Chapter 357 : The Golden Core's Metamorphosis

Magnus the Virtuous began his discourse from the very foundations, progressing from the simple to the profound, meticulously clarifying the critical junctures and obstacles of cultivation within the Golden Core Realm.

The others had heard these teachings before; it was evident that Magnus the Virtuous was tailoring this lecture specifically for the three of them—Eldrin Chen and his companions. After he finished explaining the key points from the Golden Core First Layer through the ninth layer, he continued speaking.

"Cultivation within the Golden Core Realm is, in essence, the process of nurturing the Golden Core [the condensed essence of a cultivator's power and life force]. The ultimate goal is for it to undergo a metamorphosis and become a Nascent Soul [the spiritual infant formed from the Golden Core, representing a higher state of being]."

"Your Golden Core is akin to an embryo in gestation. To transform it into a Nascent Soul, you must fuse three distinct forces into one: the Life Soul [the soul that resides within the living body, representing personal consciousness and spirit], the power of Creation [the fundamental force of generation and transformation inherent in the universe], and the Golden Core itself."

Magnus the Virtuous spoke with measured clarity, unraveling the fundamental nature of cultivation within the Golden Core Realm.

Eldrin Chen listened with rapt attention, feeling his comprehension of Golden Core Realm cultivation grow ever more profound and lucid.

The so-called Life Soul represents the cultivator's spiritual strength and is one of the three souls—specifically, the Life Soul.

A person possesses three souls: the Heavenly Soul [the soul connected to the celestial realm], the Earthly Soul [the soul anchored to the terrestrial realm], and the Life Soul. Of these, the Heavenly and Earthly Souls do not reside within the cultivator's body. The Heavenly Soul is concealed within the Nine Heavens Above [the highest celestial realms], while the Earthly Soul sinks deep into the Netherworld [the underworld or realm of the dead].

As a cultivator's realm and power increase, these two external souls also draw strength from heaven and earth, growing in potency until they are no weaker than the cultivator's own primary form.

It is said that by locating these Heavenly and Earthly Souls and merging them into the Nascent Soul, the spirit can be refined into a state of Pure Yang [a state of ultimate spiritual purity and power]. Only then can one break through to the realm of the Nascent Soul Dao Lord. Your portal to cultivation novels: audio-novel[dot]com.

This demands either profound enlightenment or an exceptionally powerful spiritual soul. Only then can one perceive the elusive Heavenly Soul and Earthly Soul that exist beyond the mortal veil, and only then can one guide them back to merge with the physical body. This stands as one of the greatest barriers on the path to immortality [the state of becoming an eternal, transcendent being].

It is said that Ji Clan Patriarch had already retrieved his Earthly Soul many years prior, elevating his strength to the Half-Step Nascent Soul Realm. Furthermore, he had located his Heavenly Soul; all that remained was to successfully guide it back to achieve a breakthrough into the Pure Yang Realm.

However, this final step is immensely difficult. Successfully retrieving the Heavenly Soul requires perfect alignment of celestial timing, geographical advantage, and personal harmony—all three are indispensable. Moreover, the process is vulnerable to external interference, which can lead to failure.

The Life Soul is the cultivator's essential self, their core consciousness. To break through to the Nascent Soul realm, a cultivator must guide their Life Soul to take residence within the Golden Core. Through mutual fusion, the Golden Core undergoes a metamorphosis, transforming into the Nascent Soul.

The Life Soul is the very essence of a cultivator's will. If a cultivator loses their Life Soul, their fundamental identity is, in essence, replaced by another.

The primary reason Righteous Path Cultivator across the land scorn the Demonic Path is that cultivating demonic arts ultimately leads to contamination by Demonic Qi [the corrupt, malevolent energy of the demonic path] during the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm.

If one seeks to preserve their original self, the likelihood of successfully breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm becomes exceedingly slim. Only by allowing the Life Soul to be eroded can one increase the certainty of forming a Nascent Soul.

Yet, once the Life Soul is corrupted, the cultivator's fundamental identity is effectively replaced. They may even fall under the control of the Demon God, becoming nothing more than a Heavenly Demon [a powerful demonic entity].

Conversely, those who can guard their true self and withstand the tribulation of Demonic Qi erosion become genuine, peerless Demon Monarch. Such beings often possess the potential for both immortality and demonhood, ranking among the very pinnacle of Pure Yang Dao Lord.

Magnus the Virtuous did not speak in riddles; his explanations were clear and easily understood.

He channeled his mana to conjure a shimmering, ethereal Golden Core [the condensed essence of a cultivator's power, a golden sphere within the dantian], then personally demonstrated the process of its metamorphosis into a Nascent Soul [the spiritual infant formed from a Golden Core, representing a higher state of being] before the assembled crowd.

The onlookers watched as the Life Soul [one of the three primary souls, representing the mortal life force] merged into the Golden Core, beginning to guide its transformation. Yet, in the end, a mutation occurred; it withered into a desiccated, embryonic form and dissipated into nothingness.

"Observe," he intoned. "Even with the fusion of the Life Soul and the Golden Core, it is still insufficient to breach the Nascent Soul realm."

"For a Nascent Soul to gestate and be born, it requires a plentiful supply of Creation Power [the fundamental energy of genesis and transformation] as nourishment. Without it, the nascent soul will perish in the womb, stillborn."

With those words, Magnus the Virtuous once again stirred his power, re-enacting the scene of a breakthrough into the Nascent Soul realm.

They saw him infuse the illusory Golden Core with a vast quantity of Creation Power, then use a Nascent Soul Formation Pill [a legendary pill that aids in the formation of a Nascent Soul] as a catalyst. A sea of Creation [the act or power of bringing something into existence] substance flooded into the core at once, and indeed, it successfully metamorphosed into a radiant Nascent Soul.

After the demonstration concluded, Magnus the Virtuous withdrew his mana and spoke with calm authority. "For a Golden Core to reach the standard required to gestate a Nascent Soul, it demands an immense amount of Creation Power."

"Treasures such as the Five Elements Spirit Fruit [a fruit imbued with the balanced essence of the five elements] or Creation Treasure Jade [a jade containing potent creation energy] are the key items that supply this vital Creation Power."

"Furthermore, the higher the grade of the Golden Core, the greater its capacity to contain Creation Power. This is precisely why cultivators with a Middle Golden Core [a Golden Core of middling purity and potential] or a Superior Golden Core [a Golden Core of exceptional purity and potential] possess a significantly greater chance of successfully breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm."

"Have you all understood this clearly?"

Having reached this point, Magnus the Virtuous asked with a composed expression.

Eldrin Chen and the others promptly bowed in respect, replying reverently, "We understand."

Magnus the Virtuous gave a slight nod, then smiled faintly. "Then we shall conclude here. If you have any questions, you may ask them now."

A Golden Core Cultivator nearby immediately stood up, his expression grave as he was the first to ask, "The demand for Spiritual Root [the innate conduit that determines one's affinity for absorbing spiritual energy] becomes increasingly stringent for high-level cultivators. I dare ask, Master, are the Heavenly Spiritual Root [a single, supremely pure spiritual root] and the Anomalous Spiritual Root [a single, unique spiritual root of an unusual element] truly dead-end paths that cannot lead to immortality?"

Eldrin Chen's eyes flickered slightly; the one asking was a cultivator with an Anomalous Spiritual Root.

An Anomalous Spiritual Root can only refine a single Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force and soul]. Whether in the purity of their mana or their combat prowess, they cannot compare to cultivators with Multiple Spiritual Roots. Original publication: AUDIO-NOVEL.COM - The source of this chapter.

Although an Anomalous Spiritual Root cultivator's cultivation speed is faster, what high realms often lack is not lifespan. On the contrary, after reaching the Nascent Soul [the realm where one forms a spiritual infant from their cultivated essence], they may find themselves perpetually stuck before a bottleneck, unable to advance an inch for the rest of their lives due to insufficiently refined mana.

The higher the realm, the more arduous the path becomes—this is the greatest challenge faced by single-Spiritual Root cultivators.

Thinking this, his gaze turned to Magnus the Virtuous, clearly harboring doubts on this matter as well.

"Not so, not so at all."

Yet, Magnus the Virtuous shook his head and said with a gentle smile, "The heavens never seal all paths; every soul holds within it a sliver of hope for immortality."

"Though the path of a Spiritual Root cultivator is fraught with hardship, it is by no means a dead end."

The Golden Core Cultivator revealed a look of joyous surprise, unable to contain his excitement as he said, "Master, I beg you to teach me."

Magnus the Virtuous nodded and then spoke, "As the saying goes, there are three thousand great Daos [the fundamental principle or path in Chinese philosophy], and each can lead to enlightenment, though some paths are simply more rugged than others."

"The path of Multiple Spiritual Roots is one of unifying myriad methods into one, while the path of a single Spiritual Root emphasizes utmost purity and refinement."

"You are a cultivator with a Thunder Spiritual Root, so you have two paths. The first is to comprehend a higher stratum of thunder's power, allowing your own spiritual energy to undergo a sublime transformation, becoming ever more refined."

"The second," he continued, "is the Spiritual Root Division Method [a profound art that allows a cultivator to split a complex spiritual root into its constituent elemental roots], to divide your Thunder Spiritual Root and re-form it into Metal-Water Dual Spiritual Roots."

After speaking, he shook his head once more. "However, to comprehend such higher-order power requires exceptional enlightenment and spiritual strength. Even a Nascent Soul Dao Lord might not achieve it."

"As for the Spiritual Root Division Method, whispers of it circulate within this realm. If you one day break through to the Nascent Soul realm, you could seek it from the Ji Clan."

"My deepest gratitude, Master."

Upon hearing this, the Golden Core Cultivator [a practitioner who has formed a solid, golden spiritual core, representing a major milestone in cultivation] wore a pained expression. Both conditions were deceptively simple yet profoundly difficult. The first demanded exceptional cultivation depth and enlightenment, while the second, though seemingly more accessible, required one to be at the Nascent Soul [the realm where a cultivator's spirit forms an independent, infant-like entity] level to even be considered.

It was painfully clear that with his current level of cultivation, he remained unqualified to pursue either path.

After this individual finished his inquiry, others began to pose their questions in turn. Magnus the Virtuous answered them all exhaustively, and even Eldrin Chen found himself gaining considerable insight from the discourse. This chapter is provided by audio - novel . com. Support the original.