"How do you know we'll be here for two thousand years?"0 Wang Sheng still had more questions to ask, but the sword spirit no longer responded to his telepathy.0 "Fine. I guess I’m really going to be trapped here for two thousand years..."0 Feeling a bit frustrated, Wang Sheng yawned. He was sore and aching with numb pain all over. 0 He forced himself to stay focused and endured the searing pain that seemed to be tearing him apart. Unfortunately, despite several attempts to sit up straight and assume a meditation posture again, he ultimately had to give up.0 Instead, he simply closed his eyes and began cultivating in his current position. Using the small amount of spiritual consciousness that he had recovered, he prepared to guide the primal qi in the area into him.0 The moment he extended his spiritual consciousness, Wang Sheng was startled. What are these streams of primal qi flowing in midair?0 Even the naked eye could see that not all the light around him came from the surrounding multicolored crystals. The air itself also shimmered with iridescent glows. Carefully examining it with his spiritual consciousness, Wang Sheng quickly realized that the concentration of primal qi here was more than a hundred times greater than in the places he usually cultivated.0 Even more astonishingly, as soon as his spiritual consciousness stirred, the streams of primal qi floating around him surged toward him. Wisps of qi poured into him through every pore, nearly causing his fragile body to explode from the pressure.0 This cultivation environment was truly unparalleled. If someone threw a rotting log here, it would probably become a druid in just a few decades.0 It all made sense, though. When the Heavenly Qi Seal was lifted, primal qi flooded Earth, making cultivation possible again. Right now, he was effectively inside the Earth Qi Seal itself. An inexhaustible amount of primal qi was stored here.0 What is this supposed to be? A blessing in disguise after surviving a great calamity?0 Wang Sheng sighed deeply. Setting aside his joy, he immediately began silently reciting the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra.0 He dared not absorb too much. Instead, he carefully guided the weakest wisp of qi he could manage and dropped it onto his Golden Core as gently as a soft breeze or fine drizzle.0 His thumb-sized Golden Core immediately began to tremble faintly. It was dim, but a tiny portion of its surface also glowed.0 Wang Sheng continued dripping qi onto his Golden Core, lighting it up bit by bit. He did not know how long this process took, but it concerned the foundation of his future cultivation. Hence, he had to proceed with utmost caution even though he was eager to notify his senior sister that he was still alive.0 Unfortunately, he still hadn't healed from his severe injuries, and his soul was still weak. He was enduring all this through sheer willpower.0 Soon, he completed his Golden Core's first stage of recovery. Though it was still cracked, it regained its ability to absorb primal qi and repair itself. 0 Wang Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. His tense spirit finally relaxed.0 He allowed his Golden Core to draw in and circulate primal qi on its own, slowly mending the fractures. After some time, he leaned his head against the cold, rainbow-colored celestial crystals and fell asleep.0 Wang Sheng dreamed that he had cultivated for two thousand years, become an immortal, and escaped this place.0 Just after escaping, a mysterious cosmic force attacked the Hua Republic. Ugly aliens bombarded regions across the nation, while numerous Grand Immortal-Ascension Realm cultivators flew nuclear bombs hidden in storage artifacts into outer space to perish with the enemy warships.0 Then, he appeared with a sword in hand, defeating a horde of evil tentacled creatures. Soaked in vibrant multicolored blood, he stood proudly above Earth’s clouds.0 Wang Sheng’s Dao Heart trembled. Turning his head, he saw his senior sister flying toward him on a cloud, unchanged in the slightest. He rushed forward and opened his arms, but he brushed past her as they crossed paths.0 Turning back again, he saw his senior sister holding a boy who bore a few facial similarities to him. She murmured, “Thank goodness you’re safe, Junior Brother. Your father died young, and your mother didn’t take care of you properly...”0 Lightning struck the immortal swordsman.0 Wang Sheng shuddered awake, his mouth dry and throat parched. He instinctively stood up, and a gust of wind swept under him, chilling him.0 So it was just a dream… Thank goodness… 0 Wang Sheng sighed in relief and awkwardly covered a certain part of himself. Remembering the underwear artifact that he never got to use in battle, he felt a twinge of regret. His first artifact had been destroyed for no good reason!0 Just as Wang Sheng was about to find something to cover himself, a rumble echoed from within. Enchanted power surged forth all over him.0 He turned away and sat facing the wall. Observing his inner state, he couldn't help but be stunned.0 When did my injuries heal?0 Not only were his injuries gone, but his cultivation realm had taken a major step forward!0 The majority of his dark-golden qi sea was still calm. However, at its edges, waves of enchanted power surged outward, each one seemingly expanding his qi sea even further. It was already several times larger than when he had first entered the Earth Qi Seal.0 This expansion far exceeded what he experienced when he broke through to the Golden Core Realm!0 Perhaps this was the benefit of having a powerhouse possess him.0 Due to his larger qi sea, Wang Sheng’s capacity to store enchanted power had increased severalfold. His recovery speed and maximum strength had likewise grown exponentially. Moreover, subtle insights began blooming in his mind. He calmly contemplated them, gaining a deeper understanding of the Pure Yang Immortal Mantra.0 So I can break through first, then comprehend afterward why and how it happened? And I can cultivate in that way, too? That's such a reckless cultivation method!0 It was like boarding the ship first and buying the ticket later. 0 Please let this happen more often, Wang Sheng hoped. 0 He was still admiring the vast expanse of his qi sea when the source of the rumbling caught his attention.0 When he had fallen asleep earlier, his Golden Core had been covered in cracks. Now, it looked like a longsword with a dark-golden brilliance. It floated upright at the center of the qi sea. Under its tip spun a tiny vortex connected to the sea, rapidly circulating enchanted power.0 Above the sword, several clusters of cyan clouds had gathered. Bolts of multicolored lightning from the clouds repeatedly struck the Golden Core within the "sword shell," yet it remained unaffected. It did not even tremble.0 Where is the shattered mess I saw before I fell asleep? Also, why is there lightning inside my body? Where did those cyan clouds come from?0 Fairy Yaoyun's voice echoed in Wang Sheng’s mind.0 "That's a Golden Core tribulation. It means your Golden Core has reached peak quality and is now free of all impurities. While you're still at the Golden Core Realm, it'll be impossible to improve it. You should enter seclusion and meditate for a while. It should be easy for you to break through to the late stage of the Golden Core Realm."0 Wang Sheng stopped observing his inner world and opened his eyes. He looked around but did not find the three-inch-tall sword spirit. She clearly found him a bit indecent at the moment and was feeling slightly embarrassed.0 Touching his head, he noticed that his hair had started to grow. It was a bit prickly, likely only beginning to regrow now that he had fully recovered.0 "You have slept for seventy-two days."0 Wang Sheng quickly asked, "How's my senior sister?"0 "She's still outside, standing guard. She is now only a hundred zhang away from you."0 Wang Sheng sighed. It wasn't that far, yet he could no longer cross such a distance.  0 He raised his left hand and placed it against the celestial crystals before him. The moment he touched them, he sensed that even at full strength, he wouldn't be able to leave a mark on them. Not even his Heavenly Ziwei Sword Art could help.0 He wanted to see through the supposedly translucent crystals, but their glow and internal lattice structure blocked his vision.0 Outside the Earth Qi Seal, Mu Wanxuan stood quietly in her simple robe. The breeze stirred the ends of her hair, but she felt no gentleness in it. She pressed her small hand gently against the crystal wall. Her gaze showed a trace of longing—a trace of memory.0 Inside the Earth Qi Seal, Wang Sheng asked worriedly, "Is there any way to let my senior sister know I'm still alive?" 0 "Unless the seal is broken, nothing can be done."0 Wang Sheng sighed quietly and stared at the celestial crystals before him. He then looked at his Golden Core, which was on the verge of completing its tribulation.0 It had been hit with seventy-two strikes of lightning. Perhaps it had some hidden meaning, but Wang Sheng was in no mood to ponder it. All he knew was that his Golden Core had endured.0 Just as he was about to focus elsewhere, he noticed the fading cyan clouds. He did not know where they came from; they seemed to have appeared out of thin air.0 How were these clouds formed?0 The sword shell of his Golden Core trembled. Two sword cries echoed within him as the shell flipped over, pointing its tip upward. Under Wang Sheng’s control, it stabbed into the dissipating cyan cloud.0 Dual-Polarity Sword Intent!0 Tiny Tai Chi diagrams appeared around the Golden Core’s sword shell. They slowly spun, stirring the cyan cloud and slowing its dispersal.0 "What are you doing?" Yaoyun asked curiously.0 "Investigating," Wang Sheng replied casually. It was bold of him to attempt to analyze a tribulation cloud while still at the Golden Core Realm.0 In his previous life, Wang Sheng had spent years researching cultivation online. He had seen theories like Swallowing a Golden Core to Defy Heaven's Will, Using a Lightning Rod to Survive Tribulations, and A Primal-Qi-Devouring Super Bacteria's Potential to Destroy the Cultivation World.0 Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel·fıre·net Wang Sheng's mind began to wander. If I trigger a heavenly tribulation, can the tribulation cloud manifest beyond the Realm of Exiled Immortals?0 Finding the idea interesting, he asked Yaoyun about it.0 "Yes, the tribulation cloud would appear outside, and the Earth Qi Seal would shield you from it." After a brief pause, she added, "Today's generation of cultivators is certainly more daring and clever than those of ancient times."0 "Maybe it's the influence of science."0 Wang Sheng began studying the nature of the cloud that his Golden Core tribulation had produced. In truth, he only had the confidence to analyze it because the tribulation had not harmed him. He wouldn't recklessly gamble with his Golden Core. 0 He could swear it on his Illusory Core!0 Unfortunately, after studying the cloud for a while and using his Dual-Polarity Sword Intent to slow its dispersal, Wang Sheng still found no concrete results. He could only sense that the tribulation cloud resembled primal qi, yet it differed from all the elemental and non-elemental primal qi that he knew.0 As the cloud faded, he felt a new form of primal qi inside him.0 Heavenly tribulations have to be related to primal qi!0 To organize his thoughts, Wang Sheng murmured, "Are tribulation clouds born from a natural property of primal qi itself, or is it caused by some special particles mixed within it? What would happen if one tried to simulate that property using primal qi? What if it were simulated with enchanted power instead?0 “Hhmm… I could start by checking whether 'tribulation particles' exist in the primal qi. If I don't find any, then it could be a natural property of the qi itself. The Golden Core tribulation seems to be triggered when the quality of the core reaches perfection. Simply put, be it the Golden Core, enchanted power, or something else, it will cause a lightning tribulation if it reaches a certain quality. 0 “Oh, right! The Three Scrolls of the Medicine God did mention that when a high-quality pill is successfully refined, it may trigger a pill tribulation. What’s the defining factor, though? Purity? A flawless structure with an underlying order? 0 "Maybe it's the underlying Dao that the object embodies. How did Spiritless manage to contain a divine soul? Quality must have been the key. How was Spiritless made again? I remember Professor Ma talking about it a lot..."0 Gradually, Wang Sheng stopped murmuring and stood in place, lost in thought.0 Behind him, the tiny immortal, now five cun tall, appeared once more atop the hilt of Spiritless. With a slightly helpless look, she gazed at Wang Sheng’s back. She then shook her head and turned into a stream of light, returning to the blade.0 "Don’t overthink it. Your realm is far too low for you to comprehend that..."0 Outside the Earth Qi Seal, a vast and unfathomable ripple swept down from the sky. The mysterious and unknown heavenly might ignored the barrier entirely and pressed down on Wang Sheng, who was completely exposed.0 All around him, sutras were chanted. Ferocious beasts seemed to roar in fury, followed by the thunderous tolling of bells and drums. In the depths of the Small Nether Realm, a pair of eyes filled with supreme mysteries now gazed upon the young sword cultivator.0 Yaoyun reappeared on the hilt of Spiritless. Despite being a refined and knowledgeable princess of the Heavenly Court, she still could not hide her astonishment.0 A heavenly might warning! A Golden Core cultivator triggered one?! Did he comprehend something forbidden? 0 Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would have passed it off as nonsense.0 At that moment, Wang Sheng furrowed his brow and looked up at the celestial crystals, seemingly locking eyes with someone beyond. Even under the crushing pressure of heavenly might, he slowly glanced at the hilt of Spiritless.0 "Can those outside… sense this kind of disturbance?"0 Yaoyun nodded blankly. She tried her best to look as if it were nothing serious, but a corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.0 Wang Sheng nodded slightly, then trembled. Blood spurted from his mouth, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.0 The heavenly might vanished without a trace.0