After confirming the surroundings were temporarily safe, Tang Xiao Qi forcefully endured the dizziness of his soul and the fatigue of his body, quickly searching in this unfamiliar mountain forest. He needed an absolutely hidden and relatively abundant spiritual qi place to digest the earth-shaking harvest from the Heavenly Dao Palace and recover his condition.
Relying on his divine sense far exceeding same-level cultivators and his keen perception of energy fluctuations, he soon found a natural cave hidden by dense vines at the bottom of an inconspicuous cliff. The cave entrance was narrow, only allowing one person through, but inside it was quite dry and spacious, with a weak spirit vein branch converging here, though far from Qingxu View or Heavenly Dao Palace, it was also considered a not-bad temporary cultivation place.
He carefully arranged several simple warning and concealment prohibitions at the cave entrance, then impatiently sat cross-legged at the deepest part of the cave.
As soon as he calmed his mind and concentrated, the various experiences in the Heavenly Dao Palace surged into his heart like a tide. The Dao Ancestor's supreme Dao sound seemed to still echo in his ears, the nourishment of golden springs surging from the ground and the blessing sensation of heavenly maidens scattering flowers still remained, especially the thrilling battle with the demon chess piece, and the complex process of forcibly interrupting then subsequently absorbing the innate qi, all needed him to carefully sort out and settle.
He first sank his mind into his dantian.
That newborn Dao seed was now quietly hovering in the center of the qi sea, emitting warm and eternal platinum light. Its form was more condensed than when first sprouted, the chaotic qi flowing on its surface and the green lotus and four symbols phantoms also grew clearer. Though unable to perfectly fuse that chaotic-colored innate mother qi, the absorbed part of origin was enough to make this Dao seed's foundation stable and profound, far exceeding ordinary Golden Core cultivators' Dao foundations.
He guided the residual innate mother qi energy in his body, like the most exquisite craftsman, repeatedly washing and nourishing this seed representing his own Dao path's foundation. The Dao seed slowly rotated, pulsing like a heart, each pulse emitting purer, more origin-approaching "guardian" and "purification" Dao rhyme, producing deeper resonance with his physical body and soul.
At the same time, his new understanding of "purification" and "guardian" was also repeatedly verified and deepened in his heart.
Purification was guidance and sublimation after understanding, transforming hostility into auspiciousness, converting destruction into vitality.
Guardian was sheltering that endowed vitality and freedom, maintaining dynamic balance, not rigid imprisonment.
This conceptual metamorphosis was far more important than power improvement, it determined how far and how high his future Dao path could go.
With the Dao seed's stabilization and concept deepening, his originally already Golden Core late stage spiritual power, after the Heavenly Dao Palace's baptism, became even more pure and vast, began like unlocking some invisible shackle, surging and growing at unprecedented speed!
The bottleneck of Golden Core late stage peak, before this vast torrent, was almost like a paper window, punctured with one poke!
His aura climbed steadily, his body's spiritual power light involuntarily radiating, illuminating the dim cave brightly. If not for prohibitions blocking, this powerful spiritual power fluctuation would surely attract the attention of all living beings within a hundred li.
Not only the surge in spiritual power quantity, the "quality" of spiritual power also underwent a leap. Fused with a trace of the innate mother qi's origin and the newly realized Dao rhyme, his spiritual power became more condensed, more resilient, carrying a unique purification characteristic and guardian will, when casting spells and divine abilities, the power would far exceed before.
His divine sense's metamorphosis was equally astonishing. Under the Dao Ancestor's preaching baptism and innate qi's nourishment, his divine sense strength and coverage range surged several times! With a thought, divine sense spread like mercury pouring, easily covering dozens of li of mountain forest. The breathing of vegetation, the crawling of insects and ants, the dormant state of demonic beasts, even the weak flow of underground spirit veins, all clearly reflected in his "heart lake," every detail visible. This sense of control was something he had never had before.
His perception and affinity for various laws also greatly improved. Though this place was not like the Heavenly Dao Palace where laws manifested, he could still vaguely sense the fire element, wood spirit, and earth qi circulating in the air, even faintly touch a trace of space and time's subtle trajectory. This had immeasurable benefits for his future cultivation of "Roaming Dragon Nine Transformations" movement technique and comprehending deeper divine abilities.
Time flew by in deep cultivation.
Who knows how long passed, perhaps three to five days, perhaps ten-plus days.
When Tang Xiao Qi opened his eyes again, the surging spiritual light in the cave had all retracted into his body. His eyes were clear and profound, deep as the starry sky, yet carrying a return-to-nature peace. His whole body's aura was complete and restrained, if not deliberately released, almost no different from an ordinary person, but if carefully sensed, one could discover the terrifying power beneath that calm sea surface capable of raising stormy waves.
Golden Core late stage peak!
He had already firmly stood at the peak of this realm, his spiritual power, divine sense, and Dao realm all reaching Golden Core stage's ultimate complete state. Only a thin layer of paper remained from that key step of condensing Nascent Soul and life level's qualitative change!
He even had a feeling that if not for this place's environment and his own condition not yet adjusted to optimal, plus the Nascent Soul tribulation being no small matter requiring thorough preparation, he could now attempt to trigger the heavenly tribulation and assault Nascent Soul!
This trip to the Heavenly Dao Palace, though fraught with danger, even nearly dying at the demon chess piece's hands, the harvest was enormous, far exceeding his initial imagination. Not only did he condense a unique Dao seed, solidified a supreme Dao foundation, but also pushed his cultivation to Golden Core perfection, his combat power undergoing earth-shaking changes.
He slowly stood up, moved his limbs, inside his body came the sound of rushing spiritual power like rivers flowing. He clenched his fists, feeling that power far exceeding before, his heart filled with confidence.
It was time to leave this temporary cultivation cave, to explore this unfamiliar heaven and earth, figure out exactly where he had been transmitted to, and find a way to return to Qingxu View, or reunite with Mu Xue, Ao Qin, and others.
The road ahead was still unknown, but he now had sufficient confidence to face it.