Chapter 227: Lifespan Nine Hundred, Primordial Spirit Advantage

227. Chapter 227: Lifespan Nine Hundred, Primordial Spirit Advantage

"Lifespan, nine hundred years!"

After the joy of sealing the Golden Core subsided, Xiao Zhangqing began to feel his own changes and differences.

For a normal Golden Core cultivator, the lifespan limit is five hundred years.

Whether it is a false core, a plain luminous Golden Core, or a perfect flawless Golden Core, the years added to lifespan after sealing are the same.

The essence of the Golden Core makes no difference in lifespan; the differences lie only in techniques, divine abilities, and pills taken.

For example, some cultivators who practice special techniques can gain several dozen, even over a hundred more years of lifespan after sealing.

Taking high‑grade pills also increases lifespan.

The water‑style technique Long Life Secret that Xiao Zhangqing practices also helps to extend longevity.

But even at the highest proficiency, the Long Life Secret can only add about a hundred years to lifespan at the Golden Core stage, which is already quite good.

Now Xiao Zhangqing's lifespan has directly risen to nine hundred years, clearly a benefit of the Heavenly Dao's sealing, adding three to four hundred years to his lifespan!

Nine hundred years is already close to the typical lifespan limit of a Nascent Soul True Lord! "Heavenly Dao Golden Core… perhaps it can also be called the Immortal Golden Core!"

Xiao Zhangqing introspects the newly formed Golden Core in his dantian; it is not only a flawless, glass‑like golden sphere, but also bears delicately carved runes as if etched by innate design.

This is innate formation; even cultivators with the highest Talisman Script skill cannot draw it, radiating an unsurpassed, supreme Daoic resonance.

"Besides lifespan, the strength of my magical power is already a bit stronger than that of the Ancient Sect's founder… roughly comparable to the Giant Wood Sect's Ten Thousand Leaps Star, very close to the mid‑Golden Core stage?"

Xiao Zhangqing felt the solid magical power formed just after his sealing and compared it with the Golden Core cultivators he had previously encountered.

Ancient Sect's founder has been at the Golden Core stage for over a dozen years, and his core's quality is very high, second only to the perfect flawless one, making him a one‑in‑a‑hundred rarity among Golden Core cultivators.

Yet even so, after his founder's decade‑long arduous cultivation, Xiao Zhangqing surpassed him in an instant!

This is not due to any system skill, but the boost from the Immortal Golden Core.

At the same level, setting aside Magic Treasures, divine abilities, etc., even the basic magical power intensity alone would have an overwhelming advantage.

"However, the biggest change is still the Soul Transformation! No, now it should be called the Primordial Spirit!"

Xiao Zhangqing's Primordial Spirit expanded, as if merging with heaven and earth; his perception could extend virtually without limit, many times farther than the previous maximum distance of two hundred zhang.

When the Thunder Tribulation struck, its effect on his mortal body was minor; it mainly targeted the Soul Transformation.

His Soul Transformation was far too powerful for a Foundation‑established cultivator; the Thunder Tribulation's damage was almost nil, instead acting as a 'great tonic', allowing him to complete his metamorphosis and reach the level of Nascent Soul True Lord—Primordial Spirit! Nascent Soul True Lords hold a lofty status and are scarce; in most cultivation realms their numbers are single‑digit, only in the most prosperous realms do Nascent Soul cultivators reach double‑digit counts.

They would virtually crush Golden Core Real Men in every aspect, yet not in terms of magical power level.

After attaining Nascent Soul True Lord, magical power naturally strengthens, but it no longer undergoes the fundamental changes seen when refining Qi to Foundation or Foundation to Golden Core.

Nascent Soul True Lords primarily transform in two ways, crushing Golden Core Real Men.

First, they gain a Nascent Soul Spirit Body, greatly enhancing their survivability.

Under normal circumstances, they almost never truly fall.

Even a mid‑stage Nascent Soul True Lord can easily defeat an early‑stage one and even destroy its mortal body, but cannot completely annihilate the Nascent Soul Spirit Body.

Because once a Nascent Soul cultivator senses the danger of falling, they are far from a match for the enemy; at the final juncture they may choose to have the Nascent Soul exit the body, abandoning the mortal form to flee! After fleeing, their strength drops sharply, but they can opt to possess another body to be reborn, giving them a chance to return.

Thus, although Nascent Soul cultivators are few, their structure is very stable; without large‑scale brutal wars, most can live several hundred to over a thousand years.

No sect would easily offend a Nascent Soul True Lord.

Besides the Nascent Soul Spirit Body, another way Nascent Soul True Lords crush Golden Core cultivators is the Soul Transformation becoming the Primordial Spirit!

The Primordial Spirit can merge with heaven and earth, fully comprehending the essence of this world.

Over time, day by day, one can gradually perceive the laws of heaven and earth and apply them in a rudimentary way! How much one can grasp, to what extent they can use it, and how much power they can wield depends on personal insight and talent.

The truly powerful divine abilities of the Nascent Soul realm all embed the perception and application of heavenly laws, starkly different from the Golden Core realm's simple use of one's own magical power.

One merely mobilizes one's own magical power; the other uses one's magical power as a foundation to lever the forces of heaven and earth.

Which is stronger or weaker is clear at a glance.

"In theory, I can now practice the secret divine abilities that can only be cultivated at the Nascent Soul realm."

"However, secret divine abilities of the Nascent Soul level, even in the Seven Star Sword Sect and Xingyue Palace, are top‑tier treasures, rarely passed down."

"Fortunately I have a system; when I later find Nascent Soul realm treasures, I can obtain those secret divine abilities and even skip the cultivation process…"

Xiao Zhangqing calculated in his mind.

Moreover, he already possesses several secret divine abilities, the strongest of which can reach the Nascent Soul level, and can be gradually enhanced.

There are also several divine techniques he previously had no qualification to equip.

Now that his Soul Transformation has become the Primordial Spirit, he can finally unleash his power. "Let's not rush; first send those people outside away."

After assessing his condition, Xiao Zhangqing reined in the overwhelming aura that naturally emanated from his recent breakthrough; a surge of magical power shattered his tattered robe, and he retrieved a new robe from his storage bag before stepping out of the cave dwelling, which had been torn apart by the Thunder Tribulation.

He has many tasks ahead.

Besides upgrading various skills and pushing his current methods to the limit, he also needs to equip several new abilities.

Especially… the Nightmare Reincarnation Technique!

This god‑like ability, deemed defying heaven, if it truly lets him traverse other planes, his upcoming seclusion will have to be even longer.

First, handle the miscellaneous matters.

First, he reported his safety to the Lin family sisters.

The Lin family sisters know his background best; they know his seclusion this time aims to break through the Golden Core stage, and both are fully confident in him, their blind confidence making them hardly consider that Xiao Zhangqing might fail. Yet when the Thunder Tribulation struck, the two sisters were terrified, anxious, and silently prayed for Xiao Zhangqing.

Seeing Xiao Zhangqing emerge safely, the sisters felt a great weight lift from their hearts and were overjoyed.

Next came the group outside the cave dwelling.

A group of Golden Core Real Men led by Gu Zongyuan and Su Wushuang.

His commotion attracted their full attention; now they felt like ants crawling inside, eager to know what exactly happened.

If Xiao Zhangqing does not emerge, they would probably have to keep guard.

"Xiao… Brother Xiao? Is it really… really you?"

Gu Zongyuan, who is the city lord and also Xiao Zhangqing's closest friend, opened his mouth the moment he saw Xiao Zhangqing appear.

But when he spoke, his usual composure and calm were gone, and he couldn't help stammering a bit.

In fact, when the Thunder Tribulation descended and the Core formed into Radiant Auspicious Clouds spanning eighteen li, breaking the Da Yu Cultivation World's historical record, he had already guessed the outcome.

The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator who completed Core Formation in Xiao Zhangqing's cave was not, as they first guessed, a friend of Xiao borrowing the cave, but most likely Xiao himself! Although Xiao Zhangqing had previously displayed absurdly overwhelming power, impossible for a Foundation Establishment cultivator—easily slaying mid‑stage Core Formation practitioners, repelling renowned late‑stage Core Formation masters, and eradicating evil that could rival a Nascent Soul True Lord...

But when those absurd, impossible events were combined with the unprecedented Core Formation anomaly in the Da Yu Cultivation World's history, the Thunder Tribulation and Radiant Auspicious Clouds that shattered everyone's expectations—suddenly they seemed inexplicably reasonable! A demon prodigy who already possessed top‑tier Core Formation strength at the Foundation Establishment stage, breaking a millennia‑old record during Core Formation and prompting Heaven to send a Thunder Tribulation—doesn't that make perfect sense? "Dao Companion Xiao… you just completed the Core?" Su Wushuang, whose face is usually ice‑cold, now had shock written all over his eyes.

"It's me."

Xiao Zhangqing nodded, acknowledging it.

Having caused such a commotion under everyone's watch, he could no longer deny it.

Before the breakthrough, he had indeed considered being a bit cunning—registering a false identity, renting a third‑tier cave to break through, and pretending to be a stranger.

But after thinking it over, it wasn't necessary.

Doing so would be troublesome; any cultivator capable of Core Formation, especially one who could forge a high‑quality Golden Core, would cause a sensation throughout the Da Yu Cultivation World.

Then countless factions' minions would reach out to probe his background.

The main point is that even if he didn't today forge an indestructible Golden Core, but only a regular flawless Golden Core, his strength would still surge, granting him an absolute risk‑free ability in this 'small pond' of the Da Yu Cultivation World, making it unnecessary to be as cautious as before.

Properly displaying his extraordinary strength and showcasing his power can avoid many troubles and increase his influence.

Especially in the current situation where storms loom.

"Huh…"

Upon hearing Xiao Zhangqing admit that he had just successfully completed the Core, even the crowd of Core Formation cultivators and Fake Core True Persons gasped, their faces full of astonishment, as if to say the boy was terrifying.

Then the gift‑giving began.

"Congratulations, Realman Zhangqing, for forming the Core with Radiant Auspicious Clouds spanning eighteen li—truly unique in the several‑thousand‑year history of the Da Yu Cultivation World!"

"The Core triggered a Thunder Tribulation—unprecedented! In the future, Realman Zhangqing will surely attain the Nascent Soul and achieve True Lord status!"

Gift boxes arrived one after another before Xiao Zhangqing, almost none valued below ten thousand Low‑grade Spirit Stones, with the expensive ones reaching tens of thousands of Spirit Stones! Evidently.

These people's words to Xiao Zhangqing were not flattery; they truly believed that this 'newcomer' Core Formation cultivator had limitless prospects and would most likely become the Da Yu Cultivation World's third Nascent Soul True Lord in the near future! Who wouldn't want to forge a connection with the future Nascent Soul True Lord? Even a tiny thread might later prove hugely influential.

Moreover, even if he never reaches Nascent Soul True Lord, he is already the top master of Liyang Immortal City!

Before the breakthrough, his strength was already formidable; after the breakthrough, it became unfathomably greater.

Usually Xiao Zhangqing keeps a low profile, so others find no chance to give gifts or forge friendships.

This Core Formation, however, is a perfect opportunity.

Xiao Zhangqing didn't want to turn down everyone's goodwill, so he simply held a Core Formation celebration, which lasted a few lively days. (End of chapter)