Chapter 4133 — Preparing to Break Through to the Golden Core

"Is there any way around it? Some pill or other, say, that could help you over this hurdle quickly, Brother Tian?" Wei Zhao asked.

"If that old bastard Zhang Lifeng were still around, I could ask him to refine a Golden Core Gestation Pill for me—with my foundations, I could guarantee success in a single step. But as things stand..." Di Xingdao scratched his head helplessly.

"Golden Core Gestation Pill? What grade is that?" Wei Zhao pressed. Ever since his recent success in refining the Golden Core Pill—a fifth-grade pill of notorious difficulty—his confidence in his own alchemy had soared. Even if he had never heard of this one, he was sure he could give it a try.

"Sixth grade! And not an ordinary sixth grade, but one of the most fiendishly difficult to refine! From what I know, across the entire Pill Hall, only Zhang Lifeng could be relied upon to refine a sixth-grade Golden Core Gestation Pill with any confidence. Others like young Hou and young Cai are fine alchemists both, but they simply don't have the fire for it," Di Xingdao said with a sigh.

"Sixth grade..." Wei Zhao hesitated at once. With his current abilities, a fifth-grade pill was the absolute limit; he could go no higher. Still, he said, "Why don't I give it a try?"

"Brother Wei Zhao, alchemy is not something to be forced. If it goes wrong, the consequences are unthinkable! It gladdens my heart that you'd offer, but please, don't push yourself!" Di Xingdao hurried to dissuade him.

To force the refinement of a high-grade pill without the requisite level was folly. Producing a dud pill would be the least of one's worries—one slip, and the whole furnace could blow, and then the joke would be on you.

"It's fine. I've been wanting to find out whether I really have what it takes to refine a sixth-grade pill." Wei Zhao smiled. Before Di Xingdao could say another word, he set off to find Cai Zhongxuan and ask for a sixth-grade pill formula, along with the corresponding ingredients.

Not the Golden Core Gestation Pill, but the simplest of the entry-level sixth-grade pills: the sixth-grade Nascent Soul Stabilizing Pill, formulated specifically to steady the Nascent Soul realm. Its nature was gentle and mild, and among all sixth-grade pills it ranked as the easiest to refine.

With everything prepared, Wei Zhao set straight to work. The Shennong Cauldron analyzed the refinement curve as reliably as ever—but when it came time to channel his true qi, no matter how Wei Zhao threw his all into it, the cauldron remained utterly unresponsive. The tablet screen displayed one unchanging line of text.

"Brother Wei Zhao, your power level is insufficient, resulting in inadequate true qi. Jingjing cannot refine pills for you..."

"Just as I thought..." Wei Zhao shook his head and sighed. He had expected this outcome.

Insufficient power level meant insufficient true qi intensity—at present, an insoluble problem. Without clearing this most basic threshold, it made no difference how divine a pill-refining artifact the Shennong Cauldron was. The only way forward was to wait until his power advanced to the Golden Core stage, when another attempt might become possible.

"Looks like the only choice is to find a way to raise my power as quickly as possible. I believe that if I can break through to the Golden Core stage, I should be able to attempt the refinement," Wei Zhao explained to Di Xingdao.

Difficult as the Golden Core Gestation Pill was to refine, Wei Zhao had faith in the Shennong Cauldron—provided, of course, that his power could meet the minimum threshold for refining sixth-grade pills.

"Oh? Brother Wei Zhao, your power is still at the peak of late Foundation Establishment, is it not? You're still a fair way from the Golden Core stage. But you're a cultivator of the Creation Battle Art—ordinary standards don't apply to you. If the preparations are done properly, it's not entirely hopeless," Di Xingdao said thoughtfully.

"Leap two levels at once to assault the Golden Core? Is such a thing even possible?" Wei Zhao's eyes lit up.

For the vast majority, breaking through to Foundation Establishment's Great Perfection was already no small feat, let alone assaulting the Golden Core a full level beyond. Even among the finest Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivators, those confident enough to attempt the Golden Core were exceedingly few; as for someone at the peak of late Foundation Establishment hoping to do it in one bound—that was sheer fantasy.

"Of course. Nothing is impossible in this world. Back in the day, I myself leapt straight from the peak of late Foundation Establishment, two levels at once, and succeeded in assaulting the Golden Core. I believe that with your talent, Brother Wei Zhao, you have the same potential—provided you make adequate preparations," Di Xingdao said with a nod.

"What preparations?" Wei Zhao's heart stirred, and he asked at once.

"Beyond getting yourself into peak condition, it's mainly stocking the right pills. Ideally you'd also want some auxiliary items to assist the advancement—after all, jumping two levels at once is no easy matter. I trust you've made preparations on that front, Brother Wei Zhao?" Di Xingdao asked.

"In hand I have the Foundation Establishment Barrier-Breaking Pill, the Foundation Establishment Golden Core Pill, and the Golden Core Pill. As for other auxiliary items, I have a Star Ink Stone," Wei Zhao admitted without reservation.

"You have a Star Ink Stone?" Di Xingdao was momentarily taken aback, then his eyes lit up. "Why, that's the legendary supreme treasure said to enable a flawless assault on the Golden Core stage! Wonderful—with that in your possession, your chances of success rise considerably!"

"Truly?" Wei Zhao was overjoyed. He had not expected Di Xingdao to know of the Star Ink Stone as well. Though at his current peak late Foundation Establishment strength he could already match most early Golden Core cultivators, against a true expert he still fell short—like that mid Golden Core expert he had encountered earlier at Hu Cai Tian Wu Mountain. Had Wei Zhao not resorted to trickery, he would not even have been able to flee, only wait for death.

So if there truly was a way to break through to the Golden Core stage quickly, Wei Zhao would want nothing more.

"Of course it's true. In fact, if the quality is good enough, the Golden Core Pill paired with the Foundation Establishment Golden Core Pill alone offers some hope of assaulting the Golden Core stage—though the odds are rather slim. Add the legendary Star Ink Stone, however, and the chances grow far greater: a forced breakthrough has at least a fifty percent chance of success!" Di Xingdao declared with certainty.

"Better than fifty percent? Then it's well worth a try!" Wei Zhao said excitedly.

A fifty percent chance of success was nothing to scoff at. And his style had never been to seek absolute safety in all things—when it was time to gamble, one gambled. At a moment like this, he would not hesitate in the slightest.

"That fighting spirit is a fine thing, Brother Wei Zhao, only..." Di Xingdao paused, and said with some hesitation, "Only the process is still extremely perilous. As I told you before, for those of us who cultivate the Creation Battle Art, the breakthrough process is agonizing and arduous beyond bearing—especially when it's a consecutive breakthrough through multiple barriers. An ordinary man's constitution could never endure it, and if you fail to hold on, there's every chance you'll end up as I did: meridians shattered to pieces..." (Fishman's official WeChat: yuren22, welcome to add, sharing the latest news on the School Beauty mobile game, comics, and film adaptations.) (To be continued)