Time passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, five months had gone by.
Green Willow City.
The long stretch of rainy days had ended, giving way to the gentle warmth of spring. Flowers were in full bloom, their fragrance wafting through the streets and alleys. Among them, the cherry blossom trees stood out the most, painting the city with hues of pale pink. A sudden breeze swept through, shaking loose a handful of petals that drifted gently through the air, scattering like snowflakes across the cityscape.
Cloud Phoenix Inn – Inner Courtyard.
Within a secluded room, Su Chen sat cross-legged, his posture unmoving. For the past five months, he had remained in that very spot, immersed in deep cultivation.
The room had once been filled with spirit stones, but now only a few scattered fragments remained. The majority had been completely absorbed by Su Chen during this time, fueling his rapid progress. His cultivation had advanced from the mid Foundation Establishment stage to the peak of it. At this very moment, he was attempting to break through to the Core Formation realm.
He knew that joining a sect was inevitable—not just for access to cultivation resources, but also to better conceal his identity and keep a low profile in the treacherous world of cultivators.
Soon, Su Chen felt a faint crack emerge within his body.
The surrounding spiritual energy, which he had absorbed over the past months, began to condense into a thin, liquid form. Following the technique described in the Wood Sovereign Script, he began the intricate process of forming a core.
Ancient, glowing characters surfaced across his skin, like living tattoos etched by a power far older than time itself. The liquid qi within his meridians began to compress—slowly, steadily—forming a dense mass at his dantian.
A seven-colored radiance surged within his body, the signature of the Innate Sacred Dao Fetus Physique. This rare multicolored energy intertwined with the liquified qi, merging seamlessly as it solidified into a nascent core.
Boom! Boom!
A powerful surge of seven-colored energy shot out from the newly formed core, so intense it looked as if it might shatter the roof above him. But just as it reached a distance of ten meters from his body, the light abruptly vanished—dissipating without a trace.
The lingering shockwave rippled through the air, rustling his robes and sending his long, unkempt hair—grown wild over the past five months—dancing in the wind.
But he didn't stop cultivating.
He could feel it clearly—the breakthrough into the Core Formation Realm had deepened his comprehension of the Wood Sovereign Script. The technique had advanced from the second level to the third. New information surged into his mind, revealing the details of a supernatural ability called Sky-Peaking Hand—a technique that could condense a massive hand made of qi, used for both offense and defense. Its power, he realized, would scale with the strength and understanding of the user.
Without delay, he began to study its method of execution. For the next hour, he quietly comprehended the profound structure and flow of the technique. Once he had fully grasped it, he gradually stopped circulating the script within his body.
The ancient glowing letters that had formed across his skin slowly faded away, dissolving one by one. At the same time, the twelve meditation points within his body ceased absorbing spiritual qi from the environment, signaling the end of the cultivation session.
Then, he slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. Most of the spiritual stones had been fully absorbed, though a few remained in a half-drained state, faintly glowing with residual energy.
Rising from the lotus position, he stood up and stretched his body. A light groan escaped his lips.
"Ahh... finally, this boring phase is over. I can finally enjoy some relief."
Then, he activated his Wood Sense—a supernatural power unique to the Wood Sovereign Script—allowing his perception to spread outward in all directions, covering a radius of two hundred miles. His consciousness merged with the environment, flowing through trees, plants, and the very essence of the forest.
He could sense it clearly—the trees were brimming with vitality, their presence exuding a faint sense of joy. It was as if the entire ecosystem was celebrating.
Only then did he realize the reason: spring had arrived.
A faint sense of surprise flashed in his eyes. Five months had passed. When he had first entered this city, it was the beginning of the rainy season—yet now, without him even noticing, it had already become spring.
Through his connection with the plants, Su Chen could hear distant conversations carried along the life force of the environment.
"Hey, son, take care of yourself, alright? Don't worry about us. Just do your best to become a disciple of the Thousand Peak Pavilion!"
A father's voice, filled with concern and hope, echoed from somewhere far away—probably from another city entirely. His poor teen son was likely dragging a bag bigger than himself, chasing dreams of glory.
And it wasn't just one family. From across towns, villages, and cities, he could sense similar discussions—eager voices, anxious hopes, and countless dreams all centered on one event: the upcoming disciple recruitment of the Thousand Peak Pavilion. And the location? Mist Island, the sect's legendary trial ground.
Su Chen leaned back with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"When I first got here, I heard all six major sects were recruiting. Now it turns out only the Thousand Peak Pavilion is actually doing it? And it's in just one month?"
He looked at the dim spirit stones scattered around him. Most of them were drained dry. His expression twitched.
"Honestly, I didn't plan on joining any sect. Thought I could play lone wolf. Be cool. Independent.And just survive ,But after spending nearly ten thousand high-grade spirit stones just to go from Foundation Building to Core Formation..."
His eye twitched again.
Even with a heaven-defying physique and unparalleled cultivation talent, I still need vast amounts of resources to progress. Talent alone isn't enough.
With that, he stood up and stepped toward the door of his cultivation room. Reaching into his sleeve, he retrieved the inn's token and deactivated the room's protective formation.
But instead of walking out through the door, Su Chen activated the Five Elements Escape Technique. His figure began to blur, shimmering faintly like ripples across water. A breath later, he vanished completely.
In the next moment, his body reappeared at the inn's reception hall.
The same receptionist was seated behind the counter—though she was wearing a different outfit today. She looked up, blinking in surprise at his sudden appearance.