Moonlight!

"Heavenly Dao mark?"

The thought surfaced in Li Qingshan's mind at once and was swiftly confirmed.

It was not hard to guess. He had personally explored the essence of the world, and the traces on Lingwei and the others shared the same origin as the astral rules within the world's shell.

In other words, the "mark" came from the Dao Ancestor Cang Yan, from the Heavenly Dao of the "Immortal Realm"!

However, there was still one question.

"Why doesn't Daoist Tianyun have this fishing line on him?"

Suspicion flashed in Li Qingshan's eyes as he carefully scrutinized Daoist Tianyun and the immortal sect masters from other worlds.

After only a few glances, his suspicion faded, replaced by sudden realization.

"Golden Core!"

The third stage of cultivation was the Core Formation Realm, also known as the Golden Core Realm.

But the two could not be mentioned in the same breath!

Core formation was merely the beginning. Nine-Cycle Golden Core was the great path leading to Nascent Soul!

It did not necessarily have to reach nine cycles, but this step had to be taken!

Just like opening acupoints in the third stage of martial arts, one likewise needed to temper the acupoints. The difference in strength and foundation before and after was a hundredfold!

Among those present, Lingwei had the highest cultivation, already at the seventh cycle of the Golden Core. The other immortal sect masters were all above the third cycle.

As for Daoist Tianyun...

Li Qingshan's gaze was like lightning, piercing straight through the refined middle-aged man's dantian, where he saw only a dull gray "Golden Core."

Its structure was clear and simple, devoid of the slightest spirituality, much less anything profound and mysterious.

It was plainly the product of technology and ruthless tricks!

Forget one cycle—even the most ordinary