Chapter 91: I Want to Know the Gap Between Myself and the Heavenly Talents of Central Province!

Cao Xuan and Yu Wan spoke at the same time.

Only then did Immortal Xiang Qiu realize that the two were master and disciple.

After a moment, she said, “In any case, the struggle for this allotment is fierce. Quite a few false-core disciples have come to compete for a place in the Azure Cloud Rosy Cavern.”

Of course Xiang Qiu knew how strongly the Sacred Land of Xuanhua attracted such people.

In truth, they had originally planned to polish themselves for a while longer, then enter the Core Formation stage in their best possible state and strive to form a superior-grade golden core with seven patterns or more.

But the Xuanhua Dao Sect’s requirement this time was thirty Core Formation cultivators, a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators, and a thousand Spirit Transformation cultivators.

That left them no choice but to break through ahead of schedule, and so the Azure Cloud Rosy Cavern, a mystic realm that could increase the patterns upon a golden core, naturally became the best alternative and was fiercely sought after.

Having arrived in the Central Plains, Xiang Qiu naturally understood: how could cultivators in the same realm from some little place like Cloud State compare with those in the Central Plains?

Merely in terms of techniques and spells, a middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Central Plains might be able to defeat a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from other subordinate sects.

Cao Xuan and the others were indeed young, but that also meant they had less time to study spells beyond cultivation itself.

This meant their mastery of techniques was not deep enough, nor were they highly proficient.

The Central Plains, after all, had renowned masters to instruct them; their proficiency would naturally be higher. Add to that the overwhelming superiority of their techniques, and the gap between the two sides became far too great.

As if she knew what Cao Xuan was thinking, Xiang Qiu said indifferently, “Are you thinking that you should first attend the Azure Cloud Assembly, and if you can seize a spot, then all would be well—master and disciple entering the Azure Cloud Rosy Cavern together to cultivate?”

At this moment, not only Cao Xuan, but even the peak masters and personal disciples did not feel there was anything wrong with that.

Cao Xuan was under fifty, which qualified him as a “genius” disciple and allowed him to attend the Azure Cloud Assembly.

Moreover, as a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, he might not be without a chance of obtaining a place. In that case, why should he compete with Yu Wan for Xiang Qiu’s already allotted spot?

Xiang Qiu waved her hand, and a virtual human figure appeared in the void.

Cultivation is cultivation of the body; teaching in this manner yields the best results.

To Cao Xuan, cultivation was not some baseless notion. On the contrary, ever since he came to this world, he had discovered that cultivation was remarkably scientific.

As someone born in Cloud State, Xiang Qiu naturally took this opportunity to explain a great deal to the disciples of her own sect.

“Foundation Establishment, foundation establishment—the building of the Dao foundation. You should know that the Dao foundation is the condensation of a person’s vital essence, energy, and spirit!”

As Xiang Qiu spoke, within the virtual human before them, the energy entering from all directions, the vital essence surrounding the body, and the spirit gathered at the spiritual altar all converged into the dantian.

“And the golden core is born from that Dao foundation!”

A single golden core appeared instantly in the void, causing everyone present to reveal a trace of longing, as though swallowing that core would grant eternal life from that moment on.

Then Xiang Qiu condensed another little figure, who struck the body before him with a palm. Like a soul leaving the body, it instantly transformed into three little figures in different states.

One was coughing blood, gravely injured and drained of strength; one had suffered severe damage to the dantian and was leaking spiritual energy; and one was shaking with a wounded soul, mind clouded and consciousness unclear.

“Vital essence, energy, and spirit determine the success rate of forming a golden core!”

“Not to mention what kind of golden core you form, or whether you can nurture a Nascent Soul. So long as you are not in peak condition, then for a short time afterward, don’t even think about entering the Core Formation stage!”

Cao Xuan and the others understood Xiang Qiu’s meaning. Combined with the matter of the Xuanhua Sacred Land’s allotments, they naturally understood how intense this Azure Cloud Assembly would be.

“In other words, if I’m seriously injured at this Azure Cloud Assembly, then even if I’m given a spot in the Azure Cloud Rosy Cavern, entering it would be a waste.”

Cao Xuan’s words made Xiang Qiu nod.

“Correct. It may not necessarily be a severe injury, but so long as you are not utterly dominant, even a minor injury could affect the results of entering the Azure Cloud Rosy Cavern.”

Cao Xuan frowned and asked faintly, “According to your meaning, Master Ancestor, others should also be worried about injury. Then shouldn’t everyone stop at the proper point?”

Xiang Qiu looked at Cao Xuan, and suddenly smiled brightly, making everything around her seem dim by comparison.

She hurriedly covered her mouth and coughed twice. “Sorry, I just thought of something amusing.”

Cao Xuan’s expression darkened. You’re clearly laughing at me. You never even stopped.

Seeing that he remained silent, Xiang Qiu’s expression turned solemn.

“There is a difference between the cultivators of the Central Plains and those of the subordinate sects.”

“The Central Plains is fiercely competitive, and techniques and spells, as means of protecting the Dao, are likewise of paramount importance in cultivation.”

Xiang Qiu turned to look at Ye Caixuan, Liu Yu, and the other personal disciples, and said with a faint smile, “Unlike your peaceful Cloud State, where emphasis is placed on improving cultivation first.”

“In the Central Plains, mere cultivation level is not enough, so why do you think others will stop at the proper point?”

“No. Even if they do not use their full strength, seventy percent of it may still be enough to severely wound you!”

As a peak Spirit Transformation cultivator, Xiang Qiu had swept the room earlier. Setting aside the four peak masters, among the personal disciples, only the mute girl Xing Mengfan carried a faint aura of killing intent.

Everyone else, even Cao Xuan at the peak of Foundation Establishment, seemed to her like flowers grown in a greenhouse.

Xiang Qiu’s thoughts drifted for a moment.

“Just like when I first broke through to the Core Formation stage.”

The ambush that had taken place when she first formed her golden core had been Xiang Qiu’s most dangerous moment. Even when she had just broken through to Spirit Transformation and been besieged by three demonic Spirit Transformation cultivators, she had never felt that kind of danger.

At that moment, Li Yao was just about to speak, intending to defend her junior brother. After all, in the eyes of this master ancestor, it seemed as if her junior brother was utterly worthless.

But Xiang Qiu merely waved her hand and tossed out a token.

“Enough. I’m only reminding you out of kindness. This is the token for the Azure Cloud Rosy Cavern’s allotment; you can divide it among yourselves.”

After thinking for a moment, she suddenly said, “There’s no need to put too much pressure on yourselves. Even if no one breaks through to Core Formation, once this Azure Cloud Assembly is over, no one will dare act recklessly in Cloud State, even if there is no Core Formation cultivator there.”

Xiang Qiu had such confidence because the her of before had only been the peak Spirit Transformation grand elder of a second-rate sect in the Central Plains.

But the her of later might become a personal disciple of the Sacred Land of Xuanhua, or even possibly its Dao Child.

Then the Qingyun Sect of Cloud State—her own origin—would no longer be something anyone could casually bully. Whether it had a Core Formation cultivator or not, even if some old monster at the Nascent Soul stage came, he would have to consider whether it was worth offending a Sacred Land’s Dao Child over a small territory like Cloud State.

After Xiang Qiu finished speaking, she gave no one else the chance to speak. Her whole figure dissolved with the wind and vanished without a trace.

At that point, Yu Wan handed over the token.

“Xuan’er, your junior master has spoken no wrong. You have a brighter future than I do, so keep this token.”

She smiled slightly. “These past few days of dual cultivation should have made it clear to you as well: even without the Azure Cloud Rosy Cavern, I am still confident I can break through to Core Formation.”

Yu Wan did not care at all that she might have let something slip. Even though Li Yao curled her lips, she said nothing.

Cao Xuan, however, shook his head and pushed the token back, while revealing a look of eagerness.

“Master, then you should also understand this: even without the Azure Cloud Rosy Cavern, even if I’m severely injured and fail to break through to Core Formation this time, I can still recover and instantly advance once my injuries heal!”

Looking at the powerful auras occasionally streaking across the sky, Cao Xuan said indifferently, “I still have a long road of cultivation ahead of me. But since I have come all the way to the Central Plains, I want to know the gap between myself and the geniuses of the Central Plains.”