「Jingkong Sea.」

A large number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators who arrived late stared at the sealed entrance to the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace, one after another pounding their chests and stamping their feet in vexation.

But they didn’t leave. Instead, they kept an eager, watchful vigil outside the Immortal Palace.

It was common knowledge that the Enlightenment Stele recorded the Secret Techniques for Core Formation.

Every cultivator who entered the Immortal Palace and successfully passed the assessment would have the chance to observe the Enlightenment Stele.

This meant that the cultivators emerging from the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace would possess a method for Core Formation.

Whether their goal was to befriend and recruit them, or if they had other intentions, they had to wait here. They needed to first learn the identities, appearances, and backgrounds of those who came out.

In any case, they had to wait here to first learn the other party’s appearance, identity, and background.

Before long, several Golden Core True Men even arrived in person.

Unlike in the past, the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace had opened too suddenly this time.

Therefore, the major nearby powers had not had time to seal off the entrance.

Under these circumstances, besides protecting their own disciples, competing for the unaffiliated Loose Cultivators had also become a top priority.

After all, no one could say for sure if some lucky soul had comprehended something extraordinary.

「Inside the Profound Celestial Immortal Palace.」

Xiao Chen walked to the exit of the corridor where a small stone table blocked the path. On the table was a ball of water mist and a stone slate.

Three rules were written on the stone slate.

First: Those who do not wish to reveal their identity may use the water mist to conceal their appearance.

Second: Within the Immortal Palace, infighting is forbidden. Disturbing cultivators who have already entered Meditation to seek enlightenment is forbidden. Violators will be immediately expelled.

Third: The Enlightenment Stele is just ahead. For the next nine days, you may remain here to seek enlightenment, or you may leave directly through the passage at the rear.

After nine days, the Immortal Palace will close. Please manage your time and leave promptly.

’They even have something like this?’

Xiao Chen reached out to pick up the water mist. Unexpectedly, the moment his fingertip touched it, the ball of mist spontaneously spread out and enveloped him tightly, leaving only his eyes exposed.

The cultivators who had successfully passed the first three trials now followed the corridors to the front of the Enlightenment Stele.

The Enlightenment Stele was located in a remarkably wide-open plaza.

As everyone emerged from different corridors, their eyes first fell upon a White Jade Wall, which was at least ten times as long as it was tall.

Behind the Jade Wall were nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, which seemed to be the passage for leaving.

A single, massive word was carved into its face: Enlightenment.

Below it was a sentence inscribed in vermilion.

After completing Foundation Establishment, one must seek the three treasures: Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Attain the Jade Bone and forge the Golden Body, and you shall become a Golden Core True Man.

Xiao Chen first looked over the Jade Wall but did not notice anything special.

Then he looked around at the people nearby, and as expected, he could only see blurry balls of water mist.

Only a very few cultivators chose to show their true faces.

Xiao Chen noticed that the other cultivators seemed to recognize them, intentionally keeping a certain distance.

But he looked them over one by one and found they were all unfamiliar faces.

This was very strange. Back at the Thousand Bamboo Tower, nearly ninety percent of all Foundation Establishment Cultivators in Li State had gathered, and he had an impression of everyone he had seen even once.

’Is it just a coincidence that I’ve run into the remaining ten percent today?’

When he thought back to the rapidly growing list of names behind the stele in the first room, Xiao Chen became almost certain of it. The Immortal Palace had another entrance, and these unfamiliar cultivators had all come from somewhere else.

Thinking of this, he paid special attention to the clothing and attire of those few cultivators.

As expected, their style was vastly different from that of Li State.

Then he noticed that those few cultivators all bypassed the White Jade Wall and went directly behind it.

The other cultivators followed suit, trailing after them.

So he copied them, circling around to the back of the Jade Wall, where he saw the general outline of a Heart Method.

It read:

To explore the profound realm of the Golden Core, first seek the Pure Concentration of Essence and Qi.

Shed your mortal coil and transcend the mundane; cleanse all impurities to renew the body.

Let your bones become translucent as fine jade; let the Moonlight reflect from your clear Jade Bone.

If the mind can remain tranquil, the essence of heaven and earth will naturally condense.

There are wondrous methods to refine the physical body; a glorious Golden Body will gradually appear.

A brilliant golden light will surround you, as firm as a monolith, never to crumble.

Forging the Golden Body grants a long life, an ageless face, and immunity to illness.

True Qi swirls to form the wondrous Core; the Daoist’s sublime realm is achieved as the Core is formed.

At the very bottom, a line of small text served as a note: I have obtained Nine Methods in total, and thus have erected nine separate steles.

The many Loose Cultivators were incredibly excited. This was a Core Formation Secret Technique!

Some even scrambled to squeeze in front of the Jade Wall, afraid that if they stood too far away, they wouldn’t be able to grasp its true meaning.

Although it was only a general outline and lacked the detailed Cultivation Heart Method, its value was immense. Normally, spending several thousand Spirit Stones just to buy a single sentence from it would be considered an absolute steal.

This general outline could even be kept as a family heirloom, benefiting generations of descendants.

Xiao Chen, however, was perfectly calm.

After quickly memorizing the outline, he turned his head to look at the few cultivators who had not concealed their true faces.

They were not surprised when they looked at the outline, clearly having prior knowledge of this place.

After a quick glance, they turned and ascended the steps at the rear.

Xiao Chen also followed them up the steps. The flat, bluestone slabs were as smooth as a mirror, revealing the full view of a grand plaza.

At the rear of the plaza, nine stone steles stood in a row from left to right, each separated by a considerable distance.

From right to left, each was carved with a large word: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, and Ice.

Only the very last one was an Inscriptionless Stele, with no attribute marked.

Chu Yuebin was one of the few who had not concealed their appearance.

He had long been informed by his family that the steles were carved with different Enlightenment Diagrams.

One could comprehend different paths to Core Formation by observing them, and how much one could comprehend depended entirely on one’s personal aptitude for enlightenment.

Thus, he wasted no time and went directly around to the back of the "Earth" stele, beginning to observe the Enlightenment Diagram on it.