Immortality and cultivation: Heaven rewards diligence, and success is inevitable.

As the golden elixir entered his stomach, Jiang Shi felt a surge of powerful earth-elemental true energy surging through his body, like a raging earth dragon churning through his meridians.

He gritted his teeth and used the "Earth Suppressing Mountain Technique" to forcefully suppress it, while a great confusion arose in his heart.

Everything went too smoothly.

It went incredibly smoothly.

Hua Luoyu did not make a move. The third-grade spirit talisman at her fingertips, powerful enough to kill a Golden Core cultivator, remained suspended, and eventually quietly disappeared.

However, Sect Leader Lu—or rather, Sect Leader Lu's Mountain and Sea Flag—that high-grade spiritual artifact, remained completely unmoved, seemingly oblivious to him even though he was right next to him.

This isn't right.

"You actually have connections with the Lin family!"

Sect Leader Lu's voice suddenly boomed, filled with hatred and resentment. He stared intently at Jiang Shi, his eyes almost spitting fire, the veins on his hand gripping the Mountain and Sea Flag bulging, his knuckles white from clenching it.

There is only one possibility that could prevent a top-grade spiritual weapon from being used—the Mountain and Sea Flag recognized the connection between Jiang Shi and the Lin family of the Qingyun Sect.

Jiang Shi was startled and instantly understood the key to it.

This mountain and sea flag originally belonged to the Lin family.

Legend has it that the Lin family ancestor had a great opportunity to obtain this top-grade spiritual artifact from the Five Elements Master. After that, the Lin family rose to prominence in the Qingyun Sect, enjoying unparalleled glory.

However, the Lin family ancestor died unexpectedly, and the family fell apart. The Lu family took advantage of the situation and forcibly seized the precious flag from the Lin family.

But spiritual artifacts possess a spirit; how can they be forcibly taken and made to recognize a master?

Over the years, Shan Haiqi has never truly submitted to any member of the Lu family.

He obeyed Sect Leader Lu's orders only because Lu had some connection with the Lin family back then.

Jiang Shi, being Lin Feiyu's personal disciple and an outer disciple of the Qingyun Sect, would naturally not be harmed by the Mountain and Sea Flag.

Sect Leader Lu naturally understood this principle, and it was precisely because he understood it that he was even more furious.

"A remnant of the Lin family!" he said, emphasizing each word through gritted teeth. "I never expected to find a late-stage Foundation Establishment disciple among them!"

Back then, because the Lu family had received favors from the Lin family, they could only leave some of the Lin family's bloodline for the sake of their Dao heart.

For so many years, in order to prevent something like this from happening today, the Lu family has sealed off the Foundation Establishment Pill for many years, preventing the Lin family from having a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator!

Despite all his scheming, Sect Leader Lu ultimately benefited others.

Happy True Man looked at everything before him.

Kuaihuo Zhenren did not move. His demonic ape body stood silently in place, his scarlet eyes darting back and forth between Jiang Shi and Sect Leader Lu, seemingly lost in thought.

Jiang Shi took a deep breath, suppressed the surging true energy within him, and slowly took a few steps back.

The golden elixir had already entered his stomach; it was too late to say anything now. What he needed to do was to completely refine this golden elixir!

Jiang Shi's mind raced, and he instantly grasped the situation clearly.

Of the five Five Elements Refining Techniques, the four parts of Metal, Wood, Water, and Fire have already been mastered to perfection, with only the last one, the Earth-based "Earth-Suppressing Mountain Technique," remaining.

Previously, he had been struggling to have enough earth-elemental true essence to push through this final hurdle, but now—the earth-elemental golden core was already inside him, and the powerful earth energy was surging out continuously, like rivers flowing into the sea, like the earth's veins surging.

This is the perfect opportunity to practice the "Earth-Suppressing Mountain Skill"!

With the earth-elemental true essence within the Golden Core as a guide, he can forcefully push this cultivation technique to its perfection.

Moreover, he is blessed with the destiny that "Heaven rewards diligence, and success is inevitable," so he has never encountered any bottlenecks in his breakthroughs.

The chasm between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core is a perilous hurdle that would be a matter of life and death for others, but for him, it was simply an inevitable outcome.

But right now is not a good time to go into seclusion and break through.

Although Sect Leader Lu could not use the Mountain and Sea Flag to injure him, he could not attack Sect Leader Lu either.

It wasn't because they couldn't beat him, but because Sect Leader Lu was also a disciple of the Qingyun Sect and had intricate connections with the Lin family from back then.

Because of this connection, Shan Haiqi refused to attack Jiang Shi. How could Jiang Shi ignore this connection? If he were to strike, he would surely be stopped by Shan Haiqi!

What's more, Happy Master is watching us closely from the sidelines.

Although the demonic ape puppet has not yet fully taken control of the body, no one knows when it will completely merge with it.

Once the Happy Immortal regains his mobility, with the power of his Golden Core stage soul and demonic puppet body, no one present can stop him.

By then, all talk of origins and magical artifacts will be a joke.

Therefore, Jiang Shi must break through.

Even if it means breaking through in the heat of battle, even if it means forcing a breakthrough, I will not hesitate!

He took a deep breath and focused his consciousness into his body. The earth-elemental golden core was suspended in his dantian, slowly rotating, emitting a warm and heavy earth-brown light.

A surge of powerful true energy flowed forth like a tide, merging with his meridians and resonating with his flesh and blood.

Jiang Shi no longer hesitated, sat down cross-legged on the spot, made hand seals, and began to practice the "Earth-Suppressing Mountain Skill".

He wanted to master this technique in the shortest possible time!

Sect Leader Lu stared at him with a livid face, clutching the Mountain and Sea Flag tightly in his hand, yet he hesitated to step forward.

He gritted his teeth in hatred, but there was nothing he could do. The Mountain and Sea Banner refused to attack Jiang Shi, and what could a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him use to deal with an opponent who was breaking through?

It should be noted that Jiang Shi entered with Hua Luoyu, the master of Biluo Valley. At this moment, Hua Luoyu was holding a high-grade third-rank spirit talisman and looking at him with a smile.

Sect Leader Lu knew that if he made a rash move, he would not be able to withstand an attack from a third-grade superior spirit talisman without the help of the superior spirit artifact, the Mountain and Sea Banner!

You must know that it is a talisman containing the attack power of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator!

The Happy True Man's scarlet eyes darted around. Jiang Shi was anxious to break through, and he was also doing his best to control the body of this demonic puppet statue!

Now it's a matter of whether he takes control of his body first, or whether Jiang Shi breaks through to the Golden Core stage first.

But Kuaihuo Zhenren is not worried about this.

Breaking through to the Golden Core stage is not that simple!

Even using the "foundation-seizing technique," it would still take a very long time!

On the battlefield, four forces are mutually restraining each other, with undercurrents surging.

Jiang Shi is racing against time.

[Proficiency +1000 Proficiency +1000 Proficiency +1000]

[The "Earth-Suppressing Mountain Skill" has reached its peak]

[Earth element Zhenyue Gong: Complete (3000/3000)]

Ignoring the damage to his meridians, Jiang Shi forcibly absorbed the true essence within the earth-elemental golden core.

Finally, I have perfected the "Earth Earth Prison Suppression Technique".

It was in that instant of success that it happened.

A five-colored lotus flower flew out from Jiang Shi's body!

This lotus flower has already solidified into a physical form, with five distinct colors, representing the power of the five elements!

"The Dao Lotus blooms, the Golden Core appears!" Jiang Shi roared, and in that instant, the five-colored Dao Lotus bloomed in response.

A golden core radiating five-colored light emerged from the Dao Lotus!

"What?! Five-Colored Golden Pill!"

"It's actually a first-grade Golden Core!"

Sect Leader Lu and Master Kuaihuo both shouted in disbelief!