The path to immortality through martial arts begins with being forced into marriage!

"Your situation is very special."

Xi Yue looked at him with deep eyes, "Dao patterns are something that only Golden Core cultivators possess. They are marks that are engraved on a cultivator's Dao foundation, foundation, and talent during the transformation from a false core to a golden core."

"Logically speaking, one should not have Dao patterns without achieving the Golden Core stage."

"But you..."

"You already possessed it at the Core Formation stage, and it appeared with six paths at first, and now it's even eight!"

"The only explanation is your legendary Foundation Establishment Realm Great Perfection."

"A flawless foundation allows your inner strength to far surpass that of ordinary people."

"In addition, your leap from the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment to the Peak of Core Formation is equivalent to forcing out all the Dao patterns that should have been slowly condensing in the Golden Core Realm ahead of schedule."

Cui Yi nodded thoughtfully.

It turned out to be the case.

"So... is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Good thing."

Xi Yue answered without hesitation, "That's fantastic news!"

"The Dao patterns of the Golden Core Realm are fixed at the moment of breakthrough. Once the Golden Core is formed, the number of Dao patterns will never change."

"Some people only have three breakthroughs when they break through, so they will only have three breakthroughs for their entire lives. Some people have five breakthroughs when they break through, so they will only have five breakthroughs for their entire lives."

She looked at Cui Yi, a rare hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.

"But you are different."

"You haven't even broken through to the Golden Core stage yet, and you already have eight Dao patterns. Do you know what that means?"

Cui Yi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Does that mean... I can have more?"

"right."

Xi Yue nodded.

"You are currently only at the peak of Core Formation, and your False Core is still in the process of transforming into a Golden Core."

"This process may take a long time, or it may be quick, but it will happen before you truly break through to the Nascent Soul stage..."

"No, before you break through to the core, you still have a chance to increase your Dao patterns."

"If you could stay in the Core Formation stage longer, further solidify your foundation, and add one, two, or even three more Dao patterns to your nascent core!"

Cui Yi's breath hitched slightly as he suddenly remembered what Xi Yue had just said.

Cultivators at the seventh to ninth level have the potential to master two or even three laws.

What about nine or more?

What about the ten paths?

Xi Yue looked at him with a rare seriousness in her eyes.

"Therefore, my advice to you is that, if conditions permit, do not attempt to break through to the Golden Core stage in the near future."

"I will try my best to stay at the Core Formation stage, use various methods to refine my foundation, nurture the false core, and see if I can add a few more Dao patterns."

"After all, the Dao patterns at the Golden Core stage determine how far you can go on the Great Dao in the future."

Cui Yi wholeheartedly and unconditionally supported Xi Yue's suggestion; great minds think alike!

Although we don’t know exactly when these Dao patterns will come into play, as long as they exist, they will surely shine one day!

After discussing this topic, the two were silent for a moment before Xi Yue brought up a new topic.

"You helped me obtain the Soul-Nourishing Wood. As per our previous agreement, I can grant you one request."

"What conditions do you want?"

Cui Yi was slightly taken aback.

He had really forgotten about it.

Xi Yue did indeed say such a thing back in the Northern Wasteland.

For each main ingredient he collects for a Soul Nourishing Pill, he pays a portion of the reward.

Although not as astonishing as the Refining God Technique, each of these techniques was enough to bring about a qualitative change in him.

Now that he has obtained the Soul-Nourishing Wood, he should indeed receive a reward as agreed.

Cui Yi hardly hesitated, because he had already made up his mind.

"This junior would like to request three more sword-shaped jade talismans from the senior."

"Although I have now broken through to the peak of Core Formation, with eight Dao patterns on my body and a mid-grade Earth-rank sword technique in hand, I can kill as many ordinary Core Formation cultivators as I can."

"But even when facing a true Golden Core cultivator, I still don't have the confidence to win."

"I am well aware of the gap between the Golden Core Realm and the Core Formation Realm. It is not a chasm that can be easily crossed by talent and martial arts skills."

"not to mention--"

Cui Yi's gaze darkened slightly.

"The Seven Fiends Sect, the Profound Yin Sect, and the White Bone Demon Sect each have a Golden Core cultivator in charge, and the Seven Fiends Sect even has more than one."

"What I'm about to do cannot be done without them."

"The younger generation needs some trump cards."

"This junior must seek revenge, kill the enemy, and survive the pursuit of those sects."

"What if I were slapped to death by some old monster in the Golden Core stage because I didn't have the means to deal with them—"

At this point, Cui Yi paused slightly, then raised his head and looked directly into Xi Yue's eyes.

"Then the promising talent that the senior was waiting for, the one who could break through to the Golden Core stage with nine or ten Dao patterns, is gone."

"The connection between the Pagoda and the younger generation will also be severed, which is probably not the situation that the senior would want to see."

Xi Yue looked at him, her gaze calm as still water.

After a long while, she suddenly smiled.

"You're quite the schemer."

Cui Yi didn't speak, he just looked at her quietly. The more he said at this time, the more likely people would overthink it.

"The sword-shaped jade talisman was formed from the remaining power of my divine soul. Each one was crafted at the cost of a portion of my divine soul essence."

"Those three I gave you before have weakened me for a long time."

Cui Yi's heart sank slightly. He knew that Xi Yue's condition could not withstand too much damage.

But without those jade talismans, he really had no confidence when facing a Golden Core cultivator...

Just when he thought his request was going to be rejected, Xi Yue suddenly changed the subject.

"but……"

"The Soul-Nourishing Wood is indeed of great benefit to me. Although it has not yet been refined into a pill, the sixth-grade spiritual herb itself will automatically generate some medicinal properties."

"Before you refine the elixir, this Soul-Nourishing Wood will restore my soul by being placed here with me."

"Based on this, it's not something I can't bear to lose some of my essence."

"In any case, this is something I promised you before, and I will not refuse as long as I can do it."

"But you want three? Isn't that a bit too much?"

Cui Yi coughed lightly and said somewhat awkwardly, "Senior, I had no choice."

"Think about it, the Seven Fiends Sect has at least two Golden Core cultivators, the Profound Yin Sect has one, and the White Bone Demon Sect has one, making a total of four."

"I only need three; that's already being very frugal."

Xi Yue looked at him with a half-smile.

"You're going for revenge, not to die. You want to kill four Golden Core cultivators with just three jade talismans?"

"Furthermore, can you guarantee there won't be any Nascent Soul stage cultivators?"

Cui Yi said seriously, "What if some Golden Core cultivators are relatively weak? I can handle them myself."

"Nascent Soul cultivators are not allowed to interfere in mortal affairs. If one side makes a move, the other Nascent Soul cultivators will surely not stand idly by!"

"This junior doesn't believe that there are no personal grudges among those Nascent Soul cultivators. Finding fault with others is the best way to get revenge!"

Xi Yue was amused by his shameless behavior.

Although the smile was faint, Cui Yi could sense that this aloof and reserved senior was indeed in a good mood at the moment.

So, I've got the trump card I wanted!