Su Jiu examined herself internally, a little surprised. In her previous life, her golden core had possessed only seven patterns, yet now it had nine. But recalling the viciousness of the lightning just now, she felt she had earned this nine-pattern golden core.
If a spirit root represented a cultivator's initial aptitude for growth, then the patterns on their golden core foretold how far they could go in the future.
Golden cores with six or more patterns were all superior cores. Their possessors could reach the nascent soul stage with virtually no difficulty. Among these, a nine-pattern golden core was also known as an ultimate-number golden core, and its prospects were even more boundless.
But the pain endured during the tribulation lightning to form a nine-pattern golden core was beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
More people perished beneath the tribulation lightning before their nine-pattern golden cores could take shape. Thus, to many, those who possessed nine-pattern golden cores were objects of both envy and sympathy.
As cultivators advanced, their tribulation lightning would only grow more formidable. If they already faced such severe tribulation lightning during core formation, what awaited them during nascent soul formation would certainly be more terrifying.
To this day, no one could say for certain whether such people were favored by the Heavenly Dao or despised by it.
But more people actually leaned toward the latter explanation.
A silver gleam flashed through Su Jiu's eyes. But so what? My fate can only be controlled by me.
Just then, the spot beneath the outer corner of her right eye began to grow hot again, and Su Jiu reached up to touch it.
Su Jiu could now confirm that the mark beneath her right eye was neither a teardrop mole nor a leaf, but a silvery-blue flower. For