Starting as a Talisman Master

Chapter 269 Seven Years to Form the Core, Heavenly Rain and Flying Snow (5.3k)

"Over a hundred years? Junior brother, you're overestimating the stability of the situation outside."

The old man coughed softly again, his eyes filled with even deeper sorrow. "I know my own condition best. This old injury has damaged my very essence; I can only hold on for another sixty years at most. Once I pass away, how can you alone withstand those old monsters from the Tai Xuan Sect and the Tianji Sect?"

"In the cultivation world, the strong prey on the weak. Which of the other six sects of the Great Li Kingdom is an easy opponent?"

"As for the spiritual herbs in the sect's treasury, they are ultimately just external things. Without great perseverance and great opportunities, given their current restless nature, even with the assistance of spiritual herbs, forcibly stimulating their magic power to form a core would be a waste of resources and would only lead to their deaths."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man in purple robes moved his lips slightly, but ultimately let out a long sigh and said no more. The hall fell silent once more, save for the intermittent, muffled coughs.

Meanwhile, deep within the market town, in the Jia-class cave dwelling.

In the center of the quiet room, the Qingchu Furnace hangs in mid-air, its bottom glowing with a pale blue flame that quietly heats the furnace body.

Lu Chi sat cross-legged, his hands forming hand seals, and powerful magical energy flowed continuously into the alchemy furnace. His expression was calm as he controlled the heat, quietly guiding the final fusion of the medicinal liquid within the furnace.

Suddenly, a clear humming sound came from inside the Qingchu Furnace.

Lu Chi's gaze sharpened slightly, his hand seals changed abruptly, and he said in a deep voice, "Withdraw."

The furnace lid suddenly popped open, and three streaks of gray-white light shot out from the furnace opening.

Lu Chi waved his sleeve, and his magic power transformed into an invisible giant hand, steadily taking it into his palm.

He opened his palm and saw three pills, each the size of a longan, lying quietly on it. The pills were grayish-white, with ancient cloud patterns flowing across their surface, and a rich, mellow fragrance instantly filled the quiet room.

The moment the medicinal fragrance touched the stone wall, it was completely blocked by the dense array of light barriers surrounding it, firmly suppressing it within the cave and preventing it from spreading outwards even slightly.

Lu Chi examined the Dust-Subduing Pill in his palm and thought to himself, "As expected, it worked on the first try."

Ordinary alchemists need to use a large number of medicinal materials and repeatedly try and fail to accumulate experience in controlling the heat and making pills in order to refine such third-order spiritual pills.

He was completely different.

Since consuming that new strange fire, his control over flames has reached an extremely subtle level.

In addition, with talents such as [Listening to Plants], he can clearly perceive every subtle change when spiritual herbs are blended. Coupled with his magical power and spiritual awareness that far surpass those of his peers, the entire alchemy process is as smooth as flowing water, without the slightest oversight.

Lu Chi took out a jade bottle, carefully put away the pills, and then briefly calculated the time.

It took two months just to start the furnace and refine this Dust-Clearing Pill.

Reaching the Core Formation is no child's play; this seclusion may last for many years.

He had read ancient books, and in legends, those profound alchemy masters could create a fragrant aroma that permeated the area on the day their pills were completed, resonating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and giving rise to a series of extraordinary phenomena.

I don't know how many years or months I will need to cultivate before I can reach that level of enlightenment.

Looking at the jade bottle in his hand again, Lu Chi suppressed his distracting thoughts.

Now that everything is ready, the time for the formation of the elixir has arrived.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, recalling the insights on Core Formation from his grandmaster, Li Qingrong, and Changqing Zhenren one by one, verifying them against each other.

Afterwards, he silently recited the incantations for the Elixir Formation chapter in the Taiyuan Xuanshui Classic several times.

After confirming that he had a clear understanding of every step of the exercise and every key point, without any omissions, he slowly opened his eyes.

Lu Chi flipped his hand and took out a cold jade box covered with sealing talismans.

Remove the talisman, push open the box lid, and an extremely pure, icy aura wafts out.

Inside the box lay a lotus flower, its entire body a deep blue, the very same Nine Nether Cold Lotus that had been found along with the "Taiyuan Xuanshui Jing" in the Cangming Secret Realm.

After this item fell into his hands, he secretly used spiritual liquid to accelerate its ripening.

Today, this spiritual lotus has reached the age of ten thousand years. Such a rare and exquisite water-attribute spiritual object, if it were to fall into the outside world, would probably even tempt a Nascent Soul cultivator to seize it.

The Nine Netherworld Cold Lotus is extremely cold in nature, and its properties are the same as those of the cultivation technique he practices.

When he acquired this item, he regarded it as a great help in his future Core Formation.

Lu Chi flicked his finger, and a wisp of eerie blue flame leaped from his fingertip, completely enveloping the ten-thousand-year-old spiritual lotus.

Instead of burning it, the strange fire continuously roasted and refined it with extremely precise control of the heat.

In a short while, the entire lotus was refined into a crystal-clear, dark blue spiritual liquid, leaving only a few remaining roots in the jade box.

Lu Chi opened his mouth and inhaled without hesitation, swallowing the ball of chilling blue spiritual liquid.

The moment the azure liquid entered the stomach, a domineering and bone-chilling coldness exploded out.

Lu Chi's face turned icy, and he immediately activated the true technique of the "Taiyuan Xuanshui Scripture".

In the past, when people formed their elixir, they often used the method of "shattering the foundation and gathering the essence." This method is fierce and can easily cause a backlash from the rampant abuse of magical power.

Lu Chi verified the detours and mistakes made by his predecessors one by one, and laid out defenses in advance in various parts of his meridians. Only then did he seek the true meaning of "extreme stillness gives rise to movement, transforming into the Great Abyss".

As the incantation flowed, a "Taiyuan Sea Eye" quietly condensed deep within the Qi Sea.

Drawn by the sea eye, the liquid magic endlessly collapsed inward like a deep abyss vortex.

However, the ancient method of forming elixir is by no means easy.

The speed at which his magical power collapsed far exceeded Lu Chi's expectations. In just over half a day, all the magical power he had accumulated in his body was drained away.

His meridians were wracked with excruciating pain from dryness and tearing, and a terrifying suction force emanated from the depths of his sea eye, as if it wanted to devour his dantian along with his physical body.

If it is allowed to absorb and drain the elixir, the elixir will surely be destroyed and the person will die.

Despite the excruciating pain, Lu Chi swept up the hundreds of mid-grade spirit stones piled up beside him.

He released a slight burst of magical power, crushing all the spirit stones. The dense, misty spiritual energy of heaven and earth instantly enveloped him, flowing through his bones and into his body. It was forcibly refined into magical power by his cultivation technique, continuously filling that greedy sea eye.

The deeper the water, the heavier it becomes.

The immense water pressure stripped away the impurities of the magic layer by layer, but when it condensed to its extreme, the highly concentrated liquid magic began to churn violently, showing signs of being unable to be suppressed and about to explode.

Without hesitation, Lu Chi opened his mouth and swallowed a Dust-Reducing Pill.

The elixir entered the stomach, transforming into a steady and long-lasting medicinal power that relentlessly suppressed the violent magical power.

The stalemate lasted less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the magical power surged again, and the sea eye nearly collapsed.

He lowered his gaze slightly and swallowed the remaining two Dust-Subduing Pills together.

With the combined immense medicinal power of the three Tier 3 Dust-Reducing Pills, and the continuous refining of mid-grade spirit stones, the chaos deep within the Qi Sea was finally forcibly suppressed and shrunk to an extremely terrifying point, even causing the void within the Qi Sea to feel stagnant.

The time has come.

Lu Chi suddenly activated his divine sense, sending all the Nine Netherworld Cold Lotus Spirit Liquid that was accumulating in his abdomen into the center of his Qi Sea.

This extremely yin and cold substance immediately transformed into the elixir core at the final stage of elixir formation.

An extreme chill suddenly erupted from the center of the Qi Sea, instantly freezing the void and turning water droplets into ice.

The magical vortex, which had been rapidly collapsing just moments before, came to an abrupt halt under the icy chill, plunging into a deathly silence where all things withered. Then, from within this silence, a glimmer of life quietly began to emerge.

A faint light swirled, and the ice shell quietly shattered.

A perfectly round golden pill, radiating a deep, dark blue luster, floated quietly in the center of the Qi Sea; it was none other than the flawless Taiyuan Xuan Dan.

A wave of pure and clear magical power rippled outwards, and Lu Chi's aura changed accordingly, finally stepping steadily into the Golden Core realm.

"I've reached the Core Formation stage!"

Lu Chi slowly opened his eyes, a flash of deep blue light passing through them.

He sat quietly on the futon, examining himself, and felt that his consciousness and magical power had undergone a complete transformation.

The golden core deep within the Qi Sea was operating steadily, continuously providing enormous power, more than ten times stronger than that of the Foundation Establishment stage.

He closed his eyes slightly, and his powerful divine sense spread out silently.

His divine sense penetrated the many restrictions of the cave, instantly encompassing the entire area within a ten-mile radius.

Upon entering the Golden Core Realm, an even more profound change occurs: the ability to perceive and control the power of heaven and earth.

Lu Chi calmly sensed the abundant water-elemental spiritual energy in the surrounding void, which was extremely compatible with his own spiritual root.

With a thought, he followed this mysterious sensation and quietly stirred up a wisp of energy in the outside world.

Meanwhile, above Cangyuan City.

It was the height of summer, and the sun was blazing. But without warning, the sky above the city darkened, and a dark cloud stretching for ten miles quickly gathered.

At first, a fine drizzle began to fall. This rain, imbued with pure water elemental energy, had not yet touched the ground when a chilling aura suddenly emanated from the clouds.

In the blink of an eye, the drizzle condensed in mid-air, turning into a sky full of pure white snowflakes, which fluttered down.

Snow fell heavily, enveloping the entire city.

The ordinary merchants and servants in the city were caught off guard and shivered from the sudden chill.

Everyone took shelter under the eaves, stood still, and looked up at the snow falling all around them, their faces full of surprise and confusion.

It's really strange that snow would fall so suddenly in the middle of summer.

The many cultivators in the market were also astonished.

Many people reached out to catch the falling snowflakes, and upon sensing the pure energy contained within them, their expressions changed slightly.

Snow falling in the height of summer is not due to a change in the weather; it must be that some great formation has malfunctioned, or that some highly skilled senior is using some kind of icy divine power here.

Outside the Ling Pavilion, Uncle Zhou looked at the snow falling all around him, and his expression of surprise and doubt gradually turned into horror.

"Could it be that a Golden Core cultivator from an external enemy is attacking?" His heart skipped a beat, and he dared not hesitate for a moment. He quickly took out a high-level communication talisman from his sleeve, swiftly wrote down a few urgent messages, and transformed it into a streak of fire, heading straight for the main mountain of the Falling Clouds Sect.

The main hall of Luoxia Mountain.

Upon receiving the message, the gray-robed elder heard that strange phenomena had occurred in the market of Cangyuan City, and that a powerful enemy at the Golden Core stage was approaching. His expression changed drastically, and he immediately mustered a burst of magical power, transforming into a dazzling rainbow, and personally rushed towards Cangyuan City to provide assistance.

Inside the cave dwelling numbered A.

Hidden in the shadows, Li Qianyou naturally sensed the drastic change in the external atmosphere. He felt the pure and vast water-elemental energy in the void, and his illusory face was filled with solemnity.

"What kind of cultivation technique does this kid practice? He's only just entered the Golden Core stage, yet he can still trigger such a celestial phenomenon?" Li Qianyou was secretly shocked.

Immediately afterwards, he keenly sensed the bustling noise outside the market, with countless cultivators converging on this area to investigate, drawn by the unusual phenomenon.

Li Qianyou's heart tightened, fearing that chaos outside might disturb Lu Chi's consolidation of his cultivation. He made a quick decision and took out the array plate that Lu Chi had given him before he went into seclusion.

A wisp of magical power was quietly injected.

Deep beneath the market town, several array points that had been secretly altered flickered with a faint, eerie light.

The third-tier, low-grade Four Spirits Locking Light Array did not conspicuously display its light screen, but instead quietly transferred part of the central power to Li Qianyou.

The array's energy was secretly linked, firmly locking down the location of the Class A cave dwelling, protecting it like an iron barrel.

The external situation, however, is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Several disciples of the Luoxia Sect stationed at the market noticed the unusual flow of energy in the formation and gathered around Uncle Zhou, their expressions revealing their panic.

"Master Uncle, what exactly is going on with this summer snow? The market formation seems to be operating on its own. Could it be that a powerful enemy is attacking the formation from the outside?" a disciple asked in a low voice.

Uncle Zhou looked up at the snow falling more and more heavily, and felt the faint pressure of the great formation around him. His old face, which was already full of wrinkles, was now twisted into a knot.

He looked at the sky, then gazed towards the direction of the Jia-character cave where the array's energy was converging, his eyes filled with confusion. In the end, he could only utter two dry words.

"I don't know."

Before long, the snow falling over the city gradually stopped, and the dark clouds dispersed.

Lu Chi sat cross-legged in the quiet room for several more days, thoroughly stabilizing the newly formed golden core, before finally finishing his practice, getting up, and pushing open the heavy stone door to leave the seclusion.

In the outer chamber of the cave, Li Qianyou was already waiting to the side.

Seeing Lu Chi step out, his gaze subconsciously swept over him, and his heart skipped a beat.

The young man before him had clearly just formed his core, and his magical power had not yet been fully contained. However, the deep and cold fluctuations of the young man made this former fake infant ghost feel a sense of fear and trepidation, making him dare not look directly at him.

Li Qianyou suppressed his surprise and said in a deep voice, "Congratulations on forming your Golden Core, fellow Daoist. Judging from your profound and abyssal magical power, your Golden Core must be of extremely high quality. From now on, you will have gained five hundred years of lifespan, and you can be considered to have truly embarked on the Great Dao."

Lu Chi cupped his hands slightly and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for protecting me outside, senior. I wonder how much time has passed in the outside world since you went into seclusion."

Li Qianyou replied, "Seven whole years."

"Seven years—" Lu Chi murmured, a sense of emotion welling up in his heart.

When he broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, it only took him a little over a year. This time, however, he has been sitting in this quiet room for seven years trying to break through to the Golden Core stage.

By this calculation, I have unknowingly reached the age of fifty.

Once upon a time, when he was a talisman maker on Qingque Mountain, he admired those exceptionally talented individuals who could achieve the Golden Core stage in a hundred years and become famous throughout the region.

Unexpectedly, he, a person of mediocre talent, walked a path as if on thin ice, and in only half the time of others, he stepped onto the path of the Golden Core.

With this in mind, Lu Chi's expression became even more reserved and calm.

Although Lu's progress to this day was aided by some insignificant opportunities, ultimately it was due to his own cautiousness and tireless hard work.

Heaven rewards diligence; there's nothing to be proud of if you work steadily and surely.

Li Qianyou waved his hand and said, "There are no external enemies attacking. Besides, you are meticulous and have secretly seized the central hub of the market formation and laid out many backup plans. With these arrangements in place, I can't do much."

At this point, his tone softened a bit: "Now that you have entered the Golden Core Realm, please stop calling me 'senior' and just call me Elder Li."

Lu Chi smiled slightly and said gently, "In that case, Elder Li, you may address me by my given name from now on."

The old man and the young man exchanged a glance but said nothing more.

Having journeyed from Huanyun Continent to this point, experiencing numerous twists and turns, the initial mutual distrust between the two has long since faded, and they have now genuinely developed a bond of shared hardship.

Lu Chi's consciousness suddenly stirred, and his gaze turned to the outside of the cave.

Li Qianyou also sensed something and pondered, "With such momentum, it seems that the Golden Core cultivators of the Luoxia Sect have arrived."

Lu Chi nodded slightly.

Previously, when he first formed his Golden Core, in order to verify the use of the power of heaven and earth, he caused heavenly rain and snow, and secretly triggered the market array.

Cangyuan City is not far from Luoxia Mountain. It would be strange if the other side did not send someone to investigate after such a commotion.

He subtly probed out with his divine sense and immediately understood the old man's background.

The newcomer's cultivation level was indeed at the late Golden Core stage, but his magical power was rather weak and showed signs of decay, indicating that he was in extremely poor condition.

Even so, with such cultivation, he should be the number one in the Luoxia Sect among the seven sects of the Great Li Kingdom.

Lu Chi had no intention of leaving.

Having settled here over the years, he was impressed by the orderly and methodical way the Luoxia Sect operated.

Moreover, after the old man sensed the magical power fluctuations of a newly promoted Golden Core cultivator within the Class A cave, he did not forcibly break the formation to investigate. Instead, he strictly ordered the surrounding disciples to keep quiet and not to spread the news. This action was clearly motivated by goodwill.

"Elder Li, I'll go out and meet this person. Please return to the camp to rest first." Lu Chi turned to look at Li Qianyou.

The Soul Refining Banner is ultimately a demonic artifact; if it falls into the eyes of outsiders, it will inevitably cause trouble.

Li Qianyou nodded slightly, without saying anything more. With a flicker, she transformed into a wisp of mist and obediently disappeared into the Soul Refining Banner in Lu Chi's sleeve.

Seeing that Li Qianyou had suppressed his aura, Lu Chi straightened his robes, flicked his sleeves to remove the heavy restrictions outside the cave, and stepped outside.

The images of the Golden Core cultivators he had met in the past flashed through his mind.

From Taiqing Palace to Jiuhua Immortal City, and then to the Netherworld Kingdom, he had seen many True Immortals, from the early to the late stages of the Golden Core realm.

Upon careful reflection, the magical power and aura of those people seemed to be far inferior to his own.

With his foundation in the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, coupled with the inherited true techniques of the ancient Divine Transformation Sect, his newly formed Golden Core far surpasses those of others of the same level.

Although he has just entered the Golden Core Realm, even Lu Chi himself is not sure how strong he has become.

Outside the gate, in the courtyard, the snow had not yet melted, and a chill was in the air.

A gaunt old man in a gray robe stood with his hands behind his back. The market cultivators who had gathered around had obviously been dispersed. The surroundings were empty and desolate, with only a few Foundation Establishment managers from the Luoxia Sect waiting far away outside the formation.

Upon seeing Lu Chi appear, the old man's gaze sharpened slightly, and his divine sense subconsciously probed towards him.

He had expected to meet a newly promoted Golden Core cultivator with an unstable aura and weak magical power, but to his surprise, the other party's aura was as deep and profound as an abyss, and his magical power was so solid that even he, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, felt a sense of unfathomable depth.

The old man's heart trembled slightly. He immediately straightened his posture, cupped his hands first, and said in a gentle tone, "I am the sect leader of the Falling Clouds Sect, with the Daoist name Xuan Chen. A few days ago, I noticed a change in the celestial phenomena here, and the great formation activated on its own. Fearing that a powerful enemy might cause trouble, I came to investigate."

"I never imagined that you, fellow Daoist, would form your Golden Core here. This is truly a joyous occasion."

Lu Chi remained calm and returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "So it is Sect Leader Xuan Chen. I am Lu Chi. I was fortunate enough to break through to the Golden Core stage during my seclusion in your sect's market area. As I am new to the Golden Core stage, I was unable to control my power for the time being, which caused changes in the celestial phenomena and disturbed the peace of the market. I hope the Sect Leader will forgive me."

"Master Lu, you flatter me." Master Xuanchen coughed softly, then stroked his beard and smiled, "It is a blessing for my Luoxia Sect that you were able to form your core in the market of Cangyuan City. It is extremely difficult for rogue cultivators to form their core, and the fact that you were able to overcome this hurdle shows your strong will. I admire you."

Upon hearing the address "Master Lu," Lu Chi felt a slight ripple in his heart.

He began his life as a humble fisherman, traversing the world and venturing into the netherworld. After fifty years of cultivation, he now immerses his spiritual power in his sea of ​​qi, sitting in meditation for seven autumns to condense the profound elixir of the Great Abyss. Finally, he sheds the petty air of half a lifetime and deserves the title of "True Man" in the world.

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