"Here you go! 10 Rhinoscale Horn!" Lian Chen handed over 10 Rhinoscale Horn to the attendant that was handling the mission for Lian Chen.
"Alright, here is your reward." The attendant handed over 1000 spiritual stones to Lian Chen, and marked him as completing a mission for the Buddha Benevolent Sect.
Inner court disciples are required to fulfill one mission every two months, failure to do so can result in punishments or, in more severe cases, expulsion.
Upon turning in the Rhinoscale Horn, Lian Chen eagerly anticipated returning to his house to inspect the possessions of the assassins he had collected.
Upon arriving at his residence, Lian Chen retrieved the belongings of the assassins, which consisted of 2 pouches and 1 ring.
"Wow! I'm now considerably wealthy!" Lian Chen exclaimed with excitement.
Upon inspecting the contents of both pouches, Lian Chen discovered a total of 300,000 spiritual stones along with several martial skills. However, upon closer examination, he realized that the martial skills were only of mortal to master grade, failing to catch his attention.
Putting the spiritual stones and the martial skills aside, he took up the ring he got from the assassin and gave it a closer inspection.
"Hmm, what's special about this ring?" Lian Chen tried to play around with it and still couldn't figure out what to do with it.
Atlas, he just wore it on his finger, and kept the spiritual stones in the pouches while disposing of the martial skills.
After that, Lian Chen took out the 3 Azure Essence Grass he received from being the winner of the Outer Sect Competition, and the 1 Azure Essence Grass he received from Huo Tianlu.
"Alright, time to push to the Core Formation Stage!" Lian Chen said, with resolute determination.
To cultivate to the Core Formation Stage, 1 must form a core in his dantian to successfully advance to the Core Formation Stage from the Foundational Establishment.
With great caution, he held the four Azure Essence Grass in his hands, aware of their potent energy. Mindful of the delicate balance required, he extracted the energy from the grasses, allowing it to trickle gradually into his dantian.
Lian Chen understood the meaning of impatience, as an excessive influx of energy could result in the rupture of his dantian. Thus, he proceeded with measured care, ensuring a steady integration of the energy, mindful of the intricate process unfolding within him.
"Finally! I have achieved the Core Formation Stage!" Lian Chen's excitement echoed through the room as he leapt out of his bed.
However, his elation was short-lived when he realized that despite the successful formation of the core in his dantian, his cultivation remained at the Foundation Establishment High Stage.
"Wait, my strength clearly matches that of the Core Formation Low Stage, so why is my cultivation still labeled as the Foundation Establishment High Stage? And why is my aura that of a Core Formation cultivator?" Lian Chen felt a sense of bewilderment creeping over him as he hurriedly checked his dantian to ensure that the core was indeed formed.
"Don't tell me… Because of this stupid Lotus Flower… I have to form 1 more core to successfully break into the Core Foundation Stage?!" Lian Chen was shocked.
The presence of a core in the dantian enables a cultivator to extract Qi for the more frequent use of martial skills. However, possessing two cores is considered extraordinary, as it allows for a greater extraction of Qi, leading to a more powerful utilization of martial arts.
"Next time, I'll focus on forming another core. But for now, let's head to the Treasury Hall!" Lian Chen said, accompanied by Xiao Huan, as they made their way to the Treasury Hall.
Unbeknownst to Lian Chen, a tumultuous situation is unfolding within the Huo's Mansion as he proceeds towards the Treasury Hall.
"What do you mean Lian Chen has survived?!" Huo Jingming angrily slammed the table and questioned the 2 guards.
"Uh... It appears that neither of the assassins we sent to eliminate Lian Chen has returned, and he is already heading towards the Treasury Hall," one of the guards timidly informed Huo Jingming.
"Dad.. Dad… Dad… What do we do? What if Lian Chen comes to find us or re- reports us to the disciplinary hall? What should we do dad?!" Huo Tianlu questioned Huo Jingming in a nervous tone.
"SHUT UP!" Smack The sound of a smack echoed through the room, and a hand-shaped mark appeared on Huo Tianlu's right cheek.
"Didn't this trouble rise because of you?! Hmmph!" Huo Jingming angrily retorted while casting a disappointed gaze upon his son.
"It's okay. Lian Chen doesn't have any evidence that we sent the assassins after him. Besides, we have your older brother as one of the core disciples of the Buddha Benevolent Sect. Nothing will happen to us!" Huo Jingming said confidently.
"That Lian Chen will pay eventually…." Huo Jingming said and left the hall, leaving his son on the ground.