After the advancement match, Shu Han and Wei Haolong descended the stage arm in arm, teasing and joking with each other.

Although Wei Haolong still looked odd in his female attire, the gazes from the crowd were no longer those of disdain or surprise. Instead, they were unified in envy and admiration.

Nothing seems to matter in the face of the Golden Core path.

Achieving the Golden Core, becoming an elder, and gaining a thousand-year lifespan were the ultimate dreams of countless Fiery Cloud Instant Sect cultivators.

Even though Shu Han verbally berated Wei Haolong, accusing him of lacking martial integrity and using him as a stepping stone for his own advancement, deep down, he was genuinely happy for Wei Haolong.

The accumulated foundation and resentment of hundreds of years had finally turned into motivation, allowing Wei Haolong to break through and transform. With this solid foundation and breakthrough, his future prospects were limitless.

Once off the stage, the crowd swarmed around them. Di Guxue was the first to approach, giving Wei Haolong a heartfelt hug. Her flushed face beamed with admiration.

Moved by Wei Haolong's courage and strength to break free from constraints, she proudly said to Bai Xingyan while holding Wei Haolong's hand, "See that! This is my master, a Core Formation expert! Even though I may not be as good as you now, my master is way better than yours!"

Shu Han was left speechless. It was one thing to boast and show off, but why use him as a reference?!

Song Changyi congratulated, "Congratulations to Brother Wei on advancing to the Core Formation stage! It seems that the top position of this Heavenly Fire Leaderboard will surely belong to you. I admit my inferiority. Advancing on the Heavenly Fire Stage is unprecedented, truly admirable!"

Wei Haolong laughed heartily, "Stay humble, stay humble. Brother Song, we'll meet in the finals of the Heavenly Fire Leaderboard."

Shu Han chimed in, "Stop flattering him. He's already flying high."

"Old Yu, you're clearly just jealous! If you're not convinced, how about we have a spar sometime?"

Shu Han chuckled in disbelief, "Spar? You're now a Core Formation elder and you still want to spar with me?"

"Well, when you put it that way... Even though I'm now an elder, there are no formalities between brothers. We should still have our regular spars. You can't run away from it!"

Shu Han's expression darkened, "You clearly just want to take advantage of your higher realm to get back at me!"

"How can you say that? Between brothers, how can it be called revenge? It's more like friendly guidance. A jade won't shine if not polished. You're still too young and need to be honed."

"You persistent cross-dresser! Even after reaching the Core Formation stage, you never change!"

Song Changyi laughed heartily upon hearing this, "Sounds like a deal. In the future, we'll rely on Brother Wei to train both Yu and me."

Then, Shu Han turned to look at the viewing stand of the Heavenly Fire Leaderboard, noticing the gloomy face of the Heavenly Fire elder looking their way. He couldn't help but ask, "Jokes aside, Old Wei, what are your plans for the future?"

Wei Haolong locked eyes with the Heavenly Fire elder from afar, his face no longer displaying fear. He calmly stated, "Plans? Now that I've reached the Core Formation stage, I naturally have the strength to confront him. You don't have to worry for me."

That night, in Wei Haolong's residence, everyone celebrated with drinks.

Wei Haolong now effortlessly switched between male and female attire, no longer restrained, truly living as his true self. They drank deep into the night, and the enticing aroma of the wine even lured over the dazed mad elder.

When Wei Haolong got drunk, he wanted to settle the grudge left from the previous spar with Shu Han and began insisting on another bout.

As a result, in his drunken haze, Shu Han and Song Changyi persuaded him to challenge the mad elder. Whether it was because he drank too much or had newfound confidence in his abilities, Wei Haolong took up the challenge. But after a few blows, he ended up battered and bruised, leaving Shu Han and Song Changyi laughing uproariously.

Days went by like this.

The Heavenly Fire Leaderboard concluded three months later.

With his Core Formation strength, Wei Haolong effortlessly defeated many opponents, finally facing Song Changyi in the final. The two fought fiercely, and even with Wei Haolong's Core Formation abilities, he struggled against Song Changyi under the mighty Heavenly Fire Sun. In the end, by tapping into his profound Core Formation foundation, he managed to wear down Song Changyi and secure the top position.

Shu Han, meanwhile, fought sporadically in a few matches among the losers during these three months. Due to the competition's format, he ended up securing the eighth rank on the Heavenly Fire Leaderboard.

However, he was content.

Originally, he participated in the Heavenly Fire Leaderboard for the Earth Dragon Fire origin. Now that Wei Haolong openly offered to give him the top prize of the Earth Dragon Fire, Shu Han gladly accepted. Feeling it was rightfully his, he had no motivation to continue in the ranking. His future days were spent peacefully in his cave, refining pills, mending talismans, and starting the design of his personal magic tool.

After more than three years of duplication, the Chaos Immortal Stone inside the black jar had accumulated to the size of half a fist.

Shu Han estimated that with these materials, he could forge an immortal sword slightly smaller than the Blood Soul Sword of Master Mystical Dragon. Although its size might be smaller, Shu Han believed its power wouldn't be trivial, easily surpassing the limit of the Eight-Direction Evil-Breaking Sword.

Moreover, with his current cultivation level, using too much Chaos Immortal Stone to create his personal magic tool might be overkill. He doubted he would have enough spiritual power to operate it. To truly unleash the full potential of a Chaos magic treasure, Shu Han suspected one might need to be at the Nascent Soul stage.

After all, such immortal materials are exceedingly precious!

For now, during his Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stages, it seemed prudent to use a semi-finished Chaos magic treasure. Later, when the black jar accumulated enough Chaos Immortal Stone, he could then construct a complete version of the immortal seal and tower to maximize its power.

Thus, Shu Han began to delve into the "Mystical Dragon Triple Rotation Technique" to learn the immortal sword forging method.

He had studied this method before, but the magic treasure inscriptions described were so intricate that he couldn't remember them. He could only rely on the manual's diagrams as he worked.

To start, Shu Han renovated the Stellar Wish Formation, enhancing its ability to conceal aura. He then used his sect contributions at the Fiery Cloud Instant Sect to acquire several concealment arrays to fortify his cave mansion. Only then did he dare to take the Chaos Immortal Stone out of his jade pendant.

Once the stone was out, Shu Han repeatedly checked outside his cave mansion, ensuring he couldn't detect the aura of the Chaos Immortal Stone even with his Clear Bright Spiritual Eye. Still cautious, he sent an avatar of his to patrol outside using the Spirit Concealment and Void Transformation Technique, ensuring no one was spying. Only then did he confidently place the Chaos Immortal Stone over the Earth Dragon Fire for refinement.

However, he soon encountered a problem. The Earth Dragon Fire from his cave mansion couldn't melt the Chaos Immortal Stone.

This deeply puzzled him.

Even the Heavenly Fire couldn't melt it? How could he forge a magic treasure if he couldn't melt the material?

After much contemplation, he abandoned the idea of using the Earth Dragon Fire in his cave mansion. Holding the Chaos Immortal Stone, he went to the Pure Ice Formation. After setting up various arrays, he allowed the creature inside, named Wangcai, to attempt melting the Chaos Immortal Stone.

Obeying Shu Han's command, Wangcai continually burned the Chaos Immortal Stone with its origin.

Three days and nights later, the Chaos Immortal Stone finally showed signs of melting. But by then, Wangcai was utterly exhausted, whining at Shu Han.

In haste, Shu Han fed it a generous portion of Ancestral Tree Heart, which finally calmed its distressed mood.

Shu Han sighed inwardly, realizing that possessing a Chaos magic treasure was indeed no easy feat.

Even using the most potent Earth Dragon Fire origin, at this rate, it seemed like it would take over a year just to melt this small piece of Chaos Immortal Stone.