Chapter 312

On a golden peak southwest of the Yuhua Sect's mountain range, a voice rang out.

This peak was called Xiaqiu Feng; its master was Xiaqiu True Person, a renowned true disciple of Yuhua Sect who had cultivated to the 6th Stage of Divine Abilities and Return to Oneness Realm, condensing all his Divine Abilities into a single talisman—Ten Thousand Methods Return to One—his magic power was immensely formidable, among the top tier of Yuhua Sect's true disciples; though not as powerful as Zhong Tian Du, Dong Ling Xiao, Xi Jialan, Nan Wan Luo, or Bei Yao Guang, he was still a formidable figure, respected wherever he went.

Above the elixir chamber on Xiaqiu Feng, several true disciples were gathered.

Leading them was, of course, Xiaqiu True Person—a young man clad in blue robes, each robe a Top-Grade artifact, clearly marking his exceptional status.

The other disciples also wore robes of various colors, their magic power surging; their garments were artifacts too—not low-grade, but mid- to high-grade artifacts, immensely powerful.

All these disciples were cultivators of the 5th Stage of Divine Abilities and Heavenly Man Realm.

If top-tier disciples in a sect were those beyond Golden Core, then those at the 5th Stage of Heavenly Man Realm and 6th Stage of Return to Oneness were the elite.

These disciples had great potential to enter the pinnacle Golden Core Realm, but due to the unique nature of the Golden Core Realm, they still toiled in Heavenly Man Realm and Return to Oneness Realm, deepening their foundations.

Golden Core. Golden Core.

The Golden Core Realm was no ordinary realm; once a cultivator entered it, a qualitative transformation occurred—both lifespan and magic power would differ fundamentally from those of Heavenly Man Realm and Return to Oneness Realm.

In the Cultivation World, it was common knowledge that only by cultivating many Divine Abilities before entering the Golden Core Realm could one gain greater lifespan and magic power.

The 5th Stage of Heavenly Man Realm and 6th Stage of Return to Oneness granted eight hundred years of lifespan; advancing from the 5th to the 6th stage did not increase lifespan, but if one cultivated ten or even dozens of Divine Abilities in Return to Oneness Realm and condensed them into a Golden Core Great Seed, lifespan could leap from eight hundred years to two or three thousand years.

The more Divine Abilities one cultivated, the more lifespan one gained—some could even extend it to four or five thousand years.

But if one entered the Golden Core Realm with only five elemental Divine Abilities, lifespan would max out at one thousand one to two hundred years, never exceeding one thousand five hundred.

Such Golden Cores were considered worthless by Mingmenzheng Sects and great immortal-demon sects; only lone cultivators who had stumbled upon rare fortune would be so shallow, chasing speed over quality.

Thus, most disciples of great sects would thoroughly temper themselves in Heavenly Man Realm and Return to Oneness Realm, for they possessed limitless potential.

At this moment, a true disciple of the 5th Stage of Heavenly Man Realm, his face filled with curiosity, spoke: "The Baiyang Elixir is nothing, but recently, rumors have spread from Yufeng and Jialan Feng that Fang Yu has obtained an ancient treasure trove, possessing many elemental wonders—and has caused several female disciples of Jialan Society to surge in strength; our Xiaqiu Society's true disciples, when sparring with them, now cannot match them at all, proving Fang Yu truly possesses some elemental wonders."

"Elemental wonders—how precious are such things? We of the Heavenly Man Realm have eight hundred years of lifespan, but four hundred have already passed; if we do not master several Divine Abilities and break through soon, we may wither in spirit within decades, left with no hope but to die of old age. I cannot accept such an end."

"Indeed."

Another true disciple of Heavenly Man Realm spoke: "In Yuhua Sect's history, some Heavenly Man Realm experts have died of old age. Once essence, energy, and spirit begin to wither, aging sets in irreversibly—no one can save them. But if we obtain elemental wonders and perfect our elemental Divine Abilities, we may attempt to break through."

"Where did he even get these elemental wonders—and give them away? Elemental wonders are incredibly expensive; I once attended an auction in the Da Xuan Empire with fifty thousand elixirs, yet found them utterly unattainable."

Listening to the true disciples' words, the young Return to Oneness Realm expert named Xiaqiu True Person showed a thoughtful expression. "You may not yet understand, but I now see more clearly—I once heard whispers that Xuantie True Person, my equal in fame, once made a wager with Fang Yu over who would win the Shanhe List competition; Xuantie lost the map to the Five Elements Region. Now that Fang Yu has returned safely, it is almost certain he gained great benefits from the Five Elements Region."

"The Five Elements Region? I've heard of that place—it requires passing through the Wild God Temple, which is why Xuantie True Person dared not go. Fang Yu actually gained benefits from the Five Elements Region?"

A true disciple clad in dark-gold robes spoke, his expression skeptical.

"Since he's giving elemental wonders to Jialan Society's female disciples, he clearly obtained the Five Elements Region's treasure. The Five Elements Region holds countless benefits; even a small portion is more than enough."

Xiaqiu True Person said coolly. "It seems this younger brother Fang Yu has great celestial fortune—he truly acquires what others covet but cannot obtain. Then I too shall make a wager with him, to see if he truly has the fortune to claim the celestial boon I once obtained."

"Are you suggesting you wager the secret of that cave mansion against Fang Yu?"

Upon hearing this, the true disciples were stunned.

"We once ventured into that cave mansion together, but only reached the first level—we lacked the qualifications to enter the second level—and still obtained several Top-Grade artifacts, plus many upper- and mid-grade artifacts. Are you truly willing to wager the secret of that cave mansion against Fang Yu?"

A true disciple named Wang Ding frowned.

"No matter. With our current strength, we cannot enter the second level of that cave mansion—the thunder within is far beyond our capacity to endure. So let us wager the secret of this cave mansion against him; if I win, my younger brothers will each receive some elemental wonders to boost your cultivation. If I lose, we merely give away a secret we could never access anyway—no real loss."

Xiaqiu True Person smiled. "I simply do not believe his current strength can break through those terrifying thunderbolts and claim the treasures!"

"Since Brother Xiaqiu says so, we shall follow."

After brief thought, all the true disciples nodded in agreement.

"Very well. Let us go visit that younger brother Fang Yu."

As he spoke, Xiaqiu True Person leapt upward.

Meanwhile, Fang Yu had already returned to Yufeng and used his methods to fully tend the entire peak.

He had now perfected the Great Five Elements Art; a single spell of spiritual rain could cause qualitative changes in the earth, water, wind, and fire of Yufeng—especially the Huang Di Earth Sovereign Daoist Gang Qi, which, upon sinking into the soil, made the earth rejoice more than Nine Heavens' Xirang soil, undergoing a qualitative transformation as if fused with the entire land—even if enemies attacked, they could never breach it.

The Qing Di Wood Sovereign Art was even more terrifying: Fang Yu merely exhaled, and the spiritual herbs planted on Yufeng gained over a hundred years of potency, nearly becoming spirit-beings.

Such was the Qing Di Wood Sovereign Art—enlightening all trees of heaven and earth, summoning all wood beneath heaven, none daring to defy.