88: Jiulongtan! Titan fish!

After dinner, Zhang Fan brought his parents to Guo Mi's large apartment at Vanke Riviera.

Seeing Guo Mi, Yang Ling beamed with joy, pulling Guo Mi close to ask about her well-being and praising her beauty.

Guo Mi was so praised that she felt a little embarrassed, her face turning red, and her heart no longer felt nervous or anxious.

Seeing them chatting so happily, Zhang Fan let out a long sigh of relief.

With his mother keeping an eye on things, he could now focus on his cultivation again.

He only needed to come over every evening to see Da Mimi and spend time with her.

So, in the following days, Zhang Fan dedicated his daytime to intense cultivation at home.

In the evenings, he would have dinner with Guo Mi and chat with her.

Most of the time, his mother was the one accompanying Da Mimi.

Guo Mi was sweet-talking, and his mother had a very good impression of her, practically treating Guo Mi as her true daughter-in-law.

In the training room.

Zhang Fan sat cross-legged, relaxing his mind and body, achieving spiritual and physical unity, and quickly entered a state of daze and chaos.

His mind sank into his Dantian, his will transforming into two large hands, grasping the Congenital One Qi within the Qi Lake, repeatedly squeezing and kneading it.

The entire process was like kneading dough or molding clay, repeatedly collecting the Congenital One Qi and repeatedly pressing and rubbing it.

This was called 'Collecting Medicine and Forming the Core'!

After an unknown amount of time, a round, glowing crystal quietly formed, suspended above the Qi Lake.

The color of this crystal was exactly the same as the Qi Lake, and it was entirely formed by the solidification and crystallization of the Congenital One Qi.

It was the Inner Core!

The Inner Core was the prototype of the Golden Core, and since it had not undergone the lightning tribulation and had not yet transformed into Yang, it could not be called a Golden Core.

It could only be called an Inner Core!

"Core Formation Realm!"

"Finally, it's done!"

Zhang Fan looked at the formed Inner Core, unable to hide his joy.

With the Inner Core formed, he had officially stepped into the Core Formation Realm.

Although his Core Formation Realm was just at the initial stage, it was a genuine Core Formation Realm, far incomparable to the Foundation Establishment Realm!

This small breakthrough alone surpassed 99% of Titan Warriors globally!

However.

Upon seeing the Qi Lake, the joy in Zhang Fan's heart vanished without a trace.

The Qi Lake was very large!

The Inner Core was very small!

Compared to each other, it was like the difference between Poyang Lake and an egg!

And next, Zhang Fan needed to refine all the water from the entire Poyang Lake into this small egg!

The sheer amount of work involved made his head spin just thinking about it!

How long would this refining take?

"Core Formation Realm!"

"It really takes too much time!"

Zhang Fan fell into contemplation: "Is there any way to speed up Core Formation?"

Zhang Fan searched for information online, but found no useful information.

Left with no choice, Zhang Fan contacted his grandfather, Zhang Xuanling.

"A way to speed up Core Formation?"

Zhang Xuanling's hearty voice came through: "There truly is!"

Zhang Fan's spirit was invigorated, and he pressed: "What method?"

Zhang Xuanling laughed: "Actually, there are many ways to speed up Core Formation!"

"The essence of Core Formation is to repeatedly collect and refine the Congenital One Qi with your will, causing it to crystallize and solidify!"

"There are two key points here: will and Congenital One Qi!"

"Targeting these two key points, there are generally two methods to accelerate the speed of Core Formation!"

Zhang Fan listened carefully.

"The first method!"

"Increase the strength of your divine soul. When your divine soul strength is high enough, the efficiency of collecting medicine and forming the core will naturally increase!"

Zhang Fan nodded repeatedly.

Collecting medicine and forming the core is done through the large hands of will.

As the divine soul's strength increases, the will strengthens, which naturally accelerates the core formation speed.

It's like chopping wood; if you sharpen your axe, your efficiency will naturally be higher!

"The second method is to reduce the difficulty of solidifying the Congenital One Qi!"

"If you've studied physics, you should understand that the higher the temperature and the lower the pressure, the more intense the molecular thermal motion!"

"Correspondingly, the lower the temperature and the higher the pressure, the more dormant the molecules, and the slower their thermal motion naturally!"

"Congenital One Qi also belongs to matter and follows this rule!"

"Therefore, when the temperature inside the Dantian is lower and the pressure is higher, the difficulty of Core Formation naturally decreases greatly!"

"Just like when the temperature drops below zero, water naturally freezes into ice!"

"The principle is the same!"

Zhang Fan nodded repeatedly as he listened, feeling a sudden enlightenment.

"So, Grandpa, how exactly can I increase the strength of my divine soul and reduce the difficulty of Core Formation?"

Zhang Fan pressed.

"That's simple!"

Zhang Xuanling laughed: "To increase the strength of your divine soul, the fastest way is naturally to use heavenly materials and earthly treasures!"

"As far as I know!"

"There are many treasures in this world that can enhance divine soul strength!"

"For example, in the depths of the Qinling Mountains, in the Nine Dragon Pond, there grows a poisonous mushroom called Breaking Soul Mushroom!"

"After consumption, it will greatly stimulate one's brain and divine soul, causing hallucinations and mental disorientation!"

"The side effects are enormous!"

"But it's undeniable that Breaking Soul Mushroom can greatly enhance the divine soul!"

"With your Foundation Establishment Realm divine soul strength, the effect of consuming Breaking Soul Mushroom would be excellent, though the side effects are a bit significant!"

"Breaking Soul Mushroom!"

Zhang Fan firmly kept this item in mind.

"As for the second method, reducing the Dantian temperature and increasing the pressure, that cannot be achieved by heavenly materials and earthly treasures alone!"

Zhang Xuanling continued: "This requires alien black technology!"

At this point, Zhang Xuanling suddenly said: "Hua Yunzhang, I remember you have a Core Formation Chamber, can you lend it to my grandson?"

"Only after he's engaged to your granddaughter? You old miser, isn't it just a matter of time for them?"

"Zhang Fan, are you there?"

"Grandpa, I'm here!"

Zhang Fan quickly replied.

"Old Hua said that you can only borrow the Core Formation Chamber after you two get engaged, so it's not possible right now!"

Zhang Xuanling said helplessly: "You should first look for Breaking Soul Mushroom to enhance your divine soul strength. Once I pick a good day, I'll take you to the Capital to finalize the engagement!"

"Oh, oh, oh!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Fan fell into deep thought: "Core Formation Chamber?"

This was the first time Zhang Fan had heard the term Core Formation Chamber, and he searched for it online but found nothing.

As expected.

This truly was alien black technology!

Ordinary people couldn't access it, which was why he couldn't find it online!

"Never mind the Core Formation Chamber for now, let's first figure out how to get Breaking Soul Mushroom to enhance my divine soul strength!"

Zhang Fan deeply understood the principle that to do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools.

First, he would enhance his divine soul strength, and once it was improved, then collecting medicine and forming the core would surely yield twice the result with half the effort!

"I'll set off for Nine Dragon Pond first thing tomorrow morning!"

That evening, Zhang Fan went to Vanke Riviera, had dinner with Guo Mi, and chatted with her for a while.

When she was about to rest, Zhang Fan returned home and went to bed early.

He woke up early the next day, then drove his father's flying car, preparing to set off for Nine Dragon Pond.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he left, he was stopped. The person who came was Hua Xia.

"It's you?"

Zhang Fan frowned slightly: "What are you doing here?"

Today, Hua Xia wore a black long dress with a sleeveless shirt.

Her long, dark hair cascaded behind her head, adding a mature charm.

Her exposed arms were fair and slender, like lotus roots.

"Grandpa Zhang said that a high-level Titan Beast, the Titan Winnowfish, is entrenched in Nine Dragon Pond, and you won't be able to handle it!"

Hua Xia said coldly: "He asked me to come and help you!"

And to cultivate some feelings along the way!

His grandfather indeed said that last sentence, but Hua Xia was too embarrassed to voice it.

As for whether she herself had thought of cultivating feelings with Zhang Fan along the way, only she knew.

"Grandpa Zhang's idea?"

Zhang Fan sighed helplessly: "Whatever you want!"

Hua Xia said nothing more, opened the passenger seat, and sat down.

Her scent was very pleasant, a refreshing fragrance that made Zhang Fan feel his spirits lift.

"What a strange scent!"

Zhang Fan mumbled, pulled the control stick, lifted the car, and flew towards Nine Dragon Pond.

No one spoke along the way, and the atmosphere in the car was somewhat heavy.

Hua Xia sat in the passenger seat, closing her eyes to rest, quiet and gentle.

Zhang Fan focused on driving, the man and woman like two strangers.

After more than an hour, the car arrived at the foot of the Qinling Mountains. The towering Qinling Mountains were completely covered by trees.

Lush and vibrant.

As they got closer, they could hear low beast roars from the dense forest, and even sounds of monsters fighting.

The dense forest provided the best cover, and there were many monsters in the Qinling Mountains, including many high-level monsters!

Zhang Fan kept his eyes and ears open, carefully driving the flying car.

Flying over the Qinling Mountains, it was easy to be attacked by flying monsters.

Most monsters might not threaten their safety.

But once attacked, this flying car would probably be lost.

Something worth tens of millions should be protected as much as possible.

"Gak--"

"Gak--"

At this moment, from the forest below, a series of squawking sounds suddenly came, and the forest suddenly began to shake.

The next second, dense swarms of flying monsters flew out from the forest and headed towards them.

The number of these flying monsters was simply too many, a densely packed swarm, at least several hundred.

Looking closely.

These monsters had bird-like wings but lizard-like bodies, and their claws were very sharp.

"Winged Hyena Lizard!"

Zhang Fan's expression changed slightly.

Winged Hyena Lizard itself was not powerful, just a low-level Titan Beast.

But they were gregarious monsters, often in groups of hundreds, acting and hunting collectively.

Ants can kill an elephant!

With such terrifying numbers, even mid-level monsters would retreat, or even become their prey.

"Let's avoid them!"

Zhang Fan's eyes widened, silver light spewing from his eyes, forming a silver beam that enveloped the flying car.

"Swish--"

The flying car, along with the two people inside, disappeared into thin air.

The swarm of Winged Hyena Lizards missed, squawking strangely as they flew into the distance.

After they left, the flying car reappeared, and Zhang Fan breathed a sigh of relief.

He wasn't afraid of being hit by such a swarm of Winged Hyena Lizards.

But his father's 30 million-plus Starry Sky B5 would definitely suffer.

"Your Void Transformation is very skillful!" Hua Xia suddenly said.

Zhang Fan replied: "Among the various abilities of the Void Domain, I focused on studying Instant Movement and Void Transformation!"

"For self-preservation?"

Hua Xia raised an eyebrow.

"Something like that!"

After avoiding the Winged Hyena Lizard swarm, the rest of the journey was quite smooth.

During this time, they only encountered two lone flying monsters, which Zhang Fan easily avoided with his Void Transformation ability.

They continued onward and finally arrived at Nine Dragon Pond in the depths of the Qinling Mountains.

"This place isn't suitable for landing, let's get out here!"

"Okay!"

The two got out of the car in mid-air, Zhang Fan put the car away, and plummeted straight towards the ground, quickly arriving at Nine Dragon Pond.

The Qinling Mountains were rocky, so the ground was rugged, with cliffs and strange-shaped rocks everywhere.

Nine Dragon Pond was a deep pool located halfway up the mountain, backed by a cliff, with dense, towering trees on three sides.

The pond water was icy cold, and the entire deep pool appeared a chilling black, giving a sense of bottomless dread.

As the saying goes, clear water is shallow, green water is deep, and black water is an abyss.

The fact that this deep pool was black was enough to indicate how deep the water truly was.

"Is this Nine Dragon Pond?"

Zhang Fan stood before the deep pool, gazing at the black pool: "Is the Titan Winnowfish hidden in this deep pool?"

"Roar--"

A low roar suddenly sounded.

Zhang Fan turned his head sharply, only to see a monster over 10 meters long standing on a giant rock to his left.

It resembled a lion but had a pair of bat-wing-shaped wings on its back, with sharp fangs and protruding canine teeth in its mouth, from which saliva constantly dripped.

The next second, the Bat-Winged Lion flapped its wings and pounced on Zhang Fan.

"Bat-Winged Lion!"

Zhang Fan narrowed his eyes, a strong killing intent flashing within them: "Since you're rushing to your death, I'll take these few millions!"

"Geng Metal Domain!"

Golden light surged out, instantly spreading for a hundred meters, directly enveloping the Bat-Winged Lion.

"Slash!"

Zhang Fan pointed his fingers like a sword, and golden light condensed into a sword, instantly slashing down.

"Puff--"

The golden sword pierced through the Bat-Winged Lion's back of the head, traveled through its brain, and finally emerged from its throat.

The Bat-Winged Lion struggled twice, then crashed straight into the black pond below, splashing up a huge amount of Water Transformation.

"A few million in hand!"

Zhang Fan revealed a smile.

With this Bat-Winged Lion, he had enough money to hire a nanny, a confinement nurse, a childcare specialist, and buy diapers for the baby.

Zhang Fan controlled the Geng Metal Domain, and golden light condensed into a large golden hand, intending to grab the Bat-Winged Lion.

Unexpectedly, a monster suddenly rushed out of the black pond, opened its bloody maw, and swallowed the Bat-Winged Lion in one gulp.

Its mouth was so large that swallowing a 10-meter-long Bat-Winged Lion was like swallowing an egg, completely clean in one bite.

After swallowing the Bat-Winged Lion, it returned to the deep pond and disappeared without a trace.

"Is this the Titan Winnowfish?"

Zhang Fan couldn't help but look at Hua Xia.

"It is!"

Hua Xia lightly nodded: "Fish body with bird wings, sounds like mandarin ducks!"

"It's definitely a Titan Winnowfish!"

"It really is it!"

Zhang Fan took a deep breath, a glint flashing in his eyes: "Such a high-level monster should be very valuable, right?"

"The price of high-level monsters ranges from several million to tens of millions, with a very large disparity!"

Hua Xia's tone was cold: "Titan Winnowfish meat is delicious, making it one of the more expensive high-level monsters!"

"Based on the size of this Titan Winnowfish, its price is at least 30 million or more!"

"30 million!!!"

Zhang Fan's heart fluttered, and he licked his lips, saying: "Since it's so valuable, then let's kill it and take it back!"

"My small electric scooter was destroyed anyway, so this will buy me a new car!"

Hua Xia raised an eyebrow, a little surprised: "Are you sure you want to deal with the Titan Winnowfish? It's a high-level monster!"

"Afraid of a bird? I deal with high-level monsters!"

Zhang Fan twisted his neck, golden scales appeared on his body, and heads emerged from his neck one by one.

In an instant, Zhang Fan completed his Nine-Headed Golden Flood Dragon transformation, becoming a Nine-Headed Golden Flood Dragon covered in golden scales.

Hua Xia stared at Zhang Fan after his transformation, two glints of unusual color flashing in her clear eyes, her pupils trembling slightly.

"Nine-Headed Golden Flood Dragon transformation!"

Hua Xia murmured to herself.

"I'm going down!"

Zhang Fan took a deep breath, plunged into the dark deep pond and disappeared, only ripples spreading out.

"He actually went down. A Core Formation Realm Titan Winnowfish is hidden below... Is he insane?"

Hua Xia snapped back to reality, secretly cursed, and also jumped into the deep pond.

For a moment, the lively Nine Dragon Pond became quiet again.

Only the ripples on the water silently told of someone having been there recently.

PS: This chapter is two chapters combined into one, totaling 4000 words.