The next day.
Qin Yun woke up and opened his eyes to see Yi Xiao still sleeping soundly beside him. Her skin was fair with a ruddy complexion that even seemed crystalline. Firstly, she had excellent genes and secondly, the rejuvenation she experienced from cultivation made her naturally different. Qin Yun continued watching the woman next to him. She was his wife from that moment forth.
Yi Xiao drowsily opened her eyes and saw Qin Yun beside her. She could not help but smile. “Why are you staring at me?”
“Your beauty is picturesque, so it’s natural to stare at it,” Qin Yun quipped.
“I never realized you were such a sweet talker.” Yi Xiao smiled.
“Is that so? I’m just a frank person. I’ll say only the truth. I do not like to lie,” replied Qin Yun.
“Alright, cut it out. Let’s get up,” said Yi Xiao with a smile.
“Let me help dress you up, my wife” Qin Yun immediately took the clothes by the side.
“There’s no need to trouble you, my husband.” Yi Xiao felt helpless. With a gentle beckoning of her hand, the Dharma treasure robe quickly covered her body.
…
After the wedding, the two led inseparable lives like glue.
“Qin Yun!!!” Yi Xiao pointed at a metal wok which had meat in it. “The meat is almost burnt. The Cosmic Bags only have that bit of rice and meat but you actually burnt it. Didn’t you say that you were good at cooking?”
“Xiaoxiao, it’s not burnt yet!” Qin Yun was all over the place while he cooked. “The frozen meat in the Cosmic Bag is usually roasted directly in the wild before eating. This roasted meat… this metal wok is an eighth-grade Dharma treasure too. It wasn’t meant for roasting meat. It’s hard to control the heat.”
“There aren’t any other metal woks. Only this Dharma treasure barely makes the cut. I said I would do it but you insisted otherwise,” said a helpless Yi Xiao.
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry, my wife,” Qin Yun said helplessly. “Sigh, when have I ever been so worried about a piece of meat.”
In the underground world, every bit of rice and meat would only be eaten when they had a rare celebration. They rationed the food very carefully.
The meat was slightly charred but the couple enjoyed it nonetheless.
…
Deep in the stone chamber, Yi Xiao made repeated attempts at attacking Elder Sword’s array formation with the Lightning Dharma.
“I’m tired, it’s your turn.” Having expended most of her Dharmic powers and suffering from mental fatigue, Yi Xiao immediately sat in one corner.
“Alright, watch me, my wife.” Qin Yun stood up.
The two cast their Dharma spells or sword arts aimed at the array formation, striking it again and again, but to no avail! It was naturally the best if they could destroy it but they couldn’t.
…
Time flowed by.
Days turned to months.
Yi Xiao was in a better state of mind. As long as she was with Qin Yun, she would be happy even if they stayed here their entire lives. However, Qin Yun still missed his parents. He was eager to leave.
In a blink of an eye, two years had passed since they were trapped in the array formation.
“Xiaoxiao, I’ll be cultivating in seclusion for a few days,” said Qin Yun. “I’ll attempt to break through to the Connate True Core realm, as well as my Intrinsic Flying Sword. Let’s hope that I can destroy Elder Sword’s array formation through the use of overwhelming force.”
“Alright,” Yi Xiao nodded. “Don’t be too hasty. Out of Elder Sword’s seven sword intents, you have grasped five of them. I believe you aren’t far from grasping all seven.”
Qin Yun nodded and knitted his brows slightly. “That’s only the second obstacle out of the three stone chambers. I believe that the third stone chamber’s obstacle would be even more difficult. If we really heed Elder Sword’s words, it is truly an unknown how long it will take to overcome the three stone chambers’ obstacles. Perhaps, attempting to destroy the array formation with overwhelming strength would be faster.”
“Qin Yun,” Yi Xiao immediately said seriously. “Do not be hasty. When you make the breakthrough, you have to be calm.”
“Don’t worry. I know that,” replied Qin Yun.
Immediately, Qin Yun entered a room and closed the door.
Yi Xiao could only wait outside.
Inside a room.
Qin Yun sat cross-legged on a mat. It was a fourth-grade Dharma treasure that had been obtained from the immortal abode. It aided in calming one’s mind.
“I increased my Dharmic powers with the help of some Spirit Pills that Immortal Scenic Yang left behind, and now, I’m finally close to that breakthrough.” Qin Yun thought to himself. Although he had long reached the sword intent domain stage and his cultivation speed was relatively fast, it would have taken him a few more years without the Spirit Pills.
He closed his eyes and gradually calmed his mind.
After two hours, his mind was as tranquil as still water and filled with emptiness.
Only then did he begin stirring his Connate False Core. It was a lot bigger than when he first entered the Connate realm. At that moment, the Connate False Core was about ten times the size of the Intrinsic Flying Sword Sword Ball in diameter! There were immense misty energies gathered in it making it gorgeous and mysterious.
“Up.” Qin Yun directed with his mind. Boom!
The mist within the Connate False Core began converting into streams of Sword Qi. Dense amounts of it were swirling around the Connate False Core, and every Sword Qi contained the Misty Rain Sword Intent. Now, Qin Yun’s Misty Rain Sword Intent was at a much more profound level. Every Sword Qi was extremely pure in quality. Innumerable streams of Sword Qi revolved slowly.
But as they revolved, the Connate False Core gradually shrunk.
The more they revolved, the smaller it became.
Just like a grinding stone’s revolutions, every wisp of Sword Qi was being compressed constantly while it underwent the revolutions. The center of the entire Connate False Core had the greatest pressure. A point of light first condensed and it could not be any more corporeal. It was the present limit Qin Yun had reached.
This point began to faintly suffuse pale gold light.
“It’s done.” Qin Yun was instantly overjoyed.
After this point condensed, all the remaining Sword Qi surged in crazily and underwent conversion into power at the same level of the ‘point.’
Finally, the huge Connate False Core condensed into a whitish-gold True Core that was smaller than the Sword Ball.
The True Core was spherical and whitish-gold! It appeared white at a cursory glance but there was a layer of golden light on its white surface.
“True Core that suffuses golden light?” Qin Yun felt excited. “It looks like my True Core’s quality is extremely high. It’s not that inferior to that of a Golden Core.”
When he entered the Connate realm from the Postnatal realm, Qin Yun had grasped sword intent and Heaven Man Unity. As for the Connate False Core he condensed, it was a half step higher than Connate False Cores that cultivated using top heritage.
From the False Core to the True Core realm, with him at the sword intent domain stage, he was in a much higher state than the majority of Connate False Core breakthroughs. For example, Yi Xiao, who had grasped a sliver of the Heavenly Dao’s implications at the Connate False Core realm was already considered a genius in a Daoist sacred land. As for Qin Yun’s True Core, it was naturally taking the lead once more, allowing him to be forever in the lead.
The Connate True Core that Qin Yun condensed had partial characteristics of a Golden Core.
“Hu! Hu! Hu!”
Qin Yun was very patient as he continued absorbing the Heaven and Earth spiritual energies. After all, he had just broken through to the Connate True Core realm. It was a qualitative transformation that rapidly decreased his energy stores. The amount that was converted through his sword Qi was far from enough.
The replenishment took six hours.
The Connate True Core was eventually twice the size of the Intrinsic Sword Ball. He realized that he had reached his limit for if he continued absorbing more, it would exceed what his dantian could bear.
“Let’s give this strength a try.”
Qin Yun opened his eyes and extended his hand, sending the Intrinsic Flying Sword out to float in front of him.
He injected the transformed Connate True Core Sword Immortal with Dharmic Powers and began controlling it.
“Rumble!” The Intrinsic Flying Sword transformed into a rainbow beam that flew around Qin Yun without any apparent pattern. Thankfully, Qin Yun’s sword intent domain permeated the entire stone chamber, easily restraining the surging energy and preventing the stone chamber from being implicated.
“This Connate True Core of mine is slightly less pure than the Golden Core Outer core. But to control a flying sword with it, it’s a bit stronger than the Golden Core Outer core.” Qin Yun could not help but marvel.
The Golden Core Outer core was not suitable for the control of a flying sword. It only had an effectiveness of seventy percent.
The Connate True Core that Qin Yun cultivated himself might be slightly weaker in Dharmic powers than the Golden Core Outer core, but when using it with the flying sword, the effects he produced were enhanced! After all, Sword Immortal Dharmic Powers were meant to control flying swords! Qin Yun sensed that the final outcome was that by controlling the flying sword with his own Sword Immortal Dharmic Powers, it exceeded the Golden Core Outer core, but it was only slightly stronger.
“Sword Immortal Dharmic Powers are very suitable for the nurturing of an Intrinsic Flying Sword and the control of flying swords.” Qin Yun thought to himself. “But when it comes to nurturing the body and soul, it is only ordinary.”
Sword Immortal Dharmic Powers flowed within his body but they did not enhance his body or soul at all.
His body and soul had long been enhanced to a level that matched an ordinary Connate Golden Core because of the Golden Core Outer Pill. Qin Yun himself already had a lifespan of five hundred years.
…
After the breakthrough, Qin Yun calmed his mind again and immediately began cultivating his Intrinsic Flying Sword.
Before coming to the immortal abode, he had already amassed the materials that his Intrinsic Flying Sword needed to reach the third-grade. His realm was now sufficient and in the two years in the immortal abode, he had spent slightly more than a year to push his Intrinsic Flying Sword to the peak of the fourth-grade and did not dare continue cultivating his Intrinsic Flying Sword. He was afraid that he would find it difficult to control the Intrinsic Flying Sword with only his Connate False Core’s Sword Immortal Dharmic Powers when it broke through to the third grade.
“Swoosh.”
The misty flying sword floated in front of him. The precious materials beneath it swarmed up as points of lights and into the flying sword.
Everything was going according to his expectations. The flying sword vibrated and began absorbing the precious materials at an insane speed. And in five minutes, the relentless absorption came to an end. The sword’s hums also ended.
“It has broken through to the third-grade.” Qin Yun revealed a look of joy. At his sword intent domain level, he could at most use a third-grade Intrinsic Flying Sword!