Chapter 491: Before Forming the Core

This is an access token for a cave dwelling in Sun-Bathing Sea's Golden Crow Immortal City, located within the Eastern Yi region. It is considered part of the Divine Wood Sect's assets.

When Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue visit Eastern Yi, they usually reside there. The cave dwelling has a high-grade third-tier spiritual vein, which is sufficient for a cultivator to form their Core. If a spirit-gathering array is also set up using high-grade spirit stones, it would not be inferior to cultivating in Giant Wood Ridge.

Chen Mobai was deeply moved by the sect's arrangements. Not only did they help him refine the Golden Liquid Jade Return Pill, but they also anticipated a situation similar to what Meng Hong faced during Core Formation and arranged for him to go to Sun-Bathing Sea. However, after learning that Core Formation in the Heavenly River Realm also involves heavenly tribulations, Chen Mobai was determined to return to the Immortal Sect for his breakthrough. Conveniently, since his Evergreen Dao Body was not yet perfected, he used this as an excuse to stay at the Divine Wood Sect for another two years. During these two years, he diligently cultivated, mostly in secluded meditation on this high-grade fourth-tier spiritual vein.

He did, however, return to the Immortal Sect twice. One visit was for his cousin, Wang Xinying, who successfully established her Foundation. This happened just one year after she was supposed to graduate, which was considered very fortunate. If she hadn't succeeded, she would have had to go on blind dates and get married. Chen Mobai had a deep affection for her since childhood, so he naturally went to congratulate her. He gave her the golden token he had obtained from the Profound Gold Ganoderma as a gift.

The other visit was not long ago, when Meng Huan'er broke through to the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment. At that time, although his Evergreen Dao Body had absorbed all the sap from the Evergreen Tree, it was still a crucial step away from completion. He had meditated for a long time without success, so he took the opportunity to return to the Immortal Sect to relax. To his surprise, after guiding Meng Huan'er's breakthrough and returning, his cultivation suddenly became smooth, with his qi and blood flowing harmoniously and his meridians clear.

With his Evergreen Dao Body perfected and his preparations for Core Formation nearly complete, Chen Mobai was ready to depart. He put away the Golden Liquid Jade Return Pill and first went to pay his respects to Fu Zongjue.

"When you go to Sun-Bathing Sea, keep a low profile. Although safety is generally guaranteed within Golden Crow Immortal City, you must be wary of desperadoes hired by the Profound Firmament Dao Palace. If you plan to form your Core, you might secretly prepare another cave dwelling under an alias."

Fu Zongjue, having experienced much in the Heavenly River Realm, had clearly given full consideration to Chen Mobai's Core Formation and offered cautious advice.

"Thank you for your kindness, Patriarch. This journey might take several years. Please continue to pay attention to Xuan'er's matter."

Luo Yixuan had disappeared in Ming State, the Five Elements Sect's main base. The Divine Wood Sect's hidden agents there could only be mobilized by the sect leader and the two patriarchs.

"Hmm, if there's any news, I will inform you."

Chen Mobai thanked him again. Just as he was about to leave, Fu Zongjue called out to him with a strange expression.

"Aren't you going to ask about the sect's secret Core Formation insights?"

"Ah... this disciple was so excited about perfecting his Dao Body that he temporarily forgot," Chen Mobai immediately patted his head, coming up with an excuse. The main reason was that he could download hundreds of unique Core Formation insights from the Immortal Sect. The Divine Wood Sect's secret insights were highly individualized and not very applicable to him, so he had little interest in them.

"These are all passed down orally. Before receiving them, you must swear a Dao Heart oath never to leak them."

Fu Zongjue's expression turned serious as he began to instruct Chen Mobai on receiving the Divine Wood Sect's most valuable knowledge. Besides the Core Formation insights of Zhou Shengqing and Fu Zongjue, there were also those of True Man Nu Jiang of the Five Elements Sect and Mo Douguang of Golden Light Cliff. What surprised Chen Mobai the most, however, was the last one: it belonged to Patriarch Hunyuan, the founder of the Five Elements Sect.

However, the sentences in Patriarch Hunyuan's Core Formation insights were somewhat disjointed, and some content seemed to have been omitted. Chen Mobai guessed that the complete version might have been insights for Nascent Soul formation, and during the transmission, that part was removed, resulting in the current disjointed Core Formation insights. While once again lamenting the closed nature of knowledge transmission in the Eastern Desolate region, Chen Mobai respectfully listened as Fu Zongjue narrated.

"All right, that's everything. Have you memorized them?" Half a day later, Fu Zongjue finished recounting the five Core Formation insights passed down by the Divine Wood Sect. Chen Mobai nodded and thanked him again.

"Before you leave, let me give you one last piece of advice."

"Please enlighten me, Patriarch." Chen Mobai still held Fu Zongjue in great respect.

"When forming your Core, find a belief that compels you to succeed."

After saying this, Fu Zongjue recounted his own story of Core Formation. At that time, if he hadn't succeeded in forming his Core, Zhou Shengqing and Mo Douguang wouldn't have been able to withstand the pressure from the Five Elements Sect. The recently separated Divine Wood Sect and Golden Light Cliff would have been annihilated, and all his relatives and friends would have died if the war was lost. These were Fu Zongjue's thoughts when he was forming his Core. It was with the belief that he would die if he didn't succeed in Core Formation that he was able to pass through the tribulation in one go and achieve his current success.

After listening, Chen Mobai was slightly shaken. Such a belief was unimaginable in the Immortal Sect. For cultivators in the Immortal Sect, if a breakthrough wasn't possible, they wouldn't force it. Settling down, starting a family, and dying naturally was considered a fulfilling life. Chen Mobai himself didn't possess such a conviction. For him, if Core Formation failed, then it failed; he could just try again. After all, he commanded resources from two realms and was young, so he could certainly afford to wait. He had held similar thoughts during his Foundation Establishment.

Now, after hearing Fu Zongjue's words, Chen Mobai felt that his long-held mindset might be somewhat lacking. If he could succeed on the first try, why waste time preparing for a second or third attempt? Lost in thought, Chen Mobai's expression became contemplative. After thanking Fu Zongjue, he returned to his Evergreen Wood Dao field, still pondering this matter. He only snapped out of it when Liu Wenbai and Zhuo Ming arrived.

"Greetings, Master!" Liu Wenbai called out particularly loudly. Chen Mobai looked up at him. Good, he had established his Foundation. During the two years he spent in seclusion cultivating his Evergreen Dao Body, his eldest disciple adjusted his essence, qi, and spirit to their peak. After consuming the Foundation Establishment Pill that Zhuo Ming had given him, and bolstered by the strong confidence Chen Mobai had instilled in him, he finally succeeded in establishing his Foundation. The power of conviction was indeed very strong. Seeing Liu Wenbai's example, Chen Mobai understood Fu Zongjue's words more deeply.

"Your master is going out to handle some matters for Patriarch Fu..." Chen Mobai didn't hide his departure from the sect from his two disciples, but for safety, he didn't mention that he was preparing for Core Formation. "From now on, Wenbai will continue to manage the Small South Mountain shop externally, while Ming'er will be responsible for all the properties within our lineage in the sect. Also, keep a constant watch on Xuan'er's soul lamp..." Disciples in the Eastern Desolate region were very obedient. As soon as Chen Mobai finished speaking, both nodded in unison.

"Master, the third-tier immortal peach tree on Black Cloud Mountain is of too high a grade. Although I have communicated with it, it might require a Core Formation cultivation level to ensure its complete transplantation to Small South Mountain." Zhuo Ming reported something Chen Mobai was concerned about, but for Chen Mobai now, Core Formation was paramount. Since there wasn't complete assurance for the immortal peach tree's transplantation, he decided to put it aside for now.

"Oh, by the way, your master once obtained a Wood Sowing Art from the Divine Tree Secret Realm. It was specifically used for transplantation by the ancient Evergreen Sect. Listen carefully..." However, this secret art needed to be cultivated to the third tier to be effective on the immortal peach tree. He had been busy with various Core Formation preparations and hadn't focused on it. Zhuo Ming had inherited his mantle in spiritual plant cultivation, so imparting it to her was perfectly suitable. Besides the Wood Sowing Art, he also passed on the Jia Wood Art.

"Thank you, Master, for imparting the arts!" After hearing about these two great spiritual plant secret arts of the Evergreen Sect, Zhuo Ming's eyes shone with excitement. This transmission of arts wasn't hidden from Liu Wenbai, but compared to the gifted Zhuo Ming in spiritual plant cultivation, the eldest disciple was completely bewildered and didn't understand much.

"Wenbai, since you've established your Foundation, your master will also impart two secret arts of the Evergreen Sect to you." Thinking that he would be away for several years and that Liu Wenbai had just established his Foundation, Chen Mobai imparted the "Hundred Transformations of Spiritual Light Art" and the "Spiritual Light Weapon Assimilation Art" to his eldest disciple. Liu Wenbai cultivated the Water-Wood Cycle Dual-Phase Art and would primarily focus on the Evergreen Undying Scripture in the future. Therefore, if he could master the Heavenly Wood Spiritual Light during Foundation Establishment, or even comprehend the Heavenly Wood Divine Light, he might even earn the title of "unrivaled among peers."

"Master's immense kindness, this disciple can never repay!" After establishing his Foundation, Liu Wenbai's horizons and understanding had greatly expanded. Upon hearing this, he realized the preciousness of the two great secret arts Chen Mobai imparted, becoming even more excited than Zhuo Ming.

"You may both leave."

After making arrangements for his two disciples, Chen Mobai went to meet some friends within the sect. By this point, almost all true disciples had taken a Foundation Establishment Pill. Among the true disciples he knew, Xi Jinghuo succeeded in establishing his Foundation, while Qi Rui and Qi Hou failed. While drinking with Meng Hong, the retired former sect leader expressed great satisfaction with the current batch of true disciples. Compared to previous batches, the number of successful Foundation Establishers in this one had nearly doubled. A total of nine disciples succeeded in establishing their Foundation, including Chen Mobai's three disciples, along with Li Yixian, Jiang Zongheng, Lian Maozhi, Gu Yan, Xi Jinghuo, and Ding Ying. Among them, excluding Li Yixian, Ding Ying, and Xi Jinghuo, the rest were disciples newly recruited in Chen Mobai's batch. This led Meng Hong to believe that his policy of expanding sect recruitment during his tenure was very correct. He was even considering taking charge of new disciple recruitment himself, planning to shorten the ten-year cycle to eight years.

After drinking with Meng Hong, Chen Mobai went to find Yuan Chiye, Yan Jinye, and other friends within the sect. Among the five Core Formation insights passed down by Fu Zongjue, the only common point was that before Core Formation, it was best to resolve all lingering concerns and clear all karmic debts. While it was unknown if a clear mind helped Core Formation, having lingering concerns was certainly detrimental to it.

Chen Mobai recalled every moment since he arrived in the Heavenly River Realm. In the water mansion, he honestly ate fish and cultivated, having no social interactions. In Nanxi Market, he set up a stall to earn spirit stones, met Lu Shu and Zhuo Ming; he was tricked by the former and benefited from the latter's oversight. Lu Shu was nowhere to be found, and Zhuo Ming had become his disciple. There were also the Nanshan Bandits who tried to rob and kill him, but they had all been eliminated by E Yun.

On Qingguang Island in Cloud Dream Marsh, Chen Mobai vividly remembered those he had fought alongside. Especially Qi Rui; without him, Chen Mobai would not have developed a yearning for the Divine Wood Sect. When they left the team, Qi Rui even gave him his insights on refining the Scarlet Flame Sword Talisman, which in the Eastern Desolate region was something only true bosom friends would do. However, having faced demonic beasts together on Qingguang Island, they truly were close friends.

After entering the sect, the generous and open-minded Qi Rui had taken great care of Chen Mobai, but after Chen Mobai became the top true disciple and even established his Foundation, Qi Rui gradually reduced their contact. Thinking back now, Qi Rui was arguably the first friend who truly treated him well in the Heavenly River Realm.

"I will repay the contributions I owe you with the rest of my life; you don't need to worry about me disappearing or slacking off." When Chen Mobai came to find Qi Rui, he was surrounded by three Qi Cultivation disciples of the Divine Wood Sect, saying this while suppressing his anger. Most of the sect contributions used by true disciples to exchange for Foundation Establishment Pills were borrowed.

"Senior Brother Qi, it's not that we don't trust you, but don't you have a high-grade first-tier flying sword? How about this, we'll take a bit of a loss: you give me the flying sword, and your debt to me and our two junior brothers will be cleared..." the three Divine Wood Sect disciples said this with a fake smile.

"I need this flying sword to go to Cloud Dream Marsh to hunt demonic beasts and earn sect contributions. If I give it to you, how will I repay the debts to the dozen or so other senior and junior brothers?" Although Qi Rui was unkempt and reeked of alcohol, he still acted responsibly.

"Hmph, don't be ungrateful. If you don't give me the flying sword, repay the five hundred contributions you owe me within three days, or I'll report you to the Hall of Punishment." After leaving this threat, the Divine Wood Sect disciple turned to leave with his two junior brothers, but suddenly he stiffened and stood rooted to the spot.

"Elder Chen... Chen..." Chen Mobai looked at the three with an expressionless face. If he remembered correctly, these three were considered Qi Rui's friends and had even shared a meal with him in Divine Wood City before he established his Foundation. He hadn't expected that with Qi Rui's failed Foundation Establishment, their past friendship would completely vanish. However, since debt repayment was only natural, Chen Mobai didn't say much.

"Sorry you had to see such a scene." After the three ran off, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat, Qi Rui looked at his disheveled self and couldn't help but offer Chen Mobai a bitter smile.

"How many sect contributions do you owe for the Foundation Establishment Pill? I'll pay them for you first; you can repay me later if you have them."

"Thank you, but it's not necessary. It's just those three who are pressing hard; I've already arranged with the other senior and junior brothers to pay some spirit stones as interest each year. I'll eventually be able to pay it all back." Qi Rui still had a bit of pride, and it was precisely because of this that he had actively distanced himself after Chen Mobai established his Foundation.

"Take this. Open it in a year." Chen Mobai understood his character very well, so he sealed the Foundation Establishment Pill he had obtained from the Nanxuan Sect and put it in a brocade pouch before giving it to him.

"This... okay." Although Qi Rui found it a bit strange, he didn't think much of it. Chen Mobai's disciples usually sent him new wine and rice, so he simply accepted it.

After giving the Foundation Establishment Pill, Chen Mobai suddenly felt there wasn't much to talk about with Qi Rui. He also understood why Qi Rui had largely stopped contacting him after his own Foundation Establishment. Indeed, after reaching different cultivation realms, it was difficult to maintain the same level of heartfelt intimacy they once shared.

"Feel free to come find me for a drink when you have time." Chen Mobai could only leave with these words and bid farewell.

Before he left the Divine Wood Sect via the teleportation array, his two disciples came to see him off. He told them to look after Qi Rui when they had time.

"Junior Nephew Chen, I hope when you return next time, you can call me Senior Brother." As the teleportation array lit up, Fu Zongjue's words reached Chen Mobai's ears. Clearly, he had also come but did not show himself upon seeing the master and his two disciples.

"Absolutely!" Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai solemnly clasped his fists towards the void and spoke two words.

Since the Divine Wood Sect had no direct teleportation array to Eastern Yi, he first went to Illusion Wave Market, then transferred to Yan State, then from Yan State to Xiao State. After a total of six consecutive teleportation arrays, he finally left the Eastern Desolate region. Between the Eastern Desolate and Eastern Yi regions lay some sparsely populated desolate mountains and great rivers, which cultivators had to traverse by flight. Chen Mobai left the Formless Puppet behind, instructing it to go to Golden Crow Immortal City in Sun-Bathing Sea in his stead, while he himself directly activated the Turtle Treasure. Upon returning to the Immortal Sect, he immediately applied to the Dao Academy of Weaponry for Core Formation.