Chapter 7: Three Months to Form the Golden Core

When she heard the sound of the Chaos Soul Bell, it took a great deal of effort for her internal energy to calm down.

She immediately understood the power of the Chaos Soul Bell, and upon seeing the large man about to shake the bell again, she rushed forward to stop him.

"Little girl, now you know how powerful I am, don't you? And you think you look good."

The man moved his wrist with even more force, and just as it seemed the bell was about to ring again, a long sword sliced through his wrist.

"Are you alright? How is this possible?"

The Golden Core cultivator stared in disbelief at Xu Yang, who had drawn his sword.

In his understanding, Xu Yang, with only Qi Refining cultivation, should have had his internal energy go berserk after the bell was first rung, nearly falling into madness.

But instead, Xu Yang was standing unharmed in front of him, drawing his sword against him.

"Your bell doesn't work on me."

Xu Yang said calmly, then once again swung his life-protecting sword.

A wave of sword energy severed the man's wrist at the base, and another strike pierced through his shoulder.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Only after being pinned to the ground did the man finally react.

"You are definitely not in the Qi Refining realm, you've been hiding your cultivation."

Anyone who could so easily deal with him must be at a higher level of cultivation.

At that moment, the man truly believed the rumors from outside.

It was people from Tianlan Sect who had destroyed Yunshan Sect and once again stood at the pinnacle of Qi State.

Thinking of this, regret surged within him.

"Please don't kill me, I'm willing to serve you for a hundred years, just spare my life."

Having struggled to reach the Golden Core realm and finally being able to dominate Qi State, the man certainly wasn't willing to lose his life so easily.

"I already told you, your mouth should be washed."

Ignoring the man's pleas for mercy, Xu Yang drove his sword into the man's mouth.

The sword energy smashed the man's teeth and tongue into a pulp, turning his words into muffled cries.

Xu Yang struck again, and the protective sword pierced through the man's dantian, shattering the Golden Core he had worked so hard to cultivate over many years.

The man, now crippled, wore a pained expression. He still whimpered, but his voice had changed.

Xu Yang knew that the man was certainly cursing him—there was no doubt about it.

"Today, I grant you death by exposure to the scorching sun."

Retrieving his protective sword, Xu Yang turned to Ling Qingshu and said.

"He has insulted the dignity of Tianlan Sect and harmed its disciples; he deserves to die. Hang him at the gates of Tianlan Sect, and let those blind to the situation open their eyes."

After speaking, Xu Yang swept his gaze over some of the hidden areas of Tianlan Sect.

Wherever his gaze landed, the cultivators at the peak of the Foundation Building realm felt a chill run down their spines.

They were sent by various powerful factions to investigate the true strength of Tianlan Sect. They had watched the entire process of Xu Yang torturing and killing the Golden Core cultivator, and from this, they had already realized Xu Yang's strength. In four simple words: do not provoke.

When Xu Yang looked at them in the end, it was clear that he knew they were watching.

He silently warned them to report back to their superiors that they should not provoke Tianlan Sect in the Qi State region anymore. If they did, they would meet the same fate as the reckless Golden Core cultivator.

A dignified Golden Core cultivator, whose cultivation had been destroyed, hung on the flagpole at the gates of Tianlan Sect, exposed to the scorching sun until death.

This was Xu Yang's way of establishing Tianlan Sect's authority once again—effective and straightforward.

It was also simple to understand. Within a single incense stick's time, all the spies had disappeared from Tianlan Sect.

When Ling Qingshu appeared in front of Xu Yang again, there was a distinct killing intent emanating from her.

Clearly, before the Golden Core cultivator was hung on the flagpole, she had certainly vented her anger on him. After all, no woman could endure such insulting words.

"Ancestor Xu, everything has been done according to your orders."

Xu Yang nodded. After a hundred thousand years, his divine sense had been sharpened to an incredible level.

Everything Ling Qingshu had arranged and done was within Xu Yang's awareness.

What pleased Xu Yang the most today was that Ling Qingshu, when faced with a Golden Core cultivator, had boldly drawn her sword.

With such courage, Ling Qingshu's mentality was no less than that of the best disciples in Tianlan Sect's history.

In Xu Yang's eyes, a truly excellent disciple was one who could lead the sect to glory—at the very least, someone who could revive the sect.

"Ancestor, now that you have emerged from seclusion, I plan to pass the position of Sect Master to you."

"Qingshu's strength is too weak, and she cannot bear the heavy responsibility of being Tianlan Sect's leader."

As she spoke, Ling Qingshu presented a pitch-black token—the sect master's insignia.

Xu Yang did not speak but took the sect master's insignia from her.

He carefully examined the token, which had originally been passed down by Xu Yang himself a hundred thousand years ago.

Logically speaking, as the first disciple of the sect founder, Xu Yang should have been the second sect master.

But because Xu Yang was stuck in the Qi Refining realm, he had voluntarily given the position to his junior brother.

Now, a hundred thousand years later, the sect master's token had returned to his hands, and his junior disciple's descendant was offering the position to him.

Thinking of this, Xu Yang couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.

After playing with the token for a while, Xu Yang returned it to Ling Qingshu.

"This is yours. No one can take it, not even me."

"For Tianlan Sect, the sect master's position is only passed on when the former master ascends or perishes."

"Do you want to end up with a short life?"

"If Tianlan Sect can regain its former glory, then Qingshu's death would be no regret."

"Don't say that—you really do have the bearing of a sect master. You're better than I was back in the day."

Xu Yang chuckled. He had now completely acknowledged Ling Qingshu's identity as the sect master.

"Go to the storeroom and bring me some spiritual materials. I need to refine some pills. Also, let me have a look at the cultivation method you're practicing."

"The sect master's cultivation is too low, only Foundation Building. That's insufficient. I'll give you three months to form your Golden Core."

When Ling Qingshu heard the words "three months to form the Golden Core," she was momentarily stunned.

However, after seeing the confident expression on Xu Yang's face, she was also inspired.

"Yes, I will obey Ancestor's command."

Three months to form the Golden Core might sound like an impossible task to others, but coming from Xu Yang, it was a different story altogether.

Xu Yang had lived for a hundred thousand years and had countless pill formulas to aid cultivation stored in his mind.

Not only did he know pills for Foundation Building and Golden Core stages, but he even knew pills to help increase the chances of surviving tribulations.

Refining pills to accelerate Ling Qingshu's cultivation was an easy task for Xu Yang.

Moreover, with the changes in the world, some spiritual herbs that were once incredibly rare and hard to come by had now become as common as weeds