Ye Qin swallowed two Foundation Establishment Pills. Neither managed to break through the bottleneck to the Golden Core stage, leaving Ye Qin puzzled.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator possessing multiple Foundation Establishment Pills was already an exceedingly rare sight in the cultivation world. Other Golden Core cultivators, at most, might possess one or two such pills. If forging a Golden Core was this difficult, surely the number of Golden Core cultivators in the entire world would be minuscule.

How did the other Golden Core cultivators achieve success?

Ye Qin pondered for a long while before a certain matter suddenly sprang to mind.

He recalled reading ancient texts back in the Green Pill Sect, discovering records that stated consuming a Foundation Establishment Pill was best accompanied by several exceptionally rare auxiliary items specifically for aiding the core-formation process, which could drastically increase the success rate.

However, these auxiliary items were equally rare, and Ye Qin hadn't found any in Spirit Mist City or East Scum Town. Since he already possessed five Foundation Establishment Pills, he felt reasonably confident in forging his core by sheer force and hadn't paid much attention to the auxiliary aids, proceeding directly with forceful attempts.

But now, after successively consuming the pills and violently assaulting the bottleneck with zero success, he was forced to reconsider the need for these auxiliary aids.

Ye Qin sat with his eyes closed, and a bitter smile touched his lips upon this realization.

The Great Desolation Island possessed hardly any spiritual resources, merely a handful of low-level cultivators—where was he supposed to find these core-formation aids?

For now, he could only focus on fully digesting the abundant medicinal power already coursing through his body.

Then, he would attempt to consume one more Foundation Establishment Pill. If that failed too, he would have no choice but to halt his breakthrough attempts and venture out to the East Sea Archipelagos in search of the required auxiliary items.

The surface of the East Sea was a realm of unpredictable storms, where wind, rain, lightning, and thunder alternated day after day, unceasing since time immemorial.

In a blink, another year slipped by.

Deep within the mountains of Great Desolation Island, within an unassuming cave dwelling.

On this day, the cave entrance suddenly burst open. Ye Qin collected his formation flags and walked slowly out of the cave, which still retained a chilling, damp aura. His complexion was somewhat pale. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed up at the harsh, bright sun in the sky above his former retreat, an overwhelming gloom settling in his heart.

His cultivation remained firmly rooted at the Great Perfection stage of the Ninth Layer of Foundation Establishment, showing no sign of his Nascent Soul preparing to break through, nor any hint of the minor celestial tribulation that accompanied a Golden Core breakthrough.

Undoubtedly, his three consecutive attempts to force the Golden Core bottleneck had failed. All his eager anticipation had long since cooled; he had stopped after consuming only three Foundation Establishment Pills.

Two pills remained in his storage pouch.

He held no certainty of success. It was better to save them until he found the necessary auxiliary aids than to waste them now.

However, this past year had not been entirely without gain for Ye Qin.

Though he failed to form a Golden Core, he had significantly boosted the power of his Nascent Soul artifacts over the intervening period.

Since his Foundation Establishment Nascent Soul had already reached the perfected state, it could not fully absorb the medicinal essence produced by the Foundation Establishment Pills. This excess energy, inherently cold and yin in nature, could not remain long within his body and needed to be purged.

He channeled this energy into his Purple Mansion, converting it into pure vital Yuan Qi. Over the year, this Yuan Qi was gradually absorbed by the three Nascent Soul artifacts residing within him.

Nascent Soul artifacts were exceptionally unique among all magical implements.

Ordinary artifacts, whether low or high grade, could not have their power enhanced once forged and brought out of the furnace.

But Nascent Soul artifacts were the exception; they contained innate Yuan Essence and were nourished within the cultivator's Dantian. The cultivator envelops the artifact with their own Yuan Qi, slowly and continuously refining and tempering its quality, augmenting its might day after day across long years.

A newly forged Nascent Soul artifact held power comparable to a standard peak-grade artifact. However, after decades of nurturing, its might would increase exponentially, far surpassing any normal top-tier artifact.

Among cultivators all at the peak of Foundation Establishment, the stronger their Nascent Soul artifact, the greater their actual combat strength. This explained the ancient saying in the cultivation world: "The longer a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator has lived, the stronger their fighting power." The reason lay precisely here.

Yet, nurturing a Nascent Soul artifact demanded vast amounts of Yuan Qi. Therefore, often only Ninth Layer Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed the surplus Yuan Qi necessary to meticulously cultivate these artifacts. Ordinary cultivators rarely undertook such efforts.

Since Ye Qin’s forceful attempts to form a core failed, he couldn't absorb the resulting medicinal essence. He simply directed all the Yuan Qi converted from those two pills toward nourishing his three Nascent Soul artifacts. In just one short year, the sheer volume of Yuan Qi absorbed by these three artifacts nearly equaled what other Foundation Establishment cultivators might accumulate through a century of careful nurturing.

The power of his three artifacts had surged dramatically, now comparable to the Nascent Soul artifacts held by some early-stage Golden Core cultivators. Should he encounter the two Island Masters of Greater and Lesser Glazed Islands again, these three artifacts alone, without even deploying the Golden Core Skeleton Demon, would allow him to hold them off for a considerable time.

Contemplating this, Ye Qin felt a mix of sorrow and elation. Though depressed by the failed breakthrough, he was invigorated by this unexpected reward.

These three Nascent Soul artifacts, having absorbed vital energy equivalent to a hundred years of cultivation for an average Foundation Establishment cultivator, were beginning to manifest their increased potency.

The Southern Bright Exquisite Fire Sword: Once released, this flying sword immediately manifested a sea of crimson flames spanning nearly a hundred zhang around it. Within this sea, countless 'Three Fields' fierce flame crows would continuously materialize, automatically attacking the enemy. Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators could not even approach. The sword's inherent striking power had also reached a terrifying level.

The Golden Crow Breaking Barrier Sword: This flying sword lacked specific magical effects, but when deployed at full power, its body could stretch to twenty zhang long, erupting with hundreds of zhang of blinding golden light, as piercing as the direct sun, making it impossible for the enemy to discern the sword's location. As a Metal-element artifact, its destructive capacity had reached an astonishing degree, capable of piercing high-tier defensive artifacts in a single strike.

If the previous two artifacts focused on magical utility and defense, the Heavenly Silken Sound Sword attacked the enemy's spirit directly, shaking their state of mind. While he couldn't gauge its full effect against a Golden Core cultivator, Ye Qin knew his own Nascent Soul could not withstand its power; a single strike from the sword's sound would induce a state of stupefied enchantment, leaving him unable to clear his mind for a full two or three breaths.

Of course, this tremendous boost in power for the three artifacts also meant a significant increase in the magical power required to operate them. With his peak Foundation Establishment cultivation, operating all three high-powered Nascent Soul artifacts simultaneously would drain his entire magical reserve in less than half an hour.

Ye Qin felt a degree of satisfaction. Although the core formation failed, at least the Foundation Establishment Pills he painstakingly refined had not been wasted.

He even found himself wondering just how terrifying the power would be if he managed to gather all the raw materials for the five Nascent Soul artifacts mentioned in the Purple Jade Ancient Scroll and refined them into the Great Five Elements Sword Formation.

The more Ye Qin mused on this, the more energized he became. Outside the cave, he released the three radiant Nascent Soul artifacts, manipulating them freely. They carved countless howling sword auras across the sky as he reveled in the soaring might of the artifacts and the sheer exhilaration of commanding such supreme magical tools.

After lingering outside the cave for a short while.

A sudden intuition struck Ye Qin. With a beckoning gesture, he recalled the three dazzling artifacts in mid-air, shrinking them into small, inch-long crystalline swords before storing them within his body. He then narrowed his eyes and gazed toward the distant ridges of the mountain range.

Several beams of light were rapidly approaching his secluded cave.

"Could those be the Foundation Establishment cultivators in seclusion on Great Desolation Island?"

Ye Qin’s expression turned inscrutable.

Village Chief Li had once mentioned to him that besides himself, four other Foundation Establishment cultivators were stranded on Great Desolation Island after getting lost at sea. When Ye Qin arrived, these cultivators were reportedly already deep in secluded training, so they had never met. They were mostly mid to low-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, posing little threat to Ye Qin, so he hadn't paid them much mind.

Ye Qin waited in place for a moment.

The streaks of light soon descended before his cave entrance, and Ye Qin clearly made out their appearances.

The leader was an elder of average build, clad in a faded cyan robe that shockingly sported several patches of coarse cloth. Ye Qin wondered about his background to have fallen to such poverty.

The other two were middle-aged cultivators with similar visages, both wearing yellow short jackets and possessing sturdy builds, appearing to be brothers. They were both only at the Third Layer of Foundation Establishment, significantly lower than the cyan-robed elder.

The three cultivators landed before the cave and showed expressions of surprise upon seeing Ye Qin. A cultivator as young as Ye Qin reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment was rare in the cultivation world, typically achievable only by a select few core disciples of major immortal sects.

The cyan-robed elder sized Ye Qin up, his heart tensing slightly. In the cultivation world, strength always commanded respect. He dared not act presumptuously and immediately stepped forward, cupping his hands in a respectful salute, and smiled, "I am Sun Taozhen of Great Desolation Island. These two are the Jiang brothers. Early last year, Village Chief Li informed me that you had arrived on the island. Unfortunately, timing was poor, and though we share the same island, we haven't had the opportunity to meet. I noticed you just emerged from seclusion, so I rushed over to pay my respects. May I ask your esteemed name, and if you would allow us the honor of making your acquaintance?"

"I am Ye Qin. Greetings, Brother Sun, and both Jiang brothers. I arrived here over a year ago and heard from Village Chief Li that there were four Foundation Establishment cultivators on this island. I only count three of you here."

Ye Qin’s gaze swept over the trio, and he smiled faintly.

"Ah, Brother Ye must be referring to our young brother Zhu. He is currently engrossed in cultivating a certain magical technique and has reached a critical juncture in his seclusion; he has not yet emerged. If Brother Ye wishes to see him, it will likely be a few days until he concludes his retreat."

Elder Sun said this while rubbing his hands, a hint of awkwardness showing. "Actually, I came to see Brother Ye with a rather importunate request—I hoped you might accompany us somewhere. Brother Ye must know that cultivators on Great Desolation Island are few and far between; finding even one person is difficult. I only resort to asking you so openly out of necessity."

"Oh? What is the matter?"

Ye Qin asked, puzzled.

Cultivators generally maintained a strong sense of wariness toward one another and were reluctant to ask for help. These three, whom he had never met, didn't strike Sun as a rash or impulsive man. Such an abrupt visit, unless for something truly urgent, suggested he wouldn't easily open his mouth to ask.