Inside the grand hall of what had once been the Ice Polar Sect, the young Daoist sat with a grave expression, lost in thought.
Li Canghai did not disturb him, quietly savoring his tea.
After a long silence, Luo Chen finally shook himself from his contemplation.
"Thank you for informing me of this, Senior. I shall verify it in person!"
Li Canghai set down his teacup with a faint smile. "A trivial matter. In truth, it is hardly a secret; anyone with a slight grasp of formations who pays close attention to the lay of the land and shifts in spiritual veins can discern the clues."
Luo Chen smiled wryly. The man before him was an almighty master of formations; what he casually termed a "slight grasp of formations" likely demanded an understanding far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals.
Though Luo Chen had barely stepped into the realm of a formation grandmaster himself, it had been achieved purely through grind and accumulated proficiency; his innate talent was relatively modest. Unless necessary, he rarely observed the great shifts of heaven and earth through the lens of formation dao.
"I almost forgot—you are an alchemy grandmaster. At your age, reaching such a consummate height in alchemy is already extraordinary. How could I expect too much of you in formation dao?" Noticing Luo Chen's helpless smile, Li Canghai realized his slip. He had been somewhat misled by Luo Chen's performance in forcibly penetrating the Mist Concealing Spirit Bewildering Array; now it seemed that getting through that formation had relied far more on those eyes.
At that thought, a sudden impulse struck Li Canghai.
With a casual wave of his hand, a sheet of black parchment glided before Luo Chen.
"What is this?"
Catching the parchment, Luo Chen found it icy cold to the touch and ragged at the edges, missing nearly half its contents.
At the very first glance, his eyes lit up.
"Spirit Nurturing Pill?"
Li Canghai smiled. "Indeed. I obtained this pill recipe by chance. According to its description, it should be at the fourth rank. Regrettably, the latter portion was destroyed, and it has sat idle in my hands for years. The world calls you the Eastern Desolation's Alchemy Grandmaster, second only to the Central Plains' Alchemy Saint in the art of alchemy. I wonder if you can complete this recipe?"
"The world exaggerates, though I do possess some modest understanding of alchemy," Luo Chen replied humbly, his gaze already fixed upon the parchment.
With just a brief glance, a surge of pleasant surprise welled up in Luo Chen's heart.
Though half of the Spirit Nurturing Pill recipe was indeed missing, the first portion was remarkably complete.
In particular, the primary ingredients and vital auxiliary ingredients—even their proportions—were fully recorded.
As for the damaged portion, it likely contained common supplementary ingredients, refinement conditions, prohibitions, and the like.
With Luo Chen's mastery of alchemy, given sufficient time, completing a fourth-rank pill recipe posed no difficulty at all.
In fact, after merely skimming the remnant recipe, at least three different paths to restore it had already formed in his mind.
And for good reason!
This recipe shared subtle parallels with the Great Soul Pill from the Heaven Refining Demon Lord's thirty-six pill recipes.
One strengthened the soul while the other nurtured the spirit, but both focused on nurturing and fortifying the divine soul.
Even among the primary ingredients, they shared the exact same material—Soul Essence!
"Soul Essence?"
Luo Chen's expression stirred slightly. Glancing at Li Canghai, who held an expectant look, a thought surfaced in his mind.
Holding the parchment, he pondered for a brief moment before speaking candidly: "Senior Li, this recipe of yours must have originated from the Yuan Demon Sect, correct?"
Li Canghai chuckled. "You are quite sharp, little friend, to deduce its origin in a single glance. Indeed, this Spirit Nurturing Pill recipe truly hails from the Northern Sea's sacred ground, the Yuan Demon Sect—and from the Soul Refining lineage, one of its three primary branches, no less. That lineage pursued the absolute strength of the soul, cultivating with Soul Nurturing Banners and fighting with Soul Refining Banners; in this realm, their soul methods were unrivaled. And this Spirit Nurturing Pill was the favored medicine of the Soul Refining lineage's Nascent Soul True Persons."
As expected!
Luo Chen's suspicion was confirmed.
An ingredient as depraved yet incomparably rare as Soul Essence was produced only in the Northern Sea within the entire Mountain Sea Realm.
And the Northern Sea's extraction method for Soul Essence originally stemmed from that Transformation God sacred ground, the Yuan Demon Sect!
If any flawless method existed under heaven to utilize Soul Essence, it had to have come from the Yuan Demon Sect.
Unfortunately, following the fall of the Yuan Demon Sect, vast amounts of Soul Essence had nowhere to be offered as tribute, nor did Northern Sea cultivators possess the proper methods to use it. Consequently, much of it became mere curiosities in the collections of local powerhouses.
It was not that no one had attempted to research ways to utilize Soul Essence, but anything concerning a cultivator's divine soul was perilous in the extreme.
The slightest carelessness could easily inflict grievous self-harm.
Take Old Monster Netherfire, one of the Twelve Stream Lords of the Moluo Stream, who had made such an attempt.
Old Monster Netherfire had even been exceedingly cautious, choosing not to apply it directly to his own soul, but merely using Soul Essence to nurture his true fire. Even so, the fire's spiritual awareness had exploded out of control and backfired on him, nearly devastating his cultivation.
He was straying too far in his thoughts.
Essentially, the moment Luo Chen noticed Soul Essence as the primary ingredient, he had deduced the recipe's origin.
"Can it be completed?" Li Canghai asked, looking at the parchment. "If you can, wonderful. If not, it matters little. I merely loathe seeing such a rare soul dao pill recipe vanish from the world."
A fourth-rank soul dao pill recipe was truly of no use to a Transformation God almighty cultivator.
His purpose in producing it was simple.
Preserving the recipe was one motive, while lightly testing whether Luo Chen's title of Alchemy Grandmaster was deserved was the other.
So far, Luo Chen's performance was quite good—he had deduced its origin swiftly—but that was merely "quite good."
To his surprise, Luo Chen smiled faintly and smoothed out the parchment.
"It is quite simple. I have at least two methods to complete this recipe; it merely depends on which one Senior prefers."
Li Canghai looked intrigued. "Oh?"
Luo Chen said with calm confidence, "One pursues an extreme route, using supplementary ingredients to vigorously stimulate the primary ingredients such as Soul Essence, causing the ingesting cultivator's divine soul to expand and grow mighty. The other pursues a gradual, progressive route, drawing forth the primary ingredients' effects bit by bit so the cultivator's divine soul receives gentle, moistening nourishment—a path far truer to the original intent of the Spirit Nurturing Pill."
This time, Li Canghai was genuinely astonished.
In such a brief span, with merely a glance or two at a fragmented recipe, he had devised ways to restore it?
And two methods at that?
Was this truly what it meant to be an alchemy grandmaster?
Yet he had known several alchemy grandmasters in the Northern Sea over the years; they were merely capable of refining a few types of fourth-rank pills, completely incapable of such a feat!
What he did not know was that Luo Chen was no ordinary alchemy grandmaster; he was a grandmaster who had drawn upon the strengths of hundreds of schools and forged his own complete, distinct alchemical style.
He was but a single step away from the level of an Alchemy Sage.
Furthermore, both the Spirit Nurturing Pill and the Great Soul Pill employed Soul Essence as their primary ingredient, making the pairing of auxiliary ingredients remarkably similar.
Still harboring a trace of doubt, Li Canghai said directly, "If you are in no rush, little friend, why not write down both completed recipes?"
"As you wish, Senior; I would not dare decline!"
Luo Chen gave a light laugh, retrieved two sheets of xuan paper, and wielded his brush freely. In the span of a single cup of tea, the restoration methods for both Spirit Nurturing Pill recipes were laid out upon the paper.
"Senior, please take a look!"
Li Canghai compared the black parchment with the two sheets of paper.
He had dabbled in alchemy himself; by the standards of ordinary cultivators, he was at least at the level of an alchemy master, possessing a solid foundation in the art.
To his eyes now, either method could seamlessly connect with the original remnant recipe.
"Time was short, so I merely listed the subsequent auxiliary ingredients. I have yet to mark the precise proportions and refining techniques. Nonetheless, those pose no problem; after spending a little time experimenting with a few batches, one can easily establish the optimal refining standards. Is Senior satisfied?"
Li Canghai looked up. The extraordinarily confident expression on the young man's face was an uncanny reflection of his own countenance whenever he spoke of formations.
Setting down the sheets, he sighed in genuine admiration. "Luo Chen, Grandmaster of Alchemy—the rumors do not do you justice!"
Luo Chen smiled faintly, declining to act modest any longer.
He was entirely worthy of the praise!
Li Canghai stowed the recipes, gave it some thought, and said, "Since Fellow Daoist has completed this recipe for me, it is only right that I return the favor. Allow me to grant you an opportunity!"
"Hm?"
Luo Chen paused, not having expected any reward.
Li Canghai smiled faintly. "The sword art Fellow Daoist displayed earlier—it is a single-use expendable technique, is it not?"
Luo Chen's expression stirred. "Senior's insight is sharp as ever. That is indeed the case. Cultivating that sword art is arduous in the extreme, requiring one's own magic power to refine nine heavens firmament qi into peerless sword qi. Its might is exceedingly rare in this world, but its drawback is equally glaring: once depleted, it is terribly difficult to replenish."
Li Canghai had seen through it clearly.
Presumably, the hundreds of strands of sword qi Luo Chen had unleashed to parry his blow had been his entire reserve.
"I know of a place where countless strands of nine heavens firmament qi are gathered," Li Canghai said. "If you wish to restore that sword art to its peak, you might search there."
Luo Chen's interest was instantly piqued.
"Please instruct me, Senior!"
"The place is actually quite renowned. You will recognize it the moment I mention it. Its name is the Arctic Yama Heavens!"
...
Upon the Blue Ice Sea.
Having fully recovered, the Black King coiled across the icy surface, craning his neck in anticipation.
Xiao Bai stood atop his head, leaning against a dragon horn as she gazed toward Bingpo Spirit Mountain.
The two chatted idly, though neither was truly paying attention; their focus remained fixed entirely on the mountain.
At nightfall.
Beneath the faint blue moonlight reflecting off the ice, a dark silhouette drifted down the mountain.
"Master, are you all right?"
"Master, Xiao Hei missed you to death!"
"I'm fine," Luo Chen replied to Xiao Bai before turning his gaze to the Black King. "Truly missed me, or just pretending?"
The Black King wept dramatically. "Of course I truly missed you! Ever since I was separated from Master in the Yellow Springs Sea, Xiao Hei hasn't been able to eat or sleep—I've gotten so thin!"
"Heh." Luo Chen looked at his bloated dragon body with a faint half-smile. "How is it that Senior Li Canghai told me that when he found you, you were back in your old home, feasting gluttonously with a beauty in each arm, living in absolute leisure and luxury?"
The Black King was dumbstruck.
Why did that old man blab about such things!
He had been his master for a time, after all—didn't he know not to air dirty laundry?
Luo Chen could not be bothered to argue with him. With a wave of his sleeve, a flying shuttle materialized before them.
"Get on!"
"Master, where are we heading?" Seeing that Luo Chen was unharmed, Xiao Bai relaxed considerably. Recognizing the Frost Eagle Shuttle, she knew a long journey lay ahead and asked out of curiosity.
Luo Chen surveyed his surroundings, his resolute gaze finally settling toward the south.
"First, to the Central Plains!"
The Frost Eagle Shuttle rose into the air. Xiao Bai took the helm, while Luo Chen produced a jade disc and used his divine sense to imprint the remnant Spirit Nurturing Pill recipe. Shrinking his size, the Black King crouched upon Luo Chen's shoulder, muttering endlessly about everything that had happened after their separation in an attempt to salvage his image of loyalty in his master's eyes.
Luo Chen listened half-heartedly, caring little about the dragon's period of carefree indulgence; his attention was on the remnant recipe.
When he first laid eyes on it, his instincts had yielded at least three ways to complete it.
He had shared the first two with Li Canghai, but he had barely touched upon the third.
That was because the third method was not mere completion, but optimization—one that would even involve altering the configuration of the primary ingredients.
Still, that was a project for when he had free time later. The pressing matter at hand was to verify Li Canghai's words.
Was the Tianyuan Dao Sect truly preparing to reunite the Central Plains and recreate Heaven and Earth Peak?
...
After the Great Tribulation of the Central Plains, this continent—the largest landmass in the Mountain Sea Realm—had fractured into five parts: four continents facing east, south, west, and north, and a colossal island named Heaven and Earth Island, which bore the severed Heaven and Earth Peak.
The Western Continent had already sunk, and many of the cultivators upon it, including three of the Twelve Great Clans, had been swept away into the Yellow Springs Sea.
The remaining three continents had become sanctuaries where cultivators of the Tianyuan Dao Sect dwelt and recuperated.
The Libei Continent was the closest to the Northern Sea.
It was overseen by three top cultivation clans from the former Twelve Great Clans—the Gu, Tan, and Gu families—its strength second only to the Dongyuan Continent where the Dao Sect's ancestral court stood.
Yet over the years, the Libei Continent had not had an easy time either.
A vast influx of sea demons from the Northern Sea frequently assaulted the Libei Continent, draining the energy of numerous experts.
Thus, when a man, a beast, and a ghost quietly slipped onto the Libei Continent, not a soul detected them.
In a vast inland lake, a palace had been constructed beneath the water, where numerous figures bustled about in constant activity.
Centered upon this palace, extensive formation patterns radiated outward, stretching so far into the distance that their ends were nowhere in sight.
Luo Chen strolled leisurely along the lines of the formation. Cultivators brushed past him in close proximity, completely oblivious to his presence.
Proceeding inward, his eyes never left the formation patterns until he finally stopped outside a stone chamber at the core of the subterranean palace.
He did not enter, for he already knew everything he needed to know.
"Li Canghai did not lie to me!"
Luo Chen turned and left.
Emerging from the subterranean palace, he soared straight into the highest heavens.
Opening his Scarlet Eyes and Golden Pupils, paired with the divine sense projected from his congealed primordial spirit, he surveyed the entire Libei Continent from a macroscopic vantage point, even gazing toward the other two continents.
He observed in silence, magic power circulating within him as his primordial spirit seemed to merge with heaven and earth.
Faintly, he detected the flow of heaven and earth origin qi; on occasion, his eyes could even catch flickers of spiritual opportunity leaping and shifting.
"Reuniting the Central Plains is no great feat for Transformation God almighty cultivators; even we of the Nascent Soul realm possess the power to move mountains and fill seas."
"Yet the Tianyuan Dao Sect's deployment of such massive formations is not merely about pulling several continents back together."
"They are guiding the spiritual opportunities as well!"
"If Heaven and Earth Peak truly is the core of the God Descent Array, then these spiritual opportunities must be converging toward it."
Xiao Bai manifested at Luo Chen's side, asking with puzzlement, "Master, if that is the case, why not destroy these formations?"
Luo Chen countered, "Li Canghai knew before I did, and he has designs against the Tianyuan Dao Sect as well. Why didn't he destroy them?"
Xiao Bai fell silent.
Luo Chen shook his head. These formations were merely peripheral branches; even if destroyed, they could easily be rebuilt.
The true core was Heaven and Earth Peak, and that spirit treasure capable of suppressing the spiritual opportunities of an entire continent—the Lanke Chessboard!
Striking rashly now would serve no purpose other than drawing down the Tianyuan Dao Sect's devastating wrath.
Thus, the only path was to wait and act when the time was ripe!
Yet waiting with folded arms was never Luo Chen's style.
"Let us go—to the Arctic Yama Heavens!"
Chapter 1052