Chapter 443: Core Formation

After the officials of the Immortal Gate's Ministry of Foreign Affairs left.

Only two people remained here.

"Do you know why Master Dinghai Zhenjun Elder Bo Ming was so angry?"

Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun put the slumbering Yu Yu Qianzi away, called over a drone from the Immortal Capital Police Headquarters, placed him inside, gave a few instructions, and asked casually.

"I don't know."

Jiang Ding shook his head.

He had never been involved in the upper-level situation of the Immortal Gate, and did not understand the twists and turns within it.

"Because you've brought enormous trouble to him, and to the entire Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun explained: "For the next several decades, they may have to work overtime every year — explanations to the Wuxingtian Sect, statements to the Shangqing Lingbao Sect, and appeasement of several other Zhonglixian Sects... and so on."

"That alone would be fine; cultivators aren't afraid of being tired."

"The fear is that even after all this busy work, the final result might be even worse, affecting his progress in accumulating Soul Transformation war merits, to the point of affecting his cultivation, his lifespan!"

Apart from war merits, scientific research, commerce, diplomacy, and so on can all earn merits, but the threshold is extremely high — one must reach the very top, only then can it compare to others' bloodshed and sacrifice.

Fall just a little short, and it's merely living on a dead salary.

"So that's how it is."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

Without the slightest look of embarrassment.

The Immortal Gate's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did indeed look very hard-working, and it seemed only right and proper.

But!

In the Waste Copper Minor World, in the Vast Sea Minor World, he and many Immortal Gate soldiers fought, sacrificed, risked death — was that not hard work?

It was a fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' work was difficult to carry out.

However, just because of that, was he supposed to let go time and again of enemies who tried to kill him, merely for the sake of so-called considering the big picture?

Laughable.

All cultivators from beyond the realms liked to bully the weak and fear the strong, pushing their luck!

Once it truly became so,

He really feared that one day when passing by the Shangqing Lingbao Sect and the Qingmuxian Sect, even a dog of an Immortal Sect would dare to set up an ambush to kill him.

After all, there was no danger, was there?

Once successful, they would immediately be heavily rewarded by sects like the Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace — great opportunities for breaking through from Jin Dan to Nascent Soul, or from Nascent Soul to Soul Transformation would all be bestowed.

The so-called Zhonglixian Sects like the Shangqing Lingbao Sect would naturally severely rebuke, push out one or two scapegoats, and lightly let it go.

"Don't be angry; human nature is such."

"Everyone's gaze is fixed on their own domain, centered on themselves."

"Master Dinghai Zhenjun Elder Bo Ming, you, me — all the same."

Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun was unsurprised.

"Don't look at me now, calm and composed as a breeze — but if someone were to greatly affect the cultivation of Qingfeng University's undergraduates, master's and doctoral students, the promotion rate and the rate of becoming useful talents, just watch whether I jump up and down in anger."

"I might even be more furious than Master Dinghai Zhenjun Elder Bo Ming."

This concerned the accumulation of his Soul Transformation war merits.

"Along with your advancement, as your strength grows stronger and stronger, such matters will continue to appear in the future."

"There are many cultivators who are delighted, exhilarated, full of anticipation because of this."

"There are also many cultivators who, because their own interests have been harmed, feel resentment, or who feel uneasy and pessimistic about the increased probability of the Badaxian Sect encirclement forming once again, and thus become hostile to a certain degree."

"Everyone is striving and struggling for their own Dao."

Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun said slowly.

"However."

"This kind of struggle must have a bottom line."

"That is the Immortal Gate's law, and the Immortal Gate's overall interests!"

"Once anyone crosses the Lei Chi, the Immortal Gate's law will immediately suppress them with iron-blooded coldness — it is not something that can be lightly brushed aside with a few words about civic equality and freedom. This is the bottom line; remember it."

"Understood, Teacher."

Jiang Ding nodded solemnly.

He knew this was both a warning and a reassurance.

The Immortal Gate's environment was not as harsh as that of the Jiewaixian Sect — not constantly scheming and harming in secret, not fighting to the death on dueling platforms, not being suppressed for no reason by great powers from beyond the heavens.

But various contests of interest also existed, some quite cruel — only the bottom line was much higher.

"Knowing these things is enough; there's no need to take them too much to heart."

Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun waved his hand: "For us cultivators, the most fundamental thing is still cultivation. As long as one's cultivation is high, many things that were originally enormous difficulties instantly become a breeze brushing the face."

"Naturally so."

Jiang Ding nodded.

……

Fifteen days passed in a hurry.

Inside the mining area dormitory.

The blue-gold great tree shone brilliantly, inhaling and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the great sun, transforming them into fluttering motes of light that drifted down.

Jiang Ding sat cross-legged beneath the tree, receiving the brand-new version of the Core Formation secret art that Zhang Zhang Junsheng had transmitted through the array spirit.

"There are about twenty or so places that have been changed."

Jiang Ding silently compared it with the original version, carefully pondering the similarities and differences within, as well as the effects produced: "Some post-Core Formation cultivation has been improved, the effect of the divine soul's qualitative change has been enhanced a little, and the connection with Nascent Soul secret arts..."

Simulated it repeatedly within the divine soul.

Striving to have no doubts about every single detail, so it could be used by instinct.

……

"With such a crude Golden Core formation environment, is it really okay?"

Outside the dormitory of the mining district, Jin Lingfeng said with some disbelief.

"This is enough."

Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun nodded slightly: "He is different. In terms of refining magic power and divine sense, he has already reached an extremely deep level, almost comparable to, no, even more pure than the magic power of many Jin Dan cultivators."

"He needs no assistance."

"As long as there is a safe place with some spiritual qi, that will do; he doesn't even need a third-grade spiritual vein."

"Teacher Zhang, but forming a Golden Core in a dormitory is too casual."

An Siyan was still somewhat worried: "Shouldn't we find a secret room or something? The safety would be better."

"For him, within the Immortal Sect, everywhere is the same."

Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun shook his head slightly and offered no explanation.

Standing quietly around were a group of cultivators, mostly Huang Yan and other classmates. They were also at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm, having come to witness the ceremony and accumulate experience for their own future Golden Core formations.

The Immortal Sect encourages such things.

Basically, every Golden Core formation attracts a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators on the verge of forming their own.

In addition to them, Lu Ling Master Dinghai Zhenjun, Zhang Zhang Junsheng, and other teachers, and even officials from the Foreign Ministry of the neighboring Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou University, as well as other Nascent Soul cultivators, had also arrived. These people came purely out of curiosity.

"The Great Sun Sword Disciple is forming his Golden Core!"

Beside Lu Ling Master Dinghai Zhenjun, a heroic middle-aged man wearing a golden crown said excitedly: "Old One-Eye, tell me, has the Di Ci Gao Jie already become the Immortal Sect's?"

"This is a good place to produce Di Ci Tie Mu. Used on the electromagnetic main cannon, it can greatly increase the strength of the electromagnetic array patterns. The Great Sun Sword Disciple will like it."

"Damn it, Old One-Eye!"

Lu Ling Master Dinghai Zhenjun kicked him to the ground, smashing out a large pit, and cursed angrily: "My eye has been gone for less than two hundred years, and you've already assigned that nickname. That was fast."

"Do you want to fight?"

He knew that if this trend wasn't stopped immediately, a huge crowd would start calling him that in the future, and his good title of Lu Ling Master Dinghai Zhenjun would turn into that 'One-Eye'.

"Don't, I was wrong!"

"My lord, have mercy."

The middle-aged man with the golden crown got up, covered in dust and dirt, and said with a shameless face: "Tell me, since you are his teacher, can the Great Sun Sword Disciple actually form his Golden Core this time? I really want to find a way to lure him to the Di Ci Gao Jie."

"Can he or not?"

Lu Ling Master Dinghai Zhenjun let out a scoff.

Roar! Roar!

Suddenly, the sounds of dragon chants, whistling, and roaring came. The spiritual qi of heaven and earth within dozens of kilometers became turbulent and began to converge toward a single point at the center. The clear sky became covered in dark clouds.

"The Golden Core formation has begun."

Everyone stared at the sky, holding their breath.

(End of this chapter)