After watching for a while, Li Yan chose not to awaken the Snow Mosquito King from its cultivation. A pleasant feeling in his heart, he quietly departed.
The Snow Mosquito King, sprawled atop the massive block of ice, remained completely oblivious.
In the past, even when its strength was far inferior to Li Yan's, it would have sensed him the moment his divine sense entered the Earthen Patch space, thanks to the connection of their blood pact.
But now, despite its realm being on the verge of breaking through to the third rank of demonic beasts, it was utterly unaware. Its cultivation was growing, but Li Yan's strength had become even more terrifying.
Once his divine sense returned to his body, Li Yan wasted no more time and immediately began to inspect his own condition.
Although he had already performed a general assessment before, the sudden appearance of Tianxingzi and Xing Ming had forced him to be hasty, affording him only a cursory glance.
Foundation Establishment has nine ranks, while the Golden Core has five grades: the First-Grade Orthodox Bright Lotus, the Second-Grade Supreme Clarity Profound Lotus, the Third-Grade Numinous Treasure Heavenly Lotus, the Fourth-Grade Pure Brightness Treasure Lotus, and the Fifth-Grade Divine Empyrean Saintly Lotus.
The most common in the cultivation world was the Supreme Clarity Profound Lotus, followed by the Orthodox Bright Lotus and the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Lotus. If a cultivator condensed the Orthodox Bright Lotus, they would be considered the weakest among Golden Core cultivators, possessing the poorest combat strength.
Zhong Mengyin, the beautiful woman in the green gauze Li Yan had once encountered, had condensed a Second-Grade Supreme Clarity Profound Lotus. Her combat power was merely average among Golden Core cultivators, her main strength lying in her Charm Arts.
Li Wuyi's Golden Core was a Third-Grade Numinous Treasure Heavenly Lotus, which already classified him as a powerhouse among his peers. Out of a hundred cultivators who formed a Golden Core, there might not be even one like him.
As for Wei Zhongran, his cultivation talent was exceptional. He had condensed the extremely rare Fourth-Grade Pure Brightness Treasure Lotus, allowing him to slay cultivators of the same rank with ease.
Within Li Yan's Dantian's Purple Mansion, what was once a Dantian Lake had expanded by dozens of times, now resembling a vast "sea." Above this Dantian Sea, the five Spirit Power Great Cauldrons had long since vanished, replaced by a floating Lotus Throne.
Upon the Lotus Throne, a giant lotus blossomed in serene silence.
Looking at the enormous, blooming lotus, Li Yan knew that if the entire flower were composed of a single, complete petal, his Golden Core would be a First-Grade Orthodox Bright Lotus.
That would make him the weakest type of Golden Core cultivator. If the flower were made of two petals, he would be a common Second-Grade Supreme Clarity Profound Lotus cultivator.
The strongest Golden Core cultivator, however, would have a blooming lotus formed from five petals—the Divine Empyrean Saintly Lotus.
The final color of the lotus was determined by the cultivator's primary spirit root attribute, be it green, red, yellow, or otherwise. Yet, when Li Yan first looked, he was unable to determine the grade of his own Golden Core.
Earlier, deep within the pit, his hurried scan had revealed the five great cauldrons' fragments just beginning to form the base of the Lotus Throne, with the lotus itself still in the process of condensing.
What he saw now was not a blooming black lotus, which he would have expected given that his primary spirit root was Gui Water.
Instead, he saw a five-petaled lotus. The five petals were black, green, red, yellow, and white, and between them, arcs of spirit power, like flashes of electricity, weaved and shuttled through.
'A five-petaled lotus... This... is this a Divine Empyrean Saintly Lotus?'
Joy surged in Li Yan's heart, but in the next moment, it was replaced by a wave of confusion.
'But this is a five-colored lotus. I've never seen this recorded in any of the texts. All Golden Core lotuses are monochromatic. Is this unique to the True Scripture of Gui Water?'
Li Yan was only stumped for a moment before he came to a conclusion.
He carefully observed the spirit power leaping between the five-colored petals and seemed to see the familiar five Spirit Power Great Cauldrons from before.
He had no master to guide him; all his cultivation was a process of self-exploration. However, based on the cultivation method he practiced, the result was easy enough to guess.
But Li Yan was a cautious person. Even with a likely answer, his suspicious nature was not so easily assuaged.
Immediately, Li Yan shifted his attention to the space above the center of the giant lotus. A tiny, pale yellow pill floated there, revolving and circling endlessly. As it spun rapidly, it continuously absorbed the electrical arcs weaving through the five-colored petals below.
"All my efforts were not in vain. It is finally a success!"
Li Yan murmured to himself. The pale yellow pellet was the culmination of a cultivator's life of arduous practice, the very essence of their being—the Golden Core.
With the Golden Core, Li Yan's soul would become even more substantial. His Three Huns and Seven Pos could now reside within it. Even if his physical body were destroyed, as long as the Golden Core remained intact, he could exist forever.
He had taken a great step forward, crossing the threshold into the ranks of mid-rank cultivators.
This was a completely different state from that of a low-rank cultivator. The divine souls of Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators were merely stronger than those of mortals.
If their physical bodies were destroyed, they could consciously control their souls to flee and seek a new body to possess for rebirth—a feat that the untethered souls of mortals could never accomplish.
However, whether at Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment, they were still low-rank cultivators. Without a treasure to nourish their souls, their souls could not survive independently for long.
The weaker the cultivation, the faster their soul power would dissipate.
It could be said that after a cultivator formed a Golden Core, not only did their lifespan increase dramatically, but they could also roam the heavens and the earth even without a physical body.
It was just that no one was willing to do so. After all, losing one's physical body was like a soldier losing his armor; many immortal arts could no longer be cast.
Though their lifespan remained, their strength would plummet. For a cultivator, this meant a complete loss of security. No one would willingly choose to survive with only their Golden Core.
From below the floating Lotus Throne, five vine-like tendrils descended, continuously drawing spirit power from the Dantian Sea and channeling it into the five-petaled lotus.
Meanwhile, the circling pale yellow pill above would constantly radiate a five-colored light down into the Dantian Sea as it spun. The three components—top, middle, and bottom—were distinct yet formed a grand, self-sustaining cycle.
Li Yan looked at his Dantian Sea. Although he had the experience of ascending from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, he could never have imagined that the Dantian's Purple Mansion of a Golden Core cultivator would be such a sight.
So vast, so surging.
Thinking about how he had once managed to fight against initial and mid-stage Golden Core cultivators with only his Foundation Establishment strength, Li Yan couldn't help but give a wry smile. What filled his heart more was the thought, 'Ignorance is bliss.'
He knew that because he practiced the True Scripture of Gui Water, his Dantian Lake was much larger than that of his peers. Thus, he had assumed that the dantian of an initial-stage Golden Core cultivator couldn't be much larger than his.
But a Golden Core's Dantian Sea was a Dantian Sea. Even an ordinary one was on a completely different level from the small Dantian Lake he had in the Foundation Establishment realm.
Now he understood just how terrifyingly dense the spirit power produced by his True Scripture of Gui Water was. It wasn't about countering with quantity, but with an incredibly solid foundation.
"To have survived my encounter with Teng Wuji was truly a blessing from the heavens."
Back then, he had exhausted every ounce of his strength and used every trick up his sleeve, yet before Teng Wuji, he was like a child. He could only be a child.
Of course, all of this could not have been achieved with the True Scripture of Gui Water alone. The Qiongqi Purgatory Art was also a top-tier cultivation method in this world, and then there was the invaluable gift of the two drops of Undead Nether Phoenix essence blood.
"What a pity. Those other Silver Pages that were scattered from the Northern Abyss Demon-Suppressing Pagoda can never be gathered now."
As this thought crossed his mind, Li Yan felt a pang of regret. After observing his dantian for a little longer, his divine sense finally withdrew.
In the next moment, a wave of energy flowed through his body. His muscles instantly bulged, swelling to a larger size, and several vortexes began to travel rapidly across the surface of his skin.
His jet-black skin now carried a lustrous, qualitative sheen, giving Li Yan a momentary air of transcendent detachment.
'The Qiongqi Purgatory Art has also advanced to the third layer at the same time, but the incantation ends here.'
Li Yan felt the immense power surging within him and thought with some regret. Fortunately, the incantation Gong Chenying had given him was at least sufficient for him to cultivate to the peak of the third layer of the Qiongqi Purgatory Art.
'I wonder when I'll be able to return to the Desolate Moon Continent and see A Ying again!'
With that thought, Li Yan raised a hand and stared at his palm intently. Then, he clenched his five fingers into a tight fist.
Bang! A sharp crackle of displaced air erupted as he made a fist.
Then, right before Li Yan's eyes, the space around his fist began to distort, creating an unreal, illusory effect.
The next moment, Li Yan shot a simple punch straight forward.
Boom!
A visible burst of force shot out from his fist, and in the next instant, it slammed into the wall a dozen yards away with incredible speed.
Li Yan's entire cave residence shook violently, and lights of various colors burst forth. The sight took even Li Yan by surprise.
He had only used thirty to forty percent of his strength.
His cave residence was protected by the Great Dragon-Elephant Formation on the inside and its own formidable formation restrictions on the outside, yet it still felt as if it was about to be shattered.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Yan formed a sword with his fingers and once again pointed gently forward.
With a hiss, the purple light screen a dozen yards away flashed and let out a series of humming sounds, the commotion much smaller than before.
'The first strike wasn't purely the power of the Qiongqi Purgatory Art; it contained the power of the Undead Nether Phoenix essence blood. The second strike relied only on the Qiongqi Purgatory Art, and its power was already several degrees weaker.'
Li Yan mused, making comparisons.
He had once seen Gong Chenying make a move on Windy Cool Mountain. At that time, she had also cultivated the Qiongqi Purgatory Art to the third layer. Li Yan could judge how much force she was using based on the varying intensity of her attacks.
After some thought, Li Yan concluded that based on his second strike, Gong Chenying's Qiongqi Purgatory Art was likely thirty to forty percent weaker than his.
'The reason for such a large difference is, one, although I shielded the power of the Undead Nether Phoenix essence blood, I couldn't do so completely. After all, it has seeped deep into my flesh and blood; I can only consciously try to disperse it.'
'Furthermore, the Qiongqi Purgatory Art unleashed at different realms is completely different. A Golden Core cultivator's physical body has already been tempered and refined by the heavenly tribulation, which provides an amplifying effect.'
'If A Ying has also formed her core, then this gap would be narrowed to ten to twenty percent. This just shows how powerful the Qiongqi Purgatory Art is. I must obtain the subsequent cultivation incantations for this method.'
Li Yan carefully felt the power within his body, his desire to obtain the complete Qiongqi Purgatory Art cultivation method growing even stronger. It was far too important to him; he had grown accustomed to standing on the shoulders of his peers.
Li Yan felt that if he were to face a master like Teng Wuji now, he could probably beat him to a pulp with just his physical strength alone.
This wasn't some inner inflation from his recent breakthrough but a genuine confidence.
Li Yan subconsciously brought out Teng Wuji for comparison again. This had become an almost reflexive action after every breakthrough, practically a sickness.
He remained unaware of this habit. Besides explaining his vindictive nature, there was no other reason for it.
Perhaps only when he broke through to the mid-stage Golden Core would Teng Wuji no longer occupy his thoughts. Only then would he finally stop thinking of the man.
After feeling the abundant power within him for a while longer, Li Yan was already extremely satisfied.
Slowly calming the surging power within his body, Li Yan once again focused his divine sense on his chest. That was where the branches of the Fragmented Poison Body had spread.
Back when he was in the Qi Condensation stage, he had separated twelve pieces in his lower abdomen. Upon successful Foundation Establishment, it had separated into thirty pieces, extending up to his chest.
And now that Li Yan had achieved the Great Perfection of Golden Core, he was filled with even greater anticipation. The Fragmented Poison Body was his ultimate life-saving measure, and also his strongest.