Chapter 20: Golden Core Lei Jie? I

Deep in the mountains and forests, a quiet valley rarely visited by people.

Lin Lin Xuan sat cross-legged on a smooth bluestone, his face still carrying the paleness after performing the "Blood Escape Technique," but his eyes were incomparably bright and firm.

Leaving Qingyun City for a day, he hid his tracks all the way and finally found this place where the spiritual energy was relatively rich and sufficiently hidden. It was time to charge toward the Golden Core Avenue he had dreamed of!

He first took a few healing and spiritual power recovery elixirs to adjust his state to the best. Then, he took out all the remaining Green Rain Pills, and a few mid-rank spirit stones he had exchanged from the Four Seas Trading House and was reluctant to use before.

The process of core condensation is the ultimate compression and transformation of spiritual power, requiring massive energy support.

"System, assist me in charging toward the Golden Core Realm!" Lin Lin Xuan recited in his heart. He knew that the System could not directly help him condense the Golden Core, but it could provide the most precise energy guidance and state monitoring, avoiding him from going astray.

【Ding! Advanced assistance mode started, will monitor the host's state in real-time, optimize spiritual power operation paths. Consumed 3% energy.】

A cool energy flowed through his whole body, as if adding a supercomputer to his brain, his perception and control of the spiritual power surging in his body instantly improved by a level.

"Start!"

Lin Lin Xuan closed his eyes, discarded all distracting thoughts, and operated his cultivation technique with all his might. Inside the dantian, the liquid spiritual power at the peak of Foundation Establishment Stage 9 was like a boiling ocean, beginning to spin and compress frantically!

This was an extremely painful and dangerous process. The massive spiritual power was forcibly squeezed, and the tearing sensation brought by it seemed to want to burst the dantian. The meridians were like being pierced by countless needles, and the pain was unbearable.

Beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down from Lin Lin Xuan's forehead, his body trembled slightly, but he kept a clear mind in his spiritual platform, relying on his strong willpower and the System's assistance, dead-locking the compression of spiritual power.

The medicinal power of the Green Rain Pill and the spiritual energy of the mid-rank spirit stones were frantically extracted, turning into pure energy to supplement the dantian, maintaining this high-intensity compression process.

Time passed bit by bit.

The liquid spiritual power vortex in the dantian became smaller and smaller, and the color became deeper and deeper, from the cyan-white of gaseous state, gradually turning toward pale gold, and began to present a semi-solidified viscous state.

Golden Core prototype!

The most critical step—condensing the Golden Core entity, and drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, undergoing the baptism of thunder tribulation! Only after being tempered by heavenly thunder can the Golden Core be stable and contain a trace of the laws of heaven and earth.

Ordinary cultivators reaching this step would all be ready for battle, setting up layers of arrays, preparing all kinds of magic treasures and elixirs to resist the thunder tribulation, as if facing a great enemy.

But Lin Lin Xuan... he raised his head, looking at the dark clouds that began to gather above his head due to the violent fluctuations of spiritual power, and the silver electric snakes flickering within them, a trace of... excitement flashed in his eyes instead of fear?

"Thunder tribulation?" He licked his somewhat dry lips, "I wonder what the effect would be if I used this thunder tribulation to cultivate the 'Nine Turns Thunder Body' (a body-refining cultivation technique newly redeemed from the System Mall, capable of absorbing lightning to temper the body)?"

If other cultivators knew his thoughts at this moment, they would be scared unconscious! The heavenly thunder that others couldn't avoid, he actually wanted to use it to refine his body?!

【Warning! Detected high-energy heavenly thunder tribulation forming, power estimate: Three-Nine Small Heavenly Tribulation. Suggest the host fully defend.】

【Ding! Detected the host's strong desire to die, triggered hidden option: "Draw Thunder into Body (Beginner)". Redeem slacking off points to temporarily gain the ability to guide part of the heavenly thunder to temper the body?】

"There's such a good thing? Yes! Redeem immediately!" Lin Lin Xuan didn't hesitate. 10,000 slacking off points for a chance to strengthen his flesh, worth it!

Boom—!

The first tribulation thunder, like a ferocious silver giant python, tore through the cloud layer, carrying the aura of destruction, and struck Lin Lin Xuan's head!

Lin Lin Xuan didn't dodge or evade, even withdrew part of his protective spiritual light, operated the "Nine Turns Thunder Body" and the "Draw Thunder into Body" ability he had just obtained, opened his arms, as if to embrace this heavenly thunder!

"Come!"

"Sizzle—!"

The violent thunder instantly swallowed Lin Lin Xuan! The violent thunder power frantically destroyed his body, his clothes instantly turned into flying ash, his skin was scorched and cracked, and the intense numbness and pain swept through his whole body!

"Ugh—!" Lin Lin Xuan couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, but he gritted his teeth, frantically operated his cultivation technique, guided those raging thunder powers, and tempered his flesh, bones, and meridians according to specific routes!

Destruction and rebirth intertwined in the thunder.

【Ding! "Nine Turns Thunder Body" proficiency +100!】

【Flesh strength slightly improved!】

【Spiritual power tempered by heavenly thunder, purity +5%!】

Effective! Although painful, the effect was significant!

The first thunder tribulation passed, Lin Lin Xuan was covered in black smoke, his image was sorry, but his eyes were increasingly brilliant.

Immediately after, the second, the third... each thunder tribulation was more fierce than the last!

Lin Lin Xuan was like a stubborn stone floating in the thunder sea, every time he was scorched, he recovered quickly under the support of the cultivation technique and the System, and became stronger! His flesh was tempered by the thunder, impurities were removed, and his strength steadily improved. The pale golden Golden Core prototype in his dantian also became more solid under the baptism of heavenly thunder, and the light became more dazzling!

When the last, and most thick, ninth thunder tribulation fell, Lin Lin Xuan even let out a comfortable long roar!

"Refreshing!"

The thunder light dissipated, the tribulation clouds in the sky began to slowly dissipate, and seven-colored rays of light containing vitality were sprinkled down.

In the rays of light, Lin Lin Xuan stood proudly. The scorched black on his body fell off quickly, revealing the skin underneath that was as moist as jade but contained explosive power. The originally damaged clothes were automatically repaired in the rays of light (System basic function).

And inside his dantian, a Golden Core the size of a dragon's eye, round and flawless, golden and dazzling, with mysterious patterns flowing on its surface, was quietly floating, emitting vast and majestic spiritual power fluctuations!

Golden Core Stage! Success!

A sense of power ten times stronger than the Foundation Establishment Stage filled his whole body! His spiritual sense underwent a qualitative change, spreading like mercury on the ground, and the wind and grass within a few miles were all under his control!

【Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully breaking through to Golden Core Stage 1!】

【Life level leap, lifespan increased by five hundred years!】

【Unlocked new System function: Luck Disguise (Beginner)—can slightly adjust the external performance of one's own luck, interfering with others' divination and perception.】

【Reward: slacking off points, supernatural power "Shrink Ground to Inch" (Beginner)!】

A series of System prompt sounds rang in Lin Lin Xuan's mind like fairy music.

Luck Disguise! Shrink Ground to Inch!

It's really what he wanted! Luck Disguise can effectively deal with that "luck peeper," and Shrink Ground to Inch is a real escape supernatural power, much higher than "Blood Escape Technique," whether it is rushing or saving his life, it can be called a divine skill!

Feeling the endless, seemingly inexhaustible power provided by the Golden Core in his body, Lin Lin Xuan couldn't help but laugh up to the sky:

"Hahaha! Golden Core! I am also a Golden Core True Person!"

"Ye Chen! Youming Sect! Zhao Zhao Wuji! You all wait for little master!"

With a thought, he activated "Shrink Ground to Inch," his figure flickered, and he appeared a hundred meters away, flickered again, and had already reached the other end of the valley! The speed was so fast that it left behind trails of afterimages!

"Refreshing!"

After familiarizing himself with the added power and supernatural powers, Lin Xuan changed into a spare blue shirt, his gaze cast toward the direction of Qingyun City, and looked at the even more distant Imperial Capital.

"Qingyun City can't be returned to for the time being. The Zhao Clan is estimated to be having 'good luck', and Ye Chen and the Nether Sect are probably also staring there."

"The next step, it's time to go to the Imperial Capital. Condensing Core Jade Liquid, Heavenly Treasure Pavilion auction..."

He had now promoted to Golden Core, had preliminary self-preservation power, and it was time to see a bigger stage.

However, before leaving, he had to go back to Black Wind Shanzhai to arrange the follow-up matters. After all, that was his first "family business" in this world.

He activated "Shrink Ground to Inch," his figure flickered a few times, and he disappeared into the mountains and forests, rushing toward the direction of Black Wind Shanzhai.

The speed was several times faster than when he came!

A Golden Core cultivator already possessed the qualifications to traverse the world!

Lin Lin Xuan's "slacking off" life was about to turn a new, more magnificent page.

(End of Chapter 20) ===== CHAPTER 21 =====