With a nighttime of being bathed in a foot of sea-blue light, all of the spirit plants had entered their mature period. This was equivalent to three years of natural growth!

After a moment of jubilation, Qin Yu calmed down and immediately started a new experiment. Since he discovered that the little blue lamp had a second function, why couldn’t it have a third or even a fourth? As he thought of these possibilities, Qin Yu found himself beginning to heat up with excitement once more.

Three days later, Qin Yu’s experiments came to an end. He had placed hundreds of different types of items within the foot of sea blue light, but the results had cooled his fervid mind.

The little blue lamp was able to accelerate the growth of all plant species. Even if they weren’t spirit plants, they would still be able to be enhanced within the blue light. But on the other hand, flesh and blood life forms were unable to draw in the blue light released by the little blue lamp. Similarly, refining materials, magic tools and weapons, spirit stones – those types of items weren’t able to be upgraded either.

Qin Yu was a bit disappointed, but as he thought about it he changed his mind. The little blue lamp’s two functions could be called heaven-defying, and if it were any more powerful then the heavens themselves might have never allowed such an item to appear in the world. He should be more than satisfied with it as it was.

With the ability to increase the growth of spirit plants, at the very least he shouldn’t have any headaches in the future when he was looking for higher level materials to refine pills. Unfortunately, the sea blue light only extended for a foot and couldn’t be used in a wide area. As it was right now, he could only use it to accelerate the growth of some higher level spirit plants in their early phase, such as the Thousandgold Mulberry. The Medicine Codex stated that once the Thousandgold Mulberry grew for a thousand years it could become a Greatsun Mulberry, and after 10,000 years it would become the Ancient Starry Sky.

It was said that if a Purpleblack Bluewing Ant were raised within a Greatsun Mulberry, it had a chance of evolving into the 24th ranked insect on the ancient hundred insect decree, the Yinyang Twin Ant. The Yinyang Twin Ant was said to have white and black wings and was fearless of the strength of the five elements. It was incomparably bloodthirsty and possessed mind-boggling killing intent. Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator were to meet one, they would only be able to flee into the wilderness.

As for the final ultimate version, the Ancient Starry Sky, the reason it was called this was because a starry sky would appear on every mulberry leaf. These leaves were said to contain the strength of the starry skies, and if a Yinyang Twin Ant were to eat these leaves as food, it had a chance of evolving into an Ancient Primordial Ant. The Ancient Primordial Ant was ranked sixth on the ancient hundred insect decree. It surpassed the five elements and could fly through the world. In ancient times, if a swarm of these ants appeared, it would be a calamity that swept through the world, destroying all life wherever they went. The horror of this power was unimaginable!

Qin Yu wiped the drool from the corner of his lips. Thinking about it, he definitely had to go to Immortal Eclipse Valley in the future. If he could obtain a Purpleback Bluewing Ant then that was the same as possessing something that could evolve into a true trump card in the future. He would be able to show the power of the Ancient Beast Dominion Art in its entirety!

But for a mere young Foundation Establishment cultivator to go to Immortal Eclipse Valley, that was no different from running into a tiger’s den to seek death. Currently, his most important objective was to make a breakthrough in his cultivation and achieve Golden Core. Only then would he have the strength to preserve his own life.

He left the two Thousandgold Mulberries near the wooden rack. Then, he took a short break to refine more pills. He didn’t believe that with the massive amount of pills at his disposal it would be impossible for him to blast open the gates leading to the great dao of Golden Core!

Three months later –

A heaven-shaking bang erupted like a strike of thunder, directly blowing apart the training room in the wooden house. The countless pieces of broken wood flew about everywhere, destroying and flattening vast tracts of the medicine field. Dust rose up in all directions and the sound of violent coughing spread out, so intense that it was like someone was going to tear out their chest.

Qin Yu alternated between coughing and vomiting blood. Countless tiny cracks appeared on his body, making him look like a pot that was being burned in a flaming kiln. His entire body was red like a bloody gourd. It was a long time before he managed to stop coughing and each breath he took was like sucking in countless knives that tore away at his throat, heart, and lungs. The pain was so intense it left him seeing black.

The 17th attempt of breaking into Golden Core had failed!

The injuries this time were far more horrifying than Qin Yu had expected. If it weren’t for the power of the Demon Body he would have already become a pile of ruined meat. But even though he still had his hands and feet, his entire body was riddled with wounds. If someone else were to be injured so gravely, then if they didn’t have some miraculous treasure that could heal the body they would be left a cripple.

With the Demon Body’s powerful regenerative abilities and taking a plethora of pills, Qin Yu was finally able to carefully move about a month later. Four months later, he had fully recovered. But he didn’t dare to try a breakthrough again, and was so scared that he had even stopped cultivating.

Qin Yu was currently infinitely close to the Golden Core realm and the magic power within his dantian sea had become inconceivably pure. With just a little bit of movement it would begin boiling again, forcing him into another Golden Core breakthrough attempt.

It would be good if he succeeded. But if he failed…as he imagined himself blowing up in rain of flesh and blood, a cold sweat started to form on his body.

Standing in the mountain valley, he looked up towards the sky. Seeing the bright moon above him, he gently sighed, “Breaking into Golden Core…shit, how could it be so difficult! 17 times! 17 damn times! It’s already a miracle that I haven’t died yet!”

Finally, he couldn’t hold back his anger anymore. His roars echoed through the mountains, causing countless wild beasts to turn tail and run.

The chicken overlord shrank back and decided not to return to the valley for the time being, lest Qin Yu direct his anger onto it and stuff it in a cooking pot.

After venting his anger, Qin Yu felt much more comfortable. He turned and sat in front of the wooden house.

He had thought deeply about it these past few days and decided to leave the valley. He had to find out the reason why he couldn’t form a Golden Core no matter what!

He examined the array formation and tidied up the medicine garden. The bamboo dragonfly was filled with magic power. The little blue lamp, pills, as well as the two Thousandgold Mulberries were all placed in a storage bag. At sunrise, Qin Yu easily climbed past up the mountains. He turned and looked at the valley where he had lived for three years and walked away.

…

“Some people might not have heard of Immortal Eclipse Valley before, but there is no one who doesn’t know of my Heavenseek Pavilion.” This saying was uttered by an arrogant manager of a Heavenseek Pavilion from some large city. It spread through the Southern Empire and once word of this reached the ears of the number one faction of the Southern Empire, they actually remained silent. Without a doubt, this only served to verify this claim.

After Qin Yu left the mountain valley, it didn’t take him long to hear this. He journeyed thousands of miles until Canyondwell City was right in front of him. On this day, many cultivators were entering the city, all of them hurried with tense expressions. This was because the flames of war that had started in the southwest region of the Southern Empire had spread further during the last three years.

Canyondwell City was built at the bottom of a canyon that was tens of thousands of feet deep. The city bordered the volatile war region so the great sects of the Southern Empire had dispatched cultivators to gather here. They wanted to take advantage of the strong city and location to fight the demonic path in a great war. This also explained why so many cultivators were arriving at the already bustling Canyondwell City.

Qin Yu entered the city along with the streams of people. After a simple inquiry, he found what he was looking for – a remarkable three-story pavilion standing at the end of a long street.

Heavenseek Pavilion!

These words were written in large flowing strokes on a signboard, the will and spirit within shining like a sun, making it hard for others to look straight at it. The imposing aura was strong enough, but, as a place that was said to sell information of the world and also claimed to know everything and anything, shouldn’t such a place be wrapped in a layer of secrecy and mystery instead?

This sort of overbearingness didn’t match at all with what he thought Heavenseek Pavilion would be like.

With his heart racing, Qin Yu stepped into Heavenseek Pavilion. Luckily, their hospitality was perfect. A beautiful female cultivator approached him, a smile already on her lips. She bowed and said, “Welcome, guest, to Heavenseek Pavilion. If you wish, please follow me to discuss.”

Qin Yu nodded and followed behind. Soon, they entered a separate room.

Some maids brought in tea and snacks. The woman reached out a hand, indicating to a seat, “Guest, please sit down. May I ask what it is you wish to know?”

Qin Yu’s eyebrows faintly furrowed together.

The woman’s smile didn’t dim. “Guest, please feel relieved. Heavenseek Pavilion has an inheritance of nearly a thousand years and we have never revealed any information about our guests.”

Qin Yu hesitated for a moment. He asked, “I want to know what the reasons are for being unable to break into the Golden Core realm.”

The woman smiled, not caring about Qin Yu’s caution. She came into contact with many cultivators and had encountered those that were far more careful than he was.

“Honored guest, every person has different physiques and different life experiences, so the reasons will also be different. You will need to explain your problem in detail for me to find the appropriate information you need.”

Qin Yu refused, “It’s not convenient for me.”

The woman thought for a moment. “If so, there is only one way, and that is for Heavenseek Pavilion to sell you all our information on reasons why a person cannot break through to the Golden Core realm. Of course, the cost of this will be proportionately high. After all, news is different from other commodities; once sold, it is difficult to keep.”

Qin Yu’s expression was calm. “What’s the price?”

The woman calculated some numbers in her mind. Then, her red lips parted and she said, “5000 spirit stones.”

This price was indeed outrageously high. A normal Golden Core cultivator might not have such wealth, and what Qin Yu was revealing right now was that he only had a sixth level Foundation Establishment cultivation.

The woman didn’t think Qin Yu could match this, but in the next moment her eyes popped out.

Qin Yu nodded, “I can.” He casually tossed out 5000 spirit stones. Disregarding everything else, just the ease with which he did this was shocking.

The woman quickly composed herself, “Guest, according to the rules of Heavenseek Pavilion…”

Qin Yu pulled out a storage bag. With a thought, 5000 spirit stones tumbled out, forming a small hill.

The woman received and checked them. With a much more respectful tone, she said, “Guest, please wait.”

She left and soon returned, bringing with her a jade slip.

Qin Yu probed it with his divine sense. There was more information within than he had expected. All sorts of reasons and possibilities for a person being unable to condense a Golden Core were listed and they surpassed his imagination. Even so, he didn’t dare to assume and carefully looked over and contrasted them with his own problem.

Soon, a piece of information caught his eye.

If a cultivator swallowed too many pills, the residual medicinal efficacy would be left in their body, making it so that they couldn’t condense a Golden Core.

Qin Yu’s heart fell but he remained calm on the outside. As he finished reading and took back his divine sense, the jade slip in his hands suddenly shattered.

The woman apologized, “Honored guest, the information of Heavenseek Pavilion isn’t allowed to leave our doors. I ask for your understanding.”

Qin Yu frowned. “I know the rules.” He paused and continued, “I want to buy some more information.”

He chose four of the reasons listed from the jade slip. The residual medicinal efficacy was of course one of them.

“Each piece will be 200 spirit stones.”

“Alright.”

With a wave of his hand, 800 spirit stones appeared.

The woman seemed prepared. She took out an empty jade slip and inserted some information into it. “Guest, please check.”

Qin Yu quietly looked over the information for solving the problem with residual medicinal efficacy.

Skythunder Bamboo.

It was a rare, ancient spirit plant, and the thunder it released had the effect of dissolving the impurities within the body. Although he only needed this information, Qin Yu deliberately looked through the jade slip a bit longer before crushing it.

“Farewell.”

As he stood up to leave, the woman smiled. “Honored guest has spent a great deal of wealth at my Heavenseek Pavilion, so allow me to disclose an extra piece of information to you. Currently, cultivators from the sects of the Southern Empire have gathered to meet the threat of the demonic path together. In order to inspire morale, many treasures have been put forth, of which one of them is the Skythunder Bamboo.”

Qin Yu replied without expression, “Thank you.”

After he left, the woman took out a jade slip. Among the things she wrote in it was, ‘The disciple of the mysterious alchemy Grandmaster, the Eastern Mountain Sect’s Qin Yu, arrived at around 5’oclock at the Canyondwell City Branch Division. He spent 5800 spirit stones to find out the reasons for being unable to breakthrough to the Golden Core realm and four solutions to four different possibilities. According to what can be inferred, the reason should be because of residual medicinal efficacy.”

After labeling the date, the woman turned and slapped the wall. A black hole appeared, which she placed the jade slip within.

As Qin Yu left Heavenseek Pavilion, he naturally didn’t know any of this. He glanced back, frowning. When the woman spoke those final words, did she really know what he wanted or had it all been coincidence? He shook his head and put these thoughts to the side, quickly leaving.

Whether it was intentional or not, news of the Skythunder Bamboo was incredibly useful to him. This was what mattered.