166: The elixir is complete! The winds and clouds gather!

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Six: fiend core Formed! Clouds and Winds Gather!

Time flies like a white stallion crossing a gap.

Since Lu Qiu, Xin Ruyin, and the others arrived at this unfamiliar Chaotic Star Sea and settled on Kuixing Island, a year had passed without them even noticing.

During this year, the "Listening Bamboo Pavilion" was peaceful yet busy.

The small courtyard was covered by the Inverting Five Elements Array, forming its own world and isolating the noise and prying eyes of the outside.

On this day, Zhao Wen walked quickly into the main hall of the courtyard and respectfully presented two foot-long cold jade boxes, sealed with several Spirit Sealing Talismans, to Lu Qiu.

"Master, these are the 'snow spirit water' and 'heavenly fire liquid' you ordered to be purchased."

Lu Qiu took them and removed the Seal on the jade boxes. Inside the left jade box was a fist-sized clump of clear, transparent liquid that looked like the purest ice spring. As soon as the lid opened, a bone-chillingly cold Yin Qi rushed out, causing the temperature in the hall to drop several degrees.

In the right jade box was a clump of the same size, bright red like fire, a viscous liquid resembling molten lava. It emitted a scorching heat that formed a sharp contrast with the cold on the left.

These were precisely the two precious spiritual items used to assist in Core Formation, harmonize Yin and Yang, and temper the Golden Core—snow spirit water and heavenly fire liquid!

Two months ago, Lu Qiu had already sent Zhao Wen through the channels of the Liulian Hall to spend a significant amount of Spirit Stones to purchase a set of the same spiritual items to assist the Black Fiend in condensing the fiend core.

And the set before him was what he had prepared for his own official Core Formation in the future.

"Is there still no news about the dust settling pill?" Lu Qiu closed the jade boxes and looked at Zhao Wen.

Zhao Wen showed a helpless expression and shook his head, saying, "Reporting to Master, I have inquired at all the branch stores of the Liulian Hall. They all say that the 'dust settling pill' is difficult to refine and the main ingredients are hard to find. Currently, none of the island branches have it in stock. It is said that the next batch of Medicinal Pills will take at least three years to be allocated from the headquarters, and at that time, it will certainly be in the form of an auction, and the price will likely be extremely high."

The dust settling pill could slightly increase the success rate of Core Formation. Although it was not as direct as Crystal Condensing Marrow, snow spirit water, or heavenly fire liquid in acting on the Golden Core, its effects of stabilizing the mind and reducing the disturbance of Heart Demons were equally important to the Core Formation process, especially for a Cultivator like Lu Qiu who practiced a domineering Cultivation Technique and might face higher risks during Core Formation.

Hearing this, Lu Qiu was also helpless.

This pill was a scarce item even in the Chaotic Star Sea; it wasn't something that could be bought immediately just because one had the price.

It seemed he could only wait or find another way.

"I understand. You may leave and Cultivate well. Now that you are at the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment, your progress in the Qingyang Demonic Art is not slow. If you can reach the Late Foundation Establishment Stage in the future, I will naturally prepare a set of Core Formation spiritual items for you," Lu Qiu encouraged Zhao Wen.

Hearing this, Zhao Wen's body shook, and his eyes burst with wild joy and gratitude. He immediately knelt on one knee, his voice trembling slightly, "Thank you for your great kindness, Master! Zhao Wen will certainly do his best and practice diligently without ceasing, never failing your expectations!"

For a Loose Cultivator like him with no background, a set of Core Formation spiritual items was no different from the grace of rebirth. Lu Qiu's promise allowed him to see the dawn leading to a higher Realm.

"Go now," Lu Qiu waved his hand.

Zhao Wen withdrew, full of excitement.

Silence returned to the hall.

Xin Ruyin and Xiao Mei were currently in their respective Quiet Rooms in secluded cultivation.

Arriving in the Chaotic Star Sea, where Spiritual Qi was more abundant, resources were relatively rich, and the sense of crisis was high, the two women also felt the inadequacy of their own cultivation and practiced more hard and diligently than before.

Xin Ruyin's cultivation had stabilized at the peak of the Early Foundation Establishment Stage and was moving toward the Middle Stage Foundation Establishment.

She not only practiced her Cultivation Technique but also invested a large amount of time in the deduction and practice of the Path of Arrays. With the occasional guidance of the remnant soul of the Nascent Soul powerhouse, the True Person Ling Yun, her attainments in the Path of Arrays improved rapidly.

Lu Qiu was deeply satisfied with this. Xin Ruyin was not only his Dao Companion but also a Great Master of arrays with infinite potential, who would surely become a powerful help to him in the future.

Xiao Mei also made significant progress. Although her talent was not as good as Xin Ruyin's, she was diligent and steady. With the support of the ample resources provided by Lu Qiu, her cultivation speed was not slow either.

Lu Qiu did not disturb them and quietly returned to his own Quiet Room.

The room was filled with misty Spiritual Qi. Although the spirit eye spring had been moved for the Black Fiend's use, pure Spiritual Qi still remained here.

Lu Qiu sat cross-legged, his mind sinking into his Dantian.

The False Core Realm had long since reached Perfection. That tiny scarlet gold point of light was dazzling, and the surrounding liquid mana surged like a tide, refined to the extreme, faintly emitting the pressure of a Golden Core prototype.

He still insisted on polishing his mana every day, circulating the Crimson Sky Burning Heaven Technique, making his Foundation increasingly solid and thick.

"Calculating the time, the Black Fiend's side... should not be far off." Lu Qiu's Divine Sense moved slightly, sensing the violent aura breeding in the silence of the adjacent Quiet Room.

The Black Fiend had been in seclusion for nearly a year. With the help of the blood condensing five elements pill, snow spirit water, heavenly fire liquid, and the spirit eye spring, although the process of condensing the fiend core was faster than normal Core Formation, it still required time-consuming effort... The next day, Lu Qiu checked the Opportunity information as usual.

On the Golden Page, the three pieces of information reorganized today were all "white information."

A trace of helplessness flashed in Lu Qiu's eyes.

A few months ago, the frequency and quality of the reorganization of this Opportunity information seemed to have entered a "dull period." silver information had not been seen for a long time, let alone gold intelligence.

Recalling this year on Kuixing Island, gold intelligence had only appeared twice in total.

The first time was the information pointing to the "ancient ruins fragment map" on the Liulian Hall's enshrinement, Li Yun, for which he had not yet found a suitable Opportunity to act.

The second time was half a year ago.

The information guided him to purchase a seemingly ordinary, worn-out ancient copper coin from an unremarkable old Qi Refining Stage Loose Cultivator at an extremely low price.

That Loose Cultivator only thought it was an ordinary ancient coin passed down from his ancestors and did not recognize its true face.

After several months of research and the appraisal of the True Person Ling Yun, Lu Qiu had basically determined that this was a rare auxiliary "Exotic Treasure."

Named the treasure-fixing coin!

This treasure could release a special "Treasure-Fixing Spiritual Light," which had a strong effect of interference, delay, or even briefly "fixing" Magic Treasures of the same rank or slightly higher!

Its principle was somewhat similar to the qing ning mirror obtained from the "Treasure Maiden" years ago, but the qing ning mirror mainly targeted Magical Artifacts, while this treasure-fixing coin was clearly a Sharp Weapon against Magic Treasures!

Although he didn't know exactly how long it could fix what grade of Magic Treasure, it was undoubtedly an excellent trump card for an unexpected move.

As for silver information, there had been more than a dozen times this year.

Relying on this information, Lu Qiu either purchased or "encountered" several types of rare Artifact Refining Materials, several high-year Spiritual Plants, one or two niche but practical secret techniques, and one or two Magic Treasures of good quality, making his wealth much more substantial and allowing him to integrate into the cultivation environment of the Chaotic Star Sea more quickly.

But like today, it was mostly insignificant white information that occupied the space.

Lu Qiu shook his head, stopped paying attention, and focused on his own cultivation... A few more days passed.

It was mid-afternoon, and the sun was bright.

Lu Qiu was in his Quiet Room comprehending a complex Intermediate Talisman drawing point from the Heavenly Talisman Scripture when suddenly, his heart skipped a beat!

It didn't come from the outside world, but from that closely linked mental connection—the aura of the Black Fiend in the next Quiet Room had suddenly undergone a world-shaking change!

A violent, chaotic, yet desperately constricting and condensing surge of blood fiend power, like a long-suppressed volcano, was about to erupt!

"Has it finally begun..." Lu Qiu stood up abruptly, his eyes flashing with sharp light, and with a flash of his body, he had already arrived in the courtyard.

Almost at the same moment he stepped out of the yard—

"Boom!!!"

A dull roar, not from reality but echoing directly in the Divine Sense of all nearby Cultivators, seemed to come from the depths of the Nine Netherworlds, yet also seemed to originate from the top of the firmament!

Immediately after, the originally azure and cloudless clear sky suddenly changed color!

Centered above the "Listening Bamboo Pavilion," countless grey-black clouds frantically emerged from nowhere, rolling and gathering, and in the blink of an eye, they formed a pitch-black dark cloud covering an area of more than ten miles, thick as ink and hanging low!

Within the cloud layer, silver snakes danced wildly, and streaks of blinding lightning tore through the darkness, accompanied by deafening thunder that seemed to split heaven and earth, echoing incessantly!

The Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth rioted instantly!

Spiritual Qi from all directions, like subjects summoned by a king, surged frantically toward the "Listening Bamboo Pavilion," rotating and whistling, forming a massive, visible milky-white Spiritual Qi vortex with a diameter of more than five miles under the black clouds!

The center of the vortex was precisely the Quiet Room where the Black Fiend was in seclusion!

The terrifying suction force forcibly tore and absorbed the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi from the North District of Kuixing City and even further away, causing the concentration of Spiritual Qi in the nearby area to drop suddenly, startling countless Cultivators who were practicing or in seclusion to stop and come out to investigate.

"Is this... a Core Formation Phenomenon?!"

"Someone is forming a core in this place?!"

"Looking at the direction... is it the inn area on the outskirts of Tiandu Street?"

"What an amazing momentum!"

"Kuixing Island is about to have another Core Formation Stage expert!"

Exclamations and discussions instantly rang out everywhere in Kuixing City.

Whether it was low-level Qi Refining Cultivators, or Foundation Establishment Stage managers, shopkeepers, and Family Elders from various parties,

Or even those bitter Cultivators hidden in the shadows, they all stopped their affairs at the same time and looked up at the terrifying phenomenon in the sky over the North District with shock, then one after another activated their Escape Lights, racing toward the location of the "Listening Bamboo Pavilion" like a hundred rivers returning to the sea!

Core Formation Cultivators, whether in the Heavenly South or the Chaotic Star Sea, are already true high-level combat forces, enough to establish a sect or dominate a region.

The emergence of every new Core Formation Stage expert could break the local balance of power and touch the heartstrings of countless people.