Chapter 400: Forming the Core

A year passed quickly as spring turned to autumn. Inside Secret Chamber D of Haotian Hall, within the Taiyi Immortal Sect.

Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes slightly closed, his body enveloped in a dazzling blue light.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

He had spent a year cultivating in the secret chamber, bringing his state to its absolute best. He was now ready to attempt breaking through to the Core Formation stage.

With a flick of his finger, a beam of blue light shot out, striking a groove on the stone wall.

With a *crack*, the ceiling of the stone chamber split in two, allowing sunlight to stream in.

A golden light flew from a distance, expanding dozens of times its size and radiating a blinding golden glow.

The edges of the colossal golden mirror were intricately carved with numerous exquisite patterns, subtly forming the image of a sun.

Above Haotian Hall, ripples suddenly spread through the air. Countless golden motes of light materialized, descending slowly like golden raindrops towards Wang Changsheng's stone chamber.

Wang Changsheng took a deep breath, formed a hand seal, and his body immediately blazed with bright blue light.

As if guided by an unseen force, the golden motes surged towards Wang Changsheng's body.

As a vast quantity of golden motes landed on him, Wang Changsheng felt as though his body was ablaze. His skin turned red, his face flushed crimson, and veins bulged visibly.

Time trickled by. Wang Changsheng's face contorted in pain, his teeth gritted, and his eyes became bloodshot.

After a quarter of an hour, the Haotian Mirror suddenly intensified its glow, as vast amounts of golden light surged back towards it.

With a flash, an immensely thick golden pillar of light shot out from the Haotian Mirror, briefly enveloping Wang Changsheng's body.

Wang Changsheng felt as if he had plunged into a pool of crimson-red lava. His skin was deep crimson, and he felt as though his entire being was about to combust.

The skin on his arms felt as if it would rupture, as an immense energy surged wildly through his body, threatening to tear him apart.

His body slowly began to swell, like an enormous balloon.

Changing his hand seal, a dazzling blue light erupted from his body. Without hesitation, he pulled out a Qianyuan Spirit Protection Talisman and slapped it onto himself.

With a flash of silver light, the Qianyuan Spirit Protection Talisman burst open, releasing countless silver runes that enveloped his entire body. His distended abdomen slowly began to shrink.

Wang Changsheng's face was contorted. He felt as if he had overeaten and then been punched in the gut, wanting to vomit but unable to. He could only grit his teeth, activating the sixth-level incantation of the "Kuei Water True Scripture" to continue his cultivation.

Ten breaths later, Wang Changsheng closed his eyes. His face was pale, and his entire body was enveloped in a large expanse of silver runes, making him resemble a silver statue.

Inside his dantian, a vast expanse of blue spiritual energy intertwined with an equally vast expanse of golden spiritual energy. Initially, the golden energy was more abundant, but as time progressed, the blue energy increased, gradually enveloping the golden energy. The two began to slowly merge.

Wang Changsheng's consciousness focused on the two intertwining spiritual energies in his dantian, a ripple of excitement stirring within him. He began to slowly rotate the blue spiritual energy.

Initially, the blue spiritual energy rotated slowly, but with the passage of time, its speed accelerated, causing the blue and gold energies to intensely interlace.

After roughly fifteen minutes, a dual-colored vortex of blue and gold materialized within Wang Changsheng's dantian.

The two-colored vortex spun faster and faster, its volume gradually diminishing. It slowly condensed into a fist-sized blue sphere, within which faint golden light was visible.

Wang Changsheng's face was distorted in a grimace. The silver runes on his arms and face had dispersed, his veins bulged, and his face was flushed crimson.

If not for the Qianyuan Spirit Protection Talisman, his body would have long since exploded. This was the critical moment for Core Formation.

He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and a flicker of madness appeared in his eyes.

Immediately, his body blazed with blue light. The blue sphere in his dantian more than doubled its rotation speed, and its volume rapidly diminished.

A quarter of an hour later, the golden pillar of light enveloping Wang Changsheng had shrunk to the thickness of an adult's arm, and it continued to diminish in size.

Wang Changsheng was drenched in sweat, his consciousness intently focused on the state of his dantian, not daring to show the slightest carelessness.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and the golden pillar of light completely vanished. An egg-sized, pale blue sphere now floated within Wang Changsheng's dantian.

Wang Changsheng's entire being now exuded a potent spiritual pressure. Just then, a tremendous clap of thunder echoed, and a colossal dark cloud materialized above Haotian Hall.

*Rumble!*

A deafening peal of thunder ripped through the air, and several thick bolts of silver lightning shot forth from the dark cloud, heading directly for Wang Changsheng.

A grave expression appeared on Wang Changsheng's face. No one was there to guard him; he would have to face the thunder tribulation alone.

A silver lightning bolt flashed, striking Wang Changsheng. He felt his body go numb, and his clothes were ripped to shreds.

This was only the beginning. Accompanied by a series of deafening roars, thick silver lightning bolts continuously erupted from the colossal dark cloud, striking Wang Changsheng one after another. A vast expanse of dazzling silver lightning enveloped his body.

Outside Haotian Hall, Xu Zihua and a green-robed Taoist stood together, gazing at the immense dark cloud hovering above the hall.

Wang Mingren stood behind them, his eyes filled with worry. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Master, Uncle Chen, can we help Changsheng?"

When a cultivator attempts to reach the Core Formation stage, they must endure a thunder tribulation. If someone assists in resisting the tribulation, the chances of success are considerably higher; without aid, the risk of failure and death is significantly greater.

"If he were a disciple of our sect, I might consider helping him. Unfortunately, he isn't. If my spirit artifact were damaged because of him, who would provide the spirit stones for repairs? From here on, it's entirely up to him. The thunder tribulation is the most formidable hurdle in Core Formation. Cultivation families often fail to produce Core Formation cultivators for three main reasons: resources, cultivation techniques, and the thunder tribulation itself. The path of cultivation is inherently an act against the heavens; life and death are predetermined. His success will depend on his own destiny. Rest assured, your clan nephew possesses vigorous vitality. If my guess is correct, he's a body cultivator, which significantly increases his chances of enduring this tribulation."

Xu Zihua spoke with a detached expression. He had already provided all the assistance he could; he had no obligation to endlessly help Wang Changsheng, who was not family or a close acquaintance.

Wang Mingren sighed and nodded helplessly.

At this point, he could only hope Wang Changsheng would successfully reach the Core Formation stage, so that he might offer assistance in the future. As for Xu Zihua, Wang Mingren felt uncertain; Xu Zihua was an outsider, after all, far less reliable than Wang Changsheng, who belonged to the same clan and family.

After roughly fifteen minutes, the dark cloud had shrunk to a diameter of only about thirty meters.

The dark cloud churned and rolled, transforming into a thick silver lightning python. It opened its massive maw and lunged down at Wang Changsheng.

Wang Mingren's heart leaped into his throat at the sight, and he dared not even breathe.

*Rumble!*

A deafening roar reverberated, followed by a blinding flash of silver light.

Inside the stone chamber, Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on a stone bed. The stone walls and floor were covered by a thick layer of golden light, evidently a protective restriction.

Wang Changsheng's clothes were tattered, his body charred black, and his aura weak. Faint traces of blood were visible on his skin.

He exhaled slowly, a profound look of joy spreading across his pale face.

"I've finally formed the core. Ancestors be praised."

While the fusion of Heavenly Gang Qi and Earthly Fiend Qi was painful, the protection of the Qianyuan Spirit Protection Talisman allowed him to grit his teeth and endure. However, the thunder tribulation had nearly claimed his life.

Had he not been a body cultivator, he likely wouldn't have survived this ordeal. It was no wonder that rogue cultivators rarely achieved Core Formation, and few cultivation families boasted Core Formation cultivators; most likely, they perished beneath the thunder tribulation.

He glanced at the golden light on the stone wall, a hint of sarcasm playing on his lips.

The Taiyi Immortal Sect truly proved unreliable; at the critical moment, he still had to rely on himself.

He wasn't surprised; without any personal connection, the Taiyi Immortal Sect's members wouldn't assist him in passing the tribulation.

From this day forward, the Wang family had ascended to a new level. However, two pressing issues now confronted Wang Changsheng: first, a massive debt of 300,000 spirit stones, and second, the acquisition of a spirit artifact.

As a Core Formation cultivator, it seemed unfitting not to possess his own spirit artifact.

A spirit artifact was a matter of dignity for a Core Formation cultivator. Yet, the thought of the immense 300,000 spirit stone debt gave him a considerable headache.