Chapter 726 - 571: Tier 3 Gathering Essence Tree
At the peak of Cloud Sea Immortal City, the east manifested the image of a Cyan Dragon, while the west revealed the shape of a White Tiger, with the dragon soaring and the tiger leaping.
The sounds of dragon roars and tiger growls echoed, invigorating Ji An’s spirit, and he chuckled softly:
"Finally, I’ve successfully condensed the Golden Core. It wasn’t easy."
Today is the ninth day of forming the Spiritual Energy Vortex. If the Golden Core couldn’t be refined, there is a high probability of breakthrough failure, and he had worried countless times for others.
As the dragon and tiger forms gradually dissipated, black tribulation clouds began to gather.
The first lightning tribulation was from the Water Element Tribulation Clouds, and the cultivator attempting the breakthrough was a female cultivator.
The tribulation clouds gathered and dispersed as the cultivator endured wave after wave of lightning tribulation—about seven double hours later, purple thunderclouds gathered at the mountain peak.
As long as she overcame the final Chaos Thunder Tribulation, the Immortal City would gain one more Golden Core Daoist Master.
The great tribulation was imminent, and the more prosperous the Cultivation Realm became, the safer people felt.
The purple clouds loomed over the city as if it were about to collapse, with small sparks of lightning flickering within the clouds, dimming heaven and earth, except for the glimmering purple hue shining brightly.
Purple lightning descended from the heavens, like a giant dragon extending its claws, carrying destructive power. One could faintly see the female cultivator wielding a magical treasure fighting against the tribulation lightning.
The tribulation lightning cannot be avoided; it can only be faced head-on. At this moment, behind the cultivator was a ten-thousand-foot abyss, requiring unwavering determination to press forward.
Ji An’s eyes narrowed sharply as he saw the cultivator’s body plummet at the moment of collision with the tribulation lightning.
The color of the purple tribulation clouds gradually faded, eventually dissipating, but the Moon of Taiyin never appeared.
A sense of sadness arose in his heart; it was his first time witnessing a cultivator’s failure to break through to the Golden Core. The Chaos Divine Thunder is the final touchstone; failing to endure it leads to death and the disappearance of the Dao.
The Stone Turtle materialized from the void into his palm, merging into his body and entering his dantian.
In the Immortal City, many cultivators also witnessed this moment with some displaying sorrowful expressions, others showing complex emotions, while some appeared completely gloating over others’ misfortunes.
The myriad forms of life were fully revealed in this moment.
"On the path to immortality, there are many withered bones. Who does not die where they belong?"
Ji An softly recited, his voice dispersing in the wind.
...
In the Black Stone Grotto Mansion, Ji An drank a pot of Spirit Wine, exhaling deeply.
The success rate of a cultivator breaking through to the Golden Core is not high. He was fortunate never to witness that brutal side and subconsciously ignored this point.
Today was his first time seeing a cultivator die during a Golden Core breakthrough, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last.
In fact, back in the Western Continent, cases of breakthrough failure were also quite common.
Among those he knew, Muu Songde failed to break into the Chao Origin Stage and died on the spot; Zhang Yuanshan and Mu Qingwan also failed to break through, but fortunately, both had sufficient lifespan to avoid a fatal end.
Breaking through to the Golden Core is much more dangerous; regardless of how much lifespan you have, failure means death.
It’s said that breaking through to the Nascent Soul is even more perilous, and he will face many trials in the future.
Ji An clenched his fists, his bones cracking as he resolved to press forward despite the dangers that lay ahead.
On the side of the sunken ship, a thousand sails pass; in front of the sick tree, countless trees flourish.
Arming himself more robustly, he could then face countless difficulties calmly.
With the Stone Turtle’s assistance and the Little World as a backing, his Immortal Path would be far smoother than most cultivators.
Ji An immersed his mind into his dantian, connecting with the Stone Turtle, and ’saw’ the clear words in his Sea of Consciousness, he was astonished.
[Master: Ji An]
[Dao Rhyme: Gold 18.4, Water 17.9, Wood 18.3, Fire 19.2, Earth 21.4]
The deeper the foundation of a cultivator, the stronger the tribulation, and correspondingly, the Stone Turtle absorbed more Dao Rhyme.
However, was today’s unsuccessful cultivator deeply rooted?
Clearly not, based on the area of the Spiritual Energy Vortex and the speed of Golden Core refinement, her foundation was not strong, lower than the previous days’ successful cultivators.
Yet, the Stone Turtle absorbed more Dao Rhyme, with values not much weaker than Li Haoran’s overall.
What was the cause of all this? Ji An had a vague answer in his heart.
When the tribulation descended, the Yin and Yang Mechanism inside changed, releasing Dao Rhyme.
A cultivator’s body should also absorb some Dao Rhyme, prompting bodily and spirit soul elevation and transformation.
If a cultivator absorbed less Dao Rhyme, then more would remain unabsorbed.
The female cultivator died just as the Chaos Thunder Tribulation descended, so the unabsorbed Dao Rhyme was normally dispersed and was all absorbed by the Stone Turtle.
The Dao Rhyme obtained this time was somewhat like a human blood bun.
Thinking of this, his feelings were mixed, and he silently prayed:
"With death, all things are empty. Farewell, fellow Daoist."
He wouldn’t discard the Dao Rhyme due to its source; instead, he would make good use of it. Rising to higher realms in the future would also mean those fallen fellow Daoists bore witness to upper-level splendor through him.
Ji An removed the Gourd Stone Pendant, rubbed it for a moment, and then entered the Little World.
The Wuji Xinghuang Banner and Cyan Lotus Treasure Banner flew out as usual, but he issued a spiritual communication to stop them.
The Earth Qilin tilted its head and emitted a silly low roar, as if asking, ’What’s the matter?’
Ji An did not respond, instead giving an order to the Stone Turtle, "Refine all the Spiritual Mechanism and enhance the tier of the Gathering Essence Tree."
The Stone Turtle appeared above the Heaven and Earth Spirit Tree. The ground glowed with the Eight Trigrams Pattern, and the Earth Qilin understood everything.
It stepped on the yellow Spirit Cloud and flew to play beside the Soul Nourishing Wood.
The Cyan Dragon then flew toward the Wood Element Spirit Field, emitting a vast dragon roar, and in a certain part of the dense forest, the harmony of the Cyan Deer echoed, "Yo-yo!"
Hearing the two sounds, Ji An couldn’t help but smile knowingly. The Transformative Treasure and Beast Taming had become good friends, which was great.
Frequent interaction with the Cyan Dragon was beneficial for the Cyan Deer’s pure bloodline.
The Gathering Essence Tree was enveloped by yellow Spirit Light, resembling a giant egg.
The waiting was too tedious, and cultivating the Five Elements Reincarnation Scripture was too time-consuming, so Ji An simply distanced himself from the Gathering Essence Tree and began practicing the Acala Bodhisattva Skill.
His physique was excellent, and the Cultivation Technique shared a lineage with the Glaze-Gold Jade Bone Body. Coupled with his Golden Core Level realm, his cultivation progress was swift.
He had now entered the Bone Tempering stage, and it was believed he’d soon reach the Bone Marrow Washing Realm, thereby aligning with the Glaze-Gold Jade Bone Body’s realm.
As he practiced, his muscles and bones reverberated, and a surging Qi and Blood Power echoed from his body, while hot currents erupted from his pores.
"Hum, ha!"
Ji An exhaled loudly, feeling his entire skeletal structure suddenly tighten, as if being compressed by an invisible force.
A hot current rose from his tailbone, rushing to the back of his head in an instant, making his bones start to heat, as though being boiled.
Stronger currents burst forth from his pores, slightly reddish due to containing a trace of waste blood from the marrow.
It must be said, the Acala Bodhisattva Skill, capable of reaching the Nascent Soul realm, is significantly more formidable than the Glaze-Gold Jade Bone Body.
Bone Marrow Washing Realm, achieved.
Almost simultaneously, the yellow giant egg enveloping the Gathering Essence Tree shattered, with thousands of stars twinkling in the small world, akin to the brilliant stars descending from the night sky, enchanting light rain embellishing everything.
The ground around the Gathering Essence Tree, the Eight Trigrams Map quickly dimmed, like dried water stains on the land, leaving shallow traces.
A rumble emanated from the depths of the earth, and the land quaked.
A multitude of bubbles surfaced in the pond, stirring the mud below, making the pond water turbid and murky; the Spirit Fish leapt high, seemingly unable to endure the unclean environment.
In the Molten Rock Abyss, bubbles surged from the lava lake, with several Red Gold Carp surfacing, gasping with wide mouths.
Gales swept through, making the Spirit Wood sway violently beyond its control.
Ji An was taken aback, wind?
There is no flow of the Power of the Five Elements in the small world, so how could there be wind, and such a strong wind at that!
Only then did he detect that the air membrane between the Spirit Fields seemed to have vanished.
He was able to perceive the scorching heat of the Fire Spirit Wind like steam, the Water Spirit Wind as gentle and nourishing as spring rain, the Golden Wind spreading with a chilling and killing aura, and the Wood Wind brushing like the spring breeze of willow trees.
The ’atmospheric cycle’ of the small world had truly been established.
The Spirit Plants, planted for just a few days, had been ’battered’ by the various Spirit Winds, appearing somewhat wilted.
’Would this affect the growth of the Spirit Plants?’
As soon as the thought rose from his heart, Ji An laughed and shook his head.
If there were no darkness, how could the value of light be revealed, and if spring lasted all year, the world would instead become monotonous.
Spring breezes, summer rains, autumn frosts, and winter snow, these elements together form a vibrant cycle path.
He glanced back at the center of the small world, where a Spirit Tree nearly thirty feet tall stretched its form toward the sky, its branches reaching out twice as far.
The newborn branches brimmed with tender buds, radiating gentle, lively luminescence from the leaves and bark.
All of this signified that the Gathering Essence Tree had finally transformed to the Tier Three level.
In the blaze, everything is consumed, ashes turn to mud, and it’s in such soil that forest trees grow more robustly.
After the Heaven and Earth Spirit Tree is cultivated to Tier Three, it will quickly bring a series of positive effects.
The Spirit Plants in the small world could rise an entire minor tier within a few years.
Tier Three Middle Grade Phoenix Wood, Dark Night Tree, Purple Gold Phoenix Wood, Canglan Mist Pine, Star Tree, Soul Nourishing Wood, Ghost Moon Cyan Jade Tree, and so on, the thought alone was exhilarating.
The only regret is that this joy could only be exclusively his, and Tier Three resources could not be released.
At this moment, Ji An’s desire to swiftly advance his cultivation realm grew more intense. Once his cultivation reached the late-stage Golden Core, he dared to openly reveal he possessed the Cyan Lotus Heart-Burning Fire.
Then, using it as a trademark to offer ’refining for others’ services, accepting Tier Three resources as payment.
This way, the stored Tier Three resources in his possession could be gradually released, without arousing suspicion.
Ji An strode quickly to the Gathering Essence Tree, placing his hand on the trunk, sensing the flow of life force within.
Based on the Power of Earth Element, metal, water, wood, and fire gathered, yet these Qi Mechanisms intertwined so harmoniously, they revealed only the Power of Earth Element.
Water is Taiyin, fire is the sun, wood is lesser yang, metal is lesser yin, and earth is the union of yin and yang old and young, the product of wood, fire, metal, and water exchanging Qi.
He knew this theory before, but only now did he truly grasp a thread of its mystical charm.
Initially, do not cling to treating the Ren Water or Gui Shui as separate; consider them as ’water,’ symbolizing Taiyin. Bingding Fire are aspects of Fire Element, collectively termed ’fire,’ representing the sun.
Through the transformation and integration of Yin and Yang, everything in the world is formed.