Gateway of Immortality

Compared to the tremendous gains he had obtained, this minor side effect was completely acceptable.

Qin Sang summoned the ebony sword, letting the sword light swirl around him as he soared away atop his blade.

...

Sunken Cave.

Qin Sang instinctively concealed his presence and slipped deeper into the Sunken Cave. Extending his spiritual consciousness, he sensed that the living corpse was still obediently remaining where it had been. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the barrier he had left behind before departing.

Whoosh...

Earth Malevolent Qi surged and tumbled violently.

A figure, like a wicked spirit, slowly floated up from the depths of the abyss.

Qin Sang focused his gaze on the flying yaksha, but from its appearance alone, he couldn't discern anything unusual.

They hadn't seen each other in days, and it now felt faintly unfamiliar. However, the soul imprint remained extremely stable. Qin Sang ordered the flying yaksha to fly to him, then extended his spiritual consciousness into the creature's dantian.

The corpse core was riddled with cracks, still looking dry and brittle, though it was slightly improved compared to before. This proved that nurturing it in the Sunken Cave had indeed been effective.

Qin Sang nodded inwardly and sat down cross-legged. He had the yaksha sit across from him, and then fully extended his spiritual consciousness to envelop the corpse core, beginning a meticulous inspection.

Darkness cloaked the edges of the malevolent qi.

Man and corpse sat facing each other. The yaksha's pupils were pitch-black, its gaze hollow and vacant.

Before long, Qin Sang withdrew his spiritual consciousness, falling into deep thought.

He was recalling every subtle shift that had occurred during the forging of the corpse core, and reanalyzing his comprehension of it during his battle against Wu Youdao.

Gradually, Qin Sang really did start to grasp some insights.

It was impossible for him to directly heal the yaksha. Even if he unsealed the corpse core, it would yield little effect. But he could work with the situation, guiding the yaksha to identify the crux of the problem, accelerating the absorption of Earth Malevolent Qi, and speeding up its recovery.

He acted immediately.

Casting a glance around, Qin Sang laid down a perimeter of barriers, then activated the soul imprint within the yaksha, seizing control with brute force.

Within the dantian, the corpse core was spinning extremely slowly, nearly stagnant.

Countless wisps of Earth Malevolent Qi circled it, yet could only seep into its cracks at an agonizing pace. Its rate of recovery was predictably dismal.

Under Qin Sang's will, he forcefully drove the corpse core into rotation, risking shattering it entirely.

One tug set the whole body in motion. The malevolent qi inside the dantian immediately roiled.

Qin Sang's expression turned grim. He treated this task even more cautiously than his own cultivation, afraid that a single misstep would lead to the destruction of the core and the yaksha's death.

Unexpectedly, the healing process progressed far more smoothly than he had anticipated.

Qin Sang carefully guided a strand of Earth Malevolent Qi into the corpse core. Perhaps due to years of nurturing, the corpse core remained quite stable throughout this process.

...

Three days later, Qin Sang withdrew his spiritual consciousness, a trace of fatigue showing in his eyes.

Though he had merely played a supporting role, the drain on his spirit was considerable. Fortunately, the results were promising.

With a wave of his hand, the yaksha turned and leapt into the surrounding Earth Malevolent Qi. From now on, Qin Sang only needed to return every few days to make minor adjustments. There was no need to remain here constantly.

"At this rate, in another three months or so, most of its injuries should be healed. By then, I can fill my Lesser Yin Magnetic Bottles with Earth Malevolent Qi and bring it to Xuanlu Stronghold for complete recovery. There's still a little over a year left. Before the Ziwei Palace opens, who knows what might change... Best to take the ancient teleportation array and head over early, just in case..."

Deep in thought, Qin Sang rose and quietly left the Sunken Cave.

On his way back to Shaohua Mountain, Qin Sang made a detour through the market near the sect gate to check for any recent developments.

The Small Cold Domain and the Tianxing Alliance had not yet withdrawn from the Chaotic Island Waters, but there had been no large-scale battles for over two months. Tensions in the Small Cold Domain had eased considerably, nearly returning to their pre-war state.

Several major markets had resumed normal operations. Cultivators who had vanished into hiding were finally emerging again, bringing a wave of prosperity and liveliness.

Qin Sang visited several merchant guilds, making generous purchases.

Though Daoist Jiupao had ended up like a stray dog, even a starved camel was larger than a horse. After unsealing the barrier in the thumb ring, Qin Sang had obtained the late Daoist Jiupao's belongings, making him rather well-off. Besides ample supplies of healing pills, he also bought a variety of herbs and artifacts suited for all sorts of emergencies.

Of course, he dared not touch the four high-grade spirit stones.

The thumb ring's internal space was large enough that he didn't have to worry about running out of room.

He spent an entire day shopping and placed several deposits. Only then did Qin Sang fly away toward Shaohua Mountain, satisfied.

The Sword Pass stood wide open.

Within the mountains, peach blossoms bloomed like brocade, layer upon layer of groves dyed in vibrant hues. A number of young female disciples laughed and played among the trees, and the scene reminded Qin Sang of when he had first joined the sect.

The beauty of the landscape remained unchanged but most of those from the past were already gone.

Senior Brother Wen, having lost all hope of forming a core, was nearing the end of his lifespan and had returned to his hometown to retire in peace.

Zhuang Yan was busy engaging in dual cultivation with his partner.

Qi Yuanshou had shut himself away in secluded meditation, refusing all visitors.

As for the few other old friends, they were likely no longer in the sect either.

After thinking it over, Qin Sang realized there was no one he particularly wished to see. Shaking his head, he flew alone toward the cave dwelling Zhuang Yan had lent him.

There was a rule within Shaohua Mountain: After forming a Golden Core, a disciple could update their jade records, just as they had during the Foundation Building Realm. The rise in status and the influx of spirit stones and other benefits went without saying.

What was even more tempting was that the sect would not only host a grand Golden Core ceremony in their honor, but would also fund the construction of an extravagant cave dwelling at a location of the disciple's choosing, whether inside or outside the sect grounds.

Of course, the corresponding responsibilities were not something one could shirk.

Qin Sang had never cared for empty titles and had no interest in any ceremony, but he was quite tempted by the idea of a better cave dwelling.

Though his current spiritual spring cave was rich in spiritual qi, it paled in comparison to a proper Golden Core cultivator's residence.

That said, Qin Sang wasn't sure if his current External Core would be officially recognized by the sect.

Since it wasn't urgent, he decided to wait until after returning from the Ziwei Palace, once he had truly formed a Golden Core, and only then inform the sect.

For now, it was best not to let anyone know that he had formed an External Core while still in the Fake Core Realm.

With this decision made, Qin Sang resolved to keep a low profile.

After entering the cave dwelling, he found that his cultivation could no longer be advanced for the moment. With no pressure to form a core, he no longer had to cultivate as though it were a matter of life and death. He could finally divert his attention to other areas.

There were countless disciplines within the world of immortal cultivation, and he ought to understand at least a few.

Eventually, Qin Sang chose to focus on two primary paths.

The first was the path of spiritual arrays and barriers.

The two were actually quite interconnected. Qin Sang already had decent attainments in barriers, and had also acquired a copy of theFragmented Records of the Taixuan Arrayfrom a Yuanshen Sect disciple. Studying the two together provided mutual illumination and deeper insight.

The second path was beast taming.

He had found insights into the Golden Core Realm techniques of the Yuling Sect among Elder Di Que's possessions. Though he had frequently referenced them while raising his Blood-Winged Ghost-Headed Wasp, he had never studied them in earnest. Now was the time to delve into them properly.

Now that he had formed a core, his cultivation speed was no longer a limiting factor. Choosing one or more external disciplines to augment his strength was both logical and worthwhile.

From then on, Qin Sang led a quiet and disciplined life.

Every few days, he made a trip to the Sunken Cave. Outside of that, he remained secluded in his cave dwelling, seldom interacting with anyone.