146: Cultivating in seclusion in the marketplace! Pseudo-Core Formation Realm...

On a quiet ancient mountain path, a green shadow moved forward at a leisurely pace.

It was Lu Qiu, who had altered his appearance and suppressed his aura to the Early Foundation Establishment Stage.

He did not fly on a tool, but instead walked like an ordinary low-level Cultivator on a journey, while his Divine Sense acted like an invisible radar, constantly alert to his surroundings.

“The Yan Family Fort incident has occurred, the Ghost Spirit Sect's conspiracy is exposed, and the prelude to the invasion by the Six Demonic Sects has begun. At this moment, the Seven Sects of the State of Yue are likely already on edge, conscripting Disciples everywhere to prepare for the upcoming all-out war.”

Lu Qiu thought to himself, “Returning to the Sect now would be no different from walking into a trap, being snatched up as a ‘conscript’ and sent to the front lines of the battlefield. It’s better to hide my tracks first and observe the situation.”

He chose a relatively secluded path, bypassing the main roads and markets where Cultivators might be patrolling, and headed toward the Taiyue Mountain Range.

Several days later, Lu Qiu quietly returned to his hidden Immortal Cave deep within the Taiyue Mountain Range.

He briefly explained the drastic changes in the outside world to Xin Ruyin and Xiao Mei—the shock at Yan Family Fort, the appearance of the Ghost Spirit Sect, and the Demonic Path invasion.

Upon hearing the news, worry appeared on both women's faces.

“Although this place is hidden, it is ultimately within the sphere of influence of Yellow Maple Valley. Once war fully breaks out, there's no guarantee we won't be affected.”

Lu Qiu said in a heavy voice, “For safety's sake, we will temporarily move to the Yellow Maple Valley Market. It's a den of dragons and snakes, which actually makes it easier to hide. I was ordered to go to Yan Family Fort this time; now that such a major event has happened there, as long as I don't show myself voluntarily, the Sect will likely assume I met with misfortune or went missing during the incident. When the situation settles a bit, I can ‘return after recovering from injuries,’ and I'll have an excuse.”

Xin Ruyin was clever and immediately understood Lu Qiu's plan. She nodded and said, “I will follow your arrangements. In the market, I can also continue researching Formations without being disturbed.”

“The Master is right!”

Xiao Mei was even more obedient to Lu Qiu.

The three of them quickly packed the essential items in the Immortal Cave, especially Xin Ruyin's Formation Materials. Lu Qiu carefully put the spirit eye spring into his spatial bead.

Afterward, they quietly left the Immortal Cave and took a detour to the Yellow Maple Valley Market.

In the relatively secluded western district of the market, Lu Qiu rented an independent courtyard with a small protective Formation, which was enough for the three of them to live in.

He settled Xin Ruyin and Xiao Mei in, instructing them to stay indoors and focus on their Cultivation.

Then, he found Zhao Wen, who had already been lurking in the market.

“Master!” Zhao Wen showed joy upon seeing Lu Qiu return safely.

“Let's keep it brief.”

Lu Qiu said solemnly, “The Demonic Path invasion has begun, and the State of Yue is about to fall into chaos. Secretly keep an eye on information within the market, especially regarding front-line combat, movements of the Seven Sects, fluctuations in resource prices, and... whether Essence Blood or clues regarding Fourth-Tier Yao Beasts or higher appear. Be careful to hide yourself and do not draw attention.”

“This subordinate understands!” Zhao Wen's expression turned stern as he solemnly accepted the order.

As Lu Qiu expected, the atmosphere within the Yellow Maple Valley Market had already changed drastically.

Amidst the usual bustle, there was now a hint of panic and anxiety.

The passing Cultivators were in a hurry, most of their faces filled with solemnity.

Prices for various healing Medicinal Pills, defensive Talismans, and offensive Magical Artifacts began to skyrocket. Supplies for restoring mana and treating wounds, in particular, were in high demand but low supply.

Rumors about sporadic front-line conflicts, the fall of certain outposts, and the death of various Cultivators also began to spread quietly in tea houses and taverns.

But all this turmoil was kept outside the small rented courtyard by Lu Qiu.

He lived under a pseudonym, stayed indoors, and began his true deep Cultivation.

The Crimson Sky Burning Heaven Technique operated at full power, and the pure, overbearing Crimson Heaven Mana surged endlessly through his Meridians, constantly being tempered, purified, and strengthened.

The spirit eye spring provided him with an excellent Cultivation environment.

Combined with the Medicinal Pills suitable for the Foundation Establishment Stage he had previously obtained, such as the "Purple Cloud Pill" and the "red sun pill," his cultivation level rose steadily at a visible rate.

The Cultivation of the Great Evolution Art also never slackened.

Through daily meditative tempering, the sea of his Divine Sense became increasingly vast and solid.

His use of the Spirit Shocking Thorn also became more proficient and sharp.

The comprehension of the Heavenly Talisman Scripture and Talisman-making practice became his means of adjusting his state of mind and verifying what he had learned.

Using the golden plume brush dipped in specially made spiritual ink, he outlined profound runes on Talisman paper, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing, accumulating precious experience.

The various whimsical ideas and insidious methods in the Myriad Poisons Gu Scripture also broadened his horizons and his thinking for facing enemies.

Time passed quietly in this focused and fulfilling deep Cultivation. While the flames of war flew outside, the small courtyard was a scene of tranquility... A year passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the Quiet Room of the rented courtyard, Lu Qiu sat cross-legged. His entire body's aura was like a volcano about to erupt, in an extremely condensed yet restless critical state.

Inside his Dantian Qi Sea, the originally liquid Crimson Heaven Mana had reached its Peak density, almost ready to turn into a solid substance.

At this moment, under the guidance of the Crimson Sky Burning Heaven Technique, this incomparably pure mana was frantically spinning, compressing, and condensing!

At the center of the Qi Sea, a point of light as brilliant as a scarlet gold star gradually appeared and stabilized, emitting a heart-palpitating, majestic power and a scorching aura.

Around this point, the liquid mana was still surging, but its structure had already begun to undergo a qualitative change, becoming more solid and pure, faintly taking on the prototype and pressure of a Golden Core.

“Buzz—!”

The air in the Quiet Room suddenly shook!

Lu Qiu's body trembled slightly, and a strong scarlet gold and red three-colored spiritual light suddenly erupted from his body. The hazy glow filled the entire room, and a powerful pressure far exceeding the Late Foundation Establishment Stage spread uncontrollably, but it was firmly locked in by the isolation Formation he had set up beforehand, not leaking out in the slightest.

False Core Realm, achieved!

At the same time, within his Sea of Consciousness, the vast sea of Divine Sense instantly expanded and condensed. Its strength and range surged again, steadily reaching a level close to the Middle Stage Core Formation!

His Divine Sense perception became clearer and more sensitive, and his control became more refined and subtle.

After a long time, the abnormal phenomena in the room slowly subsided.

Lu Qiu opened his eyes, and in the depths of his pupils, it seemed as if scarlet gold flames flashed and vanished. His entire temperament became more settled and profound. With every move, a faint, natural aura of authority was subtly revealed.

“A year of hard cultivation has finally brought me to the False Core. My Divine Sense has also made great progress.” Lu Qiu felt the surging power within his body and the broader, clearer Sea of Consciousness, and a trace of satisfaction rose in his heart.

Although the False Core is not a true Golden Core, the total amount of mana, its purity, and the ability to mobilize Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi far exceed the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, representing a qualitative leap in strength.

Combined with a Divine Sense close to the Middle Stage Core Formation, he would now have the strength to fight even against an ordinary Early Stage Core Formation Cultivator.

He got up and walked out of the Quiet Room into the courtyard.

His Divine Sense quietly swept through, sensing that both Xin Ruyin and Xiao Mei were in their respective rooms in seclusion. Their auras were stable and active, and they were at the critical moment of attacking the Foundation Establishment Bottleneck.

With the sufficient foundation establishment pills and auxiliary Medicinal Pills he provided, plus the relatively safe and quiet environment here, the hope for the two of them to succeed in Foundation Establishment was great.

The Incarnation, Black Fiend, sat quietly in the shadows of the courtyard corner, surrounded by a faint layer of blood mist. His aura had unexpectedly reached the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment!

During this year, Lu Qiu regularly provided blood pearls condensed by the blood devouring pearl. For Black Fiend, who cultivated the Blood Refining Divine Light, these were no different from top-tier supplements, and his cultivation progress was incredibly fast.

Lu Qiu nodded slightly and sank his mind into the gray spatial bead.

The Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis still maintained the fierce power of a Fifth-Tier Yao Beast, its carapace flowing with dark gold luster, its aura solid.

Without the Essence Blood of higher-level Yao Beasts to condense blood pearls, its growth had hit a Bottleneck and would be difficult to break through in the short term.

The Bloodline Flood Dragon remained in its miniature form, coiled up and sleeping beside the spirit eye spring.

The terrifying wounds on its Physical Body had long since healed under the Spiritual Qi of the spring and its own powerful vitality, but the trauma at the Primordial Spirit level still acted like an invisible shackle, preventing it from waking up.

A warm jade bottle appeared in Lu Qiu's hand, containing three light blue Medicinal Pills the size of longans, emitting warm Soul Power fluctuations.

“soul replenishing pill”!

This was an ancient Medicinal Pill he had found in the Qing Yang Pill Scripture, which had miraculous effects on repairing Divine Soul damage.

He had gathered the Materials and successfully refined them half a year ago.

Previously, he was concerned that his Divine Sense strength might not be enough to suppress the Fifth-Tier Peak Bloodline Flood Dragon at its full strength, so he had not used them.

Now that his False Core was formed and his Divine Sense was close to the Middle Stage Core Formation, his control over the Dragon Imprisonment Seal had greatly increased, giving him sufficient confidence.

With a thought, he summoned the sleeping miniature Bloodline Flood Dragon, carefully placed a “soul replenishing pill” into its mouth, and used his mana to help dissolve the medicinal power.

Then, he placed it back beside the spirit eye spring, where the abundant Spiritual Qi would help with the absorption of the medicinal power and the recovery of the injury.

He turned his gaze to the other spirit pets.

The Purple Crystal Sable had grown a size larger, its entire body glowing with purple light like a piece of fine purple crystal carving. Its aura had unexpectedly reached the level of a Third-Tier Yao Beast!

This was the result of Lu Qiu continuously providing blood pearls condensed from Second-Grade Demonic Beast Essence Blood, as well as the nourishment of a large amount of “purple spirit crystal” and other spiritual Materials.

The number of the Illusion Spirit Butterfly Swarm had already exceeded two thousand!

Among them, about a thousand “Gold-Patterned Illusion Spirit Butterflies,” with faint golden patterns on their wings, had the strongest aura and had reached the level of Second-Grade Demonic Beasts.

When they flew together, the power of the illusions they created would be even more terrifying.

The Wind Thunder Falcon chicks had also grown up, their bodies agile and their feathers starting to fill out. Faint wind and thunder energy swirled around them, reaching the level of Second-Grade Demonic Beasts, and their speed was considered top-notch among those of the same rank.

With a flip of his palm, two small spiders only the size of a fingernail, with bodies as translucent as white jade and faint red blood patterns on their backs, lay obediently. They were the Blood Jade Spider hatchlings that had successfully hatched a few months ago.

They were full of vitality and were extremely affectionate toward Lu Qiu.

After completing the inventory, Lu Qiu had a clear understanding of his own strength and the forces under his command.

False Core cultivation, Divine Sense close to the Middle Stage Core Formation, Golden-Backed Demonic Mantis, Bloodline Flood Dragon, Blood Jade Spider, Purple Crystal Sable, Illusion Spirit Butterfly Swarm, Wind Thunder Falcon, and the Incarnation Black Fiend... this strength would be enough to give him more initiative and self-preservation power even in the upcoming great war.

His Divine Sense quietly extended outward, covering a portion of the Yellow Maple Valley Market.

The atmosphere in the market seemed to have eased a bit compared to the solemn panic of a year ago when disaster was imminent.

Although it was still far from relaxed, that apocalyptic sense of urgency had diminished, replaced by a suppressed calm and a standoff.

“It seems that, just like in the original story, after a year of intense conflict, both the Six Demonic Sects and the Seven Sects of Yue have suffered significant losses and have temporarily entered a phase of truce or standoff.”

Lu Qiu understood in his heart: “It's time to ‘return to the team after recovering from injuries.’ Delaying any further will instead arouse suspicion.”

Coincidentally, the next year or two, according to the development of the original story, will be the climax of the war between the State of Yue and the Demonic Path. Tragic battles such as the Great Battle of Golden Drum Plain will break out one after another.

And the location of that ancient teleportation array happens to be in a combat-ready area.

To go and repair the teleportation array quietly, the best cover identity would be a Yellow Maple Valley Cultivator who is “ordered to participate in the war”!

“Before leaving, I'll leave Sound Transmission Talismans for Ruyin and the others, informing them of my whereabouts so she can focus on her Foundation Establishment in peace.” Lu Qiu made his decision.