Fifty-five years into refining the core:
The golden core Wang Quan was refining was only a little over a zhang from the exit of Three-Legged Cauldron Mountain.
Yet that distance of a little over a zhang was like a heavenly chasm: no matter what Wang Quan tried, the golden core rose more and more slowly.
At first, Wang Quan restrained his impatience and slowly worked on it, watching it rise little by little.
But after just two or three years, the golden core had risen only half a chi.
This made him somewhat anxious.
Yet Ruo Jinghong, Ying Jiaren, and the others were even more anxious than he was.
They had originally intended to wait until the weapon had been refined into a golden core, then comprehend divine abilities together, practice [Beautiful Lady Yu], increase their number of Daoist scriptures, and advance together.
But they waited year after year without seeing any hope.
"Let's pull it out!"
Ruo Jinghong was a little cleverer after all, and came up with a good idea outright.
At these words, the other Golden Cores who had come to help brightened. "Exactly! Since it won't fly out, let's just pull it out!"
Wang Quan...
"Will that work?"
An idea stirred in Ying Jiaren's mind. "Does the golden core method you practice say you can't pull it out with external force?"
Wang Quan thought for a moment. "No."
Ruo Jinghong smiled. "Then we can pull it."
Wang Quan nodded. "Then let's try!"
The cultivators happily made their preparations.
First, they summoned clouds.
These included white, black, red, yellow, and other clouds in a dazzling array of seven colors.
The cultivators leaped onto the clouds and threw down chains.
Wang Quan wrapped the chains around the golden core.
Other cultivators lowered their clouds beneath the golden core