Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest

Chapter 550 Favorability is not enough
Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were in the bedroom, opening the bags of snacks and unscrewing the bottles of drinks, and began to eat and drink in a carefree manner.

"You're already at the Huafu Stage now," Zhao Yuanzhen said casually. "Do you know the difference between the Huafu Stage and the Xisui Stage?"

"Uh..." Xie Ruoxi asked thoughtfully, "Is it like the second and first stages of specialization?"

The two girls looked at each other for a moment, neither of them understood what the other meant. Zhao Yuanzhen did not hesitate and said calmly:
"The most important thing in the Huafu Stage is the Purple Palace. The Purple Palace is your Dantian, which is constantly nurtured by your True Essence. It will eventually turn into a house, and then your Golden Core will live in it."

"Golden elixirs come in three grades: high, medium, and low. The longer your Dantian is nurtured by your true essence, the higher the grade of the final elixir. However, achieving this elixir requires overcoming tribulations. The higher the grade of the golden elixir, the more intense the tribulation. Failing to overcome it means death. Therefore, if your strength isn't up to par, it's not the right time to aim too high. If the tribulation intensifies and you can't overcome it, you're doomed."

"Hmm..." Xie Ruoxi asked hesitantly, "If that's the case, then what are the benefits of increasing the grade of the Golden Core?"

"That would be a lot better." Zhao Yuanzhen laughed heartily. "A high-grade golden elixir is like a 985 university, a mid-grade golden elixir is like a first-class university, and a low-grade golden elixir is like a junior college."

"Don't use academics as an example!" Xie Ruoxi screamed, "I have absolutely no confidence in you!"

The two of them ate snacks for a while. Zhao Yuanzhen stuffed his mouth full when he suddenly heard Xie Ruoxi ask:

"How long does it take to nurture a top-grade golden elixir?"

"That's hard to say." Zhao Yuanzhen shook his head and said, "The trouble is actually overcoming the tribulation."

The efficiency of warming the Purple Palace would change with the density of the surrounding spiritual energy. For example, in the world of cultivation before her journey, theoretically, it would take over 370 years of cultivation to form a top-grade golden elixir. However, a cultivator who hadn't formed a golden elixir could only live for 200 years at most, so they had to rely on some rare treasures that could prolong their lifespan or increase their cultivation power to achieve this.

But Zhao Yuanzhen had heard his master casually mention that the world of cultivation wasn't like this before. In ancient times, spiritual energy was incredibly abundant, allowing anyone with a physique capable of cultivating the Dao to attain immortality. There wasn't even a notion of high, medium, or low grades back then. Anyone cultivating at the Huafu level for fifty or sixty years would be guaranteed a mid-grade golden elixir. It was truly a golden age for cultivators.

As the world itself ages and the overall density of spiritual energy decreases, the requirements for the quality of the Golden Core are becoming increasingly demanding. The upper limit of what could be achieved through a lifetime of cultivation is gradually becoming unattainable, while the lower limit is constantly decreasing. Even terms like "fake elixirs" and "low-grade Golden Cores" have emerged. This is undoubtedly the tragedy of the Dharma Ending Age.

However, the situation on Earth is completely different.

As a "new spiritual energy world" undergoing recovery, Earth's spiritual energy density was incredibly high. The same amount of spiritual energy was ten or even twenty times more powerful than that found in the cultivation world. So much so that even just a year and two months after the spiritual energy revival, some had already reached the Transformation Palace stage from scratch.

Therefore, the time required to warm up the Dantian wasn't a problem; the real threshold lay in the Golden Core Tribulation. A high concentration of spiritual energy in the environment would not only increase the efficiency of warming up, but also increase the severity of the Tribulation, which was the real headache.

"Crossing the tribulation." Xie Ruoxi suddenly shuddered and said in fear, "Wait, I'm the first person in the world to enter the Huafu stage, which means..."

"You'll probably be the first one to overcome the tribulation in the future." Zhao Yuanzhen said this, and suddenly he felt happy about the misfortune. "Haha, I really can't help you with this. I haven't overcome the tribulation either. You better prepare yourself."

Xie Ruoxi stood up with a pale face, turned around and left the room, sprinting down the stairs, quickly slid down to her knees in front of Yan Yu, hugged his calf and shouted:
"Captain, save me!"

"Ah?" Yan Yu was confused.

Su Yunjin and Lin Ning in the kitchen also looked over and heard Xie Ruoxi sobbing and repeating what Zhao Yuanzhen had said.

"This... I can't help you with this." Yan Yu spread his hands and said, "I haven't survived the disaster either."

This was the truth. In his previous life, he couldn't cultivate. The power of his true essence depended entirely on the progress of the person providing it. While others needed to transcend tribulations to achieve their core, ordinary warriors didn't. All they had to do was wait for a Jindan cultivator who had successfully transcended tribulations, then inject the jar with powerful Jindan-level true essence, and that was it.

Since tribulation is a core secret that directly affects the life and death of the cultivator himself, the State of Lu has a very high level of confidentiality regarding the cultivator's tribulation. It does not even provide any written information, but instead provides an expert team to provide guidance on tribulation. All the knowledge is in the minds of the expert team, and ordinary warriors have no chance to inquire about it.

"It's over, it's over." Xie Ruoxi said fearfully, "I don't want to be the first to undergo the tribulation! I want to stop practicing! Right now!"

Yan Yu was at a loss for words and comforted her:
"It's okay. I heard that the heavenly tribulation doesn't come automatically when the time is right. Instead, it only occurs when you try to condense the golden elixir in your dantian. Why don't you cultivate to the great perfection of the Huafu stage first? Then, don't condense the elixir yet and wait for us, right?"

Only then did Xie Ruoxi feel at ease and breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Yunjin narrowed her eyes in the kitchen and realized that Yan Yu's words were half true and half false.

It was true that transcending the tribulation required a cultivator to form a pill on their own. So Xie Ruoxi could temporarily postpone the tribulation, but would the Zhendong Army or even the Privy Council allow it?
Just think about it, even her promotion to the first Huafu-level cultivator required nationwide publicity. When she reached the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Realm, the higher-ups would surely use every possible means to help her achieve Dan-forming as quickly as possible!

He is the world's first Jindan cultivator!

Xie Ruoxi didn't think too much about it, but just kept stroking her chest and said with lingering fear:

"Then Captain, you must practice faster and can't make me wait too long." "Why, do you have any objections to me?" Yan Yu's face suddenly turned cold.

"No." Xie Ruoxi laughed dryly, "I just hope you can practice faster so you can catch up with me... No, no, I don't mind your slow pace. I just don't dare to be the first to overcome the tribulation. I'm afraid..."

"What's there to be afraid of when going through the tribulation?" Yan Yu said with disdain. "If you were the first to go through the Golden Core Tribulation, you would definitely be the one the Privy Council would pay the most attention to. They might even mobilize resources from across the country to ensure your success. This is truly a blessing for you!"

"Will there be any cultivators in the country who have successfully transcended the tribulation by then?" Xie Ruoxi asked.

"No, you should be the first one." Yan Yu said.

"That doesn't mean I'm completely unsure!" Xie Ruoxi screamed, "How can I be sure of my success in overcoming the tribulation?"

"Stop making so much noise!" Yan Yu said impatiently, "Anyway, you are not allowed to stop breathing and refining the Qi. If you are afraid of the tribulation, just wait until the Great Perfection stage!"

Seeing that Yan Yu refused to pay attention to her, Xie Ruoxi stood up shakily and walked upstairs in a daze.

"Ruoxi, don't go upstairs!" Lin Ning called from the kitchen, "We'll be eating soon!"

"I...I'm going to write a suicide note." Xie Ruoxi burst into tears.

Chen Lingyun just happened to come down from the second floor and passed by Xie Ruoxi, who was in tears. She asked curiously:
"What's up with her?"

"She was terrified when she heard that one would have to go through a heavenly tribulation to achieve Dan-forming." Su Yunjin replied.

"Is that so?" Chen Lingyun's mind moved slightly, and she suddenly smiled, "Oh, I forgot to bring my phone. I have to go back and get it."

She returned to the second floor, came to the door of Xie Ruoxi's room, knocked on the door and asked:

"Ruoxi, are you worried about the Golden Core Tribulation?"

"Yeah." Xie Ruoxi sobbed, "I don't want to survive the tribulation."

"Don't be afraid." Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "I don't think Yan Yu will let you risk your life."

"But he said that he couldn't help me..." Xie Ruoxi said aggrievedly.

"He's always had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Don't you know that after all this time?" Chen Lingyun coaxed, "Think about it, was it he who chose your thunder technique for you?"

"Yes."

"easy to use?"

"very useful."

"That means he's actually been planning your future, doesn't it?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile, "How could he not have considered such an important stage as the Golden Core Tribulation?"

"Then...did I blame him wrongly?" Xie Ruoxi asked hesitantly, "But I'm still scared. If he has a solution, why doesn't he tell me and put my mind at ease?"

"Maybe it's because your favorability isn't high enough." Chen Lingyun raised her finger and smiled. "You see, isn't this a common setting in games? Only when your favorability reaches a certain level will the target character open up to you."

"I see." Xie Ruoxi suddenly realized, "So it's because I don't have enough favorability with him that he refuses to consider my feelings."

"You should cultivate your relationship with the captain, Ruoxi," Chen Lingyun said, revealing her true intentions. "The captain is also a boy. If you give him some benefits occasionally, his favorability will definitely increase rapidly. He will also try his best to help you in the future."

Xie Ruoxi began to think.

Indeed, the opportunity for the domineering male protagonist to be fascinated by the female protagonist is often an unexpected intimate contact.

That is to say, I can also...

(End of this chapter)