Chapter 303: Obtaining Core-Forming Elixirs at the Immortal Sect

During the Spring Festival holiday, Chen Mobai spent his time at home drawing talismans and guiding his sister in her cultivation.

Wang Xinying, being very obedient to her brother, continued to focus on the Five Elements Cultivation Method even after breaking through to the seventh level of Qi Cultivation, without switching to any other technique. Although her initial spiritual root affinity was better than Chen Mobai's, it was only considered passable within the Immortal Sect as a whole. It was best not to decide on a main cultivation method too early; she could consider it after getting into university. Furthermore, the Five Elements Cultivation Method could adapt and transform into any other technique, and there would be no issue even if she established her foundation with it.

Guiding Wang Xinying with his Foundation Establishment cultivation level was naturally effortless for him, and she benefited immensely, noticing various cultivation details she had previously overlooked. In particular, he could simulate the nascent spiritual energy vortex of Qi Condensation into Liquid, which Wang Xinying had only vaguely understood before. This time, Chen Mobai channeled his divine sense into her body, guiding her spiritual energy through a complete cycle with precise control. Through this practical demonstration, Wang Xinying instantly achieved a sudden realization. "So that's how it is."

When the holiday ended and Chen Mobai left, Wang Xinying's cultivation level hadn't increased, but her understanding of the cultivation method had advanced by two levels. She felt confident she could break through to the ninth level of Qi Cultivation before the college entrance examination. This would guarantee her a spot in at least one of the Ten Great Academies.

Back at Chicheng Grotto-Heaven, Chen Mobai registered for courses as he had last year. He then divided his time between cultivating talisman techniques and searching for a new secretary for the student union. Although Hua Zijing was still helping with various miscellaneous tasks, it was her final year, so her main focus was on submitting resumes and preparing for the civil service examination. Civil servant positions were the most sought-after roles in the Immortal Sect.

There was no other reason than this: after serving for 120 years, one could obtain a Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill. If one performed meritorious deeds and earned widespread praise for serving the people during that period, the service period could be shortened. At its shortest, it could be halved to 60 years. Individuals like Gongye Zhixu and Lan Haitan, who had benefited countless people during their tenure and repeatedly achieved merits, obtained the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill within the shortest period of 60 years.

What made the Immortal Sect most humane was its inheritance system. Foundation Establishment cultivators had a lifespan of only four *jiazi*, or 240 years. According to the "sixty-year limit" theory, it was best to form a Golden Core before the age of 144, as one's essence, qi, and spirit would be at their peak, leading to the highest success rate. For ordinary civil servants, even if they served for 120 years and exchanged for a Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill, they would have already missed the optimal age for forming a Golden Core, which could dampen their motivation. Therefore, the Immortal Sect had a law allowing half of the service years to be passed down to the direct descendants of civil servants. For example, if a Foundation Establishment civil servant served for 100 years before retirement, even if they hadn't reached the required service years for the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill, they could save these years. Later, if a direct descendant also became a civil servant and a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they could inherit half of the service years accumulated by their elder.

It was precisely because of this system that exceptional talents graduating from the Four Great Daoist Academies and Ten Great Academies prioritized taking the civil service examination after graduation. Zuoqiu Shi passed the civil service examination in his graduating year, which is why he felt no attachment to the position of student union president. Upon seeing Chen Mobai, this 'fierce man,' he immediately abdicated and yielded the position. However, it was also for this reason that becoming a civil servant in the Immortal Sect had always been extremely competitive, like thousands of soldiers trying to cross a single-plank bridge. Even if one passed the examination, if there were no vacant positions in the various departments of the Three Great Halls, they could not successfully pass the interview and take up the post. Zuoqiu Shi's success was mainly due to the prestige he gained as the student union president of the Wuqi Daoist Academy, his own outstanding abilities, and the efforts of his teacher, Duanmu Longrong, and some other individuals from the academy, which allowed him to smoothly fill a vacancy in the Enforcement Bureau. Although the Immortal Sect claimed equality for all and judged solely on merit and ability, Zuoqiu Shi's leadership among the Four Great Daoist Academies signified that he was among the most talented individuals among his peers in the Immortal Sect. When such individuals were willing to become public servants, the upper echelons of the Immortal Sect naturally prioritized their recruitment.

Although Hua Zijing was not as outstanding as Zuoqiu Shi, she was still considered a genius second only to him. With careful maneuvering, she might also become a glorious civil servant like Zuoqiu Shi.

Compared to her, things were much simpler for Chen Mobai. If he wished, he could directly join the Butian Group and take over Lan Haitan's position after his retirement. Since the Butian Group comprised the most high-risk civil servants in the Immortal Sect, it was easy to accumulate merits and shorten the service years required for the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill to the minimum of 60 years. Even if he didn't want to take risks, he could follow Zuoqiu Shi's example, letting his teacher Che Yucheng use his connections to secure him a position as a public servant in a regular department of the Immortal Sect, governing a region and patiently accumulating service years. In any case, he was still young, and with an additional 60 years of lifespan granted by the 'Everlasting Life Scripture,' he would still be in his prime even after 120 years.

However, Chen Mobai felt this approach was too time-consuming. The peaceful environment of the Immortal Sect was fine, and most Foundation Establishment cultivators were willing to spend a century waiting for the highest probability of forming a Golden Core. However, the Tianhe Realm was fraught with danger. Although he didn't know what the upper echelons of the Divine Wood Sect were planning, the deficit in the Thunder Nation's spirit stone mine last year made Chen Mobai, who always had a keen political sense, realize something was amiss. Considering that Meng Hong was set to retire next year, he had a strong feeling that the Sect Leader might want to deal with certain accumulated issues within the sect all at once before his retirement. Chu Zuoshu probably knew the inside story, but as the designated successor to the sect leader, he would certainly welcome these developments. He probably hoped that Meng Hong would take all the blame before stepping down. Then he would take charge of the sect with a clean slate. Perhaps it was for this very reason that the Hall of Rewards didn't send anyone to investigate the deficit in the Thunder Nation's spirit stone mine. It was possible that regardless of the investigation results from Yuan Chiye and Fu Xingzhou, the upper echelons had already finalized their next plan. Therefore, Chen Mobai deduced that before Meng Hong's retirement, the Divine Wood Sect was likely to make a significant move. And his peerless divine sword, which had been nurtured for so long, would undoubtedly have to be unsheathed. If he wanted to sweep across the Eastern Wilderness without peer, his early Foundation Establishment cultivation level was truly insufficient. It would be best to form a Golden Core in the shortest possible time.

Chen Mobai found the slow pace of obtaining the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill through official channels somewhat tedious. If other Foundation Establishment cultivators knew this, they would probably curse him. It should be known that over 99% of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Immortal Sect didn't even dare to dream of the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill. For instance, Wu Shangru, who joined a state-owned enterprise in Huayang Grotto-Heaven, needed to work for 60 years just to qualify to purchase a Five Elements Core Formation Pill, which was of a lower grade. And even this was achieved by relying on his Dao companion's connections, pushing out over a dozen competitors. If civil servants in the Immortal Sect couldn't wait for the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill but still wished to form a Golden Core before their physical prime, they could also exchange for a Five Elements Core Formation Pill, which also required 60 years of service. Moreover, if they had good connections, outstanding ability, and merits, the service years could also be reduced, requiring as little as 30 years. It was also because of this system that Foundation Establishment civil servants rarely saved their service years for their descendants. When there was no hope of exchanging for the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill, most would try their luck with the lesser Five Elements Core Formation Pill. However, it was a bit early for Chen Mobai to be considering these matters. If he were to take the civil service examination, he would certainly be aiming for the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill. As for the Five Elements Core Formation Pill, the various major pharmacies in the Immortal Sect could still gather enough ingredients to refine a batch every two or three decades. Chen Mobai had also looked up the pill formula online. Although the 188 types of spiritual herbs were numerous and difficult to obtain, he believed that if he nurtured Qing Nü and expanded his business in the Tianhe Realm, collecting enough for a batch himself wouldn't be an issue. However, the Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill required an excessive 666 types of herbs, and eight crucial main ingredients needed to be aged over a thousand years. Chen Mobai estimated that he might need to become a figure on the level of the Divine Wood Sect's Three Hall Masters before he could hope to gather all the ingredients with the sect's resources. His biggest fear was that some herbs in the pill formula might be unique to the Immortal Sect and unobtainable in the Tianhe Realm. But these were matters for the future. For now, the main priority was to find a way to obtain a set of Longevity Tree Fruits and then cultivate the Pure Yang Foundation Establishment Scroll to perfection. At that point, he could first become a civil servant in the Immortal Sect and accumulate service years. If the situation in the Tianhe Realm became urgent and he couldn't wait, he could take a Five Elements Core Formation Pill. Who knows, with a bit of luck, it might succeed in one go!

With his thoughts clarified, Chen Mobai pondered another question. There were five types of Five Elements Core Formation Pills, and cultivators generally chose the one corresponding to the attribute of their cultivation method. However, if he were to form a Golden Core using the Two Phases Cultivation Method, he would have both wood and fire spiritual energy. So, should he use a Wood Essence Core Formation Pill, a Fire Essence Core Formation Pill, or both? This question was truly beyond his knowledge, so Chen Mobai could only consult his teacher.

"'If you have the means, prepare one of each. If not, use the Fire Essence Core Formation Pill.'" Che Yucheng, indeed knowledgeable, quickly provided an answer. Such situations were not uncommon in the Immortal Sect. After all, many cultivation methods required balancing two or even multiple five-element attributes, such as the renowned Evergreen Cultivation Method of Jumang Daoist Academy, which required a three-element Heavenly Spiritual Root. When forming a Golden Core, if one didn't use the universal Golden Liquid Jade Restoration Pill, there would be such a dilemma of choice. Although taking two pills simultaneously would largely result in wasted overlapping medicinal effects, and was not advocated by the Immortal Sect, big data research by the Imperial Medical Academy showed it could still increase the success rate by two to three percentage points. However, taking a Five Elements Core Formation Pill that conflicted with one's spiritual energy would have an adverse effect. It was precisely for this reason that no one was insane enough to take all five types of Five Elements Core Formation Pills simultaneously. He wondered which Core Formation Pill Venerable Qingping had used.

After leaving Che Yucheng's office, Chen Mobai's idol suddenly popped into his mind. As one of the few Nascent Soul Venerables in the Immortal Sect, Venerable Qingping had received no attention before forming his Nascent Soul. It wasn't until he formed his Nascent Soul that everyone suddenly realized, "Who is this person? How did he form a Nascent Soul!?" And he even formed a Nascent Soul using the Five Elements Cultivation Method! How could someone use such a basic cultivation method for Foundation Establishment, Golden Core formation, and Nascent Soul formation?

After he formed his Nascent Soul, people naturally started to delve into Venerable Qingping's past. As a youth, he was remarkably talented, entering Butian Daoist Academy with the top score in Taoshan City. However, after entering the academy, he quickly became unremarkable among the other geniuses, barely completing Foundation Establishment by his tenth year, thus avoiding military service. He then remained at the academy, teaching and educating to accumulate credits, occasionally taking part-time jobs at off-campus tutoring institutions to earn merit points. His specialty was proficiency in the Five Elements Cultivation Method and various Five Elements Escape Arts. Most of the videos Chen Mobai had watched previously were recorded by Venerable Qingping during his time at the tutoring institutions. Hundreds of millions of cultivators in the Immortal Sect could only practice the Five Elements Cultivation Method their entire lives, so there was a huge market for it. Venerable Qingping came from a prestigious academy, so many parents were willing to let their children take his online courses. He used this income to acquire the resources needed to cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment. After painstakingly teaching at Butian Daoist Academy for 60 years, Venerable Qingping accumulated enough credits and service years to exchange for a Five Elements Core Formation Pill. With great luck, he successfully formed a Golden Core in one attempt. After forming his Golden Core, Venerable Qingping remained quite ordinary, achieving no remarkable feats, and continued to teach and educate. However, remembering that most of his resources during Foundation Establishment came from tutoring, he continued to record lectures on the Five Elements Cultivation Method even after forming his Golden Core. But he was the only one in the entire Immortal Sect who had formed a Golden Core using the Five Elements Cultivation Method, so no one was interested in watching those particular videos. It wasn't until Venerable Qingping formed his Nascent Soul that people started paying attention to the Five Elements Cultivation Method, wondering if cultivating this basic method made breakthroughs easier and advancements quicker. However, to this day, no second True Person has emerged who formed a Golden Core using the Five Elements Cultivation Method. Furthermore, after forming his Nascent Soul, Venerable Qingping no longer delved into the Five Elements Cultivation Method but instead switched to cultivating the Jade Purity Scripture of the Taiyuan Academy. The craze for the Five Elements Cultivation Method, sparked by his Nascent Soul formation, completely faded after just over a decade.

Pondering these thoughts, Chen Mobai arrived at their class's dormitory building. Soon, Wang Xingyu emerged and handed him two finished portions of Eye-Clearing Bamboo Spirit Dew. "Thanks, brother. Let's grab a meal tonight." Chen Mobai wanted to thank Wang Xingyu, but the latter shook his head and then, with a joyful expression, told him some news. "I've comprehended the Critical Method, and I'll be going into seclusion starting this year. I probably won't be able to help you refine pills until I establish my foundation." Chen Mobai immediately offered his congratulations.

This year marked their seventh year, which was already somewhat below the academy's average level. However, this small group all cultivated the Great Spirit Transformation Method. Wang Xingyu and several others, after being assessed by the Formless Puppets upon admission, were deemed unsuitable for this method but still insisted on practicing it, making breakthroughs more difficult for them. Nevertheless, with him and Ming Yihua leading the way, along with the 'monster' Zhongli Tianyu, and Zhai Jianbai who established his foundation through comprehending the sword while seeking the Dao, the academy still held their 5012th cohort in high regard. Furthermore, of the four individuals from the Spirit Transformation class who went into seclusion last year, three successfully established their foundation. Under the circumstances of cultivating the Great Spirit Transformation Method, catching up to the average line already indicated exceptional talent. It was a pity that Chen Mobai had originally planned to ask Wang Xingyu to help process the desert candle plant to see what suitable pills could be refined for himself. Now, it seemed he would have to ask Qing Nü for help.