With this single sword strike, Jin Heshan had no escape and was caught squarely, immediately split in two!

At the same time, many Jurchen soldiers kneeling in prayer roared, spitting blood from their mouths. They instantly went limp!

“A marvelous divine ability!”

Feng Zikang sneered. This strange divine ability of Jin Heshan’s could actually gather the power of mortals to use against an enemy. It was a pity that the disparity in strength was simply too great; only then was he cut down and killed by Feng Zikang’s full-force strike. This act simultaneously cost the lives of a large number of mortals.

At this moment, Feng Zikang had no thought of showing mercy.

They were people from another plane anyway; seeking revenge against him was simply impossible. This Jin Heshan was quite resourceful, and Feng Zikang certainly didn't want to capsize in a ditch!

Jin Heshan was severed in half, but Feng Zikang did not stop his movements. With a sweep of his sword light, he obliterated Jin Heshan’s soul and primordial spirit as well, leaving him absolutely no chance to escape.

With this, the outcome was clear. Feng Zikang did not wish to kill any more mortals, so he lowered his sword light. By this time, however, the Jurchens had already lost all courage. Their morale was shattered, and even if the city gates were flung open, they would be unable to rally an attack in the short term.

Feng Zikang calmly collected Mohe’er into the Rouge Box. Long Que was only just beginning to slowly re-form its shape. Feng Zikang collected it too; after all, he didn't know when this Merit Task would end. Leaving them adrift in the Profound Realm like Huo Zhongguang would only cause trouble.

However, this Advancement Merit Task to the Core Condensation stage was to defend the Song Dynasty's capital and destroy the Jurchen assault. Although victory was now secured, the matter was not truly concluded. Only after driving out the Jurchens could it be finalized, which afforded him plenty of time to settle affairs.

Naturally, he was too lazy to act further and returned to the quiet chamber to rest. The Song Emperor, his ministers, soldiers, and citizens, seeing Feng Zikang’s divine powers, had their morale greatly boosted. Deeply believing that Heaven favored the Great Song, they sallied forth to counterattack, beating the Jurchens into a rout and lifting the encirclement on all sides.

Only then was Feng Zikang’s Advancement Merit Task truly completed.

※

“Heshan is dead?!”

In a certain Profound Realm of unknown location, a bald, burly man roared in grief and anger. On the Great Reincarnation Disk before him, there were patches of bloodstains. It was clear that his younger brother Jin Heshan’s Core Condensation Merit Task had failed.

“I told him long ago not to choose a God-tier Advancement Merit Task, why wouldn’t he listen?”

Beside him, an old man with white hair and beard wept profusely; this was their father, the father of Jin Heshan.

“Father, even if Heshan couldn’t complete the task, how could he die?” the burly man asked through gritted teeth.

The old man sighed, “How could he not die? These God-tier Merit Tasks are extremely formidable. Who knows what kind of opponent he encountered? Being killed like this was unavoidable.”

“No!”

The bald man roared, “I absolutely cannot stand idly by! I must avenge him.”

“Avenge him?”

The old man gave a wry smile, “We don’t even know who he died at the hands of, how can we avenge him? I had hoped that if the three of us—father and sons—could all break through to the Nascent Soul stage, we could sweep this Profound Realm clean. Now there are just the two of us; we can’t even conquer this Dark Profound Realm. By what right should we go and seek revenge for him?”

“Even if it’s impossible, I must try.”

The bald man stepped forward, embracing the Great Reincarnation Disk with both hands, and with a slight exertion of force, lifted it.

“What are you doing?”

The old man panicked, glaring at the bald man and urgently demanding.

The bald man sneered, “Since Heshan is dead, what use do we have for the Great Reincarnation Disk? Do you, Father, still harbor illusions of ascending to the Spirit Transformation stage?”

Hearing this, the old man paused, a bitter smile crossing his face.

Spirit Transformation? In this Dark Profound Realm, dangers lurked everywhere, and resources were scarce. With his age and cultivation base, achieving Spirit Transformation was completely impossible.

“Tianshan, although I have no chance to reach the Spirit Transformation stage, you are still young and have great hope. Why must you...”

“Hmph.” The bald man gave a cold laugh. “Father, there’s no need to lie just to appease me. What Spirit Transformation cultivator could possibly emerge from this Dark Profound Realm? The resources are far too insufficient. The fact that we managed to reach the Nascent Soul stage is already a stroke of incredible luck. Why aim for more? In any case, I don't want to advance any further. Heshan is dead; I will smash this Great Reincarnation Disk and use the Art of Reversing Samsara to investigate exactly what killed him.”

They still believed Jin Heshan’s Core Condensation Merit Task involved slaying some formidable demonic beast or the like, not realizing it was a direct confrontation.

“Even if you know what killed your brother, so what? In other Profound Realms, separated by thousands of great worlds, how could you possibly find them?”

The old man was much older, naturally understanding the difficulty of the matter. How many Profound Realms existed in this universe, and where would one even begin to look?

The dead cannot be brought back to life; why waste time over a deceased person?

“I have my ways,” the bald man roared, raising the Great Reincarnation Disk high and smashing it fiercely onto the ground!

Although the Great Reincarnation Disk was an ultimate treasure, it was not inherently indestructible. Struck by a Nascent Soul expert, it immediately shattered into several pieces.

The bald man summoned the fragments with both hands, formed various hand seals, and chanted incantations.

“Art of Reversing Samsara!”

The old man watched, shaking his head repeatedly, but now that the Great Reincarnation Disk was broken, he could only let him have his way. This disk had been exclusively occupied by the three of them for hundreds of years; if others knew how they treated it, they would surely ache with regret.

The Art of Reversing Samsara could search for previous traces, seeing clearly even across tens of thousands of Profound Realms!

“Brother, I must avenge you!” the bald man roared again and again.

Feng Zikang naturally did not know that in a distant Profound Realm, he had made a mortal enemy. As his task in this mortal realm was completed, he also vanished from this world in a flash of white light.

The emperor, soldiers, and citizens of the realm witnessed this phenomenon and took it as true ascension into the heavens, all kneeling in worship.

“It really is ascension into the heavens! So there truly are Immortals in the heavens!” the crowd murmured in awe.

When Feng Zikang opened his eyes again, he was once more seated upon the Great Reincarnation Disk, its rotation slowly shifting his position.

“Success!”

Yuan Buhuan and Elder Yun were also overjoyed. They saw that Feng Zikang had effortlessly passed the Core Condensation Merit Task in this brief time, truly worthy of being called the foremost among the third-generation disciples.

“This was merely a simple Advancement Merit Task, truly nothing worth mentioning.”

The Life-level Advancement Merit Tasks were the simplest category. Feng Zikang chose this path because he was eager to advance quickly. If he were to solidify his foundation steadily like Luo Lianxin, he would be far from this speed.

However, Yuan Buhuan simply took it as humility, though he felt inwardly delighted.

Core Condensation was a significant hurdle; reaching the Core Condensation stage could barely qualify one as an expert. Currently, among the third-generation disciples of the Three Teachings and Nine Schools, none had succeeded in entering Core Condensation; they were still far off. If the Military School’s third-generation disciples could be the first among the Central Plains cultivation world to enter Core Condensation, it would be an unparalleled honor for the Military School of Longhu Mountain.

“Zikang, do not be modest. You must work hard and win this honor of becoming the youngest Core Condensation cultivator among the third generation. If you lack anything, just tell me, and I will fetch it for you directly from the Military School’s repository.”

Feng Zikang was delighted. He already needed many things but was hesitant to ask. Since the Sect Master had spoken, he certainly wouldn't be polite.

To achieve Core Condensation with the aid of the Great Reincarnation Disk, internal True Qi must transform into True Essence and then be condensed and compressed into a Golden Core. If the True Qi within the body was insufficient, various methods were needed to supplement the True Essence while condensing the core. After all, insufficient True Qi for Core Condensation often necessitated relying on various immortal elixirs to sustain and supplement the required energy—a common approach.

Feng Zikang made a large request, asking Yuan Buhuan for three bottles of ‘Qi Replenishing Pills.’ Combined with everything he had hoarded himself, he calculated that this should be enough for Core Condensation. Without even resting, he immediately re-entered the inner chamber, preparing to use the Great Reincarnation Disk to advance to Core Condensation.

This decision stunned Yuan Buhuan and Elder Yun. For years, everyone needed several days of rest after completing an Advancement Merit Task before officially attempting Core Condensation. They had never seen anyone press on without pause like this in hundreds of years.

In truth, Feng Zikang was indeed a bit too rushed.

The calamity of heaven and earth was intensifying daily. The participants’ divine powers, cultivation bases, magic treasures, and weaponry were all growing stronger than the last. If Feng Zikang could not rapidly enhance his own strength, even holding the 'Investiture of the Gods' chart advantageously would ultimately relegate him to a mere extra in this era of fierce combat.

Therefore, he was desperate to advance and quickly raise his strength to truly participate in this calamity of heaven and earth. Now, as the destined one holding the Investiture of the Gods, if he could delve deeper into this calamity, the benefits he reaped would undoubtedly be staggering.

“I’ll risk it all!” This was the essence of seeking wealth amidst danger.

Feng Zikang gritted his teeth, sat upon the Great Reincarnation Disk, first stuffing a handful of Qi Replenishing Pills into his mouth as if shelling beans, then immediately began circulating his energy to condense the core, focusing entirely!

“Hoo!”

This Core Condensation was incomparable to the foundation he laid during his Foundation Establishment. All indicators barely met the minimum standard. Moreover, the Great Reincarnation Disk’s Advancement Merit Task was only Life-level, unable to compare with the God-level Foundation Establishment Merit Task!

Thus, when he sat upon the Great Reincarnation Disk this time, there were no extraordinary phenomena. He only felt the internal Qi in his body incessantly surging toward the Twelve Cities of the Five Floors, converging into a single point at the center.

Normal Core Condensation was not a significant event in itself. For him, the greatest difficulty was the obstruction from the demonic fetus within his body. Due to its existence, his internal energy was not pure enough and was unavoidably mixed. This was also within Feng Zikang’s expectation, as he had suffered this drawback during his Foundation Establishment.

However, he remained resolute: once enough internal energy was compressed to form a Golden Core, it would be vastly different from Foundation Establishment. All he needed to do was continuously condense True Qi and compress it further!

This matter sounded simple, but it was incredibly exhausting to execute. Feng Zikang’s internal energy was nearly depleted, and he had only barely glimpsed signs of True Essence liquefaction. Converting all his True Qi into a pool of True Essence was only the first step of Core Condensation, and he was still far from it. Feng Zikang’s heart tightened. He mobilized his True Qi, slowly dissolving the medicinal power of the Qi Replenishing Pills he had just swallowed, understanding that this was going to be a protracted war.

This method was roughly similar to how he had infinitely condensed demonic energy when forming the demonic fetus. Feng Zikang was not without experience; he patiently transported the energy, and once he felt his meridians empty, he immediately swallowed a Qi Replenishing Pill to replenish himself.

Seven days passed like this.

Feng Zikang let out a long breath. The True Qi within his body had finally transformed into a pool of True Essence, surging endlessly within the Twelve Cities of the Five Floors.

As the True Essence churned and condensed, the day the Golden Core would take shape was today!

Feng Zikang let out a long cry, the sound reaching the heavens!

※

“Success!”

The two outside laughed in unison. They recalled that not long ago, they witnessed Feng Zikang successfully establishing his foundation right here, and now, in such a short time, they were seeing him advance to Core Condensation. How could...

Yuan Buhuan happily rubbed his hands. If not for propriety, he would have rushed into the inner chamber long ago to see what Feng Zikang looked like now.

Elder Yun was also laughing happily. For someone so young to break through to Core Condensation—they, who were Core Condensation experts, understood what this implied. Although there were many Core Condensation cultivators now, most achieved it through time and slow accumulation.

As the saying goes, ‘Foundation Establishment is hard, Core Condensation is easy,’ though this statement is biased, it holds some truth. The difficulty of Foundation Establishment is the first major threshold for a cultivator; ninety percent of practitioners fail due to aptitude or other issues. But once Foundation Establishment is passed, as long as resources and methods are not severely lacking, cultivating diligently for two or three hundred years until the True Qi within the body is immensely dense, condensing the core becomes much simpler. Most people can succeed; it is merely a matter of time.

However, the difficulty of Core Condensation lies in time. Unless one is an astonishingly gifted genius, it takes at least a hundred years of accumulation to amass the dense True Qi required to form a Golden Core. Those who can condense their core quickly either have a solid foundation or possess astonishing talent, accumulating True Qi much faster than others. Otherwise, they must have encountered a fortuitous encounter, consumed some rare heavenly treasure, and ascended in a single leap—but such people are even rarer than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

But what was Feng Zikang’s situation? He succeeded in reaching Core Condensation in merely a few years. This not only far surpassed his peers, but even General Lu, the foremost expert in the world, did not achieve it this quickly!

Yuan Buhuan was already unable to close his mouth from smiling. Furthermore, the Military School of Longhu Mountain was blessed with good fortune, and there was more good news!

As Yuan Buhuan and Elder Yun were rejoicing, someone suddenly entered the Merit Hall.

“Not doing a Merit Task today?” Elder Yun distractedly turned back, intending to push out the presumptuous junior. To his surprise, upon seeing the person, he burst into laughter, “It’s you! Hurry, hurry. Your disciple is about to succeed!”

Upon seeing the arrival, Yuan Buhuan also clapped and laughed loudly, “I thought you were in secluded cultivation and wouldn’t come out, but I didn’t expect you to show up to join the excitement!”

The person looked utterly bewildered, pausing for a moment. “Martial Uncle, Senior Brother Yuan, what are you talking about?”

This person was Ye Tiansheng, Feng Zikang’s master, the head of the Bamboo Grove lineage of the Military School of Longhu Mountain!

Ye Tiansheng wore an expression of utter astonishment, unaware of what they were discussing.

“Ah?”

Elder Yun was surprised. “Little Ye, you don’t know? Today is the day your disciple reaches Core Condensation! He has been inside for seven days. In my opinion, his core is formed, and he should be coming out soon.”

Disbelief appeared on Ye Tiansheng’s face; he was both shocked and overjoyed. “Martial Uncle, you aren’t joking? You mean my disciple—you mean Zikang? He joined my sect only a few years ago, and his Foundation Establishment took even less time. How could he reach Core Condensation already? Have I truly been in seclusion so long that decades have passed?”

“Nonsense!” Yuan Buhuan laughed heartily, pulling him over. “You’ve taught a good disciple! In just a few years, leaping from Foundation Establishment to Core Condensation—such rapid cultivation speed surpassed even Martial Brother Lu back then. Remarkable.” He shook his head. “Although your Bamboo Grove lineage only accepts one disciple, this one disciple is stronger than all the disciples of our Sunset Peak combined. Brother, I truly admire you!”

Ye Tiansheng smiled gently. “Is this truly the case? Then I am ashamed. Although I am Zikang’s master, I haven’t offered much guidance on his cultivation path. All his current achievements are thanks to himself.”

His heart filled with joy, his eyes growing slightly red; he was simply overwhelmed with happiness.

At this moment, Feng Zikang was emerging from the inner chamber. Seeing his Master present, he was also overjoyed and quickly approached to pay his respects. Ye Tiansheng grabbed his arm, examining him up and down carefully, and laughed loudly.

“Good! Good disciple! You’ve actually caught up to my realm so quickly! Fortunately, I went into seclusion these past few years and had the chance to advance further, otherwise, where would I have anything left to teach you?”

“Exactly,” Yuan Buhuan chimed in, clapping and laughing. “Martial Nephew Zikang, your speed in cultivation puts so much pressure on us old bones! You have reached Core Condensation, and we are still at Core Condensation. This is quite embarrassing!”

The early and middle-to-late stages of Core Condensation were vastly different. After entering the Core Condensation stage, cultivation slowed down significantly. Even for true geniuses, it took decades or even a century of hard work to rise another level. Yuan Buhuan was speaking courteously; he laughed loudly, patting Feng Zikang’s shoulder, immensely pleased.

But Yuan Buhuan suddenly reacted. He turned back and stared suspiciously at Ye Tiansheng. “Martial Brother, what did you just say? You said you went into seclusion these past few years and have a chance to advance further? Could it be—”

His face showed surprise mixed with disbelief. Just as Ye Tiansheng was examining Feng Zikang, he was now scrutinizing Ye Tiansheng up and down, becoming increasingly joyous the more he looked.

Elder Yun also crowded over, shaking Ye Tiansheng’s shoulders wildly, overwhelmed with delight.

Feng Zikang was momentarily stunned and turned his gaze toward his Master. He saw that he was still wearing white robes, appearing gentle and refined, his eyes containing restrained divine light, entirely lacking an arrogant or domineering aura, yet possessing a graceful composure that subtly suppressed the entire room!

Ye Tiansheng smiled. “Martial Uncle, Senior Brother, your thoughts are correct.” He turned to look at Feng Zikang with a gentle expression. “Good disciple, your Master hasn't disgraced you either. I came to the Merit Hall today precisely to find Martial Uncle Yun...”

Even the gentle Ye Tiansheng couldn't help but feel a touch of excitement.

“...to request the Nascent Soul Advancement Merit Task!” If you wish to know what happens next, please log on to the website address for more chapters, support the author, and support genuine reading!