Vitality Pill, the Three Paths of the Vitality Divine Palace

[You asked Ancient Yuan Dan Venerable about the use of Vital Energy Crystals.]

[Ancient Yuan Dan Venerable told you that these were high-concentration Origin Qi Crystals. They could be used for cultivation or refined into pills for consumption, with even better results.]

[You obtained the formula for the Vitality Pill.]

[You examined the Vitality Pill formula.]

[This formula used Origin Qi Crystals or a vast amount of vital energy as its main ingredients, supplemented by numerous spiritual materials, to refine Vitality Pills.]

[Effect of the Vitality Pill: One third-rank top-grade Vitality Pill could increase a Golden Core cultivator's cultivation speed by three times for three months.]

[Unfortunately, with your current alchemy skills, the success rate was far too low.]

[You intended to search for other vitality lifeforms.]

[You surveyed the surrounding area.]

[You discovered that aside from vitality lifeforms at the Golden Core Overlord level and above, all other vitality lifeforms had long since been hunted down by the other Golden Core True Persons.]

[You were helpless.]

[You could only cultivate in an environment with a high concentration of vital energy.]

[Your cultivation speed reached 1.6 times the normal rate.]

[At the age of 79, you broke through to the fourth level of Golden Core.]

[That same year, several Golden Core True Persons set their sights on your cultivation grounds and wanted to seize them.]

[You swiftly slew them.]

[You obtained many storage artifacts.]

[You examined the numerous storage artifacts.]

[You discovered that they were all quite wealthy. As expected of cultivators from great powers capable of entering the Vital Energy Secret Realm.]

[After this battle, your fame spread throughout the Vital Energy Secret Realm. You were called the Swift Sword True Person.]

[You learned of your title and were deeply dissatisfied.]

[But your reputation had already spread, leaving you with no choice.]

[You decided that once you returned to the Tianjian Sect, you would immediately settle on your own True Person title.]

[You began cultivating diligently in the Vital Energy Secret Realm. In your spare time, you would also kill vitality lifeforms at the Golden Core Overlord level and above.]

[At the age of 82, you could steadily refine third-rank upper-grade pills. You could now be called a third-rank upper-grade alchemist.]

[Two months later, you used third-rank top-grade Origin Qi Crystals to trade other Golden Core True Persons for third-rank middle-grade and third-rank upper-grade Origin Qi Crystals.]

[Four months later, you used third-rank middle-grade Origin Qi Crystals as materials and successfully refined third-rank Vitality Pills.]

[Unfortunately, due to your lacking alchemy skills, of the fifteen pills produced, only one reached third-rank top-grade quality.]

[You consumed a third-rank top-grade Vitality Pill.]

[Your cultivation speed increased.]

[You discovered that the cultivation speed granted by the Vitality Pill could not stack with the cultivation speed granted by the vital energy environment.]

[You stopped consuming top-grade Vitality Pills for cultivation.]

[At the age of 84, all three of your elemental spells reached major mastery.]

[At the age of 87, you broke through to the fifth level of Golden Core.]

[At this point, only about three months remained before the Vital Energy Secret Realm closed.]

[Suddenly, you sensed a tremor from the center of the secret realm.]

[You knew that the greatest treasure vault to appear whenever the Vital Energy Secret Realm opened—the Vitality Divine Palace—had emerged.]

[You rushed toward the Vitality Divine Palace.]

[You arrived at the Vitality Divine Palace.]

[You discovered that although the palace gates stood open, not a single Golden Core True Person dared to enter.]

[On either side of the gates stood two late fourth-rank sphinx-like vitality lifeforms on guard.]

[Someone suggested that everyone join forces to kill these two vitality lifeforms.]

[Everyone agreed.]

[Two Golden Core True Persons stepped forward, saying they would draw the attacks of the two sphinx beasts.]

[However, after the kill, they required the fourth-rank Origin Qi Crystals within the sphinx beasts.]

[You recognized them. They were two of the body-cultivation simplified divine ability cultivators who had released powerful auras when you first arrived at the outskirts of the Vital Energy Secret Realm.]

[Everyone agreed.]

[After a fierce battle, you successfully killed the two sphinx beasts.]

[You entered the Vitality Divine Palace and found the surroundings shrouded in a hazy gray.]

[Only three paths shone brilliantly.]

[One was called the Battle Path, one the Foundation Path, and one the Enlightenment Path.]

[You could choose one of them to advance upon. The farther you went, the more gifts you would receive from the Vitality Divine Palace.]

[If you could reach the end of the path, you would obtain one of the Vitality Divine Palace's greatest treasures.]

[Which path will you take? Please choose...]

[1. Battle Path (You must undergo a battle for every stretch you advance. Nascent Soul Overlord combat strength is required to clear this path.)]

[2. Foundation Path (Every step forward brings suppression from the Vitality Divine Palace. An exceptional foundation is required to clear this path.)]

[3. Enlightenment Path (Suitable for comprehending artistic conceptions. Any artistic conception at perfection can clear this path.)]

[You chose the Foundation Path and discovered that the most people had stepped onto this path.]

[You stepped onto the Foundation Path and immediately felt a slight pressure squeezing your body.]

[At the same time, you discovered that this pressure was also seeping into your dantian, slowly tempering your Golden Core, though it was merely wasting its effort.]

[However, you estimated that if it were merely a second- or third-grade upper-grade Golden Core, its quality could slowly improve under this pressure.]

[You understood. This path was not merely a test; it was also a tempering of oneself.]

[You continued forward, and the pressure grew increasingly greater.]

[At the same time, fewer and fewer Golden Core True Persons remained at your side.]

[Golden Core True Persons with fourth-, third-, and second-grade Golden Cores stopped behind you one after another, gazing at your departing figures with eyes full of unwillingness.]

[Suddenly, it seemed as though you crossed a boundary. The pressure abruptly increased severalfold, making even your body tremble slightly.]

[All Golden Core True Persons who had condensed first-grade Golden Cores could only stop helplessly.]

[Now, only two people remained traveling alongside you, and they were no longer at ease.]

[As you continued onward, one more person halted.]

[His face was filled with misery as he shouted, "I am Wang Xingyan of the Tianhe King's Wang Clan. The two of you may surpass me in foundation, but do you dare leave your names?"]

[The other person answered, "Chu Tianyi of the Seven Islands Alliance."]

[You turned a blind eye.]

[After traveling several more kilometers, Chu Tianyi could no longer endure.]

[He looked at you, still advancing steadily, his face filled with disbelief.]

[As the disciple of the Azure Wave King, the Third Alliance Lord of the Seven Islands Alliance, his Golden Core quality ranked among the very best even among Superior Golden Cores, yet he still could not defeat you.]

[What kind of Golden Core did you condense?]

[You did not pay him much attention. Right now, your only thought was to advance, advance, and advance again.]

[After a quarter of an hour, you staggered forward, every step seeming as though you bore the pressure of a million jun.]

[You saw the end of the Foundation Path.]

[You gritted your teeth and crossed the end step by step.]

[In an instant, golden light blazed. The radiance of the entire Foundation Path scattered outward, illuminating the whole Vitality Divine Palace.]