After returning to the island with Xue Jing, Zhang Fan once again entered the Golden Light Immortal Mansion. Following his breakthrough to the Golden Core realm, his alchemy skills had also improved. He hadn't refined Heaven-grade spirit pills before, not only because he didn't need them at the time but also because his Nascent Soul stage cultivation would have only allowed him to refine low-grade Heaven-grade spirit pills with uncertain success.
However, with his increased strength and the cultivation of two top-grade Golden Cores, he was now confident in refining even high-grade Heaven-grade spirit pills.
After a stroll through the garden of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion, Zhang Fan picked a lot of Heaven-grade spirit fruits. After he finished refining spirit pills, he planned to travel to the Wu Shan star domain, so he prepared abundant cultivation resources for his parents who remained on Earth.
Previously, a group of cultivators from the Wu Shan star domain had fled the Milky Way. At that time, Zhang Fan knew his identity would surely be exposed, and his stay in the Wu Shan star domain would likely be extremely perilous.
But he had to go. Rather than letting cultivators from the Wu Shan star domain with greedy intentions come to Earth to find him, it was better to proactively expose himself in the Wu Shan star domain.
With the existence of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion, Zhang Fan could ensure the safety of everyone. Therefore, he had originally planned to take his parents to the Wu Shan star domain to see the sights, but the old 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 powerful figures on Earth, they weren't 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 to consume but for the Rainbow Eye Celestial Parrots. Zhang Fan selected a pair of powerful Rainbow Eye Celestial Parrots from the Golden Light Immortal Mansion, intending to leave them on Earth to protect his parents.
The strength of this pair of Rainbow Eye Celestial Parrots had reached the peak of the second-grade top-tier Golden Core realm. Even if a powerful figure like Dao Sovereign were to attack, they could ensure his parents' safety, making them virtually invincible on Earth.
After all, in the spirit-energy-scarce environment of Earth, without extraordinary encounters, it was incredibly difficult to even condense a single Golden Core.
After spending more than half a year, Zhang Fan refined a pile of Heaven-grade spirit pills, ranging from low-grade to high-grade Heaven-grade spirit pills.
During this period, True Monarch Tian Hua, who had gone out for leisure, returned to the Golden Light Immortal Mansion and began his closed-door cultivation to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.
While Zhang Fan was refining Heaven-grade spirit pills, Qin Luoshui, Lin Haotian, Wuchen Sword Immortal, and Isabella also successively concluded their cultivation.
In the nearly two years that followed, with the assistance of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion and a large number of Earth-grade spirit pills, everyone's strength had significantly improved.
The strength of Zhang Fan and Xue Jing was, needless to say, immense. Lin Haotian, benefiting from the exceptionally advantageous cultivation environment of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion and the numerous Earth-grade spirit pills refined by Zhang Fan, had now cultivated his Sacred Body to the mid-stage of minor accomplishment.
Although it was only a minor level breakthrough, his combat power had increased by a great margin. Lin Haotian's current combat power was enough to rival a first-grade Golden Core realm expert.
Wuchen Sword Immortal, during this closed-door cultivation, had consecutively comprehended two Sword Intents and carved six Golden Core Dao patterns, condensing a second-grade top-tier Golden Core.
In the harsh cultivation environment of Earth, Wuchen Sword Immortal could cultivate to the Golden Core realm on his own, which was a testament to his talent. Coupled with the guidance of Zhang Fan, a powerful expert who had completely mastered the Way of the Sword, it was not surprising that he cultivated a second-grade top-tier Golden Core.
However, cultivating a first-grade Golden Core was truly too difficult.
Take Xue Jing, for example. He was a pure-blooded Undying Blood Race. Both his talent and disposition were no less than Wuchen Sword Immortal's. He also had elders guiding him within the Undying Blood Race, yet he only cultivated a second-grade top-tier Golden Core. He only managed to cultivate a first-grade low-tier Golden Core and form a golden Nascent Soul with the help of the accompanying flower of the Zi Wu Yuan Guo.
Isabella's strength also underwent a qualitative leap during this closed-door cultivation. Her Blood Moon Demonic King Body had reached the late stage of minor accomplishment, just one step away from major accomplishment. Her strength was no less than Wuchen Sword Immortal's.
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon contained the bloodline of a Blood Dragon. Before Zhang Fan's seclusion, he had specifically refined spirit pills for the Blood Demon Flood Dragon to enhance its bloodline power. However, as a demonic beast, its cultivation speed was inherently slower than humans, and it was still in hibernation when everyone else emerged from seclusion.
“Dad, Mom, this pair of little birds is for you. Keep them from now on.”
Zhang Fan extended his palm. Upon it, a pair of colorful little birds hopped lively, appearing extremely spirited.
“Aren’t these the birds from the garden?”
Su Yun looked at the spiritual Rainbow Eye Celestial Parrots with a joyful expression. She extended her hand, and the little bird readily hopped onto her palm, rubbing its small head against Su Yun's fair hand, showing great affection.
At the same time, Zhang Fan also produced two jade bottles filled with spirit pills.
“These are bird feeds for the Rainbow Eye Celestial Parrots. Feeding them one pill every six months is enough.”
The spirit pills in the jade bottles were specially refined by Zhang Fan for the Rainbow Eye Celestial Parrots. Their medicinal properties were mild yet contained immense spiritual energy. One pill every six months would be more than enough to keep the Rainbow Eye Celestial Parrots fully nourished.
“Just one every six months?”
Su Yun looked puzzled. Although the bird was small, would it not starve by eating so little?
Zhang Fan smiled and shook his head. He did not tell his parents the strength of these two Rainbow Eye Celestial Parrots, as he did not want them to become complacent. Even on Earth, they needed to maintain a sufficient level of vigilance.
After ending his seclusion, Zhang Fan spent his days in peace with his family on the island. During this time, many people came to pay their respects, and Zhang Fan also met up with some old friends to catch up.
In the eighth month after Zhang Fan’s emergence from seclusion, True Monarch Tian Hua also successfully formed his Nascent Soul and emerged from his cultivation.
“A Heavenly Master of Formations who has condensed a silver Nascent Soul, True Monarch Tian Hua would likely receive invitations from various forces if he returned to the Wu Shan star domain,” Xue Jing said playfully.
Experts who cultivated the Way of Formations were rare. A cultivator who broke through to the Nascent Soul stage from the second-grade top-tier Golden Core realm was likely the only one in the entire Wu Shan star domain, making him highly sought after.
“This breakthrough did not bring much improvement in the Way of Formations, but it has greatly advanced my progress in the Way of Deduction,” True Monarch Tian Hua said with a smile.
“Deduction?”
The others reacted with indifference, but Xue Jing and Zhang Fan’s eyes lit up.
“Tian Hua, you also practice deduction?”
Zhang Fan’s eyes held a hint of anticipation. The Way of Deduction involved causality and could not be cultivated through conventional means. Some experts were born with an extremely strong sense of causal lines, and their progress in the Way of Deduction would advance with their strength.
Such experts were mostly not adept at combat but excelled in obscure arts, such as the Way of Formations, Alchemy, and Artifact Refining.
However, experts talented in the Way of Deduction were extremely rare. It was common for an entire star domain to produce only one such individual.
“Since you are skilled in deduction, why did you come to the Milky Way?” Xue Jing asked in confusion.
Everyone also turned their gaze to True Monarch Tian Hua. Since he was skilled in deduction, he should have known how risky it was to come to Earth to compete for opportunities.