Vol 3 Chapter 21: The False Core
“I wonder if this will yield anything good…”
Lin Jing sighed as he placed a hundred Explosive Fruits and a hundred Sun Herbs into the Suspended Gourd.
The Pine Leaf Mouse was full of confidence.
“We’ve already synthesized so much junk—something useful has to come out eventually, right?”
“If nothing good comes out this time, we’ll just use the Blood Devil Vine as the ‘water-wood’ attribute organ material to simplify things. It does have a bit of that demonic cultivator flavor, but there’s no denying its effectiveness.”
With this decision, both Reflective Diamondwood and Blood Devil Vine were set as the metal-wood and water-wood attribute materials!
Since he already had enough of these materials stockpiled, there was no need to buy, plant, or synthesize anything new.
That meant only the fire-wood and earth-wood attributes remained. Once those were settled, the Five-Element Organ Transformation would be complete.
Even if his luck was terrible, only two elements were missing—it was just a matter of time before he found the right materials!“Alright!!!”
The Pine Leaf Mouse didn’t care either way. It eagerly scurried to the edge of the Sun Herb pile, eyes burning with excitement.
The Sun Herb was orange-red, resembling clover, radiating a gentle warmth akin to sunlight.
Under the Glazed Immortal Eyes’ gaze, the hundred Sun Herbs quickly vanished. A moment later, an intense light shone, and a single mutated Sun Herb appeared—its deep red leaves flickered with tiny glowing spots.
“…”
The Pine Leaf Mouse scratched its head, staring at the speckled Sun Herb, lost in thought.
Lin Jing, sharing its vision, also fell into contemplation.
[Mutated Sun Herb: A plant attuned to the power of the sun. Upon consumption, the user’s body will temporarily reach temperatures comparable to the surface of the sun…]
“A Malignant Plant. This has to be a Malignant Plant. How did a perfectly fine fire-attribute cultivation herb mutate into something like this?!”
Lin Jing’s mouth twitched.
A body reaching temperatures near the sun’s surface… even with protective energy, low-level cultivators would just evaporate on the spot!
“Ugh~”
The Pine Leaf Mouse shrugged. What could it do?
“This won’t work—it can’t be used as one of your organs. Your core element is wood, and your ability to endure high temperatures is weak. You won’t be able to convert that heat into an attack.”
Lin Jing shook his head and turned to the Explosive Fruits.
Since these were already Malignant Plants, he had a good idea of what they might turn into.
Moments later, the ordinary apple-like Explosive Fruits underwent a transformation—not in color, but in shape. They were now covered in spikes, resembling red durians.
[Mutated Explosive Fruit: Has lost its explosive ability and is now edible…]
Seeing this, Lin Jing’s eyes lit up. But the next moment, he fell silent.
[Upon consumption, the user gains a one-time enhanced self-destruction ability. They can choose to detonate any organ… or their entire body. The explosion carries extreme fire energy.]
“Oh, wonderful. Another Malignant Plant turned Demonic Plant. Instead of a fruit that explodes on its own, now we have a fruit that helps the user self-destruct.”
Lin Jing looked up at the sky.
“Ugh~”
The Pine Leaf Mouse shrugged again. What could it do?
Wasn’t this always the case?
Rubbing its eyes, it popped a few vision-enhancing spiritual fruits into its mouth.
It was exhausted.
These two synthesis attempts had both failed. Qingzhou’s plants weren’t any better than the ones from the Ancient Kingdom.
Or were they?
“…Actually, this self-destruct fruit… might work as an organ.”
Lin Jing suddenly changed his evaluation.
The Pine Leaf Mouse: “???”
The mouse took a step back, pointing at its own body. Did it look like something that could self-destruct?
Lin Jing glanced at it.
“This isn’t for your real body. Your Demon King True Form is a wooden squirrel colossus covered in branches and pinecones. Aren’t those pinecones technically part of your body?”
“When the time comes, just blow those up.”
“Besides, you’ve already mastered the Everlasting Emperor’s Longevity Art. According to Senior Pine, you should be able to condense wooden clones now. Even if your main body can’t explode, your clones should be able to, right?”
The Pine Leaf Mouse’s mouth hung open.
Wasn’t this a little too ruthless?!
Lin Jing sighed.
“There’s no choice. If we aren’t ruthless to ourselves, the demons and beasts out there won’t go easy on us. If we don’t want to be swallowed whole, we have to be even crueler.”
The Pine Leaf Mouse furiously scratched its head. Self-destruct organs? Was that even practical?!
Lin Jing picked up the speckled Sun Herb and the Self-Destruct Fruit.
“Next, we’ll mass-produce the Self-Destruct Fruit and integrate it into the Treant Pill to give your pinecones the Flame Detonation attribute.”
“The speckled Sun Herb won’t go to waste either. It’ll be the core material for a new pill formula.”
“The Gluttonous Pill alone isn’t enough to dominate the market. If consuming this synthesized Sun Herb grants a body temperature close to the sun’s surface, even Core Formation cultivators won’t be able to withstand it… But if someone can control this power, it won’t just be a Malignant Plant for suicide—it will become a mystical artifact that grants them a high-temperature spell!”
Lin Jing began pondering.
Could it be used for False Core Alchemy?
“…It might work.”
“If I can refine this into a False Core! With the Fire Qilin Dragon assisting me, it could be possible!”
“For those who have no hope of forming a real Core, or those who have fallen from Core Formation back to Foundation Establishment and can’t form a second Core, they often turn to alchemy or secret techniques to create a False Core in place of a real one.”
“Although a False Core lacks the growth potential of a true Core and cannot reach the Nascent Soul stage, some False Cores contain incredible power. When activated, they can unleash abilities on par with Core Formation divine techniques.”
“The Core Formation stage is all about refining and perfecting Core divine abilities. Using them wears down the Core, requiring long periods of seclusion to restore it—or costly pills to repair it… Only after reaching Nascent Soul can a cultivator freely use their divine techniques without worry.”
“That’s why powerful False Core techniques aren’t only sought after by Foundation Establishment cultivators who can’t reach Core Formation.”
“Even those who have already formed a real Core wouldn’t mind refining an additional False Core for extra security.”
“In battle, they could rely on the False Core, preserving their real one until they reached Nascent Soul.”
“After all, unlike a real Core, a False Core doesn’t fear damage. If it gets destroyed, they can just refine another one.”
“If I can seal the high-temperature energy within a False Core, forming a Solar False Core… Its temperature would be close to the sun’s surface. In the Core Formation stage, it would be an absolute trump card. Few would be able to withstand its power.”
Lin Jing picked up the speckled Sun Herb.
“This is a perfect opportunity to research alchemical pills that assist in Core Formation.”
That was the real priority…
If nothing unexpected happened, his own breakthrough to Core Formation would require the aid of pills.
His three contract beasts might not be enough to push him forward.
The further he advanced, the harder it became for a Longevity Body to cultivate.
He would need to refine a pill to assist in his Core Formation.
This False Core Alchemy—right now, it was the perfect training ground.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter