A bck vortex extended several dark tendrils, pierg through Lin Hao's dantian and into his meridians, as if sug away his life essence.

  Lin Hao's face twisted in pain, sweat beading on his forehead as the color drained from his cheeks.

  Realizing the tendrils were draining his life essence, he dared not tinue f his core and quickly mobilized his spiritual energy to sever the bck tendrils.

  However, the tendrils seemed endless, impossible to cut through pletely.

  At this moment, the Seven-Life Small Rejuvenation Pill he had taken earlier began to take effect, transf into golden light to help him ssh at the tendrils.

  Two days ter.

  The door to Lin Hao's cave dwelling burst open.

  Shui Ling'er rushed in first, seeing Lin Hao's withered appearance, she immediately uood that his attempt to form a core had failed!

  She quickly closed the door to the cave dwelling, preventing anyone from entering.

  "Lin Hao... Lin Hao..." she called softly, but the person in her arms did not respond.

  Her expression was anxious as she sent out a wisp of her sciouso check Lin Hao's dition.

  What she found nearly scared her to death.

  Lin Hao's life force was extremely weak, like an old man on the brink of death.

  She panicked.

  What should she do?

  Suddenly, she remembered that before Lin Hao went into seclusion, he had instructed her to use the spirit sword talisman to tact Master Feng if anythi wrong!

  She didn't dare dey and quickly followed his instrus, then fed Lin Hao healing pills and used her energy to sustain his life.

  Half a day ter, Feng gyue arrived. Seeing Lin Hao on the verge of death, she dared not dey and immediately enveloped him in spiritual energy, flying to the peak of Great Bamboo Peak.

  She pced Lin Hao on the Fire Lotus Ptform and sat cross-legged beside him.

  She used her spiritual energy to tear apart Lin Hao's clothing, then pced her delicate palm on his back.

  Boom!

  Vast and majestic spiritual energy instantly filled the mountain peak.

  The healing sted a day before Lin Hao finally awoke.

  "Master..."

  "Disciple was foolish and failed to form a core."

  Feng gyue's pretty face showed a hint of fatigue as she gently said, "Brat, don't think about anything else for now, just focus on rec."

  "Yes, Master."

  Lin Hao stayed in Feng gyue's hut, where she would heal him daily with her energy.

  Three days passed like this.

  Lin Hao's plexion finally improved.

  "Tell me iail about what happened when you were f your core."

  Lin Hao took a deep breath and reted the situation.

  Hearing that a bck vortex had formed during his core formation, Feng gyue's smooth forehead furrowed.

  A bck core?

  Even with all her knowledge, Feng gyue had never heard of a bck core.

  Even if core formation failed, it shouldn't have such severe sequences.

  At most, one's cultivation would drop.

  But Lin Hao nearly lost his life!

  "Master, what is happening to me?" Lin Hao asked, puzzled.

  "I don't kher," Feng gyue replied, then tinued, "Disciple, you've advanced from the sixth level of Qi Refining to the peak of Foundatioablishment ihan two years, just a step away from f a core."

  "Your cultivation speed is too fast, g ih and insight."

  Lin Hao was silent, aowledging the truth in his master's words. He indeed cked foundation, having traversed in two years a path that would take others decades or even a tury.

  It seemed that while dual cultivation could rapidly boost one's cultivation, it also harbored signifit risks.

  Moreover, his own physique still held secrets yet to be uncovered.

  He decided to recover fully and then visit the outer sect to resolve this matter!

  "Hao'er, take this time to heal, tend to flowers and pnts, and don't think about cultivation."

  "If you have any doubts or insights, e fi the peak."

  "Yes, Master." Lin Hao bowed and asked, "Master, what about the spirit stone mine?"

  "That's not your , go on."

  With a wave of her sleeve, Feng gyue summoned a flying sword, carrying Lin Hao down the peak.

  Returning to his own mountain, Lin Hao saw from afar a group of women anxiously waiting outside his cave dwelling.

  Shui Ling'er rushed into his arms like a whirlwind.

  "Are you... are you alright?"

  Lin Hao smiled slightly, reag out to tap her nose.

  "I'm fine, with Master helping, how could anything be wrong!"

  "You scared me to death, what exactly happehat day?"

  Lin Hao didn't want to expin, mainly to avoid w the women, so he ged the subject.

  "Before I left the mountain, Master told me to cultivate my mind ao flowers and pnts."

  "You all are the flowers I o nurture..."

  With that, he scooped the woman into his arms and strode into the cave dwelling.

  "Shihan, Liyue, and the four of you, e in too."

  The two women blushed and nodded.

  Han Liyue, having been injured fighting the Demon , was exempted from her previous punishment for failing to guard the Demon Lock Tower due to her bravery.

  Currently in recovery, the sect hadn't assigned her any tasks, so she often visited Lin Hao.

  The other four were maids Lin Hao had recruited and decided to keep after careful sideration, naming them , Xiazhu, Qiujv, and Dongmei.

  Everyo inside, leaving Green Calyx outside, biting her lip and twisting her hands.

  ...

  Half a month ter.

  Lin Hao's body was fully recovered, and his spiritual energy was restored to its inal state.

  Despite failing to form a core, his cultivation level hadn't dropped, which was a small blessing amidst misfortune.

  Notably, during another intimate moment with Shui Ling'er and the reen Calyx couldn't resist and joined in.

  After dual cultivating with her, Lin Hao uedly discovered that the Primordial Yin energy he absorbed could be stored in his dantian.

  This was astonishing, as it had never happened before.

  He quickly sent a wisp of his sciouso i his dantian.

  After the failed core formation, the terrifying bck vortex hadn't disappeared but was lurking in his dantian.

  The Primordial Yin energy was stored within the bck vortex.

  Could this thing store Primordial Yin energy?

  If it could store Primordial Yin energy, what about spiritual energy?

  To verify, Lin Hao immediately absorbed spiritual energy and directed it into the bck vortex.

  It could iore it!

  Lin Hao was shocked and puzzled!

  He immediately went to the peak to seek his master's guidance.

  However, Feng gyue couldn't uhe mystery either, but she was certain that the bck vortex was harmless to Lin Hao and could even provide assistance.

  Generally, one reached the peak of Foundatioablishment, spiritual energy couldn't increase unless breaking into core formation.

  But Lin Hao could store absorbed spiritual energy in the bck hole, to be used after f a core.

  "Disciple, the matter of the bck vortex is known only to us, do not tell anyone else."

  Lin Hao nodded, uanding the principle of "a man without a sin is guilty if he possesses a treasure."

  "Master, in my current state, I prepare to form a cain?"

  Feng gyue pondered briefly before saying, "Prepare, but don't rush into core formation. Spend half a year honing your mind.

  When you formally attempt core formation, I will guard you."

  "Yes, Master!"

  Lin Hao was overjoyed, believing that with his master's prote, his ces of f a core would increase by twenty pert!

  Leaving Great Bamboo Peak, Lin Hao didn't return to his own mountain but decided to visit the outer sect.

  The secret of his physique o be resolved!

  Previously, his status and strength were too low to iigate.

  But now, his status and strength surpassed that of an ordinary sect elder.

  He could take a.

  tally, when Lin Hao arrived at the outer sect, the elder responsible for awakening his physique was in the process of awakening the physiques of outer disciples.

  Peerjun