The treasury in the headquarters far surpassed the one found in the gathering place.

It was filled with precious pills, medicinal plants, mountains of high-grade spiritual stones, and various weapons, among other valuable items.

Hao Gongming began her search for a suitable weapon for herself. However, the best weapons available were intended for those at the nascent soul level.

While better than nothing, they were not truly useful for her. She can break any of them like a thin piece of wood.

Her attention then turned to the pills.

Most catered to lower-level cultivators, but she discovered pills specifically designed for those with the nascent soul cultivation level and even a few for those at the soul transformation stage.

Additionally, she found numerous precious plants, such as a 1000-year-old golden apple known for increasing one's lifespan by 10 years.

After thoroughly examining the treasury, she made her way to the library.

The library consisted of seven floors, brimming with a wide variety of books.

It housed all kinds of cultivation exercises, many of which could lead to soul transformation. Some were even capable of reaching the ascendant level.

As she perused the shelves, she came across four cultivation techniques.

She selected a fire element cultivation technique for herself, a body exercise cultivation technique suitable for Tan Su, a mysterious and profound cultivation technique for Yan Kang, and a simple and easy cultivation technique for Han Peng.

Moving on to spells, Hao Gongming carefully chose a few magic spells that matched her fire element talent.

She also selected spells suitable for her harem members and decided to provide them with the necessary resources to learn the spells quickly.

She wanted to give them some self-protection because they were fragile and would die quickly.

Gathering her harem, she distributed the cultivation techniques, spells, many pills, valuable medicine for their cultivation, and books about various topics.

She then instructed them to begin their cultivation immediately.

They all agreed and returned to the rooms that were given to them. The rooms were the best in this headquarters and very suitable for cultivation.

With her harem members busy cultivating, Hao Gongming focused on reaching the foundation establishment level before delving into other matters. She entered a secluded meditation room, closed the door, and prepared for cultivation.

In this world, the cultivation stages are divided into many distinct levels, including Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, Ascendant, and Yin Yang Transformation.

These stages represent the first step of cultivation.

During the Qi Condensation stage, cultivators focus on reaching a specific qi density within their bodies until it can be solidified into a foundation.

Foundation Establishment aims to prepare for the formation of a core, and Core Formation seeks to cultivate a nascent soul.

It can be said that Actual cultivation begins after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, as the three realms before it are only preparation for it.

After Nascent Soul, cultivators must further transform their souls, entering the Soul Transformation stage.

Once the soul is fully transformed, cultivators reach the Ascendant stage.

Suppose Ascendant stage cultivators desire to achieve a higher realm.

In that case, they must gather enough Yin and Yang energy in a balanced manner.

When they manage to keep yin-yang energy in their bodies, they enter yin yang transformation realm.

Sufficient Yin and Yang energy allows them to transform their essence and enter the first realm of the second step, known as the Imitating Realm.

At this moment, Hao Gongming took a few pills and consumed them.

These pills are designed to increase qi for cultivators in the Foundation Establishment realm. If an average Qi Condensation cultivator were to consume one of these pills, the powerful qi inside would cause them to explode.

However, Hao Gongming, whose body is comparable to that of a Soul Transformation cultivator, can consume as many as she pleases without adverse effects.

The strong qi within the pills rushed throughout Hao Gongming's body, propelling her to the 10th level of Qi cultivation.

One has to set their foundation through careful and precise control of qi.

She initially attempted to do so; however, finding the process difficult, she decided to take a different approach.

"Maybe I'll just consume more pills and let the foundation form naturally," she thought.

With that, she consumed a handful of pills, many of which were intended for the Core Formation stage.

The highly concentrated qi coursed through her body, pushing her to the limit of the 10th layer.

But in an unexpected mutation, the 10th layer, which was expected to be the limit of Qi condensation, broke through, and Hao Gongming reached the 11th layer of Qi condensation!

She was astonished by this incredible advancement.

"Perhaps it's similar to the cultivation described in novels, where the protagonist discovers the ancient and authentic way of cultivation." she thought.

Fueled by this idea, she consumed bag after bag of pills explicitly to increase qi in the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stages. Some of the pills were even useful for the Nascent Soul stage.

she successively advanced through the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th levels with ease.

Upon reaching the 15th level, however, she realized that the remaining qi wasn't sufficient for the 16th level, and her foundation was on the verge of forming.

She clenched her teeth, gathered all the remaining pills, spiritual stones, and monster cores she had collected thus far, and started consuming everything.

Crunching the spiritual stones as they turned to dust and letting her stomach, like a furnace, burn and absorb all of the qi in them.

At that moment, the system prompted a message: "Congratulations on achieving the Glutton achievement!

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Glutton: Everything the host consumes is absorbed 100 percent, and the host's stomach is bottomless(free stat point+5)!" However, Hao Gongming was too focused on her eating frenzy to notice this system reward.

Her cultivation continued to surge forward, rapidly reaching the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th levels.

But as Hao Gongming reached the 19th level, despite consuming everything she could, the barrier of the 20th layer seemed impenetrable.

Frustration welled up within her. After coming this far, she was determined to at least reach the 20th level!

A plan formed in her mind, and she swiftly moved with the speed of the wind.

She arrived at the nearby jungle and began hunting and devouring anything that crossed her path.

Deeper and deeper, she ventured, exhibiting an unbelievable speed. Within seconds, she devoured many nascent soul monster cores.

As she ventured further into the jungle, she encountered monsters at the Soul Transformation stage.

Hao Gongming frowned at this sight and, Without hesitation, unleashed her "overwhelming strength" skill, pushing her strength stat to an astonishing 60 points.

Her strength was now comparable to that of a Yin Yang Transformation cultivator!

With a glance, the Soul Transformation monster exploded, and its core came to her of its own accord. At 60 points of strength, she can effortlessly crush any Soul Transformation stage ants with her pinky.

She continued deeper into the jungle, slaying and consuming the cores of numerous monsters at the Soul Transformation stage. However, the barrier at the 20th level remained unmoved.

It seemed that the 19th level was really her limit. But she refused to accept this outcome.

Hao Gongming ventured even deeper, and her eyes beheld monsters at the Ascendant level. These creatures were enormous, some surpassing the clouds.

Nevertheless, she killed them with ease and devoured their cores.

No matter how many Ascendant-level monsters came at her, with a single glance, they were crushed, and their cores moved directly into her mouth.

Yet, the barrier remained unchanged. Determination burning within her, Hao Gongming pressed on, moving deeper and deeper into the unknown jungle.

Soon, a deafening noise resonated through the surroundings, accompanied by a horrifying aura. Even Hao Gongming couldn't help but feel a deep sense of danger.

And then, she witnessed a nine-headed snake with 18 pair of wings, emanating an aura equivalent to that of Yin Yang Transformation.

The creature was immense, stretching hundreds of kilometers long, towering above the clouds with a robust and muscular physique. Each of its heads possessed a terrifying power, representing different elements.

The snake struck Hao Gongming with its tail, unleashing an incredible force that propelled her as though she had been hit by a planet.

She tore through everything in her path, obliterating mountains and reducing them to rubble. After flying a hundred kilometers and causing widespread destruction, she finally came to a halt.

However, the snake was relentless, catching up to her and delivering another powerful blow. This time, it sent her plummeting tens of kilometers below the ground.

The 1000-mile radius trembled, and the earthquake-like impact even reached distant human cities.

Hao Gongming throw up a massive amount of blood, realizing that the snake far surpassed her in terms of power.

Aware of the perilous situation, she swiftly utilized all 15 of the free stat point she had acquired along the way to enhance her physical strength.

Her power soared to 75 points, surpassing the Yin Yang Transformation stage. It remained uncertain whether she had reached the legendary second step.

Still, one thing was evident—the monster before her was now as insignificant as an ant.

With a mere wave of her hand, the unimaginably colossal snake disintegrated into a mist of blood, and its core flew into Hao Gongming's mouth.

The system congratulated her on achieving the "Core Master" and "Monster Killer" achievements. (+10stat point)

The "Core Master" granted her a core akin to a monster's. Meanwhile, the "Monster Killer" skill amplified the strength of all her attacks against monsters.

As she contemplated the newly acquired core pulsating beneath her abdomen, radiating an aura surpassing Yin Yang Transformation, a smile spread across Hao Gongming's face.

However, her joy was short-lived as she glanced at the seemingly impenetrable barrier of the 20th level of Qi Condensation.

Her expression turned grim. "Is there really no way to overcome it?" she muttered, frustration and determination intertwining within her.

She ventured deeper into the seemingly endless jungle, encountering more and more Yin Yang Transformation monsters, each of which became sustenance for Hao Gongming.

Aware of her limited time, she used the remaining free stat points to further enhance her physical power.

Her strength now stood at an unfathomable 90 points.

With a glance, she effortlessly annihilated all the Yin Yang Transformations in her path, swiftly navigating through the forest.

At this moment, Suddenly, red clouds covered the sky, and an extremely terrifying aura spread.

"It's a cloud monster!" she exclaimed.

Cloud monsters were said to be the most dangerous monsters below 2nd step, and they had no cores.

It's said that they are formed by a collection of resentment in the world.

Soon, the cloud monster struck her with blue lightning.

The only attacks that cloud monsters can use are just lightning strikes, that is said to be a nightmare for every cultivator.

However, it didn't even cause a tingling sensation to her.

The monster growled angrily and sent ten more blue lightning bolts, but she remained unaffected.

A loud noise reverberated through the air; this time, a hundred blue lightning bolts accompanied by a red lightning bolt struck her.

She was stunned, not by the monster's strength but by its weakness. She still hasn't felt a thing.

The red clouds intensified, seemingly in a state of rage. A face materialized within the clouds; this time, thousands of red lightning bolts and a few golden ones appeared.

One of the golden lightning bolts even had a hint of purple.

This time, she felt something akin to an insect crawling on her skin.

She laughed and punched up!

The world changed color, and a hole appeared within the red clouds!

The face was completely destroyed, and the clouds scattered after a while.

The cloud monster died with 1 punch from her!

"Well, this cloud monster that everyone feared wasn't all that strong," she remarked.

Unbeknownst to her, even a single red lightning bolt could be lethal to an ordinary Yin Yang Transformation cultivator.

"Great, my body feels slightly stronger after getting hit by so much lightning, although not by much."

She secretly regretted killing it. Who knows when she will find another one.

Finally, with a resounding boom, the barrier of the 20th level of Qi Condensation loosened, and she successfully reached the 20th level.

Before she could even contemplate progressing further in qi condensation, her foundation was established, propelling her immediately to Foundation Establishment's peak and directly reaching the core formation.

But the breakthrough continued. She shattered the limits again, ascending to the peak of Core Formation.

The in a mutation, the monster core beneath her abdomen and her golden core fused together, leading to her immediate attainment of the Nascent Soul stage, with a peculiar Nascent Soul unlike any other.

This ten-headed Nascent Soul possessed an aura far surpassing what a Nascent Soul should have.

Her progress continued, passing through the barrier of a nascent soul and reaching the pinnacle of Soul Transformation.

Yet, the barrier shattered again, allowing her to enter the peak of the Ascendant stage.

As if the journey knew no end, the barrier broke once more, and she finally reached the peak of Yin Yang Transformation, even faintly surpassing the Yin Yang Transformation stage.

Though she had not yet entered the second step, she now stood as the strongest being beneath it.

Her aura became mysterious, making it difficult to discern whether she was a monster or a human.

Her progress finally ended, and she looked at herself.

"I didn't expect to gain as much as I did this time."

She had acquired a lot this time, and her strength had increased by an unbelievable amount. "But why stop now? I still have 30 minutes left with the "Overwhelming Strength" skill."

After all, yin-yang transformation monsters give a lot of XP.

With that thought in mind, she ventured deeper into the forest to continue slaying monsters.

After some time, she returned to the former base of the Cloudy Sky Sect. "Now that my power has diminished due to the drawback of the Overwhelming Strength skill, it's best to lay low for a while."

She checked on her harem and felt relieved to see they were all fine.

Returning to her room, she began to contemplate her plans. "Now, let's name this place Hao Palace. I'll need to hire people to repair it. Although most of the treasures were consumed by me, some remain. With them, hiring workers to restore this place won't be difficult."

"Then, I'll turn this place into a sect, my own sect!" she thought excitedly.

"I'll assemble a lot of handsome boys and form a big harem that every protagonist in the world would envy it." she laughed loudly.

"I can send notices to all the provinces' cities stating that I'm hiring. I'm sure many talented individuals would be interested in joining," she mused.

"As they progress in their cultivation, I'll gain a ton of experience points and won't need to hunt monsters myself."

With her plans in mind, she decided to rest until the weakness period of the Overwhelming Strength skill had passed.