When ordinary cultivators undergo Core Formation, it usually involves spiritual energy entering the body and the light of the core radiating outward. Only if the Golden Core is of supreme quality or the cultivated method is extraordinary will it trigger atmospheric phenomena.
At this moment, thunder rumbled softly within the clouds above the guest courtyard.
“Core Formation can trigger thunder as well?”
An older disciple nearby stared at the cloud layer, his voice tight with anxiety.
Inside the courtyard, Yun Heng sat cross-legged on her couch. Within her dantian, spiritual energy had already gathered into a swirling vortex.
The Tianheng Guiyuan Art completed cycle after cycle, guiding the spiritual energy along her meridians and back into her dantian.
As the final strand of spiritual energy settled, the spiritual vortex deep within her dantian suddenly contracted, condensing into a single Golden Core.
Above the guest courtyard, the cloud vortex quivered violently in response, and another rumble of thunder echoed from the depths of the clouds.
The thunder did not strike down; it merely rolled through the clouds before gradually fading away.
By the time He Lansong arrived, the misty clouds had not yet fully dissipated.
Fang Huaifeng, the elder of Cangjian Peak, had also arrived. Gazing at the residual spiritual light above the guest courtyard, his brows furrowed tightly, and he did not look away for a long time.
Wen Fei stood half a step behind, scanning the crowd of disciples outside the courtyard.
“Stand farther back, all of you.”
No one dared to ask further questions.
Inside the guest courtyard, Yun Heng opened her eyes, a faint trace of frost flashing across her pupils.
In her sea of consciousness, System prompts materialized.
【Congratulations to host on achieving Core Formation.】
【Tianheng Guiyuan Art First Chapter has reached Great Perfection.】
【Tianheng Sword Art First Chapter has reached Beginner mastery.】
When Yun Heng pushed open the courtyard door, quite a few people were already standing outside.
At the very front stood He Lansong, with Xu Wei and Wen Fei beside him. Fang Huaifeng, elder of Cangjian Peak, stood a short distance away, his gaze fixed on her with an expression even darker than it had been half a year ago.
Further back were the disciples drawn by the commotion.
There were disciples from Discipline Peak, as well as those from Cangjian Peak and Qinglan Peak. Everyone had been murmuring softly among themselves, but as the courtyard door swung open, their voices hushed all at once.
Yun Heng was perplexed in her heart. Did her Core Formation really create such a massive disturbance? It felt as though half of the Xuanxiao Sect had gathered here.
Wen Fei was the first to speak.
“You formed a Golden Core?”
In her sea of consciousness, the System panel shone brightly.
Just now, after forming her Golden Core, her Awe Points had already surged by a chunk. Now that these people outside the courtyard saw her break through with their own eyes, it would likely rise even further.
Yun Heng raised her eyes.
“Yes.”
Fang Huaifeng stared at her for a long time, as if still unable to believe it.
“Half a year ago, you had not even drawn Qi into your body.”
“Forming a Golden Core in half a year.” Fang Huaifeng's voice turned heavy. “Do you know how many years it takes a normal cultivator to go from Qi Drawing to Golden Core?”
She actually knew. Ordinary disciples took three to five years to draw Qi into their bodies, ten years to reach Foundation Establishment, and anyone who could achieve Core Formation within fifty years was already considered talented. Many people spent their entire lives stuck at Foundation Establishment.
Even among the most outstanding disciples of this generation in the Xuanxiao Sect, few could form a Golden Core within twenty years. Yet she had taken only half a year.
Of course, Yun Heng would not mention that such a great opportunity was naturally meant for earning a massive haul of Awe Points.
She looked at Fang Huaifeng. “Is it hard?”
As those words fell, the expressions of all the disciples outside the courtyard froze for a moment, and a few disciples nearby drew in sharp breaths.
Someone whimpered softly, “I've been in the sect for ten years and only just reached Foundation Establishment.”
A fellow disciple beside him tugged at his sleeve. “Quiet!”
The disciple clutched his chest, his voice even lower. “My Dao Heart is about to shatter.”
In her sea of consciousness, the System's prompts indeed sounded one after another.
【Awe Points +100.】
【Awe Points +200.】
【Awe Points +300.】
He Lansong finally spoke up. “Miss Yun.”
“You have been in secluded cultivation for half a year, and your realm has advanced too rapidly. Though your Golden Core is formed, you still need to stabilize your foundation.”
He phrased this tactfully, but what he wanted to ask was naturally not just about her foundation.
Forming a Golden Core in half a year, with thunder faint above the guest courtyard—without a special technique, a unique spiritual root, or exceptional resources, it was absolutely impossible to achieve this step.
Yun Heng nodded.
“Thank you for the reminder, Elder. I will go into secluded cultivation to stabilize my realm.”
The present Yun Heng was no longer the girl on the Heart-Interrogation Platform half a year ago who had yet to test her spiritual root. To this day, the Xuanxiao Sect had found no trace of whether she had anyone backing her, and this realization made the sect all the more cautious.
Wen Fei looked toward the disciples outside the courtyard.
“Disperse, all of you.”
Disciples from Discipline Peak immediately stepped forward, politely ushering away the crowd gathered outside.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
Su Mingyuan stood at the very back of the crowd, her face deadly pale.
Half a year ago, she had tested as having a Heaven-grade Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root and joined Xuanwei Peak. She knew her starting point was higher than others, and she knew she possessed the opportunities meant for her in the original book. Therefore, during these past six months, she had not slacked off for even a single day.
She practiced Qi refinement at dawn and studied texts late into the night.
She pondered over the technique He Lansong gave her again and again. She carefully took the pills her senior brother sent her. She worked even harder than described in the original book, all to force those deviations back into line.
Yet now, she was only at late Meridian Condensation, while Yun Heng had already formed a Golden Core.
Su Mingyuan stared at the small courtyard, her body stiff with cold.
Impossible.
Yun Heng was merely someone who should have died early in the original book. On what grounds was she cultivating even faster than herself?
Someone softly called out her name from beside her.
“Mingyuan.”
Su Mingyuan snapped back to reality.
The speaker was He Zhou.
He was the Eldest Disciple of this generation in the Xuanxiao Sect and the chief disciple under Sect Master Lu Xuanwei. Since Lu Xuanwei went into secluded cultivation, He Zhou had managed many affairs on Xuanwei Peak. Over the half-year since Su Mingyuan joined the peak, she had received the most guidance in cultivation from him.
He Zhou was remarkably handsome, with clean-cut features and a tall, upright stature. Wearing the white robe of a Xuanxiao Sect direct disciple, he carried an air of nobility and elegance far beyond ordinary people.
Seeing Su Mingyuan's pale complexion, his brows knitted slightly.
“There is no need to compare yourself with her.”
Su Mingyuan said in a low voice, “Senior Brother, I am just...” Before she could finish her sentence, she trailed off.
“Her origin is unknown, and she has a hidden heritage behind her. Forming a Golden Core in half a year may not be entirely due to her own strength. Spiritual pills, secret methods, or empowered transfers from elders can all artificially elevate one's cultivation realm.”
Su Mingyuan's expression softened slightly.
He Zhou slowed his tone. “On the path of cultivation, speed is not necessarily a good thing. A Golden Core piled up by pills might not have a stable foundation. With your Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root, cultivating steadily will allow you to go much farther.”
Su Mingyuan lowered her eyes, and the stifling frustration weighted on her heart finally lightened.
That was right.
If Yun Heng truly had a hidden major clan behind her, resources were the last thing she would lack. Her ability to form a Golden Core in half a year was not necessarily because her talent surpassed her own; perhaps she had simply forced her way up using spiritual pills and secret methods.
Whereas she was different—she had cultivated step by step.
He Zhou's tone turned gentle as well. “Mingyuan, you have already done very well.”
Su Mingyuan nodded softly.
“Senior Brother, I understand. I will cultivate even more diligently.”
He Zhou looked at her, a hint of pity and fondness entering his eyes.
Having spent much time with Su Mingyuan over the past six months, he knew best how hard she worked in her cultivation. She was never complacent because of her Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root, nor did she ever look down on her fellow disciples just because the elders favored her. Even after the incident on the Heart-Interrogation Platform brought her much gossip, she had never tried to defend herself.
Such a gentle and magnanimous person should not be overshadowed by Yun Heng.
When He Zhou looked back toward the guest courtyard, his gaze had turned cold.
In front of the courtyard door, Yun Heng was speaking with He Lansong. Her expression was calm, as if she were completely unaware of how great a shock her Core Formation had dealt to everyone else.
Relying on an unknown background and rare heritage treasures, she was able to stir up unrest throughout the Xuanxiao Sect. How could such a person be worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Mingyuan?
The crowd had mostly dispersed, and Su Mingyuan left with the other Xuanwei Peak disciples, yet He Zhou did not leave immediately.
He stood in place, gazing at the guest courtyard until the courtyard door closed once more.
Only after a long while did he turn and leave.
Yun Heng had no idea what was going through He Zhou's mind.
After seeing off the elders, she closed the courtyard door once again. As soon as the door shut, the light screen in her sea of consciousness finally fully materialized.
【Awe Points +100.】
【Awe Points +200.】
【Awe Points +300.】
【Awe Points +150.】
【Awe Points +250.】
【Current Awe Points: 1000.】
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