When it was time for Core Formation, Mo Tiange entered the Void Heaven Realm. She deliberately left a stone puppet outside, disguised as herself.
During her usual cultivation, she could use formations to confuse Dao Lord Jinghe's divine sense—after all, he wouldn't pay too much attention. But during Core Formation, Dao Lord Jinghe's divine sense would definitely focus intently here. For the sake of the Void Heaven Realm's secret, it was better to make things look as realistic as possible.
Fortunately, she had obtained the Mysterious Mechanism Formation Book, and her skill in formations was far beyond the ordinary. The stone puppet itself possessed the spiritual qi fluctuations of the late Foundation Establishment stage. With a few more tricks from her, disguising it as herself wasn't a problem.
However, after forming her Core and emerging from the Void Heaven Realm, she would have to perform another trick to create the heavenly phenomenon of Core Formation.
Then, within the Void Heaven Realm, she properly arranged all the pills she had refined herself, along with some treasures Dao Lord Jinghe had prepared for her Core Formation.
First was the Dustless Pill. This pill was not like the Foundation Establishment Pill used during Foundation Establishment. To be precise, it was a pill that defended against inner demons. Because during the Core Formation process, inner demons were the greatest threat, making this the most important pill for Core Formation. This had been true since ancient times, and in ancient times, the pill used to defend against inner demons during Core Formation was also the Dustless Pill.
Next was the Taiqing Pill. This pill contained vast amounts of spiritual energy. Its function was similar to the Foundation Establishment Pill. By consuming this pill, a massive amount of spiritual energy would be instantly released within the body. Using this energy, one could begin the assault on the Core Formation stage.
Finally was the Immortal Wind Dew. This dew was a liquid-form pill, concocted from the liquid of the Seven-Leaf Purple Heart Lotus and Jade Heart Grass, blended with dozens of types of immortal roots and spiritual herbs. It was a formula found within the Void Heaven Realm. Seeing that this spiritual medicine aided Core Formation and that the main ingredients were available within the Void Heaven Realm, Mo Tiange had been careful to search outside for the missing supplementary ingredients. She had just finished concocting it a short while ago.
After completing all this, Mo Tiange began to sit in meditation, thinking of nothing, allowing herself to return to a state of perfect calm, like still water.
In truth, she had never felt as confident as she did today. She was no longer that Qi Refining disciple from years past, who, despite possessing a Pure Yin constitution, had a Five Spiritual Roots aptitude that was almost like trash. With extraordinary natural talent, ample spiritual medicines, extraordinary formations, and a cultivation environment no worse than the ancient times, why should she worry about failing to advance?
Slowly regulating her breathing, slowly circulating her spiritual qi, she immersed herself in the rising and falling cycles of spiritual qi.
Deep within her Dantian, there was a small area that contained not only Yin spiritual energy but also Yang spiritual energy. Unlike ordinary people where Yin and Yang were mixed together, hers fused and connected with each other, forming a cycle.
When the Yin-Yang cycle reached balance, and the Five Elements possessed both Yin and Yang forms—capable of being either Yin or Yang... the state of Primordial Chaos, Hunyuan, finally took shape.
Although the amount of Yang spiritual energy within her body was small, it was enough to occupy a corner deep within her Dantian.
Mo Tiange started with this small Hunyuan cycle, guiding the Yin spiritual energy throughout her entire body, slowly breathing in and out... Within the Void Heaven Realm, countless streams of pure spiritual qi swirled around her. Gradually, she entered a state of nothingness...
Primordial wilderness. The heavens and earth first opening, deities appearing in the world...
Ancient vastness, deities creating humans, the emergence of mankind...
Deities departing the world, Immortals and Demons separating, seas changing into mulberry fields...
The desolation of antiquity, mankind reborn, the war between the righteous and the demonic...
Millions of years of time flowed before her eyes. She experienced the winds rising and clouds moving since the Primordial Era—this was the unique Primordial aura of the Void Heaven Realm.
It was as if she herself were just a speck of dust from the Primordial Era, drifting through hundreds of thousands of years.
Mo Tiange opened her eyes, feeling her emotions like dust, lifted by the wind and settling when the wind ceased. Though they rose and fell dramatically, they stirred no waves.
She consumed the Taiqing Pill, the Immortal Wind Dew, and the Dustless Pill in sequence.
Unlike the explosive vortex of spiritual energy when consuming the Foundation Establishment Pill, the Taiqing Pill was gentle and moist. It slowly slid down her throat and into her abdomen. A warmth like the gentle sun spread out, gradually submerging her entire being.
This reminded her of her childhood, when every winter, her mother would often sit outside with her, basking in the sun—lazy, warm, as if in her mother's embrace.
Her consciousness was lost in this moment. The spiritual qi throughout her body began to naturally contract. At the same time, countless streams of spiritual qi from the Void Heaven Realm surged wildly toward her, scrambling to pour into her body.
Her eyes, ears, mouth, nose, every pore of her skin opened, accepting this spiritual qi, blocking out the impurities within. Only the purest Yin spiritual energy was admitted inside.
This process lasted a long time, but Mo Tiange's consciousness had already dissolved within this Primordial aura. Even a year felt like only a few days.
Time passed day by day...
Suddenly, one day, Mo Tiange felt an explosive pain within her body, from her Dantian to her meridians to her internal organs. She regained awareness but could do nothing, allowing this Yin spiritual energy to run rampant within her.
However, unlike a loss of control over spiritual qi, this Yin spiritual energy filled her entire body, yet her meridians and Dantian completely contained it. It was just that the speed at which it increased was too fast, causing violent conflict with the meridians and Dantian that were trying to restrain it.
This conflict brought a twisting pain. Mo Tiange gritted her teeth and endured it, following Dao Lord Jinghe's instructions, trying her best to breathe in and out, allowing the spiritual qi throughout her body to return to a regular rhythm.
She didn't know how much time passed before her body finally adapted to the pain of the spiritual energy expansion. She was finally able to control that small mass of Hunyuan spiritual energy within her. She placed this Hunyuan Qi Mass at the entrance to the sea of consciousness within her Dantian, protecting the most crucial area.
After doing this, the spiritual qi that her meridians could no longer contain surged wildly toward her Dantian.
Mo Tiange firmly maintained her grip on the Hunyuan Qi Mass, allowing her Dantian to devour this spiritual qi. After her Dantian was completely stuffed full of spiritual qi, countless streams of spiritual qi from outside continued to pour in.
Thus, the pain became even more intense. She almost thought that in the next moment, her Dantian and meridians would be torn apart from being unable to contain the spiritual qi.
But no. When the spiritual qi could no longer be contained, it began to compress. What was already a liquid-like existence between them became even denser after compression, with almost no gaps.
Mo Tiange knew the most critical moment had arrived.
She closed her eyes. She could now completely adapt to this pain of her Dantian being compressed by spiritual qi. But next, it depended on whether the process of spiritual qi compression could proceed smoothly.
Her breathing was steady, her meridians open, but her Dantian tightened.
Sometimes, a container, clearly already full, could always surprisingly fit more things.
Mo Tiange's Dantian was like that now. It was full of spiritual qi, yet more kept pouring in. That liquid-like spiritual qi gradually became more and more viscous, almost congealing together.
Her Dantian was expanding, her meridians were also expanding. Mo Tiange had completely adapted to this pain of compression. Her body seemed to be tearing apart. If this spiritual qi were more violent, she would explode and die, her limbs destroyed. But the power of the Taiqing Pill was gentle; this spiritual qi was slowly compressing all along.
The Immortal Wind Dew was also at work. The gentle immortal liquid moistened her meridians and Dantian, helping them stretch, repairing the damage suffered during the process of stretching and compression.
At this time, the benefits of having meridians and Dantian refined by the Five Elements Body Cultivation method became apparent.
Mo Tiange did not have her meridians shattered inch by inch like those others who formed their Cores, where the slightest misstep would lead to complete failure. Her meridians were flexible and resilient. Though compressed painfully, they firmly wrapped around this spiritual qi. With the slightest damage, the Immortal Wind Dew would repair it bit by bit.
Faced with such resilient meridians, the spiritual qi could only retreat. Thus, they compressed against each other, reducing the distance between them.
Finally, at the entrance to the sea of consciousness, where the Hunyuan Qi Mass was located, a tiny white particle appeared.
It was only the size of a grain of rice, yet possessed an almost uncontrollable power. The moment it appeared, all the spiritual qi madly surged toward it, covering it bit by bit.
Layer upon layer of spiritual qi wrapped around it, almost turning it into a liquid pellet. But this wasn't enough. This grain of rice emitted a white radiance, carrying an immense suction force, devouring all this spiritual qi.
Though this grain of rice was tiny, who knew how much spiritual qi it could contain? This already liquid spiritual qi was compressed into it, yet it only grew a little larger. Thus, from outside the Void Heaven Realm, countless streams of spiritual qi once again surged wildly inward.
Her meridians and Dantian once again endured immense pressure. This time, there was not only the compressive force of the spiritual qi but also the suction force of this white particle—no, this white particle had now become a pellet the size of a thumb.
This pellet was still swelling, devouring spiritual qi, swelling itself.
This process lasted a long time, perhaps several months, perhaps several years. Mo Tiange always firmly maintained her grip on herself, not collapsing under the pain.
As time passed, the speed at which this pellet absorbed spiritual qi grew slower and slower, from the initial frenzy to final stability.
It seemed to be full. Its originally faint white color turned into a dazzling radiance. Now, it was about the size of a child's fist, emitting a pure, gleaming light.
The process of absorbing spiritual qi stopped. The Hunyuan Qi Mass that had always surrounded this pellet coiled around it, firmly wrapping it up. Thus, it turned into a light golden color.
The Golden Core was formed!
But Core Formation did not end here. The true trial had arrived.
The moment the Golden Core formed, Mo Tiange's consciousness was already lost within the endless sea of consciousness.
Outside the Void Heaven Realm, within the main hall of the Shangqing Palace on Qingquan Peak, two people sat silently.
A year passed, autumn leaving and winter arriving. All flowers had withered, yet white plum blossoms drifted with fragrance. The maids of the Shangqing Palace cut several branches of winter plum and placed them in the hall, filling it with a subtle fragrance.
"Three years..." Dao Lord Jinghe murmured softly, his gaze turning toward behind him. His divine sense pierced through pavilions and towers, reaching a certain place within the mountain, yet he sensed nothing unusual—only the spiritual qi fluctuations of the Foundation Establishment stage.
A winter plum blossom drifted down from a branch. Qin Xi reached out and caught it. The petals immediately scattered, falling from between his fingers. "It took her over two years just for Foundation Establishment. It's not surprising that Core Formation would take several years."
Dao Lord Jinghe shifted his gaze and smiled. "You're quite confident in her, certain she will definitely succeed in Core Formation? Perhaps she'll be trapped by inner demons?"
"No." Qin Xi's gaze was calm, his face without ripples. "She won't be trapped by inner demons. Definitely not."
In truth, she was not like him. His path of cultivation had been too smooth, so when faced with one difficulty, he would break and fall, unable to rise again. But she had experienced countless hardships, walked dangerous paths. Once something was laid bare, she would resolutely abandon it.
Volume Four: The Immortal Mountain Becomes Visible
Stepping Over the Threshold of High-Level Cultivators~