Twelve years passed quietly, slipping unnoticed through the morning bells and evening drums of the Three Elements Dao Sect.
During these twelve years, nineteen awe-inspiring breakthrough phenomena echoed successively above the Three Elements Dao Sect.
Each time a phenomenon appeared, it signified another Golden Core Perfection Cultivator was attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. The glow of dawn, thunderclouds, and spiritual energy vortices alternately shrouded the mountain gate, drawing the attention of the entire sect's cultivators.
But the path of cultivation is never smooth. Out of nineteen attempts, only three succeeded in the end. Most cultivators failed to even reach the Celestial Thunder, falling at the first two hurdles.
When the last Nascent Soul glow faded, the entire sect was in jubilation — the names of the three newly promoted Nascent Soul True Monarchs soon spread throughout the Yue Country's cultivation realm.
The first to successfully break through, as everyone expected, was none other than the Tier Four Array Grandmaster, Master Qian Yuan.
As a true core figure in the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven, he relied on the Nascent Soul-level mana brought by his Talisman Infant and the Tier Four Array "Qiankun Inversion Annihilation Array" to firmly hold a region on the Creation Floating Island, ultimately obtaining a Nascent Fruit.
On the day of his breakthrough, Master Qian Yuan's aura was as imposing as a mountain, and the area of the sect's array vein was bathed in multicolored glow.
Countless array pattern phantoms intertwined in the air, evolving into the Tier Four Black Tortoise Celestial Spirit Array, remaining unmoved amidst rolling thunder, swiftly passing through the Celestial Thunder Tribulation, stabilizing in the Nascent Soul Realm, and becoming the fifth True Monarch of the sect.
The second was the white-robed Daoist, Master Dragon Dragon, whose lifespan was nearing its end.
He was recognized as top-notch combat power in the Grotto Heaven. Before entering, the sect bestowed upon him a Tier Four treasure talisman, the "Wind and Thunder Ruyi Shuttle," perfectly compensating for his speed shortcoming.
In the Grotto Heaven, though he did not obtain the seventh Nascent Fruit, he relied on the Flying Shuttle to traverse the realm, successively finding several Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects like the "Shattered Star Spirit Fruit" and the "Barrier-Breaking Spirit Liquid."
During his breakthrough, a hundred-zhang-long Five-Clawed Cyan Dragon appeared above the sect, covered with mysterious array dao runes, bathing in the Celestial Thunder, enduring nine lightning strokes, emitting an ancient dragon's roar.
Finally, the Cyan Dragon completed the tribulation, returning to Master Dragon Dragon's form. His originally aged aura instantly became vigorous, successfully breaking the shackle of lifespan, and advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm.
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The most unexpected was the third — Master Cloud Talisman, the quasi-Tier Four master of the Talisman Vein.
He usually loved to carry dozens of Tier Three Top Grade talismans on his person, far less famous than Master Qian Yuan and Master Dragon Dragon.
He couldn't even compare to Master Shi Peng, who, relying on the Five Beasts Li Fire Fan in the Grotto Heaven, suppressed the Myriad Swords True Inheritor and established a great reputation.
Nobody knew what rare Nascent Soul Spiritual Object he found in the Secret Realm during this trip to the Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven.
On the day of his breakthrough, Master Cloud Talisman's aura surged like a tide, and the Talisman Vein area of the sect was filled with talisman phantoms.
Hundreds of talisman spirit lights weaved into a net, evolving into an indestructible Talisman Cauldron, which withstood the raging thunder and successfully broke through the Nascent Soul bottleneck, becoming the seventh True Monarch of the sect.
In the Three Elements Main Hall of the sect's main peak, True Monarch Chong Xu's face was filled with smiles. Adding three True Monarchs at once was a rare achievement in the sect's ten-thousand-year history.
This number tied directly with the Western Wilderness Mirage, the biggest winner of this Ancient Yue Grotto Heaven.
Among the other four, only the Myriad Swords Sect produced two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, while the rest each had only one Nascent Soul True Monarch born.
True Monarch Chong Xu sighed in his heart:
"I originally thought only Qian Yuan was the most stable. I didn't expect Dragon Dragon to break the limitation of lifespan, and Cloud Talisman to give me such a big surprise!"
In the past, among the four major True Monarchs of the sect, True Monarch Chong Xu came from the Talisman Vein, True Monarch Han Lou from the Dan Vein, True Monarch Zhenyue, and True Monarch Da Qian both from the Array Vein.
There's no other way, since the Three Elements Dao Sect's founding by the Three Elements True Monarch, the Array Vein has held this natural advantage. In terms of both magical combat and resource acquisition for breakthroughs, it far surpasses other veins.
The core that has kept the sect standing for ten thousand years—the Tier Five Primordial Magnetic Array—can only be wielded to its full power by a Grandmaster of Array Dao, securing the position of the Array Vein.
Among the three newly promoted Nascent Soul True Monarchs, Master Qian Yuan's path needs no explanation, Master Dragon Dragon also walks the path of body-array combination, only Master Cloud Talisman rose unexpectedly with the identity of a Talisman Vein cultivator, how could he not be pleasantly surprised?
This directly added more weight to the Talisman Vein's voice in the sect.
...
Meanwhile, within the cave mansion at Nine Cloud Peak.
The Tier Three Top Grade Spirit Gathering Array was operating at full throttle, its array patterns frantically flickering on the ground, and the pale golden spirit light gathered like flowing water, drawing all the spiritual qi in the cave mansion to a single point.
There, Chen Sheng sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his Profound Silk Daoist Robe bulging like a full sail with spiritual qi.
Twelve years had passed, and he had already cultivated to the peak of the Mid-stage Golden Core, an unprecedented speed.
At this moment, he had adjusted his state to its peak, holding a completely crimson pill between his fingertips — a Tier Three Top Level Realm-Breaking Pill, the "Red Flame Barrier-Breaking Pill," with faint flame patterns on its surface emitting an intimidating medicinal power.
This pill was meticulously refined by Chen Sheng himself in his cauldron, a crowning achievement, and with the Earth Grade Spiritual Root aptitude, there was no doubt of success in breaking through the barrier at this moment.
"Let's begin!"
In a flash of thought, Chen Sheng spared no hesitation and tilted his head to take the elixir pill.
The elixir melted instantly upon entry, and a massive medicinal energy erupted within him, transforming into myriad crimson "silver needles," charged with a do-or-die momentum, surging toward the invisible barrier between the mid-stage and late-stage of Golden Core.
At the same time, within the dantian, a crimson-golden sword pill was spinning wildly, the patterns on its surface flowing as if alive.
Each rotation devoured a vast amount of spiritual qi, and a faint, crisp sword cry emanated from within, as if a peerless sword was undergoing tempering and transformation.
Chen Sheng swiftly formed seals with his hands, following the trajectory of the cultivation technique "Profound Derivation Array Sword True Understanding," guiding the heaven and earth spiritual qi and the elixir's medicinal energy within him, circulating through his meridians unceasingly.
Wherever the qi flowed, the originally gaseous spiritual power was forcibly refined into solid mana, like a golden stream continuously pouring into the sword pill.
Time slipped by with the flow of qi, and after an unknown period, a crisp "crack" echoed within Chen Sheng.
The barrier that lay between the mid-stage and late-stage of Golden Core was finally shattered by the combined force of the elixir's medicinal energy and solid mana!
At the moment the barrier shattered, the sword pill within the dantian began to spin even more intensely, like a ravenous beast, frantically devouring the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual qi, even forming a small vortex of spiritual qi.
Upon entering the dantian, this spiritual qi was swiftly refined into solid mana, all merging into the sword pill.
The size of the sword pill swelled at a visible rate, growing from its original fist-sized to bowl-sized, its crimson-golden surface becoming even more vivid, and the sword patterns increasingly intricate.
Faintly, countless minute array patterns could be seen interwoven within the sword pill—this was the unique "Array-Sword Unity" phenomenon of the "Profound Derivation Array Sword True Understanding."
In the blink of an eye, several months passed again.
The Spirit Gathering Array on Nine Cloud Peak continued to operate, and the spiritual qi concentration within the cave abode had reached a nearly liquefied state.
Chen Sheng remained seated cross-legged at the center of the meditation mat, the aura around him gradually shifting from initial chaos to stability, a mana wave of late-stage Golden Core unfurling like the deep sea, spreading slowly.
On this day, Chen Sheng finally opened his eyes slowly, a streak of crimson-golden sword light flashing in his gaze, then returning to tranquility.
He raised his hand with a wave, a robust mana surged from his fingertips, coalescing into a delicate and exquisite sword shadow in the air, the array patterns on its surface shimmering, slicing the surrounding spiritual mist in two with a light sweep.
"Finally, I've reached the late-stage Golden Core!"
After breaking through to the late-stage Golden Core, Chen Sheng could clearly feel the fullness radiating from his sea of consciousness, as if a once half-full pond had suddenly been filled, urgently needing to stretch outward.
At this moment, with a thought, an invisible divine sense spread like ripples from his brow, effortlessly dispelling array restrictions, allowing the divine sense to extend without hindrance.
Initially, the divine sense carried a touch of the rawness typical post-breakthrough, yet with the circulation of the "Concentrating and Purifying Mind Technique" in the sea of consciousness, the divine sense swiftly became agile.
The spirit field on Nine Cloud Peak, distant mountains, spirit grass, and even the silhouettes of concubines practicing, all appeared vividly within his perception... When the divine sense extended to ninety-seven miles, it finally halted.
Chen Sheng felt a slight stir within, knowing that among the loose cultivator community, the divine sense range of ordinary Golden Core Perfection Cultivators typically averaged around ninety miles.
And he, having just broken through to the late-stage Golden Core, already reached ninety-seven miles, far exceeding cultivators of the same stage, even surpassing many Golden Core Perfection Cultivators.
The primary reason for such a significant difference lay in the divine sense cultivation technique— "Concentrating and Purifying Mind Technique."
The inner sect secret technique of a Nascent Soul Grand Sect held a value equivalent to an ordinary Nascent Soul Spiritual Object for loose cultivators.
As Chen Sheng entertained this thought, his heart and spirit dove into the sea of consciousness, where a resplendent Beidou Array Map hovered in the center, composed of countless pale golden runes.
Seven main stars were embedded in the array map like celestial bodies, with five of the main stars emitting dazzling light, illuminating the sea of consciousness.
The other two main stars, although not fully lit, also glowed with faint light, seemingly ready to activate at any moment.
This Beidou Array Map was precisely the "Sea of Consciousness Array Base" formed upon cultivating the "Concentrating and Purifying Mind Technique" to the third layer.
Chen Sheng had been cultivating this technique for one hundred and thirty years.
He had attained Sword Heart Clarity early on, exhibiting exceptional talent in this method, persevering through years of dedicated cultivation, aided by various Tier Three God-Firming Pills, Cognition Pills, and more.
The progress of cultivating "Concentrating and Purifying Mind Technique" advanced swiftly, and now with the third layer nearing great success, five main stars were illuminated, enhancing the strength of his sea of consciousness, divine sense range, and perception precision far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.
"A hundred and thirty years of accumulation have finally not been in vain."
Chen Sheng sighed softly, feeling the solid sword pill within his dantian, his heart inevitably recalling his previous cultivation experiences, bringing a faint smile to his lips.
In the past, during body refining and qi cultivation, every breakthrough in realm saw body refining taking the lead.
However, since upgrading his spiritual root to Earth Grade, his talent in qi cultivation completely surpassed body refining, boosting his cultivation speed by forty percent, greatly increasing the efficiency of mana accumulation, thus not only taking the lead this time but also achieving the late-stage Golden Core in half the expected time.
Yunlan Mountain, a gentle breeze stirred a few yellow leaves, slowly landing on the plaza outside the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall.
In the center of the plaza, the Spirit Testing Pillar, which had stood for a hundred years, still retained a faint spirit light. The complex runes carved on its surface gradually dimmed, announcing the official end of this year's family spirit testing.
Around the plaza, clusters of clan members began to disperse one by one.
The children who participated in the spirit testing were either beaming with joy—perhaps they had discovered good spiritual roots—or slightly crestfallen, kicking stones with their heads lowered as they hurried back to their residences.
Chen Xilong stood on the stone steps at the edge of the plaza, holding a pale green jade scroll in his hands.
The jade scroll was about half a foot long, with a warm texture, carved from Tier Three Spirit Jade. The edges were intricately engraved with cloud patterns, smooth and slightly cool to the touch.
It clearly recorded the names, ages, and spiritual root grades of all the clan members who participated in the spirit testing this year. Each piece of information was accompanied by a faint spirit light, indicating that the data had been locked by an array and could not be altered.
His brow slightly furrowed as he ran his finger lightly across the entry for "Lower Grade Spiritual Root," repeatedly scanning the latter half of the scroll's contents, with a trace of unavoidable regret on his face—such aptitude would ultimately find it difficult to achieve greatness.
Just then, a brilliant golden light suddenly flashed across the sky, like a meteor cutting through the sky, carrying a strong mana fluctuation, and rapidly descending not far in front of Chen Xilong.
The golden light dissipated, gradually revealing the figure of Chen Sheng—he was dressed in a White Crane Daoist Robe, with the faint scent of lingering pill fire still clinging to his sleeves.
As Chen Xilong's gaze fell upon Chen Sheng, an intense shock struck his heart—the aura around his father remained gentle as before, yet it was several times deeper than usual, unmistakably the aura of a Late-Stage Golden Core Cultivator!
He quickly collected his thoughts, holding the jade scroll tightly to his chest, and stepped forward respectfully with heightened excitement in his voice:
"Son pays respect to Father! Just now sensing Father's aura, you've already broken through to the late-stage Golden Core, indeed a great joyous event! Son congratulates Father on advancing further in cultivation, drawing nearer to the Great Dao!"
His words were filled with awe and joy.
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Chen Sheng nodded slightly, gently lifting his fingers, a gentle spiritual power supporting Chen Xilong's arm, allowing him to stand up straight, he spoke softly:
"It's merely a small breakthrough, no need for such formalities."
Chen Sheng's gaze swept across the empty plaza and the Spirit Testing Pillar, with a glimmer of understanding in his eyes, he asked:
"Has today's spirit testing just ended?"
"Indeed." Chen Xilong steadied himself and quickly replied:
"Elder brother went to the Northern Territory Sub-Branch to handle spiritual material trade affairs some days ago and has not yet returned, so this year's spirit testing was presided over by me."
As he spoke, he handed over the jade scroll: "This is the result of this year's spirit testing, please have a look, Father."
Chen Sheng took the jade scroll, gathering a trace of weak spiritual power at his fingertips and injecting it into the scroll. It instantly glowed with a faint blue light, and the writings and data became vividly clear in his divine sense.
He read through them quickly, his brows remaining relaxed, without any fluctuations.
From the data, it was clear that this year, about two thousand clan members participated in the spirit testing, but the results were less than ideal.
A third of the children tested "No Spiritual Root," meaning they would never set foot on the path of cultivation, destined to remain mortals and settle in the Mortal Kingdom, where they might manage some mundane affairs and continue the family line.
The majority, however, had Lower Grade Spiritual Roots. Such roots cultivated slowly, and reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage would be difficult for them, mostly becoming peripheral cultivators of the clan, caring for the spirit fields or managing the market.
There were about three hundred Middle Grade Spiritual Roots, considered medium aptitude. With opportunity and resources, reaching Foundation Establishment was not an issue, and a few with outstanding talent might even strive for the Golden Core.
As for High Grade Spiritual Roots, the entire clan detected fewer than fifty, and among the second generation of the Chen Clan, the Earth Grade Spiritual Roots, once not uncommon, were nonexistent this time.
Standing on the side, Chen Xilong couldn't help but add as he looked at Chen Sheng's calm profile:
"Father, this year's situation... one generation isn't as good as the last. But fortunately, the number of children participating in the spirit testing has increased by nearly twenty percent compared to last year, so we found a few decent prospects."
His tone carried a hint of helplessness, as the path of cultivation, where spiritual root aptitude almost determined the starting line, meant that without a good aptitude, no matter the effort put in, it remained hard to catch up with those gifted geniuses.
It was like mortals climbing a mountain where others tread pathways, but those with poor aptitude could only struggle through thorn bushes.
Chen Sheng returned the jade scroll to Chen Xilong, his face remained indifferent, instead, he calmly spoke:
"No matter, spiritual roots are merely the beginning of cultivation, not the end."
Now holding the Myriad Phenomena Sources Return to Spirit Secret Skill, if he truly encountered a determined and talented junior being held back by their spiritual root, he definitely had the ability to enhance their aptitude.
This Myriad Phenomena Sources Return to Spirit Secret Skill was a heaven-defying opportunity, known only to him and Chen Xihua within the Chen clan.
Although Chen Xilong was unaware of the existence of this secret technique, he felt reassured by the confidence in his father's words, and the calm and poised demeanor, as if a great burden had lifted from his heart.
"Son understands, the family is already doing as such."
Chen Xilong nodded immediately, his tone becoming lighter:
"For those Middle Grade Spiritual Roots with standout talent in Sword Dao, Alchemy Dao, or Array Dao, we have arranged for specialized clan elders to teach them. We've even customized cultivation plans, and provide additional Tier Three Spiritual Liquid and Low Tier Elixir Pills each month to assist in their training."
Hearing this, Chen Sheng's eyes flashed with approval, adding:
"Hmm, well done, keep an eye on the situation. If there are truly exceptional children, whether in non-spiritual root talents that far exceed the norm or having a steadfast mentality to persist in adversity, they should be sent directly to Nine Cloud Peak. I shall personally nurture them."
After breaking through to the late-stage Golden Core, cultivation at the Golden Core Realm for him was merely a natural progression.
Next, Chen Sheng would devote more energy to the Alchemy Dao and Array Dao, aiming to reach Tier Four soon and garnering the sect's resource attention.
This wasn't a short-term project, and Chen Sheng was willing to allocate some attention to guide the juniors, as teaching could enhance learning, possibly yielding new insights.
This declaration, however, startled Chen Xilong's heart as to him, his father was now in the late-stage Golden Core and just a step away from Nascent Soul.
Usually either in seclusion cultivating or concocting pills and accumulating resources, it was rare for him to personally instruct the juniors. His willingness to personally nurture indicated the high importance placed on such distinguished children.
Chen Xilong quickly nodded solemnly, speaking firmly:
"Son understands! We will not overlook any good seedlings! I will meticulously observe, carefully select each one, and not fail in Father's trust!"