The Modern Martial Immortal

Nine realms of Golden Core.

If nothing unexpected happened, his future cultivation of the Qi Dao would proceed down this very path. Compared to the existing system of the nine realms of qi refinement and the five major tiers of Foundation Building, this path was far more complete. While it did not necessarily raise the upper limit of combat power, it surpassed the original realms by an entire tier in terms of application.

In other words, once he successfully reached Foundation Building, he would at least possess fifth-tier combat strength. Beyond that, the realms of Unity and Core Formation would make him even stronger.

Yaoguang spent a moment thinking over some details. ”If my expectations are correct, once I reach the Fission Realm, I should be able to kill a Crimson Golden Core from the Great Cangwu World.”

There would be no talk of entanglement, confrontation, or even defeat. Only two outcomes existed. Either he could kill them, or he could not.

Before the Fission Realm, he might not even withstand a single strike. After the Fission Realm, as long as he could endure one blow, he would have countless methods to completely dismantle the stability of the opponent’s Golden Core, causing it to collapse and take its owner’s life. The only issue giving him a headache now was...

If I do not follow the conventional path, many of the pills available on the market will no longer assist my cultivation. Yaoguang inwardly.

Yet this also gave him an idea. He thought of the Immortal Alliance’s overwhelming monopoly over the pill market. If the Nine Cauldrons Sect wanted to overtake them in a different lane in the future, perhaps they could begin with a new cultivation system and a new pill system.

Unfortunately... this new Qi Dao system does not involve pills at all... Yaoguang thought.

In the end, Yaoguang could only offer Wu Qingying some suggestions based on his needs. He hoped she could research pills that would assist his cultivation. Otherwise, qi refinement might drag him down even more than the star god cultivation.

After reflecting on this, he continued digesting the information about the nine realms of Golden Core, pausing in particular on one secret technique. Then his gaze shifted toward the Crimson Golden Core that had been heavily sealed.

”Outer core!” he said.

The secret technique was called the Outer Core Technique. As the name suggested, it allowed one to refine a Golden Core that did not belong to oneself and use it as if it were one’s life-bound astra, drawing upon its power and might.

”Refining an outer core is no easy task, especially since this Crimson Golden Core is highly unstable. But... my realm in psyche cultivation is far higher. With that advantage, I may be able to refine this Crimson Golden Core into an outer core.” Light briefly flickered in Yaoguang’s eyes.

He had already made his decision. However, before formally refining the outer core, he needed to inform Li Hanqiu.

With a thought, his psychic mind projected into a space within the Psyche Kingdom’s Void Psychic World. As his figure manifested, Li Hanqiu and Li Qingshan appeared shortly after. Both looked slightly surprised.

”Yaoguang? Did you call us here for something? There is no need for courtesy. Just speak,” Li Hanqiu said generously.

Li Qingshan nodded beside him. Since Li Hanqiu had already spoken, there was no need for him to add more.

”First, I must thank you both. Even knowing I carry many secrets, you still approved some of my unreasonable requests.” Yaoguang offered a fist-and-palm salute.

Li Hanqiu and Li Qingshan exchanged a glance. They seemed to sense something and could not conceal a trace of delight.

”We should be the ones thanking you. Without you, the Nine Cauldrons Sect would never have reached its current glory,” Li Qingshan immediately said. ”As for secrets, everyone has them. Whether you choose to speak or not, we respect your decision.”

Yaoguang nodded. After a brief moment of thought, he said, ”You may consider my secret as having obtained an inheritance.”

Li Hanqiu nodded. ”We guessed as much. And this inheritance is not from the Great Cangwu World, is it?”

”Hmm?” Yaoguang looked at him.

”Your improvements to array arts, some of your artifact refinement concepts, and even the design of the Purple Firmament Type 16 flying sword are so imaginative that they do not resemble the style circulating within the Great Cangwu World. Combined with your encounter with a squad from the Lunar Fiend Empire, I’m guessing that your inheritance came from one of those Lunar Fiend Empire squad members.” Li Hanqiu smiled. ”Of course, there could be other reasons. After the Lunar Fiend Empire was defeated, most were forced to flee back to their own world. Many who failed to escape hid in surrounding vassal worlds. Depending on their status, they would have left something behind.”

Yaoguang did not refute this. Since Li Hanqiu could accept such an explanation, there was no need for him to elaborate further. In a sense, Li Hanqiu was not entirely wrong. He had indeed obtained many inheritances. Only the method of obtaining them differed from what Li Hanqiu imagined.

”Perfected Master Li, you once mentioned the division of the nine realms of qi refinement and Golden Core from the so-called North Sea battlefield. Do you know the details?” Yaoguang asked.

”I know some.” Li Hanqiu pondered for a long moment before speaking. ”Very well. Since we have time today, Qingshan and I will explain in detail the war against the Lunar Fiend Empire that took place decades ago.”

At these words, both Yaoguang and Li Qingshan straightened slightly, their minds sharpening. Whenever the Golden Core cultivators mentioned the outcome of that war, they spoke hesitantly and vaguely. It was clear the victory had not been as simple as it seemed.

”I did not personally follow the top experts who collapsed their Golden Cores into black holes and counterattacked the Lunar Fiend Empire’s homeland. But from reports sent from the front, I learned of the battle’s details. Among them, the most critical was the North Sea Star battlefield.” Li Hanqiu sighed softly. ”In our vast cosmos, there has always been talk of three thousand great worlds. But ‘three thousand’ is merely a symbolic number. The true count far exceeds that. The North Sea Star is one of those ‘three thousand worlds,’ much like our Great Cangwu World.”

”Another civilization?” Neither Yaoguang nor Li Qingshan found this strange.

How many planets were there in a single galaxy? Hundreds of billions. And how many vassal worlds surrounded the Great Cangwu World? Hundreds of thousands. Therefore, it was perfectly normal for worlds beyond the Great Cangwu World to exist.

Wasn’t the world of the Lunar Fiend Empire itself different from Cangwu? Moreover, some of the methods Yaoguang had previously obtained, such as Heavenly Dao Formlessness and Heavenly Dao Sovereign, clearly did not follow the same path of the Great Cangwu World.

”While we were at war with the Lunar Fiend Empire, they were also fighting the North Sea Star. The reason we were able to rapidly iterate our techniques and move from the paths of Golden Core and Nascent Soul to Fission, Fusion, Crimson Golden Core, and Radiant Sun Golden Core was not solely due to the impact of Lunar Fiend civilization. It was because we drew inspiration from the North Sea Star’s cultivation system. Their system was similar to ours, far more than that of the Lunar Fiend Empire. That was why, within just a few hundred years, we completed the transition and allowed Golden Core cultivators to wield power comparable to the blazing sun in the heavens,” Li Hanqiu said.

”So the original cultivation system of the Great Cangwu World was qi refinement, Foundation Building, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul? And the North Sea Star followed nine realms of qi refinement and Golden Core?” Yaoguang asked.

”Correct.” Li Hanqiu nodded. ”And above those nine realms lies the Void-Piercing Realm.”

He sighed softly. ”In truth, our world’s cultivation system was not inferior. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible for so many people to forcibly collapse their cores into Primordial Voids after only a few hundred years of contact with the North Sea Star. We believe the issue was that we were limited in our thinking, or perhaps there were deficiencies in how we applied fundamental forces. That was why our cultivation paths always lacked destructive power. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would have had to expend tremendous effort to destroy a single vassal world.”

Yaoguang understood. It was like comparing ancient people to modern ones. They encountered different knowledge and approached problems differently. A genius from ancient times, once familiarized with modern society, could still stand at the top.

”To some extent, we only defeated the Lunar Fiend Empire after establishing contact with the North Sea Star and receiving their assistance. That is why the matter was never widely publicized. Those who stood at the peak felt it wasn’t glorious enough. After defeating the Lunar Fiend Empire, that group of Golden Core cultivators, along with the leading Void-Piercing Realm experts, did not return. They went to the North Sea Star instead. On one hand, they sought a more refined cultivation method to resolve their own issues. On the other...” Li Hanqiu paused for a moment before continuing.

”The Lunar Fiend Empire was defeated, not destroyed. They had to ensure that when the Lunar Fiend Empire returned, they would possess enough strength to face them directly, rather than relying on outside aid as before.”

”Did everyone choose that path?” Yaoguang asked in surprise.

”The Void-Piercing experts did. If they distorted space again to return, their states would become even more unstable. As for the Golden Core cultivators... Without the Void-Piercing cultivators to distort space for them, they simply lacked the ability to return,” Li Hanqiu said. ”The so-called hundred-year pact was essentially their final arrangement before departure. Otherwise, how could all those standing at the world’s peak have silently accepted it?”

Yaoguang glanced at Li Hanqiu involuntarily. You, of all people, hardly seem the type to strictly follow rules.

”Ahem... Alright, I have said what needed to be said.” He returned to the main point. ”Since you brought up the nine realms, then you...”

Yaoguang nodded without concealment. ”I possess the corresponding cultivation methods.”

”The complete version?!” Li Hanqiu’s eyes lit up.

”The complete version,” Yaoguang confirmed, then added after a brief thought, ”and of fairly good quality.”

”That’s wonderful!” Li Hanqiu exclaimed, nodding in approval. ”Although our world’s cultivation system has its merits, in the end, sufficient martial strength is what preserves the inheritance of civilization. Qingshan, begin promoting it within the sect at once—”

”Perfected Master Li, please wait,” Yaoguang said. ”The promotion of a brand-new cultivation method must proceed step by step. If everyone converts at once, the sect will inevitably become weak during the transition. If someone seizes that opportunity...”

Li Hanqiu immediately calmed down after hearing this.

”You are right. This must be carried out gradually and with caution.” After thinking briefly, he said, ”I will select a group of talented and absolutely loyal individuals to cultivate the new method. Judging from how smoothly many Core Formation cultivators previously converted into Golden Core cultivators, the compatibility between our two worlds’ methods is high. If the transition succeeds...”

Joy flickered in his eyes. ”The overall strength of the Nine Cauldrons Sect will increase tremendously.”

”Not only that. With these methods in hand, we hold the moral high ground. In the future...” Yaoguang smiled and voiced what many within the Nine Cauldrons Sect had long thought but never dared to say aloud. ”With this inheritance, contending with the Infinite Star Palace for the position of master of the Great Cangwu World will no longer be a mere fantasy.”