Chapter 458 (2)
The first transformation of the Golden Core proved more difficult to cultivate than Lu Qing had anticipated.
Even with the support of a spiritual vein, it still took six months to reach perfection in the first transformation. Without it, merely absorbing the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth might have extended the process indefinitely.
Thankfully, this recent excursion led him to this spiritual vein.
Satisfied, Lu Qing felt the dense spiritual energy lingering in the cave chamber.
With this treasure trove of a location, he believed it might even be possible to achieve the second, or even third transformation of the Golden Core here.
“Aqing, Aqing! Look what I found while you were cultivating!”
Xiao Li bounded over, clutching a bag in its mouth.
Lu Qing took the bag, finding it weighty.
Opening it, he saw that it shimmered with spiritual radiance—a sizable half-bag of spirit stones.
He estimated there were at least seventy or eighty stones in total.“Aqing, the stinky snake and I dug out all the spirit stones we could find in this chamber. I sensed there were more embedded in the walls, but I didn’t dare dig further without your guidance,” Xiao Li’s voice echoed in Lu Qing’s mind.
Lu Qing asked, “Xiao Li, how many spirit stones did you sense in the walls?”
“Not too many, maybe about half as many as in the bag. But some of them are buried quite deep in the walls.”
After a moment of thought, Lu Qing shook his head. “Let’s hold off on further digging. It wouldn’t be worth it if we caused a collapse.”
Currently deep underground, even though he was confident in his ability to escape, he wouldn’t risk destroying this invaluable spiritual vein.
“That’s what I thought too, which is why I didn’t act rashly. That stinky snake wanted to dig on its own, though, so I gave it a good scolding,” Xiao Li added, proudly emphasizing its prudence.
Lu Qing glanced at Wuxing.
The Five-Colored Winged Serpent shrank its head in guilt. At the time, it had thought that its master’s instructions were to gather as much as possible, without considering the consequences.
Seeing Wuxing’s submissive demeanor, Lu Qing didn’t pursue the matter.
The serpent, having grown up in a secret realm, was indeed quite simple-minded. Compared to Xiao Li, who had fought alongside him and even read books frequently, Wuxing was noticeably less intelligent.
For example, Xiao Li could communicate directly through soul transmission, whereas Wuxing could only convey its intent vaguely.
Perhaps it was time to have Wuxing read more books? Lu Qing stroked his chin, pondering.
Wuxing, sensing an ominous chill down its spine, became even more uneasy, expecting some form of punishment.
However, nothing came. Instead, Lu Qing asked, “By the way, how are your cultivations progressing?”
“Brother, I’ve reached the peak of the Precelestial Realm!” Xiao Yan immediately answered cheerfully.
“Aqing, Aqing, I’m at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm!” Xiao Li exclaimed with equal excitement.
Lu Qing nodded in approval.
Before their retreat, Xiao Yan had been at the mid-stage of the Precelestial Realm, and Xiao Li at the advanced stage of Foundation Establishment. Their progress over six months was remarkable.
He turned to Wuxing.
The Five-Colored Winged Serpent lowered its head, embarrassed.
In six months, aside from strengthening its physical body, it had not made any breakthroughs and remained at the peak of Foundation Establishment.
Lu Qing understood the situation immediately.
Wuxing had already reached the pinnacle of its realm; any further progress meant stepping into the Golden Core Realm, a significant hurdle for spirit beasts.
According to Yan, spirit beasts faced far greater challenges than humans in breaking through major realms, especially the Golden Core Realm. It required undergoing a lightning tribulation, which was often more intense for beasts than for humans of the same realm.
Thus, Wuxing’s stagnation was no surprise.
After some thought, Lu Qing said, “Wuxing, you’ve been at the peak of Foundation Establishment long enough. During this retreat, you’ve honed your physical body to perfection. Once you fully digest these gains, I’ll give you a few lotus seeds.”
Hearing this, the Five-Colored Winged Serpent’s head shot up, its eyes filled with delight.
“For now, focus on solidifying your foundation. The stronger your roots, the better your chances of surviving the tribulation.”
Wuxing nodded enthusiastically, resembling a pecking chick.
Seeing this, Lu Qing couldn’t help but smile.
The seeds of the Five Elements Lotus were incredibly valuable to Wuxing. Once it refined them, it should be ready to face its tribulation.
After encouraging Wuxing, Lu Qing retrieved a jade talisman.
Upon sensing its energy, he was slightly startled.
“Master sent me a message?”
Before his retreat, he had informed his master of this spiritual vein discovery and his intent to train with Xiao Yan. There had been no reason for concern.
For his master to send a message despite that—did something happen?
He immediately read the talisman.
There were three messages in total.
The first two, sent two months prior, were about the same matter: the Tower Master of Tianji Tower had visited with urgent business.
The third, sent three days ago, stated that his master had recently gained an insight and might soon face a lightning tribulation.
“Master is going to face his tribulation?!”
Lu Qing’s attention fixated on the final message, brushing aside the earlier ones.
He sent a reply right away, inquiring about his master’s situation.
Yet no response came.
Anxiety surged within Lu Qing.
Wasting no time, he gathered Xiao Yan and the others to leave the cave.
“Brother, what’s wrong?” Xiao Yan asked, noticing his urgency.
“Master mentioned in a recent message that he might face his tribulation soon. I’m not sure of his current state, so we must return quickly,” Lu Qing replied while leading her out.
Regret gnawed at him.
In his dedication to cultivation, he had neglected to check his messages, missing such critical news. If anything happened to his master, he would never forgive himself.
“Grandfather Chen is about to face a lightning tribulation? Then we must hurry!” Xiao Yan shared his concern.
As someone who had reached the pinnacle of the Precelestial Realm and witnessed Lu Qing’s tribulation in Zhongzhou, she fully understood the danger of such an event.
Once outside, Lu Qing set up over a dozen jade talismans around the cave entrance, creating a formation that concealed the area entirely.
The formation drew from the spiritual energy of the land, making it impenetrable even to a Golden Core cultivator unless they specialized in formations.
With everything secure, Lu Qing and Xiao Yan took to the skies.
In mid-air, Lu Qing summoned the Void Flying Boat and entered it.
The next moment, fueled by his spiritual power, the boat vanished from sight in a blink.