The Secret of the Nascent Soul!

Looking at the White Crane before him, Shi Jian's eyes showed a hint of approval.

Subsequently, the bear and the crane swore an oath with their Daoist hearts, thus binding the two sides together completely.

Shi Jian closed his eyes and sensed that there was indeed a faint, almost imperceptible, connection in his sea of consciousness.

The two demons used the most ancient Dao Heart Blood Oath of the Demon Race. Once an oath of this level is made, it is basically locked in.

"Brother Bai is indeed straightforward."

Shi Jian's hostility subsided, and his tone softened somewhat as he said, "Since we've formed an alliance, what exactly do you mean by what Brother Bai just said about refining Dao Pill and cultivating the Immortal Foundation together?"

Upon hearing this, the White Crane folded its wings.

He lay cross-legged by the Thunder Pool, a hint of solemnity in his eyes.

"Brother Shi, do you know why cultivators in this world regard the Nascent Soul as an insurmountable barrier?"

Shi Jian remained silent, awaiting further explanation.

"The formation of the Nascent Soul, like Foundation Establishment and Core Formation, also involves three stages, each extremely difficult to overcome..."

"This first trial is called the Heart Demon Trial."

"But this inner demon is not the same as that inner demon. It is not your past obsession, nor some kind of temptation, but rather the erosion of the very source of the Great Dao."

"Cultivators must probe the heavens and earth with their Divine Sense, directly confronting the very Dao they cultivate."

"Those with weak minds will be assimilated by the vastness of the Great Dao, their souls will dissipate, and their physical bodies will transform into Spiritual Qi and Daoist principles to nourish heaven and earth. This is the Dao Dissolution."

"This is similar to the process of absorbing the Heaven and Earth Qi when Core Formation, but it is far more difficult, more than ten times harder!"

"Only Boulder with unwavering resolve, capable of rediscovering their true selves amidst the endless illusions of the Great Dao, and forcibly tearing a sliver of the Great Dao's essence from the world, can truly pass this test..."

Shi Jian nodded slightly, his heart heavy. Core Formation was already an insurmountable hurdle, and the first hurdle of condensing the Nascent Soul was ten times more difficult.

I never expected this first hurdle to be so dangerous.

"The second challenge is to shatter the core and Nascent Soul Formation."

White Crane continued, "This step is actually the simplest. As long as the Primordial Spirit is strong enough and the spiritual energy within the body is abundant, one can shatter the Golden Core and nurture a Primordial Spirit infant."

"This applies to both the human and demon races."

"Although it is said to be the simplest hurdle, it still requires a solid foundation. Many people with impure Law Power and true essence, as well as those who are getting older, will find it extremely difficult to pass this hurdle."

"As for the third level..."

The White Crane sighed and murmured, "Then I will fuse the condensed Nascent Soul with the Great Dao essence I seized in the first trial to forge a true Immortal Foundation."

"Once the Immortal Foundation immortality is established, one will no longer be a mortal being, with a lifespan exceeding a thousand years, and will be able to master various profound techniques."

Shi Jian astutely grasped the key point. "After establishing the Immortal Foundation, how should one cultivate?"

White Crane sneered, "This is the cruelest part."

"After Nascent Soul stage, simply absorbing Spiritual Qi is insufficient. To advance one's cultivation level, one must continuously absorb the Heaven and Earth Qi Dynamic of the same attribute to strengthen one's immortal Immortal Foundation."

"But how rare is the Heaven and Earth Qi Dynamic?"

Even those great sects with a history of ten thousand years can't grasp more than a few strands of energy. And even if they did, it's not something you can break through by simply absorbing a few strands of energy.

"Thus, the Pill-Taking Method came into being."

White Crane stared at Shi Jian, enunciating each word clearly. "To refine Golden Core cultivator who cultivates the same Great Dao into Dao Pill while they are still alive."

"Swallowing a Dao Pill is equivalent to absorbing a Heaven and Earth Qi Dynamic and Earth."

"This is the Immortal Foundation!"

Above Leichi, even the sound of the wind seemed to freeze for a moment.

Shi Jian's pupils contracted slightly.

He finally understood why the White Crane said he was lucky.

The Human Race on the Profound Spirit Continent is powerful, but it happens to lack any Nascent Soul Nascent Soul the Dao of Lightning.

If such a level seven Demon General existed, with profound knowledge and domineering Thunder Method like Shi Jian, he would be nothing short of a walking, top-grade Dao Pill!

The other party will absolutely spare no expense to skin him alive and refine him into Pill Furnace.

In the world of cultivation, people are devoured without spitting out their bones.

Upon reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, they directly treat fellow cultivators as Cultivation Resources. If this news were to spread, it would likely cause panic among all cultivators in the world.

"So, those major Human Race sects, by raising Demon Beast and suppressing Rogue Cultivator, are not only after resources, but also to 'raise Gu' (a type of poisonous insect)?"

Shi Jian's voice was icy cold.

"Good."

White Crane nodded. "Why do you think the Azure Edge Sect has kept me here for hundreds of years? That old dog Tongming cultivates the Cloud Dao, and so Cloud Dao I."

"He was just using me as a backup medicine bag."

"If his cultivation stagnates one day and he needs to break through, I will be just another ingredient in his furnace. If I don't escape, he will devour me sooner or later."

The White Crane stood up and shook its feathers.

"Brother Shi, we are both outcasts."

"On this continent, if you don't want to be eaten, you have to eat people first!"

"I need time to prepare the spiritual artifacts for my future Nascent Soul Formation. I will be troubling you during this time, and I hope you will take good care of yourself."

Shi Jian responded and waved his hand, "There are plenty of vacant spaces at the foot of Purple Firmament Peak. Brother Bai, please feel free to clear some out..."

"If needed, please feel free to contact Shi Pan."

Thank you.

The White Crane crane took flight, transforming into a streak of white light and disappearing into the dense forest on the mountainside.

At the Purple Firmament Peak, only Shi Jian remained once again.

The purple-gold lightning liquid in the lightning pool churned, reflecting his massive body.

Pill-Taking Method.

These three words were like a knife hanging over his head.

"Purple Firmament."

Shi Jian spoke coldly in his mind's eye, "Why have you never mentioned what White Crane said?"

Deep within the sea of consciousness.

The purple-gold phantom sitting cross-legged flickered slightly, as if it were somewhat guilty.

"Ahem..." Purple Firmament coughed lightly, his voice no longer as unfathomable as before. "Um... I've been asleep for too long, and some of my memories are fragmented."

Shi Jian sneered, "Is it incomplete, or do you simply not know it?"

Purple Firmament fell silent.

After a long pause, he shouted in a desperate manner, "Alright, alright! I'm laying my cards on the table! I really don't know!"

"I was born in the Kunyuan Secret Realm. In the end, I am just a Spirit Race born of heaven and earth. I have lived a long life and have seen a lot."

"But ultimately, I'm only equivalent to a seventh-level Demon General in your Demon Race!"

"What are these Three Trials of Nascent Soul realm, and these Pill-Taking Method? How am I supposed to know all this?"

Shi Jian was speechless for a moment.

This old fellow, he always acts like some kind of god, calling everyone "ants" and "this one," but it turns out he didn't know anything about it.

"So all those boasts you made before were just empty talk?"

"That's called momentum, don't you understand!"

Purple Firmament forcefully argued, "Besides, the Dao of Lightning magic I taught you is a genuine, supreme Secret Method!"

"Without me, you would have been killed by that Poison Flood Dragon long ago!"

Shi Jian ignored him and directly severed the connection with his Divine Sense.

Purple Firmament did indeed help him a great deal, that much is undeniable, but now it seems that Purple Firmament probably can't offer any guidance on the path after reaching the Nascent Soul...

His future depends entirely on himself.

"The Heart Demon Trial, the origin of the Great Dao..."

Shi Jian lay on the edge of the Thunder Pool, looking at his bear paws covered with thunder patterns.

"Truly, the path to enlightenment is difficult to cultivate."