The opportunity would slip away if he hesitated. He could delay no longer!
Qin Sang withdrew the protective array and, with a flash, flew out of the cave dwelling.
Casting one last glance at the cave where he had stayed for merely a month, Qin Sang waved his hand, erasing all traces of his presence. Breaking through the water’s surface, he headed straight upward.
It was broad daylight, and the waters above lay calm and silent. Scattered, barren islets dotted the horizon, but no figures were in sight.
Revealing himself in midair, Qin Sang, on a sudden whim, summoned the ebony sword from his primordial spirit with a mere thought.
The pristine wood-element spiritual sword embryo hovered in front of him, its beauty under the sunlight even more breathtaking.
The ebony sword trembled lightly, emitting a faint sword hum, as if brimming with excitement.
"Go!"
Qin Sang casually pointed.
The ebony sword flashed brightly and vanished in an instant.
"Return!" Qin Sang called out again.
The ebony sword swiftly reappeared, hovering steadily before him, its aura completely transformed. It was now brimming with a terrifying killing intent.
Qin Sang fixed his gaze on his life-bound spiritual sword. On the pristine sword embryo, four killing symbols were neatly aligned, each one fully inscribed.
The moment he broke through to the Fake Core Realm, the fourth killing symbol had been completed.
He could clearly feel that the killing symbols had brought him immense benefits, especially in cultivation.
Had it not been for the bottleneck of the Core Formation Realm halting his advance, with the power of four killing symbols together, his cultivation speed could have easily surpassed that of a cultivator with three spiritual roots!
From now on, spiritual roots would no longer be the greatest limitation on his path of cultivation.
Such "talent" was no small matter in the immortal cultivation world.
Although he did not yet know whether the killing symbols would change after stepping into the Core Formation Realm, Qin Sang was already thoroughly satisfied.
However, after completing the fourth killing symbol, Qin Sang encountered a problem.
Originally, each time he inscribed a killing symbol, he had naturally progressed to the next realm without any bottleneck. Ever since reaching the Foundation Building Realm, bottlenecks had become a thing of the past for him.
Perhaps, understanding the killing symbols and the life-bound spiritual sword was the true bottleneck of the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment.
But even with an astra-grade life-bound spiritual sword now in hand, Qin Sang still could not proceed. He could not even draw the first stroke of the fifth killing symbol. Faced with the fifth stage of the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, he was utterly at a loss.
He understood clearly that he would have to overcome this hurdle on his own.
After all, minor realm advancements could not be compared to major realm leaps that fundamentally transformed one's being.
Fortunately, he had never placed all his hopes solely on his cultivation art.
Qin Sang extended a hand, gently stroking the ebony sword. The ebony sword withdrew its killing aura, becoming docile and calm.
A cool sensation spread across his fingertips. From the sword, he felt a bond akin to that of shared bloodlines.
After stepping into the Fake Core Realm, not only had his cultivation and spiritual consciousness undergone a comprehensive advancement, but his control over the ebony sword had also risen to a new level.
Previously, when he had tried to fuse with the sword and employ the Sword Qi Thunderclap during sword flight, he had failed each time due to insufficient control.
Now, it should be possible!
Qin Sang's gaze sharpened. He formed a sword incantation, and the ebony sword let out a crisp hum.
Sword light coiled around his body.
Qin Sang's figure disappeared, merging completely with his spiritual sword.
The ebony sword erupted with a dazzling brilliance, no less blinding than the midday sun. In the next instant, it transformed into a radiant streak, shooting toward the Chaotic Island Waters at breathtaking speed.
Beneath the clear sky...
A resplendent sword light tore across the firmament, streaking toward the horizon, startling all the fish below into fleeing to the depths.
Suddenly, a thunderclap exploded in broad daylight.
With the sound of thunder, the sword light's speed surged once more.
Though the skies were cloudless and bright, a massive bolt of lightning unexpectedly slashed across the heavens.
Rumble...
As the thunder rolled, a deep dragon’s roar echoed.
The roar, though muffled, was distinct amidst the thunder, carrying the oppressive might of a great beast.
At the very instant the dragon’s roar rang out, every creature beneath the waters fell into terrified chaos. The underwater world became a frantic mess, while the sword light above, already at its peak speed, gained yet another burst of acceleration.
The dragon’s roar was fleeting, dispersing almost as soon as it had sounded, vanishing along with the thunder.
The sword light's speed gradually declined, finally coming to a halt above a desolate stretch of water.
Qin Sang sheathed his sword and stood suspended in midair, a flash of excitement in his eyes. As he had hoped, after breaking through to the Fake Core Realm, he had successfully integrated the Sword Qi Thunderclap supernatural ability into his evasion technique.
Among all Fake Core Realm cultivators, from now on, others would be left to eat his dust.
At his current cultivation level, Qin Sang still could not fully unleash the power of his astra and supernatural abilities. However, he believed that once he successfully formed his core, his sword evasion technique would undoubtedly surpass that of cultivators at the same realm—perhaps even those at the middle stage of Core Formation would find it hard to match him.
What thrilled Qin Sang even more was that the Nine-Dragon Heavenly Chariot Talisman, worthy of being a secret talisman of the Shangyuan Tranquility Palace, could also be used effectively while performing supernatural abilities.