Stellar Essence Meridians. Golden Star Cells.

Yang Wei now had both these rare and powerful cultivation components in his body. It made him feel like he could hold the power of heaven and earth within him!

As he floated in midair, deep in meditation, his whole body turned golden. The glow he emitted felt different this time, more elegant, like the sun itself. Just like you can’t ignore the sun’s rays, you couldn’t ignore the intense light radiating from him.

RUMBLE!

The whole Osmanthus World trembled as he continued his cultivation.

He wasn’t going to stop. . .

He would keep cultivating his components until he could extract the essence of his specialized meridians and cells, refine them, and crystallize them into a golden core. Not just any mundane golden core──the one even the heavens hadn’t witnessed in ages… a celestial golden core!

This was the start of his true cultivation journey. . .

Everything he’d done had led to this moment: building a foundation of ultimate existence, acquisition of stellar essence meridians to help him comprehend the celestial energies of the mystical stars, and using golden star cells to hold and store that energy. It was all for this moment!

Li Meixiu watched in silence as Yang Wei cultivated this formidable power.

“Hmm…”

It was crucial that when forming a golden core, cultivators were in seclusion or at least had their dao protectors with them. Since their body needed to accept the core and the full power of heavenly lightning, they had to let down all their defenses and rely solely on their fleshly cultivation to prevent themselves from turning to ashes.

In such vulnerable states, anyone could easily kill them or steal the golden core.

Tianyi cowered in fear as he observed his master’s cultivation.

Yang Wei had been in that position for five days now, and the little dragon was growing increasingly worried.

Li Meixiu remained composed, though she couldn’t help but feel concerned for her student.

“There’s a significant disparity between the lightning required to create the three types of golden cores. For a sun golden core, mortal lightning is necessary to refine it. Then, for a great-sun golden core, earthly lightning is required… but a celestial golden core is on a whole other level.”

Crafting a celestial golden core involved subjecting the cultivator’s amalgamated essence, extracted from the meridians and cells, to the nine cycles of lightning, sometimes called the three worlds of lightning──three strikes from the mortal world, three from the earthly world, and three final ones from the heavenly world!

Due to this rigorous process, the number of cultivators who successfully formed a celestial golden core was only half of what it was supposed to be, as many would perish after receiving the first round of heavenly lightning.

It wasn’t that heavenly lightning was so deadly, but after enduring three mortal and earthly lightnings each, adding heavenly lightning felt like climbing an indomitable mountain.

This was simply another Tribulation!

Yang Wei had his blood Qi cultivated to perfection, his blood cells tempered, and he even sped up his blood cultivation with blood strengthening pills. Plus, he mastered the first volume of the Profound Black Tortoise Inheritance, giving him fleshly cultivation that could make the heavens sweat.

Add to that his Fang and Scale Peak Body Refinement, boosting his corporeal body’s power, and his foundation of ultimate existence.

He was fully prepared the Three Worlds of Lightning!

Then the skies darkened, and Tianyi’s heart skipped a beat.

It was like the heavens themselves were roaring!

Suddenly, a bolt of blue lightning shot out from the clouds, bearing down on Yang Wei. But to him, it felt like nothing more than a mosquito bite.

A second bolt came, bigger than the first, and again, he didn’t flinch.

Then a third, and still, no reaction. . .

The skies expanded and the earth rumbled.

White lightning crashed down on Yang Wei, but he stayed cool as a cucumber. More bolts came, each bigger than the last, but he didn’t budge. The pressure these rounds of earthly lightning exerted could snuff out worlds, but to him, it was like facing a gentle breeze!

By now, most cultivators at this stage would be trembling in pain or on the verge of collapse after six of these lightning bolts hit their body.

But Yang Wei seemed surprisingly calm. . .

Li Meixiu watched with deep concern because heavenly lightning was far more destructive than the other two types, yet it was also the most crucial, acting as a catalyst to accelerate the crystallization of a cultivator’s essence without fail.

Its importance matched its power──where earthly lightning was 100 times stronger than mortal lightning, heavenly lightning was a staggering 10,000 times more potent than earthly lightning!

“Now the real test begins…” Li Meixiu observed.

Yang Wei focused on his breathing, using it to calm himself and stabilize his already forming golden core.

Soon, the clouds darkened and coalesced, taking the shape of a fierce dragon, with lightning crackling within, casting a terrifying glow. As the thunderous sound echoed, the first heavenly lightning bolt appeared, larger and wider than any before it. This bolt held the power to easily wipe out thousands of Spirit Gathering-level cultivators if they were foolish enough to approach!

Li Meixiu scooped up Tianyi from the ground. “Just stay close to me in case…” she instructed the little dragon.

Tianyi looked confused, tilting his head in response. “Rawr?”

BOOOOOM!

The golden lightning struck abruptly, pushing Yang Wei down and almost breaking his meditation. But he gritted his teeth, absorbing the lightning to accelerate the formation of his golden core.

Yang Wei grimaced as he struggled against the first round of lightning.

Still, it beat the alternative of being dead, which is where most cultivators would find themselves at this point.

Then came the second heavenly lightning, powerful enough to tear the Osmanthus World in half as it slammed into Yang Wei. He let out a heavy grunt and coughed up blood as everything around him seemed on the brink of collapse!

“NGHHKK!” Yang Wei grunted.

But Li Meixiu jumped in, using her spiritual energy to keep the world from falling apart. It was a simple task for her with her Asura cultivation base!

With the world stable again, Yang Wei could focus on bracing himself for the next lightning strike without worrying about his surroundings. But with the way he was panting heavily and bleeding from his mouth, he looked like he would not make it through the last one. This lightning was far stronger than the one he faced when strengthening the soil of his spiritual domain.

And now, compared to then, the power of his fleshly cultivation was like a mountain compared to a pebble──completely insignificant!

Yang Wei trembled so hard that blood seeped from his pores, his whole body red with pain. His eyes were wild with barely contained madness, like he was barely hanging on.

“One more lightning left…” Li Meixiu said, hoping he would reach the goal.

If Yang Wei could form a celestial golden core, he’d be on par with some Nascent Soul cultivators who had the weakest variants of a soul heart. And beyond that, a celestial golden core meant limitless potential. With enough time, there wouldn’t be any path of cultivation Yang Wei couldn’t conquer!

Intense rumbling filled the air as the third bolt of golden lightning streaked through the sky. It was the largest and strongest of all nine bolts. It was a thunderous force, threatening to overwhelm Yang Wei and compromise his fleshly body cultivation.

“This is it, I will form that celestial golden core!”

Yang Wei roared as his Martial Black Emperor manifested. Enjoy more content from empire

ROOOOOAAR!

The muscular arms of the beastly black turtle spread out, holding back the lightning. The force of the descending lightning felt like a great hand intent on crushing Yang Wei like an ant. But his Martial Black Emperor persisted, pushing against the relentless force of the lightning, creating an opening for Yang Wei to cultivate to the maximum requirement.

With a long cry, he released all the power of his cultivation base. His intent, spirit root, soul, and every fiber of his being were completely focused. Nothing else mattered in that moment. Even as his mind descended into insanity, and his soul felt like it would crumble, his goal remained clear. . .

“In order to conquer the cultivation world, this is the first step! Forming this golden core!”

Finally, the heavens conceded, and the last lightning disappeared. Everything turned to gold as Yang Wei shone as bright as the sun, but neither Li Meixiu nor Tianyi could see him. All they could see was a shining golden core that crystallized everything it touched. The rivers and springs in the Osmanthus World froze solid, turning into golden ice that could shatter with a touch!

This once lush world, filled with trees and streams, turned into a golden landscape.

The only thing that mattered at that moment was the radiance of Yang Wei’s breakthrough.

If it were possible, reality itself would’ve been crystallized and shattered into countless fragments spreading across existence!

This was the phenomenon that truly showcased the brilliance of a celestial golden core. It was pure bliss!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep