Golden Core Breakthrough

Golden Core BreakthroughGong Kind Gold is a special kind of Breakthrough, used in Xiandao Cultivation, where the Cultivator forms a Golden Core. For the duration of the Breakthrough, Qi is refined into their Golden Core, based on internal and external factors. The golden core has a fixed tier, and influences the base Max Qi of the cultivator and breakthrough chances after it is formed.
== Golden core quality ==
The Quality of a Golden Core is determined during its formation. Unlike other Breakthroughs, it is impossible to fail in forming a Golden Core, but a low-tier one won't be nearly as useful as a high-tier one. The Golden core quality is permanently fixed and cannot be improved once the Golden Core has been formed without rebirth.
=== Golden core score ===
The Golden Core score gets transferred to Max Qi, every point of GC Score provides 0.015 points of base Max Qi (BAddV)XiaWorld.NpcPractice.MakeGold(). It is uncapped.
=== Golden core tier ===
The golden core tier is the roman numeral number attached to the golden core, going from IX to I. Achieving a golden core score above 300,000, also known as a Tier 0, illuminates its panel in the game goal tab but this is not linked to the achievement system, and the tier is still treated as Tier I in all functional purposes. The golden core tier influences breakthrough chances.
Tier	Min. GC Score	Min. Base Max Qi (BAddV)
0 	300,000 	+4,500
I 	145,000 	+2,175
II 	85,000 	+1,275
III 	55,000 	+825
IV 	40,000 	+600
V 	30,000 	+450
VI 	21,000 	+315
VII 	13,000 	+195
VIII	6,000 	+90
IX 	0 	
== Factors and Formula ==
=== Factors ===
The following is a list of factors that influence the amount of Golden Core Quality gained per tick. Max Qi is not listed, as while it is important, it influences the Breakthrough Duration, not the Quality gained per tick. Those factors will be detailed below.
* Law Match
* Luck
* Mental State
* Qi on Tile
* Element composition on Tile
* Yin Yang
* Season
* Weather
=== Base Formula ===
The number of points earned per second itself isBased on XiaWorld.NpcPractice.GoldEffectSpeed:
* until 145,000 GC score (T1): AdditionalScore Per Second = (30 + \frac{TileQi}{50}) * LawMatchF * LuckF * MentalStateF * YinYangF * WeatherF * SeasonF * TileElementF
* after 145,000 GC score: AdditionalScorePerSecondPostGC1 = AdditionalScorePerSecond * \frac{100000}{currentGCScore}
==== Duration ====
The cultivator undergoing the breakthrough loses 30 Qi per second and has their natural Qi Recovery (Qi "regeneration") disabled. This makes the breakthrough last for \frac{MaxQi}{30} seconds (for reference, an in-game day is 600s). The only way to increase this duration is to increase Max Qi before the breakthrough, or by an Epiphany that directly refills Max Qi. All other sources of Qi Recovery are disabled during the Breakthrough.
The Breakthrough ends when the Cultivator runs out of Qi (reaches 0), or when it's interrupted by events in the Player Sect, such as the player cancelling the breakthrough or being attacked by Monsters / Invaders.
=== Law of Nimbus Conquest formula ===
The formula for Law of Nimbus ConquestDLC cultivators is different due to its two cores. For them, the Yang Core is treated as a one, and the Yin core as a . Moreover, instead of the flat 30 in the formula, it is replaced by the following:
* Yang core: ReplacedBase30Yang = 30 * \frac{MapLight*0.01 - 0.1}{0.9}
* Yin core: ReplacedBase30Yin = 30 * (1 - \frac{MapLight*0.01}{0.9})
==Improving Max Qi==
===Inherent Law bonus===
All laws get +250% Max Qi (AddP) when reaching Core Shaping, except Six Paths Reincarnation Law which gets varying bonuses who sum to +300% Max Qi (AddP) total before the GC breakthrough. Due to the way Six Paths Reincarnation Law works, you can have a Qi overflow before the breakthrough. However, this bonus does not result in a better GC score as the qi is set to the current max at the start of the breakthroughXiaWord.hing.AddLing(), when called, sets the Qi to a maximum of MaxQi, which means the Qi overflow results in an additional second of GC breakthrough and that's it..
=== Qi sense ===
* Earthmother - Sunflower Refining Law: +5
* Purified Energies - Myriad Artifact Law: +2
**Purified Energies II - Myriad Artifact Law exclusive, learn from the Inspiration Tree: +5
* A Comprehensive History of Serica - Otherworld Rift: +5
* Spell of Impurity - Law of Nimbus ConquestDLC: +3
*Kunlun Competition: +1 by choosing debate with a qi or core shaping Cultivator.
*Cultivation branch: +1 Qi Sense Skill Level per 10 Effectiveness score of the Branch leader.
===Manuals===
The elements that feed and are fed by the Cultivator's element should be learned first and the counteracting element manual(s) last (or not at all) to minimize Inspiration cost.
Manual 	Law 	Bonus 	Extra
Unity Chant 	Six Paths Reincarnation Law	+50% (AddP) 	
The Compass Doctrine 	Grand Chariot Wisdom Law 	 	
Aquamarine Chant 	Sixteen Supreme Steps Law 	 	
Helios Gaze 	True Sun Refining Law 	 	
Skyfire Meridians 	True Sun Refining Law 	 	
Lunar Form 	Sunflower Refining Law 	causes loss of Phallus for Male cultivators. No adverse effect for Xiandao Cultivation. 	
Lesser Lunar Form 	Sunflower Refining Law 	+15 Base (BAddV) 	Second level of Lunar Form. Exclusive to Sunflower Refining Law, learn from Inspiration Tree.
Way of the Nine Provinces 	Sunflower Refining Law 	+50% (AddP) 	
Cloudy Confluence 	Primordial Symbols Law 	Law can usually be obtained early on from He Zudao with the Social Minigame 	
Reformed Lifeblood 	Heaven Stealing Law 	causes Heart Injury and Pain, healed with Panacea Pill. Eat T9 BEFORE learning this manual.
Law is randomly obtainable by opening Ancient Caskets	
Pure Yang Infinity Manual - Positive	SpecialDLC 	Obtained from the Wudang DuckDLC with the Social Minigame in the Chinese version of the game	
Refined Tonic 	Primordial Alchemy Law 	 	
Reabsorption Chant 	Primordial Alchemy Law 	+30% (AddP) 	
Revitalized Physique 	Primordial Alchemy Law 	+70% (AddP) 	Second level of Reabsorption Chant.
Exclusive to Primordial Alchemy Law, learn from Inspiration Tree.
Doctrine of Self-Nourishment 	Emotion Severing Law 	 	
Conditioning Chant 	Myriad Artifact Law 	 	
Conditioning Chant II 	Myriad Artifact Law 	+20% (AddP) 	Second level of Conditioning Chant. Exclusive to Myriad Artifact Law, learn from Inspiration Tree.
Conditioning Chant III 	Myriad Artifact Law 	+30% (AddP) 	Third level of Conditioning Chant. Exclusive to Myriad Artifact Law, learn from Inspiration Tree.
Conditioning Chant IV 	Myriad Artifact Law 	+40% (AddP) 	Fourth level of Conditioning Chant. Exclusive to Myriad Artifact Law, learn from Inspiration Tree.
Seven-Slaughtering Form 	Seven-Slaughtering Sword 	+50% (AddP) 	
Waterfall Flow 	Jade Purity Immortal Law 	 	
Elemental Origins 	Jade Purity Immortal Law 	 	
Heavenly Breathing 	Law of Nimbus ConquestDLC 	-120 Lifespan 	
Spell of Impurity 	Law of Nimbus ConquestDLC 	+50% (AddP) 	-10 Base Mental State, -0.4 Qi Absorption Efficiency
Pure Yang Positivity 	Law of Nimbus ConquestDLC 	 	
Pre-GC Total (Without DLC or law exclusives)
 +20% Base Max Qi (%), +215 Base Max Qi (flat), +540% Max Qi (%), +1000 Max Qi (flat)
===Max Qi Medicine===
Medicine has Medicine Resistance, which means they get less effective every consumption. Once you get access to Specter Refinement or Tao Refinement you'll be able to raise the tier of medicines to tier 12, making them more potent (penalties included). The order of consumption does not matter and the total Qi will be the same for the same items consumed.
This list doesn't include Pre-GC Sun Pill optimizations, for which you should consult the Max Qi page. For the source(s), only the most accessible ones are mentioned, refer to the item page for a full list.
Name	Bonus (base tier)	Amount to eat	T12 bonus 	Medicine resistance	Source(s) 	Details
 	+50% Base (BAddP)	2 (99%)
3 (99.9%)	+103.68% Base (BAddP)	90% 	
*Camping: Gemspring Cave, Poison Dragon Lake
* Luck-based Adventure: Gemspring Cave (x1, special)
*HighFind Adventure: Exultant Isle (x1, 2.5%)
*Spirit root: Feed (Blessed)	
T9 	+10% Base (BAddP)	1 (100%) 	+17.28% Base (BAddP) 	100% 	
*Camping: Alchemist's Peak (x10)
*Failed alchemy craft	Causes (fatal if not treated) injuries on consumption, cure with another cultivator and Panacea Miracle.
Eat BEFORE learning Reformed Lifeblood.
 	+100 Flat (AddV) 	11 (99.12%)
17 (99.93%)	+298.5984 Flat (AddV)	35% 	
*Camping: Wyvern Pool (x3 stacks of 1-50), Reattainment TempleDLC (x1 stack of 1-50)
*Adventure: Mt. Sunshade
*Farming: (4%)
*Treasure Hunt: Mt. South, The Great Snowland	
 	+100 Flat (AddV) 	11 (99.12%)
17 (99.93%)	+298.5984 Flat (AddV)	35% 	
*Camping: Reattainment TempleDLC (x1 stack of 1-50)
*Adventure: Mt. Cassia (Riverbank Plains, x4, 16.7%), Mt. Nelumbo (x5, 12.5%)
*Farming: (4%)
*Trade (R, 400 Favor): Skydome Palace
*Treasure Hunt: Wild South	
DLC 	+600 Flat (AddV) 	2 (99%)
3 (99.9%)	+1037 Flat (AddV) 	90% 	
*Camping: Reattainment TempleDLC (x1)
*Trade (SR, 1000 Favor): Wudang SectDLC
*Alchemy
*Random trade: any sect (x10, 75 ), Merchant (x10, 250 )	The Random trade value appears to be way lower than expected compared to the item power and its value as a SR Trade item.
 	+30% (AddP) 	(special) 	+62.2% (AddP) 	10% 	
* Luck-based Adventure: Poison Dragon Lake (x1, special)
*HighFind Adventure: Exultant Isle (x1, 2.5%)
*Trade (SR, 1000 Favor): Daemonia Temple , Mt. Hundred Insects, Wudang SectDLC
*Spirit root: Feed (Cursed), Cursed Spirit Root Event (50-100% Growth and Mature)
*Treasure Hunt: Great Desert	
* -10 Base Mental State
* As it removes base Mental State, you want to compensate it with manuals raising it, so Medicine resistance matters less
 	+50 Base (BAddV) 	(special) 	+72 Base (BAddV) 	10% 	
*Trade (SR, 1000 Favor): Daemonia Temple
*Spirit root: Feed (Cursed)	
*Decreases PER/CON/INT by 10% (AddP)
*Cause injuries on consumption
*As it lowers Attributes, Medicine Resistance matters less as you can only eat as much as you can compensate with overcapped attributes.
 	+25 Base (BAddV) 	44 (99.03%)
66 (99.90%)	+43.2 Base (BAddV) 	10% 	Boss fights	
 	+25 Base (BAddV) 	44 (99.03%)
66 (99.90%)	+43.2 Base (BAddV) 	10% 	Boss fights	
From a disciple's "Health" screen (heart icon) you can fold out the "Medicine Resistance" tab (right arrow) to see what the disciple has already eaten and how much future eating of the same thing will be reduced in effectiveness.
==Attributes==
Attributes have several roles during a GC breakthrough:
*Luck directly multiplies the golden score gain per second as a separate factorXiaWorld.NpcPractice.LuckEffectGold().
*Law Match %, based on your Law desired Attributes, is a factor for golden core score, treated as a fraction (so 103% law match = 1.03) and multiplying the Qi score separately.
*Constitution, Intelligence, and Perception are the Attributes improving Max Qi. However, only full points provide a bonus so going from 4.6 intelligence to 4.8 doesn't result in an improvement in Max Qi (but can still be an improvement in Law Match if they're attributes required by your law).
In case they're not in your Law desired attributes, refer to the table below to check how much of a bonus you need for Constitution, Intelligence and Perception to have an effect on your Max Qi.
Base Attribute	% bonus per full point
9 	11.12%
8 	12.5%
7 	14.29%
6 	16.7%
5 	20%
4 	25%
3 	33.33%
2 	50%
1 	100%
===Permanent boosts to all attributes===
The full list is available on the Five Attributes page. Hereafter are listed the ones available (and without important detrimental downsides) pre-GC, although most aren't practical or available early on.
*: +10-17.28% (T12) All (AddP), +500-864 (T12) Lifespan. Camping: 1 in (unlocked at the start of the game) (see page for other sources).
*: +10-17.28% (T12) All (AddP), -60-103.68 (T12) Lifespan
*Immortal's Mortal Body Remold (Primordial Alchemy Law): +0-40% All (AddP)
*Remolding Miracles: +20-90% All (AddP), permanent. Luck doesn't have a Remolding Miracle. Those remoldings have to be done as a mortal.
*: +20% All (AddP), knocks the user out for 81 days
*Blessed spirit root ripened fruit event: +10% All (AddP), not stackable. Each spirit root gives +10% (AddP) in its related stat, and the bonus has to be gotten separately from each spirit root type.
Manual 	Element	Bonus (AddP)	Stage Requirement	Law (if applicable)
Visceral Blaze 	 	5% 	Core Shaping 	True Sun Refining Law
Landscape Evolution	 	30% 	Core Shaping 	Law of Nimbus ConquestDLC
===Other bonuses===
Randomly generated manuals obtained from the Social Minigame or Invaders can also boost your attributes.
====Equipment====
*, Primordial Symbols Law: +3% base all (AddP), +24% all (perfect T6), +42% all (perfect T12).
*: +5% Intelligence (AddP)
*: +5% Constitution (AddP)
*: +2.4-9% Charisma (AddP) depending on Material
*: +10% Charisma (AddP)
*: +1.5% Charisma (AddP)
*: +5% Luck(AddP) as it's always 0 quality
*DLC: +2.5% to +15% (AddP) depending on material. Camp: 2 in Southrock PalaceDLC
====Temporary bonuses====
*: +30% Perception, Intelligence, Constitution (AddP), 48 hours
*: +30% Luck (AddP), 48 hours
*: +30% Perception (AddP), 48 hours
*: +30% Intelligence (AddP), 48 hours
*: +30% Constitution (AddP), 48 hours
*: +30% Charisma (AddP), 48 hours
====Circumstancial bonuses====
*Cultivation Branch: +10% Intelligence (AddP) per 10 Effectiveness score of the Branch leader. In case Qi sense isn't needed, other branches give different stat bonuses.
*: +5% all (AddP)
*Spirit Relic (Feng Shui): +10% base in any Attribute but luck (AddP), max +40%.
*: +10% Constitution, +20% Charisma (AddP)
*: +10% Intelligence (AddP)
*Spirit Root cultivation buff: +20% in related attribute (AddP), several Spirit Root buffs can be cumulated depending on area coverages.
====Cursed Spirit Roots orthodox manuals====
Those manuals can only be learned by a cultivator of the same element as the spirit root, and can't be transcribed nor do they cost attainment. They're learned the first time a spirit root reaches 100% curse (if they didn't reach 100% bless before) by all eligible cultivators in range.
*: +100% Perception (AddP)
*: +100% Constitution (AddP)
*: +100% Charisma (AddP)
*: +100% Intelligence (AddP)
*: +100% Luck (AddP)
===Luck===
The luck factor is equal to 0.8 + 0.075 * Luck. It maxes out at 10 but is not rounded otherwise, so 4.5 Luck would improve GC score more than 4 Luck and less than 4.6.
Luck	Golden core score
10 	x1.55
9 	x1.475
8 	x1.4
7 	x1.325
6 	x1.25
5 	x1.175
4 	x1.1
3 	x1.025
2 	x0.95
1 	x0.875
0 	x0.8
Following are the pre-GC Manuals improving Luck.
Manual 	Element	Bonus (AddP)	Stage Requirement	Law (if applicable) 	Details
Wild Punch 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	 	also +10% Intelligence and Perception (AddP)
only when starting with the Reincarnator Xiao Xiami
Way of Heavenly Fortune	 	20% 	Core Shaping 	 	See manual wiki page for obtainment
Landscape Evolution 	 	30% 	Core Shaping 	Law of Nimbus ConquestDLC	
Heavenly Harmony 	 	10% 	Core Shaping 	Jade Purity Immortal Law 	
===Perception===
Manual 	Element	Bonus (AddP)	Stage Requirement	Law (if applicable) 	Details
Wild Punch 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	 	also +10% Intelligence and Luck (AddP)
only when starting with the Reincarnator Xiao Xiami (human male)
Awakened Heart 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	 	also +10% Intelligence (AddP)
only when starting with the Reincarnator Mi Zhisheng (human male)
Crystaleye Chant 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	Primordial Alchemy Law 	
Conditioning Chant 	 	5% 	Qi Shaping 	Myriad Artifact Law 	also +5% Constitution (AddP)
Conditioning Chant II 	 	5% 	Qi Shaping 	Myriad Artifact Law 	also +5% Constitution (AddP)
Second level of Conditioning Chant, exclusive to Myriad Artifact Law cultivators
Conditioning Chant III	 	5% 	Qi Shaping 	Myriad Artifact Law 	also +5% Constitution (AddP)
Third level of Conditioning Chant, exclusive to Myriad Artifact Law cultivators
Conditioning Chant IV 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	Myriad Artifact Law 	also +10% Constitution (AddP)
Fourth level of Conditioning Chant, exclusive to Myriad Artifact Law cultivators
Third Eye Incarnate 	 	10% 	Core Shaping 	Six Paths Reincarnation Law	
===Constitution===
Manual 	Element	Bonus (AddP)	Stage Requirement	Law (if applicable) 	Details
Kunlun Immortal's Law 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	 	also 10% Intelligence (AddP)
when starting with the Reincarnator Zhao Da (human male) can also appear in Auction or as a random Trade Item.
Conditioning Chant 	 	5% 	Qi Shaping 	Myriad Artifact Law 	also +5% Perception (AddP)
Conditioning Chant II 	 	5% 	Qi Shaping 	Myriad Artifact Law 	also +5% Perception (AddP)
Second level of Conditioning Chant, exclusive to Myriad Artifact Law cultivators
Conditioning Chant III 	 	5% 	Qi Shaping 	Myriad Artifact Law 	also +5% Perception (AddP)
Third level of Conditioning Chant, exclusive to Myriad Artifact Law cultivators
Conditioning Chant IV 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	Myriad Artifact Law 	also +10% Perception (AddP)
Third level of Conditioning Chant, exclusive to Myriad Artifact Law cultivators
Defiled Image 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	Heaven Stealing Law 	also -20% Charisma (AddP)
Refined Tonic 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	Primordial Alchemy Law 	
Essence Chant 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	Primordial Alchemy Law 	
Earthen Absorption 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	Six Paths Reincarnation Law	
Seven-Slaughtering Form	 	20% 	Core Shaping 	Seven-Slaughtering Sword 	
Defiled Senses 	 	10% 	Core Shaping 	Heaven Stealing Law 	also -20% Perception (AddP)
The Compass Doctrine 	 	10% 	Core Shaping 	Grand Chariot Wisdom Law 	
Skyfire Meridians 	 	10% 	Core Shaping 	True Sun Refining Law 	
===Intelligence===
Manual 	Element	Bonus (AddP)	Stage Requirement	Law (if applicable) 	Details
A Comprehensive History of Serica	 	20% 	Qi Shaping 	 	Also +5 Qi Sense
Related to Otherworld Rift secrets
Wild Punch 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	 	also +10% Perception and Luck (AddP)
only when starting with the Reincarnator Xiao Xiami (human male)
Awakened Heart 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	 	also +10% Perception (AddP)
only when starting with the Reincarnator Mi Zhisheng (human male)
Kunlun Immortal's Law 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	 	also +10% Constitution (AddP)
when starting with the Reincarnator Zhao Da (human male) can also appear in Auction or as a random Trade Item.
Records of the Perfected Warrior 	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	Grand Chariot Wisdom Law	
Cleansing Flame 	 	10% 	Core Shaping 	True Sun Refining Law 	
===Charisma===
Manual 	Element	Bonus (AddP)	Stage Requirement	Law (if applicable) 	Details
Doctrine of Self-Nourishment	 	10% 	Qi Shaping 	Emotion Severing Law	
Gaia Plane 	 	10% 	Core Shaping 	Emotion Severing Law	
*
==Season==
Each element gets the maximal Season bonus at a different time of the year. Your season factor will vary linearly each day between the intervals detailed in the table. Refer to the Season for the detailed calculation and examples. The Season also applies restrictions on weathers and their related miracles. Law cultivators (except Law of Nimbus ConquestDLC) ignore that factor (equal to 1). The season factor multiplies the GC Score gain per second as a separate factorXiaWorld.NpcPractice.WeatherEffectGold().
Law	Element of the Law	11 Spring	25 Spring	11 Summer	25 Summer	11 Autumn	25 Autumn	11 Winter	25 Winter
*Grand Chariot Wisdom Law
*Seven-Slaughtering Sword	 	0.9 	1.3 	0.7 	1.3 	1.1 	1.3 	0.9 	1.3
*Six Paths Reincarnation Law
*Myriad Artifact Law	 	1.1 	0.9 	0.9 	0.9 	0.7 	0.9 	1.3 	0.9
*Sixteen Supreme Steps Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yin Core)	 	0.9 	0.7 	0.9 	0.7 	1.3 	0.7 	1.1 	0.7
*True Sun Refining Law
*Emotion Severing Law
*Primordial Alchemy Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yang Core)	 	1.3 	0.9 	1.1 	0.9 	0.9 	0.9 	0.7 	0.9
*Sunflower Refining Law
*Heaven Stealing Law	 	0.7 	1.1 	1.3 	1.1 	0.9 	1.1 	0.9 	1.1
==Weather==
The Scripture of Heaven Prayer Manual (Golden Core difficulty) from the Primordial Symbols law teaches all the weather miracles in one go. You may have to cast several times to keep the duration up for the whole breakthrough. Miracles respect the seasons restrictions. The weather contribution of each current weather is added, then the weather factor is calculated with 1 + 5*SumWeathersContribution, with a maximum of 1.6XiaWorld.NpcPractice.WeatherEffectGold(). The resulting number multiplies the GC Score gain per second as a separate factor. Only the best weathers that can be triggered by the players at golden core and below are mentioned, see the Weather page for the full list.
Law	Element of the Law 	Weather 	Weather 	Weather 	Miracle / Trigger 	Miracle / Trigger	Miracle / Trigger
Law	Element of the Law 	Contribution	Name 	Season Availability	Name 	Stage Requirement	Qi Cost
All except:
* Primordial Symbols Law
* Jade Purity Immortal Law	Not Except Law of Nimbus Conquest (DLC)	0.1 	Air of Cultivation 	 	Immortal's Mortal Body 	 	
*True Sun Refining Law
*Emotion Severing Law
*Primordial Alchemy Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yang Core)	 	0.08 	Noxious Air 	Spring and Summer 	 	Golden Core 	20,000
*True Sun Refining Law
*Emotion Severing Law
*Primordial Alchemy Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yang Core)	 	0.02 	Clear Skies 	 	 	Qi Shaping 	3,000
*Sixteen Supreme Steps Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yin Core)	 	0.08 	Thunderstorm 	Summer and Autumn 	 	Golden Core 	20,000
*Sixteen Supreme Steps Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yin Core)	 	0.03 	Heavy Rain / Heavy Snow	 	randomlyRain dance, either from Fei or the Miracle, changes the weather either to Light Rain or Heavy Rain, with 50% chance for both (XiaWorld.ToilAbsorbGong.OnStepToil() [case 20] & Settings/Esoterica/Esoterica_Magic.xml [Magic_PrayForRain_1]	Qi Shaping 	3,000
*Six Paths Reincarnation Law
*Myriad Artifact Law	 	0.08 	Rainstorm 	Summer and Winter 	 	Golden Core 	30,000
*Six Paths Reincarnation Law
*Myriad Artifact Law	 	0.06 	Heavy Rain / Heavy Snow	 	randomly 	Qi Shaping 	3,000
*Grand Chariot Wisdom Law
*Seven-Slaughtering Sword	 	0.08 	Dust Storm 	Spring and Winter 	 	Golden Core 	20,000
*Grand Chariot Wisdom Law
*Seven-Slaughtering Sword	 	0.02 	Clear Skies 	 	 	Qi Shaping 	3,000
*Sunflower Refining Law
*Heaven Stealing Law	 	0.08 	Foehn Wind 	Summer and Autumn 	 	Golden Core 	20,000
*Sunflower Refining Law
*Heaven Stealing Law	 	0.02 	Clear Skies 	 	 	Qi Shaping 	3,000
*Jade Purity Immortal Law
*Primordial Symbols Law	 	0.02 	Clear Skies 	 	 	Qi Shaping 	3,000
Air of Cultivation optimal usage
Once you get access to Air of Cultivation, it becomes the best possible Weather breakthrough for elemental cultivators. However, while it clears previous non-boss weathers on cast, new weathers can still be cast on top of it (since as explained in the weather events, it has an unique type). So you can use Fireworks (Dragon) to trigger the Spring Festival Weather for additional Tile Qi, and another miracle to optimize Lighting conditions and thus the Yin-Yang multiplication factor during Breakthroughs. It is also possible to trigger a weather with +2% breakthrough chance or better as the weather factors maxes at 0.12 and Air of Cultivation only adds 0.1.
==Yin Yang==
The ambient Light (not tile light) determines this aspect, which roughly corresponds to the hour of the day, with some variations due to Season and Weathers (for those that affect Light). It is entirely unrelated to the lighting given off by nearby Lamps, which don't play a role. As a general rule:
* and laws prefer Light as high as possible,
* and prefer Light as low as possible,
* and except Law of Nimbus Conquest (DLC) prefer twilights.
The table below chose a selection of date ranges that coincides with best seasonal factor (or in the case of Metal laws, the 2 seasons for their best weather). If your date is not within these ranges consult the detailed tables in the Light page or just take the closest row to your date. The Ying Yang factor multiplies the GC Score gain per second as a separate factorXiaWorld.NpcPractice.LightEffectGold().
Law	Element of the Law	Date Range 	0-3 	3-4 	4-5 	5-6 	6-7 	7-8 	8-9 	9-17	17-18 	18-19 	19-20 	20-21 	21-22 	22-0
*True Sun Refining Law
*Emotion Severing Law
*Primordial Alchemy Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yang Core)
*Six Paths Reincarnation Law
*Myriad Artifact Law	 	6 Spring → 13 Spring 	0.84	0.84 	0.84 	0.84 	0.84 → 1.20 	0.84 → 1.20 	1.2 	1.2 	1.20 → 0.84 	1.20 → 0.84 	0.84 	0.84 	0.84 	0.84
*True Sun Refining Law
*Emotion Severing Law
*Primordial Alchemy Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yang Core)
*Six Paths Reincarnation Law
*Myriad Artifact Law	 	14 Spring → 15 Spring	0.84	0.84 	0.84 	0.84 	0.84 → 1.20 	0.84 → 1.20 	1.2 	1.2 	1.20 → 0.84 	1.20 → 0.84 	1.20 → 0.84 	0.84 	0.84 	0.84
*True Sun Refining Law
*Emotion Severing Law
*Primordial Alchemy Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yang Core)
*Six Paths Reincarnation Law
*Myriad Artifact Law	 	16 Spring → 20 Spring	0.84	0.84 	0.84 	0.84 → 1.20 	0.84 → 1.20 	0.84 → 1.20 	1.2 	1.2 	1.20 → 0.84 	1.20 → 0.84 	1.20 → 0.84 	0.84 	0.84 	0.84
*True Sun Refining Law
*Emotion Severing Law
*Primordial Alchemy Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yang Core)
*Six Paths Reincarnation Law
*Myriad Artifact Law	 	5 Winter → 5 Spring 	0.84	0.84 	0.84 	0.84 	0.84 → 1.20 	0.84 → 1.20 	0.84 → 1.20 	1.2 	1.20 → 0.84 	1.20 → 0.84 	0.84 	0.84 	0.84 	0.84
 	 	 	0-3 	3-4 	4-5 	5-6 	6-7 	7-8 	8-9 	9-17	17-18 	18-19 	19-20 	20-21 	21-22 	22-0
*Grand Chariot Wisdom Law
*Seven-Slaughtering Sword
*Sixteen Supreme Steps Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yin Core)	 	21 Spring → 26 Spring	1.16	1.16 	1.16 	1.16 → 0.8 	1.16 → 0.8 	1.16 → 0.8 	0.8 	0.8 	0.8 	0.8 → 1.16 	0.8 → 1.16 	1.16 	1.16 	1.16
*Grand Chariot Wisdom Law
*Seven-Slaughtering Sword
*Sixteen Supreme Steps Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yin Core)	 	21 Summer → 27 Summer	1.16	1.16 	1.16 → 0.8 	1.16 → 0.8 	1.16 → 0.8 	1.16 → 0.8 	0.8 	0.8 	0.8 	0.8 → 1.16 	0.8 → 1.16 	0.8 → 1.16 	1.16 	1.16
*Grand Chariot Wisdom Law
*Seven-Slaughtering Sword
*Sixteen Supreme Steps Law
*Law of Nimbus Conquest (Yin Core)	 	5 Winter → 6 Spring 	1.16	1.16 	1.16 	1.16 	1.16 → 0.8 	1.16 → 0.8 	1.16 → 0.8 	0.8 	0.8 → 1.16 	0.8 → 1.16 	1.16 	1.16 	1.16 	1.16
 	 	 	0-3 	3-4 	4-5 	5-6 	6-7 	7-8 	8-9 	9-17	17-18 	18-19 	19-20 	20-21 	21-22 	22-0
*Sunflower Refining Law
*Heaven Stealing Law
*Jade Purity Immortal Law
*Primordial Symbols Law	 	5 Summer → 28 Summer 	1.08	1.08 → 1.4 → 1	1.08 → 1.4 → 1	1.08 → 1.4 → 1	1.08 → 1.4 → 1	1 	1 	1 	1 	1 → 1.4 → 1.08	1 → 1.4 → 1.08	1 → 1.4 → 1.08	1 → 1.4 → 1.08	1.08
*Sunflower Refining Law
*Heaven Stealing Law
*Jade Purity Immortal Law
*Primordial Symbols Law	 	26 Autumn → 11 Spring	1.08	1.08 	1.08 	1.08 → 1.4 → 1	1.08 → 1.4 → 1	1.08 → 1.4 → 1	1.08 → 1.4 → 1	1 	1 → 1.4 → 1.08	1 → 1.4 → 1.08	1 → 1.4 → 1.08	1.08 	1.08 	1.08
As some Weathers affect light, they also influence this aspect.
Optimizing Earth and None Yin-Yang factor
Regarding (and ), it prefers neutral light, and due to lack of good weather bonus, weathers that prioritize yin yang are more important since the weather factor is at most 1.10 but yin yang can be raised to 1.4.
*You can use during the night (where yin yang factor reaches 1.08) through to help yin yang slightly and during the day (where yin yang factor reaches 1).
*The best way to maintain a positive multiplier over long periods of time is by starting in the morning, using the Yin Yang Stela once the sun rises above 63 Light, then immediately after the Cloud Dispelling Miracle (or the Lushu one).
==Mental State==
Mental State should be 95% and higher aka. Pristine. The Mental State factor multiplies the GC Score gain per second as a separate factorXiaWorld.NpcPractice.MindStateEffectGold() & XiaWorld.GameDefine.MindState2GoldDan{}. Mental state under 100 doesn't lower during breakthrough (above 100 will lower to 99 gradually), so for early game, while it is a good idea to raise it to 100 - possibly helped with Talismans like the to speed up the gain, no particular effort has to be made. Players making extensive consumption of however will want to maintain a Base Mental State at 95 or above, detailed below.
Mental state	Mental state	Mental state factor
>= 	< 	Mental state factor
95 	 	2
85 	95 	1.5
70 	85 	1.2
50 	70 	1
30 	50 	0.6
 	30 	0.3
Maintaining mental state
The Mental State page contains a full list of effects, and only the more basic ones will be mentioned here. Very few talismans help for the golden core breakthrough, namely Heavensent Talisman and possibly a talisman to help temperature if you have hot/cold Qi gathering items. As a consequence it is usually worthwile to use the one or two extra slots on the best Base Mental State talisman(s) you have. Here are the 3 best options.
*: +45 Base Mental State (see page for obtainment)
*: +4.5 base Base Mental State, +36 (perfect T6), +63 (perfect T12). Its disadvantages don't affect Golden Core breakthrough.
*: +3.6 base Base Mental State, +28.8 (perfect T6), +50.4 (perfect T12).
You can also equip or other items helping Base Mental State:
*: +5 Base Mental State
*: +2.5 Base Mental State as it's always 0 quality
*DLC: +3 to +18 Base Mental State depending on material
Unless you have no other option, temporary effects like the (+4, 300s) and (+15, 600s) should be avoided as they remove their bonus mental state on expiration, and as mental state lowers to 99 this is a way to get below 95 mental state if the breakthrough is long enough.
==Cultivation Room==
===Tile Qi===
The Qi on the tile the breakthrough happens improves the base golden core score gain (before multipliers) by \frac{TileQi}{50}, uncapped. It is thus sensible to use a Cultivation Room design making use of Gather Qi items. For players wishing to use more advanced mechanics, a Manual Qi burst and if necessary a Qi fountain can be deployed to improve that number further.
===Tile Element Composition===
For a Cultivator, this factor is always 1. Otherwise, the tile on which the breakthrough happens has to have high strength on the cultivator's element to maximize the Tile Element Composition factor. As most gather qi items are also Element emitters, a proper cultivation room may easily maximize the bonus. Moreover, weather also can affect the Tile element, and the best weather for each element (excluding Air of Cultivation) usually adds Tile Element that feeds them.
To check if you're maximizing the bonus, cultivate for a few seconds on the spot and verify that the "Element" bonus in the Efficiency Panel of the Cultivation tab of the cultivator has 5 "+".
Element Strength	Element Strength	Tile Element Composition factor
>= 	< 	
1.85 	 	1.5
1 	1.85 	1.25
0 	1 	1.1
-1 	0 	0.9
-1.9 	-1 	0.75
 	-1.9 	0.5
Early game considerations
As the early gathering qi items are relatively weak emitters, it is a factor to pay attention to in early game. If you don't have enough gather qi items to maximize tile Element Strength, or have very weak gathering qi items, use the unused spaces to place emitters Decorations of the proper element, or give up on some gathering qi items to add decorations instead. You can also try to improve the flooring quality by making it out of a better material, for example by using offcut flooring instead of .
Another commonly underestimated factor is the Huge Ginkgo Tree, often used for their 5 range Gather Qi effect. As they have an element emit of range 5 as well, they'd still emit at a strength of 9.72 at their maximum range (which is very high for early game). Due to their detrimental effect on the Tile composition, only cultivation rooms should make use of those trees.
===Additional bonuses===
* adds 999 flat Max Qi (AddV) if charged up and placed in the room where the breakthrough will occur.
*The Divine Law Formation Ancient Formation adds 999 Max Qi (flat) if the skill is used above the breakthrough spot.
*Feng shui relics improving attributes (for law match%, Max Qi or Luck factor) will have a beneficial effect as well.
==Inner Cauldron==
Once you are at a breakthrough and continue to cultivate, your cultivator's Inner Cauldron fills up with a slowly accumulating bonus to Max Qi. This takes years of gametime to fill at the default speed. Usually not worth bothering to fill unless you have +1000% Cultivation Speed or even more, although there might be a few months of sitting around cultivating while you wait for the right season and collect medicine.
== Guides and other Links ==
The following list contains of links that are either guides, or have any relevancy to the Golden Core Breakthrough.
* Golden Core Checklist - A basic guide on Golden Core Breakthrough, as a checklist
* Pre-GC Sun Pill + Spirit Seed - An advanced guide on Golden Core Breakthroughs, focused on consuming Spirit Seeds at Core Shaping.
* GCQ Calculator - A Desmos calculator, giving an estimate resulting Golden Core Quality value based on the inputs provided. Meant for longer breakthroughs due to using averaged values for cyclical factors, not as accurate for shorter breakthroughs.
=== Mods ===
Golden Core Assistant - A more detailed GC Score estimation, shows current values for the factors. Not a guarantee of the end result, since it doesn't take into account changes in factors. [Translation link].
== References ==