CHAPTER 428

I Can See Through Everything

“At last, I’ve deduced the framework for the first three transformations of the Golden Core Realm. This process of deducing techniques was far more challenging than I had anticipated.”

In the Jade Transformation Chamber, Lu Qing opened his eyes, a sigh of relief mixed with reflection flickering in his gaze.

A month had passed since he had slain the Ghost-Masked Man. Over this time, Lu Qing had been quite busy.

He reorganized the formation barrier protecting the village, passed the Wood Element Technique obtained from the white-robed youth to Xiao Yan, and even selected two suitable spiritual artifacts for his master to refine. However, most of his effort was dedicated to creating a cultivation technique most suitable for himself.

Initially, Lu Qing believed that with the help of his spiritual powers, creating a new technique wouldn’t take long. Yet, reality proved otherwise. The complexity of self-creating a cultivation technique far exceeded his expectations.

Even with his spiritual powers, references from the Great Dao Manuscripts, and countless techniques as a foundation, it still took him an entire month to deduce just the first three transformations of a suitable Golden Core Method. Among them, only the first transformation was fully detailed; the other two were merely frameworks that would require further refinement in the future.

“Still, having made progress is a relief. What should I name this technique?”

Lu Qing stroked his chin, pondering. As his primary cultivation method, it needed a name that was both memorable and representative. Despite racking his brain, he couldn’t come up with anything satisfying. Finally, with a resigned sigh, he settled.

“Never mind. From now on, this technique shall be called the Perfect Golden Core Method.”

The name matched the unique nature of his Perfect Golden Core.

Having named the technique, Lu Qing prepared to begin cultivation. No matter how well a technique was deduced, its effectiveness could only be proven through actual practice.

With determination, Lu Qing calmed his mind, adjusted his breathing, and began meditating. He followed the pathway detailed in the Perfect Golden Core Method and initiated his cultivation.

As the creator of the technique, every detail of the method had been meticulously refined by him countless times. Thus, even during this first session, Lu Qing proceeded with ease, quickly entering a state of deep focus.

As he activated the method, the rich spiritual energy in the chamber stirred and was drawn into his body continuously.

Before long, a minor circulation of spiritual energy was completed. Lu Qing felt a faint but noticeable enhancement in his spiritual force.

“It works!”

Energized by this success, Lu Qing resumed his cultivation. With each minor circulation, the chamber’s spiritual energy was rapidly absorbed. The formation barrier of the Jade Transformation Chamber began operating to replenish the consumed energy, drawing in more from the outside world.

Under this ample supply of energy, Lu Qing’s golden core within his qi sea began to strengthen incrementally with each cycle. However, after half an hour, Lu Qing frowned and opened his eyes.

The chamber’s spiritual energy had thinned significantly. Even with the replenishment speed of the formation barrier, it could no longer meet his cultivation needs.

Frowning at the slow recovery of the spiritual energy in the chamber, Lu Qing retrieved a translucent, lustrous stone from his storage. It was a low-grade spiritual stone.

“According to the Perfect Golden Core Method, each major circulation is completed after thirty-six minor circulations. Only then does the first transformation of the method count as fully activated. Yet, I haven’t even finished a single major circulation, and the chamber’s spiritual energy is already insufficient. I’ll have to rely on spiritual stones.”

Holding the stone, Lu Qing guided its energy with his mind. Instantly, a vast surge of spiritual energy poured forth and was absorbed into his body.

The spiritual stone, a treasure treated as a strategic resource during the Immortal Era, proved its worth. Even a low-grade spiritual stone contained far more energy than ordinary spiritual energy, and its purity was unmatched.

With the aid of the spiritual stone, the speed of Lu Qing’s minor circulations increased significantly. Finally, after completing the thirty-sixth minor circulation, he felt a tremor within his body. His Perfect Golden Core shuddered and began rotating slowly, like a millstone grinding.

When the rotation ceased, Lu Qing clearly sensed his golden core’s power had increased noticeably.

Joy filled his face at this progress. The enhancement of his golden core indicated that the first transformation of the Perfect Golden Core Method was effective and flawless.

However, his excitement quickly turned to concern as he examined the spiritual stone in his hand. Nearly one-fifth of its energy had already been depleted. Ȓ𝘈ℕỐBÈ𐌔

“Just one major circulation, and a fifth of a low-grade spiritual stone’s energy is gone. That doesn’t even account for the large amount of spiritual energy previously stored in the chamber. How many spiritual stones would it take to fully master this first transformation?”

He recalled that the storage artifacts left behind by the Mo Hu brothers included some pills for cultivation enhancement. However, even if he used them all, they would barely support his training for long.

After calculating his future resource requirements, Lu Qing’s face darkened.

While his Perfect Golden Core was undeniably powerful, its cultivation cost was equally terrifying. What he initially thought would be a sufficient stockpile of resources was now laughably inadequate.

This Perfect Golden Core was nothing less than a gold-devouring beast!

After pondering for a while without finding a solution, Lu Qing decided to set the matter aside for now. He knew that this was inevitable. The higher the grade and power of his golden core, the harder it would be to enhance it. Each subsequent transformation would likely demand astronomical amounts of resources.

“It seems I’ll need to travel more in the future. According to Yan, spiritual stones are generally formed in places where immense pressure concentrates spiritual energy. If I can locate one or two spiritual stone mines, it might resolve this issue.”

Lu Qing recalled Yan’s teachings about the Immortal Era. Any discovery of a spiritual stone mine during that time would inevitably spark large-scale conflicts. Spiritual stones, as strategic resources, were highly coveted by every sect and cultivator. Even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators sought them without hesitation.

But for now, Lu Qing wasn’t worried about competing for resources. With his strength, he doubted anyone could wrest a treasure from his grasp.

“Traveling can wait. There are some unresolved grudges I can deal with first.”

A cold glint flashed in Lu Qing’s eyes.