"Don't be so quick to refuse. The Ten Thousand Soft Immortal Clay I have is enough for you to refine your life-bound immortal sword anew,"
"Of course, you can't just take it for free. If anything comes up, you'll have to help me sort it out."
Lu Yuehua pondered for a moment before saying this.
...
Then, she patted her storage bag with one hand. A flash of light appeared, and a thousand-year-old Wutong wood box, the size of a fist, materialized in her hand.
...
"Thank you, Captain. If you need anything in the future, just say the word, and I'll be there without fail!"
Rubbing his nose, Wu Tao carefully took the wooden box and opened its lid. Da Feng Novel Network
The moment he saw the box filled to the brim with Ten Thousand Soft Immortal Clay, Wu Tao gasped.
This transparent Ten Thousand Soft Immortal Clay, combined with the precious ores he had gathered over the years, would not only allow him to reforge his Chu Xi Sword but even surpass it.
...
To avoid gossip, Lu Yuehua returned first.
Wu Tao, however, waited for a full hour before leisurely making his way back.
Ye Hong, Yu Mo, Ma Fan, Cong Shujie, Shi Zhenxiang, Zuo Zong, and Li Zhang, the seven of them, were naturally curious about what Wu Tao and Lu Yuehua had been doing for so long. However, they dared not speak of it, let alone ask.
This was because Wu Tao and Lu Yuehua were both ruthless individuals. If they accidentally learned something they shouldn't, even teammates could easily be silenced.
Thus, no one was foolish enough to directly inquire. A cold shoulder approach benefited everyone.
...
After everyone had rested, and at Lu Yuehua's command, the group set off for their return journey.
They encountered no further foreign races on the way back. Wu Tao, Lu Yuehua, Ye Hong, Yu Mo, Ma Fan, Cong Shujie, Shi Zhenxiang, Zuo Zong, and Li Zhang, a group of nine, safely returned to Tongguan City.
Due to encountering a powerful Blood Clan hunting party, Wu Tao, Lu Yuehua, Ye Hong, Yu Mo, Ma Fan, Cong Shujie, Shi Zhenxiang, Zuo Zong, and Li Zhang, the nine of them, naturally received generous rewards.
According to regulations, after each mission completion, the rest time varied depending on the mission's intensity.
This mission was of considerable difficulty, so Wu Tao was granted a full five years of rest.
Following this, Team Jia Thirty-Six was disbanded, awaiting their reunion five years later...
Wu Tao, Lu Yuehua, Ye Hong, Yu Mo, Ma Fan, Cong Shujie, Shi Zhenxiang, Zuo Zong, and Li Zhang, after bidding each other farewell, departed separately.
As Lu Yuehua bid farewell to Wu Tao, she suddenly imparted news that stirred Wu Tao's heart.
"Stop suppressing your realm. You should be ready to break through to the Core Formation stage. After this battle, you should clearly see the vast difference between Foundation Establishment cultivators and Core Formation cultivators!"
...
"Coincidentally, I have the same plan. After all, I am confident that I can perfectly break through to the Core Formation stage!"
Hearing this, Wu Tao frowned and replied.
Seeing that her earnest advice had been heeded, Lu Yuehua said no more and turned to leave.
Wu Tao watched Lu Yuehua's receding back, his emotions a complex mess.
In truth, even if Lu Yuehua hadn't mentioned it, he had intended to use these five years to break through to the Core Formation stage.
With this thought in mind, Wu Tao calmly left the area, transforming into a streak of escaping light and heading directly for the Jiawei Hall.
After receiving a set of silver armor from the Jiawei Hall, Wu Tao leisurely returned to his cave dwelling.
The abilities of the silver armor were generally acceptable. After all, it was common merchandise, distributed to everyone, so one couldn't expect too much.
The initial intention of the Tongguan City high command was to reduce cultivator mortality rates with these silver armors.
The armor was forged entirely from special silver essence and expensive profound iron ore, making it exceptionally sturdy and capable of reflecting spiritual energy to some extent.
This set of silver armor was a top-tier defensive magic artifact.
Furthermore, the silver armor had the capacity to store a certain amount of spiritual energy, greatly increasing the combat power of cultivators of the same realm. It was specifically designed to counter foreign races.
Of course, for Wu Tao at this moment, the utility of this silver armor was not as significant as one might imagine; it could even be considered quite redundant.
However, on the principle of "better to have it than not," Wu Tao still made the trip to the Jiawei Hall.
Having completed all these matters, Wu Tao then retreated into his cave dwelling to prepare for his breakthrough to the Core Formation stage.
The world has three thousand Great Daos, yet the path to cultivation and enlightenment is singular: the Great Dao of Nascent Divinity and the method of attaining enlightenment.
What is the Great Dao of Nascent Divinity and the method of attaining enlightenment? Together, they constitute the path to becoming an immortal. Cultivating Qi, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Purple Mansion, and Nascent Divinity – only by achieving fruition in these six realms can one attain the method of longevity and the gate to all wonders.
The Great Dao of Nascent Divinity surpasses all cultivation methods and eclipses all worldly divine abilities.
Now, Wu Tao was about to transcend the Foundation Establishment stage and advance to Core Formation.
"The Dao lies in the profound, the Dharma resides in the wondrous. The path to longevity, the realm of Core Formation, is nothing more than the three principles: Dao, Dharma, and Power..."
Seated on a meditation cushion, Wu Tao slowly exhaled wisps of vital energy, immersed in his cultivation, occasionally experiencing epiphanies.
Nurturing spiritual energy in the dantian... this is the Qi Cultivation stage. When the spiritual energy fills the dantian and transforms into a river of spirit... this is the Foundation Establishment stage. When spiritual energy solidifies into a dan... this is the Core Formation stage...
During the process of Core Formation, Wu Tao's expressions shifted dramatically, at times beaming with joy as if hearing celestial music, driven by some wondrous method that brought him such delight...
At other times, he was deep in thought, as if facing myriad uncertainties, restless and unable to find peace... at times, he was as still as a rock, then overcome with uncontrollable joy; he would laugh and weep, achieving great enlightenment, or fall into despair as if he had lost his parents...
At this very moment, Wu Tao was no longer Wu Tao. There were only individuals engrossed in the Great Dao, oblivious to the passage of time and external distractions, all pursuing the Dao.
One day, two days... three months later... a year later...
How swift and pleasant time flowed in this endeavor!
At this point, various anomalies materialized above Wu Tao's head.
Fierce and chaotic sword energies clashed and collided, erupting in countless golden sword lights, their resonant hum sounding like a torrential downpour.
The impurities within Wu Tao's body were gradually expelled, instantly turning the previously clean secret chamber murky.
The sword energies converged and entwined, manifesting various sword Dao phenomena, as if the entire evolution of the sword Dao from beginning to end was being replayed, appearing and dissipating, moving slowly and steadily, their combinations and separations defying fixed patterns.
The manifestation of these anomalies intensified...
"Dissatisfaction is insufficient to be the Dao."
"To understand the Dao is to appear ignorant; to advance the Dao is to appear to retreat; to smooth the Dao is to appear rough. Supreme virtue is like a valley; great whiteness appears as if stained; broad virtue appears insufficient; established virtue appears precarious; true substance appears inconstant. The greatest square has no corners: great vessels are slow to complete; great sounds are imperceptible; great images are formless."
"The secret of Core Formation lies first in embracing completeness, then in transformation, and finally in unity!!!"
"Life and death, Yin and Yang, two extremes..."
"When Yin is strong, Yang weakens; when Yang is strong, Yin perishes. Yin contains Yang, Yang contains Yin. Spiritual energy settles and accumulates into a dan..."
Core Formation is not merely a golden dan formed by the sublimation of spiritual power within a cultivator's body, but also a profound realization.
The harmonious union of Yin and Yang, immeasurably mysterious, the comprehension of destruction and creation.
The immortal sword floats in the air, from beginning to end, in an instant!
The world of the sword, a movement, a fury, a kill – this is the sword.
The golden dan gradually condensed, as spiritual energy poured into it bit by bit, slowly revealing its outline.
At this moment, Wu Tao understood that he had reached the most critical juncture. When the golden dan appeared flawless, he would have achieved Great Completion and reached the Core Formation realm, gaining five hundred years of lifespan.
A surge of excitement rose in his heart, a validation of his decades of arduous cultivation.
"The transformation of Core Formation - Sword Qi as the root!
Suddenly, a trace of blood flowed from the corner of Wu Tao's mouth, and his complexion turned pale.
Mysterious flames ignited on his body. He was now burning the Heavenly-grade low-tier spiritual material Xuanhuang Stone, as well as the Earth-grade high-tier spiritual materials Hou Tu Shi and Di Ling Shi. All of them began to collapse, aiding Wu Tao in refining his divine abilities.
"Rumble!"
As the flames burned, the Heavenly-grade low-tier spiritual material Xuanhuang Stone, the Earth-grade high-tier spiritual materials Hou Tu Shi and Di Ling Shi were ignited at this moment.
The translucent firelight illuminated the secret chamber, transforming into a divine ability.
From the Six Divine Abilities of Buddhism, "Third-grade Divine Ability - Indestructible Golden Body Dharma Aspect" was successfully refined by Wu Tao.
...
Following this, came the Heavenly-grade low-tier spiritual material Star Nucleus, the Earth-grade high-tier spiritual material Jiu Qing Ling Shui, and the Earth-grade high-tier spiritual material Di Zhuo Zhi Qi. In the next moment, they also melted together, transforming into the next divine ability.
All things return to their origin, reverting to their essence. After the starlight, the spiritual rain poured down, evolving into the starry sky...
"Third-grade Divine Ability - Stellar River Torrent!"
Wu Tao successfully refined the next "Third-grade Divine Ability - Stellar River Torrent!"
...
Boundless, as if a raging torrent of sword energy, permeated the secret chamber, giving one the illusion that the heavens were about to shatter!
A magnificent, surging torrent of sword energy erupted, and within it, one could vaguely sense a terrifying aura capable of altering the colors of heaven and earth. This was formed from the Heavenly-grade mid-tier spiritual material Jin Yuan Zhi Shui and the Heavenly-grade low-tier spiritual material Wu Xing Yu, melted by Wu Tao.
In a daze, an immense sword energy that blotted out the sky suddenly appeared in the sky and began to wreak havoc.
That colossal, awe-inspiring sword energy was filled with a chilling power that devoured all things. With a single, gentle slash, it severed the entire world.
The sword Dao divine ability, "Second-grade Divine Ability - One Sword Splits Heaven and Earth," was successfully refined by Wu Tao.
Even so, Wu Tao was not satisfied. He wished to refine a fourth divine ability, but alas, this was merely a wishful fantasy.
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