"Isn't this inappropriate? How could I possibly do this?"

Bai Cang made a polite remark, and in the instant that Luo Zhenren suddenly turned around, he swiftly and decisively put the Azure Dragon Yuan Dan into his Pot Heaven Space. "I dare not refuse the gift from an elder!"

"Since you insist so strongly and are so kind, then I will reluctantly accept it."

Master Luo: ? ? ?

Can I swear? Why can't I? Then I have nothing to say!

Which ear of yours heard me make a strong request? How come it's all so enthusiastic?

Is it too late for me to say I regret it now? Do you think I still have a chance?

Master Luo almost couldn't resist unleashing the "Bush-Gomen Curve," and his gaze towards Bai Cang was filled with resentment, giving off a feeling of "one wrong step leads to eternal regret, and a hundred years have passed since then."

Seeing this, Bai Cang looked around and pretended not to have seen anything.

What kind of joke is this? This is the Azure Dragon Core Pill! How could he possibly return it?

Let alone the Azure Dragon Core, even a blade of grass or a stone, once it's in his pocket, will never be taken out again.

Cultivation in this realm, from entering the Dao to reaching the Primordial Spirit, is divided into nine steps, also known as the Nine Heavenly Gates, the Nine Numbers of the Primordial Spirit, and the Nine Tribulations of Longevity. These nine steps are: Entering the Dao, Refining Qi, Building the Foundation, Condensing Evil, Refining Qi, Divine Light, Golden Elixir, Yin Spirit, and Escaping Tribulation.

Each step is a hurdle, each step is like climbing a mountain.

Without the innate talent and spiritual potential to attain immortality, countless people would be stuck at the very first hurdle of entering the Dao.

Countless innate martial artists fell before the "entry into the Dao" gate, turning into piles of white bones.

Only the most exceptionally talented individuals have the opportunity to enter the Dao and cultivate Qi.

Even those with innate talent and the potential to attain immortality, or those who have overcome the initial hurdle of Qi Refining and Awakening, will find this to be the limit for 90% of cultivators, and will remain there for the rest of their lives.

Even if one has sufficient comprehension and talent, it can take anywhere from thirty to fifty years, or even a hundred years, to reach the peak of Qi Refining before one is qualified to attempt the Foundation Establishment stage.

Only those with exceptional talent, unwavering resolve, abundant resources, or abundant fortune and opportunities can advance to the level of Dao Foundation True Person.

Once the Dao Foundation is formed, the path to condensing evil and refining qi becomes smooth again. Only the divine light of the unity of qi and qi will test the foundation and comprehension of the Dao Foundation cultivator.

However, compared to refining the golden nature and forming the elixir for "ascension," the difficulty of unifying the qi and evil is insignificant.

Ninety-nine percent of the Dao Foundation True Persons in the world don't even dare to dream of forming the Core Formation.

At the very least, one must be at the mid-grade Dao Foundation stage to have even a sliver of hope of advancing to the Golden Core True Monarch stage.

What is a True Lord? A true lord is one whose Way prevails throughout the world. Ghosts and spirits are no longer gods, and he lives for over a thousand years, enjoying longevity and enduring vision.

Even for those with a superior Dao Foundation, the probability of attaining the Dao True Monarch level is only fifty-fifty.

But among the Dao Foundation True Persons of this era, how many can condense a high-grade Dao Foundation?

Saying that only one in ten survives is an extremely high estimate; it's no exaggeration to say that only one in a hundred survives.

This is still a Dao Foundation True Person, who has already surpassed most cultivators and is a being who has initially attained the Dao and is still "true".

If this is so difficult for humans, it must be even more difficult for demons and beasts.

Compared to the human race's tradition of lineage and the guidance and naming from elders, the cultivation of demons is mostly based on self-comprehension, making it ten times more difficult than human cultivation.

However, demons also have one advantage: those with deep roots mostly have bloodline inheritance and can condense an "inner core" at the Dao Foundation stage.

Those who aspire to "Yuan Dan" must go through at least two stages: Condensing Sha and Refining Gang. Only those who can condense the Sha and refine the divine light can achieve this.

If it is a dragon species such as a Jiaolong or a Hanchi, it can go a step further and transform the "Yuan Dan" into a "Dragon Pearl", condense the body of a true dragon, transcend tribulation to become a golden-natured being, comparable to a Golden Core True Monarch among humans.

This shows just how precious this "Azure Dragon Essence Pill" is.

Bai Cang's ability to refrain from killing Luo Zhenren to silence him already demonstrates an excessive level of "conscience," so how could he possibly go back on his word?

"Like dragons, they are born with the attributes of earth and water. A dragon is an earth dragon that grows underground and emerges from the great flood to become a dragon."

Master Luo seemed to realize this as well, sighed, and immediately explained: "The Azure Dragon is a wood-type dragon, naturally possessing the three attributes of earth, water, and wood, which is even more precious."

"This azure dragon was originally appointed by the East Sea Dragon Palace as the Grand General Manager of the eight hundred-mile waterway of the Lanyun River. It carried the Dragon Palace's legacy and had lofty ambitions. It also refined the inherent nature of metal and fire into the Yuan Dan, attempting to use the method of mutual generation of the five elements to promote the transformation of the Yuan Dan into the Five Elements Dragon Pearl, and ascend to become a dragon after undergoing tribulations."

"This Azure Dragon Yuan Dan, which contains all five elements, is of immeasurable value. If you can obtain secret techniques such as the Innate Qi Great Capturing Hand in the future, this Yuan Dan will be the best vessel, achieving twice the result with half the effort."

"Even if you can obtain the method of refining the second primordial spirit, this Azure Dragon Yuan Pill can barely serve as the foundation for an external avatar."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cang's breathing quickened, and he hurriedly took out the Azure Dragon Core and examined it carefully.

Within that emerald green pearl, five-colored light flowed, faintly outlining the rudimentary form of a natural restriction, truly mysterious and infinite.

"No wonder Mu Qingliu was willing to risk his life to hunt down Master Luo. It turns out he was after my Azure Dragon Core!"

After much intensive study, Bai Cang's insight and knowledge were now vastly different from before. He could naturally see that the foundation of the "Minor Separation and Union Divine Light" was based on the Five Elements and used transformation.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so easily restrained by the "Five Elements Escape Technique," and with his cultivation as a Dao Foundation True Person, he couldn't do anything to Bai Cang.

Ultimately, due to excessive consumption and depletion of mana, he was forced to retreat by Bai Cang's "sticky candy fighting technique".

"It seems that if I see Mu Qingliu again, I must strike first and eliminate this hidden danger as soon as possible!" Bai Cang's eyes flashed as he secretly made up his mind.

"Can you tone it down a bit? Stop showing off your worthless beads in front of me!"

Upon seeing this, Master Luo flew into a rage. "I don't care, but I'm afraid that if our friends from the East Sea Dragon Palace see this, they will break down their defenses, and then a fierce battle will be inevitable."

"Even if the East Sea Dragon Clan didn't see it, there are bound to be some shallow-minded rats who have never eaten four dishes in their lives and have never seen anything good, who would covet your worthless broken bead."

"I advise you to stop making trouble for yourself!"

Yes, yes, you're absolutely right.

In your hands it's called the Azure Dragon Elixir, but in my hands it's just "that broken bead," right?

If you're so capable, then stop being so sour! Anyone who didn't know better would think your prototype was sauerkraut fish.

Bai Cang thought to himself, then suddenly a question popped into his head: "Could it be that the True Immortal's expedition is aimed at the East Sea Dragon Clan?"

Although Lanyun River borders the East Sea, it is undeniably human territory.

What kind of beasts are the Dragon Palace of the East Sea? How dare they be granted the title of Grand Waterway Manager?

Considering this great battle of the Golden Core stage, the vast majority of the battlefield was on the Lanyun River, and even the chaotic battles of "collecting corpses" and "picking up scraps" were confined to within ten miles on both sides of the Lanyun River.

Such a bizarre situation made Bai Cang's mind wander!

[Many thanks to "Sijunshan" (a user name), please give me a free gift!]