"To break through to the Golden Core stage today is already a day of great joy, and meeting an old friend only adds to it..." Li Ye spoke calmly, though his Golden Core aura made it feel like a spring breeze to Yu Lijun, drawing her heart even closer to him.
"I would ask Daoist Yu to help me seek out a few old friends. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to Pingyang Mountain to find me," Li Ye continued. "And also, please send my regards to Junior Sister Yu. It wouldn't do to forget our acquaintance from back then."
Yu Lijun tightly gripped the spirit ribbon in her hands, suppressing the excitement and faint regret in her heart, and quickly said, "I will do my utmost to find those individuals or their descendants. I will not fail you, Realman Li!"
Li Ye nodded slightly.
"Since that's the case, I've just broken through to the Golden Core and still need time to stabilize my foundation. I won't keep you further... Rongyue, Hongyao, see Daoist Yu out for me."
The two women, who had been waiting nearby, answered in unison and approached gracefully.
"Please, Daoist Yu."
In just this short time, they seemed to have taken extra care with their appearance, looking even more exquisite than before. Their gazes toward Yu Lijun were calm but subtly competitive, the natural rivalry between women still lingering despite knowing Yu Lijun posed little threat.
Yu Lijun smiled faintly at them, rose to her feet, gave a respectful salute to Li Ye, and then left together with the two women.
Left alone once again, Li Ye gazed toward the clouds, his eyes flickering slightly.
Memories of his time at the Purple Profound Sect surfaced uncontrollably in his mind.
"Senior Brother Qu did die during the demon tide. Junior Sister Yu, saved early on by Yu Lijun and sent back to the sect, survived and later advanced to Foundation Establishment with her help..."
"As for the other friends I made while farming, and Old Luo, the steward of miscellaneous affairs... Yu Lijun, backed by her family, wouldn't have had much interaction with them. It seems no news remains of their fates."
"With so much time passed and the sect destroyed... I wonder if any of them are still alive."
He let out a soft sigh.
For someone like him now, offering help to old friends was as simple as a word many would eagerly step forward to carry out anything he asked.
But if they were no longer alive, no amount of help could change that.
Especially Old Luo... Luo Chongxi who had introduced him to Ji Qing back then, gave Li Ye a critical opportunity. His debt to Old Luo ran deep.
But doing the math, given the passage of time, the old man had likely already exhausted his lifespan and returned to dust.
If he had no descendants left behind, then there would truly be no way to repay that kindness.
"This year, I'm seventy-two years old. Breaking through to the Golden Core stage only forty-two years after Foundation Establishment... such cultivation speed already ranks among the best in the world."
"As my cultivation soars ahead, the things I leave behind seem to grow more and more numerous..."
Li Ye muttered to himself, feeling the steady pulsing of the Golden Core in his dantian, though his gaze soon returned to calm.
Ever since he obtained the Void Realm Tree, he had known this was inevitable the path of seeking the Dao meant moving ever forward. As his cultivation advanced, the things he abandoned would only grow more plentiful.
He could feel sorrow, but he could not allow it to trap him and interfere with his pursuit of the Great Dao.
Compared to these feelings, the real threat lay elsewhere
The demon tide had risen again, with the demon clan supporting two Golden Core cultivators, Feiyu and Baigu, as generals to help them conquer the four nations' cultivation realms.
Such enemies were what he truly needed to take seriously.
"Whether I like it or not, as long as I remain within the Four Nations, my breakthrough to Golden Core makes it inevitable that I'll be drawn into the conflict, becoming a thorn in the side that Feiyu and Baigu will seek to eliminate."
"With my current strength, I could cross the Myriad Beast Mountains and leave for other nations beyond. I need not stay tangled in this mire."
Suddenly, Li Ye smiled.
"But then again, with the aid of that Tier-Three Black Flood Dragon, I may well be able to defeat Feiyu and Baigu. Why should I flee?"
"My immediate priority is to subdue the Black Flood Dragon, making it obedient... and then deal with those two Golden Core demons, ending this demon tide!"
"This endless clamor of battle is truly noisy. It's best to settle it quickly!"
........
Li Ye Breaks Through to the Golden Core at Pingyang Mountain!
This shocking news, spread far and wide by the many cultivators who had witnessed Li Ye's breakthrough that day, as well as by the three sect emissaries who had previously come to recruit from the Chidi Mountains, immediately caused a huge stir across the land!
Even though many people had barely heard of Li Ye before, the news still greatly boosted morale everywhere.
Up until now, with the death of Master Zixuan and Daoist Feiyu defecting to the demon clan, the cultivation world of the Four Nations had been left without a single Golden Core master to stand as a pillar. But now, everything has changed.
Li Ye had become the only Golden Core master that the cultivators of the world could rely on the true hope against the demon tide!
Compared to Thousand Island Water City's reliance on their third-rank Black Flood Dragon and the mysterious Golden Core cultivator they had yet to contact Li Ye's breakthrough was infinitely more reassuring.
Once the major sects and factions confirmed the news, they scrambled to gather intelligence about Li Ye's background, preferences, and all other critical details. They ransacked their treasuries to prepare gifts and hurried toward the Chidi Mountains to offer their congratulations.
Even though Li Ye had no intention of holding a grand ceremony for his advancement planning only a modest celebration and a few casual drinks the endless stream of visiting cultivators created quite a spectacle, giving the event an air of prestige as if congratulations were pouring in from all directions.
In the end, they simply let Luo Feibai and the others take charge of organizing a full-scale grand ceremony!
"The scale of this is truly incredible... Even when the four sect founders reached the Golden Core stage, I doubt it was anything like this," Yu Xiaoshan murmured in awe as she arrived at the Chidi Mountains, surrounded by a sea of flying boats and spirit beasts crowding the skies.
No matter how she tried, she simply couldn't reconcile the image of Senior Brother Li once renowned in the Zimo Market for his exceptional alchemy skills with the incredible status he had now achieved after all these years.
Even now, Yu Xiaoshan felt like she was still trapped in a dream a dream that had started when her aunt spoke to her and handed her that spirit ribbon.
Behind her stood a burly, dark-skinned man and a delicate, slightly dazed young girl, both wide-eyed with shock as they stared at the overwhelming scene of flying boats filling the heavens. For them, this was the most awe-inspiring sight they had ever witnessed.
Thinking back to the trust placed in them when they were first found, they couldn't help but feel a mix of nervousness and excitement.
They were filled with anticipation at the thought of meeting that man!
At that moment, Yu Lijun's voice rang out at the right time:
"Prepare yourselves. Do not panic. Meeting Realman Li may well be the greatest opportunity of your entire life... Make sure you grasp it well!"
Her words instantly sobered them up, and their expressions grew serious.
"Rooaar!"
Suddenly, a thunderous dragon roar shook the air.
Accompanied by surging black waters and crackling lightning, a massive Black Flood Dragon with a single horn on its head and fierce claws tore through the clouds, descending upon the Chidi Mountains with overwhelming might.
"Thousand Island Water City offers congratulations to Realman Li on achieving the Golden Core!"
In an instant, all the flying boats trembled, and many spirit beasts struggled to stay aloft. The gathered cultivators' faces shifted as they looked toward the Black Flood Dragon and the mountain peak shrouded beneath layers of ancient giant trees.
Thousand Island Water City had sent a third-rank Black Flood Dragon in person...
Realman Li, how will you respond?
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