Chapter 14 - "Bitter Cold Brings Fragrant Blossoms"

“Pity… I only have one piece of this map fragment. Without the other pieces, I can’t see the full picture,” Xiao Yu muttered to himself.

Still, as the leader of a demonic sect, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Wu Laoda’s loss had become Xiao Yu’s gain.

This fragment, made of some unknown material, was extraordinary. It was impervious to water, fire, and even blades. Xiao Yu had tried tearing it with his full strength, yet it remained unscathed—a true marvel.

After thoroughly inspecting the contents of both storage pouches, Xiao Yu asked the system a question in his mind:

System, I’m in Tianyong City right now. If I enter the Hongmeng Space, will Master notice anything unusual?

Hansu Zhenren’s cultivation was unfathomable, and his spiritual sense covered every inch of Tianyong City. Disappearing abruptly would surely attract his attention.

“Host, you can enter Hongmeng Space with your mind alone while leaving your physical body behind in the room. The cultivation effect remains the same, and even the most powerful spiritual sense will not detect any anomaly.”

“Oh? That’s convenient!” Xiao Yu smiled, feeling reassured.

With that, Xiao Yu’s consciousness entered the Hongmeng Space while his body remained seated in his room.

In the boundless, ethereal void of the space, Xiao Yu sat cross-legged, holding a mid-grade spirit stone in each hand. He began to circulate Tianyong City’s cultivation method, greedily absorbing the rich spiritual energy within the stones.

Unlike the chaotic energy of natural heaven and earth spiritual energy, spirit stones contained pure energy that required no refinement, making them ideal for cultivation.

Time flowed differently in the Hongmeng Space

—ten times faster than the outside world. Days in the space became moments outside. Xiao Yu absorbed spirit stones two at a time, cultivating tirelessly. Before long, a small mountain of used stones lay beside him.

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One day, after what felt like months in the Hongmeng Space, Xiao Yu sensed a shift in his dantian.

[Dān Tián (丹田) refers to the “elixir field” or “energy center” in traditional Chinese medicine, Daoism, and martial arts. It is considered the core location where qi (气, qì, meaning life energy or vital force) is gathered, cultivated, and stored.]

“Hm? What is this feeling…?”

When he observed his dantian through internal vision, he saw the Dao Foundation—once a platform-like form—beginning to transform. Under the constant influx of spiritual energy, it was compressing and reshaping itself into a golden sphere.

“I’m about to break through!”

Xiao Yu’s eyes lit up with joy.

In the cultivation world, breaking through to the Golden Core stage involved compressing this golden sphere until it collapsed into a dense core no larger than a pill. This marked the transformation from Foundation Establishment to the Golden Core realm.

“The energy needed to form a Golden Core is immense. Spirit stones alone won’t be enough—I’ll need some pills as well.”

Reaching into his storage pouch, Xiao Yu swallowed three Qi-Gathering Pills in quick succession. Simultaneously, he gripped two more mid-grade spirit stones, drawing their energy into his dantian.

Thanks to his supreme-grade spiritual root, Xiao Yu faced no bottlenecks during his breakthroughs. His unmatched talent allowed him to advance effortlessly, so long as he had sufficient energy.

After consuming half a bottle of Qi-Gathering Pills and exhausting another seven or eight mid-grade spirit stones, Xiao Yu’s golden sphere began to collapse. The pressure intensified until—

Boom!

A radiant golden core finally coalesced in his dantian.

“I did it!” Xiao Yu exclaimed inwardly. “I’ve reached the Golden Core stage!”

Through his internal vision, Xiao Yu gazed at the small golden core, which shimmered brilliantly. Though no larger than a medicinal pill, it contained vast, refined spiritual energy compressed to its limit.

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Outside, in Xiaoxiang Pavilion, Xiao Yu’s physical body radiated a powerful aura. A surge of spiritual pressure erupted like a silent storm, sweeping through the courtyard.

Leaves rustled violently, dust was stirred into the air, and the two small houses even trembled slightly under the force.

At the same time, in Hanlin Study, Hansu Zhenren paused as he sensed the disturbance.

[Hàn Lín (翰林)  can be translated as “Forest of Brush” or “Academy of Literature,” symbolizing a place of intellectual gathering or scholarly excellence.]

“This aura… is that Golden Core energy?”

Setting down the ancient tome in his hands, Hansu Zhenren rose slowly. With a wave of his spiritual sense, he pinpointed the source: Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“So Yu’er has finally broken through to the early Golden Core stage. Not bad, not bad. My eighteen years of guidance have not been in vain.”

Golden Core cultivators were treated far differently than those in the Foundation Establishment stage. As Tianyong City’s Senior Brother, Xiao Yu’s status would now rise even higher.

Raising his sleeve, Hansu Zhenren conjured a jade slip out of thin air. He infused it with his message before releasing it into the void.

“Elder Steward, Xiao Yu has broken through to the Golden Core stage. From now on, his monthly allowance shall be issued according to the Golden Core standard.”

A respectful, raspy voice echoed from the jade slip in response, “Understood, Sect Master. Your will shall be done.”

Satisfied, Hansu Zhenren retrieved the jade slip and returned to his desk. Picking up his book, he resumed reading, though his thoughts lingered on Xiao Yu.

“Yu’er is no longer a child now that he’s entered the Golden Core realm. After the Sword Conference ends, it will be time for him to venture beyond the sect. Without experiencing bone-chilling cold, how can one expect the fragrance of plum blossoms to bloom?”