Chapter 82: If One Lacks Talent, Shouldn’t One Build a Solid Foundation?

With a soft swish, several cabin doors slid open at once. The four Peak Masters and five personal disciples all gathered before Cao Xuan’s door, waiting for him to emerge.

Li Yao and Yu Wan wore the most concerned expressions, while the others looked on with curiosity. As for Jin Tiehua and Liu Yu, after traversing the Central Continent and sensing countless powerful auras flashing by, their hostility toward Cao Xuan had lessened considerably. In the end, it all boiled down to a woman. Their hearts were devoted to the Dao, and women, in their eyes, only served to distract one from cultivation.

Such was the worldview of the Xuanhua Continent, which also explained why, when Cao Xuan previously gifted elixirs to Lin Miaoxuan and Chen Qianru, the effects were so pronounced. Male cultivators could not comprehend it, while female cultivators found themselves defenseless against such “sugar-coated shells.” Or perhaps, it was more accurate to call them “elixir-laced cannonballs.”

Li Yao had grown more beautiful, and for a fleeting moment, the baser instincts of Jin Tiehua and Liu Yu stirred, causing them to view her with a touch of fondness. However, as cultivators, their minds soon reasserted control over their impulses. Li Yao clearly showed no interest in them, nor did they possess the necessary dual-cultivation techniques. In essence, Dao companions, to their minds, were simply partners on the path—fellow seekers of the Way. Yet such partners offered no tangible benefit to one’s own cultivation. What they sought was a union of equals, not a mutual hindrance.

Yu Wan’s previous Dao companion had, in fact, been taken from Li Zhiyun. Though Li Zhiyun had never truly cared for that senior brother, Yu Wan later sensed his indifference toward her as well. Without affection or shared aspiration on the Dao, even his eventual passing brought her only a few days of sorrow; now, she could scarcely recall his face. After a century on the Talisman Peak, any who lacked extraordinary talent gradually faded into the recesses of Yu Wan’s memory.

With a faint creak, the wooden door opened, and Cao Xuan stepped out. His aura was tranquil, as if he were a mere mortal.

“Oh, everyone is here… uh, greetings to Master, Martial Uncle Li, Martial Uncle Wang, Martial Uncle Yuan!”

With his elders present, Cao Xuan was careful to observe the proper courtesies.

The Peak Masters nodded in approval. Their own personal disciples, having been raised on the mountain since childhood, were rather lacking in decorum. By contrast, Cao Xuan stood out as exemplary in their eyes—gifted, highly cultivated, and impeccably mannered. He was, in short, the ideal personal disciple.

The moment Li Yao saw Cao Xuan, she called out, “Senior Brother Cao!” and made to rush toward him.

But in an instant, Yu Wan caught her by the collar, as though seizing fate itself by the throat.

“Li Yao, mind your manners! It’s one thing to be unruly on the mountain, but how can you behave so improperly out here?” Yu Wan scolded. Although she did not truly resent the closeness between Li Yao and Cao Xuan, a century of cultivation had instilled in her certain conventions: at Dharma Protector assemblies, Elder Councils, or even Peak Master meetings, everyone maintained a respectful distance in public, never drawing nearer than several paces. Thus, it was ingrained in Yu Wan that such intimacy in front of others was wholly inappropriate.

Li Yao replied weakly with an “Oh.” She might be innocent, but she was not foolish enough to dual cultivate with Senior Brother Cao under the gaze of so many. No matter how desperate her longing, she would not go that far. She simply wished to be close to him again—after all, it had been a full month since she had last felt his presence. She swore, since the day Senior Brother Cao entered Talisman Peak, she had never been apart from him this long.

“Senior Brother, did you break through?” Li Yao asked, her voice faint.

“Yes, I did,” Cao Xuan replied. He did not mention that he had not only reached the peak of Foundation Establishment but had also attained the Pseudo-Core stage, where essence, energy, and spirit were perfectly unified. In fact, if he wished, he could break through to the Core Formation stage at any moment. Yet, when he first intended to do so, his heart was struck by a strange premonition—as if fate itself was warning him. Should he advance directly, the golden core he would form would be ordinary, nothing more.

“I wonder what determines the patterns on a golden core?” Over the past year, he had learned much about the Foundation Establishment stage. Whether it was the Warden Scripture, as mentioned by Peak Master Li Zhiyun, which could nurture a Six-Pattern Warden Golden Core, or the Rune Cloud Scripture of their own Talisman Peak, which could produce a Six-Pattern Talisman Golden Core, these were possibilities only in the most ideal circumstances. In reality, forming even a Three-Pattern Talisman Golden Core was considered extremely fortunate.

“My Heavenly Talisman Codex is the most supreme Foundation Establishment technique in existence. With its support, my Dao foundation is unshakable. If I can seize the moment, I may well form a Six-Pattern Golden Core, or even, with the help of Foundation Establishment Pills to replenish my essence, energy, and spirit, perhaps a Seven-Pattern Golden Core if fortune favors me.” Such were Cao Xuan’s musings after his breakthrough.

Knowing that there existed even Nine-Pattern Golden Cores, and that his own talent and aptitude were unremarkable, he was determined to lay the strongest possible foundation. He still had little understanding of the significance of golden core patterns. In Yunzhou’s Qingyun Sect, only Sect Master Yu Qingsong had reached the Core Formation stage, so Cao Xuan had yet to study this aspect in depth. On this journey to the Central Continent’s Qingyun Sect, he resolved to seek out more advanced knowledge of post-Foundation cultivation.

“So long as you’ve broken through, that’s wonderful! We can now add another participant to the upcoming Qingyun Grand Gathering!” Yu Wan said with delight. According to the sect master, even cultivators at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment could earn a place. For someone like Cao Xuan, not yet fifty and already at the peak of Foundation Establishment, there was no reason he would not qualify.

Yuan Dan, the Peak Master, also smiled and said, “Back in the day, little Granduncle also reached the peak of Foundation Establishment and entered the Qingyun Grotto, breaking through straight to the Core Formation stage and becoming a figure of renown.”

“Perhaps Cao Xuan might achieve a similar feat!” the surrounding Peak Masters Wang Tie and Li Zhiyun echoed.

In their hearts, however, they did not truly believe Cao Xuan could rival their little Granduncle. Their tone was more that of elders encouraging a promising youth—like praising a clever child and saying he was sure to get into the nation’s most prestigious universities. To them, Cao Xuan’s performance was outstanding; he might not make it to the very top, but he would certainly do well.

By agreeing among themselves, the Peak Masters were tacitly acknowledging that the quota for the Qingyun Grotto rightfully belonged to Cao Xuan—there was no need to assign it elsewhere. In the cultivation world, sects valued inheritance most of all. They sought out geniuses in hopes of passing their legacy down through the generations. Cao Xuan’s talent surpassed their own; though his aptitude was only comparable, he had nevertheless reached the peak of Foundation Establishment at an early age. Even if, in their eyes, he was only at the initial peak, and even if entering the Qingyun Grotto did not guarantee a breakthrough to Core Formation, it would at least allow him to stabilize his cultivation and unify his essence, energy, and spirit. Who knew—perhaps upon returning to Yunzhou, Cao Xuan would enter seclusion and become the second youngest Core Formation cultivator in Yunzhou’s history, after their little Granduncle Xian Xiangqiu.

“All right, that’s enough. Everyone disperse—Cao Xuan has just broken through and needs time to stabilize his realm,” Yu Wan said, visibly relieved after confirming Cao Xuan’s advancement. She turned and entered her own cabin, calling to Cao Xuan:

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and come in. Your breakthrough this time was far too reckless—you didn’t even notify your master!”