Chapter 448: Gu Lin Candidate Daozi of the Eastern Extreme Demon Gate

After receiving the teachings of Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun and the others,

Jiang Ding approached True Person Gu Lin and Teacher Teacher Ouyang Hui.

"Jiang Ding, your cultivation has caught up to ours."

Teacher Ouyang Hui sighed, "Thinking back over a hundred years, when you first arrived at Qingfeng University, you were just a tiny thing with peak Innate cultivation. In a flash, so many years have passed."

"I am still far behind you, Teacher."

Jiang Ding quickly spoke humbly, "You two are now at the peak of the Jin Dan realm. Within a hundred years at most, you should overcome the Nascent Soul tribulation, achieve a Nascent Soul body, and extend your lifespan by twelve hundred years."

Jin Dan cultivators who teach at Qingfeng University are at least fourth-rank professionals, among the top Jin Dan cultivators of the Immortal Sects.

"Then I accept your auspicious words."

True Person Gu Lin smiled slightly.

Her skin was snow-white, her features beautiful, and her dark green, leaf-shaped hair swayed atop her head.

Jiang Ding looked closely at True Person Gu Lin.

This one possesses a Dao title while in the Jin Dan Jing.

This indicates she has achieved results in the Jin Dan Jing that impact the entire Immortal Sect.

Clang!

The Taiqing Flying Sword vibrated once.

Once again and again, humming excitedly, similar to its state during Foundation Establishment when it saw An Tuzi.

However, under the sword intent's perception, this one's strength is very weak.

Hmm, pre-Nascent Soul stage strength is enough to sweep away vast numbers of Jin Dan cultivators; with good luck, one could flee under the hands of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Logically, it should be impossible to cause the current Taiqing Flying Sword to become excited; it should be completely ignored.

Jiang Ding showed a look of confusion, thinking rapidly.

"What, Great Sun Sword Disciple, do you intend to beat me to death?"

True Person Gu Lin keenly sensed the threat, instinctively stepped back to find a route for escape, then watched him vigilantly, her combat experience exceptionally rich.

"Haha,"

"No, no, absolutely not."

Jiang Ding smiled awkwardly.

"Hehe..."

Teacher Ouyang Hui chuckled, pulled over her friend beside her, and introduced her, "Gu Lin, outside the realm, is known by the Immortal Sect cultivators as Gu Lin Candidate Daozi, yes, the Gu Lin Candidate Daozi of the Eastern Extreme Demon Gate."

"So that's it!"

Jiang Ding suddenly understood.

No wonder she gave him this feeling of being both powerful and weak.

Whether Immortal Sect cultivators possess super warships or cultivator legions around them makes their strength worlds apart; they are completely two different states.

"Within the Di Ci Gao Jie, the Green Spirit Group Army commanded by Gu Lin can match Brother Brother Xuanwu and Tian Tian Xuanzi, with neither side gaining the upper hand."

Teacher Ouyang Hui boasted.

"Very impressive."

Jiang Ding said admiringly.

The Candidate Daozi of the Badaxian Sect represent the top peerless strength of this realm; each is capable of surpassing their rank. Being able to match the opponent with a legion signifies terrifying formation arts levels, with no flaws in offense or defense.

Just like at the Dayang Dayang Tianchi,

the Lie Tian Sword Disciple of the Brother Xuanwu Tian Palace and others, their formation arts were not weak, yet they were easily suppressed. Trying to surround and kill a Candidate Daozi with numbers is nearly impossible; groups of people were instead crushed to death.

The initial decline within the Huang Tong Small Realm was simply because the initiative was lost on the battlefield outside the realm. Under the blockade of the military formation, too many Foundation Establishment cultivators and sky war machines could not be deployed, so only Qi Refining troops could be used against the Brother Xuanwu Tian Palace's Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Plus, the third-rank tactical nuclear bomb was temporarily countered.

This allowed the mere Brother Xuanwu candidate Candidate Daozi, Xia Hou Ding, to run wild.

"Don't praise me."

True Person Gu Lin rolled her eyes at her best friend, "The Great Sun Sword Disciple can beat a peer Candidate Daozi single-handedly. I bullied the few with the many, thousands surrounding one person. Don't you fear others laughing and making us lose face?"

"That is not losing face."

"Surrounding and killing is a profound Immortal Dao science; who dares to laugh?"

Jiang Ding disagreed.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Ding took his leave and returned to his classmates.

An Siyan and Jin Jin Lingfeng looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"Greetings, Jin Dan Ancestor, Classmate Jiang Ding."

An Siyan adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and said solemnly.

"..."

Jiang Ding was speechless.

"What's wrong, Ancestor Jiang?"

Jin Jin Lingfeng laughed like a blooming flower, unable to straighten her back, her silver hair bouncing up and down cheerfully.

"You're making me sound old."

"Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun is the correct title."

Jiang Ding snorted lightly, "You two little Foundation Establishment cultivators are truly bold; be careful or you'll get beaten."

"Haha..."

The two women patted his shoulders and laughed heartily.

"By the way, how is your Jin Dan formation preparation going?"

Jiang Ding asked.

These two were also at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and had been polishing themselves for several decades; their Core Formation had only come in recent years.

"It's alright."

When it came to serious matters, Jin Jin Lingfeng's little face grew more solemn: "Everything's prepared on all fronts. I'm planning to enter the Star Secret Realm to form my core three years from now. All kinds of supplementary spirit medicines and pills, plus formation arrays, are fully stocked. I've been busy with this side of things for these past several decades."

Her mother was Moon Spirit Master Dinghai Zhenjun, so on that front there was no problem.

"I'm doing alright, I guess."

An Siyan touched her black-framed glasses: "Thanks to the battle merits from the Wasteland Copper Minor World, I exchanged for some Core Formation supplementary items, and combined with my savings over the years, my preparations are fairly thorough… a high-grade Jin Dan should be no problem, and I can take a shot at a supreme-grade Jin Dan."

This already surpassed quite a few peers; she was already among the top batch of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Immortal Sect.

"Take a shot at a supreme-grade Jin Dan?"

"Looks like you'll owe me money again."

Jiang Ding smiled slightly and handed her a jade box: "The top-grade Core Formation Jin Dan I prepared didn't get used—it's yours. Also, let me exchange some higher-grade Core Formation supplementary spirit items for you; I still have some battle merits left over."

In fact, apart from the Soul Transformation battle merits, he hadn't really used battle merits to exchange for things—didn't need to much. He'd accumulated a huge sum, enough to make Nascent Soul cultivators look twice.

As a close friend for over a hundred years from their youth to now, he didn't want her to die just a few hundred years later; he wanted her to live as long as possible.

"That's so embarrassing…"

An Siyan fidgeted a little.

"Hmm?"

Jiang Ding's expression stiffened.

"Not embarrassed at all!"

"I'm thick-skinned, very much not embarrassed!"

An Siyan hurriedly took the jade box, blushing a little as she said: "It just feels like the debts keep piling up more and more, which isn't great. How can anyone owe someone money like this?"

"Don't worry, this is a loan shark—interest compounds on interest. You're actually getting the worse end of the deal."

Jiang Ding consoled her.

"What about mine?"

Jin Jin Lingfeng watched, displeased.

"You?"

"But you're also a rich woman."

Jiang Ding found it strange, thought for a moment, then said: "How about this—whatever Core Formation spirit items you need, I'll help you exchange for them too. Pay me back after you form your core."

"Mm, with very expensive interest. Loan-shark rates."

"That's more like it."

Jin Jin Lingfeng was satisfied.

"Hello, everyone."

Jiang Ding came to stand among a group of peak Foundation Establishment cultivators—several hundred, even over a thousand people.

Not just from Qingfeng University.

Qingfeng Qingfeng Beidou University, society, companies, the military, and so on—people from all kinds of places, all kinds of professions, all kinds of ages. The Immortal Sect was quite lenient on this point: as long as you applied and passed some safety review, you could watch other cultivators' Core Formation and Tribulation Crossing for free.

His situation here was rather special, which was why it had attracted so many people. Normally, when a cultivator formed a core, having several dozen viewers was about enough.

"It is my great honor to share my Core Formation experience with everyone. My learning is shallow, with many shortcomings—I ask for your criticism and corrections."

"Core Formation, just as the teachers have said, the purity of magic power and divine sense is very important—this is the prerequisite for triggering the Core Formation celestial phenomena. The process of compressing magic power to form the Jin Dan requires precise, delicate control…"

"…As for the inner demon, you need to face your true heart directly. Having flaws is nothing to fear—no one is perfect. Face it; acknowledging your shortcomings is also part of your soul, part of your life…"

Jiang Ding began to speak slowly.

He expounded his understanding of Core Formation in detail, leaving nothing out, doing his utmost to provide reference for the surrounding peak Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Immortal Sect, making their path to Core Formation a little smoother.

Resting up today.

(End of this chapter)