Two Realms: I Will Become the Immortal Emperor

Chapter 271: Chapter 244: The Four Tribulations of Core Formation and the Gourd’s Grade

Meanwhile, inside the Sacrificial Hall, Chen Che was studying the Soul Nourishing Incense.

The so-called ”Nourishing the Soul” meant to nourish one’s Divine Soul.

It had the effect of enhancing one’s Divine Sense. Although it couldn’t compare to Divine Court Incense, its effects were three times that of Concentration Incense.

”A hundred sticks of Tier Three Low-Grade Soul Nourishing Incense, all delivered at once. What a grand gesture!”

At the same time, Chen Che couldn’t help but ponder the intentions of the Great Chen Royal Family. Their almost sycophantic attempts to befriend him were truly surprising, because strictly speaking, the Great Chen Royal Family was stronger than Jinyun Valley...

’To be overly attentive for no reason means you’re up to no good. How could there be so many freebies in this world?’

They must have seen some value in him, or in what was behind him. At most, they had their eyes on his Alchemy Skill.

After pondering for a moment to no avail, Chen Che decisively gave up. He never made things difficult for himself.

He would just deal with it as it came.

Their eagerness to befriend him was, at least, better than them bearing ill will.

Although he reckoned that if he put his mind to it, he could probably squeeze some benefits out of the Great Chen Royal Family, why bother?

Backed by two worlds and with Jinyun Valley at his disposal, all he wanted was to focus peacefully on his Cultivation. Sooner or later, he would become an Immortal Emperor.

「Back to Earth Element Star for class.」

...

...

Zhurong Daoist School was bustling with activity today.

Students from every department, who usually had classes in different areas, all came pouring out today.

It was because there was a major lecture today.

Every major lecture involved the entire student body. Students normally scattered across different departments would gather together, and sometimes, even teachers and students from other invited schools would come to audit the class.

As he pushed open his door, a clamor of voices filled his ears.

As far as the eye could see, the sky and ground were filled with flying students.

”Today’s lecture is about Core Formation?”

Chen Che had just walked out of his dorm when he heard this news from Ye Youwei.

”Teacher Li is the main speaker, along with several Nascent Soul Academicians. If you want to apply for graduate studies, you can’t miss this class. Core Formation is nothing like Foundation Establishment; it’s much more difficult...”

Ye Youwei’s expression was very serious.

She had always been the model of a good student, never even skipping an elective where attendance wasn’t taken, let alone a major lecture concerning Core Formation.

’They’re already starting on Core Formation?’

After a moment’s thought, Chen Che realized it was perfectly normal.

After all, the students at the Daoist School were elites from all the Immortal Sects. They were already at the Foundation Establishment stage upon enrollment, and many would face Core Formation before graduation. You couldn’t compare their progress to that of students from other schools.

On the way to the main lecture hall, he also saw Ye Zhihan.

The other young man was dressed in a white shirt and black pants, wearing sneakers, no different from when they first met. He still had the air of a sunny, upbeat young man, giving off a vibe of returning to simplicity. Seeing Chen Che and Ye Youwei, he simply stopped and waited for them.

”Eighth Layer?”

Seeing the other nod, Chen Che couldn’t help but exclaim, ”Your Cultivation speed is truly something else!”

”You’re also giving off an increasingly unfathomable aura.”

Ye Zhihan smiled and shook his head.

’If we really fought, I might not be his match!’

Chen Che’s mouth twitched slightly, and he said nothing.

’As expected of the one judged to be the number one of the current generation. This kind of Cultivation talent is truly terrifying; ordinary Cultivators don’t even seem to be the same species as him. The feeling he gives me is several times more dangerous than the likes of Cao Xiong or Zhou Jing.’

While he was marveling at this, little did he know that Ye Zhihan was also secretly surprised:

’How on earth does he cultivate? The feeling he gives off is just like a Golden Core True Master... I can’t see through him, I can’t see through him at all. He seems to be quite a bit stronger than me. If we were to fight, I’m afraid that even if I used all my trump cards, I still might not be his match.’

Qiu Beixuan, who was passing by, watched the two of them engage in this round of mutual flattery and didn’t dare to interrupt.

The main lecture hall, located in the center of Zhurong Daoist School, was a valley.

It was said that before the Daoist School was even founded, the Dean used to give sermons here. At its peak, the audience numbered over ten thousand Golden Cores and several hundred Nascent Souls.

The valley still retained its original form, with circular tiers of steps surrounding a huge platform in the center.

At this moment, students were already seated on all the pumpons.

Seeing Chen Che and Ye Zhihan walk in, talking and laughing, many people looked over in surprise. There had always been a rumor in Zhurong Daoist School that the two were ”two kings who don’t meet,” so it was unexpected that their private relationship was actually quite good.

On the platform, several Nascent Soul True Monarchs were organizing their documents, clearly making final preparations.

A bell rang.

An Escape Light descended and dissipated, revealing the figure of Li Tingyu, dressed in a white skirt with an amber anklet:

”Class begins!”

”Hello, Teacher!”

The next moment, all the students in the main lecture hall rose to their feet in unison.

...

Besides Li Tingyu, seven other Nascent Soul Academicians were also teaching. They each shared their own experiences with Core Formation and also explained its difficulties.

Chen Che summarized it: there were four major hurdles in total.

Two of them were the same as for Foundation Establishment: Divine Sense and True Essence. Qi and Blood, on the other hand, did not seem as important as during Foundation Establishment.

The other two hurdles were the Heart Demon Tribulation and the Triple Thunder Tribulation.

Failure at any of these hurdles would result in the failure of Core Formation. This was especially true for the last two; the slightest mistake could even lead to death. The difficulty was worlds apart from that of Foundation Establishment. But the most critical point was:

For Core Formation, no one could help.

Under the constraints of the laws of heaven and earth, when a Cultivator was Crossing the Tribulation, outsiders were completely unable to interfere.

If one were to rashly get involved, not only would it strengthen the tribulation, but they would also become entangled in karma, which could even affect their future Cultivation and their own tribulation crossings.

Therefore, under such strict rules, even Nascent Soul True Monarchs and Divinity Transformation Ancestors did not dare to casually intervene when their own direct descendants were Crossing the Tribulation.

Chen Che took notes very diligently.

He knew that even on Earth Element Star, many Cultivators failed at Core Formation every year.

’Now that I know what’s required for Core Formation, I should start preparing early. I can’t wait until I’m at the Eighth or Ninth Layer to begin; that would be too rushed...’

Closing his notebook, Chen Che nodded in satisfaction.

Besides explaining Core Formation, the lecture also covered many other problems related to Cultivation.

As expected of Academician-level Great Powers, they could unravel many of the usual complicated issues in just a few words. After class, all the students hurried back to their dorms to review the day’s lesson.

But Chen Che didn’t. He deliberately stayed a step behind and turned to enter the office building.

”Report.”

”What brings you here? Did you not understand something from the lecture?”

Li Tingyu was sitting cross-legged in the void, resting with her eyes closed. She turned her head toward the sound.

”There were a few things...”

Chen Che walked in obediently.

He picked out a few difficult questions, and Li Tingyu patiently explained them all, putting special emphasis on the Heart Demon Tribulation. ”Actually, for students of your generation, the Triple Thunder Tribulation is the easy part. The hardest is the Heart Demon Tribulation.”

”That’s because ancient Cultivators acted in a way that kept their minds free and unburdened, or they simply traveled the mortal world to cleanse their souls. In the era of the Immortal Sects, life is fast-paced and students lack broad experience, so it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. As a result, they accumulate many lingering regrets over their lifetime.”

Chen Che very much agreed.

It’s equivalent to what mortals call the ’white moonlight’ or the ’cinnabar mole’—unforgettable for a lifetime. And in certain situations, these suppressed, lingering regrets will surge forth, impossible to contain.

It’s also like losing an argument because your brain short-circuited for a moment, and you regret it every time you think about it.

Cultivators have the seven emotions and six desires too, so naturally they also encounter such situations.

”Other than advising you to be open-minded, I don’t have any personal suggestions. If you really can’t be open-minded, then do your best to keep your thoughts clear and unburdened. The so-called ’traveling the mortal world’ is actually about tempering your determination to seek the Dao.”

Chen Che nodded. In that case, he really wouldn’t have much of a problem.

Because he was always quick to take revenge, he basically didn’t have any emotional baggage.

”Teacher Li, there’s one more thing I’d like to ask you about. I have a friend who’s planning to write a Xianxia novel. Yesterday, when he was discussing the plot with me, he said the main character finds a Gourd. Then he described the Gourd in detail...”

”Then he got stuck on the Gourd’s tier. He didn’t know how to write the next part. So he came to ask me, but I don’t know much about Spatial Magical Artifacts, so I can only ask Teacher Li.”

Chen Che didn’t dare say too much, speaking vaguely, and then proceeded to describe the restrictions and the misty conditions he had seen inside the Gourd in full detail.

Li Tingyu, for her part, wasn’t suspicious.

The hobbies of the student population were often very strange, and it was easy for certain fads to form, spreading from individuals to the school, and then to other cities.

”That’s a very exaggerated description! Your classmate is still in the Qi Refining Stage, right?”

But after listening, Li Tingyu frowned. ”Just by undoing one layer of restrictions, the Gourd has a space of 20,000 yards. That’s a Tier Four Middle-Grade Magical Artifact at the very least. And according to you, there’s another layer of Sealing that hasn’t been removed...”

Chen Che nodded.

There was indeed another Sealing inside the Gourd, but he wasn’t sure if it was just that one layer.

Although he had refined the Gourd, because of the existing restrictions, he could only be considered half its master at best.

”A Tier Five Spatial Magical Artifact has a space of 100,000 yards, and a Tier Six has a million yards. This is the basic standard for judging Spatial Magical Artifacts. The Dean’s Heaven-Filling Map has an internal space of 2,360,000 square yards. As for that Gourd, I can’t answer...”

”Because until the Sealing is undone, no one can determine its tier.”

Li Tingyu was very rigorous. Even as a guess, she wouldn’t give a definite answer.

”If—and I’m just saying if—this Gourd actually existed, what kind of origin would it have?”

Chen Che emphasized this several times.

”Oh, its origin could be one of many. Either the Gourd seed fell into a spatial rift, or it landed on a void Crystal Stone, or for some other reason, it absorbed the Power of Space and finally grew into such a Gourd.”

This time, Li Tingyu spoke very smoothly, clearly being extremely knowledgeable on the subject:

”This is a natural-born Spatial Magical Treasure. After being nourished, it can continue to grow. I believe I mentioned the difference between a Magical Artifact and a Magical Treasure in class, didn’t I?”

”You did...”

Chen Che nodded, but felt a slight sense of regret. Although he had learned a lot about the Heaven-Filling Map, he still hadn’t figured out the Gourd’s tier.

Just what tier was it.

He was afraid he would only find out after undoing that restriction.

After leaving Li Tingyu’s office, Chen Che took a detour to Zuo Yishan’s office.