Before entering the separate dinsion of the Heavenly Poison Sect years ago, Aksai had used his own unique technique to implant pseudo Spirit Cores into their bodies.
These pseudo cores were not their own Spirit Cores. They were "borrowed" from those ghost cultivators who had died a long ti ago.
They were only temporary asures implanted using Aksai's advanced Spirit techniques. Their purpose was simple.
Training.
By living with these pseudo Spirit Cores for years, Naisha and Jina had slowly learned how to guide and control the flow of Spirit energy around a core.
It was similar to learning how to ride a bicycle using support wheels.
The rider first learned balance with the extra support. Only after gaining confidence could they remove the wheels and ride freely.
Tonight was the mont when the support wheels would finally co off.
Aksai had personally checked both won earlier in the evening.
Their ridians were stable. Their Spirit energy was full. Their bodies had already adapted to the pseudo cores.
Everything was ready.
After confirming this, Aksai had given them the signal. Now both won were attempting to form their real Spirit Cores.
From where he floated in the sky, Aksai could clearly sense the changes happening inside their bodies.
Large amounts of Spirit energy were gathering in their lower dantian regions.
The pseudo Spirit Cores inside them had already started breaking apart. The stored Spirit energy was now being pulled inward as the won tried to condense their true cores.
Above them, the clouds continued to grow heavier.
The sea wind beca stronger.
Aksai watched everything in silence. He did not interfere. He did not move closer.
Core Formation breakthroughs were personal battles. Even a small disturbance could disrupt the delicate process.
His job tonight was only to watch.
And if sothing went wrong…
His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the restless clouds above.
…then he would step in.
The breakthrough events started to progress forward with each passing second.
Thick clouds gathered like a dark ocean in the heavens. Lightning flickered inside them from ti to ti, followed by low rumbles of thunder that rolled across the Dadangar Seas.
Aksai floated quietly in the distance with his hands behind his back. His eyes shifted between the two islands as he carefully observed the situation.
The Spirit energy around the islands had grown dense.
The first to reach the crucial mont was Jina.
On her small rocky island, the Spirit energy around her body suddenly surged inward. The pseudo Spirit Core inside her body collapsed and the gathered energy rushed toward her dantian like a rushing river.
Her body trembled. The first test had begun.
Pain Penance.
A wave of intense heat spread across her body. Her muscles tightened as if countless needles were piercing her flesh. Her bones creaked as the Spirit energy reshaped them slowly.
Sweat ford on her forehead. Her breathing beca heavier.
The Pain Penance test was ant to strengthen the cultivator's body so it could support the power of a Core Formation Lord. If the body was weak, the Spirit Core would collapse later.
Jina clenched her teeth.
Her body shook under the pressure, but she did not lose control. The Spirit energy continued to flow through her ridians again and again, tempering them like tal inside a furnace.
After several intense monts, the trembling slowly stopped. The first test was complete. Jina's body had grown stronger.
But there was no ti to rest. Soon after, the air around her changed again.
The second test began.
The Dejection Demon.
A strange silence filled the island. Jina's mind was suddenly pulled into an illusion. mories appeared before her eyes one after another.
Her past struggles. Her fears. Her regrets. The Dejection Demon fed on doubt and weakness. It tried to make the cultivator lose the will to move forward.
For a mont, Jina's breathing slowed. However, the training she had gone through under Aksai's guidance showed its results.
Her expression slowly turned firm. The illusions began to crack apart. She pushed the dark thoughts away one by one and kept her focus steady.
Soon the illusion shattered completely like broken glass. Her soul had passed the second test.
At that exact mont, the clouds above the island roared loudly. Lightning flashed across the sky. The final test had arrived.
Celestial Wrath.
A thick bolt of lightning shot down from the dark clouds and struck toward Jina's island.
Boom!
The entire island shook violently as the lightning crashed down.
Jina raised her Spirit energy to shield herself. The lightning spread across her body like wild snakes of light.
Her body trembled again, but the strength she gained during the Pain Penance allowed her to endure it.
A second bolt fell. Then a third.
Each strike carried the will of the heavens, testing the strength of the cultivator who dared to step into the Core Formation realm.
Jina stood her ground. Her Spirit energy ford a swirling shield around her body as she endured the lightning again and again.
Finally, after several intense monts, the dark clouds above her began to calm.
The lightning slowly faded. A strong wave of Spirit energy burst out from her body. Jina had successfully ford her Spirit Core.
She had stepped into the Core Formation realm. Her eyes opened. They now held a deeper glow than before.
Without wasting any ti, she imdiately rose into the air. Aksai's calm voice reached her ears through Spirit transmission.
"Go help Naisha."
Jina did not hesitate. She turned toward the second island.
By now, Naisha had already passed the first two tests. Her body had endured the Pain Penance. Her soul had survived the Dejection Demon.
However, the situation above her island was far more dangerous. The clouds above Naisha's island were darker and thicker. Lightning roared inside them like an angry beast.
Naisha practiced the Fortune Telling Arts. Such techniques tried to peek into fate and destiny. These thods were not welcod by the heavens. As a result, the Celestial Wrath she faced was far stronger.
'Hmm. I hope she survives and gains a strong foundation. I have many uses in the future for soone who practices the Fortune Telling Arts. Her future gains would be limited if I were to take things in my own hands. Let's hope it doesn't co to that.'
Aksai thought to himself and watched in silence.
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