The golden core cracked at an increasingly rapid pace. Finally, it seemed to emit a soft cracking sound, and the golden sphere suddenly burst into light, so intense that it was impossible to look directly at it.
However, amidst the intense golden light, Xiao Wenbing could vaguely see what appeared to be a small human figure.
Suddenly, a powerful pulling force emanated from within his body, and his consciousness, caught completely off guard and without any resistance, was pulled in by this unexpected force.
He was startled, but quickly calmed down. This was his body, his territory, and under the control of the god, nothing could possibly happen that would be detrimental to him. So, he remained calm and observed the situation.
After the battle on Zhenmo Star, his temperament had become much calmer. For example, at this moment, when faced with a sudden change, he remained completely calm. In the past, this would have been unimaginable.
In a daze, he seemed to have arrived at a magnificent palace, where dazzling golden light shone everywhere. However, this palace was somewhat strange. Although it was filled with bright and noble gold, the walls appeared somewhat damaged, giving it a very comical feel.
Where was he? He looked around, and suddenly it dawned on him. He slapped his forehead, realizing the answer instantly. At this moment, his consciousness was within the golden core in his dantian. So, was his current form the Nascent Soul stage?
Looking down, he saw that he was completely naked, and even his penis had shrunk proportionally.
Sigh... I'm really embarrassed looking like this. I don't know how I'm going to go out and face people. It seems that I need to find a way to forge a suit of armor for myself in the remaining few days.
Just as Xiao Wenbing was carefully observing his surroundings, he suddenly noticed something unexpected: the cracks on his golden core seemed to be slowly healing.
This was no small matter. Although Xiao Wenbing had no experience in breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, he knew even with his toes that once these cracks were completely healed, it would mean that this attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage would end in failure.
And if one's consciousness were to possess the nascent soul within the golden core, and the transformation into a nascent soul failed, ultimately resulting in being trapped within the golden core and unable to escape, that would truly be a strange tale in the world.
Upon realizing this, Xiao Wenbing dared not be negligent any longer and immediately swung his small, pitiful fist at the inner wall of the Golden Core.
A powerful punch slammed into the inner wall without mercy, sending a sharp pain through the body. So, even after divine sense possesses a nascent soul, one can still feel pain.
He suddenly remembered something: he was clearly a disciple of the Secret Talisman Sect, so why did his first thought when he went out not be the art of drawing talismans with his bare hands, but rather to rely on brute force to attack?
It seems that the battle with the Dark God had a truly profound impact on him...
Just as he was about to retract his small fist and draw a blazing fire talisman, the golden core in front of him suddenly burst open, revealing a small hole just big enough for him to pass through.
Xiao Wenbing was overjoyed; he hadn't expected that such a small fist could contain such considerable power.
His movements were incredibly fast; in an instant, he slipped through the small hole. Looking back, he saw that the hole seemed to be slowly healing. It seemed that if he had reacted even a fraction of a second slower, the hole would have been blocked again.
However, at this moment, he finally emerged, his small body peering around within his dantian. Although it was all through divine sense, the presence of this tiny figure immediately changed the perspective, adding a layer of three-dimensionality to the scene. It was a sight to behold, a truly delightful experience…
No, this is the dantian, and it's even been expanded to twice its original size by spiritual energy.
With a thought, he wanted to test the wonders of the small nascent soul. He slightly shifted his feet, and powerful spiritual energy surged into the soles of his feet like a tide. It has to be said that a single nascent soul has a huge advantage over a physical body in terms of using spiritual energy and mobilizing the energy of heaven and earth.
His small body seemed to be launched into the air like a rocket, and with a "whoosh," he flew up. To his utter astonishment, his flight passed through his dantian, bones, internal organs, and chest without any obstruction, and he soared into the air.
It seemed that his body was an ethereal entity, unable to stop the little figure from flying.
When he came to his senses, he was already suspended in mid-air. Looking up, he suddenly saw two enormous monsters he had never seen before.
Xiao Wenbing was shocked. What kind of monster was this? He had just formed his Nascent Soul and was now separated from his body, so he had no protective abilities whatsoever.
Just as he was about to flee, he suddenly realized that the two monsters in front of him seemed somewhat familiar. Then, he heard them both let out a sigh of relief.
The voice sounded so familiar. He immediately realized that the two enormous creatures were the Mirror God and the Treasure God.
However, compared to usual, their bodies seemed to have suddenly grown dozens of times larger, which is why he didn't recognize them at first glance.
A soft sound came from behind him, and Xiao Wenbing turned around to look.
Since even the precious god was here, what did he have to worry about? Naturally, he relaxed his vigilance and looked behind him to see what was happening.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground was a hideous man with skin as black as charcoal. He had been struck by divine lightning, transforming him into this grotesque, inhuman creature. Fortunately, the people around him were not ordinary humans, or they would have been terrified.
Strands of golden light emanated from his body, gradually gathering at the top of his head and flowing down from the crown in all directions.
Under the golden light, the dark skin on his body gradually faded, turning into a translucent, fair, and delicate complexion, even more delicate than that of a baby.
The tiny figure in the air gaped open, surprised to find that Nascent Soul Transformation had such benefits.
"Wenbing, congratulations!" Mirror God finally smiled and laughed happily.
"Thank you, Mirror God."
"To break through to the Nascent Soul stage in just two days is remarkable. There are still eight days left, so you must rest well and recharge your energy," the Mirror God instructed.
"Rest? Mirror God, do you really think that a mere Nascent Soul stage is enough to satisfy me?"
The little figure in the air revealed a faint smile. Xiao Wenbing's smile grew even wider. Nascent Soul was definitely not his goal. A slight upturn appeared at the corner of his mouth as he whispered, "This is just the beginning..."
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 263: The Dark Infant (Part 1)
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"What, do you intend to cultivate directly to the Tribulation Transcending Realm?" The Mirror God was taken aback. After pondering for a moment, he asked.
"Passing through tribulation?" The little figure in the air laughed, turned around, and flew back to its original body. After regaining control of its physical body, it stood up.
Clenching his fists, he felt the seemingly endless and powerful spiritual energy within his body. The Nascent Soul stage was indeed different; only after reaching the Transformation Nascent Soul stage could one truly open the door to the path of immortality.
For demons and spirits, Nascent Soul is the most important hurdle in their cultivation, for which they must endure a Heavenly Tribulation. But for humans, Nascent Soul is just as insurmountable.
Being able to break through this barrier in such a short time is something he can be proud of.
"Mirror God." After a long while, Xiao Wenbing withdrew his divine sense and asked, "How do you see my current cultivation level?"
"At your age, considering your years of cultivation, oh... that's quite remarkable," the Mirror God replied honestly.
"Is that so?" Xiao Wenbing suddenly smiled and asked, "Then, what if I go to the Demon Realm?"
"Well, I bet you're going to get your head beaten up like a pig's head," Mirror God said even more honestly.
Xiao Wenbing's smile faltered, his brows furrowed, and he said, "If it's just a beating, that's a minor matter, but with my current skill level, I'm afraid I won't even be able to save my life."
"Hmm, I understand. That's why you want to continue cultivating, right?" Mirror God sighed to the heavens. If Xiao Wenbing had been half as diligent as he is now, that would have been great. But now, with only a few days left, even if he wanted to cram at the last minute, it would be too late.
"You're half right."
"Half? What do you mean?" Mirror God asked suspiciously.
He realized that he was truly unable to guess Xiao Wenbing's thoughts now. In the past, he could still glimpse the ideas in Xiao Wenbing's mind. But now that his divine status had been restored, no matter how powerful the Mirror God was, he couldn't get in.
"Being able to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in a few days is already my limit, so I have no intention of continuing to cultivate," Xiao Wenbing said solemnly.
"Oh. You just said you wouldn't give up."
A slight smile crept across Xiao Wenbing's lips. At this moment, he appeared so confident: "One's cultivation level cannot be raised to its peak in a short period of time, but true combat power does not solely depend on one's cultivation level."
"You want to refine a magic weapon?" The Mirror God finally understood and immediately exclaimed.
“Indeed, I need to forge several extremely powerful magic weapons. Therefore, I need the cooperation of the two of you. Of course…” Xiao Wenbing’s gaze was fixed on the Treasure God. His smile was kind and friendly: “Master, I need your strong support.”
Baby God's body seemed to tremble slightly, and finally he said in a muffled voice, "Okay. Just tell me what to do, and I'll do it."
Xiao Wenbing's eyes were filled with even more gratitude. To be able to meet such an understanding and kind master was something he had prayed for for three lifetimes, even if he had broken countless wooden fish.
*********
In the quiet room, Xiao Wenbing sat cross-legged once again.
He stretched out his hand, and within his palm, a small, delicate human figure faintly appeared...
"Stop!" Suddenly, the Mirror God roared hoarsely.
"The figure flashed and disappeared instantly. Xiao Wenbing opened his eyes in surprise, wondering why the Mirror God had suddenly stopped him."
The Mirror God stared at Xiao Wenbing and asked, word by word, "Do you want to replicate the Nascent Soul?"
"That's right."
"No, absolutely not." Mirror God shook his head vigorously, almost like a rattle-drum. He completely rejected his plan.
"Why not?"
"Well, well... in short, it won't work. You can replicate countless Golden Cores, but you can't replicate Nascent Souls."
“Golden Core, useless.” Xiao Wenbing shook his head as well. He said softly, “In the Demon Realm, there must be demons from the Immortal Realm. I don’t know their cultivation level. But I don’t think that a mere Golden Core can do anything to them.”
The Mirror God looked helpless. After thinking for a long time, he finally sighed and said, "Alright, I'll tell you. A Nascent Soul is an energy combination with a certain degree of spirituality. It's not a case of the more the better. Every additional one is just another energy cluster with consciousness."
For some reason, Xiao Wenbing felt a slight unease under his strange gaze, so he asked, "So what?"
“It’s nothing, but…” Mirror God’s voice was even stranger: “It’s just that there’s an extra mental entity vying for control of your body.”
Xiao Wenbing was taken aback and said, "It can't be that exaggerated, can it?"
"Hmph!"
The Mirror God sneered disdainfully, "A Nascent Soul is still a kind of life form. Do you think life can be replicated so easily?"
After a long silence, Xiao Wenbing nodded as if he had just realized something: "Then, what if we could replicate a nascent soul without consciousness?"
“No consciousness? That’s impossible.” The Mirror God shook his head repeatedly and said, “Let me tell you, once it involves the creation of life, that’s a matter of the Supreme God’s domain, and we have no right to interfere.”
"Is that so?" Xiao Wenbing's lips curled into his usual unruly smile. "The domain of the Supreme God? Have you forgotten that I also possess the energy of the Creator God..."
"Ah..." The Mirror God was speechless. He looked at Xiao Wenbing and for a moment, he seemed to have a strange feeling. At this moment, although Xiao Wenbing did not have much strength, his demeanor and confidence reminded the Mirror God of a person, a supreme being who created him and endowed him with life and wisdom.
“Mirror God, thank you for your reminder. I think I know what to do now.” Xiao Wenbing nodded his thanks to the Mirror God, then sat down cross-legged again.
The Mirror God nodded absently, then turned his head and saw that the Treasure God was also staring at Xiao Wenbing, and the surprise in his eyes was no less than that of himself.
Xiao Wenbing's consciousness sank into his dantian, where a tiny figure sat in mid-air. Above his head was the golden talisman of his destiny, which shimmered with golden light. Within the floating talisman, faint wisps of energy were constantly emanating.
The little figure seemed to be surrounded by a magical suction force, which unceremoniously drew these free energies into its body.
Xiao Wenbing sighed inwardly, "As expected of the Golden Talisman Secret Method personally passed down by the White Crane Ancestor."
Before reaching the Nascent Soul stage, all disciples of the Secret Talisman Sect are not significantly different from disciples of other sects. However, once they break through the Core Formation and reach the Nascent Soul stage, their cultivation speed immediately skyrockets, becoming at least twice as fast as disciples of ordinary sects.
The reason for this is that the Nascent Soul is constantly provided with energy by the Nascent Soul, which is why its speed has increased by more than double.
Besides, the natal golden talisman has countless wonderful uses. Whether it is for overcoming tribulations, protecting oneself, or defeating enemies, it has unexpected effects. It can be said that having this item is equivalent to having a super magic weapon and an extra guarantee of life.
Such a wonderful thing! I really don't know how the White Crane Ancestor came up with it. The three great saints who once shook the world are indeed worthy of their reputation.
After a moment of astonishment, Xiao Wenbing awakened his divine nature.
Divinity was something indescribable and intangible, yet Xiao Wenbing could clearly sense its absolute existence. Under his mental command, the divine spark slowly entered the small nascent soul.
The little nascent soul seemed to tremble slightly for a moment, but it quickly calmed down.