Chapter 136: Ascending to the Core Formation Stage

“Little White, you can take human form now. It seems your spiritual consciousness has recovered quite well!”

Ji Mo did not bother soothing Little Gold, who was leaping about with his fur standing on end. Instead, she turned her gaze to Little White and, taking in his appearance, spoke with a trace of surprise.

“Thanks to Senior Ao Feng’s help, my spiritual consciousness has recovered to seventy percent. The rest can only be restored through gradual recuperation. I estimate that I will make a full recovery in another century or two,” Little White replied.

“Tch. Do you think your injuries would be so easy to heal just because you’re traveling with Ji Mo? Which of her enemies is harmless? Those people from the Ji Clan are no easy opponents. Even if you gave Ji Mo another thousand years, she might not be able to deal with them.”

Seeing that no one was paying him any attention, Little Gold found further mischief pointless. Since Ji Mo and Little White were chatting, he naturally would not pass up the chance to criticize her.

“Even if I can’t defeat them for the time being, that doesn’t mean I should lose confidence, does it? Or are you afraid?” Ji Mo glared at Little Gold irritably, casting him a sidelong look.

His two whiskers immediately sprang upward in indignation. He turned his face away and refused to speak to her.

“Senior Brother, you’ve had a hard time all these years.”

After greeting Little Gold, Little White, and Ao Feng, Ji Mo finally turned her attention to Su Ye. More than a century had passed since the Calamity Gate disaster, yet whenever she thought of it, an indescribable pain still welled up in her heart. Throughout all those years, Su Ye had silently borne everything. The suffering he had endured could well be imagined.

“I’m fine. No matter what happens, people must always look ahead. We cannot forget what has happened, but neither can we allow it to become an obstacle on the road before us.”

Su Ye smiled, his expression serene.

“Senior Brother, your open-mindedness puts me to shame. I was too attached to appearances.”

Ji Mo paused briefly, then smiled in understanding. Her admiration for this mysterious Fourth Senior Brother grew with every passing day. If there truly existed a person of supreme wisdom in this world, he was probably such a man.

After awakening, Ji Mo spent another ten years in seclusion, slowly digesting the spiritual power she had absorbed from the Five-Element Ice Coffin. The Five-Element Spirit Coffin was a rare treasure of the Celestial Realm. Ji Mo had slept inside it for a century. Although her cultivation had limited the amount of energy she could absorb, the benefits it brought her were still beyond measure.

After ten years, she broke through from the early Foundation Establishment stage straight into the Core Formation realm.

Had Ao Feng not warned her that cultivation could not rely solely on external forces, for that would destabilize her Dao Heart and affect her future development, she would have advanced even further. Instead, she forcibly compressed and stored the boundless energy within her body, keeping her realm stabilized at the early Core Formation stage. At the same time, her Heavenly Demon Body Tempering Art had reached the mid-stage of True Condensation—the middle of the fourth layer.

Ji Mo had spent seventeen years progressing from the Qi Refining realm to Foundation Establishment, and another one hundred and twenty years advancing from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation. Yet she had slept through one hundred and ten of those years. It was difficult to say whether such a rate of cultivation was fast or slow.

Ji Mo herself never dwelled on the matter. Before entering the Blue Moon Divine Palace, she had always approached cultivation with an erratic, half-hearted attitude. But after arriving at the Blue Moon Divine Palace and experiencing so many things, she had gradually begun to understand that certain responsibilities could not be escaped simply because one wished to avoid them. In this world, there was no one who could shelter you from every storm for your entire life.

After breaking through to Foundation Establishment and returning to the sect, she had once more faced the upheaval that befell the Calamity Sect. Ji Mo’s state of mind had undergone earth-shaking changes. The innate laziness buried deep in her bones had been firmly suppressed. Without realizing it, she had transformed into a proud, steadfast pine and cypress capable of standing tall beneath heaven and earth, no longer fearing any wind or rain.

“Senior Ao Feng, I have already reached Core Formation. Should I begin the inheritance trial for the sixth gate?”

After leaving seclusion, Ji Mo sought out Ao Feng and voiced her thoughts. Regarding the final four trials of the Blue Moon Divine Palace, Ao Feng had told her that she would not even be qualified to attempt them before reaching Core Formation. Now that she had successfully advanced, the matter naturally had to be faced.

“There is no need to hurry. You have only just entered the Core Formation realm. You can go out and gain some experience first. The trial can wait.”

Ao Feng studied her carefully for a few moments and nodded inwardly, evidently quite satisfied with her.

“That sounds good. I’ll go out and have a look around first.”

Ji Mo considered the matter briefly before nodding. Although she had experienced many things over the years, when it came to truly venturing into the mortal world and tempering herself through worldly affairs, she was still practically a blank sheet of paper. For a cultivator who wished to reach the summit of the Dao, a journey through the vast mortal world was indispensable.

“Where do you want to go?” Ao Feng asked.

“I want to see the Ten Great Cultivation Realms,” Ji Mo replied.

“The Ten Great Cultivation Realms?” Ao Feng asked, startled.

“Yes. Are you worried that I might encounter danger if I go to the Ten Directions Cultivation Great World?” Ji Mo asked.

“Danger? As a cultivator, it is impossible to walk the path of the Dao without encountering danger. But ordinary people can no longer pose much of a threat to you. Although you have only just reached Core Formation, you possess the White Jade Flood Dragon Whip. It has recovered seventy percent of its power. Even if you encounter a Dao Integration cultivator, you have nothing to fear as long as that person does not possess a treasure capable of restraining Little White.

“However, the Ten Directions Cultivation Great World is a place where dragons and crouching tigers abound. There are countless experts, and many treasures capable of countering Little White. If you go there…” Ao Feng’s tone carried a hint of hesitation.

“Are you worried that I’ll go looking for trouble with the Ji Clan Imperial Family of Woodstar? Don’t worry, Senior. I may not have many virtues, but I have never lacked self-awareness. I have no intention of confronting them now. I simply want to see the Ten Great Cultivation Realms.”

Ji Mo smiled. She would never be so arrogant as to believe that she already possessed the strength to contend with the Ji Clan Imperial Family.

“That is fine. After all, that is where you were born.”

Ao Feng glanced at her and nodded.

“What about you, Senior? After the Moonwatch Sect was destroyed more than a century ago, I’m afraid the Blue Moon Divine Palace has already been exposed.”

“It does not matter. There are no eternal secrets in this world. The fact that the Blue Moon Divine Palace has not yet been completely annihilated cannot remain hidden forever. The Ji Clan Imperial Family will need time to report the matter to the Upper Realm. Besides, in this plane, it is exceedingly difficult for people from the Upper Realm to descend. Even if someone does come down and suppresses their strength to within the limits this world can bear, they will pose no threat to me. Thus, this place is unquestionably safe for the time being.

“You, on the other hand, must not slacken in your cultivation for even a single day. Until you obtain the complete inheritance of the Blue Moon Divine Palace, you will be unable to use most of the resources here. Although I believe this place is safe for now, there are exceptions to everything. If you do not wish to suffer another disaster like the destruction of the Moonwatch Sect, you cannot continue acting solely according to your own whims.”

Thinking of Ji Mo’s lazy nature, Ao Feng could not help but offer one final admonition.

“I understand, Senior.”

A faint blush spread across Ji Mo’s pretty face. When she thought back to her former temperament, she had indeed been extraordinarily lazy.

“In that case, you may leave.”

Ao Feng waved his hand.

To be continued…

Postscript: The heroine’s talent, wisdom, and fortune all far surpass those of ordinary people. She is unquestionably a favored child of heaven. Her life should have been free-spirited, unrestrained, and composed. It is only because of her flighty and indolent nature that she had to personally experience so much helplessness and hardship; otherwise, it would have been difficult for her to truly mature.

That said, given my own temperament, I am neither very good at nor particularly fond of writing gloomy, brooding revenge arcs or endless battles and power-ups. The style of the story will gradually become lighter and more carefree from here onward. I will do my best to portray a heroine who possesses an immortal spirit while retaining a chivalrous heart—someone who lives boldly, freely, and without restraint.