Chapter 270: A Gold Pellet Swallowed (Part 1)

Dressed neatly, Zuo Qiuming was listlessly propping up his head. Wang Yu noticed that his usually kaleidoscopic hair had returned to black.

Wang Yu tapped on the table and said, "Due to the matter concerning the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest, the Sacred Sect and Yellow Spring Temple have begun negotiations. The dispute over Zhuyue Province has temporarily subsided, so I've returned."

Hearing this, Zuo Qiuming yawned. "Oh, so that's it. Don't overthink it; they'll definitely fight again."

"Oh? How so? Do you have any inside information?"

Since leaving the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest, Wang Yu had been curious about the subsequent situation. Information gathered from outside naturally couldn't compare to what this direct descendant knew.

Speaking of which, Zuo Qiuming's expression also became somewhat melancholic. "The Divine Transformation poisonous beast in the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest has appeared."

"What?" Wang Yu's expression was genuinely shocked. After all, that was a top-tier combat power in this world! Legends spoke of Divine Transformation battles capable of overturning an entire region. For many years, the Sword Venerable and Demon Venerable had never unleashed their full power when clashing.

"Sigh... it's a long story. In short, after those Blood Demon Medicine Kings appeared, they fought with the poisonous beasts to a draw. Afterward, that Divine Transformation poisonous beast personally took the super spiritual vein from the ruins, likely moving it deep underground to its own domain. Furthermore, signs of a dragon vein's past activity were discovered in the ruins, but unfortunately, it was disturbed prematurely and escaped... No one obtained it."

With this, Wang Yu had pieced together about 70-80% of the subsequent events in the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest. As for the matter of future conflicts...

Zuo Qiuming gave a few mischievous laughs. "Do you know that a Nascent Soul cultivator from Yellow Spring Temple was captured alive by the Three Blood Fiend Devils?"

"I've heard a little."

"That person was forced to refine over three million high-grade spirit stones, and their cultivation plummeted to the first layer of Nascent Soul. When Yellow Spring Temple redeems that person, do you think they'll fight or not? Nascent Soul cultivators don't move lightly, so they'll naturally vent their anger on Zhuyue Province."

Wang Yu's expression was peculiar; these subsequent events surprisingly aligned with the demonic nature of Chi Juan.

"Can a Nascent Soul cultivator really refine so much?" This thought flashed through his mind.

Wang Yu quickly said, "These are minor matters. I'm returning early to immediately go into seclusion. I'll trouble you to stay in Guiling for a while longer."

Zuo Qiuming raised an eyebrow. "'Going into seclusion for so long? Cultivating a divine ability or...'" He paused, swallowed, and continued, "'Fourth brother, you're not planning to form your Golden Core, are you?'"

"Yes." Wang Yu didn't plan to hide this; after forming his Golden Core, he would return to the sect, and matters like promotion and receiving inheritance couldn't be avoided. They would know sooner or later. Previously, he had used the Soul Snatching Foundation Technique for concealment; this time, he could use the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Incantation. If this matter were exposed, Fu Xiao would set his sights on him. But it was better than being targeted for some fabricated reason. His 'placement slot' was his greatest aid and the most deeply hidden secret.

Hearing Wang Yu's direct confirmation, Zuo Qiuming couldn't help but say, his voice strained, "How long has it been? Fourth brother, you're only..."

"Eighty-eight."

"Right, only eighty-eight years old... You're even faster than someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root."

"It's just a small fortunate encounter. It still can't compare to a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and besides, it won't be achieved in a day or two."

Zuo Qiuming was filled with envy, his already tired body growing even more weary, and he even felt a sense of bewilderment. Zhuo Shouqing had the opportunity to complete his spiritual root, planning to devour his own brother, Zhuo Shouyun. Yu Xing had gone to the ancestral land, the Yu Clan's Sacred Mountain, with his elder sister. He didn't know what exactly they were doing, but he had a feeling they would undergo a transformative change. Zuo Qiuming, also a direct descendant of a prominent family, seemed to be the one left behind.

He couldn't help but feel disheartened for a moment, waving his hand as he said, "I understand. Go into seclusion without worry; I'll keep a close eye on Guiling City for you."

"Thank you."

The next day.

Wang Yu met with Qing Yang and others, surprised to find that Xu Ruozhou had established his foundation. Calculating the time, given his dual-spiritual root aptitude, it was normal for him to establish his foundation at this point. In fact, it was slightly slow by a few years. As a native cultivator of Guiling City, his foundation establishment meant that the burden of the city guard could be handed over to him, allowing for fewer miscellaneous tasks to be handled.

Wang Yu's instructions to them were largely the same, still primarily focused on maintaining stability. The large batch of military supplies he acquired in Huangbai City, once laundered, could be confidently sold in Guiling Market. This market, after years of development and the advantageous geographical factor of the Zhuyue Province war, had seen its total profit increase by more than fifty percent compared to when he left. If it were according to war standards, it would at least have tripled or quadrupled, but he still held back. Earning money didn't always mean being able to hold onto it steadily, and even at the current volume, it was enough to incite envy.

The cave dwelling rental business was also thriving. Jin Miaoshan had bought a third-tier cave dwelling near the City Lord's Mansion, and he wondered what her intentions were.

After grasping all these changes over the years, Wang Yu officially announced his seclusion. News of his return circulated only among a few trusted old officials. Even his nominal registered disciples, the Guan family sisters and the Jiang family brothers, were unaware.

In the reassembled killing intent cultivation chamber, Wang Yu had just finished setting up items like the Immaculate Jade Toad, the Three-tailed Snow Fox, and the Ten-thousand-year Profound Ice Bed. The Jade Toad had already fully transformed, and he mused about refining it after forming his Golden Core. Acquiring a body impervious to all poisons might even react with the Yin-Nether Demonic Dragon Art; who knew? After all, this thing wasn't mutating for the first time, so he was already used to it.

He hadn't consumed the Earth Spirit Fruit yet, planning instead to fully forge the Asura Killing Heart first. When he first entered the path of Mind, the Lesser Asura Killing Fist had already reached the minor accomplishment stage. He had sensed 'Mind Power,' that wondrous force. The Asura Killing Heart required 'Mind Power' for its formation. It existed within Wang Yu but had no physical substance; it was a heart of slaughter existing only within his mental state. Forging the heart was both simple and difficult. Sufficient insight could easily complete it, with no requirements for the spiritual energy environment.

The first step was to open a Mind Lake. Wang Yu sat cross-legged on the stone platform that had sealed the Asura Venerable in ancient times, his divine sense naturally spreading out to touch every sword mark on the stone slab. He absorbed the purest killing intent from it, gradually merging it with his surging murderous thoughts. The killing intent stone slabs, which had supported him for a long time, crumbled into dust. The cultivation method of the Lesser Asura Killing Fist continuously circulated. In a trance, Wang Yu seemed to hear the chime of a bell.

And so... his Mind Lake opened!

It was a boundless, calm expanse of water, surrounded by crimson mist. In the center of the lake was a small island about a hundred square meters in size, perfectly square and black as ink. Wang Yu stepped onto this square stone island, feeling slightly puzzled. "Is this... my mind image?"

He couldn't discern its meaning at all. The surrounding crimson mist was constantly gathering here, forming a small blood-red tree. The scriptures of the Lesser Asura Killing Fist were inscribed upon it, growing rapidly nourished by Mind Power. The small tree transformed into a large, lush tree, though its blood-red color evoked an ominous feeling. A lustrous, translucent blood-red heart began to form within the tree's core. Wang Yu did nothing; it was completed just by watching.

"As the saying goes: 'Think little to nourish the spirit, speak little to nourish qi, desire little to nourish essence.' This path of Mind cultivation truly emphasizes non-action; when the time is right, it will naturally progress further, without any need for me to worry."

In the secret chamber, the dust from the crumbled killing intent stone slabs fell, yet only about ten breaths had passed. Wang Yu couldn't help but smile wryly, realizing he had taken it far too seriously.

With the forging of the Asura Killing Heart, the Lesser Asura Killing Fist truly entered the grand accomplishment stage. Achieving perfection would now depend on his own insights. He vaguely knew that the reason for such smooth progress was that his mind had already begun to transform during his time in the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest. The dust settled, and his Mind Lake opened naturally.

From now on, he only needed to continue cultivating. The Prajna Heart Sutra couldn't be neglected either; Mind Power would naturally grow steadily, and the stronger his Mind Power, the more formidable his Asura Killing Heart would become. The materialization of killing intent was merely the shallowest form of utilization. He had considerable experience in creating and developing techniques, so perhaps he could devise several secret arts for using killing intent himself.

After this heart was forged, he didn't feel any significant changes within himself. If anything, his emotions seemed more contained and easier for him to control. When contemplating all things, his mind remained as still as an ancient well, without ripples. In layman's terms, his resilience had significantly increased.

Furthermore, the Asura Killing Heart had an active control effect: he could choose to... let his mind control his body! Handing his body over to his mind for the most primal killing instinct — whether this would enhance or diminish his combat power was temporarily unknown. He could only exit this state once his Mind Power was exhausted, making it somewhat perilous. Regarding this, he merely glanced at it and decided to permanently seal it until he could fully control this state, believing that the Prajna Heart Sutra was the clear path to achieve this.

After slightly calming himself, Wang Yu regretfully looked at the dust scattered on the ground, returned through the passage to the cultivation chamber on the first underground floor, and sat down again.

"Earth Spirit Fruit!" This third-tier cultivation spirit fruit, shaped like a yellowish-brown earthworm with rings of fruit nodes, coiled into a spiral like mosquito repellent incense, was truly unappetizing to behold. However, Wang Yu's eyes were quite fervent. He swallowed it without hesitation, not even chewing.

It could increase magical power; for Foundation Establishment cultivators, it could naturally increase true essence, though it would be somewhat wasteful. But Wang Yu was different. His demonic embryo aptitude solved the absorption efficiency problem, and his third-tier grand accomplishment cultivation technique's refining speed perfectly matched the Earth Spirit Fruit—it would only be fast, not slow!

Although it couldn't generate magical power, his true essence was rapidly increasing. His divine sense sank into the qi sea within his dantian. He saw a vast, blue-black lake of true essence occupying most of his dantian's qi sea. The Earth Spirit Fruit continuously released its medicinal power. After being refined by his cultivation method, it rained down gently upon the lake of true essence, each raindrop a pure droplet of true essence.

"—So fast!" Each raindrop represented an increase of hundreds of true essence droplets. Yet, the Earth Spirit Fruit's physical form changed minimally, only shrinking slightly.

Immersed in the joy of rapidly increasing his cultivation, days flowed by. Wang Yu felt as if the refining was very quick, but in reality, over a year had passed. The first Earth Spirit Fruit helped him gain a full two thousand five hundred droplets of true essence, leaving only three to four hundred more needed. Taking a second fruit now would be somewhat wasteful. It would be better to use it to increase magical power after breaking through to the Golden Core stage.