48. A Strange Transformation in the Dantian

The establishment of the Elven Kingdom once again showcased the might of the City of Death to the world. The power of a single city could intimidate an entire nation, causing the great empires of the continent to refrain from making an enemy of it.

Mo Fei’s plans to travel the continent had been postponed yet again. It seemed he was destined to toil endlessly. Mo Fei couldn’t help but sigh to himself. Upon returning to the City of Death, he ordered his subordinates to collect the ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Over the following months, aside from assisting the Elven Kingdom in training elven warriors, he devoted himself to cultivation within the Spirit Gathering Array he had constructed, hoping to regain the strength of the Golden Core stage as soon as possible.

Vivian and Irene, ever since hearing Mo Fei’s tales of cultivators, spent their days clinging to him, pestering him to explain the mysteries of cultivation. Mo Fei, for his part, was more than happy to introduce them to the world of cultivators ahead of time. He placed particular emphasis on a unique method of dual cultivation, peculiar to cultivators—a topic that left both women questioning the veracity of everything he told them.

Thus, their days passed in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. Today, as on any other, Mo Fei sat cross-legged within the Spirit Gathering Array in the courtyard, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. He circulated the Jade Void Art, drawing the ambient energy towards himself. The spiritual energy in his dantian circulated through his meridians, assimilating the newly absorbed energy before returning to its origin.

As he completed cycle after cycle of the Jade Void Art, the spiritual energy in his dantian steadily accumulated, the liquid gradually thickening, showing signs of solidifying—a clear indicator of the impending transition to the Golden Core stage, an experience he had undergone once before. Yet, rather than feeling elated, Mo Fei’s expression grew even more grave.

He knew that he already possessed a Golden Core, but during his initial journey through the void, he had exhausted all his spiritual energy, leaving the core dim and inert, beyond his control. He had hoped that by absorbing enough spiritual energy, the core would gradually recover. Yet now, new signs of core condensation were appearing within him. If a new core formed, what would become of the old one? Mo Fei had no answers.

While he wrestled with indecision, the transformation within his dantian advanced unabated. The spiritual energy began to rotate on its own, gathering at the center. A tiny golden light formed, growing larger with each rotation.

“Whatever happens, happens!” Mo Fei gritted his teeth, making up his mind. Instead of letting the process unfold uncontrolled, he actively guided the condensation according to the method described in the Jade Void Art. Under his direction, the spiritual energy spun even faster. The viscous liquid diminished until it vanished entirely, replaced by a small golden bead, suspended at the center of his dantian, slowly rotating and radiating waves of spiritual energy throughout his body with every turn.

Mo Fei realized that the Golden Core had formed—he had regained his strength. Just as he was about to examine whether his dantian had changed due to this new core, an anomaly occurred. The newly formed core began spinning rapidly, circling his dantian as though searching for something. The increased output of spiritual energy quickly filled the entire space.

What Mo Fei failed to notice was that the original, dim core at the bottom of his dantian was now slowly absorbing the surrounding energy, gradually regaining its golden luster.

The disturbance in his dantian lasted about an hour. When the misty spiritual energy finally dissipated, Mo Fei probed his dantian once more.

What he found left him speechless: two Golden Cores floated quietly at the center of his dantian, both slowly rotating.

“What’s going on? How do I suddenly have two Golden Cores?” Mo Fei was completely at a loss. Yet, sensing no discomfort—in fact, feeling even stronger than in his prime—he concluded it must be due to the two cores. Since there seemed to be no adverse effects, he decided not to dwell on it. The secret of the two Golden Cores could be unraveled later.

Mo Fei ended his meditation and stepped out into the courtyard. Outside, Vivian and Irene, who were playing with the young thunder dragon, immediately came over and linked their arms with his.

“You look so relaxed. Did you make a breakthrough?” Vivian asked curiously.

“I did. I reached the Golden Core stage today,” Mo Fei replied without hiding anything.

“Really? Does that mean you can refine the Foundation Establishment Pill now?” Irene exclaimed with excitement—she had been anticipating this moment for some time.

“Yes, once the ingredients are all gathered, I can begin. Then you two can cultivate just like me,” Mo Fei said with a smile.

At his confirmation, both women kissed him on the cheek in delight. The thunder dragon, seeing this and Mo Fei’s look of enjoyment, flapped its wings and tried to nuzzle Mo Fei’s face with its large mouth.

Thanks to the abundance of magic cores provided by the elves and the City of Death, the little thunder dragon had grown rapidly over the past few months. It was much larger now, already half the height of a person, with wings nearly two meters across. As the dragon lunged playfully, Mo Fei quickly dodged with the two women in his arms—he had no desire to be left with a face full of dragon drool.

—

The next day, Mo Fei went to ask Elder Orff about the progress in gathering the ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Though these materials were common in the world of cultivators, Mo Fei couldn’t be certain they existed on this continent. Fortunately, thanks to the combined efforts of the merchant guild and the City of Death, the ingredients had been assembled. Most of the herbs were collected by elves and dwarves from the forest, while the rest were purchased by the merchant guild from across the continent. With the City Lord himself issuing the order, the leaders of every faction within the guild had mobilized their subordinates, eager not to miss an opportunity to curry favor.

With the ingredients ready, Mo Fei prepared to refine the pills in his own courtyard, stationing Vivian and Irene at the gate to keep all disturbances at bay.

Standing within the Spirit Gathering Array, Mo Fei faced a specially crafted cauldron, made for him by a master dwarven smith, with all the necessary ingredients laid out beside it. Though he knew the pill recipe, this was his first time actually refining it. He carefully rehearsed the process in his mind before opening his eyes and beginning.

He placed his hands on the cauldron, circulating his Golden Core. A crimson pill flame burst to life within. When the temperature rose sufficiently, he waved his hand, and the ingredients flew one after another into the cauldron, instantly liquefying upon contact with the flames. Mo Fei carefully regulated the heat and the state of the liquid, adding ingredients as needed, while the spiritual energy from the surroundings was continuously absorbed by the potion.

Once all the ingredients were in, the next step was to use the pill flame to extract and refine, removing impurities—a crucial stage. Under Mo Fei’s powerful spiritual awareness, the process proceeded without error.

Now only the final step remained: forming the pills. Gentle spiritual energy enveloped the liquid as it was roasted within the cauldron. Gradually, the liquid thickened and began to solidify. Mo Fei shaped the congealing substance into round pills with controlled streams of spiritual energy, all the while murmuring an incantation. Suddenly, at his command, the surrounding spiritual energy surged into the cauldron, condensing into the pills. When it was done, Mo Fei ceased his control of the flame, and the temperature returned to normal.

A fragrant aroma wafted from the cauldron. Mo Fei withdrew a small porcelain bottle from his storage pouch and placed within it ten perfectly formed pills.

The Foundation Establishment Pills were complete.