Chapter 61: Advancing to the Third-Grade Golden Core

The gentle breeze swept through as the evening glow descended in the west, casting the entire Crimson Cloud Sect into a dreamlike haze. Spiritual energy radiated from the wooden cottage, spreading across most of the sect; even Xie Wujin himself could not fathom the source of this surge. The fusion of the Golden Core, the immortal phoenix spirit, and the Fire-Tail Fowl, together with the century-old bamboo grove, unleashed all the accumulated spiritual energy.

Xie Wujin had sought out the bamboo forest for peace and quiet, never expecting that during his breakthrough to the Golden Core, the Fire-Tail Fowl would come to assist. He sensed that the Golden Core within him was taking shape; if he stood now, he would possess a half-formed core. But he did not rise, knowing a half-formed core was inferior even to a ninth-grade one, offering no hope for future advancement.

The Fire-Tail Fowl closed their eyes, the fire-type spiritual energy within their bodies surging along their tails, igniting into a blazing inferno. These flames converted much of the surrounding non-elemental energy into fire-type, which then converged upon Xie Wujin. His Golden Core grew fuller, finally reaching completion—he had succeeded!

More and more people followed the spiritual energy to its source, witnessing a peculiar sight: Xie Wujin, bare-chested, sitting cross-legged among a flock of Fire-Tail Fowl, meditating as the fowl lounged contentedly around him. Suddenly, an inner disciple exclaimed, “Isn’t this the flock of Fire-Tail Fowl that was wanted before? So this is where they were hiding!”

“Stop!” At that moment, the Swordmaster of the Eastern Gate and Dongmen Qianyun arrived. The Swordmaster declared, “Can’t you see? Xie Wujin is transitioning his Golden Core—no one must disturb him now!”

“Brother Xie finally has the chance to reach the Golden Core stage!” Dongmen Qianyun was visibly excited.

Seeing the Swordmaster present, the inner disciple fell silent. Meanwhile, the Swordmaster spotted Baili Qingyan in the crowd. The instant their eyes met, intense hostility flared between them. The Swordmaster and Baili Qingyan had always been rivals—one supported his father, the other stood with the Great Elder. Both were competitors, outdoing each other day by day.

“Baili, you’d best not interfere either. This man will serve our Crimson Cloud Sect in the future,” said the Swordmaster.

Baili Qingyan snorted coldly, “Relax. My relationship with Xie Wujin is no less than yours. If this lad achieves a seventh-grade Golden Core, he’ll be my man!”

“Hmph!” The Swordmaster grunted but said no more.

All eyes were fixed on Xie Wujin, tension mounting. He began refining his Golden Core, channeling the surrounding energy.

“He’s reached eighth-grade! I can sense it—his core is already at ninth-grade!” remarked a disciple.

Most inner disciples’ Golden Cores were ninth-grade; to emerge at eighth-grade was almost unheard of. The process of refining a Golden Core was much like purifying a gold ore from ten percent purity to ninety-nine percent through relentless forging.

“Impressive lad, truly capable,” the Swordmaster smirked.

“I told you, since Brother Xie is Grandmaster Qin’s grand-nephew, he carries Qin’s blood. When Grandmaster Qin dominated the Immortal Longevity Sect, Brother Xie would never be weak!” Yang Hongliu chimed in.

Xie Wujin pressed on, infusing his Golden Core with spiritual energy.

“My heavens, he’s skipped seventh-grade and reached sixth! A sixth-grade Golden Core!” another disciple exclaimed, incredulous.

The higher the grade, the rarer and more perfect the core, offering immense benefits for future cultivation. With a sixth-grade core, one could begin training advanced techniques early, thanks to its purity.

Dongmen Qianyun had expected Xie Wujin’s core to plateau at seventh-grade, but now it hovered around sixth, startling her.

“My dear brother is truly formidable!” she exclaimed, covering her smiling face.

Yet Xie Wujin encountered fierce resistance—the previously compliant immortal phoenix spirit suddenly grew restless. His brow furrowed, and the Fire-Tail Fowl began clucking in alarm.

The fowl trembled violently; the demand for spiritual energy by a sixth-grade Golden Core exceeded their capacity. Sensing this, Xie Wujin forced all his Golden Core energy out, enlisting the fowl’s help to further refine his core.

Sharing a lineage, the Fire-Tail Fowl absorbed Xie Wujin’s Golden Core energy, though a significant portion leaked into the surroundings.

Many disciples felt the energy pulse and began meditating, leveraging Xie Wujin’s refinement to bolster their own strength. Soon, over a thousand people filled the bamboo grove in meditation—a magnificent sight.

“Fourth-grade! Well done!” the Swordmaster laughed heartily. “This lad is a marvel—perhaps fewer than ten in the entire sect possess a fourth-grade Golden Core.”

“Brother Xie is incredible!” Dongmen Qianyun clung tightly to her brother’s sleeve, overwhelmed with joy. The stronger Xie Wujin became, the happier she was.

Fat Dragon and Slim Tiger joined the meditating throng, greedily inhaling the surplus energy Xie Wujin discarded. Though mere scraps, combined with the bamboo grove’s native energy, it intoxicated the disciples; such spiritual energy was unrivaled anywhere else in the sect.

Advancing to a fourth-grade Golden Core was a major event; at this moment, the seven elders and Sect Master Dongmen Yong arrived.

Dongmen Yong observed the flickering red energy around Xie Wujin, his eyes shining. Ding Desheng, spotting the Fire-Tail Fowl, fumed, “No wonder I couldn’t find these beasts—they’ve been recruited by Xie Wujin. Was last time his doing, too?”

“Elder Ding, our disciple is advancing to the Golden Core; I urge restraint. A fourth-grade Golden Core is a formidable asset for our sect,” Dongmen Yong said.

“Hmph, everyone knows Xie Wujin is close to your daughter. It’s natural you protect him, but he and I have unresolved issues—I won’t let him prevail,” Ding Desheng retorted.

“Third-grade!” At that moment, even Baili Qingyan lost composure, gritting his teeth. “This lad has reached third-grade Golden Core!”

The crowd grew thicker, and Dongmen Yong could barely contain his delight. Ding Desheng was astonished that such an unremarkable youth had achieved such purity.

Unaware of the commotion, Xie Wujin focused entirely on his breakthrough, not realizing over five thousand people now surrounded him.

Among the Swordmaster’s generation, only he and Baili Qingyan had reached third-grade cores; Xie Wujin’s accomplishment was wholly unexpected.

Yet Xie Wujin felt he’d reached his limit, though he still had a trump card.

Just as everyone thought he would falter and settle for a second-grade core, a fist-sized fire crystal appeared in his palm!

Silence fell across the crowd—the value of such a fire crystal was extraordinary.

It was, after all, condensed from the blood of a peak earth-ranked millennial fire python—a treasure beyond imagination.

“Well done!” Dongmen Yong was astonished.