Half a year slipped away like sand between fingers, silently vanishing into the clouds of Nine Cloud Peak.

Chen Sheng sat cross-legged atop the Profound Yellow Stone at the peak, where the surface had been polished smooth as jade by his long years of meditation, reflecting his half-open eyes.

A faint silver glow surrounded him, an anomaly where his divine sense merged with the mists, breathing rhythmically, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy and transforming it into pure mana to nourish his spirit sea.

In his spirit sea, a jade bottle over a zhang tall was suspended in the void, its body clear as ice yet exuding the warmth of moonlight.

The Moonlight Water inside had condensed into a semi-transparent liquid, so clear it reflected the entangled lotus patterns engraved on the bottle's wall.

With a slight twitch of Chen Sheng's thoughts, thousands of hair-thin Moonlight Needles rose from the water.

The shadows of these needles gleamed with a cold light, precisely piercing the last fingernail-sized patch of black mist on the bottle wall—remnants of distracting thoughts.

"Sizzle—"

The Moonlight Needles collided with the black mist, emitting a faint sound.

The black mist churned violently, attempting resistance and dissolution, yet under the continuous piercing of countless Moonlight Needles, it gradually thinned, eventually dissipating into specks of light absorbed into the Moonlight Water below.

The bottle shed the last speck of dust, becoming pure and flawless, as if carved from fine mutton fat jade, with the patterns on its body crystal clear.

Seven days and nights of continuous contemplation were finally accomplished.

Chen Sheng slowly opened his eyes, a flash of clarity passing through them, as if he could pierce through the cloud sea to reach the heavens.

He instinctively released his divine sense, spreading it like a tide, touching each node of the Mountain Protection Array around him, able to clearly see the trajectory of the runes' flow.

The ten thousand mu of spirit fields beneath Nine Cloud Peak, even the dew rolling on the Cloud Heart Rice leaves was clearly discernible, reaching into the hills of Jiuhua Peak, sensing the heavy magnetism within the mountains.

"Thirty-eight li."

Chen Sheng silently calculated, nodding lightly.

The divine sense range of an average mid-stage Golden Core cultivator was about forty li, and he was now nearing the mid-stage Golden Core level.

He focused his divine sense on the Mountain Protection Array of Nine Cloud Peak, and the scene before him suddenly changed, the thin mist phantasm covering the array blew away like wind, revealing the intertwined spiritual power veins inside.

The weak points he had painstakingly identified were now laid bare under his divine sense's scrutiny, the runes' flow as clear as palm lines, allowing him to vaguely anticipate the next moment's spiritual power direction.

"Shattering Illusions and Revealing Truth, truly profound."

Chen Sheng silently praised in his heart, complementing the inherent ability to shatter illusions from the perfection of the second layer of Concentrating and Purifying Mind Technique, ensuring that deploying the Forbidden Breaking Divine Light in the future would pinpoint the restriction nodes with precision.

Meanwhile, in the center of his spirit sea, a jade seal three inches square hovered silently, the Four Symbols God-Sealing Seal he had cultivated for decades.

The jade seal was dark gold in color, engraved with complex runes, with the spectral images of the East Cyan Dragon, West White Tiger, South Vermilion Bird, and North Black Tortoise circulating on it, radiating a faint luminescence.

As his divine sense improved, the runes on the seal became increasingly deep and profound, seemingly harboring mysteries of the Heaven and Earth Laws.

This core spiritual sense secret technique from the Four Symbols Demon Sect balanced offense and defense, ranking among the top of the many spiritual sense techniques in the Three Elements Dao Sect.

Over decades, Chen Sheng consumed numerous Spiritual Supplement Pills and Spirit Storage Pills, nurturing it with various heavenly materials and earth treasures, finally achieving minor success recently, refining an imposing god-sealing seal with a lifelike appearance.

"With my near mid-stage Golden Core power of divine sense, combined with this god-sealing seal..."

Chen Sheng mused, as the jade seal in his spirit sea quivered slightly, emitting a pressure to suppress the divine soul:

"If encountering a cultivator of the same stage, unprepared, would surely cause their spirit sea to tremble, it's indeed a trump card."

Above the cloud sea, the fierce wind brushed Chen Sheng's robe, causing a rustling sound.

He slowly stood, the silver glow around him receding, while he could still clearly sense the flow of spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

The perfection of the second layer of the Concentrating and Purifying Mind Technique not only expanded his divine sense range but also elevated his perception of the surrounding world to a new level.

Thus, his skills in alchemy, array formation, and magical combat will subsequently improve.

...

Another half month passed, and in the cave mansion of Nine Cloud Peak, warmth pervaded.

Luminous beads embedded in the stone walls emitted a gentle glow, illuminating the interior as if it were daylight.

On a stone table carved from Cold Moon Stone, a purple sand clay tea pot emanated swirling steam, with dragon patterns carved on its spout faintly visible in the light, and the Spirit Tea brewed inside exuded a refreshing fragrance that lingered throughout the cave mansion.

Chen Sheng reclined on a couch covered with White Fox Fur, holding a Mutton Fat Jade Cup in his hand, the tea inside clear with two tender green tea leaves floating.

He appeared relaxed, his gaze on the few maids standing silently—they wore simple, elegant silk long dresses, tidying the cave's furnishings with gentle movements.

Chen Xihua, dressed in a cyan outfit, stood respectfully by the stone table, his posture tall and erect as a pine. Seeing Chen Sheng take a sip of tea, he bent slightly and spoke, his voice clear and respectful:

"Father, in three more years, the Five Elements Secret Realm will open. I plan to venture there then, to prepare for Core Formation in the future."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng set down the jade cup in his hand, his gaze resting on his son, nodding lightly:

"The Five Elements Secret Realm is indeed a good place, most suitable for you."

He continued:

"In that secret realm, the Five Elements Spiritual Qi is abundant, nurturing not a few Core Formation Spiritual Objects, especially the 'Five Elements Fruit' borne by the Five Elements Treasure Tree. It is the core spiritual object for refining the Five Elements Golden Core Pill; if you can find it, it will be greatly beneficial for your Core Formation."

Chen Xihua nodded in agreement, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes:

"I've also heard of the Five Elements Fruit's magical effects. It's said that the Five Elements Golden Core Pill refined from it not only surpasses the Water and Fire Refining Golden Core in success rate but also adds Five Elements foundation to the core, greatly aiding future study of the Five Elements Divine Techniques."

Chen Sheng nodded slightly, recalling his own planning across two lives for Core Formation, feeling deeply moved, he spoke again:

"With your aptitude and the Five Elements Golden Core Pill, Core Formation is almost a certainty. You are now in the late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm and should make early preparations for Core Formation."

Hearing this, Chen Xihua nodded gently.

Chen Sheng had always balanced ease and tension in cultivating his offspring, encouraging them to fend for themselves once they reached the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After all, the path of cultivation must ultimately be walked by oneself; too much support would only limit their growth.

With the resources of the Daoist Sect, Chen Xihua, Chen Xiyun, and Chen Ximei were not a cause for much concern to him, requiring only occasional guidance at crucial times.

Speaking of the family's current situation, Chen Xihua's face showed some pride:

"The other brothers and sisters have now all established their own pursuits."

"They founded the Chen Clan Commerce Association in Three Elements Immortal City under the family's name. The business is thriving, earning enough Spirit Stones to support the family's daily expenses."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng's eyes revealed a trace of satisfaction.

Back when he had those with slightly lesser aptitude establish the Chen Clan at Yunlan Mountain, it was his hope that they could rely on their abilities to gain a foothold in the cultivation realm.

It now seemed these descendants lived up to his expectations—not only did they branch out, but they also earned Spirit Stones through the commerce association, allowing the Chen Clan to establish a firm standing in Three Elements Immortal City.

Of course, Chen Sheng's reputation played a part, but so too did their efforts.

Chen Xihua took the opportunity to refill Chen Sheng's tea, speaking softly:

"Lately, elder brother earned the favor of an Inner Sect Elder from Three Elements Immortal City, who mentioned offering them some conveniences."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng merely smiled, as the elder had already reached out to him with a simple goal—marriage alliance.

He raised his cup and drank it all in one go:

"That's quite good. Their achievements are also the result of their own efforts."

He looked at Chen Xihua, casually granting him two Tier Three High-Grade Life-Saving Talismans, just in case.

"You focus on preparing for the Five Elements Secret Realm, no need to worry about the family. If you need anything, just ask."

Chen Xihua accepted the talismans, bowing in respect:

"Thank you, Father. I will do my best not to disappoint your expectations."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.