Chapter 234: Sudden Surge in Strength

Five days later, Su Che rode a deep blue disc beneath his feet as he flew out of the Tianxuan Sect’s gates.
This disc was a top-grade spiritual treasure obtained from the sect’s supreme leader. It combined functions such as flight, defense, detection, positioning, and tracking, making it an extremely valuable artifact.
It was called the “Star Emperor Compass,” said to have been crafted by a powerful ancient cultivator titled the “Star Emperor.”
Its true purpose was to enable travel through the galaxy for interstellar flight, with speeds that were undoubtedly extreme. It was said that if controlled by a cultivator at the Transcendent Spirit stage, it could match the speed of light.
With such a compass-like magical artifact possessing detection, positioning, and tracking abilities, it was not surprising. Without these functions, one would surely get lost in the vast galaxy.
Its defensive capabilities were also outstanding. After all, the universe was filled with highly destructive forces such as fierce winds, auroras, meteorites, and exotic beasts. Without sufficient defense, one would be severely damaged or even shattered to pieces.
“A powerful defense formed by the power of stars—only attacks of the same level can break it!”
Of course, this was a relative statement. Su Che was only at the early Golden Core stage and could not fully unleash the Star Emperor Compass’s defensive power. If faced with an attack from a Nascent Soul ancestor using a precious artifact, the situation would be extremely dangerous.
In general, with the protection of the Star Emperor Compass, Su Che’s self-protection ability increased significantly. Against strong opponents, if he couldn’t defeat them, he could at least defend himself; if not, he could escape…
Another attack-type spiritual treasure in the shape of a palm had merged into Su Che’s right hand, remaining invisible unless in battle.
This palm was called the “Sumeru Divine Seal,” with just two functions yet both quite powerful.
First, the Sumeru Divine Seal had an attack amplification effect. Currently, it could double Su Che’s attack power, with the amplification effect increasing as his cultivation improved. This meant that the destructive power of his “Destruction Fist” released through the seal could double—something that previously couldn’t even crack a turtle shell could now be shattered with a single punch!
The second function was even rarer—it truly embodied the meaning of “Sumeru.” It could store any type of energy within the body, including true qi, vital energy, mental strength, and life force, storing them all simultaneously, like a body with infinite capacity.

This meant that Su Che could store his mental energy and life force in advance. During battles, when using the Prison Demon Art and the Annihilation Fist, he wouldn’t be so constrained. Previously, if a single Annihilation Fist consumed two-thirds of his life force, it would take a long time to replenish it even after taking pills. Even with the two types of energy from the Immortal Prison to boost the pill’s effects, it still couldn’t keep up with the massive consumption during intense battles. Now, he wasn’t worried anymore. The Sumeru Divine Seal was like a second body for him. As a top-grade spiritual treasure, it had almost unlimited capacity. When his own life force was depleted, he could immediately draw enough from the Sumeru Divine Seal to restore it instantly and continue fighting… Before leaving, Su Che spent five days storing a large amount of true essence, mental energy, and life force in the Sumeru Divine Seal. He could use the Prison Demon Art hundreds of times and unleash the Annihilation Fist with its strongest power nearly a hundred times. Having advanced to the Golden Core stage, the power of his three divine arts had already increased several times. Coupled with the two top-grade spiritual treasures, the Star Emperor Compass and the Sumeru Shadow, Su Che was full of confidence. Even if he encountered Feng Sha from the Seal Demon Hall again, he could fight him fearlessly. The chances of winning were slim, but self-preservation was guaranteed. If he wanted to retreat, the opponent surely couldn’t stop him. This confidence applied only to someone at the late Golden Core stage like Feng Sha. If it were someone at the peak of the late Golden Core stage, like his master, Venerable Xuanji… He didn’t dare think further. It was best not to be that unlucky. After all, a powerful figure like his master not only had high cultivation but also often possessed extraordinary divine arts and high-grade offensive spiritual treasures. With the current defensive capabilities of the Star Emperor Compass, it would surely not be able to withstand them. Before leaving the mountain gate, Su Che also remembered to visit the spiritual herb garden on Xuanji Peak and asked the garden’s elder for that item. “He really used it for this…” The garden elder simply sighed deeply before handing a wooden box to Su Che. As for what was inside the box, he didn’t say, nor did Su Che ask. Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself. If you don’t want others to pry into your secrets, don’t pry into theirs either. The Fiend Beast Cemetery in the Blood Curtain Mountains. Before arriving at that cave again, Su Che saw that the entrance was blocked by a huge rock, sealed tightly with not a hint of air leaking through. “Probably, Senior Yu Qing’s demonic aura has grown stronger. He didn’t want it to leak out and be discovered by the people of Tianxuan Sect, so he sealed the entrance.”

Su Che did not push aside the boulder but used the EarthEarthEarth technique technique to hide within the mountain. After reaching the Golden Core stage, minor powers like the Five ElementsEarthEarth technique technique could be learned easily, rendering the fake power of the EarthEarthEarth technique pill unnecessary.
Inside the cave, the concentration of demonic energy was at an extreme level. Su Che estimated that if any second-tier demon beast were thrown in, it would turn into a bloodthirsty, frenzied killing monster within a few hours…
Yu Qing remained seated in his original position. Sensing Su Che’s arrival, he said in a deep voice, “Have you formed the core?”
“Yes.”
Su Che stepped forward and placed a Qiankun bag and the small wooden box in front of him, asking with slight concern, “How is the situation?”
“Not good!”
Yu Qing replied, “I’m worried that even with the minor heavenly calamity of the Golden Core stage, it might not be enough to suppress this demonic calamity.”
“It’s okay,” Su Che said with a smile. “I’ve tried it. Heavenly calamities also have their moods. Moderate provocation can strengthen their power and even bring down thunder.”
“You really are…”
Yu Qing had never heard such a statement before and had to admit that Su Che was even bolder than himself, daring to provoke a heavenly calamity.
Without any unnecessary talk, Yu Qing checked the contents of the Qiankun bag and immediately said, “I’ve already prepared everything else. I’ll enter seclusion to form the core right away, and I’ll be able to summon the heavenly calamity within half a month.”
“Good. I’ll wait outside.”
Su Che immediately left the cave and sat atop a mountain peak hundreds of feet away, on top of the Star Emperor Compass, to protect Yu Qing.
The reason for sitting on the compass was its extremely strong detection ability, which also enhanced spiritual perception. After forming the core, Su Che’s spiritual perception covered a range of 250 feet. With the compass’s enhancement, it exceeded 500 feet, roughly on par with the current Xuanji Venerable.
It was also the first time his detection range surpassed Old Hei’s. However, in terms of penetration and eavesdropping, it still wasn’t as miraculous as Old Hei’s abilities. It was likely that Old Hei’s detection powers also came from some gift from the Immortal Prison Pagoda.
Ten days or half a month was just a blink of an eye for cultivators, and it passed quickly. No one came to disturb them during this time.
The Blood Curtain Mountain Range was recognized as a low-level training ground, so advanced cultivators were unlikely to come here. Thus, Su Che’s protection was merely a precaution.
During these half a month, Su Che wasn’t idle either. He practiced the beast control technique taught by Master Mu Ye until he became proficient.
Yesterday, when he used the beast control technique for the first time, he successfully tamed a mid-level third-tier Fire Crow from the Immortal Prison into a spiritual beast.

The reason it’s so easy is mainly because the Fire Crow has long been tamed by Lao Hei to be extremely obedient, showing no resistance or defiance to Su Che’s training. Tamed spiritual beasts can still potentially rebel, but if the master’s cultivation level isn’t too far below that of the beast, the chance of rebellion is very low. Moreover, there are many ways to continuously increase a spiritual beast’s loyalty—such as treating it well and avoiding causing it humiliation or suffering—thus establishing an unbreakable emotional bond between master and beast, which is the finest method of control.

Boom… Boom…

That afternoon, deep within the mountain where Yu Qing was, dull thunderous sounds could be heard. Su Che suddenly woke up from his meditation, realizing that Yu Qing must have successfully completed the core formation process.

“Reaching core formation in just sixteen days—this would surely astonish countless people even within the sect.”

Su Che thought to himself, “The fortune of Tianxuan Sect’s main peak has indeed shifted to Xuanji Peak. Among this generation of disciples, I, Yu Qing, and Duan Tianya are all those holding secrets…”

Whoosh… Whoosh… Whoosh…

Suddenly, a massive concentration of natural energy occurred, on par with the one seen at Jinwu Mountain.

“A phenomenon of such scale—both good and bad!” Su Che sighed inwardly.

The more pronounced the natural anomalies during core formation, the more it proved that the person undergoing the process had accumulated great strength and achieved something extraordinary, indicating a bright future ahead. However, given Yu Qing’s special situation, such obvious anomalies would surely attract cultivators within a thousand miles, as natural anomalies occur similarly when treasures are born.

As time passed, the accumulation of energy grew more severe. Floating high in the air, Su Che soon saw two streaks of light approaching from the southeast.

“My disciples, from the inner sect’s foundation-building phase.”

After completing core formation, one’s physical strength improved significantly, and vision also enhanced several times over. From a distance of over ten miles, Su Che could already see the clothes and faces of those two.

When they got closer, Su Che stepped forward to stop them.

“Senior Brother Tianyu?”

The two inner sect disciples immediately recognized Su Che. By now, Su Che was wearing the top-tier treasure-grade Dao robe that symbolized his status, with three golden threads on the collar and cuffs—unique to the entire sect.

“Dear junior brothers, a friend of mine is here undergoing core formation and the tribulation. Since I can’t handle it alone, I need your help to keep watch from ten miles away, ensuring no outsiders disturb him,” Su Che said gently.

“So, someone is undergoing core formation.”

The two immediately realized what was going on and replied in unison, “Yes, Eldest Senior Brother.”
Fifteen minutes later, more people flew in from other directions. Su Che arranged them in different positions in the same way, turning them into additional guardians who blocked off some of the scattered cultivators who had gathered…
This was the power of the chief direct disciple; none of the younger disciples dared to question it.
However, since Su Che had only recently acquired this status, he might not be able to suppress the Golden Core elders in the sect, let alone some of the venerable masters at the main peaks.