Chapter 15: The Path to Golden Core

Tianming sat cross-legged in his room, his black robes slightly disheveled from the exhausting events of the day. His mind replayed everything—the deadly confrontation, the oppressive aura of the Tang Family elder, and the overwhelming might of the Aurora Silk Serpent's essence flaring within him. The sheer gap in power between him and a true expert had never been clearer.

"I need to grow stronger. Fast," he muttered to himself, clenching his fists.

Ever since the essence of the Aurora Silk Serpent's general awakened inside the Heaven Boundary Monument, he had felt an immense amount of Qi circulating within him. It surged through his sea of consciousness and his meridians, refined from the remnants of the Serpent's terrifying aura. The sheer quantity and purity of this Qi were enough to propel him into the Golden Core Formation Realm instantly—if only he could control it. But therein lay the problem. The energy felt like a boundless ocean trapped within a narrow riverbed, ready to flood and destroy everything in its path.

Tianming took a deep breath. He couldn't afford to let this chance slip by. He had acquired a wealth of spirit stones from the Tang Family's elder, and now was the perfect time to use them.

He reached into his spatial ring and pulled out several high-grade spirit stones, their translucent forms pulsating with pure energy. With practiced precision, he arranged them around him in an intricate formation. This wasn't just any Qi Gathering Formation—he had extracted the knowledge of a superior version from the Seven-Colored Herb Spirit Deer's inherited memories. The deer's affinity with nature and cultivation had given it insights into formations beyond human comprehension. Though Tianming lacked the rare materials to perfect it, even this incomplete version would be leagues ahead of any formation found in Ling City.

He began etching the necessary symbols onto the ground with a faint stream of his spiritual energy. Each stroke emitted a soft, golden glow, forming interconnected pathways that would guide the flow of Qi. His movements were fluid, precise—every line an expression of profound knowledge.

Once the formation was complete, Tianming activated it by channeling his spiritual energy into its core. Immediately, the spirit stones trembled, and the entire room was bathed in a soft radiance. Qi surged through the air like a raging tide, rushing toward him with an almost uncontrollable force.

At that moment, in another part of the house, Li Yuyan stirred.

She had dozed off while reading, a thick book still resting in her lap. But the sudden influx of Qi snapped her awake. Her sharp eyes flickered toward Tianming's room.

"That boy… what is he up to this time?" she muttered, sighing as she lifted a delicate hand. With a simple gesture, a hidden formation beneath their house activated, masking the enormous surge of Qi from any prying eyes outside.

Back in his room, Tianming had already assumed a meditative posture at the heart of the formation. The pure Qi flooded into him from all directions, fusing with the energy already coursing through his body. He focused inward, drawing the chaotic storm of Qi toward his dantian.

The Golden Core Formation Realm was a crucial stage, often called the 'True Beginning' of cultivation. A cultivator had to condense all their gathered Qi into a single, refined Golden Core—a process that determined the foundation of their future strength. But for Tianming, this was no simple condensation.

The Qi within him wasn't just immense—it was wild, unruly, and overwhelmingly foreign. The essence of the Aurora Silk Serpent's general was no ordinary energy. It belonged to a creature that rivaled humanity's strongest.

As soon as he attempted to guide the Qi toward his dantian, his body convulsed.

A violent storm erupted within him. The Qi rampaged like a beast in a cage, lashing out against his meridians and internal organs. Blood leaked from the corners of his closed eyes, his nose, his mouth, and his ears.

"Damn it…!" Tianming gritted his teeth, enduring the agony.

If he lost control now, the sheer pressure would shatter his meridians and destroy his dantian, leaving him crippled or dead.

He forcefully channeled the Qi Gathering Formation's energy into himself, trying to use the external Qi to suppress the chaos within. But the moment the two energies clashed, his entire body trembled as if it was being torn apart from the inside.

His breathing grew ragged. His vision swam. The world blurred around him.

He could feel his dantian reaching its limit—on the verge of rupture.

Was this it? Was this where he died?

Tianming clenched his fists. No. He had survived too much to let this be his end. He refused to be a mere footnote in the grand war of the Myriad Realms.

In a moment of desperation, he roared in his mind:

"I am your king! Your master! OBEY ME!"

At that instant, something changed.

The spiritual energy from the Seven-Colored Herb Spirit Deer flared up, intertwining with his own consciousness. His sea of consciousness trembled as the energies fused, forming an invisible force of suppression over the rampaging Qi.

His body was still shaking violently, but he felt a sliver of control return to him.

Summoning every ounce of his willpower, he forcefully compressed the chaotic ocean of Qi, shaping it into a single point within his dantian.

The moment the condensation process began, the energy within him reacted. The Heaven Boundary Monument's golden scriptures flickered, radiating a mystical light that seeped into his body.

The immense pressure reached its peak.

Tianming's body trembled violently, his veins bulging as if they would burst. The storm of Qi let out one last rebellious surge, attempting to break free.

But then—

A deafening roar echoed in his consciousness.

A dragon's roar.

His dantian trembled as a brilliant, golden light erupted from within.

At the core of the storm, a single, perfect Golden Core had formed.

Tianming's entire body shook as the remaining Qi flooded into the newly formed core, stabilizing it. The pain faded, replaced by an overwhelming sense of power.

He gasped, his eyes snapping open. His entire room was bathed in a golden glow, his body radiating a majestic aura.

He had done it. He had broken through to the Golden Core Formation Realm.

His breathing was still uneven, but a triumphant grin spread across his face.

But as he examined his newly-formed Golden Core within his dantian, his expression changed.

Unlike a normal Golden Core, his bore nine dragon claw markings.

And as he focused on it, he heard the faintest echo of a dragon's roar from deep within his being.

—

In another room, Li Yuyan smiled faintly.

"So… he broke through?" she murmured, closing her book. "I was getting worried for a moment."

She stretched lazily, then returned to her chair, as if nothing had happened.

—

Tianming, still staring at his dantian, clenched his fists.

His strength had risen tremendously. In Ling City, he was now a true expert.

And this was just the beginning.