“As of this moment,” Meng Hao said

“As of this moment,” Meng Hao said coolly, “I no longer need to hold back my Cultivation base. It is time to enter the mid stage of the Perfect Gold Core!” The Gold Core within him began to spin rapidly and Cultivation base power surged up. As it grew stronger, the cyclone caused the hundreds of surrounding Cultivators to be thrown backward.

Astonishment filled their faces, especially the Patriarchs of the three great Sects, whose eyes shone with disbelief. It felt to them as if Meng Hao could crush them at any time; the Cores inside of them were even beginning to show signs of instability.

The same question was spinning in the minds of everyone: “What… what pill did that guy just consume?!”

It was at this moment that Meng Hao’s Cultivation base reached the pinnacle of its climb, and a great roaring filled his mind. It seemed like his Cultivation base had reached a bottleneck, and that at any moment, it would break through.

The golden storm winds surrounded Meng Hao for a radius of fifty kilometers. He felt himself suddenly break through from the early Gold Core stage to the mid Gold Core stage!

He felt his body grow tougher and his Spiritual Sense stronger. The Gold Core fused with him, forming what seemed like a second soul.

The Gold Core contained his memories, his soul, his life. It was as if his life force and very life itself existed inside of it. In fact it actually felt like a seed.

The seed of a Great Dao!

The instant he entered the mid Gold Core stage, the golden glow around Meng Hao intensified until it seemed like a golden sun hovered above his head, shining out across the land, turning everything the color of gold.

“It’s about time to form my Core Qi. I wonder what the essence of my Core Qi will be….” He closed his eyes as the golden cyclone whipped around him. In his mind appeared images… from when he was small until now: the Tower of Tang, Yunjie County, Mount Daqing, the Reliance Sect, the State of Zhao, the Southern Domain, the Violet Fate Sect… all the way to the events at the Rebirth Cave.

“Core Qi essence can be abstract or literal….” he thought. Suddenly, he recalled the starry sky he had seen just before he met Choumen Tai.

In that land… he had looked up and seen an ancient starry sky.

Meng Hao also remembered that Ji Hongdong’s Core Qi had taken the shape of a starry sky, except, that was the starry sky of the Ji Clan.

“The starry sky of ancient times, that is the essence of my Core Qi.” He opened his eyes, and as he did, the golden sun exploded. Massive amounts of golden Core Qi expanded out. At the same time, the golden tempest around him suddenly shrank inward. In the blink of an eye it melded into Meng Hao’s body, causing the golden glow which bathed the surroundings to disappear.

The only thing left was roiling Gold Core Qi which took the shape of… a starscape!

It was not a golden starscape, but a black one. However, within the blackness was a myriad of golden stars. Those stars were stars that few people could ever see… the starry sky of ancient times!

The blindingly bright starscape which floated above Meng Hao’s head immediately began to emanate an unprecedentedly shocking pressure. The surrounding hundreds of Cultivators were shaken, especially the Patriarchs of the three great Sects. The instant they saw it, they gasped in astonishment.

“His Core Qi… its essence… is a starscape!!”

“The power of Core Qi is manifested by the grandness of its essence. What could possibly be more grand than the stars?”

“From ancient times until now, only the truly Chosen of Heaven and Earth have manifested Core Qi as a starscape. This guy….” The three of them began panting, looks of fear on their faces as they slowly backed away.