Chapter Fourteen: Forming the Golden Core!

Gu Liuyun fell into deep thought, beginning to recall the interactions he had shared with Chen Jiaojiao over the past days. To claim he felt no emotion at all would be a lie; after all, she was still his woman in some sense.

Seeing him remain silent for a long while, Ye Manman gradually understood a bit more. Her small hand clung tightly to Gu Liuyun’s arm, the grip so firm it seemed to press his arm into her softness.

“Brother Liuyun, I don’t mind. As long as I can always stay by your side, that’s enough,” she murmured sweetly, her body pressed close against his, a faint fragrance drifting into his nostrils—a feast for both sight and touch.

Yet, at this moment, Gu Liuyun’s mind was far from romantic matters. The fragments of the Ascension Stone lodged deep within his spiritual sea seemed to be calling out to him incessantly.

“We’ll rest one night in the Magic City and set out again tomorrow,” Gu Liuyun said.

Eagerly returning to the hotel, Gu Liuyun sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and slipped directly into meditation, immersing himself in his spiritual sea.

At the depths of his spiritual sea, a soft yet mysterious light flickered amidst the darkness. Approaching it, Gu Liuyun saw that the glowing object was none other than the dusty fragment of the Ascension Stone. Intricate and profound runes were carved upon it, shimmering with a mysterious radiance that inspired awe.

“So this is the Ascension Stone,” he thought. This was the very thing he had risked his life for in his previous existence!

Though it was only a fragment, Gu Liuyun’s heart surged with excitement. He instinctively reached out to touch it. At that moment, a beam of light flashed, and a vast surge of spiritual energy poured directly into his body.

The spiritual energy gathered wildly within him, coalescing in his dantian into a small cyclone.

Foundation Establishment Stage, level five...

Six...

Seven!

His cultivation soared three levels in succession, yet the influx of spiritual energy showed no sign of slowing. Gu Liuyun now seemed like a bottomless pit, greedily absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.

The streams of spiritual energy rushed like roaring rivers, flooding into his body in a mad scramble, producing a deep, thunderous roar reminiscent of an ancient beast’s howl.

The air in the room seemed to be drained dry, forming a visible vortex of spiritual energy with Gu Liuyun’s body at its center.

Such a spectacle left Ye Manman astonished. She had long suspected that Gu Liuyun’s fortune was different from theirs, but she had never imagined it to be so terrifying.

His aura climbed steadily, leaving Ye Manman incredulous. Within mere hours, his cultivation had reached the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage!

A Foundation Establishment expert barely in his twenties!

Such a prodigious speed of cultivation!

At that moment, a dazzling pillar of light shot up from Gu Liuyun’s body, piercing the sky. The once clear heavens darkened abruptly with thick clouds and rolling thunder. Purple arcs of lightning leapt through the clouds as if the entire world trembled at Gu Liuyun’s breakthrough.

This extraordinary phenomenon shook the entire cultivation world.

“This is the sign of Nascent Soul formation!”

“After so many years, could there finally be another Nascent Soul expert emerging?”

In the adjacent room, Ye Qingqing—who was busy dressing—saw the spectacle and was so shocked she dropped her comb.

“Gu Liuyun has actually... broken through to Nascent Soul?!” she exclaimed, eyes wide with shock and jealousy.

Such a young Nascent Soul genius was rare even across all of China.

The thought that such an outstanding man had nearly become her husband filled her with regret.

Meanwhile, in Tiancheng City, the Chen family ancestral hall.

Chen Jiaojiao knelt, while several Chen family elders glared at the young enchantress with disappointment.

“You! How could you do such a foolish thing in the secret realm?”

Chen Jiaojiao shook her head stubbornly. “No matter how much you oppose, what’s done is done. I will not marry anyone but Gu Liuyun!”

The chief elder wiped his face wearily. “You should have been disciplined properly since childhood. You wouldn’t be so reckless.”

“What can we do? The little princess of the Chen family has grown up, and we can no longer control her,” the second elder said with a helpless smile.

“Tell me, which young man did you find to propose on your behalf?” Chen Hui, the family head, asked indulgently.

Chen Jiaojiao pressed her lips together. “I’m afraid it won’t work. He... he already has a fiancée.”

Chen Hui’s face darkened with fury. “What did you say?”

The chief elder furrowed his brows sternly. “If he is already betrothed, you must not entangle yourself with him. You must abandon this idea at once!”

Chen Jiaojiao was about to argue when suddenly she sensed an unusual fluctuation of spiritual energy in the air.

Chen Hui and the elders rushed out of the hall and looked up to see the phenomenon in the sky. They were filled with astonishment.

“It’s a Nascent Soul breakthrough, heading toward the Magic City. Could it be some ancient elder making a breakthrough?”

“No, we haven’t heard of any old master on the verge of breakthrough recently.”

An uncanny feeling stirred in Chen Jiaojiao’s heart, and she blurted out, “Is it him?”

“Do you know who made the breakthrough?” Chen Hui asked.

“It just feels like it’s him,” Chen Jiaojiao replied.

“How old is he this year? You don’t mean to say you found a centenarian, do you?” the chief elder frowned deeply.

“Uncle, what are you thinking? He’s about my age,” Chen Jiaojiao blushed faintly, unsure whether it was shyness or anger at the elder’s words.

“To break through to Nascent Soul at such a young age, this young man’s future is limitless…”

Sitting on the hotel bed, Gu Liuyun slowly opened his eyes. He felt his strength had completely surpassed the Qi Refining Stage, officially stepping into the first level of Nascent Soul.

“Brother Liuyun, you’re amazing,” Ye Manman gazed at him with admiration.

Gu Liuyun smiled casually. To him, the Nascent Soul Stage was merely a small starting point on the immortal cultivation path.

“Since you’ve advanced to Nascent Soul, shouldn’t you also help me…” she purred, her eyes shimmering like silk as her small hand traced circles on Gu Liuyun’s chest.

Gu Liuyun wrapped his arm around her slender waist. “Of course.”

The two tumbled onto the bed together.

They spent a sleepless night.

...

The first ray of morning sunlight fell upon the sheets. Ye Manman was so exhausted she could barely move; her body felt as if it might fall apart.

Several times during the night, she nearly fainted.

After a night of dual cultivation, her strength rose from the seventh level of Qi Refining to the first level of Foundation Establishment—a considerable gain.

Gu Liuyun’s power advanced to the second level of Nascent Soul.

Though the pace had slowed considerably, this was perfectly normal.

After breaking through a realm, the spiritual power gained with each upgrade multiplies exponentially.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t like it?” Gu Liuyun whispered near her earlobe.

“You villain!” Ye Manman playfully punched his chest with a rosy fist.

Having ascended, her enchanting figure had blossomed further. Her skin was porcelain white with a rosy glow, like a tempting peach.