In the final ten days of the countdown, Lin Zhiyue's Golden Core finally took shape.
On the morning the ice-blue core completely solidified within her dantian, the spiritual energy inside her surged like a tidal wave before steadily settling down.
She felt her divine sense expand to nearly twice its size compared to when she was in the Foundation Establishment Stage. She could clearly perceive every slight movement in the courtyard, even the crisp snap of a dry leaf beneath the spiritual cat as it rolled over in the corner.
She slowly exhaled a breath of white mist. Her icy wind spiritual energy condensed into a thin line of frost in the air, lingering for a long time.
She had reached the Golden Core Stage.
Lin Zhiyue did not trigger a lightning tribulation when she formed her core, but this was not an anomaly.
For those who formed high-grade cores, the Heavenly Dao would perceive the uprightness of their character and often spare them from the lightning—there were many such precedents.
It was said that when Qi Yan formed his Golden Core back then, he had not drawn even half a bolt of heavenly lightning either.
The system's light screen popped up as she stood up to stretch her wrists:
【Quest Completed! Advance to the Golden Core Stage within three months and obtain entry qualification for the Northern Realm Secret Realm. Rewards: Premium Draw Ticket x10; the Red Grade card pool “Mermaid's Love Song” has been unlocked; Red Grade equipment piece x1 has been sent to the system space.】
She did not check the “Mermaid's Love Song” card pool for now, instead pushing open her door to find Qi Yan.
Qi Yan was standing on the main peak's White Stone Plaza, giving instructions to several elders. When he saw her walking over with light steps, his gaze swept over the spiritual energy swirling around her. He did not ask any questions, only nodding slightly, as if he had known all along that she would succeed.
On the morning of their departure, a silver-white spirit boat three times larger than a normal one rested on Tiance Palace's main peak plaza. The hull was carved with defensive spiritual runes, and flags bearing Tiance Palace's silver-and-black patterns hung from both sides.
Qi Yan stood at the bow of the spirit boat. He had changed into a formal, dark red-patterned black outfit, with a saber hanging at his waist and his high ponytail tied up neatly. Standing in the morning breeze, he looked like a bared blade, quietly radiating a sharp edge that could not be ignored.
Lin Zhiyue stared blankly for a moment when she saw him—
As she boarded the boat and passed by Qi Yan, he tilted his head to glance at her, asking in a low voice, “Is your Golden Core stable?”
“It is,” she replied with a nod.
Qi Yan said nothing more, raising his hand to gesture for her to enter the cabin.
The spirit boat ascended, passing through the clouds as it headed straight north.
Tiance Palace had sent a total of over twenty disciples this time. Aside from Lin Zhiyue, the lowest cultivation level among them was mid-stage Golden Core, with several Nascent Soul Stage administrative elders accompanying them to oversee the group.
Sitting by the cabin window, Lin Zhiyue looked out at the sea of clouds churning like waves beneath them. In the distance, she could faintly see the spirit boats of other sects traveling in the same direction—there were the azure jade sword banners of the Qingling Sect, the frosty snow lotus banners of the Biluo Immortal Sect, the peach blossom fan banners of the Piaoyin Sect, the severed halberd banners of the Sacred Sword Pavilion, and the seven-colored cauldron banners of the Luohong Valley.
The six banners fluttered and snapped above the clouds, keeping a certain distance from one another as they flew toward the same destination.
The Northern Realm Secret Realm was located on a wasteland in the far north.
The spirit boat flew for nearly an entire day before arriving at their destination. The surrounding environment grew increasingly desolate, all greenery fading away to be replaced by a grayish-brown rocky desert and exposed bedrock.
Finally, the spirit boat landed on the edge of a massive, sunken valley. Deep at the bottom of the valley, a light gate dozens of feet tall was slowly rotating, its surface flowing with multicolored spiritual light.
The spirit boats of the Six Sects docked one after another along the edge of the valley.
The disciples disembarked and lined up in succession. Standing in Tiance Palace's queue, Lin Zhiyue swept her gaze across the crowds of the other sects.
Senior Sister Lin from the Biluo Immortal Sect, whom she had met once during the preliminary trial in Qingxia Town, stood at the front of her sect's line. Behind her was a row of white-robed disciples, their auras solemn.
The little senior sister from the Piaoyin Sect was still waving her Peach Blossom Fan. Catching sight of Lin Zhiyue from afar, she even gave her a playful wink.
The Eldest Senior Brother of the Qingling Sect stood at the head of their queue, with several Golden Core Stage junior brothers and sisters beside him. The groups from the Sacred Sword Pavilion and the Luohong Valley were also lined up in their respective areas.
Qi Yan walked to the edge of the valley and stood still, his gaze sweeping over the queues of the Six Sects. It lingered for a moment on the two Soul Transformation Stage cultivators leading the Qingling Sect and the Biluo Immortal Sect.
He did not say much, merely raising his hand to gesture for the Tiance Palace disciples to step closer. When he spoke, his voice was not loud, but it carried far across the open valley: “Once you enter the secret realm, act independently and stay safe. Do not force your way through if you encounter spirit beasts or restrictions. If you run into people from other sects—” He paused, his gaze casually brushing past Lin Zhiyue's face. “Do not look for trouble, but do not be afraid of it either.”
Standing in the queue, Lin Zhiyue felt the wind blowing up from the depths of the valley, carrying the scorching spiritual energy radiating from the light gate onto her face.
She gripped the hilt of the Azure Scale Sword hanging at her waist, watching the radiant gate slowly spin at the bottom of the valley. Her heart beat two beats faster than usual.
With the banners of the spirit boats fluttering loudly behind her, she took a deep breath and followed the queue toward the light gate.
The world beyond the light gate was completely different from the wasteland outside.
The moment Lin Zhiyue stepped through the light screen, her vision suddenly opened up.
A continuous range of mountains stretched out to the end of her sight, with clouds and mist swirling around the peaks and layers of lush greenery. In the distance, a waterfall cascaded from a sheer cliff into a deep pool, the sound of rushing water audible from far away.
The concentration of spiritual energy was several times higher than outside, carrying a crisp sweetness with every breath she drew into her lungs. After entering the secret realm, the disciples of the Six Sects quickly scattered, heading off in different directions.
Lin Zhiyue was in no hurry to head deep inside.
She stood at the entrance for a moment to compose herself and sense her surroundings. After entering the secret realm, Jinyao Fairy's koi-fish constitution emitted a faint warmth, though there was no concrete guidance just yet.
Determining her direction, she walked toward the valley to the southeast, which seemed to have the densest spiritual energy.
Before she had traveled even half an hour, a sudden flurry of hurried footsteps and intermittent cries of alarm echoed from ahead.
Parting the bushes toward the sound, she saw a young female cultivator in a greenish-blue sect robe stumbling out of the dense forest ahead. Her face was deathly pale, her hair bun half-disheveled, and she clutched a palm-sized bronze mirror in her hand, its surface flashing with an eerie green light.
She was running blindly in her panic. When she looked up and saw Lin Zhiyue, a complex expression of panic and guilt flashed in her eyes. Yet, she did not stop; instead, she dashed straight toward Lin Zhiyue.
“Get out of the way! Get out of the way!” the female cultivator shrieked as she ran, her voice high-pitched and warped.
Lin Zhiyue instinctively stepped aside to avoid her.
But at the exact moment they brushed past each other, the woman suddenly grabbed her wrist.
It all happened too fast for Lin Zhiyue to even react. The green light from the bronze mirror in the woman's hand flared violently, and a cold, greasy beam of spiritual light shot out from the surface, wrapping around Lin Zhiyue's wrist like a venomous snake.
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