Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 132 Core Formation

Two streaks of light, one blue and one white, swiftly swept across the azure sea, leaving a huge ripple in their wake.

"It seems Junior Brother has reaped quite a harvest in Huixing City." Song Yu turned his head, his tone tinged with a hint of sarcasm.

Lin Jingchu suppressed his smile: "Senior Sister will know tomorrow, and I guarantee it will be another surprise." He looked up at the smoke and clouds rising from the distant volcano and quickened the speed of the green boat. "Fire Dragon Island is almost here. Let's set up the cave dwelling first."

"So mysterious." Song Yu also urged the white dragon shuttle under his feet to speed up and catch up.

Two streaks of light disappeared one after the other into the hazy, gray clouds over Fire Dragon Island.

Back in their cave dwelling in the valley, the two had just activated the protective barrier when a stream of fire rushed out towards them.

Lin Jingchu held the communication talisman between his fingers and listened for a moment: "It's a message from Brother Sun, asking me to go to his place after I return."

"Then go and see what's going on. I'll arrange the cave dwelling." Song Yu said, walking into the cave dwelling. She passed through the doorway and came to the huge stone hall.

Song Yu first used the Spirit Eye Pearl, and then took out all the items purchased from Huixing City.

A pile of miscellaneous items, such as a tea table, a bed, and a wooden frame, were stacked in the center of the stone hall. The most numerous items were ironwood screens, each two zhang high, which the two intended to use as partitions.

Song Yu placed numerous restrictions on these screens, then with a wave of her hand, the screens formed several rooms around the stone hall, including a weapon-refining room, an alchemy room, and a bedroom. After arranging the living quarters one by one, the cave dwelling instantly felt like home.

Just as Song Yu was admiring his masterpiece and occasionally adjusting the details, Lin Jingchu stepped into the cave.

"You're back? What did Brother Sun want with you about?" Song Yu stopped moving the lamp stand and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"He introduced me to several other fellow cultivators on the island." Lin Jingchu walked to her side, flicked his finger to light the candle, and said, "Fire Dragon Island has a special product—when the earth's veins are active, the fire marrow crystals inside are washed to the surface. A single high-quality fire marrow crystal can be worth over five hundred spirit stones. Next month is the peak season, and they want to invite me to go down and collect them together."

He then shook his head and said, "I refused. With my Foundation Establishment cultivation, I can't go very far, and the quality of the Fire Marrow Crystals I can collect won't be very good. Moreover, if I'm unlucky, I might not get a single one. It would be too much of a waste of time."

"Indeed." Song Yu agreed wholeheartedly. "We don't lack those spirit stones now, so we might as well focus on seclusion and cultivation."

Lin Jingchu glanced around the cave dwelling, which had been set up, and then looked at the screen with the words "Weapon Forging Room" written on it: "Is the weapon forging room set up?"

"I'll go and forge a treasure first."

Song Yu watched him walk into the weapon-refining room. Although she was a little curious, she didn't ask any questions. Just like the water escape technique that even Core Formation cultivators rarely possessed, and the fact that her junior brother knew the Ancient Sword Sect's "Tai Bai Sword Manual," he was hiding too many secrets. But since he wouldn't say, she wouldn't ask.

Inside the weapon-refining room, Lin Jingchu casually made a hand seal, and the screen automatically closed, the restriction unfolding to isolate the inside from the outside. Then he patted his storage bag, and the weapon-refining furnace and two jade boxes flew out.

One of the box lids popped open, revealing the warm, lustrous jade toad tear. Inside the entirely silvery-white jade, upon closer inspection, a faint azure light could be seen slowly moving within.

"Finally, I've found a container that can preserve the Mingqing Spirit Liquid without damage," Lin Jingchu thought to himself.

Over the past twenty years, he has tried several methods but has not been able to find a suitable container. Even the medicinal power of the Mingqing Elixir has been reduced by nearly half during the experiments.

Before returning from Huixing City, Lin Jingchu poured the Mingqing Spirit Liquid into the Jade Toad Tears. After two days, it did not evaporate or dissipate at all.

Lin Jingchu flicked his finger, and the wisp of azure spiritual light flashed out, entered his mouth, and was finally sealed within his dantian. Then he sent the Jade Toad Tear and the spiritual materials from another jade box into the refining furnace.

At noon the next day, the screen in the weapon-refining room slowly opened, and Lin Jingchu stepped out with his hands behind his back.

Song Yu had already finished his cultivation and was enjoying tea in the main hall. Seeing his expression, she couldn't help but put down her teacup: "You've succeeded? What treasure is it that's keeping you so busy as soon as you get back?"

Lin Jingchu walked up to her and then stretched out his hand that had been hidden behind his back.

In his palm was a delicate necklace, woven from a single, soft white silk thread, with a teardrop-shaped jade pendant hanging at the end, its surface gleaming warmly in the candlelight.

"Is this the surprise you were talking about?" Song Yu looked at the exquisite necklace, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Lin Jingchu walked around behind Song Yu and put the necklace on her. Her delicate, snow-white skin contrasted beautifully with the silver chain, and the jade toad tear pendant hung perfectly between her collarbones, making her appear even more ethereal and otherworldly.

Song Yu quickly used magic to summon a water mirror and carefully examined the gift his junior brother had given him.

Meanwhile, Lin Jingchu was also admiring his own perfect treasure. He stood behind Song Yu and looked down from above. Through the jade toad tear between her collarbones, he glimpsed a snow-white abyss.

"Ahem~" He placed his hands on her smooth shoulders, "Madam—"

Song Yu glanced at him through the water mirror, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Are you about to say again that you're not satisfied with the bedroom I arranged for you?"

"No, I just wanted to ask you, my lady, to explore the path of dual cultivation with me."

The time Lin Jingchu and Song Yu spent in the Chaotic Star Sea passed quietly, day by day.

At the summit of Baifeng Peak, which is shrouded in mist year-round, one can vaguely see an elegant residence of the Luoyun Sect.

A beautiful woman in white passed through the cloud-like barrier and rushed into the gate like a gust of wind as soon as she landed.

"Shen girl, you've already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, yet you're still acting so carefree!" Seeing this, Peak Master Song, who was brewing tea in the courtyard, glared at her fiercely.

Junior Sister Shen chuckled and quickly stepped forward, saying in a coquettish tone, "Master, I'm just eager to tell you some good news."

Peak Master Song put down the teapot and said unhurriedly, "Tell me your good news. If it doesn't satisfy your master, I'll put you in solitary confinement."

However, upon hearing the teasing tone, Junior Sister Shen became serious: "Just now, a senior brother discovered while cleaning the Lingqing Hall that Senior Sister Song and Senior Brother Lin's soul lamps are much brighter, now only slightly dimmer than others."

The teacup overturned with a clatter, spilling scalding hot tea everywhere.

Song Fengzhu stood up in shock. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her face suddenly flushed an unnatural crimson.

Junior Sister Shen quickly grabbed her arm: "Master, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's just that the damage to my foundation from back then has worsened a bit in the last year or two." Peak Master Song pushed away the other's arm, but his eyes were shining. He thought to himself: It's good that you're alright—I don't know where you are, but as long as you're safe and sound, that's all that matters.

Time flies, and forty years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The crater in the center of Fire Dragon Island was constantly emitting flames and thick black smoke. The rising black smoke slowly dissipated, covering an area of ​​more than ten miles like a canopy.

However, under this divine might, nine Foundation Establishment cultivators were both nervous and excited as they piloted their flying magical artifacts towards the crater. Today was the peak period of the earth's vein activity, and also the best time for them to collect Fire Marrow Crystals.

Just as everyone was about to get close, whoosh! A gust of wind rose.

At the same time, there was a continuous rumbling of thunder.

Everyone was greatly alarmed: "What's going on? We've never had this reaction in previous years!"

Everyone realized what was happening and looked in shock at an inconspicuous valley on the edge of the island.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth from all directions rapidly converged, forming a massive vortex several miles in diameter that surged wildly into the valley. Even the black clouds from the volcano in the sky formed a twisted column of smoke, which was drawn into the vortex.

"Whose cave is that?!" a middle-aged cultivator asked in surprise. "Brother Wu, you've been on the island the longest, almost ten years, right? You should know."

The old man gazed at the vortex of spiritual energy and slowly said, "It seems to be a young Daoist couple, Fellow Daoist Bai and Fairy Meng. They only appear once every few years, and I haven't had much interaction with them. I wonder which one of them is a Core Formation cultivator."