From the moment a cultivator steps onto the path of cultivation to ascension, they must go through six stages: Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Divine Transformation, and Tribulation Transcendence. Each stage filters out countless practitioners—some achieve Foundation Establishment overnight, while others never enter the immortal gates in their entire lives.
From Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, cultivators form a golden core within their bodies, and crossing from Golden Core to Nascent Soul means forming a nascent soul within.
Hearing that Qin Wanwan wanted to form her Nascent Soul here, Xie Gutang couldn’t help but frown: “Miss Qin, why choose to form your Nascent Soul here? This is too risky.”
The process of forming a Nascent Soul was extremely difficult. The slightest carelessness could result in qi deviation at best, or bodily explosion and death at worst.
Qin Wanwan observed her surroundings, pressed her lips together, and explained: “Daoist Xie, do you remember? I mentioned before that in the temple at the back courtyard, I met a young master named Song Shi. He looked almost identical to Lin Yanzhi’s divine statue and was extremely kind to me.”
“I remember.” Xie Gutang nodded. “Why bring him up suddenly?”
“That day we were all searching for who in Ghost City had Mizang as their spiritual beast. I happened to encounter him, and he told me Hua Rong had one. We also learned from him that Hua Rong was raised by Lin Yanzhi and had an extraordinary relationship with him, and that Jian Xingzhi looked very similar to Lin Yanzhi. In fact, it was because of his words that we decided we absolutely had to send Jian Xingzhi to find Hua Rong.”
“Indeed so.”
“But this person—he died long ago.” Qin Wanwan reminded Xie Gutang. “Not only did he die, but his appearance resembled Lin Yanzhi even more than Jian Xingzhi. With his looks, whether as a male companion or as Lin Yanzhi’s substitute, he shouldn’t have remained in the back courtyard all along.”
“So you mean?”
Xie Gutang somewhat understood: “That Song Shi at the time wasn’t the real Song Shi at all. Perhaps he was Hua Rong, or perhaps Hua Rong’s subordinate. Either way, he was someone Hua Rong sent to guide us into delivering senior to her.”
“Exactly. So that leads to the second question—why does she want Jian Xingzhi?”
Qin Wanwan analyzed: “Her back courtyard is full of people resembling Lin Yanzhi. She set up such a massive formation to gather spiritual energy. She might also try to find the Linglong Jade and make it appear here. The Linglong Jade is essentially a type of energy too. With so much power, finding a body extremely similar to Lin Yanzhi, and having been raised by Lin Yanzhi herself—what do you think she wants to do?”
“She couldn’t possibly want to resurrect Lin Yanzhi?!”
Xie Gutang reacted: “Bringing the dead back to life—this is a heaven-defying technique.”
“She wants Jian Xingzhi’s body to resurrect Lin Yanzhi. Then comes the third question—why doesn’t she just directly capture Jian Xingzhi?”
Xie Gutang shook his head: “I don’t understand.”
For an instant, Qin Wanwan felt as if she and Xie Gutang had developed the dynamic of Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang. She raised her hand to rest on her crossed knees, her face showing a profound and inscrutable expression: “I guess it’s because she lacks the ability. She must trick Jian Xingzhi to a certain place before she has the capability to take Jian Xingzhi’s body. Nanfeng being captured wasn’t an accident. So right now, this formation has only two purposes—either to resurrect Lin Yanzhi inside Jian Xingzhi’s body, or… to give her power to defeat and control Jian Xingzhi. But regardless of which purpose, as long as I drain the spiritual energy here, her formation can’t take shape. Whether switching bodies or killing Jian Xingzhi, she won’t be able to do it.”
“The process of forming a Nascent Soul consumes massive amounts of spiritual energy…” Xie Gutang murmured. “So you plan to use the act of forming your Nascent Soul to pull the rug out from under her.”
“Exactly.” Qin Wanwan nodded. “So you go now to bring reinforcements to save Jian Xingzhi. I’ll drain the spiritual energy here. Once I form my Nascent Soul,” Qin Wanwan pressed her lips together, “I’ll go with you to save him.”
“But with no one to protect you during Nascent Soul formation, if Hua Rong detects unusual activity here and comes directly…”
Qin Wanwan didn’t speak. After a moment, she gave him her answer with a calm expression: “That would mean Jian Xingzhi is dead. Otherwise, he wouldn’t let Hua Rong appear before me to disturb my Nascent Soul formation.”
“But Jian Xingzhi,” Qin Wanwan smiled, her eyes full of trust, “he can’t possibly die here.”
That was the Long Aotian of the immortal realm—how could he die at the hands of a mere Ghost City lord?
“Go.”
Qin Wanwan urged him: “If you’re late, he might encounter danger.”
Hearing this, Xie Gutang looked at Qin Wanwan sitting cross-legged on the ground, vaguely seeing a bit of Jian Xingzhi’s shadow in her.
He raised his hand and bowed to Qin Wanwan, then coldly turned around. He raised his hand and swept it across his sword blade. Blood dripped onto the ground, and the formation Jian Xingzhi had just thrown down lit up. Qin Wanwan glanced at Nanfeng beside her and reminded him: “You follow Daoist Xie out together. It’ll be convenient for contact.”
“Oh.” Nanfeng felt somewhat wronged. “In your heart, I’m the same as this banana now.”
“Being useful is already good,” Qin Wanwan consoled him. “Many people aren’t even useful.”
“Miss Qin,” Xie Gutang’s expression was serious. “I’m leaving. Take care.”
“Master,” Nanfeng climbed onto Xie Gutang’s shoulder, looking at Qin Wanwan with worry. “You must protect yourself well.”
“Don’t worry.” Qin Wanwan’s face showed calm composure, as if Zhuge Liang had come to life, strategizing with perfect mastery. “I know what I’m doing. You all go.”
Xie Gutang nodded. With that, sword light blazed from his hand as he slashed fiercely upward. A huge opening instantly broke through above. Xie Gutang rushed toward the bright opening.
Qin Wanwan maintained the appearance of an immortal expert, a worldly sage, watching Xie Gutang shoot upward like a rocket launch. The instant Xie Gutang disappeared, she could no longer maintain this calm, composed, passionate, and righteous noble image. She instantly broke down.
She painfully raised her hand to cover her face, beginning to calm her panicked emotions.
“It’s fine.”
She bounced her leg, comforting herself: “Don’t be afraid. Hua Rong can’t reach here. It won’t hurt—it’s just forming a Nascent Soul, it won’t hurt…”
Won’t hurt my ass!
The comfort was completely useless—it even had the opposite effect.
Because she’d read too many books, she clearly knew that to form a Nascent Soul, not only did a cultivator need comprehension of the Heavenly Dao to reach the Nascent Soul realm and have sufficient spiritual energy, their body also had to be tempered to withstand the intensity of spiritual energy required during Nascent Soul formation.
Her comprehension of the Heavenly Dao was fine—she could even handle Tribulation Transcendence. There was spiritual energy now too—also a small matter.
But the problem was body tempering! For emergency body tempering, she only had one method.
Forcibly expand her spiritual veins herself, using the Spring Life cultivation technique to continuously repair them.
This was worse than having Jian Xingzhi beat her into total paralysis. Could spiritual root pain compare to bone pain?!
Qin Wanwan thought it over repeatedly, constantly rubbing her hands. Thirty-eight sensed her anxiety and carefully advised: “Master, the great female lead isn’t afraid of pain…”
“Shut up! What great female lead? With my personality, shouldn’t I be in a sweet pampering novel eating and drinking, relying on my face to be the group favorite with my eyes closed?!”
Qin Wanwan got angry as soon as she heard Thirty-eight’s voice, grieved and pained: “Why would I end up in a great female lead novel? It hurts, it’s bitter, it’s tiring—are you all blind?!”
“It’s just…” Thirty-eight explained with difficulty. “Perhaps… Heaven couldn’t stand watching someone like you who doesn’t strive for improvement. After all, being positive and proactive is positive energy.”
These words left Qin Wanwan speechless. In an instant, Thirty-eight seemed to stand on the moral high ground. Qin Wanwan held it in for a long time before she could only ask: “Are you cold? If you’re cold, come down from that high place.”
“Don’t worry,” Thirty-eight didn’t understand. “The system doesn’t get cold.”
Qin Wanwan took a deep breath. This argument relieved her emotions somewhat.
She thought about it and decided to accept reality.
Having already stayed, she’d just temper her body.
Qin Wanwan raised her hand and began laying formations beneath her feet. After preparing the formation to expand her spiritual roots, she took a deep breath and raised her hand to form seals before her.
She was really too afraid of pain. She specially prepared an illusion, thinking that if she immersed herself in the illusion later, perhaps it could reduce the pain somewhat.
Everything arranged, she closed her eyes. The formation beneath her lit up, and spiritual energy instantly poured into Qin Wanwan, brutally rushing into her body, forcibly pulling open the spiritual roots she used to circulate spiritual energy.
Qin Wanwan immediately entered the illusion. In the illusion, she ate barbecue and drank milk tea. Although she didn’t know why her whole body hurt while sitting at the dining table, this pain still had much greater relief compared to facing it directly.
No one could refuse milk tea, especially with coconut jelly.
While Qin Wanwan was tempering her body, Xie Gutang jumped out of the cave. Upon exiting, he discovered that the entire City Lord’s Manor had undergone tremendous changes.
The sky was pitch black and oppressive. The whole city was covered in red blood vessels. There wasn’t a single sound around—it was as if everyone in the entire city had vanished into thin air.
Xie Gutang looked down at the banana in his hand, pressed the red magical seal, and called: “Senior.”
Jian Xingzhi was lying in the coffin, being sent by Cuilu to where Hua Rong was. Hearing Xie Gutang’s voice, his instincts told him something was wrong: “Why is it you? Where’s Beicheng?”
“Miss Gu decided to stay in place to form her Nascent Soul and extract spiritual energy to help you.”
Xie Gutang answered honestly. Jian Xingzhi immediately flew into a rage: “What’s wrong with you? Every time I ask you to protect her, you run away. Do you keep your word or not?”
These scolding words made Xie Gutang’s expression rather unpleasant. He restrained his emotions: “I’ll go back to protect her after I get helpers for senior. Senior, how do we confirm your position now?”
“Helpers? Do I need helpers? Let me tell you, she’s very timid…”
“Senior,” Xie Gutang interrupted him. “Miss Qin is a cultivator. She’s not a child.”
These words left Jian Xingzhi stunned. Xie Gutang repeated: “How do we confirm your position?”
“I just studied it. Based on the route I took and the rockery’s arrangement earlier, this Ghost City is very likely a Taiji Supreme Clarity Formation. If you treat the entire city as a formation and find the formation eye, you can find me.”
Jian Xingzhi quickly recovered from Xie Gutang’s words and immediately told Xie Gutang the method to confirm his position.
Xie Gutang nodded: “Understood.”
Finished speaking, he tucked the banana into his chest. Using his spiritual consciousness to scan the surroundings, he determined the locations of Shen Zhiming, Jun Shu, Liu Feixu, and Ning Buyan, then decided to first rush toward Shen Zhiming’s room.
“Daoist Xie,” Nanfeng reminded him, “you can directly call them all out and notify them.”
“No.”
Xie Gutang rejected Nanfeng’s view: “If I do that, I must accompany them to save senior. Otherwise, they’ll suspect I’m deceiving them and might hesitate to take action. But I need to go back to protect Miss Qin during her Nascent Soul formation.”
“Then what do we do?” Nanfeng was somewhat puzzled. Xie Gutang said nothing, his expression cold and stern: “Watch.”
Shen Zhiming’s room required passing through the kitchen. Xie Gutang didn’t go directly to Shen Zhiming’s room. Instead, he caught two chickens in the kitchen, bled them, and splashed the blood on himself. After cutting two sword wounds on himself to fake injuries, he filled a water pouch with chicken blood and placed Nanfeng to the side: “Nanfeng, you go find senior in a moment. For now, hide here.”
Nanfeng nodded blankly, watching Xie Gutang take a mouthful of chicken blood and stumble toward Shen Zhiming’s courtyard: “Shen… Daoist Shen…”
Shen Zhiming was discussing something with Jun Shu. Hearing Xie Gutang rush in, he instantly appeared before Xie Gutang and caught him as he collapsed.
Xie Gutang spat a mouthful of chicken blood onto Shen Zhiming’s hand, raised his pale face, trembling: “Linglong Jade… appeared… my friend was captured…”
“Where did the Linglong Jade appear?” Jun Shu asked urgently. Xie Gutang spoke word by word, as if giving his dying words: “Taiji Supreme Clarity Formation… formation eye… I beg you…”
Xie Gutang handed the banana to Shen Zhiming: “Can contact Xingzhi… save…”
Before Xie Gutang could finish, he suddenly stiffened, his eyes glazed over. Then his head tilted to the side and collapsed into Shen Zhiming’s hands.
He was covered in blood with no spiritual energy circulating. Hearing about the Linglong Jade, Shen Zhiming and Jun Shu couldn’t care about him. Moreover, Xie Gutang’s character was upright—they never considered the possibility he might lie about something. They immediately used their spiritual consciousness to identify this so-called Taiji Supreme Clarity Formation’s eye and rushed toward it together.
As soon as the two left, Xie Gutang’s eyes instantly snapped open. He rushed to Liu Feixu’s small courtyard and employed the same method. Clutching Liu Feixu’s hand, after explaining the location, he looked at Liu Feixu with genuine emotion, trembling as he spoke: “You must save… save…”
“Rest assured,” Liu Feixu’s eyes were full of grief, gripping Xie Gutang’s hand. “I will definitely save Young Friend Jian for you.”
Hearing this, Xie Gutang showed a gratified smile and closed his eyes.
Liu Feixu sighed, stood up, and rushed toward the formation eye with extreme urgency.
His front foot left, and Xie Gutang’s back foot immediately got up, rushing toward Ning Buyan’s room.
Ning Buyan had poor health and was hiding in the inner chamber. Xie Gutang staggered into the room, knelt before Ning Buyan, explained the location and what happened, then looked up at Ning Buyan: “You must… save my friend…”
“Rest assured,” Ning Buyan was moved by Xie Gutang and immediately stood up. “I’ll go get the Linglong… oh no, go save him. Rest in peace.”
Hearing this, Xie Gutang slowly kowtowed, then didn’t straighten up again.
Ning Buyan’s face showed grief. He turned around, carrying a body full of wind and snow, and left with his sword.
Once Ning Buyan left, Xie Gutang immediately stood up. He found a teacup and drank some water to dilute the disgusting bloody taste in his mouth. Nanfeng, who had been completely dumbfounded, crouched on the windowsill, staring blankly at Xie Gutang: “Daoist Xie, what’s next…”
“Hurry and follow them to save senior,” Xie Gutang had already returned to his usual calm and steady demeanor, as if that skillfully acted grand performance had never happened. He instructed Nanfeng, “When Miss Qin contacts you, I’ll protect her and come join you all.”
“Alright, Daoist, take care.”
After Nanfeng finished speaking, he quickly left.
Xie Gutang turned and ran back toward the rockery.
At this time, Shen Zhiming raised his hand to press the magical seal on the banana, contacting Jian Xingzhi: “Daoist Jian, are you alright? Where are you?”
Inside the coffin, Jian Xingzhi heard yet another person had changed. He spoke in confusion: “Who are you? Where’s Xie Gutang?”
“I am Shen Ming.” Shen Zhiming lied without his face turning red or breathing heavily. “Just now, Daoist Xie entrusted me to save you. When we find the formation eye in a moment, we’ll still need you to cooperate with us.”
“Then where’s Xie Gutang?”
Jian Xingzhi persistently asked. Shen Ming was silent for a moment, then spoke with grief: “He’s dead.”
Jian Xingzhi was stunned. He was just fine a moment ago—how did he die so fast?!
Xie Gutang was at least at Divine Transformation stage. What happened? Was the enemy really that strong?! This couldn’t be possible, right?
Seeing him silent, Shen Ming thought he was overcome with grief and comforted him: “Don’t be too sad. We’ll come save you. You must not fail to live up to the opportunity Daoist Xie fought for with his life. Although he’s dead, he can live forever in your heart!”
Jian Xingzhi: “…”
This nonsensical rambling was even more talkative than Gu Beicheng.
While Jian Xingzhi was completely confused, Qin Wanwan felt her meridians were about to explode from pain. Her illusion was on the verge of collapse, but she still persisted.
After eating barbecue, eat desserts. After eating desserts, get a spa. The more her body hurt, the more her soul needed enjoyment.
But she didn’t know from when, she began to feel a sinister ghostly voice calling her around: “Save me…”
“Auditory hallucination.”
Qin Wanwan ate fried chicken and told herself: “It must be an illusion trying to drag me out of the fantasy realm. There are no ghosts in this world. I don’t need to be afraid.”
“Save me… I am Hua Rong…”
“What kind of lie is this?”
Qin Wanwan drank some beer, trying to calm herself: “Seems my mental fortitude isn’t strong enough. Even the illusion can’t solidify properly. I won’t go out.”
“This isn’t an illusion… save me! Save me!”
The voice became irritable. Qin Wanwan gulped down several more mouthfuls of beer, feeling unable to calm her mind. She closed her eyes and decided to learn from Jian Xingzhi by starting to recite sutras.
“Thus have I heard. All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, like dew and like lightning…”
“Enough!”
The other party finally couldn’t take it anymore and angrily cursed: “Fuck your immortal ancestors! Whether you want to stay in your illusion or not is none of my damn business?! Can’t even distinguish between hallucinations and cries for help—how have you managed to survive until now?! This seat is Hua Rong, the Ghost City Lord. If you don’t come save me…”
“Then what will you do?”
Qin Wanwan was momentarily stunned by the scolding. The other party was silent for a moment, seemingly realizing their loss of composure. They calmed down and spoke coldly: “I’ll beg you.”
—
**Author’s Note:**
**[Mini Theater 1]**
Readers: Daoist Xie often seems out of place because he’s too proper.
Xie Gutang (wearing women’s clothes): Apologies, (coughs up a small mouthful of blood) the only characteristic of my personality might be that to achieve my goals, I can bend and stretch.
**[Mini Theater 2: How to Leave the Cave]**
Xie Gutang: Accompanied by a thunderous boom, fierce flames rose everywhere. Xie Gutang, like a white dragon, shot up from the ground, soaring straight into the clouds…
Qin Wanwan: Daoist Xie, ready to launch with Nanfeng aboard?