The Qi Refinement Way.
Inside a cave dwelling on an unnamed island.
Fang Qing sat cross-legged, black mist rising around him. Within it flickered the silhouettes of several demon souls.
A faint light played across his face. He had clearly gained much from that True Core of the Devouring Sea Method.
"My cultivation of the Early-Stage Core Formation True Core is complete."
After a long while, Fang Qing opened his eyes and sighed. "The Ten-Thousand-Year Skyblue Essence truly lives up to its name..."
But accumulating magical power was ordinary enough, provided one had the resources.
He connected with the Dao-Born Pearl and immediately received a wealth of information.
"The Aster Sect has been destroyed, and most of the Illusory Sound Sect and Vermilion Origin Sect have fallen... Before long, the Esoteric Sect's Dharma Kings, Duzi, and Dumu will likely break through the Great Void and gather at the Harmonious Bliss Sect's gates! By my reckoning... that should be when Zhan Hongxiu and I explore the secret-realm ruins?"
Fang Qing certainly would not give up this opportunity. Even without it, he would not go over to the Breath-Nourishing Dao now.
"I'll have to trust Sangji... If he can't handle it, I can always run."
"I have a Purple Mansion spiritual treasure in hand now, so reaching the Purple Mansion is within reach. Even if Sangji falls and I lose my status as Duzi... once I advance to the Purple Mansion, where in the world can't I go? Compared with my life, everything else is a small matter."
Fang Qing soon set aside his worries about the Breath-Nourishing Dao and focused on himself.
"It's only been eleven years since I reached Core Formation... and I'm about to break through to the middle stage?"
"Sure enough, after reaching Core Formation, my aptitude improved,