In the days that followed, Li An grew noticeably despondent. His mood turned gloomy, and he often sighed heavily in silence.
He stopped visiting Luo Yong entirely. Aside from occasional outings to purchase array materials or sell items, he rarely stepped outside.
He even sold the incomplete Second-Grade pill refinement legacy he possessed—clearly disheartened and thoroughly dejected.
At first, Luo Yong continued to observe him closely, as if hoping to catch any suspicious activity.
But in the blink of an eye, six months passed.
Li An appeared to have truly accepted his fate. Nothing seemed out of place, and he even sold his alchemy legacy. Gradually, Luo Yong lost interest.
During those six months, aside from daily cultivation and array crafting, Li An focused on keeping tabs on developments at White Tiger Mountain, gathering every scrap of information he could find.
Through Manman, he caught wind of a rumor:
White Tiger Mountain’s master, the White Tiger Master, was likely preparing to transform her True Core into a Golden Core.
The movements on White Tiger Mountain were massive—over a dozen disciples had been mobilized to gather soul-nurturing spiritual medicines. It wasn’t something that could be hidden. Word began to circulate in smaller circles, stirring widespread speculation.
Li An had been shocked when he first heard the news.
According to public rumors, the reclusive expert White Tiger Master was said to possess a True Core cultivation.
In the Core Formation realm, there were generally three types of cores: Golden Core, True Core, and Fake Core.
Unquestionably, the Golden Core was the most powerful—almost like a ticket to the Nascent Soul stage. Those who formed a Golden Core had boundless future prospects.
Only those with exceptionally strong spiritual roots and solid foundations had a chance to form a Golden Core.
The True Core came second, with some hope of advancing to Nascent Soul. Cultivators at this stage could be addressed as “True Person”—Li An had been a True Core cultivator in his past life.
As for the Fake Core, it was inferior. Its power was only forty percent of a True Core, and it was considered a dead end—no possibility of ever reaching Nascent Soul.
Even within the Core Formation stage, Fake Core cultivators had no room to progress. However, a True Core still had a small chance of evolving into a Golden Core.
Li An knew several such methods.
For example, if one survived a Heavenly Tribulation with the help of a Tribulation-Stage expert, a strike of Heavenly Lightning could temper the True Core and possibly evolve it into a Golden Core.
Another method involved harnessing the Earth’s vital energy—drawing upon the essence of the land to incubate the True Core, allowing it to “grow” and eventually transform.
There was also the method of Core Seizure—forcefully taking another cultivator’s Golden Core and transplanting it into oneself.
...
But all of these methods had one thing in common:
They were extremely dangerous, with a low success rate!
And failure came with a high price.
That was why few True Core cultivators ever attempted them. All these methods required exceptionally rare resources—Heavenly Lightning, Earth’s Mother Qi, another person’s Golden Core—none of which ordinary cultivators could even hope to obtain.
“What astonishing boldness…”
Li An couldn’t help but admire her. For a woman to dare such a perilous gamble—he was genuinely impressed.
But he also understood.
Transforming a True Core into a Golden Core was like rebirth—a metamorphosis.
Golden Core cultivators not only had a better chance of reaching Nascent Soul, but their post-advancement potential was vastly superior.
White Tiger Master was betting everything on her future.
“All those soul-nurturing medicines must be preparations in case she fails.”
Should the transformation fail, her physical body would be destroyed, and her soul severely damaged.
Hence the need to prepare spiritual medicines to preserve the soul after failure.
“Which method is she trying?”
Li An thought it over and ultimately concluded—she was most likely using the “Mother Qi Incubation” method.
The Heavenly Lightning method required the aid of a Tribulation-Stage cultivator, and there were none known to exist within the Great Dawn Dynasty.
—The dynasty’s most powerful cultivators were at most Nascent Soul stage. If White Tiger Master truly had a Tribulation-Stage backer, she wouldn’t need to stay in White Tiger City. With just one word from such a figure, she could become the unrivaled empress of the entire dynasty.
As for the Core Seizure method, Golden Core cultivators were all famous figures. There had been no news of any being killed in recent years. And with her strength, White Tiger Master couldn’t possibly snatch a Golden Core by force.
“Does White Tiger Mountain have an Earth Mother Qi vein?”
That seemed most plausible.
“If she’s really using the Mother Qi Incubation method, White Tiger Mountain would definitely be using formation arrays to gather spiritual energy and prevent leakage.”
In the following months, once Luo Yong had lost interest, Li An began venturing out a bit more, frequently roaming other regions.
On one hand, he observed the spiritual energy fluctuations around White Tiger City to sense changes in White Tiger Mountain’s situation. On the other, he continued digging for information.
“Seventeen disciples guarding eight directions… They’ve formed a ‘Eight Trigram Spirit-Locking Array’.”
After three months of careful observation, Li An roughly pieced together their method of gathering Earth Qi.
But that was all he could determine.
The Eight Trigram Spirit-Locking Array completely sealed White Tiger Mountain—no one could see what was happening within.
“If I had already reached Foundation Establishment, things would be much easier. With the ‘Qi-Observation Technique’, I could possibly sense the array’s inner workings…”
Qi-Observation Technique was a secret method Li An had inherited. It belonged to a mid-grade Mysterious-level cultivation art—only array masters could cultivate it.
As the name implied, it allowed array masters to observe the movements of spiritual veins beneath the earth.
Regarding the matter of White Tiger Master’s transformation, Li An actually hoped she succeeded.
If she managed to form a Golden Core, White Tiger City’s status would rise immensely. If she then advanced to Nascent Soul…
She would become a towering figure—a spiritual tree under which countless others would flourish.
Still, there was no rush.
Preparing to transform a True Core could take anywhere from ten to several decades—it was completely normal.
“Wang Dazhu and Chen Qingling are still alive…”
Meanwhile, Li An also confirmed their whereabouts.
The two had officially married. In the past five years, Wang Dazhu had been quite diligent in planting his seeds. Chen Qingling had already given birth to two children.
According to the information Li An had gathered, Chen Qingling was a model wife. Aside from the time they had attended the Treasure Pavilion’s auction together, she had even visited White Tiger City alone to purchase three “spirit maidens” for Wang Dazhu—as concubines.
A clear intention to grow a cultivation clan.
“So, they’re aiming to build a family of cultivators…”
Li An was very familiar with this path. For a man to found a cultivation clan, he needed many women. In his previous life, Li An had over seventy wives and concubines.
His children numbered over a hundred.
Li An’s heart remained calm.
No matter how well they prospered, it didn’t affect his mindset.
He could afford to wait. One day, when they were old and decrepit, and he was still in his prime, revenge would be swift and effortless.
“Zhao Xianchuan, Chen Qingling, Wang Dazhu, Xu Qiuhui, Luo Yong…”
He etched their names deep into his memory.
Just as he had once memorized the names of Fan Jie and Chen Cheng.
...
Although Luo Yong no longer kept tabs on him, Li An waited another three years.
In the fourth year, he turned eighty-five.
“My cultivation is increasingly stable. It’s about time to make my move…”
That evening, Li An quietly left his residence. After altering his appearance, he slipped into the city streets and made his way to the Songxi Elixir Shop.
Inside, Gu Hong sat behind the counter, leisurely reading a book on alchemy. She wore a simple dress, her skin fair and smooth, her figure graceful. Bathed in the golden rays of sunset, she looked like a serene oil painting.
Since Li An’s last visit years ago, she had dismissed her assisting apprentices. She now managed the shop alone, waiting each day.
“I’ll take two Spirit-Charging Pills—and one Beauty Nourishing Pill.”
Li An gently tapped the counter and spoke calmly.
Gu Hong raised her eyes slightly.
In her autumn-water gaze bloomed a sunrise-like joy.
...
(End of Chapter)