Chapter 103: Earth-Traversing Golden Light, Lu Wufei, and Zhenyuan’s Gift of a Treasure!
“Howl.”
Suddenly, the piercing howl of a wolf echoed throughout the entire Five Villages Temple’s cave heaven.
Beneath the clear night sky,
a colossal white wolf appeared, opening its jaws and swallowing more than half of the full moon.
At that moment,
all disciples within the Five Villages Temple could not help but look up, their faces filled with astonishment and doubt.
By the pavilion and waterside,
in the tall tower,
Zhenyuan Zi, dressed in a bright yellow robe, opened his eyes and gazed toward the horizon. Seeing the white wolf devouring most of the moon, he murmured in surprise, “Hmm, there’s still some remnant bloodline.”
In an unassuming bedroom,
Lu Fei was entirely unaware of the extraordinary phenomenon outside, caused by himself.
He was immersed in the joy of his recent Golden Core formation, diligently calming and harmonizing the surging spiritual power within his dantian and body, stabilizing his cultivation realm.
Outside the bedroom,
beneath the eight-immortal table,
the little white mouse, eyes wide with nervousness, watched the fading glow from the room and immediately darted inside.
“Ouch.”
“Just a few days apart, and you’re already sinking again?”
“Squeak squeak.”
“All right, all right, you’re not sinking, not heavy.”
“Dad’s fine, just stay calm for a moment.”
“Go on.”
Soon, the noises inside the room quieted down.
After a while,
a large white mouse, tail wagging happily, emerged from the bedroom.
The next morning,
at dawn, as the eastern sky barely brightened,
Lu Fei awoke from meditation, opening his eyes.
The glowing light encircling his body instantly dissipated.
His divine sense sank deeply,
entering his dantian.
Inside, amidst a misty azure light, floated a golden, round core about the size of a dragon’s eye—the Golden Core—radiating a steady golden brilliance.
“A Golden Core at last.”
Feeling the Golden Core hovering over his Qi Sea,
gazing at the pure golden radiance,
Lu Fei thought no other color could rival the brilliance before him.
He exhaled softly, feeling an unprecedented lightness within and without.
Two years ago,
in his third year at Five Villages Temple, he had reached the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, poised to break through to the Golden Core stage.
However, Senior Brother Qingfeng advised him to linger in the Foundation Establishment stage longer, not rushing the breakthrough.
He suggested waiting until his spiritual energy naturally overflowed and the opportunity came smoothly, so the subsequent advancement would be more beneficial.
Lu Fei trusted the studious Qingfeng’s advice and felt no pressure.
Thus, he remained at the Foundation Establishment peak for two more years.
The dense spiritual energy within the Five Villages Temple’s cave heaven, combined with the Taoist True Scripture “Mixed Void True Vigorous Heavenly Classic,” had long since allowed his cultivation and body to reach the overflowing stage Qingfeng spoke of.
Yet Lu Fei still did not hasten to break through.
He first cultivated the demon clan’s method to late Foundation Establishment,
then abandoned it to focus on the Taoist True Scripture, reestablishing Foundation Establishment.
Along the way, he consumed the essence of the Ginseng Fruit, a heavenly spiritual fruit, known mainly for extending lifespan but also enhancing cultivation.
Although the essence was divided among forty-nine senior brothers and himself, it still contributed to his accumulation.
Over these two years, he could have broken through anytime.
But Lu Fei understood that a towering building must start from a solid foundation; the firmer the base, the farther the path ahead.
So he meticulously honed his divine abilities during his Foundation Establishment period.
This continued until seven days ago.
After receiving a dream message from several brothers in the Great Wilderness Mountains,
Lu Fei sensed the time to breakthrough to the Golden Core had come.
He meditated quietly for seven days, adjusting his body to the best state and successfully breaking through to the Golden Core stage.
His previous readings in the Five Villages Temple library had shown that when demon clans break through to Demon General and form their cores, the demon cores’ colors usually relate to their own aura and can be black, green, pink, and others.
However, Taoist true methods typically produce golden cores,
which is the origin of the term “Golden Core.”
Still, some cultivators with imperfect skills or abnormal methods produce cores with mixed or different colors.
In sum, the Golden Core reflects all prior accumulation.
Its composition reveals the cultivator’s essence.
Though Lu Fei was of demon origin, he formed a golden core typical only of Taoist cultivators, related to his retraining in Taoist methods.
The “Mixed Void True Vigorous Heavenly Classic” was passed down from the Earth Immortal Patriarch Zhenyuan, a pure and true Taoist disciple.
From now on, if anyone dared to insult him as a demon or monster,
Lu Fei would merely reveal his skills and, if needed, invoke his teacher Zhenyuan Zi’s name, ensuring the offender would know their fault and apologize, no matter how powerful they were.
Of course, given Lu Fei’s character, he would not invoke his teacher unless absolutely necessary.
Withdrawing his divine sense from the dantian,
he summoned forth virtual ink-brush characters glowing faintly white before his eyes:
[Host: Lu Fei]
[Realm: Early Golden Core (26/100,000)]
[Experience: 456/6,000]
[Soul Power: None]
[Techniques: Mixed Void True Vigorous Heavenly Classic (Intermediate) (123/1,000); Demon Clan Breathing Method (Complete)]
[Abilities: Seventy-Two Transformations (Proficient) (99/500); Staff Technique (Complete)…]
[Divine Skills: Universe in Sleeve (Proficient) (368/1,000); Earth-Piercing Golden Light (Proficient) (33/500); Inch Step (Complete); Heavenly Wolf Moon Swallow (Complete); Within an Inch (Complete); Whisper (Complete); Surprise Attack (Complete); Tiger Roar (Complete); Breath Holding (Complete); Swift Step (Complete); Earth Escape (Advanced) (666/2,000)]
“Huh, the realm’s name has changed.”
Glancing at the data, Lu Fei realized that if it were still the demon clan’s realm naming, Early Golden Core would have been called something like Early Demon Core.
This must be due to his cultivation of Taoist true methods.
Looking further,
his soul power experience remained unchanged.
Having cultivated for five years in the Five Villages Temple without killing, naturally, there had been no soul power gains.
Lu Fei remained calm.
Examining his techniques, the “Mixed Void True Vigorous Heavenly Classic” was indeed a genuine Taoist scripture, progressing slower than the demon clan’s breathing method.
Still, he had reached an intermediate stage and would continue refining it.
Next was the Seventy-Two Transformations—a divine skill notorious for its difficulty.
After initial mastery, Lu Fei had gradually acquired certain techniques.
The next step was continued practice.
He understood that his system’s greatest ability was displaying visible proficiency progress.
No matter the level or difficulty of the divine skill, once learned, time could handle the rest.
Of course, daily diligent practice was fundamental.
Otherwise, his abilities would not advance on their own.
Next were his divine skills, inherited from his teacher Zhenyuan Zi, especially the signature “Universe in Sleeve,” another difficult skill but progressing faster than the Seventy-Two Transformations.
As for the newly acquired “Earth-Piercing Golden Light,” that would be explained later.
First, the other divine skills he had learned from various minor demons.
Except for Earth Escape, which was tricky to practice because the Five Villages Temple’s cave heaven was a self-contained realm with terrain much harder than outside, reinforced by numerous arrays and great spiritual power.
Upon inquiry, for years, Lu Fei only dared practice Earth Escape in the vegetable patch within the cave.
He did not dare or could not practice elsewhere.
Thus, Earth Escape remained incomplete.
Also, he had been busy cultivating other divine skills.
Regarding the newly acquired “Earth-Piercing Golden Light,” its position among his divine skills indicated it was a powerful technique.
This skill came from insights within the “Mixed Void True Vigorous Heavenly Classic.”
He had comprehended several divine skills from the scripture, though some minor ones were omitted here to avoid clutter.
This made Lu Fei deeply appreciate the rarity and power of Taoist true methods.
He now understood why his teacher Zhenyuan Zi said all the other divine skills were contained within the scripture and required sincere understanding to grasp their essence.
His initial demon clan breathing method had no such evolution.
Returning to “Earth-Piercing Golden Light,” it was a movement technique allowing travel of thirty to fifty thousand li per day at entry level, and three to five hundred thousand li per day when perfected.
Though far from the legendary Monkey King’s somersault cloud,
few in the Three Realms could match the Monkey King’s talent.
Lu Fei had comprehended this divine skill a year ago while still Foundation Establishment.
He had been ecstatic.
After gaining it, he consulted Senior Brothers Qingfeng and Mingyue, learning that even with the same method, each person’s divine skill comprehension would differ.
This made Lu Fei realize the importance of luck, opportunity, and aptitude in comprehending such skills.
He then prioritized practicing “Earth-Piercing Golden Light,” barely reaching proficiency.
Although easier than Seventy-Two Transformations and Universe in Sleeve, it still required effort.
At proficiency, he estimated his full-speed travel could reach eighty to ninety thousand li per day.
With this, his future trips to the Great Wilderness Mountains would no longer require years of arduous mountain crossing.
Even without this skill, his Golden Core cultivation would still make travel faster, but “Earth-Piercing Golden Light” brought him much closer to his dream of “traveling the Northern Sea by morning, lodging in Cangwu by evening.”
After studying the data screen for a while,
Lu Fei dismissed it.
With a thought,
he vanished from the bedroom and appeared before the eight-immortal table.
“Squeak squeak.”
Little White, resting on the windowsill, sensed his movement, leapt down, and hurried to him.
Lu Fei poured two cups of cold tea, handing one to Little White.
Then he sat at the table, deep in thought.
Now that he had reached the Golden Core realm, though insignificant compared to celestial immortals,
he was undeniably a pillar among the mortal cultivation world—a mid-to-upper tier existence.
From a lowly demon soldier to Golden Core, it had taken him thirteen years.
Including the original owner’s first two years, fifteen years in total.
With the help of his golden finger system, the superior cultivation environment of Five Villages Temple, and the Ginseng Fruit, even shared among many,
it still took thirteen years to reach Golden Core.
To ascend from Golden Core to Celestial Immortal,
to truly transform from mortal to immortal—
the time required was unimaginable: thirty, fifty, even a hundred years or more.
Without his brothers in the Great Wilderness Mountains, he might have considered staying in the Five Villages Temple’s cave heaven to cultivate quietly.
But he had them.
Some might dismiss them as weak demons, insignificant and disposable.
Not Lu Fei.
When he was weakest, most humble, and struggling, they stood beside him.
When he achieved greatness as a mighty demon immortal,
he could not betray them.
Otherwise, to become immortal yet remain utterly alone would be too lonely.
Life could not be measured purely by gain and loss.
Besides, even without them, he could not endure decades of solitary cultivation in the Five Villages Temple; he would surely venture out to see the mortal world.
With them, he could live better, as they could assist him.
Therefore,
Lu Fei would definitely descend the mountain.
But when to leave—
that required careful thought,
and permission from his teacher Zhenyuan Zi.
Only with the teacher’s consent could he go.
With this in mind,
Lu Fei ceased further thoughts.
He glanced outside at the sky,
reaching out his hand.
Little White immediately understood and swiftly climbed onto his shoulder.
Lu Fei finished his tea,
then strode toward the door.
The early morning hour was near; it was time to prepare breakfast.
Though he had just broken through to Golden Core,
he could have stayed home a few days to stabilize his realm, and no one would say a word.
But his Foundation Establishment accumulation was so solid,
his breakthrough to Golden Core smooth and stable, with no signs of instability.
There was no need for laziness.
“Good morning, Senior Brother.”
“Good morning, Junior Brother Bai.”
“Congratulations, Junior Brother Bai.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother. I’ve just begun the path and still have much to learn.”
On the way, he greeted several early-rising senior brothers.
They easily noticed his cultivation change and offered congratulations.
Lu Fei politely returned their greetings.
The relationships among the Five Villages Temple’s disciples were indeed harmonious.
This was no exaggeration.
Even with differing personalities and occasional disagreements, disputes never escalated into harsh words.
Lu Fei, during his time at Five Villages Temple, never had conflicts with any senior brothers.
Besides Qingfeng and Mingyue, his closest and dearest senior brothers,
he maintained good relations with several others.
This gave him a strong sense of belonging.
He guessed that after descending the mountain, he would often return to visit his teacher and senior brothers.
Upon arriving at the western courtyard,
Lu Fei found that Qingfeng and Mingyue had even arrived at the kitchen earlier.
“Good morning, Senior Brothers.”
Lu Fei smiled as he stood at the kitchen door.
Mingyue’s eyes brightened instantly; she stepped forward, scrutinized him briefly, then stood on tiptoe to pat his shoulder.
“Junior Brother, congratulations. Last night, your Golden Core breakthrough caused quite a stir.”
“Oh?”
Lu Fei was curious. He knew that Golden Core formation came with unusual phenomena, like the one he saw when General Bai formed his core on the battlefield.
But he had been focused on breaking through last night and hadn’t noticed his own phenomenon.
Hearing his senior brother mention it, he became interested.
“Tell me about it, Senior Brother?”
Mingyue did not hold back.
“Hey, at midnight, a gigantic white wolf streaked across the sky, swallowing the reflection of the full moon in one bite. Quite a commotion, wasn’t it? Far bigger than when Qingfeng and I formed our cores.”
“I see.”
Lu Fei’s heart leapt.
He had seen General Bai’s core formation phenomenon and read related scrolls in the library.
He knew that when humans or demons form cores, celestial phenomena often appeared as blessings from heaven and earth—storms, thunder, fog, snow, and so on.
Such specific visions as a giant white wolf swallowing the moon were rare.
He realized his uniqueness.
Though he did not fully understand it, it was certainly not a bad sign.
Qingfeng then cupped his hands and smiled, “Congratulations, Junior Brother. Now that you’ve entered Golden Core, the path to longevity and immortality is not far.”
Lu Fei returned the gesture with a smile, “Thank you, Senior Brother. Immortality is still far off.”
He was informal with Qingfeng and Mingyue, chatting as he helped with chores.
Soon he asked about traveling down the mountain.
“Junior Brother plans to descend the mountain?”
Qingfeng deftly placed spiritual rice into the steamer and asked.
Lu Fei chuckled, “Is it that obvious?”
Qingfeng shook his head. “Not exactly, but since you just formed the Golden Core and ask this, it’s clear your heart is stirred. It’s an easy guess.”
“Alright,” Lu Fei smiled openly. “I do intend to go down the mountain.”
“You know, Junior Brother, you come from the southern mountains,”
“Don’t laugh, Senior Brothers. When I was weak, a few little demons and I looked out for each other, barely surviving.”
“Later, we became sworn brothers.”
“They were the ones who saw me off, leaving the great mountains.”
“Thanks to our teacher’s kindness, I was accepted into the sect.”
“A few days ago, I received dream messages from them; my brothers are in trouble. As their eldest, I cannot stand by.”
“Besides, as you know my nature, I want to make a journey down the mountain.”
“So, I came to ask both of you.”
Lu Fei bowed to his senior brothers.
Regardless of past memories of Qingfeng and Mingyue with the Monkey King, these two cared much for him.
They were the first he must inform.
“I see,”
Qingfeng smiled immediately. “No wonder you suddenly broke through yesterday—it means the time has come.”
Lu Fei nodded, “Something like that.”
After listening for a while, Mingyue said, “Junior Brother, if you go, only the two of us will remain in the temple.”
Lu Fei laughed, “How could it be just you two? There are other senior brothers.”
Mingyue shook her head with a sigh, “Eh, we don’t get along well.”
Qingfeng added, “If you want to descend, just tell the teacher. He won’t stop you. But since you just reached Golden Core, it’s best to stay a while longer, stabilize, and master your skills.”
“After all, the mountain is safer than outside, especially since you must go to your brothers’ demon territory. You must not be careless.”
Lu Fei nodded, “Thank you for your advice, Senior Brother. You’re right. I understand that the day to leave is still far off.”
Mingyue, looking a bit downcast, picked up a shoulder pole hanging by the door and handed it to Lu Fei.
“How long will you be gone?”
Lu Fei took the pole and the buckets, smiling, “At least three to five years, but hopefully no more than ten. With ‘Earth-Piercing Golden Light,’ the mountain is distant from the Great Wilderness Mountains in the far north, but traveling there and back won’t be hard. I’ll come back often to visit you.”
Hearing this, Mingyue’s face brightened, and she smiled, “I forgot that. That’s best. You must come back regularly.”
Lu Fei laughed, “Definitely.”
With that, he hoisted the shoulder pole and buckets, chatting with Mingyue as they walked outside the courtyard.
In the following days,
Lu Fei continued his early morning cultivation, morning lessons, scripture study, and reading.
Three months later,
in early summer,
before dawn had fully broken,
Lu Fei awoke from meditation, instructed Little White briefly, then opened the door and headed toward the Five Villages Temple’s main hall.
Passing the garden hill and pavilion,
he reached a tall tower.
“Come up,”
his teacher’s voice whispered in his ear.
Lu Fei responded respectfully,
ascending to the tower, entering his teacher’s meditation chamber once more.
“What brings you to me?”
Fragrant mist curled as Zhenyuan Zi, seated behind an incense burner, opened his eyes.
Lu Fei knelt respectfully, “I dare not disturb you, Master. I wish to descend the mountain for a time.”
“Oh?”
Zhenyuan Zi was somewhat surprised, opening his eyes to examine his young disciple carefully before nodding, “There is a reason. I approve.”
“But this is your first time descending—do you have a name?”
Lu Fei knew that his former name differed from the one his teacher had just asked.
Upon joining Five Villages Temple, disciples in the ‘Wu’ generation received Taoist names.
If one had none, the teacher would give one.
He had long prepared his answer.
“Master, I am Lu Wufei.
My name is Lu Wufei.”
Yesterday is dead; today is born anew.
Everything of Earth has become the past, destined to vanish.
Yet Lu Fei could not forget where he came from.
Using “Lu Wufei” honored both his past and his true rebirth in this world.
“‘Wu’ means both ‘not’ and ‘also not.’”
Hearing this, Zhenyuan Zi nodded, not questioning the name change.
He said, “You originate from the demon clan. Returning there will inevitably bring conflict.
Take this for protection.”
At his words,
a glowing green leaf descended from above, hovering before Lu Fei.
Ecstatic, Lu Fei knelt, face full of respect, “Thank you, Master, for this treasure.”
“Go.
Do not neglect your cultivation outside.”
As the voice fell,
darkness enveloped him, and when he looked up, he was beneath the tower again.
Lu Fei bowed respectfully toward the tower.
“Yes, Master. I will not forget.”
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(The chapter ends.)