In the Verdant Vine Sect.
Amongst the verdant bamboo forest, a graceful woman draped in black gauze played with a small white snake, weaving between the bamboo stalks.
Not far away, a black-furred giant bear lazily ate honey from a hive it held. Bees swarmed out angrily to attack the bear, but they couldn't pierce its thick fur. Instead, the bear would swat them dead with a single paw.
At that moment, a burly middle-aged man approached the bamboo grove. The giant bear immediately stood on its hind legs and roared at him, as if warning him to stay away.
The man sighed, "When you were just a cub, I was the one who handed you to Yuheng."
The bear continued to roar.
The man, feeling helpless, took out a jar from his storage ring and threw it to the bear. Instantly, the bear stopped roaring and happily began devouring the honey inside the jar.
Only then could the man proceed.
"Why has the Fiery Serpent grown so quickly since the Hundred Sect Ceremony?" the middle-aged man wondered.
The woman in black gauze paused and chuckled, "Who knows? It's an ancient species, after all."
"Father, you didn't come here just to marvel, did you?"
The middle-aged man laughed heartily, "Of course not. I have news for you."
The woman nodded, gesturing with her hand, and the Fiery Serpent reluctantly coiled around her fair arm.
The two walked together. They were none other than Mo Hanshan, the master of Verdant Vine Sect, and his daughter, the enchanting Mo Yuheng.
"Speak," Mo Yuheng said, teasing the little snake.
Mo Hanshan said solemnly, "Shen Mo has formed his golden core."
Mo Yuheng immediately stopped what she was doing, her eyes sparkling, "So soon? A perfect golden core?"
Mo Hanshan nodded, "From what we can tell, it's at least a perfect golden core. It's also possible he formed a special golden core."
"After all, some techniques can create special golden cores, which can be stronger than perfect ones but also have their pros and cons."
Mo Yuheng became more intrigued, "What's the situation? Tell me everything."
Mo Hanshan then recounted how Shen Mo had countered an ambush by four attackers, killing three and capturing one alive.
Mo Yuheng listened, growing more and more astonished.
"I've always said he had potential. Father, why didn't you recruit him back then?"
Mo Hanshan smiled bitterly, "I wanted to, but would Murong Yue allow it? She's already at the peak of the Core Formation stage. I might not be able to defeat her."
Mo Yuheng pouted, then suddenly asked, "Is everything ready for me to form my Myriad Demon Golden Core?"
Mo Hanshan smiled, "That's the other piece of news. Everything is ready. You can form your core anytime."
"Good, I'll do it today," Mo Yuheng nodded.
"By the way, do the other four sects know about this?" she asked.
Mo Hanshan chuckled, "Of course, the Divine Sword Sect's intelligence network is far superior to ours."
"Hehe, I wonder how Zhou Qingcang and Hong Chilong will react to this news," Mo Yuheng said with a seductive smile.
"And Yin Xuege and Wan Renjie, those two will probably be insanely jealous if they find out Shen Mo formed his core faster than they did."
...
At the Divine Sword Sect, in a forbidden area.
Seven colossal stone swords, each more than ten meters high, stood upright, piercing the earth and dominating the landscape.
The surface of the giant swords was ancient and weathered, as if they had witnessed countless ages pass by.
In the center of the seven swords sat a solitary figure—Zhou Qingcang. His eyes were closed, and his energy surged wildly around him. Behind him, an aura resembling an unsheathed sword was forming.
Just as the sword aura reached its peak, it shattered. Zhou Qingcang's face paled slightly, and he quickly took a healing pill before resuming his attempt to form the sword aura.
He repeated this cycle six times. However, on the seventh attempt, his body could no longer endure. He opened his eyes abruptly and spat out a mouthful of blood, his face ashen.
A tall, thin man immediately stepped forward to support him.
"Master, I failed again. I can't break through to the seventh kill to form the Seven Kill Sword Core," Zhou Qingcang sighed.
Luo Chaotian smiled, "No matter. The Seven Kill Sword Core is incredibly fierce. Only our founding ancestor succeeded in forming it. You've only failed three times; it's nothing to worry about."
Zhou Qingcang frowned, "But each failure consumes a lot of top-grade Profound tier treasures."
"First time, I stopped at two kills and wasted ten top-grade Profound grade treasures."
"Second time, I stopped at five kills and wasted twenty-five."
"Third time, I stopped at six kills and wasted thirty..."
"Master, these treasures could have been used for other disciples."
Luo Chaotian's smile remained warm, "You are the most talented disciple of our Divine Sword Sect. If these resources aren't for you, then for whom?"
Zhou Qingcang was moved by these words.
"I know you still blame me for what happened in the third round of the Hundred Sect Ceremony. I also know that you have a rigid personality. That matter was my fault," Luo Chaotian sighed.
Zhou Qingcang quickly said, "No, I don't dare blame you. I was just a shepherd boy from the mountains. Without you, I would still be tending cattle, never achieving what I have today."
Luo Chaotian patted his shoulder, "Everything I do is for your own good. It's just a pity about that Taiyi Soul Nourishing Pill..."
Zhou Qingcang felt a pang of guilt.
"Oh, and I have some good news for you," Luo Chaotian said with a smile.
"Please tell me, Master."
Luo Chaotian smiled, "Your friend Shen Mo from the Qingxuan Sect has formed his golden core."
He then recounted what had happened at the Heavy Weapon Hall.
"Shen Mo's golden core should be above a perfect golden core, but we don't know exactly what it is," Luo Chaotian added.
Zhou Qingcang was delighted, "Really? That's great news! I'm envious he can form a special golden core."
Luo Chaotian's smile was gentle, "You can too. The Seven Kill Sword Core is the most formidable. Once you form it, you will be unrivaled among those at the same level."
"Then, you can challenge him to a duel."
"Yes! I will start forming it again immediately!" Zhou Qingcang's eyes sparkled with excitement.
With the dark clouds in his heart dissipating, he could naturally immerse himself in cultivation more quickly.
"Good, then I will attend to sect matters," Luo Chaotian said with the same kind smile.
After leaving the forbidden area, the smile on his face vanished, replaced by a cold expression.
"Even a personal disciple can't compare to a son..."
...
Peaceful cultivation days are always short.
During this period, Feishuang Sect seemed to relent. First, they returned some of the detained disciples of Qingxuan Sect, then they sent people to negotiate the ransom for Pang Ziyu.
However, the compensation was never agreed upon.
Time dragged on for two months.
At this moment, in the Heavy Weapon Hall.
Shen Mo refined the last Yuan Supplement Pill and slowly opened his eyes.
During this time, he had refined all the Yuan Supplement Pills and Cistanche, and his cultivation had progressed rapidly.
He had vaguely touched the bottleneck of the major accomplishment stage.
Unfortunately, time was running out, and he had no more Yuan Supplement Pills.
Otherwise, Shen Mo believed that with another half a month, he could reach the major accomplishment of the Core Formation stage.
"Calculating the time, it should be soon, right?"
With a few leaps, Shen Mo reached the highest peak of the Heavy Weapon Hall and looked north.
An incense stick's time later, a hundred-zhang light pillar suddenly appeared in the northern thorn forest, reaching straight into the sky and persisting for a long time!
This tremendous disturbance immediately caught the attention of all the cultivators and mortals around.
The entire region was shaken!
Those nearby rushed towards the light pillar as fast as they could.
Shen Mo's eyes lit up.
The Alchemy King's Cave had opened!
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