nyslfriends Chapter 42: The Secrets of the Golden Core
Chapter 42: The Secrets of the Golden Core
Qin Yao was the youngest of the five people from the Chen Kingdom back then.
Fang Yun did some quick calculations.
She is exactly one hundred years old this year.
Time flies, and a hundred years pass in the ebb and flow of life.
It felt like a dream.
Faced with such an invitation, Fang Yun naturally would not refuse.
Especially Niu Ben and Lin Dong.
The two failed to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and suffered a backlash, even though they had taken longevity pills.
I'm afraid he won't live another twenty or thirty years.
Ten days later.
Fang Yun left Ziqing Lake, first met up with Lu Guishou, and then headed to Funiu Mountain.
They traveled by water, riding the Black Water Python, cutting through the waves at a speed much faster than a flying boat.
"Brother Lu's python is quite well-maintained."
Fang Yun touched the black snake scales, feeling the demonic energy flowing through them, which was already no weaker than the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.
He still looks old, with an air of otherworldly wisdom, white hair and a youthful face.
I've long since gotten used to this appearance.
"Big Black hatched too early, which is a congenital deficiency. I don't know if it can break through to the second-tier demon beast level."
Lu Guishou sat cross-legged on the giant python's head, a hint of gentleness flashing in his eyes.
He had a long lifespan and still looked like a thirty-year-old, wearing a blue and white robe embroidered with water ripples.
Nourished by the water elemental energy, he became even more handsome and dashing, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, making him truly extraordinary.
A glint of emerald green, almost demonic, light occasionally flashed in his pupils, adding to his mystique. His aura was deep and still, like a secluded pool in a deep valley.
Funiu Mountain.
Niu Ben was already waiting for them, with many clansmen standing behind him, respectfully welcoming the arrival of the Foundation Establishment Ancestor.
He's old now, and has become a little old man too.
Due to years of body training and the effects of the Demon Spirit Pill, he still appears to be physically imposing.
Hmm... a grumpy old man with bulging muscles all over his body.
"San Niu Zi, so many years have passed, are there any suitable candidates among the descendants of the clan to establish their foundation?"
Fang Yun nodded and smiled, still remembering the promise he had made years ago.
It will help the Niu family become a Foundation Establishment family.
Niu Ben shook his head and sighed, "It's too difficult. Among the children born in the clan in recent decades, not a single one has any promising potential."
"No rush, no rush, we old folks have plenty of patience and time!"
Fang Yun laughed heartily, made way for him, and invited him to sit on the snake's back next to him.
The Blackwater Python let out a roar, like the sound of a lion or tiger, and swam back into the river, disappearing into the distance.
On the way, Fang Yun asked Niu Ben for advice on body cultivation.
He's already trying to cultivate the Undying Body of Withered Wood, which sounds impressive.
It's actually just a very ordinary second-tier body-refining technique.
The ideal is to have a body like a withered tree, yet with life force hidden within, and to refine the body through countless trials and tribulations until it is comparable to a second-tier spiritual weapon.
Reaching the limit of cultivation is equivalent to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.
Fang Yun, however, did not mind and used the hundred-refined golden pill given to him by his grandson.
I'm almost at the late stage of Body Refinement now.
The three of them walked and looked around, not in a hurry.
Having a foundation in cultivation provides the greatest confidence, making it more like traveling and enjoying life in the mortal world.
In my youth, I avoided those dangerous mountains and rivers like the plague.
Looking at it now, it seems just so-so, nothing special.
A month later, they arrived safely in the State of Chen and saw the familiar city and hometown.
On the two previous reunions, Fang Yun and the other two arrived very early.
This time, however, the situation was reversed; Qingmu Sect's two close friends had been waiting for several days.
Yuzhang Commandery, the city of the commandery.
When Fang Yun and the others saw Lin Dong, he exuded an air of old age, just like any other elderly person.
"Where is Fairy Qin Yao?"
The group looked around but did not see any familiar faces.
"Uncle Qin went home to pay respects to his parents."
Lin Dong sighed softly, feeling a pang of sadness as he thought of his deceased parents.
He spent his life seeking immortality and enlightenment, gaining much, but also losing much.
As evening fell, Qin Yao returned home bathed in the glow of the setting sun.
She remained as beautiful and charming as ever, brimming with vitality and exuding an indescribable nobility.
She was incredibly beautiful.
Fang Yun looked at her, then glanced at Lu Guishou beside her.
In a daze, they actually looked quite like a perfect match, a match made in heaven.
Looking at himself, Niu Ben, Lin Dong, and the others, they were all gray-haired and looked like they were old and frail.
The five people stood together, clearly separated, as if they were from two different generations.
Tianxianglou.
Surprisingly, the restaurant is still there.
The aroma of the wine was enticing, still as mellow as ever, but the taste of the dishes was quite different from what I remembered.
However, none of the five of them were really in the mood to eat.
"I recently broke through the barrier and turned 100 years old. My heart is filled with emotion and I am overwhelmed with feelings."
"That's why I proposed this reunion in Chen. I'm truly sorry to have troubled you all."
Qin Yao sat upright in the main seat, her voice ethereal and otherworldly, her demeanor transcendent.
Her Phoenix Cry Physique has been fully awakened, propelling her cultivation progress at an astonishing pace.
Once this journey through the mortal realm is over, I will return and prepare to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
"Senior Qin is a genius of unparalleled talent, his breakthroughs are meteoric, he must have the potential to reach the Golden Core stage!"
The one who said this was actually Niu Ben, who is indeed getting more cunning with age.
Qin Yao shook her head, unmoved: "Let alone a Golden Core cultivator, I am far from even a Pseudo-Core cultivator."
She gave an example: Old Master Chen from Yuquan Mountain.
The other party possessed a low-grade wood spiritual root and had already achieved the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of one hundred.
Then, after twenty years of refinement, he finally mastered a demon beast's inner core and successfully advanced to the False Core stage.
Fang Yun was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this: "A hundred-year-old Foundation Establishment cultivator should be able to break through to the Golden Core stage, right?"
"As far as I know, the Qingmu Sect has not produced a Heavenly Spiritual Root for a very, very long time."
The difference between a genuine elixir and a fake one is enormous, the most obvious difference being lifespan.
A fake elixir cultivator can live for 500 years, while a true golden elixir cultivator can live for a full 800 years!
Qin Yao nodded: "That's true. However, all the Golden Core cultivators throughout history have come from the sect leader's lineage."
"When my husband was young, he was in the alchemy lineage of the Green Wood Sect, but he failed to successfully enter the sect master's peak because he did not have the talent for body refinement."
"Body tempering..."
Fang Yun kept this in mind and asked a few more questions.
Qin Yao didn't know much about it, only that it was related to the foundation of the Green Wood Sect.
Only cultivators with outstanding talent in body refinement and wood-elemental roots are qualified to inherit the sect's leadership.
To obtain that wisp of golden elixir opportunity.
The five changed the subject and continued chatting.
Fang Yun talked most with Lin Dong.
Fang Anting, the eldest grandson, successfully went into seclusion, preparing a Foundation Establishment Pill and a spiritual item, greatly increasing his chances of breaking through.
Lin Dong spoke of the child with a broad smile.
He was even closer and happier than his grandfather, Fang Yun.
Perhaps in a few years, the Fang family will have three generations of cultivators, all of whom will be Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Besides these, Fang Yun also sat down with Lin Dong to discuss alchemy and exchange their insights.
After his uncle passed away, he tried to refine another batch of Vajra Dragon Tiger Pills, but unfortunately, he failed.
That time, it was indeed a bit of luck.
Lin Dong comes from a legitimate lineage, and has many fellow disciples within the sect, with whom he interacts frequently on a daily basis.
Fang Yun had a long discussion with him and indeed benefited greatly.
He even developed a strong yearning for the alchemy lineage of the Green Wood Sect.
On Purple Bamboo Mountain, he was the only second-tier alchemist, and he usually relied entirely on his own exploration.
As night faded, daylight broke.
The fine wine and delicacies on the table remained untouched.
As dawn broke, Fang Yun watched the four people depart one by one.
Niu Ben and Lin Dong are preparing to return to their hometown to pay respects to their relatives and take care of the younger generation of their families.
One was a farmer, the other a powerful family in the county; they were practically from the same hometown.
Lu Guishou invited Qin Yao to travel to the State of Chen and experience the secular world and all aspects of human life.
After a moment's hesitation, the latter surprisingly agreed.
Fang Yun looked around and found himself all alone.
He knew in his heart that the five of them would part ways today.
And there really was no next time they reunited.
There was a sense of loss and disappointment.