Chapter 206: Step by Step

Lu Yang continued flipping through the pages. The Golden Core formation methods and the resulting Golden Cores of his senior brothers and sisters distinctly showcased a sense of unrestrained self-expression, with no hint of the idea of "no regrets with the Golden Core."

"No, that's not quite it," Lu Yang mused. "Perhaps my senior brothers and sisters believed they would only regret forming a Golden Core in a conventional manner?" He roughly guessed their intentions.

This also aligned with the consistent philosophy of the Dao-Seeking Sect.

Lu Yang himself strongly resisted this way of thinking. He believed that the future Dao-Seeking Sect needed ambitious individuals like him to lead it, to rectify its foundations, change its unhealthy atmosphere, and guide it towards the right path!

The Golden Core formation methods of his senior brothers and sisters were incredibly varied.

For instance, one senior brother, after poring over ancient texts, discovered that many ancient mighty figures were born with unusual traits like double pupils, multicolored eyebrows, or three eyes. Although he had already been born and couldn't claim any innate divine status, he reasoned that diligence could compensate for lack of talent, and solutions are always devised by people. So, he placed his Golden Core in the center of his forehead, making it appear as if he had a third eye. This looked extremely sacred, especially when the Golden Core emitted light, which could truly astound people.

"You're talking about innate unusual traits? Ha, it's all fake, added later," the Immortal Fairy scoffed at such false propaganda. "At that time, competition among geniuses was too fierce. Without some unique characteristics or eccentric legends, they couldn't make a name for themselves."

"But there are also genuine cases of innate unusual traits," she continued. "For example, a child born to two humans with wings caused quite a sensation. Later, it was clarified that the child's father had been cuckolded; the child's true father was from the Feathered Race, which caused an even greater uproar."

"Then what was your most famous trait back then, Fairy?"

"My beauty."

"I'm not bragging to you," she declared. "Every single saintess and demoness of that era couldn't compare to my beauty! If there had been an Ancient Top Ten Beauties ranking back then, I would have been number one!"

Lu Yang simply took the Fairy's words as truth.

Lu Yang also saw that one senior brother, after observing the celestial phenomena at night and contemplating for a long time, realized that all the stars in the sky were not as powerful as the sun. So he formed a "Sun Core" that utilized solar energy for combat. During the day, this Golden Core was extremely powerful, but at night, it would become weak and ineffective.

Fortunately, the Dao-Seeking Sect's cultivation techniques were diverse, covering various fields, and there was a technique for storing solar energy that compensated for that senior brother's weakness.

Lu Yang thoroughly read through the Golden Core formation records of his senior brothers and sisters, but didn't feel that any of it offered him useful reference.

However, there were some gains.

Lu Yang figured out the specific process of forming a Golden Core. The most basic requirement, reaching the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage with complete spiritual power, went without saying.

To form a Golden Core, one also needed enlightenment. Some actively pursued it, such as Senior Brother Dai Bufan pursuing water and Senior Brother Ji Hongwen pursuing bamboo, while others, like Senior Sister Zhou Lulu, let it happen naturally.

There was no superiority or inferiority between these two methods of Golden Core formation; the choice was entirely up to the individual.

For now, Lu Yang hadn't yet decided which Golden Core formation method to choose.

"This one should be from Master's generation."

Lu Yang opened the first page. The four large characters "Daoist Buyu" were prominently displayed, with Master's insights upon successfully forming his Golden Core written below them.

"Haha, I've cultivated the Sword Core, a first-grade Golden Core!" the text read. "Those who come after me don't need to envy me. Of course, if you do envy me, there's nothing I can do about it, as this is all the result of my diligent cultivation. Cultivation tolerates no carelessness or sloppiness; you need to be like me, grounded and steady, taking one step at a time."

"However, nobody can learn enlightenment from me," it continued. "Everyone knows my talent in the Way of the Sword; I can effortlessly learn the sword techniques of my predecessors. Look at Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother; they worked themselves to death just to form their Golden Cores. To me, forming a Golden Core isn't that difficult at all!"

"Ah, Senior Brother and the others just lack talent."

Following that were the evaluations of Daoist Buyu by eight elders. They read: "Taking one step at a time, what Old Nine says makes sense."

Lu Yang flipped further, seeing a depiction of Daoist Buyu accidentally falling to the ground, covered in footprints. Lu Yang counted, and there were exactly eight footprints.

"Sword Core..."

The Sword Core was a Golden Core unique to Sword Spiritual Roots. As long as Lu Yang wanted to, forming a Sword Core would not be difficult. He might even achieve enlightenment in his dreams, like Daoist Buyu, with everything falling into place naturally.

"Should I form a Sword Core?"

Lu Yang shook his head. He had just reached the late Foundation Establishment stage and still had time. There was no need to rush his decision; he could take his time.

"Fairy, do you have any recommendations, besides the Harem Golden Core?"

"Hehe, of course, it's the Core formed by this Fairy," she said. "The Invincible Core—it's the second most powerful Golden Core in the world."

"How is it formed?" Lu Yang asked. He had never heard of such a Golden Core, and its name was quite straightforward.

"Continuously battle cultivators, fear no challenge, win every battle, and cultivate an invincible aura of 'who else but me'," she explained. "Using this aura as a guide, circulate spiritual power and condense it into a Core!"

"This is my unique Golden Core, and I named it the Invincible Core."

"I usually don't tell just anyone how to form this Core! See the benefits of following me now?" the Immortal Fairy said triumphantly, hoping to elicit a look of adoration from Lu Yang.

"Just to be safe, I'll ask in advance," Lu Yang said. "When you say 'win every battle,' do you mean fighting against people of the same level, or against people one level lower?"

"Naturally, it's against those one level lower!"

The Immortal Fairy's Golden Core was indeed powerful, so Lu Yang decided to ignore her advice.

Lu Yang stayed in the Scripture Pavilion for three full days, reading until his eyes were dry and his mind became muddled. Fortunately, he had eye drops provided by his Senior Sister; two drops made his eyes and mind feel much better.

"Forming a Golden Core truly is something that requires careful consideration," Lu Yang muttered, painfully rubbing his temples. He had read so many Golden Core formation methods that he no longer knew which kind of Golden Core to form.

"I should go out for a walk."

Lu Yang felt his entire body was stiff.

He greeted Zhou Lulu, who was guarding the entrance, and left the Scripture Pavilion.

Facing the sun, Lu Yang stretched comfortably and twisted his body at the entrance of the Scripture Pavilion. Only then did the stiffness in his body improve.

"Senior Brother Lu, so you're here! I finally found you," a slightly surprised voice rang out beside him.

"Oh, it's Haoran."

The person was none other than Li Haoran, whom he had met just a few days ago.

"See? I told you he was here," said the languid Meng Jingzhou, who was trailing behind Li Haoran.

"Is there something you need?"

Li Haoran seemed a bit awkward, finding it embarrassing to speak about such a matter, but he couldn't keep it to himself. "Yesterday, my parents sent a letter saying my fiancée has returned and want me to meet her," he explained. "I haven't met my fiancée yet, and I'm a bit nervous. I was hoping to find someone to accompany me."

"I originally wanted to ask you, Senior Brother Meng, and Senior Brother Man," he continued. "But Senior Brother Man is diligently studying spells and is currently unavailable. I've only managed to find Senior Brother Meng so far."

"Senior Brother Lu, do you have time?"

Lu Yang thought for a moment. He didn't have anything urgent to do now, and accompanying Li Haoran home wouldn't hurt. A change of environment might even give him some ideas for Golden Core formation.

"Alright, when do we leave?"

"Would tomorrow morning be alright?"

"Sure."