Cultivation is just so scientific!

Chapter 535: Chapter 314: Beginning

Li Shiming did not rush his breakthrough, instead giving himself a month to reflect slowly and consolidate the insights he had previously gained.

This is also what most cultivators do before a breakthrough, as advancing in this manner significantly increases the chances of success.

Although Li Shiming was confident in his upcoming breakthrough, this was still his physical body, the foundation of his cultivation, where not a single flaw was permissible, let alone any hurried mistakes that could harm the fundamental.

It was only with his avatar, Li Yuanba, that he was comparably more casual, as it was just an avatar, after all.

That month, he abandoned all other affairs, reviewing his understanding of the Five Rhymes Qi Cultivation Technique and the Nine Heavens Thunder Strike Technique to deepen his mastery of these two cultivation techniques.

Outside his residence on Sword Holding Peak, the formation at Heavenly Eye Peak was activated to its limit, encapsulating Sword Holding Peak within it.

Sword Holding Peak was indeed a mountain within the Heavenly Eye Peak range, where Elder Su, regardless of the consumption of spiritual energy, could cover the entire mountain range with Heavenly Eye Peak’s formation.

In reality, Elder Su was being overly cautious. Even under normal circumstances, within the Shushan Sect, with the Sect Formation in place, no cultivator would dare to run wild.

Elder Su’s actions also let other cultivators in the sect know that Li Shiming was about to break through to the Golden Core Stage.

This news excited all the Golden Core cultivators within the sect, especially those in the Middle and Late Stages of Golden Core.

Previously, the Golden Core Early Stage cultivators were fine. They could enjoy the Third Grade Spirit Pills refined by Li Shiming, which were the best among high-quality Third Grade Spirit Pills.

However, due to Li Shiming’s limited cultivation realm, the Middle and Late Stage Golden Core cultivators could only watch helplessly.

Even recently, many Middle and Late Stage Golden Core cultivators had started to store the rare Third-grade Spiritual Medicines they obtained, instead of hastily seeking an Alchemy Master to refine them into spirit pills.

They were waiting for Li Shiming’s breakthrough. If Li Shiming could refine Third-grade Spirit Pills for them after his advancement, not only could the quantity of spirit pills be guaranteed—allowing them to receive two Third-grade Spirit Pills from one batch—but the quality would also be assured. Given Li Shiming’s track record of never failing, the pills he refined would likely be much more potent than those produced by other Alchemy Masters.

Every Third-grade Spiritual Medicine is obtained by Golden Core cultivators through great risks and efforts. Naturally, they all hoped for more and better-quality spirit pills and thus wished for Li Shiming to advance to the Golden Core Stage as soon as possible.

Within the Shushan Sect, even Elder Ji, who originally opposed Li Shiming, had abandoned the idea of being his enemy.

Opposing Li Shiming could very likely cause Elder Ji’s influence within the sect to disintegrate.

A month quickly passed, and Li Shiming, sitting cross-legged in his cave dwelling, opened his eyes, which sparkled with five types of radiance and occasional flashes of lightning.

Yet, his heart was calm, feeling that he was in the best state after a month of adjusting.

He cast several communication techniques, then his figure flew to a clearing at the summit of Sword Holding Peak.

There, a formation for gathering Spiritual Power had already been arranged to ensure sufficient spiritual energy during his advancement.

He sat at the center of the formation, waiting with a clear mind.

Soon, Elder Su and Elder Ma appeared, followed by three Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, among whom was Li Shiming’s second senior brother, Wan Zheng.

Wan Zheng’s feelings were complex as he observed Li Shiming’s ascension to Golden Core. When Li Shiming entered the sect, he was at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment, and he remained there through the early, middle, and late stages of Li Shiming’s Foundation Establishment.

Eventually, Li Shiming surpassed him, reaching Half-step Golden Core, and he no longer wanted to compare himself to Li Shiming.

And yet, seeing Li Shiming today still subconsciously made Wan Zheng compare himself to him, making him wonder what he had really achieved in nearly a century of cultivation.

The two Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators that Elder Ma brought were his disciples.

Such opportunities to observe a Golden Core advancement ceremony firsthand were incredibly rare, and without deep connections, it would not be possible for others to attend.

The more cultivators present as spectators, the greater the risk of complications.

Even a slight problem could jeopardize a cultivator’s advancement, which is a critical event that absolutely must not encounter any issues. Therefore, Li Shiming had invited only Elder Su, Elder Ma, and their qualified disciples to observe.

Not only Li Shiming but in the future, whether for Wan Zheng or Elder Ma’s disciples, they would likewise need to invite the closest cultivators to their ascension to the Golden Core Stage.

This is a tradition of the sect, handed down from generation to generation.

Elder Su, Elder Ma, and the three Late-stage Foundation Establishment disciples were all very quiet, staying far from the formation, fearing that their presence might affect Li Shiming’s breakthrough process.

Li Shiming did not speak, nor did he even open his eyes; in this situation, the advancement was of utmost importance.

He did not want to let a simple greeting disturb the state of mind he had adjusted over the past month, something his two mentors understood.

Shortly after the observing cultivators arrived, Li Shiming waved his hand, and five Third Grade Five Elements Array Materials were thrown by him, landing on the ground.

These landing points were very special, forming a simple Five Elements Qi Absorption Array without conflicting with the existing formation for gathering Spiritual Power.