Immortality begins with upgrading buildings

Chapter 321 Pseudo-Core Formation Realm; Level 3 [Honeycomb]

"Reporting to the young master, we have obtained information about Qiu Qianhai in many places in Shangdong."

The bald, burly man, kneeling on one knee, replied:

"At first, he was in the area south of the Water Dragon Sect, then east and south of Linhai City. We have found out his whereabouts. He is still heading south now, and should be active in the area of ​​Huanxi Palace."

"This Qiu Qianhai is quite powerful, and he is now famous throughout the entire Shuainan. Even if not many people have seen him, most people have heard of him."

"hehe."

Jiang Hong gently rubbed his thigh with his right hand. "If someone's strength is too weak, how can they become my opponent?"

"Have you found out what his cultivation level is now?"

The bald, burly man continued, "Judging from the information, even Foundation Establishment cultivators are no match for him, but there's no intelligence on him directly defeating Core Formation cultivators. Therefore, I deduce that his cultivation level should be at the Pseudo-Core Formation stage."

"Oh? Fake pills are good."

Jiang Hong slowly rose and paced back and forth in front of the throne. "The fake pill is wonderful. Since it's a fake pill, no one will feel that I'm bullying the weak."

Jiang Hong's eyes grew brighter as he spoke.

"Shuinan, right? That makes sense. I've been here for so long, and I haven't even been to Shuinan yet."

With that, he waved his hand and ordered, "Men, prepare the equipment at Shuainan!"

The moment he finished speaking, a wisp of gray mist suddenly condensed to his right, from which stepped an old man with white hair. As soon as he appeared, he hunched over and said:

"Young Master, the Corpse Driving Mountain hasn't been fully refined yet. This is a task assigned by the Mountain Lord... We can't move it."

Jiang Hong frowned upon hearing this.

"Mountain Lord, Mountain Lord, ha, you treat him like a mountain lord, but he treats you like an old dog."

The white-haired old man lowered his head, not daring to speak.

Even the bald, burly man who had just gotten up lowered his head again... He only regretted not running faster and instead staying there to hear these words.

"I can't help you refine the Corpse-Driving Mountain. You can stay here with the Blood Luo Guards and refine it. I'll lead the team to Shui Nan myself."

Jiang Hong said in a deep voice.

"No, young master!"

The white-haired old man stepped forward and hurriedly said, "Although we have captured Shang Dong, there are still many remnants of the righteous path hiding in the shadows, clinging to life. If they discover your whereabouts... this, this could be very dangerous!"

"hehe."

Jiang Hong seemed to have heard a great joke. He was genuinely happy, so he took a half step forward and came to the white-haired old man, raising his hands to straighten his clothes.

The white-haired old man was so frightened he almost knelt down.

"Below the Core Formation stage, I am invincible; above the Core Formation stage... who can take me on a one-for-one battle?"

"Uncle Fu, don't underestimate me. If I really encounter an opponent who can take me one for one, either my parents will arrive, or I will have already used this teleportation token to leave. You can rest assured."

Having said all that, Uncle Fu naturally couldn't persuade him any further.

He could only sigh, "I will obey the young master's orders."

"Haha, that's more like it!"

Jiang Hong turned around and laughed loudly, "Set up the cart in Shuainan! That's it, let's depart immediately!"

After saying this, even though he had not yet formed his core, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light and flew out of the hall, disappearing without a trace.

The bald, burly man hurriedly followed.

The remaining white-haired old man... after Jiang Hong left, the apologetic smile on his face disappeared. He took out a sword talisman from his storage bag, whispered a few words, and then released it.

Gray mist reappeared behind him, and he simply took a step back before disappearing.

"..."

"The Qi unites with the Mysterious Female, the vast ocean is bright and clear, the pure and the turbid are mutually rooted, existence and non-existence share the same orifice, the divine fire nourishes the elixir, embracing the primordial and guarding the One..."

Ji Yuan sat cross-legged in the stone chamber, his hands forming a mudra on his knees, chanting incantations.

Outside the cave.

Monday, fully manifested, perched atop the mountain, as if draping the Mystic Crystal Mountain with an icy blue scarf, while Tuesday hid at the entrance of the Hundred Insect Cave.

Two third-tier dragons were protecting Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan's entire mind was focused on his dantian at this moment.

Look inward at yourself.

Within his dantian, ice-type magical power solidified like ten-thousand-year-old mysterious ice... How could he possibly form a core with just this?

The so-called "forming the core" means condensing all the liquid mana in the dantian into a solid golden core, just like compressing gaseous mana into liquid mana.

How difficult that is!

Therefore, there is a clever trick: one can first condense a fake pill in the dantian, gather a batch of magical power, and transform it into a solid golden pill.

The remaining magical power still exists in a liquid form.

This will not only enhance our current strength, but also prepare us for the formal formation of the Golden Core.

Therefore, apart from a very small number of exceptionally talented individuals who can leap directly from the peak of Foundation Establishment to the Core Formation stage, the vast majority of cultivators choose to first enter the Pseudo-Core Formation stage.

Ji Yuan focused his mind and looked inward at the icy magic power within his dantian.

The remaining nine flying sword embryos were summoned from his dantian and suspended outside his body.

This is a serious matter. If this sword embryo is still kept in my dantian, it could potentially injure me if I'm not careful... It's best to put it away.

Therefore, as Ji Yuan's mind swept over it, the seemingly solidified magical power instantly dissolved.

It transformed once again into ice-blue water-based magic.

But what followed was a strong feeling of swelling and pain as magical power filled his dantian.

Ji Yuan groaned, a sweet taste rising in his throat. He quickly formed hand seals to calm himself and began circulating the Sword Canon. The previously turbulent magical power within his dantian gradually subsided.

His eyes were closed.

After an unknown amount of time, in the stone wall ahead of him, which he could not see, the line of numbers he had been watching for so long finally moved silently.

【The Nine Tribulations Sword Manual of Canglan】

[Proficiency: 100/100]

99 became 100.

At this point, the foundation building is complete.

A strong spiritual energy suddenly emanated from Ji Yuan's body, and the magic power in his dantian seemed to sense a great force, instantly boiling over.

"Give me... Ning!"

Ji Yuan formed hand seals, mobilizing his cultivation. In just one moment, the magical power in his dantian seemed to decrease by a tiny bit.

"Damn it, didn't they say the first compression would at least reduce mana by 20-30%?"

"How come when it came to me, I didn't even get 10%!"

Although he was angry, Ji Yuan naturally knew the specific reason... those three-colored spirit eggs weren't for nothing.

Cracking eggs is fun for a moment.

Break through the crematorium.

That's exactly how Ji Yuan feels right now.

The fact that he consumed so many tri-colored spirit eggs caused his magical power to not only far surpass that of other cultivators of the same level, but also to be of a purity that was incomparable to that of ordinary cultivators.

Therefore, compressing and condensing it into a solid golden pill is not so simple.

If it doesn't work the first time, then try again!

As Ji Yuan's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, he circulated his cultivation technique again, compressing the magical power within his body for the second time.

Then came the third time.

the fourth time.

……

A day later, Ji Yuan had lost count of how many times this had happened.

All he knew was that he was numb.

His only thought was to be thankful that he had trained his body.

If he didn't have an extremely strong physique as a foundation, he probably wouldn't have given up completely after ten attempts with this compression method, which is similar to "forging iron".

This is also why the vast majority of cultivators are stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage.

At most, it would take most of one's life to condense a fake elixir, which would already be a great blessing.

Cultivation techniques, luck, physique, talent, spiritual roots, aptitude... all these limitations are stumbling blocks and obstacles on the path of cultivation.

Ji Yuan felt that his skills were decent, his luck was alright, and his physique was acceptable.

As for the rest... well, there's no need to say more.

But now, he is relying entirely on his superhuman physique to compress the magical power in his dantian time and time again.

Just like now, he was restraining the magical power in his dantian while gaining a brief respite.

However, after a short while, the swelling sensation in his dantian returned. He dared not wait any longer, so he turned to look inward and continued the compression process.

At this moment, within his dantian.

The once vast ocean of magical energy had disappeared, replaced by a huge, aquamarine sphere floating in mid-air.

If a proper golden elixir is the size of an egg, then Ji Yuan's spirit sphere at this moment is about the size of a fist.

A long way to go!

However, Ji Yuan still harbored a sliver of hope: what if, what if I got lucky and formed my Golden Core in one go?

He skipped the pseudo-core stage and became a proper core formation cultivator.

However, I've heard that very few people with earth spirit roots have such good fortune. It's just that they stay in the pseudo-core stage for a very short time. After forming a pseudo-core, they break through again in less than ten years and become a core-forming cultivator.

The remaining true spiritual roots stagnate at the pseudo-core stage for even longer.

As for pseudo-spiritual roots... Ji Yuan didn't gather any information.

Because those with pseudo-spiritual roots who have formed their cores are extremely rare.

Not to mention Core Formation, even Foundation Establishment with a pseudo-spiritual root is so difficult, let alone gradually improving one's cultivation from the early stage of Foundation Establishment to the peak of Foundation Establishment.

Even Ji Yuan... this time he truly experienced the difficulty of forming his core.

To put it bluntly, if he hadn't reached the Tendon Forging Realm in his physical cultivation, he would never have been able to enter the Pseudo-Core Realm today. He would have given up after only two or three compressions.

As for the next stage, Core Formation... without the Core Essence Fruit, he simply wouldn't dare to try.

The one he has now is Ji Yuan's trump card.

If the fake core fails, he plans to take the core fruit first. No matter what, he must ensure that his cultivation level is raised to the fake core first.

We'll see what happens next.

Another hour or so passed.

Even someone as strong as Ji Yuan, with his physique at the Tendon Forging Realm, was struggling to withstand the pressure of this breakthrough. He felt that if the pressure continued to increase, he wouldn't be able to form a false core, and his dantian would be destroyed first.

"No, hoarding resources will only benefit others; only by converting them into strength can we truly achieve our goals!"

With this thought in mind, Ji Yuan took out the Dan Yuan Fruit from his storage bag.

As soon as the spiritual fruit appeared, its exotic fragrance filled the entire stone chamber.

Ji Yuan only took a light sniff and felt all the fatigue since his breakthrough vanish. After taking a second sniff, the swelling and pain in his dantian was relieved a lot.

He held the Dan Yuan Fruit to his lips, about to swallow it whole.

But before he could even open his mouth, he noticed a strange movement in the magical power within his dantian!

He quickly took a deep sniff of the Dan Yuan Fruit in his hand, then immediately put it away and focused his inner vision on his dantian.

In the center of the spirit sphere, which was still about half the size of a fist, a pale blue spirit pill finally appeared on its own.

The magical power solidified, creating a phantom image of a golden core.

The remaining, already restless magical power seemed to have been suppressed by the golden pill and calmed down.

"So, you've finally entered the Pseudo-Core Formation Realm?"

While Ji Yuan was overjoyed, he tried to compress the remaining magical power into the fake core. Once the fake core was perfected, it would naturally transform into a golden core.

No matter how he tried to compress it, the magic power remained completely still.

So, I've reached the limit of my cultivation?

Do not!

Firstly, I have just advanced to the False Core stage, and my cultivation has made a significant breakthrough. If I wait a while longer, the spiritual energy will definitely be able to continue to compress, it's just that the effect will be slower.

Secondly... I also have the Dan Yuan Fruit.

What are you afraid of?

One pill of the Dan Yuan Fruit will definitely compress a lot of magical power again.

But Ji Yuan thought to himself, this Dan Yuan Fruit... definitely has to be kept, so that he can condense the Golden Core in one go.

Sensing his own fake core and the magical power surrounding it, he estimated in his mind, "One Core Essence Fruit is definitely not enough for me to break through, two Core Essence Fruits offer hope, three are quite safe, and four will definitely do!"

"I already have one, and in another five years I will be able to get a second one."

"I'm still young. Even if I wait another forty years, I'll still be under a hundred years old. It'll be plenty of time for me to form my core. At worst, I can go to the Abyss Continent, find an uninhabited island, and go into seclusion for twenty or thirty years to break through to the core in one go."

"Oh no, nobody there knows me, so there's no need to be so cautious. Rather than breaking through outside, I'd rather find a large city with abundant spiritual energy, rent a cave dwelling with abundant spiritual energy, and focus on breaking through to the Core Formation Realm."

Ji Yuan already had high hopes for the future.

So he spent a few more days consolidating his cultivation before leaving the [Scripture Pavilion].

Passing through customs!

Since a fake elixir is not a true golden elixir, it cannot comprehend the supernatural power of transforming into a beam of light. Therefore, Ji Yuan could only obediently fly out of the stone chamber.

Finally, riding on Tuesday's head, we arrived at the summit of Xuanjing Mountain.

It was dusk, and Ji Yuan stood on the mountaintop, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the afterglow like blood. Two icy dragons flanked him, one on each side, protecting him in the middle.

Ji Yuan crossed his arms over his chest, feeling somewhat at ease.

But looking at the current scenery, he couldn't help but think about the current state of affairs in the world... It's tough, really tough.

This period of seclusion has undoubtedly greatly improved my strength. Not only has my cultivation reached the Pseudo-Core Realm, but I have also acquired two third-tier spirit beasts.

If I encounter any fake Core Formation cultivators or early Core Formation cultivators in the future, I might not even need to lift a finger.

Releasing these two ice dragons should be enough.

As Ji Yuan was thinking, he suddenly noticed a strong surge of demonic energy coming from beneath his feet. The two ice dragons that had been lying on the ground instantly stood up, and Zhou Yi even took to the air, swimming around.

He didn't leave on Tuesday, but he was still letting out low growls from his throat.

"What are you calling me? We're all on the same side."

"Stay here, I'll go back and check."

After Ji Yuan finished speaking, he leaped down from the mountaintop. When he landed at the entrance of the Hundred Insect Cave, his figure vanished in a flash.

The queen bee has made a breakthrough!

If it advances to the third tier, then the [Honeycomb] can be upgraded, and its strength can be raised to another level!

Ji Yuan quickened his pace, but just as he reached the entrance of the beehive...

"boom--"

The stone gate in front of them was smashed open from the inside, with a violent sound and debris flying everywhere. Ji Yuan even had to make a hand seal to summon a protective spiritual light.

Immediately afterwards, a huge black shadow squeezed out of the stone chamber.

"Buzzing—"

The violent vibrations of flapping wings rang out, and the dust in the cave was instantly blown away, allowing Ji Yuan to see the true form before him.

The body of the third-tier Soul-Devouring Bee was no longer as black as before, but instead a noble dark gold color, from head to toe, even the wings on its back had a hint of dark gold.

It has no hair on its body, only a layer of fine, dark gold scales that look extremely hard.

"Get down."

Ji Yuan waved his hand, and the third-tier queen bee obediently landed in front of him.

He stepped forward, gently stroked the queen bee's scales, and then tapped it lightly, producing a metallic clanging sound.

This also reminded Ji Yuan of the magical effects of the third-tier [Honeycomb].

"Soul Devouring Armor".

The Soul-Devouring Bee transforms into armor, devouring the surrounding spiritual energy without being known by other cultivators.

This is the true divine art of concealing one's breath.

Thinking of this, Ji Yuan was filled with anticipation.

"Come on, follow me inside!"

As Ji Yuan spoke, he returned to the [beehive]. Compared to before, the [beehive] was now filled with demonic energy, and he also saw the remains left by the queen bee when she broke through to the next level on the ground.

He casually glanced to one side, then looked at the panel and checked the upgrade requirements for the [Honeycomb].

He first took out 900 mid-grade spirit stones from his storage bag, and then took out the corpse of the demon spirit bee given to him by the Hundred Insect Immortal and placed it on the ground.

The moment this thing appeared, the Soul-Devouring Bee emitted a strong aura of unease, and the queen bee even wanted to hit the corpse a few times.

But Ji Yuan ultimately stopped him.

Upgrading the [Honeycomb] requires 3 Tier 3 Demon Cores. Hua Yaoyue gave him quite a few before she left, and with Ji Yuan's previous savings, he now has a total of 10... oh no, he also killed that Tier 3 Rat Demon and found 3 more in the Hundred Insect Immortal's storage bag, so he has a total of 14.

Now, you can easily take out three coins.

"Water is the most abundant, so take out two. Earth is the most abundant, so take out one of those as well."

Finally, Ji Yuan placed the three demon cores on the corpse of the Demon Spirit Bee and, without hesitation, chose to upgrade the [Honeycomb].

After the thought passed.

The honeycomb in front of them had visibly grown several sizes larger, with more honeycombs and larger bodies. The bee pupae that had not yet transformed were now squeezing out numerous spirit-devouring bees.

Ji Yuan even felt that this single breath produced over a thousand Soul-Devouring Bees.

"As expected of a critical hit after an upgrade!"

Then Ji Yuan lightly patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist.

Tens of thousands of Soul-Devouring Bees flew out from it.

In that case, it's time to test the effects of this Soul-Devouring Armor!

(End of this chapter)