenly burst forth from the surface of the pill.

In the sight, amid the intertwining gold and red, that fist‑sized pill is extraordinarily beautiful.

Boom!

But soon, a pillar of light erupted violently from that pill, then shot upward into the sky, straight into the clouds.

That tremendous force, in just a single instant, shattered the dense black clouds high above, then continued upward until it vanished at the edge of sight.

Bang!

Right after shattering the pitch‑black thunderclouds, the red pillar of light did not last long and instantly burst apart.

It turned into countless specks of light, instantly striking the space beyond ten thousand zhang.

In the instant the red pillar exploded, waves of astonishing medicinal fragrance suddenly spread across the sky.

Moreover, as the scent swirled, it manifested as various herbs, filling the grayish sky and appearing exceedingly mysterious.

Whoosh!

But then, amid the sky's changing phenomena, a figure suddenly flashed across the heavens.

It then, like a red lightning, swiftly surged toward the distant space.

During its flight, a strong pill fragrance drifted behind it.

Like the trail cloud of a rocket, it was especially conspicuous.

Heh, a One‑level Pill already possesses the strength of an early‑stage Eight‑Star Dou Saint. It seems my pill‑refining art has become comparable to that of the Golden Core master after his power regressed.

Watching the nine‑grade Golden Core fleeing hurriedly in the distance, Lin Feng's lips curled slightly as he gave a faint smile.

As he spoke, a thought flickered in his mind, and the space around the distant figure suddenly solidified.

At the same time, that figure was also frozen within, unable to move a single inch.

Buzz!

Immediately after, the nine‑grade Golden Core's body sprouted a ring of light both above and below in rapid succession.

Gather!

Accompanied by Lin Feng's light command, the distant figure suddenly shrank rapidly, reverting to a red pill the size of a human fist, then darted back and finally landed before the former.

Seeing this, Lin Feng promptly took out a large jade bottle, collected the red pill inside, and finally tossed it into the absorption ring.

"Two vortices. I still need to refine another one, and then the ice‑type pill required to absorb Wu Nie Tun Yan. Looks like I'm busy now,"

He secured the pill, and the former immediately gave a wry smile, shaking his head.

But right after, he murmured to himself, "My cheap father‑in‑law still hasn't fought to open the Ancient Emperor inheritance; it seems his injuries haven't healed yet."

Thinking of that fellow's previous miserable state, Lin Feng couldn't help but laugh cheerfully as he continued to take out the herbs and began the next round of refining.

(End of Chapter)