Buzz!
Lin Changâsheng felt his whole body tremble. In the next instant, he found himself standing on a massive stone platform, a thousand feet in diameter, in a boundless, infinite space.
The void around him seemed endless, with twinkling starlight scattered all about. In the distance, roughly two hundred fist-sized white orbs hovered, each radiating strands of divine charm!
Even further away stood a hundred-foot-wide stone platform!
Atop that platform, three three-foot-square, ancient, austere chests floated in midair!
Lin Changâsheng and 199 other peak Foundation Establishment cultivators all drifted in this mysterious space, their gazes burning as they fixed upon the light orbs.
"Those are the Golden Core divine charms! If I can seize one of them, Iâll gain enlightenment needed for advancement to the Golden Core! Forty percent chance!"
"Seems each person gets one orb, exactly two hundred! But the three chests over there are truly the greatest treasures! Only after refining the divine charm can you approach that platform and try for the chests!"
"Hurry up and snatch a divine charm orb, refine it, and then go for those chests!"
"......"
Spotting the divine charm orbs in the Enlightenment Hallâs magical space, the two hundred elite Foundation Establishment cultivators all moved at once to claim their own.
Lin Changâsheng reached out and grabbed one light orb.
Right then, he saw several cultivators beside him grow greedyâafter snatching their first orb, they rushed to grab a second. But when they grasped for the next, their hands closed on nothing, unable to hold it at all.
Those who tried to snatch extras, realizing they couldnât, sat cross-legged on the spot and began refining the orb theyâd gotten.
"This place is pretty clever, stops people from stealing more than one!"
Lin Changâsheng eyed the divine charm orb in his hands and also sat down on the stone platform, arms wrapped around the orb as he silently started its refinement.
As the refination progressed, Lin Changâsheng felt the orb transform into a surge of cold, pure energy, flooding through every inch of his body.
At the same timeâ
His consciousness grew strikingly clear, his mind refreshed. Even his divine sense, immersed in that cooling force from the orb, became sharper and more resilient, gradually expanding its range.
Meanwhileâ
Insights and techniques for forming a Golden Core surfaced in his mind.
"This divine charm orb is indeed remarkable!"
Feeling the surge of Golden Core enlightenment, Lin Changâshengâs eyes gleamed. No wonder it increased oneâs odds by forty percentâthis insight let him rehearse the Gold Core formation within his mind. When it came time to actually forge his own Golden Core, it would be as familiar as breathing.
Lin Changâsheng noticed some cultivators, after grabbing their orb, didnât immediately start refining. Instead, they flew towards the hundred-foot stone platform, hoping to seize the three chests perched there.
But there seemed to be an invisible wall before the platformâno one could get through!
Defeated, the greedy cultivators turned back and began refining their divine charm orbs.
All two hundred cultivators pushed their limits to refine the orbs, desperate to finish first and charge for the chests.
As Lin Changâsheng refined his orb, suddenly his body shook. A powerful aura flared from him, his mind sharpening to crystalline clarity.
"Finally broke through to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment?"
Lin Changâsheng flashed a satisfied look.
At that instant, a surge of raw strength welled up inside him.
He realized his magical power was now twice what it had been at the sixth layer.
Meanwhileâ
His status panel showed his cultivation experience:
[Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer (1/64000)]
"Who wouldâve thought that refining the Golden Core divine charm orb would shatter the seventh-layer barrier for me!"
Lin Changâsheng felt the mighty magical power pulsing within and couldnât help but smile.
Within his mind, the enlightenment and firsthand experience of Golden Core formation had merged deeply with his consciousness.
He was certain that when he reached the peak of the ninth layer and was ready to form his Golden Core, heâd bypass countless detours.
"Finish refining this orb quickly, then grab those chests!"
Lin Changâsheng told himself.
There were three chests up there, and he intended to claim them all.
Lin Changâsheng knew that his divine sense was already equivalent to a Golden Core middle stage expert, far more advanced than most here. His refining speed outpaced everyone. He opened his eyes and saw the other 199 cultivators still lost in their own refinement.
In the spaceâ
All two hundred cultivators were silently refining their orbs.
Time passed.
Three hours laterâ
Lin Changâsheng was the first to open his eyes. He scanned the roomâevery other cultivator was still deep in refinement, he had finished first.
"Get the prize first!"
Eyes blazing with excitement, Lin Changâsheng stepped forward, using the Blink techniqueâhis figure flickered and vanished. In the next moment, he appeared at the distant hundred-foot stone platform.
He saw that, after refining the orb, passing through the platformâs barrier only sent ripplesânothing stopped him!
"Blink!"
With another flash, Lin Changâsheng used the Blink technique again, instantly arriving beside the three chests. With a wave of his hand, all three were swept into his storage bag.
"Heh heh heh, got my loot!"
"Time to head for the Golden Core Area!"
Lin Changâshengâs eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he sped toward the gate.
From what Lin Changâsheng knew, after refining the divine charm disc, you could leave through the light gate and reappear somewhere within a thousand miles of the Void Hall.
Of course, you could also ascend to the higher Golden Core Area!
Just then, in this Enlightenment Hall magical space, three ferocious auras erupted in a thunderous wave.
"No wonder itâs called the Enlightenment Hallâmy Golden Core divine charm hasnât even fully merged, and Iâve already broken through to the Golden Core!"
A tall youth clad in a golden robe smiled with satisfaction. His eyes swept the other cultivators, then flashed sharply at Lin Changâsheng, who was preparing to leave. His gaze turned hostile as he flickered forward, blocking Lin Changâsheng and shouting, chillingly, "Where do you think youâre going? Stop right there!"
The golden-robed youth, Su Mu, wasted no time. He flung out a pale golden spirit talisman, which instantly conjured a ten-foot-wide, inky-black tripod cauldron that hammered down toward Lin Changâshengâs head!
An overwhelming aura of the Golden Core Stage locked onto Lin Changâsheng!
Simultaneouslyâ
Su Mu lashed out with a spirit sword, unleashing a hundred-foot-long dazzling sword aura!
"So, you break into the Golden Core and suddenly get cocky?"
Seeing this golden-robed cultivator, fresh to the Early Stage of Golden Core, attempt to take him on, Lin Changâshengâs lips curled into a cold sneer.
Judging by his look, he must be a Beimu prodigy!
This guy clearly forgot Lin Changâsheng had just single-handedly slaughtered four peak Foundation Establishment experts!
Swish!
Lin Changâsheng waved his hand. Instantly, a golden corpse appeared before him, at peak Early Stage Golden Core!
The moment the golden corpse emerged, it sent a fist flying toward the giant tripod overhead!
Meanwhileâ
Lin Changâsheng activated Blink!
Boom!
He vanished from his original spot, moving so fast only an afterimage remained. The sword from Su Mu shredded nothing but a phantom!
In the next instantâ
Lin Changâsheng used Blink, appearing behind Beimuâs Saint Heir, Su Mu. He unleashed a punch as powerful as a Golden Core middle stage cultivator!
Boom!
Lin Changâshengâs punch instantly punched through Su Muâs torso!
"Ah......"
Su Mu felt agony lance through his back. Staring down, he saw Lin Changâshengâs bloodied fist jutting from his chest!
"No!!"
Su Muâs eyes bulged, disbelief written all over his face!
He couldnât believe that, after his leap to Golden Coreâwith his cultivation now several times strongerâhe still couldnât match this Foundation Establishment cultivator!
"MuâEr!!"
Right then, a shadow shot out from Su Muâa fifty-some-year-old elderâs spectral form. Eyes burning with killing intent, he glared at Lin Changâsheng!
The moment the apparition appeared, its misty form surged, unleashing a terrifying auraâa Nascent Soulâs presenceâfilling the entire Divine Hall!