Chapter 7: Three Months to Form the Golden Core

Upon hearing the sound of the Soul-Stirring Bell, it took considerable effort for her internal energy to settle. Understanding the bell's power, and seeing the big man about to shake it again, she immediately rushed forward to stop him.

“Little girls, now you know grandpa’s power, don’t you? There’s more for you to see.”

The big man moved his wrist with even greater force. Just as the bell was about to ring, a long sword slashed directly across his wrist.

“You’re fine? How is that possible?”

The Golden Core cultivator stared wide-eyed at Xu Yang, who had just drawn his sword. In his understanding, after the bell was first rung, Xu Yang, who only had Qi Refining cultivation, should have experienced a violent surge of internal energy, almost leading to qi deviation. Instead, he stood perfectly fine, drawing his sword at him.

“Your bell doesn’t work on me.”

After Xu Yang nonchalantly uttered this, the Life-Protecting Sword in his hand swung again. A burst of sword energy severed the big man’s wrist clean off, and another thrust pierced his shoulder. It all happened in a flash. The big man only reacted after he was pinned to the ground.

“You’re definitely not at the Qi Refining stage; you’ve hidden your cultivation!”

Anyone capable of dealing with him so effortlessly must possess a higher cultivation level. Only at this moment did the big man truly believe the rumors: that the Tianlan Sect had destroyed the Yunshan Sect and once again stood at the pinnacle of Qizhou. Thinking of this, a wave of regret welled up in his heart.

“Don’t kill me! I’m willing to serve you for a hundred years, just spare my life.”

Having painstakingly cultivated to the Golden Core stage and finally being able to dominate in Qizhou, the big man was naturally unwilling to lose his life so easily.

“As I said before, your mouth needs a good scrubbing.”

Ignoring the big man’s pleas, Xu Yang thrust his sword into the big man’s mouth. The sword energy churned the big man’s teeth and tongue into a pulp, turning his subsequent cries into mere whimpers. Xu Yang struck again; the Life-Protecting Sword directly pierced the big man’s dantian, shattering the Golden Core he had painstakingly cultivated for many years.

The big man, his cultivation crippled, wore a pained expression and continued to whimper, though the sound had changed. Xu Yang knew, without a doubt, that he was being cursed.

“Today, I sentence you to die by exposure to the scorching sun.”

Withdrawing the Life-Protecting Sword, Xu Yang spoke to Ling Qingshu behind him. “Insulting the Tianlan Sect’s prestige and bullying its disciples warrants death. Hang him at the Tianlan Sect’s entrance to make an example for those who lack foresight.”

After saying this, Xu Yang scanned some hidden areas around the Tianlan Sect. Wherever Xu Yang’s gaze swept, cultivators at the peak Foundation Establishment stage felt a chill down their spines. They were spies sent by various major powers to investigate the Tianlan Sect’s true strength, and they had witnessed Xu Yang’s brutal killing of the Golden Core cultivator from start to finish. They now understood Xu Yang’s strength, summarized in four words: not to be provoked.

Xu Yang’s final glance was to let them know he was aware of their presence, sending a clear message to return and tell those behind them not to provoke the Tianlan Sect in Qizhou again in the future, lest they suffer the same fate as this reckless Golden Core cultivator. A dignified Golden Core cultivator, his cultivation crippled, was hung on a flagpole in front of the Tianlan Sect’s mountain gate, left to die by exposure to the scorching sun.

This was Xu Yang establishing prestige for the current Tianlan Sect, a highly effective, straightforward, and easily understood message. Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all these spies had disappeared from the Tianlan Sect.

When Ling Qingshu reappeared before Xu Yang, she already carried an aura of killing intent. Evidently, Ling Qingshu had clearly subjected the Golden Core cultivator to severe punishment before he was hung on the flagpole. After all, no woman could tolerate such insulting remarks.

“Venerable Ancestor Xu, everything has been done as you commanded.”

Xu Yang nodded. Over the past hundred thousand years, his divine sense had been tempered to an incredible degree; everything Ling Qingshu had arranged and carried out earlier was well within his perception. What pleased him most today was Ling Qingshu’s audacious act of drawing her sword against a Golden Core enemy. With such resolve, Ling Qingshu was already no longer inferior to the outstanding disciples of the Tianlan Sect throughout history. It should be noted that in Xu Yang’s eyes, an “outstanding disciple” was, at the very least, a master who brought about the revival of their sect.

“Ancestor,” Ling Qingshu said, “since you have now emerged from seclusion, I intend to relinquish the position of Sect Master to you. My strength is too meager; I truly cannot bear the heavy responsibility of the Tianlan Sect’s Sect Master.”

As she spoke, Ling Qingshu presented a jet-black token, which was the Tianlan Sect’s Sect Master’s emblem. Xu Yang did not reply, but he accepted the Sect Master’s token from Ling Qingshu.

Xu Yang meticulously rubbed the token. The Tianlan Sect’s Sect Master’s emblem had been passed down by Xu Yang himself a hundred thousand years ago. Logically speaking, Xu Yang, the sect’s first disciple and founder, should have been the second Sect Master of the Tianlan Sect. However, because he was stuck at the Qi Refining stage, he had voluntarily given the position to his junior martial brother. Now, a hundred thousand years later, this emblem had unexpectedly returned to his hands, and from a disciple of an unknown generation who wished to cede the position to him. Thinking of this, Xu Yang felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

After playing with it for a while, Xu Yang returned the Sect Master’s token to Ling Qingshu. “This is yours; no one can take it from you, including me,” Xu Yang said. “For all these years, the Tianlan Sect has only passed down the position to the next generation when the previous Sect Master ascended or perished. Are you so eager to have a short life?”

“If the Tianlan Sect can regain its former glory, Qingshu’s death would be insignificant.”

Xu Yang chuckled. “Don’t say that; you truly have the demeanor of a Sect Master. Stronger than I was back then.” He had completely recognized Ling Qingshu’s identity as the Tianlan Sect Master.

“Get me a batch of spiritual materials from the storeroom; I need to refine pills,” Xu Yang instructed. “Also, let me review the cultivation technique you practice. A Tianlan Sect Master with only Foundation Establishment cultivation is too low. I’ll give you three months to form a Golden Core.”

Three months to form a Golden Core. Upon hearing this, Ling Qingshu was slightly stunned, but seeing the confident expression on Xu Yang’s face, she too was infected with his confidence.

“Yes, I respectfully obey Ancestor’s decree.”

Three months to form a Golden Core—if spoken by anyone else, it would seem like an outlandish fantasy. But coming from Xu Yang, it was truly different. Xu Yang had lived for a hundred thousand years, and his mind contained countless pill recipes for aiding cultivation. Not only did he know pills for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, but Xu Yang even knew one or two types of pills that could increase a person’s chances of transcending tribulations. Refining pills to accelerate Ling Qingshu’s cultivation was simply too easy for Xu Yang. Moreover, with the current great changes in the world, some spiritual herbs that were almost impossible to find tens of thousands of years ago were now as common as weeds.