CHAPTER 838: CHAPTER 838: DESTRUCTION BEFORE REBIRTH

"What kind of place is the Ancient Realm?"

Tang Zhirou stared at Jiang Zheng, looking very curious.

Jiang Zheng gazed into the distance, his tone becoming deep.

"The Ancient Realm is a mysterious territory. Some say it was an ancient battlefield, others say it holds the ruins of ancient sects. In any case, it contains countless resources."

"Of course, it’s also accompanied by countless dangers."

"There’s actually such a place?" Chen Nan also found it unbelievable.

"Indeed, there are many things you still don’t know about the Cultivation World." Jiang Zheng smiled slightly, "The Ancient Realm opens once every hundred years, and it is soon approaching the time for its opening again."

"Only those holding an Ancient Realm Token can enter."

Even though Chen Nan hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he knew that such a precious token must have cost Jiang Zheng, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator at the peak, immense effort to obtain.

Even enduring great danger.

"Master, since the token is so precious, why don’t those Nascent Soul monsters come out to snatch it? Why let the token circulate and allow others to enter?" Chen Nan asked curiously.

Jiang Zheng chuckled and said, "It’s quite simple, actually, because the Ancient Realm only allows Foundation Establishment Cultivators to enter, and it is extremely dangerous inside."

"Every time the Ancient Realm opens, less than half of those who enter make it back. Even if Nascent Soul Cultivators want to take all the tokens, they have to consider the level of danger, and they can’t afford to offend all the other cultivators, right?"

Chen Nan understood that the reason the Ancient Realm Tokens could be circulated was probably due to the generosity of those high and mighty Great Cultivators.

Thus, the tokens became even more valuable.

What he couldn’t understand was how his sect leader, merely at the peak of Foundation Establishment, managed to acquire two tokens at once—it was simply unimaginable.

Jiang Zheng had no intention of explaining, pretending to be enigmatic. He would never tell Chen Nan and the others that he had obtained the tokens by relying on the goodwill left behind by the ancestors of the Qingshan Sect, beseeching and negotiating for them.

What about the sect leader’s dignity? He’d never admit it, even under duress!

"As for the sect, you two should hold onto these two tokens. When the time comes, enter the Ancient Realm together. Whether you gain any opportunity depends entirely on yourselves!"

"Got it, Master."

Chen Nan nodded, knowing this was an opportunity, a chance to ascend to greatness.

Following the standard path of cultivation, who knew how long it would be before becoming a Great Cultivator, while the threat of his enemies was imminent.

With the opening of the Ancient Realm only a year away, he had a year to prepare.

"By the way, my disciple, you are a seventh-grade Alchemist. Would it be a problem to refine some elixir pills for me? I’ve been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment for many years."

"I so desperately want to advance to the Golden Core Stage, I dream about it!"

Seeing his master trying to cozy up to him, Chen Nan hurriedly agreed: "Rest assured, Master, I’ll start refining immediately for you!"

Chen Nan fled in haste, and Tang Zhirou also wanted to escape, but was stopped by Jiang Zheng.

"Your senior brother is off to refine elixir pills for me, where do you think you’re going? Come, tell me about all that’s been happening in the Qingshan Sect recently!"

In the Alchemy Room.

For Jiang Zheng’s situation, it was because he had reached a bottleneck, and his aptitude was not enough to break through. Coupled with years of effort in collecting cultivation resources to sustain the sect, he had no time to cultivate.

Therefore, Chen Nan found a type of elixir pill named Shuiji Pill.

This elixir could cause the Dantian of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to break and then reform, allowing them to break through their current bottleneck, and it also stimulated potential. It was an elixir that only worked the first time in a cultivator’s life.

It sounded terrifying, but in fact, it had no side effects, and could even slightly improve the user’s aptitude, differing according to the user’s talents.

Specifically, the worse the aptitude, the better the effect.

Shuiji Pill was virtually priceless in the world outside, extraordinarily rare.

The elixir pill was only of eighth grade, but it required several extremely rare spiritual medicines, some of which even the Medicine Immortal Valley didn’t have.

Fortunately, Chen Nan had killed Liu Ping, and looted many precious spiritual medicines from him, enough to complete the pill recipe.

To enhance the quality of the elixir, Chen Nan even used the Heaven-Burning Flame.

In just half an hour, he had refined two furnaces of elixir, totaling twenty-four pills, more than enough for the entire sect to take with some to spare.

"Now, the qualifications of the sect’s disciples could be improved significantly, right?"

Chen Nan said with a smile, as the qualifications of Qingshan Sect’s disciples were relatively poor, so taking the Shuiji Pill would be just right for improvement.

When he returned to the main hall, Jiang Zheng was still holding onto Tang Zhirou, asking about the recent happenings. Seeing Chen Nan return, he couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.

"So soon?"

"Of course, as the task given by Master, it can’t be delayed."

Chen Nan smiled slightly and handed the elixir pills to Jiang Zheng.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Zheng swallowed one in a single gulp.

Soon, a sound like shattering glass was heard from within him.

Crack, crack, crack...

Jiang Zheng opened his eyes in horror, pointing at Chen Nan in disbelief.

"You rebellious disciple, are you harming me?"

Chen Nan rolled his eyes at him: "Master, you’re overacting. Haven’t you at least heard of the Shuiji Pill, if you’ve never had it? Not recognizing a good item when you have it."

Upon hearing it was a Shuiji Pill, Jiang Zheng immediately put on a smiling face, but soon found himself unable to speak.

Because the process of breaking and reforming was extremely painful, his face contorted in pain, trying to shout but unable to make a sound.

After a while, the pain began to subside, and at the same time, a layer of golden light began to emerge on Jiang Zheng’s body, aiding in reconstructing his Dantian.

Another stick of incense burnt, and Jiang Zheng abruptly opened his eyes.

"It’s coming!"

He rushed out of the main hall in an instant, arriving at the square, where the spiritual energy from the mountain was crazily surging into his Dantian, and the sky above was quickly gathering countless dark clouds.

"What’s happening?"

"What’s going on?"

The disciples on the mountain gathered in the square and saw the sect leader sitting there, his demeanor appearing quite solemn.

"Is he about to break through?"

Everyone was staring nervously at Jiang Zheng, their eyes wide open.

The process of absorbing spiritual energy continued for several minutes, then a golden phantom appeared behind Jiang Zheng, like a vortex absorbing the spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy continuously compressed and refined, finally forming a rounded Golden Core.

And the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, with golden sunlight shining down, falling on Jiang Zheng.

Jiang Zheng’s body slowly floated into the air, his eyes slowly opening.

Flying in the sky was indeed the mark of the Golden Core Stage.

"Haha, this old man has finally achieved a Golden Core!"

The disciples of Qingshan Sect also began to cheer jubilantly.

"Great, our Qingshan Sect now has a Golden Core Stage cultivator!"

"We’ll never have to suffer bullying again."

Jiang Zheng tested his Golden Core Stage powers, happily flying back and forth in the air like a crazed old duck.

After a while, he descended in front of Chen Nan, appearing much younger.