Gateway of Immortality

What came next was the true climax.

No matter how powerful an External Core might be, it was, after all, an external object.

Only by condensing one's own Golden Core could one truly take that pivotal step on the path of immortality.

Whether the experiences passed down by those who came before were real or false. He was about to find out.

Qin Sang suddenly rose and left his cave dwelling. He first sent a message to Wandering Man to report his safety and informed him that he might have to enter seclusion for a few more days. Then, he ventured deep into the mountains in search of a suitable location and finally discovered a spirit vein.

During Core Formation, heaven and earth would resonate, with the convergence of winds and clouds drawing spiritual qi into the body.

Other cultivators would always seek a cave dwelling rich in spiritual power when attempting Core Formation, hoping to increase their chances of success. Qin Sang feared missing the right timing, so he couldn't afford to be too selective.

Although this cave dwelling wasn't as good as his spiritual spring cave dwelling, it was still serviceable. If he truly succeeded in forming the core, it would suffice for the influx of qi and wouldn't compromise the body's refinement process.

Qin Sang had already confirmed that no powerful beasts roamed this mountain range, so he wasn't worried that the anomaly of Core Formation would draw trouble.

The spirit vein was subtle and limited in scope, but the spiritual qi here was rather dense.

Qin Sang drove out the demonic beasts in the area and seized the best cave dwelling atop the spirit vein. To do so, he beat a peak Ordinary Demon Realm black bear into submission.

After clearing out the stench from the cave dwelling, he laid down a protective formation and added an extra spirit-gathering array. Then, he sat cross-legged and activated his cultivation art with full concentration.

Before long, his Qihai was filled to the brim, restoring him to his peak.

Inside the cave, thanks to the spirit-gathering array, the spiritual qi became exceptionally dense. At the exact moment Qin Sang returned to peak condition, a strange fluctuation suddenly rippled through the spiritual qi.

At the same time, outside the cave, the sun blazed high and the skies were cloudless.

But then, the light above this mountaintop dimmed abruptly, as if from nowhere, several black clouds drifted in. The wind howled, quickly turning into a gale. Trees bent, dead leaves flew, and grass bowed low.

Nearby birds and beasts were startled by the sudden anomaly. Sensing the unusual flow of qi, they panicked and fled the mountain in a frenzy.

In the deeper mountains nearby, many uncultivated beasts—some of which had developed slight intelligence by chance and had begun absorbing the essence of the sun and moon—were extremely sensitive to changes in spiritual qi.

One by one, they rose on their hind legs and looked toward the mountain. Although they didn't understand what was happening, an inexplicable sense of longing stirred deep within them.

It left them restless and confused, unable to explain why.

"Hmm?"

Unaware of the changes outside, Qin Sang had all his focus turned inward. He let out a soft murmur of surprise, not expecting such a development.

After restoring his full strength, he had thought he'd still need to spend some time in seclusion to quietly comprehend and gradually gain insight.

Yet the signs of Core Formation had appeared instantly.

It felt as natural as water flowing into a channel.

As long as he willed it, he could easily make it happen!

He still remembered those senior cultivators' writings, which emphasized that during Core Formation, one could not afford the slightest distraction. Only through deep comprehension and seizing the fleeting moment could one succeed.

Qin Sang didn't know if this ease came from the stabilizing effect of the Jade Buddha on his heart, or from the method of condensing Earth Malevolent Qi and refining Celestial Gale Qi, or simply because his foundation was already deep. Perhaps it was all three.

But Core Formation turned out to be far easier than he had imagined!

Seeing this, Qin Sang had not a shred of hesitation left. Without delay, he purged all distracting thoughts, calmed his mind, and charged toward Core Formation!

With a single thought, his spiritual power began to whirl madly within his Qihai.

Outside the mountain, the phenomenon intensified.

The dark clouds grew denser, covering the skies. Before long, they had enveloped a vast region around the mountain. Within those clouds, strands of silver lightning flickered faintly. The rumble of thunder grew louder and clearer.

The mountain winds howled, sweeping sand and gravel in all directions.

The spiritual qi of heaven and earth across the entire region was being pulled toward the cave dwelling, forming a vortex-like funnel centered around it, visible even to the naked eye.

As the phenomenon reached its peak, a true Core Formation spectacle was just about to emerge.

Suddenly, the wind and clouds dispersed, and lightning vanished.

Cracks appeared in the funnel, and in a blink, it shattered. The spiritual qi scattered.

In an instant, everything returned to calm. The blazing sun shone once more over the mountain range, sweeping away all darkness. The earlier phenomenon now seemed as though it had never existed.

Inside the cave, Qin Sang clutched his dantian tightly with both hands. His face was flushed, his breathing ragged. In the depths of his eyes, hesitation and determination still lingered.

"If others found out that someone actually chose to abandon Core Formation, they'd surely call him a fool, wouldn't they?"

Qin Sang calmed his breathing and murmured to himself.

His attempt at Core Formation hadn't failed. He had stopped it of his own accord.

"My spiritual power hasn't regressed, and the opportunity is still there. I can form the core anytime I want in the future. Otherwise, I doubt I could've resisted such a powerful temptation..."

Qin Sang let out a self-mocking laugh and lowered his head to gaze at his Qihai. Thankfully, he had made his decision quickly enough. Right when the signs began to manifest, he forcibly halted the process before it could injure him.

The reason he did this was because, at the very last moment, Qin Sang suddenly realized—there was a hidden injury in his foundation that would compromise the quality of the Golden Core!

It wasn't that Wandering Man's senior uncle had been wrong.

Indeed, damage to one's foundation did not obstruct the process of Core Formation. Qin Sang's attempt had gone incredibly smoothly.

But just as the core was about to take shape, Qin Sang became acutely aware that if he proceeded with Core Formation while carrying that internal damage, the Golden Core he produced would be fundamentally flawed.

He clearly remembered what Wandering Man had once said.

"The term 'Golden Core' implies two things."

"Golden—unyielding, indestructible, and eternal. Core—complete, radiant, and without blemish."

The core Qin Sang would have formed would be inherently flawed, becoming a defective core, marred by an incomplete foundation and a compromised Qihai. Just like with a flawed Foundation Building, he would forever be inferior to cultivators of the same realm.

Only now did Qin Sang fully grasp that if this foundational damage wasn't healed, it would continue to hinder him throughout his cultivation. Worse still, as his cultivation deepened, the consequences would grow more severe, and the damage would become harder to reverse.

As the saying went, "There is no regret in Core Formation."

Once a defective core was formed, trying to fix it would be even harder than restoring his foundation. Even the Purple Cloud Fruit alone might no longer be enough.

It was precisely because of this that at the final moment, Qin Sang made a decision that would leave countless cultivators speechless: he resisted the overwhelming temptation and voluntarily interrupted the Core Formation process.

Had he not recently learned of the Purple Cloud Fruit's whereabouts, perhaps he would've wavered. But things were different now. The Purple Cloud Fruit was in Ziwei Palace, and he would be able to enter within the next two years.

He already had an External Core, the flying yaksha, the Xutian Thunder, and several astras...

Even without Core Formation, he had more than enough strength to stand against other Core Formation cultivators.

Moreover, on the surface, his cultivation only appeared to be at the Fake Core Realm. Others might underestimate him, giving him a chance to play the pig to eat the tiger[1].

Still, none of that was the true reason behind his choice.

His spiritual power had already undergone metamorphosis and stabilized. For Qin Sang, Core Formation had become as natural as routine cultivation—something that would fall into place when the time was right.

Once his heart was ready, the core would form.

As long as he wished it, he could attempt Core Formation at any time, even inside Ziwei Palace. That place was no barren desert when it came to spiritual qi.

So why take the risk of the Purple Cloud Fruit proving ineffective, just to gain a year or two?

1. "to play the pig to eat the tiger" is a Chinese saying that means to pretend to be weak to lower your opponent's guard. ☜