Journey to the Secret Realm

Song Wen clasped his hands in a fist salute Fang Pengyi.

"Peak Master, recently I've had a sudden feeling that my cultivation is about to break through the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. I would like to ask for leave for a period of time to cultivate in seclusion."

Fang Pengyi said, "A breakthrough in cultivation is a good thing. You can go into seclusion without worry."

Song Wen said with some worry, "However, I'm concerned that this will delay the refining of the Man-Snake Profound Corpse."

Fang Pengyi said, "Refining the Man-Snake Profound Corpse is not something that can be done overnight; it can't be rushed. The Supreme Elder also instructed us not to be impatient. First, the Supreme Elder won't blame you for such a small matter. Besides, with your improved cultivation, refining the Man-Snake Profound Corpse will be much easier."

Yang Yu made it clear that there was no rush regarding the subsequent Man-Snake Profound Corpse.

That means he won't be able to use the 'Profound Qi' from the Man-Snake Profound Corpse for the time being.

The importance of Song Wen was thus greatly diminished.

It is true that Song Wen skilled in corpse refining, but that does not mean that others cannot learn the method of corpse refining.

Given enough time, and by studying the Secret Method of corpse refining and practicing diligently, many cultivators can develop a remarkable skill in corpse refining.

The next day.

Fang Pengyi delivered the Golden Core stage Cultivation Method of the Longevity Art.

Song Wen went on a large-scale procurement trip on Spirit Medicine Peak in preparation for his so-called 'seclusion'.

The reason he publicly announced that he was in seclusion was mainly to raise his apparent cultivation level to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Preparing to enter the Azure Tide Secret Realm.

After all, with only Foundation Establishment Early Stage level, entering the Azure Tide Secret Realm would be too low and would easily attract attention.

While Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation level would place him among the lowest-ranking cultivators entering the Azure Tide Secret Realm, it wouldn't seem too out of place.

Each time the secret realm opens, some cultivators whose cultivation has been stuck at the early to mid- Foundation Establishment for a long time will venture into the Azure Tide Secret Realm in search of fortuitous opportunity to break through.

Song Wen entered the Azure Tide Secret Realm naturally to obtain the Yin-Yang Blood-Weeping Branch and the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid.

He used the silver Merit Token to obtain the formula for the Golden Core Pill Formula, as well as the refining techniques.

The Golden Core Pill could increase the chance of forming a Golden Core by 30% greatly excited Song Wen, who planned to try refining Golden Core Pill himself.

To refine the Golden Core Pill, one must first gather Alchemy the necessary spirit medicine.

The Yin-Yang Blood-Weeping Branch, as the main ingredient for Golden Core Pill, is extremely rare, and it is not cultivated in the medicinal fields of the Beast Taming Sect.

Also.

Song Wen used the silver Merit Token and also obtained the Core Formation insights left by the predecessors of the Beast Taming Sect.

The process of a cultivator Golden Core Pill can be roughly divided into three stages.

First, convert the spiritual energy stored in the Dantian into Law Power.

This process requires a large amount of Spiritual Qi, which is usually provided by Superior Spirit Stones or spirit medicine containing abundant Spiritual Qi.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Liquid is undoubtedly the best choice.

Secondly, condense Law Power into Golden Core.

The Golden Core Pill is taken during this process.

Finally, in the final stage of Golden Core Pill, most cultivators will experience a mental tribulation.

The so-called mental tribulation is a tempering of a cultivator's character.

Having overcome the mental tribulation, his Divine Sense surged, and he advanced to the Golden Core stage.

If one cannot successfully overcome the mental tribulation, the consequences will range from minor injuries and regression in cultivation to severe Qi Deviation, resulting in death and the dissipation of one's spiritual power.

The appearance of mental tribulations is not absolute.

Some people with strong willpower, or those who have never killed, may not experience the mental tribulation.

Overall, very few people can achieve the Core Formation stage without experiencing a mental tribulation.

Ten months later, Song Wen emerged from seclusion.

The cultivation aura he exuded indicated that he was already in the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

During these ten months, Song Wen continuously refined and consumed Blood Spirit Pill, which further advanced his cultivation.

However, there is still a considerable gap between it and the bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

The moment Song Wen left the pass, he went to the Human-Snake Cavern and met Liu Jiang.

During Song Wen's seclusion, Liu Jiang temporarily took over the management of the Human-Snake Cavern.

Seeing that Song Wen had successfully left the pass, Liu Jiang wanted to inform Fang Pengyi and return the Human-Snake Cavern to Song Wen, the manager.

Liu Jiang is skilled at cultivating Man-Snake hybrids, but knows very little about the art of corpse refining.

He found the process of refining the Man-Snake Profound Corpse extremely difficult.

However, Song Wen stopped Liu Jiang from making this request.

Song Wen's reason was that he had just broken through and needed some time to consolidate his cultivation.

The real reason is that the Azure Tide Secret Realm will open in three months, and Song Wen is temporarily unable to manage the affairs of the Human-Snake Cavern.

After leaving the Human-Snake Cavern, Song Wen arrived at the Profound-Class Pill Chamber.

Although he obtained the formula for Golden Core Pill Formula and his Alchemy insights, he felt that what he learned from books was ultimately superficial.

Although none of the Alchemist in the Profound-Class Pill Chamber had ever refined Golden Core Pill, many of Alchemist had used the various spirit medicine involved in Golden Core Pill.

He planned to ask them for advice on how to refine and combine these spirit medicine.

Upon arriving at the Profound-Class Pill Chamber, Song Wen encountered Zhou Siyi.

"Junior Brother Wu, you've emerged from seclusion?" Zhou Siyi asked with great surprise.

After noticing the aura of cultivation that Song Wen exuded, she continued.

"Your cultivation has broken through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage! That's wonderful!"

Song Wen smiled and said, "I just broke through, and my cultivation is not yet fully stable."

After chatting with Zhou Siyi for a few minutes, Song Wen said goodbye and left, but Zhou Siyi seemed somewhat reluctant to part with him.

Three months later.

The main peak of the Beast Taming Sect.

Fourteen Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered in a small square.

These people were from various peaks of the Beast Taming Sect who voluntarily entered the Azure Tide Secret Realm.

As soon as Song Wen landed in the square, two people approached him.

"Elder Wu, are you also going to enter the Azure Tide Secret Realm?"

Rong Jingyun looked quite surprised.

Beside her was another person, her dao companion Heng Cheng.

Entering the Azure Tide Secret Realm for exploration is entirely voluntary; the sect does not require it.

All the spirit medicine herbs and treasures obtained in the secret realm, except for the Yin-Yang Blood-Weeping Branch, belong to the individual.

Prior to this, Song Wen had not revealed to anyone his intention to enter the Azure Tide Secret Realm.

Therefore, Rong Jingyun was so surprised to see Song Wen about to enter the secret realm.

Song Wen clasped his hands in a fist salute and said.

"Greetings Elder Rong and Elder Heng. I used to be a Rogue Cultivator and never had the opportunity to enter any secret realm. This time, I happen to be in the Azure Tide Secret Realm, which opens only once every fifty years, and I am curious and would like to go in and see it for myself."

"Within the secret realm, the Demon Beast beasts are powerful and the dangers are numerous. We must also be constantly vigilant against the threat from their cultivators. Elder Wu, you should carefully consider this carefully."

Rong Jingyun advised.

"I'm just curious about the existence of this secret realm. If I encounter Demon Beast or cultivators, I'll just stay far away. I don't think I'll get into any trouble."

Song Wen seemed oblivious to the cruelty of the cultivation world.

Rong Jingyun shook her head and did not offer any further advice.

Out of consideration for their shared experience working in the Human-Snake Cavern, and because Song Wen's successful corpse refining had brought her considerable benefits, she offered her advice. Since he didn't appreciate it, she decided not to press the matter further.

Heng Cheng and Song Wen were not acquainted; he simply nodded to Song Wen in a friendly manner as a greeting.

Song Wen discovered that there were other people he knew in the square.

Feng Qi and Leng Tianlu.

Behind the two was a person wearing an iron mask.

The face has the function of concealing one's aura and shielding Divine Sense from detection, making it difficult for others to perceive the person's aura, cultivation level, and appearance.

However, Song Wen felt that this person's figure was somewhat familiar.

Moreover, the other person's gaze towards him was full of malice.

This left Song Wen somewhat puzzled.

Within the Beast Taming Sect, he seemed to have no one with whom he harbored deep-seated hatred.

About fifteen minutes later, it was noon.

A hunched figure appeared in the sky above the square.

The visitor was Tu Lian.

Tu Lian glanced at the fourteen people in the square and said.

"The appointed departure time has arrived. You may all board the ship with me and depart."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a spaceship over thirty meters long suddenly appeared in front of Tu Lian.

Everyone leaped into the air and boarded the spaceship.

The spaceship sped along, heading west.