Gateway of Immortality

"Oh?"

Qin Sang asked curiously, "What good news?"

Wandering Man smiled mysteriously. "Brother Qin, let me ask you first, has your foundation fully recovered?"

"No," Qin Sang shook his head, his voice sinking slightly, "The Heyun Pills that Senior had Li Yufu deliver have lost much of their effectiveness. My foundation is still just a little short of being fully healed. I can feel it now that spiritual medicines like the Heyun Pill no longer have any effect on me. This is my greatest worry. I'm afraid that the damage to my foundation might affect my Core Formation."

During this time, Qin Sang had been hesitating over whether he should go ahead and refine the Snow Spirit Lotus and Iris Flower.

Having cultivated smoothly to the Fake Core Realm, he could not help but harbor a sliver of hope that perhaps the damage to his foundation would not impede him in breaking through the bottleneck.

But he could not be certain.

If his foundation remained damaged and he failed to form a Golden Core, refining those two herbs now would amount to nothing but waste.

Wandering Man said, "While I was in seclusion at the sect, I found an opportunity to consult a senior uncle about your situation."

"That senior uncle is particularly skilled in the path of alchemy. His attainments in alchemy are second to none even within the Taiyi Core Sect, superior even to the sect master. If anyone could resolve your doubts, it would be him."

"He said that cases like yours, where a cultivator manages to reach the Fake Core Realm despite damage to their foundation, are extremely rare, but not unheard of."

"According to him, the damage would not be a decisive factor in preventing Core Formation. There have been successful precedents in the history of immortal cultivation. Brother Qin, you can proceed without fear."

A brilliant light flashed through Qin Sang's eyes.

The Taiyi Core Sect was the unquestioned authority on alchemy in the Small Cold Domain.

Someone ranked as the very best even within the Taiyi Core Sect was surely not an ordinary figure. If his words could not be trusted, Qin Sang did not know whose could.

"However..."

Wandering Man's tone suddenly shifted, and Qin Sang's heart sank heavily.

"Brother Qin, you cannot afford to simply ignore the hidden damage either. Especially after you succeed in reaching the Core Formation Realm, this hidden injury will increasingly affect your strength. As you advance, the gap between you and your peers will widen endlessly. In battles between high-level cultivators, even the slightest difference can decide life or death..."

Qin Sang nodded solemnly, letting out a low grunt of acknowledgment. He knew Wandering Man's warning was not without reason.

The reason he had been able to outstrip his peers so decisively during the Foundation Building Realm, never feeling the impact of his damaged foundation, was because he had always relied heavily on external forces.

In the early stage, he had the Yan Luo Array of Ten Directions, whose power surpassed even that of talisman astras, and the unpredictable ebony sword. In the later stage, he had obtained two powerful astras, the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, and other miraculous items.

Throughout his Foundation Building journey, he had also been aided by the supernatural ability granted by thePrimordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, as well as his refined corpses.

Once he broke through to the Core Formation Realm, however, those advantages would largely disappear.

Other Core Formation experts would have astras too.

Without the second half of the Heavenly Yin Corpse Art, he could no longer refine anything stronger than the flying yaksha. And this flying yaksha, against true Core Formation experts, still fell short.

Only the supernatural abilities granted by thePrimordial Spirit Sword Nourishment—the Sword Qi Thunderclap he currently mastered, and the Sword Light Division he would unlock after Core Formation—could be considered his future trump cards.

Yet this art was incomplete. Whether he could obtain the self-created art of Senior Qingzhu remained uncertain.

When that time came, what could he rely on to bridge the gap?

As Wandering Man had said, the difference would only grow, and he would gradually fall behind.

Seeing Qin Sang frowning in deep thought, Wandering Man asked, "Brother Qin, do you still remember the Purple Cloud Fruit?"

Qin Sang's head shot up.

The Purple Cloud Fruit!

How could he possibly forget?

When he had first suffered damage to his foundation, he had scoured all the ancient records of Shaohua Mountain. Only two kinds of natural treasures were said to be capable of repairing foundational damage: one was the Daojing Grass, and the other was the Purple Cloud Fruit!

"Do you still remember what I said at Yinshan Stronghold?" Wandering Man looked at Qin Sang and said in a low voice, "The place most likely to contain rare natural treasures is the Ziwei Palace. The natural treasure I found out about recently is the Purple Cloud Fruit. It has been confirmed: there is indeed a Purple Cloud Fruit inside the Ziwei Palace!"

"What?"

Qin Sang's face was filled with astonishment. "Senior, you disappeared all these years to help me search for the Purple Cloud Fruit? But what about your hidden injuries..."

Wandering Man grunted softly in acknowledgment.

"Rare treasures like these are elusive and unpredictable. At first, I wasn't sure if it even existed, and with time pressing, I could only go alone. Fortunately, fortune favored me, and I found a definitive lead."

"As for my hidden injury, ordinary medicines from the outside world are completely useless to me now."

"I've only found one possible solution—a strange realm within the Ziwei Palace. It might help me, but entering it is not easy. I'll need your assistance, Brother Qin."

"After returning, I've been trying to gather enough Ziwei Secret Talismans. I had just found a lead on one when you pulled out two at once, saving me a great deal of effort. I took the opportunity to also train Li Yufu carefully during this time... as for this trip...I don't even know if I'll make it back."

He paused and glanced toward Li Yufu, who was standing guard outside the island.

Qin Sang heard this and asked worriedly, "Senior, are your chances that slim?"

Wandering Man gave a soft grunt and said calmly, "This method is like breaking to rebuild—destruction before rebirth. As the saying goes, 'there can be no establishment without destruction.' But who can guarantee that rebirth will succeed after destruction? I have, at best, a ten percent chance. But... I refuse to linger in the Fake Core Realm for the rest of my life. I must take this step, no matter the risk."

Wandering man said it with a firm voice.

Ten percent!

Qin Sang's heart grew heavy.

Wandering Man had clearly already prepared himself for the worst, ready to risk his life for his path. His gaze was extraordinarily calm. Qin Sang knew Wandering Man's pursuit of the Dao was unwavering. There was no point trying to persuade him to give up. As a friend, the only thing Qin Sang could do was to support him with all his strength.

"Senior, the strange realm you spoke of—is it in the inner palace or the outer palace?" Qin Sang asked.

"You're quite knowledgeable about the Ziwei Palace too, Brother Qin." Wandering Man chuckled.

"It's in the inner palace. The Purple Cloud Fruit is there as well. With our current cultivation, we would barely be able to survive in the outer palace. I wouldn't dare make plans involving it. Time is short; I still need to prepare some auxiliary items to help us reach the entrance to the inner palace."

As long as it's the inner palace.

Qin Sang breathed a silent sigh of relief. If it had been the outer palace, it would have conflicted with his prior agreement with Granny Jing.

Thinking of this, Qin Sang said, "Senior, you focus on preparing what you need. I have a method to reach the inner palace entrance. We'll meet inside."

"Are you serious?"

Wandering Man did not press him for details. Overjoyed, he said, "Brother Qin, you've truly saved me a tremendous amount of effort! You are a bearer of great fortune, and I only hope this time will be as smooth as before!"

Qin Sang nodded and said eagerly, "Senior, please tell me more about the Purple Cloud Fruit!"

Only then did Wandering Man remember. He quickly put away his smile and said solemnly, "It's true that there is a Purple Cloud Fruit in the Ziwei Palace. But let me warn you, if you fail in your Core Formation attempt, then treat this journey merely as a way to familiarize yourself with the path. Do not force the matter. After you successfully reach Core Formation, you can come back for the next opening of the Ziwei Palace and compete properly. Because those who will be fighting you for that fruit... are Demonic Core Realm beasts from the Heavenly Demon Hill. And perhaps not just one!"