The Core Formation Stage

Exactly like the Energy Refinement Stage before it, the Core Formation Stage consisted of six realms: Envelopment, Compression, Unification, Elevation, Tri-Core Resonance and Golden Core.

During the Envelopment Realm, a cultivator would first select one of their Dantians–most commonly the Middle one–and begin to build a 'shell' of Energy at the very edges of it. It would have to be thick and durable enough to handle the pressure that was to assault it from within and the outside, yet could not be completely solid either–after all, then it would not be malleable enough. Getting everything just right would take a lot of extensive trial and error for those with no cultivation-related Talents. Additionally, the requirements for Energy concentration were extremely high, as the 'shell' would consume significant amounts of it.

Following the successful completion of it at the very ends of the Dantian, the cultivator would have to begin shrinking it inward, further condensing all the Energy contained within. This was usually referred to as the Compression Realm. By contracting the 'shell' a tiny bit, some space between it and the edges of the Dantian would be available once more, which the cultivator would then direct new Energy from outside of the Dantian into.

Shrinking the 'shell' with one's own will and pressuring it with newly introduced Energy from the outside simultaneously was both exhausting and a delicate matter. After all, it was possible to burst one's own Dantian during this process, if one wasn't careful.

Once the 'shell' had become smaller until the point that only the Foundation was left within–as well as all of the Energy that had been condensed to a terrifying degree–the cultivator would move on to the Unification Realm. There, the 'shell', the Energy, the Foundation as well as a part of the cultivator's soul would be fused together into a new whole, at the same time further compressing it all, until solely a single core will be left behind. There were many names for it, but the most common one was 'Proto-Core'.

The Elevation Realm aimed to further advance and refine this Proto-Core, by making it absorb as much Energy as possible, the exact amount of which differed from person to person. During the Body Refinement Stage, one would instinctively realize once no further progress could be made, and that was also the case here. Pushing for greater heights as soon as one had reached this point would simply end in tragedy.

Reminiscent of the Tri-Culmination Realm of the Energy Refinement Stage, the Tri-Core Realm required basically the same: To repeat what one had done in one's chosen first Dantian in the other two as well, until one ended up with three Proto-Cores that would resonate with each other. This would open the gates to the final step of this cultivation stage: The Golden Core Realm.

Due to the resonance between the Dantians and cores, the cultivator would be graced with a second opportunity to elevate the quality of their Proto-Cores, turning them into the eponymous Golden Cores. But why were they named after this colour in particular? The reason for that was fairly straightforward: It was the colour of Huang Xian's core when he had been in this cultivation realm!

Depending on one's Technique, aptitude, various Talents, personality and even experiences, the final core's colour would change. Very often amongst the more outstanding folk, numerous mystical patterns could also be found on them.

There was technically no real end to the Golden Core Realm, as one could attempt to continue refining their cores for quite a few cultivation stages to come. What qualified one to progress even further was fully transforming one's Proto-Cores into Golden Cores–no matter how horrendous their quality, or how much they were still lacking. Obviously, anyone with the slightest bit of hope for the future would not choose to break through immediately, as doing so could potentially lead to an unstable foundation later on, especially if one rushed ahead too quickly in the cultivation stages to come.

'That should be all, right?'

Recalling everything that Theodore had told her and Xie Mei, Han Junqiao compared it to what had been written in her family's books, noticing a few select differences, although no drastic ones. After all, the Core Formation Stage–in the great scheme of things–was still considered to be extremely weak. Despite the Jun branch having fallen from grace, they had easy access to this information, as well as direct accounts from their ancestors to reference.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on creating that 'shell', eagerly absorbing the unprecedentedly concentrated Energy all around her. At first, it felt like no change was happening at all, no matter how much of it that she poured into her Middle Dantian. However, eventually, after the Energy contained within reached a certain threshold, she finally managed to focus some of it at the very edges of her Dantian in a uniform manner.

At this stage, it was primarily a waiting game, mostly influenced by how fast she could introduce new Energy into her system, and only very slightly by her actual skill in building the 'shell'. Due to her Cultivation Savant Talent, everything proceeded smoothly and naturally, albeit not as fast as she would have ideally liked.

By the time that the 'shell' was finally completely formed, and she was ready to step into the Compression Realm, the night had already begun. Of course, as a cultivator, she would need progressively less sleep the stronger that she became, but relaxing for a few hours every day was still valuable, even if it would 'merely' reinvigorate her mind.

Sensing that her physical Standard Attributes had once again doubled, Han Junqiao's heart beat faster in excitement, before a certain glumness set in. She truly regretted having followed the ordinary Body Refinement route, as this had left her physique's foundation, which would grow twice as strong with every breakthrough, in a pitiful state.

'Oh well, there is nothing that I can do about it now. Master already told me that I would have a chance to make up for this regret in upcoming rounds of the Heavenly Succession, so there is no need to lose sleep about it now.'

Opening her eyes, she noticed that Theodore and Xie Mei were both still seated on the cultivation mats next to her, although the two of them seemed to have long since finished their sessions for the day. Apparently, they had been waiting for her to wrap up.

"Congratulations on your breakthrough, Qiao'er!"

Excited to see her friend's progress, Xie Mei showed a bright smile. Despite the fact that none of them would find it difficult to come this far, taking a step further still deserved to be commended.

"Thank you, Mei'er. How did I go on your end? And on Master's?"

Interested in knowing about how well they had fared, Han Junqiao acknowledged Xie Mei's praise with a nod, before glancing at her and Theodore, a slight sparkle in her eyes.

"I just entered the Dantian Transformation Realm! I'm glad I could finally continue cultivating. Not being able to do so during our travels was a bit... stifling."

Furrowing her brows in discontent, Xie Mei recalled the last seven days, during which she had been uncomfortably aware of the lacking Energy concentration all around her. Finally, she understood why the Imperial Han Family members rarely left their cities–to be outside felt a bit miserable. If she had been all on her lonesome, she might have grown irritated, but fortunately, she had been in good company.

"While the two of you are charging ahead, I'm still just a pitiful and weak semi-cultivator."

Heaving an exaggerated sigh, Theodore shook his head and shrugged helplessly, as if lamenting the fact that he had not yet formally stepped on the path of cultivation.

"Oh boohoo, cry louder, so that even those outside of the Isolation Array can hear you! What realm are you at now? The 2,000th?"

Amused by his melodramatic charade, Xie Mei rolled her eyes at him.

"Not quite. The 3,357th. But hey, your guess wasn't too far off."

Patting her shoulder in an encouraging manner, Theodore smiled innocently, with a hint of playfulness twinkling in his eyes.

"... are you still improving by more than 370 realms per hour?! Seriously, just how far are you planning to go?"

Dumbfounded by his revelation, she didn't even bother to keep up the act and merely shot him a flabbergasted stare. At the same time, she moved closer and snuggled up to him, letting him hug her comfortably.

"... that's hard to say, as it depends on too many factors. I just need to reach 400 billion Endurance. After that, I can implement my Energy Vein-related plans. Once that is done, it will be mostly pointless for me to continue staying in the Body Refinement Stage. But we'll see."

Both of the young women felt at a loss for words. While they had known that he was trying to raise his Endurance as far as he possibly could, they hadn't been aware that what he was aiming for was such ridiculously high of a number. What kind of cultivation stage would that even equate to? Would it be doable to reach it in the first round?

"Master, are you trying to turn into some sort of cockroach?"

Struggling to portray a serious look, the corners of Han Junqiao's lips nonetheless rose a little as she asked this question.

"... you could put it that way. I'm afraid that the God Emperor of Cockroaches will have to hand over his crown. If I'm in a good mood, I'll even make him a Retainer."

His expression just as earnest as hers, he 'seriously considered' the matter, all the while spouting absolute nonsense with nary a change in his countenance. Other than a barely visible smirk.

"Oh? I'm getting a junior, then? I'll be looking forward to it!"

Smiling brightly, her efforts to keep her composure resulted in her being barely able to stifle her laughter. When Xie Mei giggled at their antics, she couldn't help herself and all that she had suppressed burst forth all at once, leaving her breathless and wiping away a few tears soon after.

When she jestingly glared at her Master, who had chuckled to himself a few times as well, she felt an odd, familiar sensation reminiscent of a déjà vu, as if she had witnessed this kind of banter before.

'... that's how he usually behaves towards Mei'er...'

As the two of them stared at each other, a peculiar atmosphere tinted the surroundings, one that even Xie Mei soon became privy to. Raising an eyebrow before pouting slightly, she snorted and stood up, grabbing Theodore's hand and dragging him with her to the bathroom.

"Time to stop dawdling! We've got an entire week to make up for! See you tomorrow, Qiao'er~!"

Responding to her friend with a wave, Han Junqiao was still absent-minded. Her gaze followed the two until they disappeared into the building, then she stared at the ground in silence, lost in thought, yet not sure how she felt about her situation. Or what choice to make.

'Do I like him? I think so. And he... seems to treat me more affectionately as well. But... I'm not sure. If we ever cross that line... he'll definitely never let me go. He's the possessive type, I can tell.'

Even ten minutes later, when she was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, she was still contemplating. Admittedly, she was scared of committing herself to what her heart couldn't deny that it wanted. Yet she was also aware that she couldn't drag it out forever. Sooner or later, the temptations would win.

Burying her head underneath her pillow to drown out the noises echoing outside, she blushed heavily and her breathing quickened. Squeezing her thighs together, she grimaced helplessly. Involuntarily, she imagined what it would be like to be more involved in what was happening than right now, where she was merely listening.

'I swear, he's definitely not just doing this because Mei'er likes it!'

As the collateral damage of the pair of lovebirds, she really didn't have it easy. She unavoidably had to deal with the heat which was building up inside. Fortunately, this at least left her exhausted enough to fall asleep.