Chapter 554 - 386: Don’t Mind Sharing
One of the biggest changes after achieving the Golden Core was how others looked at him. Their gazes had become much more docile and respectful.
Among the Cultivators from the various families who had come to greet them with Di Qing, there were inevitably many at the Middle to Late-stage Foundation Establishment realm. When Fang Qingyuan had previously visited the Southern Border, these people paid him little mind. Back then, Fang Qingyuan was merely an accessory by Lechuan’s side.
But now, things were clearly different. Fang Qingyuan stood beside Lechuan, in the same position as before, yet everyone’s eyes held respect, envy, and a hint of jealousy.
As for disrespect or contempt, there was none. Only a Cultivator could understand how difficult it was to achieve the Golden Core. These gazes were a reward Fang Qingyuan had earned.
Lechuan and Di Qing walked arm-in-arm through the mountain gate, while Fang Qingyuan was received by another Golden Core Cultivator from the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect.
The Southern Border Beast Taming Sect was not as destitute as the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect. With the Nascent Soul Cultivator Di Yuanpu as their backer, the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect was rich in resources. They had as many as three Golden Core Cultivators within their sect.
Adding their three Golden Core Companion Beasts, that amounted to six units of Golden Core battle power.
However, such formidable strength was largely idle in the surrounding area. This was because the Nanchu Sect’s territory was right next to Celestial Gate Mountain, and the lands around the Southern Border were nothing but the worthless and boundless Death Swamp. Only further south, at the Barbaric Border, were there lands worth developing for the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect.
But to be honest, the Nascent Soul Ancestor Di Yuanpu had no interest in gathering a group of Golden Core Cultivators and spending vast resources to open up new territories for the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect, as Huo Gan had done in his day.
Or rather, under Yue’e Ancestor’s command, the matter of Awakening Lion Valley took top priority. Di Yuanpu’s precious Giant Crocodile Companion Beast was currently inside Awakening Lion Valley monitoring the Old Lion’s movements, while he himself had to stay by Yue’e Ancestor’s side, awaiting her various orders.
The Golden Core Cultivator assigned to liaise with Fang Qingyuan was a Female Cultivator of first-class beauty. After reaching the Golden Core Realm, it was rare to find anyone unattractive. At this level, physical beauty was no longer a major factor.
Only the Core Thesis established at the time of one’s breakthrough could grant a Cultivator a unique and distinctive aura. This exclusive and vivid temperament, sublimated by one’s Core Thesis, was the most important factor in attracting others, be it the opposite sex or even the same sex.
It was just as a saying from Fang Qingyuan’s previous life described: beautiful faces are a dime a dozen, but an interesting soul is one in a million. A Golden Core Cultivator with their own Core Thesis, then, was one in a million.
Nascent Soul Cultivators were one in ten million, and Divinity Transformation Cultivators were one in a hundred million. Comparing this to the population distribution of White Mountain, Fang Qingyuan found these figures quite believable.
Fang Qingyuan had met the Female Cultivator assigned to him before, but back then, he couldn’t even get close to her. It was nothing like now, where she’d personally come to receive him.
This Female Cultivator’s name was Di Suhua. Just like Di Qing had with Lechuan, she walked right up, took Fang Qingyuan’s arm, and started pulling him toward the mountain gate.
Feeling her goodwill and warmth, Fang Qingyuan was a little uncomfortable. It was said that Cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect were unconcerned with trivial formalities and had a liberal view on matters between men and women, with no strict taboos about physical contact. Still, her forwardness was a bit much, wasn’t it?
It was no wonder Fang Qingyuan thought this way. Although Di Suhua was beautiful, she was already in her late three-hundreds, approaching four hundred years old. According to the rumors, she loved fine clothes and gourmet food, insisted on pomp and circumstance, and most critically, had kept over a dozen male consorts. She was the type who didn’t discriminate.
Sure enough, his fears were realized. After Di Suhua pulled him through the gate, she showered him with all sorts of solicitous hospitality. The feeling was very much like the sleazy "big bros" from his past life trying to hit on a young woman, only the genders were reversed.
’Don’t tell me she’s taken a liking to me.’ Fang Qingyuan felt a ripple of unease as he registered Di Suhua’s overly eager attitude.
To be honest, Fang Qingyuan wasn’t bad-looking. He had been plain and unremarkable during his Qi Cultivation Stage, but after successive transformations through his cultivation, the current Fang Qingyuan had become a handsome and elegant man.
As mentioned before, appearance wasn’t what Golden Core Cultivators valued most. At this realm, Cultivators primarily valued the unique aura granted by one’s Core Thesis.
And when it came to a Core Thesis, what could be more attractive than Fang Qingyuan’s? His Core Thesis of "Creating a World, the Infinite Evolution Path" allowed any Golden Core Cultivator to find a point of resonance with him.
To certain Female Cultivators, he was undoubtedly the most delectable delicacy.
Just like Di Suhua before him. Her current attitude, her desire to devour Fang Qingyuan in one bite and have a taste of him, was plain for all to see.
Most Golden Core Cultivators knew a few Dual Cultivation Techniques. It seemed Di Suhua wanted to "spar" with Fang Qingyuan.
Fang Qingyuan was rather resistant to this idea. If Di Suhua succeeded, he would lose almost all face as a Golden Core Cultivator.
As the master of a sect and the leader of an alliance, sharing a "vessel" with Di Suhua’s Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment male consorts would absolutely become a major incident, drawing the ridicule of the White Mountain People.
For the sake of his own reputation, and more importantly, because the very thought of it was unsettling to his mind, Fang Qingyuan maintained a rational front against all of Di Suhua’s probing and intentions, refusing to just go with the flow.
In the banquet hall, Di Suhua sat beside Fang Qingyuan. Above them sat Di Qing and Lechuan. There were two other Golden Core Cultivators present. One was an elderly Male Cultivator with graying hair, and the other was a vibrant, youthful young woman.
The elderly Male Cultivator was Di Qing’s senior, sent by Di Yuanpu to assist him. His cultivation was stuck at Late-Stage Golden Core Perfection, and his battle power was astonishing, but he didn’t dare attempt to cross into the Nascent Soul Stage.
Upon reaching the Late-stage Golden Core Perfect Realm, many people would halt their cultivation progress, not daring to cross that threshold. They knew deep down that once they took that step, their chances of survival were less than one in ten.
Golden Core Cultivators at this realm, with a lifetime of experience, could vaguely sense their own success rate for a smooth Nascent Soul Transformation.
Generally speaking, if a Golden Core Cultivator wanting to achieve Nascent Soul Formation had a twenty to thirty percent chance, they would take the gamble.
But for those who didn’t dare take this step, their perceived success rate was less than ten percent. Rather than betting on an outcome of death and the dissipation of their Dao, they preferred to maintain their current realm and cultivation. They could be the strongest person beneath the Nascent Soul realm, continue to contribute to their family and sect, and live out their lives in peace.
This was a personal choice. Fang Qingyuan couldn’t stand on some moral high ground and accuse them of lacking courage or the will to advance.
Besides, Fang Qingyuan’s attention wasn’t on the old Male Cultivator at the moment. He was staring at the youthful young woman instead.
’What’s so interesting about a white-haired old man? Isn’t a Golden Core beauty more pleasing to the eye?’
Moreover, this Golden Core Female Cultivator radiated a vibrant and youthful aura. It was a hymn to life itself. Her Core Thesis was clearly extraordinary, which was why Fang Qingyuan found himself unable to look away after just one glance.
"Who is this fellow Daoist? Which family is she from?"
Just as Di Suhua leaned in closer, Fang Qingyuan changed the subject, directing it toward the young Female Cultivator.
Seeing Fang Qingyuan ask this, Di Suhua replied, her tone a bit sour:
"She’s the Huo Family’s newly advanced Golden Core Cultivator, named Huo Yao’Er. She just turned one hundred this year but is already at the Second-Layer Golden Core. Her youth is enviable. The Huo Family truly produces one talent after another."
’So she’s from the Huo Family. Only a hundred years old and already at the Second-Layer Golden Core? Assuming an average cultivation speed of fifteen years per layer, doesn’t that mean she achieved Core Formation in her eighties?’
After a quick mental calculation, Fang Qingyuan was stunned by the woman’s aptitude. ’She must have at least a Celestial-grade Spirit Root. The Huo Family has a worthy successor.’
The young woman seemed to notice Fang Qingyuan’s gaze and offered him a smile. However, this smile carried a faint coldness, one of detached and quiet aloofness.
"Why isn’t she staying at the Zongshan? Why come to the Southern Border? Shouldn’t a Cultivator of her talent be focusing all her effort on cultivation to try for Nascent Soul Formation as soon as possible?"
In response to Fang Qingyuan’s confusion, Di Suhua chuckled, her tone tinged with an indescribable quality.
"Who can they blame but their own declining fortunes? When Huo Gan died, the Nascent Soul Immortal Crane that the Huo Family revered also passed on. That crane was already in poor health, which is why Huo Gan risked venturing deep into the Barbaric Wilderness to find a Human-faced Patterned Serpent to nourish it. But in the end, there was no serpent soup. Instead, news of his death arrived, and the crane couldn’t bear it and died as well."
"Losing two units of Nascent Soul Battle Power at once, the Huo Family was left with only five Golden Core Cultivators. Their once-vast family enterprise was immediately devoured by others. The Huo Family’s eldest, Huo Wu, can only struggle to keep things from collapsing. The other Golden Core Cultivators can’t do much either, because they’re facing encroachment from Nascent Soul Cultivators."
"To make matters worse, as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours. Do you remember the Huo Family disciple Huo Hu from a hundred years ago? He’s been stirring up a huge mess in the Barbaric Wilderness deep in the Southern Border recently. The Great Zhou Academy asked the Huo Family to come assist, so Huo Bai brought Huo Yao’Er to clean up the mess. Well, actually, Huo Bai is the one doing all the work. He entrusted Huo Yao’Er here to lie low for a while. Guess what she’s hiding from?"
Di Suhua had spoken so effusively, only to leave a cliffhanger at the end, waiting for Fang Qingyuan to ask. She was clearly trying to get him to interact with her.
Fang Qingyuan understood Di Suhua’s intention and didn’t act coy. As long as they weren’t "sharing a vessel," letting her have her way with words was nothing to be embarrassed about.
"I’d guess she’s avoiding a marriage proposal."
Fang Qingyuan said offhandedly. Di Suhua gave him a satisfied look, liking him even more.
"Correct. She’s avoiding marriage proposals from other powers. With Huo Gan gone, the current Huo Family can’t protect a Female Cultivator of such celestial talent. The stream of Cultivators coming to propose marriage is endless, leaving the Huo Family overwhelmed."
"They had no other choice. That’s why Huo Bai used this matter as an excuse to travel over a hundred thousand li to this remote backwater in the Southern Border to lie low. It’s a shame, though. You can hide for a while, but you can’t hide forever. If the Huo Family doesn’t produce another Nascent Soul, sooner or later they won’t be able to hold onto Huo Yao’Er."
Recalling the remarkable charisma of Huo Hu and Huo Bai back in the day, Fang Qingyuan sighed softly. ’The Huo Family is full of geniuses, but their luck is just terrible.’
Seeing Fang Qingyuan’s regretful expression, Di Suhua teased:
"What’s this? Are you getting ideas? As long as you’re willing to get a little closer with me, I don’t mind sharing you with Huo Yao’Er. Then you’ll have one in each arm, all sleeping under the same blanket. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?"
.....
At this, Fang Qingyuan was momentarily speechless.