Chapter 398 - 383: After the Golden Core
The restless flow of Demonic Qi within his meridians gradually calmed and turned inward.
The Golden Core spun slowly in the center of his Dantian. With each pulse, it crushed and re-refined the remaining berserk Demonic Qi. The massive amount of Demonic Qi that had poured into him during Core Formation was now being absorbed and digested with extreme efficiency.
The nine Spirit Demon Transformation Arrays were still active, but the concentration of Demonic Qi at the central Array Hub had already dropped by more than half. The Golden Core was like a bottomless pit, devouring all the Demonic Qi within its reach.
About an hour later, the Demonic Qi within his body was completely pacified.
The power of the Golden Core Stage scoured the inner walls of his meridians, making the already incredibly resilient channels even thicker. The efficiency of his body’s major acupoints at processing Spiritual Power also rose to a new level. Now, with every breath he took, wisps of Demonic Qi circulated automatically.
[Permanence condition for Demon Pill Creation (Purple) has been met: Condense a Demon Qi Golden Core]
[Demon Pill Creation (Purple) has become a permanent trait.]
In his equipment bar, the phantom image of the Demon Qi Pill Platform’s core shuddered violently before shattering into countless purple specks of light and dissipating.
A normal equipment slot was freed up.
A purple trait. This was the first purple-grade trait he had made permanent.
Before Li Yuan could get a good look at the changes on his panel, a subtle sensation welled up in his mind. It wasn’t a panel notification, but a clear awareness of his own condition.
The base lifespan of a Golden Core Cultivator far exceeded that of the Foundation Establishment Stage. The moment he completed Core Formation, his lifespan had already surpassed eight hundred years.
Over eight hundred years.
The permanence condition for the Lifespan Extension Pill in his storage pouch, which he had never equipped, was to accumulate a total lifespan of five hundred years.
And a slot had just freed up.
Li Yuan took the Lifespan Extension Pill from his storage pouch and placed it in the empty slot.
"Equip."
[Equipped: Lifespan Extension Pill (Complete)]
[Lifespan Solidification (Green) is now in effect.]
[Lifespan Solidification (Green) has become a permanent trait.]
The phantom image of the Lifespan Extension Pill flashed in the equipment bar for an instant before dissolving into specks of faint light. The slot was freed up again.
The effect of reducing the rate of lifespan decay by ten percent was now permanently part of his constitution. This trait wasn’t flashy, but its long-term benefits were significant. Over a base of eight hundred years, a ten percent reduction in decay would add up to decades of extra lifespan.
Immediately after, a third notification popped up.
[Permanence condition for Profound Nether Bead (Blue) has been met: Break through a Major Realm.]
[Profound Nether Bead (Blue) has become a permanent trait.]
The phantom image of the Profound Nether Bead shattered and dissipated from the equipment bar, freeing up another normal slot.
The moment the process completed, an extremely faint ripple spread through Li Yuan’s Sea of Divine Sense. The previous effect, which had allowed him to get a rough sense of the Golden Core Realm’s abilities ahead of time, hadn’t disappeared; its perspective had simply shifted.
During his Foundation Establishment Stage, the Profound Nether Bead had allowed him to glimpse the terrifying full picture of the Golden Core Stage; that dimensional leap could be described as world-altering. But now that he himself was at the Early-stage Golden Core, the bead’s effect automatically adjusted to let him perceive the general abilities of the Mid-stage Golden Core. The gap between the Early and Mid-stages of Golden Core was nowhere near as vast as the one between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core, so the improvement didn’t feel as significant.
Before he could fully process this change, the fourth notification had already arrived.
[Permanence condition for Spirit Vein Nourishment (Purple) has been met: Break through to the Golden Core Realm on a large-scale Spirit Vein.]
[Spirit Vein Nourishment (Purple) has become a permanent trait.]
In the special equipment bar, the phantom image of the large-scale Spirit Vein shattered.
This change was the most dramatic of all.
Three effects were simultaneously solidified into his permanent constitution: a fifty percent increase in Spiritual Power quality, automatic Spiritual Power recovery, and automatic cultivation.
The improvement in Spiritual Power quality was the most direct. In comparison, his Demonic Qi only benefited from the automatic cultivation bonus.
Li Yuan felt the Demonic Qi slowly circulating through his meridians. The effect of automatic cultivation was even more profound. Even if he did nothing, an extremely subtle but continuous stream of energy was slowly being generated and circulated within his meridians, as if he had an inexhaustible, miniature Spiritual Spring inside his body.
But it wasn’t over yet. Li Yuan immediately took out the Core Formation Guidance Jade Slip.
[Permanence Condition Preview: Attempt to condense a Golden Core once (Met)]
[Equipped: Core Formation Guidance Jade Slip (Complete)]
[Core Formation Guidance (Blue) has become a permanent trait.]
The phantom image of the Core Formation Guidance Jade Slip appeared in the equipment bar for a moment, then shattered into specks of blue light that merged into his body. The freed-up slot reappeared.
As the trait became permanent, Li Yuan felt his control over compressing, refining, and gathering Spiritual Power become even more precise. Although he had already succeeded in Core Formation, this trait would still be of great use in the future should he ever shatter his core to re-forge it and reshape his Golden Core.
Then, Li Yuan took out the final item: the manual for the Guiyuan Longevity Skill.
[Effect: Strength is unaffected by aging; the closer you are to your lifespan limit, the greater the boost (Max +30%).]
[Permanence Condition Preview: Total lifespan reaches 400 years (Met)]
[Guiyuan Immortality (Blue) has become a permanent trait.]
The moment the trait became permanent, Li Yuan faintly sensed a new, more stable connection forming between his Qi Blood, Divine Soul, and cultivation foundation. It was as if the very erosion of strength by time had been silently stripped away.
At least for his long future, he wouldn’t need to worry about his combat power declining due to age.
Six permanence notifications popped up one after another in just a few short moments. The panel then refreshed with a new system prompt.
[System Prompt: A purple trait has been made permanent. You have gained a special equipment slot.]
The number of special equipment slots went from one to two.
The panel continued to display further information.
[Make a total of five purple traits permanent to unlock a new feature. Current Progress: 2/5]