Dragon Tiger Golden Core, Beginning Internal Cultivation

Watching Lin Heng's Sword Art go from clumsy to proficient, Xiao Rang's face was filled with gratification and pride.

This was his disciple. Such peerless talent brought glory even to him as the master.

He watched Lin Heng's focused figure practicing the sword for a while, then turned and walked to the edge of the Training Ground.

Several Cloud Sword Palace Experts clad in Elder robes stood there. Every one of them possessed at least Grandmaster Realm cultivation, and two were even Great Grandmasters.

Like Xiao Rang, they had all witnessed the entire process of Lin Heng learning the Cloud Sword Nineteen Forms. They had seen his formidable martial talent—learning it at a glance and mastering it with a little practice.

That was why every one of them wore an expression of shock.

They had long known that their Sect Leader's young disciple was a genius who could learn anything the moment he was taught.

Yet they had not expected that after formally beginning martial cultivation, he would retain that same performance—and possess such immense passion for martial cultivation.

That was truly astonishing.

It meant that Lin Heng was not merely intelligent and exceptionally talented; his temperament was outstanding as well.

With all these qualities stacked together, as long as he did not die young, Lin Heng would surely become a true powerhouse in the future and continue the glory of their Cloud Sword Palace.

"I intend to prepare a Dragon Tiger Golden Core for Heng'er to aid his cultivation."

Xiao Rang was very pleased by the shocked expressions on his fellow senior brothers' faces as he voiced his plan.

At first, he had prepared ten years' worth of educational material for Lin Heng, encompassing every aspect of humanities and history, medicine and gu arts, conduct and dealing with others, cultivation knowledge, and more.

According to Xiao Rang's plan, once Lin Heng had finished learning all of it at fifteen or sixteen, and possessed at least Mid to Late Xiantian cultivation—perhaps even Grandmaster Realm cultivation—while understanding the rules and taboos of the Jianghu, he would be qualified to leave his master.

Yet everything Xiao Rang had originally planned to teach Lin Heng over ten years had been completely learned by him in just half a year, and he had learned it all excellently.

The current Lin Heng already met every prerequisite for cultivation. He was a qualified successor who could inherit Xiao Rang's legacy in the future.

But Lin Heng had suffered the ravages of Li Hen Pavilion's Tiger Wolf Medicine. His body was frail and weak, and even after half a year, he had yet to fully recover.

Normally, even with the ability to practice the Cloud Sword Nineteen Forms to strengthen his body and consolidate his foundation, Lin Heng would still need around two years to recover and elevate his physical condition to the point where he could properly begin Internal Cultivation.

But for a genius like Lin Heng, two years were exceedingly precious—especially two years during his youth.

If there was something to learn, taking things slowly was not a problem. But such precious time could not be wasted.

Therefore, Xiao Rang intended to prepare a Dragon Tiger Golden Core for Lin Heng.

This pill was refined from many rare Spirit Medicines. It could regulate the Human Body's Yin-Yang Five Elements and achieve the unity of primal qi, resolving Lin Heng's current predicament of depleted Origin in one stroke and helping him forge the finest possible cultivation foundation.

Such an excellent Spirit Medicine had many advantages. Its only drawback was that it was expensive.

The cost price of a single Dragon Tiger Golden Core was two hundred and seventy thousand taels of silver. If a pill of this grade were sold outside, its price would be at least doubled.

One had to know that Xiao Rang had originally planned to let Lin Heng eat Spirit Rice and Spirit Food, supplemented by practicing Foundation Establishment Sword Art, and slowly nourish his Origin back to health.

Children could not eat much. It would cost less than five thousand taels of silver a year, which was still within a reasonable range of resource expenditure for cultivating a Sect Leader's Direct Disciple.

The Direct Disciples of the other Elders did not receive much worse treatment either.

But using a Dragon Tiger Golden Core worth two hundred and seventy thousand taels on a child was clearly an expenditure beyond standard allowances. Even an Elder of the Sect would need to exchange years of accumulated merit for such a precious pill.

That was also why Xiao Rang had insisted on gathering all the other Elders when teaching Lin Heng martial arts today: to convince everyone.

He intended to use the exceptional talent Lin Heng had displayed to make everyone acknowledge that Lin Heng deserved this investment and favor from the Sect.

After all, the Sect belonged to everyone, not Xiao Rang alone.

For the sake of unity, he naturally had to persuade the Elders, lest trouble befall Lin Heng in the future.

At this moment, the other Elders all understood Xiao Rang's intentions.

They looked at the handsome youth in the Training Ground, with red lips and white teeth, delicate as if carved from jade, like an immortal banished from heaven. Recalling their interactions over the past half year, they all held a favorable impression of his humility and sensibility.

Combined with the Talent Lin Heng had displayed, everyone made their decision and approved of Xiao Rang's idea.

They all believed that this youth was the future of Cloud Sword Palace, worthy of the Sect's full investment.

Thus, they all spoke up. "As the Sect Leader says."

After agreeing to let Lin Heng use the Dragon Tiger Golden Core, the Elder responsible for managing the Sect's financial expenditures suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Damn Li Hen Pavilion! They harmed our Sect's genius. We'll find a time soon to deal with them."

The other Elders nodded in agreement.

Indeed, if that damned Li Hen Pavilion had not harmed their Sect's future, they would not have needed to spend such a massive sum of silver to refine a Dragon Tiger Golden Core.

Thus, several Elders agreed to descend the mountain together in a few days to deal with Li Hen Pavilion and recover their losses from them.

On the day Lin Heng formally began practicing Sword Art, Cloud Sword Palace began bustling about for his sake.

All manner of precious medicines were brought out from the storehouses, and the Spirit Pill Elder who oversaw Cloud Sword Palace's medicine hall fired up the furnace to refine pills.

After seven days, just as Lin Heng cultivated the Cloud Sword Nineteen Forms from beginner's practice to a level of supreme mastery, the Dragon Tiger Golden Core was finally successfully refined.

"Disciple, come take this Golden Core. Your master will then teach you Cloud Sword Palace's Sect-defending divine art."

Lin Heng had just finished practicing his sword and bathing and changing clothes, and was preparing to sleep, when he saw Xiao Rang enter the room.

Xiao Rang opened the jade bottle in his hand and poured out a pill the size of a pigeon's egg, golden all over, then fed it to Lin Heng.

Having studied under Xiao Rang for half a year, Lin Heng recognized the origin of this Golden Core at a glance, and his expression immediately turned excited.

This was the true worth of 20 points of family background!

"Many thanks, Master, for your grace in nurturing me."

Lin Heng respectfully bowed in thanks before accepting the Golden Core and swallowing it.

After chewing it a few times, he found it sweet and fragrant. It turned into jade nectar as it entered his stomach, and then a Warm Current rose from his lower abdomen and circulated throughout his entire body.

In an instant, all the fatigue Lin Heng had accumulated from sword practice was swept away.

The depleted Origin that had plagued him all this time also vanished in an extremely short period, allowing Lin Heng to feel invigorated and full of energy once more.

"Sit cross-legged, with your five hearts facing heaven, and listen as your master recites the Internal Cultivation Method of Cloud Sword Palace's Sect-defending divine art, the Cloud Sword True Art."

Xiao Rang spoke.

Seeing Lin Heng comply, he began reciting the Internal Cultivation formula.

Though every word of the formula was a pearl of wisdom, profound and mysterious, Lin Heng could understand it with ease. This was all the result of the knowledge he had accumulated through his studies over the past half year, which had long since allowed him to comprehend every foundational principle of cultivation.

The moment he finished hearing the entire Internal Cultivation Method, Lin Heng entered a meditative state.