Chapter 298: Golden Core Perfection, Arriving at Shu City (44k, seeking subscriptions)

After receiving the reward, he was in no rush.

Du En still chose to linger in Changle City, once again beginning his two-point-one-line life of grinding practice.

Perhaps it was due to his display of attitude last time, or perhaps it was because Yang Xin and that group of people from Shu City had withdrawn so quickly; in any case, neither Ying Dongqing nor Zhang Qing came to disturb him afterward.

While the screening process was being carried out in an orderly fashion across various regions, he was accelerating his own pace of accumulation here.

The Jade Pure Green Lotus—Du En had already obtained this wondrous item.

It looked quite miraculous; its entire body was jade-green and crystalline, possessing an appearance like a crystal stone, yet it also had the tactile feel that a normal plant should have. It was entirely harmonious and natural, unstained by dust or filth.

It had no obvious spiritual energy or spiritual charm, but it possessed a unique inherent quality. Its very existence was like a miracle, and its taste when eaten was sweet and smooth, much like bean paste.

Du En, who was like a cow chewing on a peony, did not have many extra thoughts about it.

After consuming it, it was different from spiritual meals and different from medicinal pills; it seemed to vanish suddenly, dissolving directly into his body.

The Inexhaustible Green Spirit Body emerged naturally, the reddish-brown layer on the surface quickly becoming dense, and the whole body undergoing a unique transformation.

On the level of visualization and enlightenment, that green tree rooted in the yellow earth was now spreading its branches and leaves; amidst the swaying, it had clearly grown a circle wider and taller, and its roots in the earth had become even more profound and comprehensive.

He silently felt this change and sensed that something was still missing, so without hesitation, he chewed and swallowed the other Jade Pure Green Lotus as well.

Once swallowed, it was as if a certain critical point had been pierced; the crown of that tree was so verdant it seemed as if it were about to drip, exceptionally rich. Correspondingly, Du En's Inexhaustible Green Spirit Body finally had a manifestation that lived up to its name.

—In the center of his forehead, a point of green spirit quietly emerged and adorned him, looking like a spreading green leaf, or perhaps a half-opened green lotus.

Rumble—

The Divine Palace, which had long been half-hidden and half-visible, now emerged completely amidst the roar that exploded in his consciousness, hanging high above; this was the Upper Dantian.

The upper, middle, and lower three dantians, also known as the three palaces, were now all resonating together. The meridians throughout his body spontaneously reconstructed and reconnected. Only after a series of changes finished extending did it finally construct the complete cultivation framework that a cultivator should possess.

Originally, this was a complete framework that could only be obtained by those at the Nascent Soul stage, or at least those who had achieved minor success in practicing high-grade techniques.

As its construction was completed, Du En's cultivation efficiency increased by twenty percent directly on top of the original foundation.

This was only the most superficial aspect; other things, whether it was the reinforcement of the spirit body, the absorption of techniques, or the early manifestation of the Divine Palace, all belonged to parts that did not show overly obvious benefits for now, but concerned future development.

"So then, where is the hundred years of bitter cultivation?"

Du En, using a wondrous item for the first time, felt these changes that didn't seem directly related to the surface descriptions, and truly realized where the 'wonder' of a wondrous item actually lay.

Sometimes, even when it is clear that something possesses a certain effect, it can still have vastly different miraculous effects when applied to a very specific individual.

The word 'wonder' speaks to the core of such things!

In short, his reward this time was actually unexpectedly good.

Du En quickly adapted to the changes and threw himself back into his normal grinding practice.

Then he soon discovered another obvious effect of this miraculous efficacy.

The endless cycle of his magic power had undergone a qualitative leap, reaching a critical point of scale. Consequently, when practicing spells, the recovery of magic power became faster, the amount of pills consumed decreased significantly, and his body was more easily kept in a peak state.

Thus, the efficiency of his grinding in terms of spells could surge, reaching twice the original level, without hindering his grinding in other areas!

He was finally able to increase the efficiency of some spells; although it was actually still a drop in the bucket, any increase was an increase, and there was at least a visible change.

"It's a pity that the effect of the Jade Pure Green Lotus on me probably won't be that great anymore."

Du En thought this, feeling somewhat regretful.

Because the unique essence it contained had been absorbed by him and was already in a saturated state, it could not be stacked indefinitely. Otherwise, he could have continued to revolve around it, earning merit, exchanging for more, and stacking them to boost efficiency.

"As for other wondrous items, who knows which ones have miraculous effects? Forget it, I'll just continue grinding; my main goal is on my life-bound magic treasure, and I'm still short one Ding-grade merit..."

Time passed.

In a calm and ripple-free manner, one thousand days passed quickly, arriving at the middle of the fourth month, three years later.

For a normal Golden Core cultivator, this was just a short period of time; they might have only just finished digesting a precious pill that was hard to come by, or just finished refining a decent magic tool of the same rank.

For a normal Nascent Soul cultivator, it was even more like taking a nap during a short seclusion; one shouldn't even think about having any changes in strength.

But Du En, he had already made another breakthrough in his cultivation!

Accompanied by the tree reaching its full momentum and shaking without wind, the three-fold magic power star rings in his lower dantian were now completely perfect, touching the boundaries of the Lower Palace's sea of Qi.

The Golden Core vibrated silently, exceptionally brilliant. The Middle Palace responded first, and using this as a springboard, it struck the gate of the Divine Palace.

Creak, creak, creak...

Amidst the creaking sound on the level of the soul, that door, which had never been able to be pushed open before, finally shifted backward, revealing a deep crack from which a piece of indistinct chaos could be glimpsed.

His soul was hidden within it, and at this moment, it opened its eyes to look over. Although its gaze was still blocked by that chaos, it was already able to barely look outside the Divine Palace.

Du En only felt as if his consciousness had been wiped clean of much dust; his mind was now clear and agile, and the coverage range of his divine sense surged, directly reaching a scale of twelve hundred zhang.

And in the instant it finished expanding, it turned and retracted, reaching from top to bottom into the Lower Dantian sea of Qi, touching the Golden Core within.

It had already grown to the size of a fist, but now, facing the soul, it shrank; as if being kneaded and squeezed by the soul through divine sense from afar, it actually condensed directly to half an inch in diameter.

The golden light was dazzling and eye-catching, reaching a state of perfection and flawlessness.

The force of attraction increased sharply, pulling the three-fold star rings in to shrink as well; silently, they were refined once more, faintly showing signs of a qualitative change, clearly having been purified by a large margin again.

They circled in three dimensions, and together with the Golden Core, they possessed a sense of endless cycles. In the seemingly inexhaustible and non-stop circulation, they were all still continuing to purify themselves. While accumulating the progress of qualitative change, a certain more specific "sense of vitality" had already quietly begun to gestate within the whole.

Finally, the three palaces resonated together, feeding back into the body inside and out, making the whole perfectly round and unified.

Golden Core Perfection!

Du En opened his eyes in the quiet room, and the golden light remaining in his eyes directly illuminated the room, remaining undimmed for a long time.

The panel appeared.

【Age: 39/633】

【Spiritual Root: Low-grade】

【Cultivation: Golden Core Perfection (0/100)】

【Technique: Green-Yellow Canon (Mastery 15300/30000)】

【Spells: Giant Cannon Art (Great Accomplishment 34400/50000), Wind Sand Art (Minor Achievement 2000/10000), Ice Breath Art (Perfected), Statue Casting Art (Minor Achievement 2000/10000), Hundred Control Art (Minor Achievement 1000/10000), Golden Flame Art (Minor Achievement 800/10000), Wood Growth Art (Minor Achievement 500/10000), Magic-Devouring Wood Spike (Minor Achievement 500/10000)】

【Divine Ability: Burying Death, Flourishing Life (Minor Achievement 0/100)】

【Hundred Arts: Appraisal (Mastery 0/300), Culinary Arts (Grandmaster 0/500), Spirit Seeking (Mastery 0/300), Artifact Refining (Minor Achievement 0/100)】

The overall changes were actually not too significant.

Giant Cannon Art reached Grandmaster, Ice Breath Art achieved Perfection, and because the Lacquer Shadow Dharma Robe meant Culinary Arts could no longer keep up with the pace, he had to increase the quantity and frequency every day, so it also broke through early, reaching Grandmaster.

Now, as long as he was given sufficiently good or sufficiently abundant materials, even Grade 5 Spirit Cuisine, he could cook it.

"Unfortunately, there isn't any. Not only is there none of that, but even the stock on my person is about to be eaten clean."

The harvest previously obtained from Chi Wu, the treasures Lin An obtained from killing enemies, and the rewards from this time at the Southern Pivot City were all filled into his constantly increasing bottomless appetite, turning into the cornerstone of his cultivation, which was why it had already bottomed out.

Therefore, it was time to set off.

To go to Southern Pivot City.

With these nearly three years of buffer time, that side should have already made preparations and considerations in all aspects, and would not be in such a rush that they would be forced to act prematurely without being able to fully consider everything.

Of course, the most important thing was still waiting for Meng Changqing to "cool off."

"I imagine it is about time."

Even if it were not, it could not stop Du En's footsteps.

Thus, under the gaze of local upper-echelon figures like Ying Dongqing and Zhang Qing, he boarded the teleportation grounds of the Changle City Lord's Mansion and left this medium-sized city.

Accompanied by white jade blocks appearing out of thin air and stacking onto the high platform in the open space, a jade gate was constructed, then rotated around the track for one cycle, locked into position, and vanished into nothingness.

In the spacious plaza, one more person had appeared.

Naturally, it was Du En.

He was still in a black dharma robe, his hair simply tied and draped behind him, fluttering slightly in the wind; his expression was calm, with a faint hint of the extraordinary, and his overall temperament had inevitably changed compared to the past, mainly due to the Inexhaustible Azure Spirit Body.

Having received the news early, Yang Xin, who had volunteered and relied on the advantage of being first to successfully squeeze out the others, was waiting under the high platform like a servant.

Tap, tap, tap.

After the lingering effects of the teleportation dissipated, he trotted up to the platform.

"Welcome, Traveler Du!"

"Team Leader Yang, there is no need for this."

"It is only right. Also, here in Southern Pivot City, I am not any team leader; I am just a small errand deacon, which really counts for nothing!"

This person seemed impossible to reason with; even if he spoke bluntly, he would likely just remain the same, or perhaps even become more excessive?

Du En did not waste breath telling him not to be so servile; his main attention was placed on surveying this Pivot City.

This teleportation plaza was at a high elevation, allowing one to look out from a height and see a small half of the Southern Pivot City area.

A peaceful city.

This feeling was especially obvious.

Perhaps because it was far from the war and the battlefield, it looked prosperous overall, and it was no longer the type of "hui"-shaped city with clearly protruding inner and outer layers and tight wrapping.

It had no city wall boundaries; with layered terraces and pavilions, flying eaves and vermilion railings, and crisscrossing traffic, it spread out and covered the area, expanding and being built up step by step year by year, possessing a unique vitality not found elsewhere.

Only.

Du En noticed at a glance that beneath this prosperity, war preparations were constant; various related material flows were exceptionally frequent, and among the streets and alleys, various grassroots figures were operating in an orderly manner.

It was only because the lowest-level units here were at the Golden Core stage—it was truly a place where Golden Cores walked everywhere—that there was none of the coarse, bitter, heavy labor seen in the cities elsewhere, nor were there any scenes of malicious exploitation and coercion being repeated.

A central hub for a large area of manpower and material resources.

This was the basic positioning of a Pivot City.

Such cities, within the main territory of the Falling Feather Immortal Sect, totaled four in all.

No, should it be five?

That Central Capital was located in the center and was the pivot among pivot cities, but was it, in the end, still a Pivot City?

Du En's thoughts drifted; he withdrew his gaze and looked at Yang Xin, who was still chattering away with nonsense, and simply and directly stated: "Nearly three years have passed; the preparations to welcome me here should be ready, right?"

"Uh..."

Yang Xin stalled directly.

How could you say that so bluntly and directly? How is a small pawn like me supposed to respond to that!

For a moment, he suddenly felt some regret, regretting why he had volunteered and squeezed out the others.

After all, if this reception matter was not done well, he would be severely held accountable!

However, before he could stammer and make up some words, someone had already spoken for him.

"Hahaha, do not make things difficult for this deacon, Your Excellency. It is I who was truly impatient, which is why I came early, wanting to catch a glimpse of your demeanor!"

A dashing and handsome figure appeared before their eyes, dressed in white robes that fluttered, as if contrasting with the dark shadow color of Du En's side; his expression was full of smiles amidst humility, making one feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze, which further highlighted Du En's side as being as still as an ancient well, seemingly cold and heartless.

"You are?"

"Pardon my rudeness, I am Tang Wenren."

Tang Wenren's appearance at this moment clearly exceeded Yang Xin's expectations; the key was that he had not noticed when the other party had arrived, which made him feel even more astonished in his heart.

Du En, however, was not surprised and spoke bluntly at this moment: "So, you are the one assigned by the upper echelons of Southern Pivot City to come and test my quality and weight?"

It was said that he was highly regarded by the sect's upper echelons, and he had indeed traveled, encountered events, and performed meritorious deeds all the way here, already having actual achievements as proof, but since there had been slight twists and turns previously, it was only natural that the upper echelons here in Southern Pivot City wanted to see for themselves and evaluate the specific situation.

Regarding Du En being so blunt, Tang Wenren could not help but glance at Yang Xin.

What is going on? You didn't say he would be this blunt before!

I didn't dare to speculate recklessly!

Yang Xin only felt like crying without tears; fortunately, Tang Wenren had no intention of blaming him, only appearing surprised and puzzled.

And Du En was also silently observing the other party.

Hmm, he should be very much to the taste of the honorable Resolution-Maker Meng; it looks like he is the specialized candidate that Southern Pivot City prepared beforehand, intending to use him to deal with him in the future.

Perhaps even wanting to make him defect over?

"Since Your Excellency appears so open and honest, then I will not hide or hold anything back."

Tang Wenren cupped his hands in a salute from afar and said, "My master is the Lord of this Pivot City, known by the Daoist title Zhenhong. He sent me here this time because he wishes for me to spar with you, so that I may witness the demeanor of a genius among my peers, and learn to curb my arrogance and impatience, and to act with sincerity and steadfastness."

So, a disciple of Perfected Lord Zhenhong.

The bearing of a genius, at the perfection of the Golden Core stage; it certainly fits the criteria for a spar.

Because Du En either does not move at all, or moves early; otherwise, he would surely only set out once he had made another breakthrough.

Therefore, he did not hide or conceal anything now, directly revealing the aura of a flawless perfection on the surface, so as to avoid provoking unnecessary scrutiny and concern, which might lead to them catching a glimpse of the true nature of his Perfected Ice Breath Art.

To tell the truth, Tang Wenren was indeed quite businesslike at the beginning, but after actually seeing the person just now, he felt a bit of the thrill of the hunt and could not help but feel his hands itching.

Because a genius of the same rank and standing is not easy to find, and bullying the weak or relying on power to oppress others is not what he desires; thus, in the twenty years since he began his cultivation, he has truly never encountered an opponent in Pivot City who could make him go all out.

Now that Du En has appeared and arrived, and without concealing his cultivation, it is a situation that could not be more suitable!

"Apologies, please forgive my refusal."

Du En spoke calmly.

"Huh?"

Tang Wenren's train of thought was interrupted directly, and for a moment, he did not react.

(End of this chapter)