Cultivation Begins From The Desert

Yellow Sand Sect.

Li Zhennan walked out from the seclusion chamber, his face exhausted, his hair disheveled, resembling a beggar who had lost his business and was now living on the streets, begging for survival.

But a few years ago, he was not like this.

A few years ago, he had promised all sorts of benefits to form alliances, causing several Purple Mansion cultivators in the sect to give up competing for the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill" and instead support him in using it, which ultimately led to the success of having Cao Wenjin hand this treasure, worth millions of spirit stones, over to him.

Recollecting that time, with full confidence, he carried the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill" into the seclusion chamber; all the sect's high-tier cultivators gathered to bless him on his venture. How magnificent a sight it was!

But alas! Alas!

Alas, he ultimately let down the entire sect's expectations by failing in forming the core!

No matter how good the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill" is, it could only increase the success rate of core formation by ten to twenty percent. Adding all the preparations Li Zhennan had made for core formation, his success rate was about twenty-five percent.

A twenty-five percent success rate in forming the core is not considered low!

Many Purple Mansion cultivators have less than a ten percent success rate when attempting core formation.

If core formation weren't so challenging, why would the greatest dream for the vast majority of cultivators stepping into cultivation be to become a Golden Core cultivator with a lifespan of a thousand years?

But a seventy-five percent failure rate, obviously, is even higher!

Li Zhennan simply didn't have the fate to succeed, to reverse destiny and extend his life by five hundred years, becoming a Golden Core Ancestor revered by all!

Originally, failing in core formation wasn't much of a problem; many Golden Core stage cultivators succeed only after failing once or twice. After all, failing in core formation at most damages the dantian and consumes some primordial qi, and after recuperating for decades, one can attempt core formation again.

With Li Zhennan's lifespan, he had at least two more chances to attempt forming the Golden Core.

But his failure this time used up the sect's only portion of "Jade Liquid Golden Pill," a treasure bought by the sect for millions of spirit stones!

This became a matter!

All sects have a universal rule when distributing treasures like the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill": if the cultivator using such a treasure successfully breaks through, they only need to repay thirty to fifty percent of the treasure's total value in spirit stones to the sect afterward.

However, if they fail after using the treasure, then, with apologies, the user must exhaust every means to repay this debt for the rest of their life, and it must be reimbursed at full value.

If they do not clear the debt in their lifetime, it might even extend to their descendants!

Because this rule exists, sect cultivators also carefully consider the consequences of potential failure when vying for the right to use such treasures.

At the time, Li Zhennan was able to gain the support of other Purple Mansion cultivators in the Yellow Sand Sect to acquire the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill" not only because he offered substantial benefits to those people, but also because this rule made them relinquish their competition for the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill."

As for Li Zhennan himself, he had never married or had children, and his mindset before core formation was that even if he failed, he would merely be selling his remaining less-than-a-hundred-years of lifespan to the sect, without impacting future generations.

But as good as his dreams were, the more miserable the outcome after failure!

That was more than a million spirit stones!

How was he supposed to repay it?

It must be understood that to obtain the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill," he had even given away two pieces of Tier Four high-grade artifacts to his fellow disciples, and now the spirit stones he possessed, combined with his sect merit points, totaled less than ten thousand!

Not to mention the promises he made for grand returns to those fellow disciples if he succeeded in forming the core.

In such circumstances, how could Li Zhennan possibly look fine?

In fact, he had failed in core formation two or three years ago, and the reason he dragged it on for those years, besides healing the primordial qi damage from failing in core formation, was primarily his fear of assuming the responsibilities after failing.

Yet delaying clearly wasn't a solution. Over the years, knowledgeable individuals within the sect had mostly guessed the result, and a few days ago, Cao Wenjin had sent him a message in a stern tone urging him to come out and give an explanation!

Now that he could delay no longer, Li Zhennan could only walk out of the seclusion chamber with a grim face to face the sect's punishment.

Fortunately, being fellow disciples, the other Purple Mansion cultivators of the Yellow Sand Sect left some dignity for Li Zhennan. Upon seeing his disheveled state, no one succumbed to sarcastic remarks. Instead, after a deep sigh of empathy, each offered a few comforting words and left.

After all the other Purple Mansion cultivators left, leaving only Cao Wenjin and Li Zhennan, Cao Wenjin, who had remained silent, finally spoke.

"I won't say more than necessary, I've told you when you came for the [Jade Liquid Golden Pill], now I'll give you five more years to recover your primordial qi, and five years later, I need to do something significant for the stable inheritance of the sect's future, and you must participate in it by then!"

For Cao Wenjin to use the words "something significant" and imply the sect's inheritance, it indicated the matter was indeed of great significance and potentially very dangerous.

As the current second-in-command at the Yellow Sand Sect, Li Zhennan obviously understood this.

Moreover, he knew one thing: the calmer Cao Wenjin's tone, the bigger the matter.

At the same time, as someone personally named by Cao Wenjin to be involved in this major affair, and having just squandered a million spirit stones from the sect, the responsibility and pressure he must bear in this matter will definitely not be any less.

Perhaps, it could cost him his life!

Li Zhennan's body trembled slightly, then he forced a bitter smile, bowed deeply to Cao Wenjin, and said, "Master nephew understands, I shall follow Master's instructions!"

He had no choice!

Wasting the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill" bought with a million spirit stones from the sect was his greatest "original sin"!

If successful, he would rise to prestige and be revered, enjoying longevity for millennia!

If he fails, he would end up in ruin and disgrace, unforgivable!

The road of cultivation has always been that cruel!

After Li Zhennan exited seclusion, the news of his failed core formation quickly spread among cultivators from various families within the Yellow Sand Sect, and then was passed on until it permeated the entire Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm.

For a time, inside various cultivation clans within the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm, endless arguments were stirred by this news.

However, there was one consensus that everyone agreed upon.

That was the Yellow Sand Sect, and its guardian Elder Cao, Cao Wenjin, absolutely would not just sit by and watch Yellow Sand Sect decline.

In conclusion, the skies in the Boundless Desert Sea Cultivation Realm are about to change once again!

Upon receiving the news, Zhouyang from Red Fox Ridge also went to Yuquan Lake Oasis to discuss the matter with the old clan leader Zhou Minghan.

The decision the two made was surprisingly unanimous: to quietly observe the changes.

Cao Wenjin hasn't passed away yet!

As long as this Golden Core stage cultivator is still alive, anyone or any family that attempts something, whether good or bad, will surely touch this elder's already sensitive nerves, leading to unpredictable consequences.

It's absolutely not the time for the Zhou family to take a stand.

In this situation, the ones who should be anxious are those Purple Mansion clans, because Foundation Establishment clans can still choose a side, while Purple Mansion clans, even if they want to pledge allegiance, must have others willing to trust them!

Exactly, that's the way it is.

At least, when the Chen Family Ancestor learned of Li Zhennan's failure, he became quite unsettled.

Originally, several Purple Mansion cultivators from the Yellow Sand Sect had good relations with him. When Li Zhennan received the "Jade Liquid Golden Pill," the first person to inform him was a Purple Mansion cultivator from the Yellow Sand Sect.

But now, after Li Zhennan's core formation failed, not a single Purple Mansion cultivator from the Yellow Sand Sect informed him, let alone disclosed any insider information.

Just this alone was enough to trigger many speculations in his mind.

Therefore, he had no choice but to announce his exit from seclusion and personally visit the Yellow Sand Sect to see Cao Wenjin. On the surface, he was seeking guidance on core formation, claiming he wanted to make a final effort before his lifespan ran out, while in truth, he was expressing loyalty, hinting that his lifespan was limited, and showing that the Chen Family posed no threat to the Yellow Sand Sect.

However, Cao Wenjin's response left the Chen Family Ancestor feeling uncertain.

Facing his inquiry, Cao Wenjin generously provided him with a guide on core formation, but also advised him not to rush into seclusion for core formation within the next ten years, mentioning he would need his help later.

When Cao Wenjin said he needed help, the Chen Family Ancestor naturally didn't dare refuse, and ultimately could only reluctantly agree, returning to his clan with unease, and studying the core formation guide Cao Wenjin provided.

News of the Chen Family Ancestor successfully advancing to the Ninth Layer of the Purple Mansion and exiting seclusion naturally reached Zhouyang quickly, although he only sighed upon hearing the news and did not react further.

Whether the Chen Family Ancestor was at the Eighth-Layer of the Purple Mansion or the Ninth-Layer didn't make a difference for him or the Zhou family.

At the current stage, the other party was an existence they couldn't contend with.

Moreover, there was something troubling Zhouyang even more happening now: Zhou Guangxiang, who was in seclusion for Foundation Establishment at Red Fox Ridge, had not emerged from his abode for over three months.

In these three months, the aberration of "spiritual energy infusion" hadn't appeared on Red Fox Ridge, indicating Zhou Guangxiang likely failed his Foundation Establishment.

However, with the protection of a "Foundation Establishment Pill," even if he failed, Zhou Guangxiang should not be in any mortal danger.

What weighs heavy on Zhouyang's heart is that after more than three months, Zhou Guangxiang still refuses to leave his cave, and his guardian Zhou Guangxiang obstinately refuses to open the array to let him in to check the situation.

"Guangxiang, do you know what you're doing? By doing this, you're not just defying the orders of your elder clan leader, you're gambling with your sister's life!"

Outside Zhou Guangxiang's cave, Zhouyang gazed at Zhou Guangxiang guarding by the cave's entrance, his face quite stern.

With his wisdom, he naturally guessed Zhou Guangxiang's reason for doing so, but precisely because of this, he was more determined to stop him!