Chapter 3747 — The Strongest Golden Core Expert

Before he had even finished speaking, Yu Jiang came to an abrupt halt, murderous intent flickering in his eyes as he stared at Wei Zhao.

Better to act sooner rather than later. Though he was absolutely certain he could kill Wei Zhao and seize the Star Ink Stone, the longer he delayed, the greater the chance that something unexpected might happen. If some passing expert happened to witness it, after all, that would be troublesome enough.

Yet although he was eager to kill Wei Zhao as quickly as possible, he could not bear to give up that top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill. Just as he was absolutely certain he could kill Wei Zhao, so too was it true that if Wei Zhao genuinely wished to destroy the pill in his hand, he could do so with a single thought. Yu Jiang would have no time to stop him.

"Fine, then. I'll tell you what the Star Ink Stone is for, so you can die knowing the truth. But before that, you have to hand it over." Yu Jiang's voice turned heavy.

Wei Zhao let out a derisive laugh. "Do you really take me for a fool? If I gave you this top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill right now, would you still be standing here wasting your breath with me?"

"Then tell me what I have to do to put your mind at ease. And don't say anything idiotic like, 'Tell me first, then I'll give it to you.' If you do, I'd rather kill you outright!" Yu Jiang said with a dark expression.

Wei Zhao laughed when he heard that. "You are a dignified mid-stage Foundation Establishment expert. No one comes to a place like this, which means no one can possibly save me. My life is already in your hands, so why are you being so petty? If I lie to you, you can torture me until I long for death and cannot find it. Wouldn't that do? You have nothing to lose. And if I happen to be an honest man who keeps his word, you might even get a top-grade Foundation Establishment Breakthrough Pill. Opportunities like this don't come often."

Yu Jiang studied Wei Zhao intently. After a moment of silence, he suddenly threw back his head and laughed. "Fine. You're a dead man anyway, so there's no harm in telling you now. Across the whole of Cloudstep Island, no more than a handful of people know what this Star Ink Stone is for. I searched through every scripture and ancient text in the Repository Pavilion before I happened to find it mentioned on a page from a fragment of antiquity. You're about to die, but I have to say, you're very lucky."

Wei Zhao listened attentively without betraying the slightest emotion, though a faint ripple stirred in his heart. So this Star Ink Stone truly had an extraordinary origin.

After a brief pause, Yu Jiang drew a deep breath. "According to that ancient fragment, the Star Ink Stone is formed in deep-sea trenches, absorbing the essence of the ocean floor over countless eons. For cultivators like us, it is the most generous gift the heavens could bestow. Whoever obtains it can become the strongest Golden Core expert, bar none!"

The strongest Golden Core expert!

Wei Zhao was instantly startled. Ever since arriving on Cloudstep Island, the people he encountered most often had either been newcomers who had yet to complete Foundation Establishment or Foundation Establishment experts like Hapless Senior Brother. Apart from certain special occasions, he had scarcely come into contact with anyone above the Foundation Establishment stage.

That did not mean Wei Zhao had no understanding of the Golden Core stage. After all, to cultivators, this was the most basic of common knowledge.

The reason the Newcomers Pavilion offered no corresponding courses was simply that such knowledge was far too elementary. Matters like levels of strength were no different from eating and drinking to ordinary people; there was no need to waste time teaching them in any formal way. Once the newcomers were sent out to interact with others, a few casual conversations would naturally teach them everything they needed to know.

Put simply, on Cloudstep Island, anyone below the Foundation Establishment stage was considered not to have entered the path at all. Foundation Establishment was merely the starting point, while the Golden Core stage was when one truly stepped into the ranks of the experts.

By common reckoning, every cultivator who reached the Golden Core stage was already a genius seen only once in ten thousand miles. Yet even geniuses came in different grades, and the Golden Core stage was the clearest dividing line among them all. It determined how high each cultivator could ultimately rise.

Those of lesser ability, no matter how hard they struggled or how many resources they consumed, would never break through in this lifetime, and could only helplessly stop at the early Golden Core stage. Those who were somewhat better might have hope of advancing another level, but even if they succeeded, they would become only the weakest among their peers. The rest of their lives would already be set in stone, leaving them virtually no chance to turn the tables.

Among all Golden Core experts, only the handful of truly outstanding prodigies could continue breaking through with irresistible momentum and become part of the supreme echelon standing atop Cloudstep Island.

It was no exaggeration to say that the Golden Core stage was a heavenly chasm stretching across the path of every cultivator. Whether one could cross it, and in what manner, would directly determine whether one later became a dragon or a worm.

The strongest Foundation Establishment experts might gradually sink into mediocrity after breaking through, but among the strongest Golden Core experts, there had never been such a precedent.

For tens of millions of years, history had made one thing perfectly clear: anyone who achieved invincibility at the Golden Core stage, so long as they were not cut down along the way, would inevitably grow into one of the supreme figures on Cloudstep Island. There had never been an exception.

What staggering ambition this fellow had! Wei Zhao looked at Yu Jiang, whose eyes burned with feverish longing, and felt rather unconvinced.

It was not that he looked down on the Golden Core stage. It was simply that he was still only at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage. His most urgent concern at present was breaking through to the middle stage. To start thinking about becoming the strongest Golden Core expert now was nothing more than reaching for the moon.

The same applied to Yu Jiang, who stood before him and was only at the middle Foundation Establishment stage. Instead of dreaming of becoming the strongest Golden Core expert, he would do better to consider how to become a peak middle-stage Foundation Establishment expert. That would be far more practical.

As for the Golden Core stage, whether he would even live long enough to reach it remained unknown. For now, he should first strive toward the peak of the late Foundation Establishment stage, then toward ultimate perfection.

Still, not everyone could maintain Wei Zhao's composure in the face of such temptation. In fact, if Wei Zhao had not possessed the jade pendant space and those heaven-defying advantages, then upon suddenly encountering a treasure capable of making him the strongest Golden Core expert, he might well have become just as hopelessly enthralled as Yu Jiang.

Of course, composure was one thing, but Wei Zhao's hopes for the Star Ink Stone were no less fervent than Yu Jiang's. With his many powerful trump cards, his chances of advancing to the Golden Core stage were far greater than anyone else's, which naturally made the Star Ink Stone even more significant to him. He simply would not let it drive him into a frenzy.

"Huh? That boy actually knows a secret like this? How interesting!" The long-silent voice of Ghost Thing suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Senior, is everything he said true?" Wei Zhao hurriedly replied through his divine sense.