The Mystery of the Golden Void Core!

On the outskirts of Ren Family Town, along a pebble-strewn path, sits a slightly dilapidated City God temple.

The surrounding area consists of only a few crumbling houses; it is a semi-desolate region rarely visited by anyone.

It is night.

A light, drizzling rain begins to fall outside the City God temple.

The temple has long been in disrepair, and a few raindrops leak through gaps in the roof, landing on Fei Luo's forehead.

"Hmm? Is it raining?"

Fei Luo wakes from his meditation, listens to the sound of the fine rain outside the silent temple, and slowly rises.

City God Li Ru has not appeared since his arrival, as if his long journey today exhausted much of his strength.

Hoo~

Fei Luo walks to the altar, lights two dust-covered candles, and the faint glow illuminates the darkness a little.

Outside.

Two figures dressed in black martial attire drift through the rain.

Eerily, the two move like duckweed, their feet never touching the ground, each stride carrying them a hundred meters forward.

Before long, the pair arrives at the temple entrance.

Even more bizarrely, while the candlelight inside the temple casts shadows of Fei Luo and the City God statue, it casts no shadows for these two.

Fei Luo seems to sense something; he stares silently at the weathered statue and says without turning his head, "Since you two have arrived, why not come in and talk? I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Hearing this, the two exchange a look of astonishment, their eyes meeting, both revealing the shock within.

Twenty-one years old? Peak False Core Realm?

The two men drift inside and speak, "We pay our respects to Young Hero Fei Luo."

Their voices are ethereal, echoing in the void like the sounds of ghosts and gods, filled with an inexplicable melody yet brimming with respect.

Fei Luo looks at them.

Both are dressed in black martial attire with swords at their waists and a large character for "Soldier" on their chests. Their False Core Realm aura is a fraction weaker than Fei Luo's.

"Greetings, Underworld Envoys," Fei Luo says politely, nodding toward them.

This is the first time Fei Luo has seen Underworld Envoys.

Legend says that when Underworld Envoys pass through, the living should stay away; even Fei Luo can feel the chilling aura radiating from them.

It is the aura of ghosts and gods, the scent of the Netherworld.

Unlike the Yang-spirit body of the City God, these Yin-spirits radiate an aura that is the exact opposite.

This aura shares the same origin as ghosts and monsters, yet it lacks their inherent evil.

"Since you have arrived, please sit." At this moment, a stream of light flashes over the statue of City God Li Ru, and Li Ru appears in the hall in his yellow robes, greeting the two.

"Young Hero Fei Luo, please sit as well."

Li Ru smiles, inviting everyone to take their seats.

After some pleasantries, Fei Luo learns that these two Underworld Envoys are the ones who have struggled to capture Dong Xiaoyu, and that they sought to befriend him after sensing his lightning techniques.

"Young Hero Fei Luo, when we saw you that day, you were at the peak of Foundation Establishment. Who would have thought that after only a few days, you would reach the False Core Realm—and the peak of it at that? It is something we have never heard of, nor seen."

"..."

The two Underworld Envoys size Fei Luo up, their words filled with praise.

Fei Luo smiles indifferently, "You flatter me; it was just luck."

Pausing, Fei Luo says seriously, "Gentlemen, I have a question. My cultivation has reached the peak of the False Core Realm, so why can I not break through? Further refining my mana only serves to stabilize my foundation, but my foundation is already as solid as it can be. Why is this?"

Hearing this, the two Underworld Envoys exchange glances, and one whispers, "Dare we ask, Young Hero Fei Luo, is your False Core... cyan?"

A False Core is generally white; above white is crimson, and above crimson is cyan.

Fei Luo shakes his head, "No, my False Core is pale gold."

"Pale gold?" The three mutter, then suddenly exclaim, "What! Pale gold! A peerless False Core?"

Whether it is the two Underworld Envoys or City God Li Ru, all let out cries of shock and disbelief.

Pale gold is a quality that is not seen in ten thousand years, even in legends.

If the False Core is already pale gold, what will the Golden Core stage be like?

Normally, a False Core is white, a Solid Core is crimson, and only a Golden Core is gold.

For a False Core to be pale gold—even for these three, who have existed for a long time, it is enough to make them gasp and nearly drop their eyes in shock.

"Is there a problem? It has been like this since I reached the False Core Realm," Fei Luo says, looking at the three men whose faces have changed drastically, feeling puzzled.

"Young Master, you may not know..." one of the Underworld Envoys begins, explaining slowly to Fei Luo, his tone becoming even more courteous and respectful.

Although Fei Luo is not yet a legendary powerhouse, in the hearts of these three, his status is now no different from one.

For any cultivator in the False Core Realm, their core is golden.

There is a great possibility that they will shatter the void in the future!

A False Core Realm cultivator with a top-grade False Core is a monster so rare that one might not be found in ten thousand years; if they do not die young, they are destined to shine brilliantly.

Such powerhouses were only things they had heard of in legends.

Perhaps they existed in that ancient era filled with wonders, or perhaps in the era before their Prefecture Lord attained the Dao.

But they were certain that in this Age of Dharma Decline, Fei Luo was the only one they had ever seen with such monstrous potential.

With such a background, they finally understood why Fei Luo had achieved a False Core at the mere age of twenty-one, and a pale golden one at that.

Fei Luo had simply kept one detail to himself: his False Core was dark gold, not pale gold.

Even among golden cores, there are different grades.

A pale golden core was already shocking enough.

If they knew it was the pinnacle of pale gold—dark gold—the three of them would likely go into shock.

Of course, ghosts and gods do not go into shock.

"So that's how it is. Any potential above cyan requires passing the Three Tribulations and Nine Calamities. In other words, I am contending with Heaven for my life; I must survive the Heavenly Tribulation to condense a Solid Core?"

Fei Luo spoke aloud. After some inquiry, he understood the whole story.

Although Underworld Envoys are the most basic existences in the Netherworld, they know many things.

At this moment, Fei Luo also understood why he had been unable to break through to the Solid Core Realm.

"How can I trigger the Heavenly Tribulation? Is this tribulation dangerous?" As soon as Fei Luo asked this, he knew it was a foolish question.

Yet, the Yin Soldier before him did not show any annoyance, instead saying respectfully, "Young Master, your current realm is still shallow; you cannot trigger the Heavenly Tribulation at will. To trigger it, you must break through at a high altitude during a period of continuous rain, where the thunderous energy of heaven and earth gathers and will naturally sense your existence, or perhaps the wind."

"However, the Three Tribulations of Wind, Thunder, and Fire all carry great danger, but they also offer great opportunities. If one survives, their physical body will undergo a transformation."

Fei Luo's face was full of shock. He nodded slightly, "I see. Thank you for your guidance, brother Underworld Envoy. Isn't today the perfect time to trigger the Thunder Tribulation?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare." The Underworld Envoy waved his hands repeatedly. "If Young Master wishes to undergo the tribulation, we are willing to stand guard for you."