I'm determined to become an immortal!

"How is this possible?!"

He Sheng never expected that the bottleneck of the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, which Piao Ge regarded as an obstacle, caused him great setbacks, and even changed his personality, would be easily broken through by him!

"Does this mean..."

He Sheng suddenly realized something and immediately used the Mindful Ripples technique to enhance his cultivation!

Click click click...

A continuous series of cracking sounds exploded in He Sheng's mind.

The solid bottleneck that had hindered Piao Ge for three years began to completely crumble under the impact of the subtle artistic conception!

This bottleneck, which originally seemed like a barrier, was not shattered by brute force, but rather penetrated and disintegrated by millions of tiny water droplets transformed by artistic conception.

As the sturdy bottleneck shattered, an unprecedented sense of openness instantly swept over my entire body.

in an instant,

He Sheng felt the magical power within his dantian surge dramatically, like the waters of a bursting dam pouring into his spiritual sea.

It was about to overflow, but with the blessing of the subtle ripples, the spiritual sea was actually stretched out.

At the same time, the magic power itself changed; each drop of magic power became more refined, concentrated, and pure...

......

Inside the main hall of Wanshoutan Water Palace

The massive body of the Star-Backed Black Tortoise was coiled on the jade platform, and the star patterns on its shell were radiating a warm glow.

Before it stood a giant catfish spirit, over two zhang long, with a face full of fleshy whiskers, speaking in a sinister tone.

"Great King Xuan Turtle, that human cultivator is definitely up to no good. Please don't be deceived!"

The catfish spirit's voice sounded like sandpaper rubbing, with an unpleasantly sticky quality.

The catfish spirit, named Blackwhisker, is a well-known opportunist on the outskirts of Tiandu Mountain, and at this moment it is diligently stirring up trouble:

"Senior, you have a noble bloodline and a long lifespan. Why bother associating with these human cultivators whose hearts are as cunning as a hornet's nest?"

To be honest, it has to be the kings of our mountains, especially the Thousand-Legged King, who is extremely enthusiastic.

..."

The Star-Backed Black Tortoise narrowed its lantern-like eyes slightly, letting the catfish spirit's provocations go in one ear and out the other.

It knew perfectly well that the black-bearded creature was an envoy sent by the second-tier centipede demon from Wanchong Ridge, who simply wanted to cut off its connection with the outside world so that it could be coerced into fighting for the things of Black Vine Ridge.

"However, now is not the time to completely break ties with that centipede demon Wan Chongling."

While enduring the catfish spirit's clamor, the old tortoise focused his attention on a jade box he had stored inside his shell.

With a thought, it opened the box, revealing a bright starlight. Inside was the Stardust Sand given to it by He Sheng.

"This kid is really willing to spend a lot."

The old tortoise was very satisfied; this Stardust Sand would be of great use to it.

It immediately trembled slightly on its back, and the stardust sand turned into a stream of light, which was directly absorbed onto the back of the turtle and gradually merged into the thick crevices of its shell.

Swish.

The originally dim star patterns inside the tortoise shell seemed to be infused with the source of life, instantly becoming bright and dazzling, and an ancient and vast aura slowly awakened from the old tortoise's body.

"This Stardust Sand can indeed further awaken one's bloodline!"

The old tortoise sensed the changes within its body and was overjoyed.

Demonic beasts and cultivators are different. For demonic beasts, cultivation primarily relies on bloodline; the level of the bloodline determines the upper limit of their potential growth.

The degree of awakening of bloodline determines the growth rate of a monster and the innate talent it can acquire.

"My bloodline level is only Xuan level. Without a heaven-defying opportunity, I am destined to be unable to break through to the third level when my two thousand years of lifespan come to an end."

However, if I were to awaken the legendary [Responding Star] innate talent of the Star Profound Bloodline I possess, there might be a glimmer of hope to defy fate...

The so-called Star Mystic Bloodline that the old tortoise spoke of was actually the star map contained within his tortoise shell, which was the manifestation of the bloodline seal and potential.

Each time a rare spiritual material containing stellar attributes is absorbed, the star map brightens a bit, and the bloodline awakens a bit more.

The old tortoise quietly sensed the ancient aura awakening within its body and gained a great deal of insight. Its attitude towards He Sheng naturally softened.

"It seems this kid has finally returned to normal. As long as he maintains a stable mindset, he should be able to break through the bottleneck of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage in the future."

He Sheng was unaware that his accidental gift of Star Sand had greatly changed the Star-Backed Black Tortoise's opinion of him.

It should be noted that for the old tortoise, this kind of second-tier spiritual material, which can enhance the level of bloodline awakening, is even more precious than some third-tier treasure materials.

"Having received this lad's help, we should certainly reciprocate with a generous gift."

Although the Star-Backed Black Tortoise is a long-lived species and its intelligence far surpasses that of ordinary demonic beasts, it is still relatively kind-hearted.

As it was pondering, suddenly, its enormous, lantern-sized eyes sharpened, and it abruptly turned its head to look in the direction of the Meditation Cave.

boom!

A powerful and oppressive surge of magical energy, like a sleeping beast awakening, spread outwards in concentric circles from the Meditation Cave.

That powerful spiritual pressure was the kind of aura only found in late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators!

"This is... Ah Sheng has broken through to the late Foundation Establishment stage?!"

Even with the composure of an old tortoise that had lived for hundreds of years, it couldn't help but lose its composure at this moment. Its massive body leaned forward slightly, its divine sense locked onto the water cave, and its heart was filled with turbulent waves.

It had just thought that He Sheng had finally returned to normal and was expected to break through the bottleneck in the future, but in the blink of an eye, He Sheng had entered the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

This is the late stage of Foundation Establishment, not some common cabbage!

In terms of magical power alone, He Sheng has far surpassed it.

After all, although the old tortoise had been at the second level for decades, its magical power had grown very slowly. In terms of magical power alone, it was only equivalent to a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment.

However, the strength of demonic beasts does not solely rely on magical power, and their combat strength is calculated in a way that differs greatly from that of human cultivators.

"Could this Sheng-ge'er truly be exceptionally talented?"

Could someone really gain enlightenment just by listening to a few casual words from Old Ghost Wu of the Golden Cloud Sect, breaking through a bottleneck that had plagued them for years and advancing to the late stage of Foundation Establishment?

The old tortoise was calculating rapidly in its mind; it knew all too well what the late stage of Foundation Establishment meant.

"With Sheng-ge'er's talent and intelligence, as long as he doesn't act so eccentrically in the future, it's unlikely that he'll provoke any powerful figures."

If they could prepare properly for decades or even centuries, given the He family's ability to acquire resources, producing a fake pill would be a sure thing!

With a bit more luck, he might even become a Core Formation True Person!

Core Formation True Person...

The old tortoise felt that for He Sheng, who was not yet forty years old but had already reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, it was not an unattainable goal.

Thinking of this, the old tortoise's usually calm heart began to beat faster.

Perhaps... it's time to consider returning to the Ho family.

The Star-Backed Black Tortoise pondered a thousand thoughts; naturally, it didn't want to have another Foundation Establishment stage master above it.

But if the master were to become a fake Core Formation cultivator or even a Core Formation cultivator, everything would be different.

It should be known that the ability of a False Core or Core Formation cultivator to acquire high-level rare resources is far beyond that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The old tortoise can completely become a spirit pet again, and with the help of its master's strength and resources, obtain rare materials that are enough to defy fate.

A fake elixir cultivator lives for five hundred years, while a true elixir cultivator lives for at most eight hundred years; neither can outlive the old tortoise.

"If I just endure for a few hundred years, who knows, I might become a demon king by then!"

The old tortoise once again conceived the idea of ​​"living a long, miserable life at home."

Just as the Star-Backed Black Tortoise was pondering, the catfish spirit beside it also sensed the commotion coming from the Meditation Cave and immediately exclaimed:

"Great King Xuan Turtle, see? I told you that the human cultivator had no good intentions, didn't I?"

"They've only been in the Water Palace for a short while, and they've already caused such a mess..."

"Noisy."

The old tortoise was already annoyed by it and couldn't be bothered to listen to this stupid thing's nonsense anymore.

Its massive turtle head twitched slightly, and an irresistible suction force emanated from its mouth.

"Great King Xuan Turtle... what are you doing? I was sent by the Thousand-Legged King..."

Before the black-whiskered catfish spirit could finish speaking, its massive body flew uncontrollably toward the old turtle's open mouth.

Click.

With a crisp cracking sound, the incessant persuader became the old turtle's snack.

The old turtle chewed slowly for a few moments, finding that the catfish spirit's wickedness actually added a unique freshness to the meat.

"Fine, let's place a big bet first!"

The old tortoise already had an idea in mind.

Then it shook its back, and a fist-sized, snow-white, translucent crystal fell to its claw.

As soon as this item appeared, the temperature of the entire water palace dropped several degrees, and even fine ice crystals condensed in the water.

Cold Soul Mystic Crystal Stone, a low-grade third-tier treasure material!

This was one of only two third-tier treasure materials that the old tortoise obtained during his fortuitous encounter back then, and it was a precious treasure that could be used as the main material for refining magic weapons.

"Qing'er!"

The old tortoise summoned the blue water snake, placed the Frost Soul Crystal into a stone box, sealed its overflowing cold power, and then pushed it over.

"Send this to Sheng Ge'er in the Meditation Cave and tell him that it is a congratulatory gift for him to break through the bottleneck and advance to the late stage of Foundation Establishment."

The green snake immediately nodded, carried the stone box, and slithered into the waterway, heading towards the Meditation Cave.

"If Sheng-ge gets this Cold Soul Mystic Crystal Stone, he will most likely use it to refine the prototype of a magic weapon."

If he later achieves the status of a Pseudo-Core Formation True Person or even a Core Formation True Person, this rudimentary magic weapon will definitely become his natal magic weapon!

When he sees this magic weapon, he will naturally remember me, the old tortoise. With that connection, I can then proceed with ease.

Just as the old tortoise was gloating over its plan, its shell suddenly lit up, and a sense of danger crept into its heart.

Boom!

A deafening roar, accompanied by earth-shaking tremors, swept across the entire Wanshoutan!

The entire water palace looked as if it had been smashed by a giant hammer, with rubble falling from the dome and the surrounding water instantly becoming violent and chaotic.

The second-tier array protecting the Water Palace actually let out a mournful cry of despair under this attack!

What's going on?

The old tortoise was shocked. He immediately sensed the surroundings and discovered that outside the Water Mansion, a young man carrying a long sword was using a crystal-clear jade ruler to bombard the Water Mansion's gate!