After Xue Jing returned to the island, Zhang Fan once again entered the Golden Light Immortal Mansion. Having broken through to the Golden Core realm, his alchemy skills had also improved. He hadn't refined Heaven-grade spirit pills before, partly because he didn't need them immediately and partly because his Natal Condensation realm cultivation could at best produce low-grade Heaven-grade spirit pills, and even then, without absolute certainty of success.
However, with his increased strength and the current state of having condensed two first-grade, top-tier Golden Cores, he was now highly confident in refining even high-grade Heaven-grade spirit pills.
After a stroll through the garden of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion, Zhang Fan harvested many Heaven-grade spirit fruits. Once he finished refining spirit pills, he planned to head to the Wushan star domain. Therefore, he prepared a large amount of cultivation resources for his parents, who remained on Earth.
Previously, a group of cultivators from the Wushan star domain had fled the Milky Way galaxy. At that time, Zhang Fan knew his identity would inevitably be exposed, and the Wushan star domain would likely be extremely perilous.
Yet, he could not avoid it. It was better to actively expose himself in the Wushan star domain than to have those greedy cultivators from Wushan come to Earth searching for him.
Thanks to the existence of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion, Zhang Fan could ensure the safety of everyone. He had originally planned to take his parents to the Wushan star domain to experience it, but the elderly couple wasn't very interested and chose to stay on Earth.
Zhang Fan naturally respected his parents' choice. However, given their strength, while they were considered powerful figures on Earth, they were not absolutely safe. To be on the safe side, Zhang Fan made some preparations.
The Heaven-grade spirit pills he was refining were not for his parents' consumption but for the Rainbow-eyed Sky Parrots. Zhang Fan selected a pair of powerful Rainbow-eyed Sky Parrots from the Golden Light Immortal Mansion, intending to leave them on Earth to protect his parents.
Both of these Rainbow-eyed Sky Parrots had reached the peak of second-grade, top-tier Golden Core cultivation. Even if cultivators of Dao Venerable's level were to attack, they could guarantee his parents' safety, making them virtually invincible on Earth.
After all, in the spiritually scarce environment of Earth, without special encounters, it was incredibly difficult to even condense a single Golden Core.
It took Zhang Fan more than half a year to refine a pile of Heaven-grade spirit pills, ranging from low to high grades.
During this time, True Monarch Tian Hua, who had gone out for a stroll, returned to the Golden Light Immortal Mansion and entered seclusion to prepare for his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.
While Zhang Fan was refining Heaven-grade spirit pills, Qin Luoshui, Lin Haotian, Wuchen Sword Immortal, and Isabella, among others, also concluded their respective cultivations.
Over these nearly two years, with the aid of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion and a large quantity of Earth-grade spirit pills, everyone's strength had improved significantly.
Zhang Fan and Xue Jing's power was, of course, unquestionable. Lin Haotian, benefiting from the Golden Light Immortal Mansion's unique cultivation environment and the substantial supply of Earth-grade spirit pills refined by Zhang Fan, had now cultivated his Sacred Body to the mid-stage of minor completion.
Despite being a minor breakthrough, his combat power had increased significantly, making him capable of rivaling first-grade Golden Core realm cultivators.
Wuchen Sword Immortal, during this seclusion, had comprehended two strands of Sword Intent and etched six strands of Golden Core Dao patterns, condensing a second-grade, top-tier Golden Core.
In the harsh cultivation environment of Earth, Wuchen Sword Immortal's ability to reach the Natal Condensation realm on his own demonstrated his exceptional talent. Coupled with guidance from Zhang Fan, a master of the Dao of the Sword, his achieving a second-grade, top-tier Golden Core was not surprising.
However, cultivating a first-grade Golden Core remained extremely difficult.
Take Xue Jing, for instance. As a pure-blooded Undying Blood Race member, his talent and temperament were no less than Wuchen Sword Immortal's. He also had guidance from elders within the Undying Blood Race, yet he only managed to cultivate a second-grade, top-tier Golden Core. Ultimately, he relied on the accompanying flower of the Zi Wu Yuan Guo to cultivate a first-grade, low-tier Golden Core and condense a golden Nascent Soul.
Isabella's strength also saw a qualitative leap during this seclusion. Her Blood Moon Demon King Body had reached the late stage of minor completion, just one step away from great completion, making her strength comparable to Wuchen Sword Immortal's.
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon, containing the bloodline of a Blood Dragon, had been specifically given spirit pills by Zhang Fan before his seclusion to enhance its bloodline power. However, as a demonic beast, its cultivation speed was inherently slower than humans, and it remained in hibernation while everyone else emerged from seclusion.
…
"Dad, Mom, I'm giving you these two little birds. Keep them from now on."
Zhang Fan extended his palm, on which a pair of vibrantly colored small birds hopped joyfully, appearing incredibly lively.
"Aren't these the birds from the garden?"
Su Yun looked at the spiritual Rainbow-eyed Sky Parrots with a delighted expression. She reached out her hand, and the little bird willingly hopped onto her palm, nuzzling its small head against Su Yun's fair hand in a show of affection.
At the same time, Zhang Fan produced two jade bottles filled with spirit pills.
"These are bird foods specially made for the Rainbow-eyed Sky Parrots. Feeding them one every six months is sufficient."
The spirit pills in the jade bottles were meticulously crafted by Zhang Fan for the Rainbow-eyed Sky Parrots. Their medicinal properties were mild yet contained immense spiritual energy. One pill every six months would be more than enough to satisfy them.
"Just one every half a year?"
Su Yun expressed her confusion. Although the birds were small, they wouldn't starve if they ate so little, would they?
Zhang Fan smiled and shook his head. He didn't disclose the true strength of these two Rainbow-eyed Sky Parrots to his parents, wanting to avoid them becoming overly reliant. Even on Earth, maintaining a sufficient level of vigilance was important.
After concluding his seclusion, Zhang Fan lived a peaceful life with his family on the island. During this period, many people came to visit him, and Zhang Fan also reconnected with some old friends.
Eight months after Zhang Fan emerged from seclusion, True Monarch Tian Hua successfully condensed his Nascent Soul and also came out of seclusion.
"A Heavenly Master of Formations who has condensed a silver Nascent Soul. If True Monarch Tian Hua returns to the Wushan star domain, he will likely receive invitations from various powers," Xue Jing joked.
Cultivators proficient in formations were already rare, and a strong individual who broke through to the Nascent Soul stage from second-grade, top-tier Golden Core was likely unique in the entire Wushan star domain, making him highly sought after.
"This breakthrough did not significantly advance my understanding of formations, but it greatly improved my insights into deduction," True Monarch Tian Hua said with a smile.
"Deduction?"
While others showed no particular reaction, Xue Jing and Zhang Fan's eyes lit up.
"Tian Hua, you can deduce?"
Zhang Fan's eyes held a hint of anticipation. The Dao of Deduction involved karma and could not be cultivated through conventional means. Some individuals possessed an innate strong sense for the threads of karma, and their deductive abilities would improve as their cultivation progressed.
Such cultivators were often not adept at direct combat but excelled in esoteric Daos, like formations, alchemy, artifact forging, and so on.
However, individuals gifted in the Dao of Deduction were exceedingly rare. It was possible for an entire star domain to produce only one cultivator capable of deduction in a generation.
"If you are skilled in deduction, why did you come to the Milky Way galaxy?" Xue Jing inquired, perplexed.
Everyone else also turned their gaze to True Monarch Tian Hua. Given his talent for deduction, he should have known the risks involved in coming to Earth to seek opportunities.
ps: There was an error in the previous chapter. Xue Jing's Blood Battle Axe was described as a high-grade Heaven Treasure, but it has been corrected to a mid-grade spirit treasure.