The fourth year since the bet with the headmaster had arrived, and its success depended on the efforts made in the previous year. Even for a "fairy," it takes time for conception to occur. There are cases where children with exceptionally strong Spiritual Roots exhibit abnormalities in the womb and require an extended gestation period. Su Yun, for instance, was born after eleven months. At the beginning of this year, Li Su made an exception and took in a mortal woman. Although there were few mortal women left in his harem, Li Su would make an exception if the woman was truly exceptional. However, being exceptional did not solely pertain to physical beauty. Intelligence, wit, and kindness were also highly valued traits. Liu Wanyue, known as the most beautiful woman in Wu Kingdom for the past decade, caught Li Su's attention. Since childhood, Liu Wanyue had listened to tales about Li Su and composed a song titled "Hua Jian Yuan" to express her emotions when they first met. The song gained popularity, and after meeting Liu Wanyue, Li Su realized her genuine affection for him, prompting him to take her as a concubine. Despite lacking Spiritual Roots, Liu Wanyue became pregnant soon after. Three months later, she gave birth to a female child with Spiritual Roots, marking the achievement of sixty descendants with Spiritual Roots.
With the number of descendants reaching sixty, Li Su's alchemy energy had successfully reached 500 points, fulfilling the requirement for a reward of 100 years of Cultivation Base. Li Su contemplated his options and decided to claim the reward before attempting to breakthrough to the Gold Core stage. Choosing the reward allowed him to gain 200 years of formation experience, 200 years of pill refining experience, and 100 years of refining experience. Considering the current trend, Li Su estimated that his formation, pill refining, and refining experiences could potentially surpass a thousand years during his journey from the Gold Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage. This would make him a master in Array Dao, Alchemy, and Qi Dao. After receiving the reward, Li Su dressed himself in the clothes sewn by his concubines and proceeded to the main hall of the Li family, ready to breakthrough to the Gold Core stage.
The system panel prompted Li Su, indicating that his alchemy energy had reached 500 points, asking if he was ready to form a Gold Core. Li Su had no hesitations and chose "Yes." As he made his choice, a profound change occurred. The alchemy energies, previously stored in the system, began surging into Li Su's body. Five hundred points of alchemy energy equated to a Cultivation Base of 500 years, equivalent to the practice duration of a cultivator with near-eighth-rank Spiritual Roots. Although it was exceedingly rare for a cultivator with eighth-rank Spiritual Roots to reach the Gold Core stage, this process presented no risk to Li Su and would enhance the quality of his Gold Core.
For an hour, Chengdan energy poured into Li Su's body, causing his true essence to stir and concentrate, growing purer with each passing moment. The influx of energy aimed to help Li Su complete the process of forming a Gold Core effortlessly, raising the quality of his Gold Core. As the process reached its conclusion, Li Su's Dantian contained a fully formed Gold Core. The Chengdan energy was exhausted, and Li Su's Gold Core reached its final size. Overwhelmed with emotion, Li Su let out a long whistle. Simultaneously, throughout the Li Mansion and the surrounding area, even ordinary people could sense a terrifying power that sent shivers down their spines. A beam of light shot into the sky from the Li Mansion—a radiant glow signifying the formation of
the Gold Core. It surpassed the brilliance of pill refinement, leaving spectators in awe.
With the completion of his Gold Core, Li Su felt a surge of power and accomplishment. His journey from the Cultivation Base stage to the Gold Core stage had been a resounding success, and he eagerly looked forward to the new possibilities and challenges that awaited him.