Chapter 811: The Fifth Nascent Soul Cultivator

Silver Serpent Island, Martial Arts Arena.

Wang Qiuhong sat in the grandstand, watching his clansmen practice alchemy. There were over a dozen platforms, and on each platform, an alchemist was busy refining pills.

Wang Qingqi had not yet emerged from seclusion, and no one in the family was capable of refining Foundation Establishment Pills. For the Wang family to grow and prosper, the Foundation Establishment Pill was a significant hurdle. Wang Qiuhong had thus intensified efforts to train alchemists, hoping to cultivate several more second-tier alchemists. Today, he had organized an alchemy competition, with all participants being first-tier alchemists from the family, to encourage them to diligently learn the art of alchemy.

Wang Tianbei sat beside Wang Qiuhong, chatting idly with him. Over the past few years, Wang Qiuhong had provided Wang Tianbei with ten sets of materials for refining Foundation Establishment Pills, yet he hadn't managed to produce a single one.

“Tianbei, I’ll give you five more sets of materials. Can you refine a Foundation Establishment Pill?” Wang Qiuhong asked in a deep voice. Since no one in the family could refine Foundation Establishment Pills, the Wang family had to purchase them at exorbitant prices, making the cost prohibitively high. Wang Tianbei gave a wry smile, shaking his head. “Patriarch, I’m afraid not.”

“Didn’t Fourth Uncle instruct you for some time? If you practice a few more times, you should be able to refine one.” Wang Tianbei shook his head, smiling bitterly. “Patriarch, it’s not that I don’t want to, but I truly cannot refine it. Fourth Uncle’s guidance was merely verbal. The issues I encounter when refining Foundation Establishment Pills are different from the problems he described. He would need to guide me in person. By my calculation, Fourth Uncle has been in seclusion for seven or eight years now! He should be emerging soon.”

Wang Qiuhong sighed, saying, “It’s hard to say. Some Foundation Establishment cultivators remain in seclusion for decades before attracting heavenly tribulations. Those with good fortune…” Before he could finish, a sudden gale swept through. The previously clear sky abruptly became covered with dark clouds, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder. “Core Formation Heavenly Tribulation!” Wang Qiuhong exclaimed, recognizing the scene. He just didn't know who had drawn the Core Formation heavenly tribulation. Currently, three clansmen on Silver Serpent Island were attempting to break through to the Core Formation stage. Wang Qiuhong hoped it was Wang Qingqi who had attracted the tribulation.

“Tianbei, I’m leaving this to you. I’ll go see who attracted the tribulation.” Wang Qiuhong instructed, then summoned his flying artifact and soared into the sky.

Before long, Wang Qiuhong descended outside a valley filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs. A stone tablet stood outside the valley, inscribed with the large characters “Hundred Spirits Valley.” The valley itself was enveloped by a vast expanse of white mist, making it impossible to see clearly inside. This was Wang Qingling’s residence, and a massive dark cloud floated above the valley, indicating that the heavenly tribulation was clearly hers. Wang Qiuhong felt a tinge of disappointment, wishing it had been Wang Qingqi who attracted the tribulation. However, Wang Qingling was also a good outcome, and he hoped she would successfully advance to the Core Formation stage.

Inside Hundred Spirits Valley, Wang Qingling sat cross-legged near a cold pond over ten zhang wide. A colossal white python extended its head, flicking its red forked tongue, and gazed at Wang Qingling not far away. Two Corpse Bone Crocodiles lay nearby, also watching Wang Qingling. Wang Qingling looked a bit nervous. Her lifespan was running short; if she failed to break through to the Core Formation stage, she would have little hope left in this life. The white python let out an unusual hiss, and the two Corpse Bone Crocodiles also roared, seemingly encouraging Wang Qingling.

Wang Qingling offered a slight smile and performed a hand seal. Boom! A tremendous roar of thunder resounded, and a thick silver lightning bolt shot out from the dark clouds, striking towards Hundred Spirits Valley where Wang Qingling was located. Wang Qiuhong stood outside the valley, his expression somewhat tense. The family would become significantly stronger with an additional Core Formation cultivator.

Time passed slowly. One after another, thick silver lightning bolts flew out from the dark clouds, entering Hundred Spirits Valley and dispelling much of the mist. After less than half an incense stick’s time, the dark cloud had shrunk to only a few zhang in size. It then churned and surged, transforming into a silver lightning arc about a zhang in diameter, striking Hundred Spirits Valley.

Boom! The silver light intensified greatly, sending numerous shattered rocks scattering. The lightning surged even more fiercely. A moment later, the silver lightning arc dissipated. Wang Qingling sat cross-legged on her prayer mat, wearing a black armor-like garment, and emanating a powerful aura. She had clearly advanced to the Core Formation stage. The black garment suddenly transformed into a swarm of black beetles, dropping to the ground. “I’ve finally advanced to the Core Formation stage.”

Wang Qingling's face beamed with joy. As an only child, she had been entrusted with great hopes by her parents since childhood. However, she loved taming spirit beasts and insects, a pursuit her parents had always opposed, believing such creatures were useless. Now, she could go to their graves and tell them that she had become a Core Formation cultivator. Among the Three Thousand Great Daos, Spirit Taming was also a path.

The white python left the cold pond and slithered towards Wang Qingling, flicking its tongue and letting out excited hisses, seemingly joyful for her. The two Corpse Bone Crocodiles also crawled over, wagging their tails and emitting roars, as if congratulating Wang Qingling. Wang Qingling smiled sweetly, embracing the white python. She said with a laugh, “Xiao Bai, thank you all for cheering me on. From now on, we’ll continue our journey on the path of cultivation together.”

A low horn sound echoed. Wang Qingling took out a red conch shell and infused it with a spiritual seal. Soon, Wang Qiuhong’s voice suddenly rang out, “Tenth Aunt, are you alright?” “I’m fine, Qiuhong. I’ve advanced to the Core Formation stage.” “That’s wonderful, Tenth Aunt! Please rest well. How about we hold a Core Formation Ceremony for you?”

Wang Qingling thought for a moment, then instructed, “There’s no rush for the Core Formation Ceremony. What about Fourth Brother and Twelfth Brother? Have they emerged from seclusion?” “Fourth Uncle and Twelfth Uncle have not yet emerged from seclusion. You’ve surpassed them.” “Let’s hold the Core Formation Ceremony in a year then! Be sure to invite more spirit tamers, especially those from the Zhang family.”

Now that Wang Qingling had achieved Core Formation, her next consideration was how to elevate her spirit beasts to the third tier. Of course, she had many spirit beasts and spirit birds, and it was unrealistic to expect all of them to reach the third tier. However, the Ice Wind Python was a creature she had raised since it was young, and she hoped to help it advance to the third tier. Possessing a third-tier Ice Wind Python would significantly boost her strength.

“Understood, Tenth Aunt.” Wang Qiuhong put away his communication conch and soared into the sky on his artifact.

Cloud Sea Sect, Cloud Sea Hall.

A curvaceous middle-aged beautiful woman and a fair-faced old man in white robes were playing chess, both appearing calm. “How is it going, Senior Brother Song? What about that matter?” The middle-aged woman asked casually.

The white-robed old man nodded. “Rest assured, we’ve succeeded. He’s willing to work for us. After all, he’s merely an outsider by marriage, with little sense of belonging to the Wang family. A little pressure, and he immediately pledged allegiance to us. A spineless individual.”

The middle-aged woman smiled sweetly and said, “Well, he’s a Wang family member regardless. It’s good to have a few more spineless individuals like him. By the way, how is Fellow Daoist Lu? They won’t go back on their word, will they?” “They agreed to help, but they need to recover from their injuries first. Don’t worry, I’ve known Fellow Daoist Lu for many years; he’s a man of his word. Let the Wang family exist for a few more years then.”