Elder Yun was overjoyed and cried out in surprise; Yuan Buhuan, though feeling a touch of sourness, was also sincerely happy!

Nascent Soul. Since General Lu's death, the military sect of Dragon-Tiger Mountain had awaited another Nascent Soul master!

For several years now, although the military sect of Dragon-Tiger Mountain still held a fearsome reputation, their dominance in the Nine Streams was primarily owed to General Lu’s lingering prestige and deep foundations. These two factors kept the military sect firmly perched atop the hierarchy.

However, if a Nascent Soul master failed to emerge soon, General Lu’s residual glory would inevitably fade. By then, even if they didn't drop out of the Nine Streams entirely, maintaining their current supreme position would become impossible.

After all, several other sects within the Nine Streams already boasted established Nascent Soul masters.

After General Lu failed his tribulation, every Core Formation cultivator in the military sect with any hope of advancement—excluding those like Yuan Buhuan who had essential administrative duties—entered deep seclusion, striving for an early breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

No one expected that the first to break through would be Ye Tiansheng from the Little Bamboo Grove.

One had to remember that just a few years ago, he was only at the mid-stage of Core Formation. To now surge past the Great Perfection of the final peaks of Core Formation and attempt Nascent Soul was a rate of cultivation growth that could rival his own disciple!

This pair of master and disciple were veritable monsters!

Yuan Buhuan quickly calculated the timeframe and gasped sharply.

“Congratulations, Junior Brother Ye!” He managed to recover quickly enough; his efforts as Sect Master hadn't been in vain. He happily grabbed Ye Tiansheng’s shoulder to show intimacy.

This man was the future face of our Dragon-Tiger Mountain military sect. Yuan Buhuan felt relieved that he had always maintained a harmonious relationship with the Little Bamboo Grove lineage, and had even taken good care of Feng Zikang over the years. If Ye Tiansheng successfully passed his Nascent Soul mission and advanced, Yuan Buhuan’s position as Sect Master would be secure, ensuring at least several decades of stability for the Dragon-Tiger Mountain military sect!

As for the distant future, there was still that monstrously talented disciple of his! Breaking through to Core Formation as a mere teenager—at this pace, achieving Nascent Soul within a century was absolutely no problem!

When the master and disciple duo both held Nascent Soul seats, coupled with the prospect of one or two breakthroughs among the hard-cultivating elders, even without a transcendent expert reaching Spirit Transformation or higher, the top position among the Nine Streams would remain firmly held!

Yuan Buhuan calculated inwardly, immensely pleased.

“In that case, Junior Brother Ye, hurry and take on the meritorious advancement mission!” Yuan Buhuan was anxious, even more so than Ye Tiansheng. Ye Tiansheng slowly nodded, turned, and smiled at Feng Zikang, gently stroking his head.

“Zikang, once you reach Core Formation, the marvelous techniques are endless. Your Master is about to undertake a Nascent Soul meritorious mission and won't have time to guide you. You will have to explore the rest on your own.”

Feng Zikang knew this Master had unconditionally cherished him ever since the possession transference. He was grateful in his heart. “Master, there is no need to worry about me. Your disciple will obediently await your return.”

He had intended to wait in the Merit Hall for his Master to complete the Nascent Soul advancement, as a demonstration of their master-disciple bond.

“No need!”

Ye Tiansheng waved his hand and chuckled, “Don’t trouble yourself. Nascent Soul meritorious missions might take a very long time. Even though I only chose the 'Heavenly Rank,' it might not be finished quickly. You have just reached Core Formation; it is better for you to return to the Little Bamboo Grove to consolidate your realm. When I finish my advancement mission, if you are filial, you can come here to await my transformation from core to infant.”

Indeed, Nascent Soul advancement missions demanded significant time. Feng Zikang’s own Core Formation leveling mission had taken over a month, so this naturally required even more. Ye Tiansheng didn't want him wasting time standing guard outside; consolidating his realm early was the proper course of action.

Feng Zikang nodded in agreement. Ye Tiansheng smiled, bid farewell to Elder Yun and Yuan Buhuan, and gracefully followed Elder Yun into the inner chamber.

Yuan Buhuan expressed endless admiration, patting Feng Zikang’s shoulder and offering words of encouragement.

“You two, master and disciple, are truly the marvels of our Dragon-Tiger military sect! The revival of the military path will depend on you two in the future!”

Overjoyed, he kept repeating kind words.

Feng Zikang smiled, took his leave, and returned to the Little Bamboo Grove to stabilize his cultivation.

After Feng Zikang returned to the Little Bamboo Grove, he retreated into the Mystic Realm. Once inside the Core Formation level, everyone offered congratulations.

“My Lord’s talent truly makes us feel ashamed.”

Ghost King Tu had cultivated for several hundred years and was still only at the Foundation Establishment stage. After being dispersed this time, he had barely managed to restore his physical form and could not deploy any of his abilities.

Long Que had also successfully reconstituted its body. Guan Li'er, Fairy Tianfu, and others offered their felicitations.

Even the Turtle Child was extremely envious.

“Brother Feng, you are too incredible! This little brother has cultivated for so many years and is still only Foundation Establishment, yet you casually reached Core Formation. Brother Feng truly makes me envious.”

He had lived for several millennia, though two thousand years were spent in turtle dormancy, but compared to Feng Zikang reaching Core Formation in just over a decade, it was incomparable.

Feng Zikang smiled faintly. Others thought his progress was meteoric, but in his heart, he felt it was still too slow.

From the very beginning, Feng Zikang’s goal was never ordinary individuals, but the peak Spirit Transformation old monsters of the Central Plains cultivation world. Compared to them, a Core Formation cultivator was not much different from a mortal.

Core Formation was merely a starting point.

He needed to seize this opportunity during the current grand calamity of heaven and earth to become a central player, accumulating sufficient benefits to establish the capital required to confront those Spirit Transformation elders.

Of course, if he could manage to trap all of them within this grand calamity spanning several decades, that would be even better.

Feng Zikang sneered coldly, instructing everyone to cultivate on their own while he re-entered seclusion to solidify his realm.

The foundation he laid for this Core Formation was as solid as when he entered Foundation Establishment. If he didn't consolidate it properly, the realm might become unstable. He inhaled deeply and slowly sank into internal contemplation.

He saw that within the twelve cities and five floors of his Dantian, the Demon Fetus was encircling the Golden Core, revolving ceaselessly—a picture of mutual dependence and generation.

This also caused Feng Zikang secret astonishment: his demonic cultivation method actually harmonized perfectly with his Daoist cultivation. Not only was there no conflict, but they actually benefited each other.

The spiritual energy diffused by the Golden Core was absorbed by the Demon Fetus, constantly strengthening it.

Conversely, the energy released by the Demon Fetus was absorbed by the Golden Core, making it purer.

As a result, even if Feng Zikang stopped cultivating, this Demon Fetus Golden Core would continue to grow.

“A of demonic nature, a demon of the Dao of War, truly so.”

Feng Zikang was overjoyed. The combination of the Demon Fetus and Golden Core had clearly formed the nascent shape of his own Dao. Following this trajectory, the outcome of his cultivation was highly anticipated.

As the Demon Fetus grew, its flesh and blood were constantly refined by Feng Zikang’s own body, integrating into his meridians and bones, forging the Demonic Body. The process was gradually taking shape, and once the Demon Fetus was completely refined and absorbed by Feng Zikang, he would forge the supreme Demonic Body, impervious to ten thousand calamities.

This period of realm consolidation took him about seven days. When Feng Zikang emerged from seclusion, he summoned Long Que and informed it of his plan to help restore its flesh and blood form.

Long Que was ecstatic. It had always been proud of its identity as a Five-Clawed Divine Dragon. Although it had transformed into a Dragon Man, it was ultimately just a skeletal frame, which inevitably caused dissatisfaction. Hearing the chance to restore its flesh and blood and reappear in its former divine dragon guise, it naturally could not refuse.

“My Lord! I knew following you was the right choice! Thank you for nurturing me, Lord. If I truly recover my flesh and blood, Long Que swears to repay you with death!”

After its Dragon Soul self-detonated, Long Que had been slowly recovering, but the damage to the soul meant recovery was painfully slow. To return to its peak state would take at least several centuries.

By then, it estimated it would be capable of dealing with a Spirit Transformation master, but before that, it was significantly weaker.

However, if it recovered its flesh and blood, its strength would experience a massive leap.

With its current abilities, dealing with Foundation Establishment cultivators was not an issue. If it regained its flesh and blood, it could ascend another tier, becoming a formidable fighter at the Core Formation stage. In the future, once its Dragon Soul fully recovered, its potential would be limitless.

Perhaps it could truly restore the power of the Five-Clawed Divine Dragon that once soared through the nine heavens—a divine ability comparable to a True Immortal. Mere mortal cultivators would count for nothing.

Since Feng Zikang possessed such means, he naturally intended to sharpen the combat power of those around him.

Before this, he had Huo Zhongguang, Ghost King Tu, Jasmine (Moli'er), and Long Que as his combat subordinates. Later, Huo Zhongguang was stranded in the True Human Realm, but he found Turtle Child, whose capabilities were not insignificant.

But as Feng Zikang entered the Core Formation stage, the strength of this group lagged behind. Turtle Child was mainly dedicated to the construction of the Mystic Realm, and Feng Zikang was reluctant to send him out to fight, so that was that.

Ghost King Tu and Jasmine, whose cultivation couldn't advance quickly in the short term, Feng Zikang also intended to keep them in the Mystic Realm to accompany Fairy Tianfu, focusing on construction, and cultivating in seclusion to strive for an early breakthrough to Core Formation.

The few others Feng Zikang acquired through the Investiture of the Gods only possessed Foundation Establishment strength, far inferior to Ghost King Tu and Jasmine, and were difficult to advance.

If he wanted to acquire masters through the Investiture of the Gods, he would likely have to wait until more experts perished in large numbers, allowing him to enshrine them, and only then after they reached Core Formation and served as cannon fodder.

Currently, the only Core Formation expert enshrined in the Investiture of the Gods list was Daoist Hongye, but this individual attracted too much attention. Sealing him within his own Mystic Realm would inevitably alert the forces of the Three Teachings, so he could only be kept on hold for now.

Thus, despite having more subordinates now, Feng Zikang had entered an awkward situation where he had no usable elite fighters. Enhancing Long Que’s power was thus an immediate priority.

The method of refining flesh and blood was extremely painful. Since Long Que was already sentient, the torment was agonizing, nearly driving it to death. But the creature knew its strength was crucial, so it grit its teeth and endured.

Feng Zikang procured a large vat, tossed Long Que into it, added all the necessary materials, and refined it using Samadhi True Fire.

Long Que shrieked and wailed in utter agony. Hearing this, Ghost King Tu, Jasmine, and the others turned pale. The Wooden Mechanism Man who was close to Long Que became frantic, neglecting his duties daily, standing by the door, waiting anxiously.

After about three days, Long Que discovered that filamentous substances were gradually growing on its body. Upon closer inspection, they resembled budding flesh—its heart soared with joy, urging Feng Zikang to increase the flames, telling him not to worry about its pain.

“Can you truly endure this?”

Feng Zikang felt a chill despite being the operator of the process. This rebirth of flesh and blood was uncontrollably agonizing. He couldn't fathom how Mo Zhongxiao had devised such an eccentric method back then.

Those mechanism beings, perhaps not yet possessing spiritual awareness, did not feel pain, so it was fine.

His Water-Averting Golden-Eyed Beast, possessing innate spiritual bones, was certainly a mechanism beast with sentience. He didn't know how much suffering it endured before he completed its construction.

In fact, Feng Zikang had misjudged. Mo Zhongxiao had spent several decades refining the flesh and blood rebirth of the Water-Averting Golden-Eyed Beast, only performing the refinement once a month during the full moon, utilizing Yin energy to temper the pain. Only then could he barely suppress the beast’s excruciating backlash from the agony. It was nothing like Feng Zikang’s brute-force method.

Fortunately, Long Que possessed immense fortitude, having entrusted its very life to Feng Zikang. By bitterly enduring the pain, the two of them managed to achieve a miracle. If Mo Zhongxiao learned of this later, he would likely give a thumb's up and say, “Good!”

By the seventh day, the bones were gradually covered by coiled, sinewy muscles, and the blood vessels and meridians were also taking shape.

The pain at this stage became even more intense. Long Que gritted its teeth, tears streaming down its face.

Golden dragon blood slowly generated and circulated within the blood vessels on the ninth day. Various meridian lines gradually formed. By this point, Long Que’s external shape was roughly established, though all flesh and blood were exposed, making for a terrifying sight.

On the tenth day, a second eyeball began to form. However, its light was dim, lacking the miraculous divinity of the Jinjing Pearl. The tongue, ears, and nose gradually appeared.

Unfortunately, this method of flesh regeneration could only produce an external shell; the internal viscera could not be restored immediately. Nevertheless, Long Que was sufficiently satisfied even with this.

On the twelfth day, skin began to grow from the forehead, spreading over the body rapidly. The dragon skin was white, smooth, and fine, yet incredibly tough. Immediately afterward, dragon scales, claws, and horns began to sprout. As the scales covered the entire body, Long Que’s form was finally taking shape!

“Long Que, I never realized you were a little white dragon.”

Feng Zikang chuckled, immensely delighted watching the result of his painstaking effort.

Long Que was utterly exhausted but struggled to climb out of the vat and kowtowed to thank Feng Zikang. It was currently in the Dragon Man form, not the most powerful Divine Dragon form, but as long as its Dragon Soul recovered slowly, it would naturally regain its transformation abilities—how could it not be pleased?

It could also sense a significant recovery in its strength. Now, even facing a Core Formation cultivator, it felt no fear.

If it encountered Mou Canglang of the Boundless Sea again, it would viciously teach him a lesson!

Feng Zikang laughed heartily and led Long Que out of seclusion. Everyone was greatly astonished upon seeing Long Que’s new appearance. Turtle Child, learning it was the true form of a Five-Clawed Divine Dragon, recognized it and offered sincere praise and admiration.

Only the Wooden Mechanism Man was startled and kept its distance, unwilling to interact with it. After Long Que spoke with it for a while, it finally managed to mend relations.

Feng Zikang laughed loudly, then casually reshaped the Wooden Mechanism Man’s body as well, crafting a female form as she had wished—a delicate, pretty young maidservant, thus pairing her with Long Que, much to his amusement.

“My Lord, we two wish to become husband and wife. May I ask the Lord to bestow a name upon my wife?”

Long Que pushed its luck, aiming to be the first in the Mystic Realm to hold a wedding ceremony before Feng Zikang could act.

This was also a joyous occasion. Although both were constructs, it symbolized the great Dao of propagation and continuation. Wuyazi strongly approved, and Feng Zikang found no reason to object; he agreed immediately.

“Since she is your wife, she is a Dragon’s woman. Why not name her Little Dragon Girl?”

Feng Zikang was being economical with effort, carelessly assigning a name. Long Que was overjoyed, and the two of them thanked him profusely. In the following days, they held a grand wedding, bringing considerable excitement to the Mystic Realm.

By this time, besides these initial residents, several newly enshrined gods had also recruited their own subordinates, resulting in a decent population count, creating a lively atmosphere.

Everyone enjoyed themselves, drinking merrily. Upon waking one day, they discovered that the Mystic Realm had undergone significant development overnight.

Since acquiring the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, the land had been constantly expanding. With Fairy Tianfu present, the surface was no longer barren but gradually covered with vegetation. Now, birds and beasts were appearing and breeding—this was the first burst of auspicious energy and vitality brought by the first wedding.

“Brother Feng, the Mystic Realm is developing faster and faster. However, Fairy Tianfu’s innate abilities can only extend so far across this vast territory. Future large-scale expansion will rely on your magical power to sustain and populate the world; you must not neglect this!”

Turtle Child understood that a large part of the current prosperity and flourishing of the Mystic Realm was due to Fairy Tianfu’s contribution. However, Fairy Tianfu was not omnipotent. For instance, within the main core of the Mystic Realm, her sphere of influence only extended a few hundred li around. Although she was now at the center of the Mystic Realm with increased bonuses, as the land continued to expand, her capacity would eventually be limited.

Future development relied first on the support of the Realm Lord, and second, on continuously bringing in new people to build and expand, ensuring the sustained growth of the Mystic Realm.

Feng Zikang nodded. The greatest advantage he currently held was the Investiture of the Gods list. He could secretly exploit the grand calamity to enthrone several unknown juniors as gods within his Mystic Realm. Then, relying on these gods, he could gather mortal souls into the Mystic Realm, slowly injecting vitality until it became a positive feedback loop, making the Mystic Realm better and better.

However, the military situation in Lizhou was currently stagnant, and not many new souls had entered the Investiture of the Gods list. Feng Zikang gave a wry smile. “It seems I must play the villain and push the conflict forward.”

He had a dual role: supporting the military efforts in Lizhou to align with the mandate of heaven and fulfill his responsibility as the destined one in the transition from Tang to Zhou—ensuring the Investiture of the Gods was fair, open, and just. On the other hand, he needed to secretly accelerate the war so that more heroic souls would perish, allowing him to reap substantial rewards to fill his Mystic Realm.

This was both a public duty and a private necessity, making his efforts taxing.

Feng Zikang smiled wryly and shook his head. But to become stronger, this was the best method. Even if it meant playing the role of a two-faced person, it was forced by the circumstances.

A few days later, Feng Zikang intermittently left the Mystic Realm to wait in the bamboo grove. Sure enough, one afternoon, he received a transmission from Elder Yun: Ye Tiansheng had successfully passed the Nascent Soul meritorious advancement mission and was currently in the Merit Hall, preparing to break his core and form his infant!

Feng Zikang was overjoyed. He instructed everyone to cultivate diligently and guard the gates of the Mystic Realm, while he himself channeled the bright light and flew toward Sunset Peak!