Chapter 204: The Strongest Golden Core

Lù Yáng diligently followed his Senior Sister’s instructions and obediently came to the Scripture Pavilion.

In front of the Scripture Pavilion, he encountered Senior Sister Zhou Lulu, whom he hadn't seen since she took him to the cafeteria to buy weapons.

"Senior Sister Zhou Lulu, long time no see."

Senior Sister Zhou Lulu, engrossed in her books, heard Lù Yáng’s voice, looked up, and smiled: "Oh, it's Junior Brother Lù. It's been a long time since *you* saw *me*. Who didn't see you just a few days ago when you were acting as Sect Master?"

Lù Yáng gave an awkward smile, unsure what to say.

He couldn't very well say that he wasn't really the Sect Master; it was the sixteen-year-old immortal in his body who wanted to be.

"You haven't been to the Scripture Pavilion for two or three months. Are you looking for a particular book?"

"I'd like to find books on how to form a Golden Core."

Zhou Lulu suddenly realized: "Oh, right, you're at the late stage of Foundation Establishment now. It's time to consider how to form your Golden Core."

"How did Senior Sister Zhou form her Golden Core back then?"

Senior Sister Zhou recalled the circumstances: "It was a rainy day. I was reading under the eaves. As I read, I don't know what happened, but the words in the book seemed to leap up, imprinting themselves in my mind. The words flowed down from my mind, passed through my internal organs, and reached my Dantian. The spiritual energy, which was like mist, turned into liquid, forming a babbling stream, and then merged with the words, condensing into a single Golden Core."

"Senior Sister Zhou has amazing talent!" Lù Yáng exclaimed. He had heard that for those with extraordinary talent, forming a Golden Core was a natural progression that required little effort. Some prodigies even succeeded simply by taking a nap.

For example, the ancient prodigy Huang Doudou formed his Golden Core by sleeping.

Zhou Lulu repeatedly waved her hand, a little embarrassed: "Junior Brother Lù, you shouldn't say that. There are many Senior Brothers and Sisters in the sect who are more talented than me. They put in a lot of effort when forming their Golden Cores. You can't judge talent solely by how easy or difficult it is to form a Golden Core."

"I heard that Senior Brother Dai Bufan and Senior Brother Ji Hongwen both made extensive preparations and even needed the sect's assistance to successfully form their Golden Cores."

"The books Junior Brother Lù needs are on the easternmost bookshelf on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion."

Lù Yáng thanked Senior Sister Zhou and entered the Scripture Pavilion. However, he felt a bit puzzled. The Scripture Pavilion was vast, and he didn't know how many bookshelves lined the walls. In the past, whenever he looked for a book, Senior Sister Zhou Lulu would tell him the exact row and column. Why was she so vague today?

Soon, Lù Yáng found the answer.

The entire eastern wall of the Scripture Pavilion was lined with books about Golden Core formation experiences. A small portion of them were from outside, but most were the culmination of the Dao Seeking Sect's 120,000 years of accumulated wisdom.

Books from 120,000 years ago wouldn't be displayed here; these were all reprinted copies.

"Immortal, do you have any advice on forming a Golden Core?" Lù Yáng decided to first ask the Immortal of Immortality, who claimed to be the foremost of the Five Ancient Immortals.

"In ancient times, I once saw a Golden Core that could be called the strongest First-Grade Golden Core. Even the Golden Core I formed paled in comparison."

"There's actually such a Golden Core?" Lù Yáng was surprised. The Immortal of Immortality had always been stubborn and never admitted to being the most embarrassing among the Five Ancient Immortals. He hadn't expected her to willingly admit inferiority this time.

Furthermore, Golden Cores had different focuses; how could one truly be ranked as the "first"?

"Before anyone became an immortal in ancient times, all sorts of prodigies vied with each other, competing with their methods, backgrounds, and talents… At that time, I was the best in the world. Immortals Ying Tian and Jiuchong were no match for me; I beat them so badly they ran away whimpering."

"At that time, there was a prodigy with extremely flourishing romantic luck. When he formed his Golden Core, he had seven confidantes, who were also famous talented women, demonesses, and saintesses of that era. That prodigy and his seven confidantes all formed First-Grade Golden Cores. The prodigy's Golden Core was the main one, and the seven confidantes' Golden Cores served as auxiliary, forming a formation like seven stars guarding the moon. During combat, the prodigy could utilize his confidantes' Golden Cores for his own use, increasing his battle prowess by at least seven times."

"This is the strongest Golden Core I know of."

"Thanks, but that's completely useless as a reference," Lù Yáng rolled his eyes, treating it as just another story from the Immortal of Immortality. Where was he supposed to find seven confidantes?

Did she think he was trying to summon the Calabash Brothers?

"I also know of another type of Golden Core that is extremely powerful, but I only heard about it, so I'm not sure how much truth there is to it. This happened before my era."

"In ancient times, there was a pair of cultivation partners, a husband and wife. Initially, when the wife formed her Golden Core, there was nothing unusual; it was a normal First-Grade Golden Core. But as days passed, the Golden Core grew larger and larger, as if the wife were pregnant."

"After three years of 'pregnancy,' the Golden Core automatically detached from her body, shattering the core to form an infant, which became her external Nascent Soul."

"What happened then?"

"Later, the wife discovered it wasn't a Nascent Soul; it was her son."

"…Immortal, if you have nothing better to do, maybe you should go back to sleep."

"These are ancient secrets; I don't tell just anyone!" The Immortal of Immortality was very displeased with Lù Yáng's indifferent attitude.

As the dignified head of the ancient immortals and controller of the Immortal Dao Fruit, every piece of information she shared was worth a fortune! He should cherish it!

The Immortal of Immortality's stories consistently aligned with Lù Yáng's usual impression of her — unreliable.

Knowing the Immortal was unreliable, he stopped looking for shortcuts and diligently began to peruse the Golden Core formation insights of his Senior Brothers, Senior Uncles, and Ancestral Masters.

Following the Immortal of Immortality's guidance, it was debatable whether one would be taking a shortcut or a misguided path.

"Single Golden Core, First-Grade Golden Core: The Golden Core is like a great sun, upright and unwavering, residing in the center of the Dantian, overseeing all directions. Evil spirits like demons and ghosts cannot approach it. However, if one gets close to female beauty, the core will shatter, and the person will die."

Lù Yáng was quite lucky; he randomly picked up a book, and after only a few pages, he found a Golden Core related to Meng Jingzhou.

Lù Yáng closed the book and saw the title on the cover: "Golden Core Formation Insights – By Daoist Shendu."

Daoist Shendu was the old senior in the cultivation world who had named the "Single Spirit Root." This senior was a cultivator from the early days of the Great Yu Dynasty, and it was unknown whether he had perished after exhausting his lifespan or had buried himself to awaken when a great era arrived.

Lù Yáng continued reading, only to find that the book, rather than being a guide to Golden Core formation, was more a series of complaints from Daoist Shendu.

"To hell with this 'Single Spirit Root'! Why do I have such an unprecedented spirit root?"

"Was it retribution for bad deeds in my previous life, or did I have too many wives in my last life, and this life is simply a neutralization?"

"Isn't cultivation supposed to be about having a multitude of wives and concubines, embracing them on both sides? Why am I the only one who's different? What's the point of cultivating then?!"

Lù Yáng silently closed the book, placed it back on the shelf, acted as if nothing had happened, and continued to the next book.

"Huh, is this Senior Sister's Golden Core formation insights?" Lù Yáng felt as if he had discovered a treasure. It was a thick book containing the Golden Core formation methods and insights of his Senior Brothers and Sisters.

Naturally, his Senior Sister was listed first.

He suppressed his excitement and read on, seeing his Senior Sister's entry:

"My Golden Core formation has no reference value whatsoever. Do not imitate it. Those who learn from me shall die; those who resemble me shall die. To prevent future generations from emulating my method of Golden Core formation, my method is not suitable for public disclosure."