"No wonder they call this place a special cultivation spot, its Illusory Metal Power is several dozen times more concentrated than anywhere else… Most importantly, there's an Illusory Metal Core down below!"
Yi Tianyun narrowed his eyes. With such intense concentration of power, it was obvious there was a metal core underground. A huge Illusory Metal Core, capable of supplying abundant energy, was the only explanation.
No wonder the Venerable Spirit claimed this was a superb environment. Now that he'd arrived, Yi Tianyun could confirm it was indeed the best place possible, a genuine Illusory Metal Core right underfoot.
Probing a bit, he sensed the core was extremely large and at least at the Fourth Grade level. That far outclassed any core he'd ever seen, most of which were First or Second Grade; at most, Third Grade. Finding a Fourth Grade Core was a first for him.
A Fourth Grade core wasn't necessarily massively bigger than a Third Grade one, just somewhat larger. The main difference lay in the quality and level of the energy inside, which could be many times higher.
"An Illusory Metal Core… Looks like I can form another core in my body?"
Right now, Yi Tianyun has three planetary cores. If he added a fourth, why not choose metal over, say, thunder? So far, he'd failed to find the thunder core he needed. Here, though, he could absorb a metal-based one to reach three planetary cores anyway. All he had to do was put the thunder core on hold.
Even if he did continue to expand his thunder attribute, it wouldn't necessarily conflict with the metal energy, some energies worked in synergy, thus further boosting his combat ability.
At any rate, having only metal-based power to absorb, why waste the opportunity?
So without further ado, he began frenziedly drawing in the surrounding core energy, aiming to congeal a metal core within his body. The power here surged like a fountain, pouring rapidly into him and allowing him to construct a brand-new "Illusory Metal Core."
Observing from nearby, the Venerable Spirit couldn't hide a hint of shock in his eyes.
"What a tremendous absorption rate… If he keeps going, he'll probably succeed without issue…"
Staring down at Yi Tianyun as he meditated, a faint, cryptic smile appeared on the Venerable Spirit's lips, hinting at some unknown plan.
Oblivious to the Venerable Spirit's thoughts, Yi Tianyun only cared about pulling in as much Illusory Metal Power as possible to forge a metal-based core within himself. Once he had that, he could charge into the God Monarchs realm!
A single breakthrough from Heaven Monarchs to God Monarchs would let him crush half-step Heavenly Venerables. Against a Heavenly Venerable Expert, he could still put up a fight. And if he combined that with his unspent EXP for further level-ups, he could rocket into mid or even late God Monarchs, leading to absolute dominance.
Then he could revisit the Evil Spirit God Domain, stomping the Evil Spirit Domain Lord beneath his feet!
Under relentless absorption, his core swelled ever larger, the forming planet inside him growing bigger by the minute. It was like he was drawing out limitless energy from underground.
The Venerable Spirit had offered him this place for cultivation, so why hold back? He might as well drain it dry if possible. Though he'd briefly considered stealing the core itself, that would end in disaster, the Venerable Spirit was watching, and Yi Tianyun didn't have the confidence to escape with such a prize.
Instead, he kept madly extracting the power. As the core in his body expanded, layers of gleaming gold formed, golden clouds, golden mountains, a golden planet in his spiritual domain.
Everything followed the progression he desired. With enough time, he'd have a perfect third planet. Better still, his metal energy and water energy worked in harmony, bringing it all together smoothly.
After a few months, Yi Tianyun finally completed his third planetary core, a colossal golden planet, far larger than the two preceding ones. It stood out brilliantly.
This was largely because the Illusory Metal Power he was absorbing was Fourth Grade, far surpassing the one or two-grade cores he'd used before.
"Finally formed it. That was tough…"
He spent these months focusing solely on condensing this planet, ignoring everything else, including the third layer of his new martial art. He needed to secure this core first.
"Now I can move on to the third layer. With a new metal planet, that's going to be easy."
He flashed a grin. To cultivate the third layer of the Illusory Metal Divine Secret Art, you needed a metal-based constitution, he now had a metal planet. That far exceeded the bare requirement.
Lifting his head, he asked, "Senior Venerable Spirit, any word on how my friend's trial is going? I assume you can tell me that much?"
He'd been here several months, so he wondered whether Domain Lord Liuli had already passed.
"She has not finished her trial," the Venerable Spirit answered tersely.
"Not done yet? Then that last stage must be pretty tough," Yi Tianyun remarked, hoping it wasn't too dangerous.
"Right, send me back to that stone tablet, please. I believe I can fully master it now."
"Certainly."
The Venerable Spirit's eyes lit up, seemingly pleased by the prospect of Yi Tianyun mastering the technique. With a wave of his hand, Yi Tianyun vanished from the spot, and when his vision cleared, he found himself standing before the Illusory Metal Divine Secret Art stele. To properly learn it, he needed to be here.
Without hesitation, Yi Tianyun threw himself into meditating on the third layer, letting his Investigation Eye operate at maximum speed. Backed by his metal planet, his analysis soared. Within seconds, he had deciphered ten percent. Finishing the rest wouldn't take more than a day.
After just a few hours, Yi Tianyun's eyes snapped open, firing two brilliant rays of golden light.
"I've done it, the third layer is mine!"
He turned to the Venerable Spirit, saying, "Senior Venerable Spirit, I've succeeded in cultivating the third layer!"
"Already?"
The Venerable Spirit stared, clearly startled. He had assumed Yi Tianyun would need far longer to reach that level, but here he was, finished in mere hours!