Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering, I Am the Hall Master

"Don't, hold on right there!" Mi Shuhua waved his hands in a flurry. "Any territory with earth fire is mostly occupied by sects or cultivation clans. It's not something loose cultivators like us can get our hands on." Asking for minor concessions was one thing, but earth fire was truly beyond his power to provide. Seeing Luo Chen pout, Mi Shuhua shook his head with a chuckle. "Come now, why overthink it? Upper-grade pills can't be forced. As long as you can reliably produce mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills, you'll earn more and more down the road. If all else fails, I can always procure a mid-grade or upper-grade pill furnace for you later." *Can't conquer high-end technology, so you choose to refine the low-end instead?* *The old man is shrewd indeed.* Luo Chen spread his hands, showing he took the point. "Besides, my asking about the Earth Fire Fiend was mainly to warn you." Mi Shuhua's expression turned serious, his tone admonishing. "Before reaching Foundation Establishment, a cultivator should steer clear of anything related to fiend energy. You won't be able to handle it." "Oh? How so?" "Fiend energy is excessively destructive. If it accidentally enters your body, it will wreak havoc on your dantian, your meridians, and even the spiritual power you've already refined. "If you want to live a few more years, stay away from that stuff." Luo Chen blinked. Was there really such a rule? He hadn't known. Moreover, when concocting pills earlier and channeling the Earth Fire Fiend with the Fiend Control Incantation, he hadn't felt any discomfort at all! …… Not knowing whether Mi Shuhua had been trying to scare him, Luo Chen brought up the topic during a meal with Wang Yuan. Wang Yuan's answer surprised him. "Fiend energy is indeed harmful to Qi Refining cultivators. "However, it depends on what kind of cultivator." Wang Yuan unhurriedly chewed a piece of meat as he spoke. "Any cultivator who focuses primarily on Qi refining should avoid fiend energy at all costs—unless they reach Foundation Establishment, when their spiritual sense can extend outward and precisely detect fiend energy entering the body." "Yet we Qi Refining cultivators can manage internal inspection with some effort, and paired with the Spiritual Eye Art, can't we detect fiend energy?" Wang Yuan glanced at him. "You've killed people, right?" Luo Chen paused. As a proud transmigrator and cultivator, he certainly wasn't innocent of bloodshed! "Killing people also accumulates fiend energy, though it belongs to the formless kind, commonly called spiritual fiend. "Have you ever sensed that fiend energy on yourself?" That stumped Luo Chen completely. He truly had never sensed any fiend energy on his own person. Yet he also agreed with Wang Yuan's reasoning. Anyone who slaughtered excessively accumulated fiend energy; even a butcher who slaughtered pigs often gave off a fierce, hardened aura. Looking into it, that aura never appeared overnight, but built up through repeated acts of slaughter. In other words, the few robbers Luo Chen had killed could very well have left him with some fiend energy. Yet he had never noticed it. Since the conversation had reached this point, Luo Chen naturally asked about Wang Yuan's earlier remark. "Cultivators who focus primarily on Qi refining are harmed by fiend energy, but other cultivators aren't?" "Body cultivators aren't." Wang Yuan took another leisurely bite of meat, pointing at himself. "Like me!" Luo Chen froze. "Why do you think my cultivation progresses so quickly?" Wang Yuan said flatly. "Because I use fiend energy to temper my spiritual power, and then to polish my physical body." *Tempering spiritual power?* *Isn't that the purification of spiritual power done in the late Qi Refining stage?!* Now Luo Chen truly couldn't sit still. "Fiend energy can even be used to purify spiritual power?" "Of course. Fiend energy is fiercely destructive, tolerating no foreign intrusion. If a wisp enters the body and is controlled properly, it can steadily wear away the impurities within one's spiritual power." "Wouldn't that damage the cultivator's body, though?" "And how do you find my physique?" Luo Chen understood at once. Wang Yuan's physique had been exceptionally formidable even before he began refining Qi. A mortal martial grandmaster was all about boundless vitality and a body like vajra. From the fact that Wang Yuan had created the Mountain-Cleaving Monument-Breaking Palm back then, it was clear his physique had been tempered through a thousand trials long ago. And once he embarked on Qi refining, under the tempering of spiritual energy, he had likely grown even more formidable. "Naturally, letting fiend energy into the body requires not only a mighty physique, but also an unyielding will to fight against it. "The path walked by Qi refiners centers on refining Qi, with refining the spirit as an aid. Body cultivators, however, center on refining the body, with refining the will as an aid. "Without a resolute will, the pain brought by body cultivation is something ordinary people cannot endure." Rarely had Wang Yuan spoken at such length. There was no intent to show off, merely a simple statement of fact. Looking at the slightly dejected Luo Chen, he shook his head. "The technique to polish the body and temper spiritual power with fiend energy—I can teach it to you. But I don't suggest you try it. Because it is truly agonizing." Regarding his own physique, Luo Chen had always felt he wasn't doing poorly. He regularly consumed plenty of spirit rice and demonic beast meat, and the Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid served to bolster vitality and wash away physical impurities. It was precisely because of these factors that he had picked up Carefree Wandering and the Mountain-Cleaving Monument-Breaking Palm so quickly. Compared to Wang Yuan, however, he paled in comparison. If even Wang Yuan described it as terribly agonizing, one could imagine how terrifying it was for fiend energy to enter the body. Yet Luo Chen was still unwilling to let it go. Even if he couldn't use it now, could he not use it in the future? Once he reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining, he could certainly enhance his physical strength and then attempt to let fiend energy enter. Wang Yuan held nothing back, recounting the technique word for word to Luo Chen. "Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering?" "Mm. Back when I reached the pinnacle of martial arts, I personally slew an arch-devil of the pugilistic world." Speaking of the past, Wang Yuan's tone took on a rare touch of wistfulness. "After slaying him in his devil's den, I obtained his legacy, which included this Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering method. "Only then did I learn why a previously respected senior had turned into an arch-devil terrorizing the jianghu in just a few short years. "He had discovered a place of fiend energy, and drawing upon two cycles of martial experience—a full one hundred and twenty years—he created this martial art, Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering. He used fiend energy to refine his body and then transformed vital essence into Qi, forcefully transitioning from the martial path to the immortal path. "Yet it was precisely because of the fiend energy entering his body, combined with his advanced age and declining vitality, that over the years his mind was lost, and he fell to the demonic path. "The reason I was later able to step onto the path of cultivation was, in large part, thanks to that senior." From these past tales, it wasn't hard for Luo Chen to picture how free and uninhibited Wang Yuan had been in the mortal martial world. Practicing martial arts to achieve the Innate realm. Entering the devil's den to slay the arch-devil. And that slain arch-devil might have had a glorious past of his own. Two cycles of martial experience meant one hundred and twenty years. Adding his adolescent years before studying martial arts, the arch-devil must have been a hundred and thirty or forty years old. That age surpassed almost all Qi Refining cultivators. Shaking his head, Luo Chen picked up his wine cup and took a sip. Just as he went to pick up some food, he realized the meat on the table was completely gone! All gone! No wonder Wang Yuan had paused to talk so much—the man had finished all the meat while doing so. Yet his movements earlier had seemed so "unhurried"! Luo Chen rolled his eyes and had the waiter bring several more plates of meat. Having just received his dividend, he was rather wealthy. This restaurant was newly opened in Dahe Market and offering discounts, so they could indulge to their hearts' content today! While waiting for the dishes to be served, Luo Chen casually handed over a jade bottle. "These are Jade Marrow Pills I've concocted recently. Even among mid-grade pills, they belong to the tier with the finest appearance and potency. "Brother Wang, take them and give them a try." Wang Yuan smiled, about to say he didn't really need such pills and that Luo Chen was considerate to think of him, but his expression shifted slightly, and he silently accepted it. Afterward, the two continued drinking and chatting over demonic beast meat, parting only when dusk fell. …… "A Blood Burning Pill, a first-grade pill derived from the Blood Fiend Pill? "Asking me to find someone to test its effects?" Inside the secret chamber, Wang Yuan gazed at the two blood-red pills, an emotional expression appearing on his face. With so much time passing without word from Luo Chen, he had thought Luo Chen had given up on that second-grade pill recipe. He hadn't expected Luo Chen to keep it in mind all along. Though he still hadn't concocted the Blood Fiend Pill, he had painstakingly deduced a first-grade pill of the same origin. "Test the medicine?" Wang Yuan chuckled softly and turned to leave the secret chamber. Arriving at the Flood Dragon Hall, he gathered his subordinates. "At today's gang assembly, Gang Leader Mi finalized the matter of establishing a stronghold in Taishan Market. "I don't wish to delay. Tomorrow morning, you will all accompany me to Taishan Market to ask the Cheng family whether they intend to surrender their ancestral grounds. "If they refuse, a clash will be inevitable. Make sure you are prepared!" …… "Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering! "Clarity of mind and perception of nature, harmony of spirit and intent. "Rather than calling it a technique for tempering fiend energy, it is more like a secret method for tempering spiritual intent." After pondering it carefully over a dozen times, Luo Chen arrived at this conclusion. As for what spiritual intent was, Luo Chen understood it as soul and willpower. And the soul was something nearly all cultivators touched upon, as the soul gave birth to spiritual sense, which was foundational to a cultivator alongside Qi refining. Willpower was even easier to understand—virtually all living beings possessed it. Those with weak willpower would quail in terror at a single glare, whereas those with strong willpower could remain unfazed even if subjected to a thousand cuts. That represented an immense tolerance for pain, sorrow, despair, and all sorts of negative emotions. Luo Chen didn't dare use Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering to draw fiend energy into his body just yet; in Wang Yuan's eyes, his physique was still far from qualified. Polishing the physical body was not something accomplished overnight either. Therefore, Luo Chen planned to cultivate this Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering method first. If nothing else, he would strengthen his willpower beforehand. And how was one to strengthen willpower? Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering stated it quite simply: confront negative emotions! Did Luo Chen have negative emotions? A little, perhaps, but certainly not much. After all, concocting pills and cultivating every day, without mortal danger or the need to flee into hiding, made for a rather joyful cultivation life. If he had none, though, he could create some! The simplest negative emotion was physical pain. Following the method of Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering, Luo Chen mobilized a tiny cluster of spiritual power and brought it before an acupoint on his foot. The Yinlingquan acupoint, an acupoint on the Spleen Meridian of Foot Taiyin. This acupoint was a confluence point for the entire meridian, where the Qi and blood of the spleen meridian gathered. Once Qi and blood were obstructed here, even the slightest touch would produce agonizing pain. Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen blocked the point with that cluster of spiritual power. "Hey, nothing to it!" "Looks like I, Luo Chen, am also a man of formidable willpower!" …… Early the next morning, Caiyi rose early. After washing up, she stepped out of her courtyard and called Luo Chen to go have breakfast together. Walking along the misty street, the two chatted casually about various decisions made at the gang assembly the previous day. Suddenly, Caiyi looked at Luo Chen with a furrowed brow. "What's wrong with you? Why are you limping?" "*Hiss*—nothing! Truly, nothing at all!" Luo Chen said, keeping his expression normal. Yet watching the veins pulsing on Luo Chen's forehead from time to time, Caiyi still felt something was off. …… Luo Chen had underestimated the Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering technique. At first, he hadn't felt much, but as Qi and blood backed up, the throbbing, distending agony grew increasingly intense. And that was merely the first acupoint. According to Wang Yuan, thirty-five more would be involved later. This Yinlingquan acupoint on his foot was merely the easiest of the lot. At the thought of so many acupoints waiting to be stimulated one by one, Luo Chen felt his scalp tingle. Still, he understood why the technique had such exacting requirements. Be it martial grandmasters or immortal cultivators, their physiques were inherently powerful. To make them feel pain was no longer something ordinary external forces could accomplish; one had to work from within. Through repeated stimulation of acupoints, a person's pain tolerance threshold would continually rise. Put another way, their willpower would grow ever stronger! Only with sufficiently strong willpower could one endure the agony of fiend energy entering the body. The so-called "shattering" was not shattering the fiend energy itself, but shattering the pain brought by that fiend energy. Back then, that arch-devil had found a place of fiend energy, yet failed to find a place of spiritual energy. Thus, he had only been able to stimulate his body with fiend energy, passively transforming vital essence into Qi. Regrettably, his aging body and failing vitality ultimately could not withstand the corrosion of fiend energy. By comparison, Wang Yuan had been far more fortunate. He had obtained this technique after achieving the Innate martial realm, and later arrived at Dahe Market, coming into contact with the cultivation world, where he could absorb plenty of ambient spiritual energy. The two complemented each other, allowing him to truly embark on the path of a body cultivator. *Logically speaking, Bright Spirit Fiend Shattering counts as a cultivation method, so why hasn't an entry appeared on my panel?* *Is it because I haven't truly reached the entry level yet?* Enduring that sharp pain every second, Luo Chen pondered the question. And it was at the moment his attention wavered that a scorched smell drifted out. "Hall Master, this batch of Jade Marrow Pills failed." "Mm, I know." Luo Chen's expression remained unchanged as he waved his hand to tell them to halt and prepare for cleanup. Leaving the pill room, Luo Chen furrowed his brows. He could still tolerate the intense pain caused by stimulating the acupoints. But with his attention divided, it was having a negative impact on pill concoction. Although his proficiency with the Jade Marrow Pill had reached Grandmaster level, even Grandmaster level carried a failure rate as high as fifty percent. Yet that batch hadn't failed after pill formation; it had failed beforehand because a minor detail was neglected when his focus slipped. *Looks like I'll need to pay closer attention in the future.* Luo Chen never considered abandoning cultivation of this technique. Even though he had yet to reach the stage of drawing fiend energy into his body, he had to persevere, because it involved willpower and, eventually, the soul. To be honest, Luo Chen didn't hold high hopes for his own willpower. Claiming that someone who grew up in a safe, peaceful nation possessed immense willpower was an absolute joke. Failing an exam or losing a job could send such a person into despair. Even though nearly two years had passed since his transmigration and he cultivated daily, that was merely thanks to a persistent character. Luo Chen aimed for longevity! And pursuing longevity inevitably meant undergoing an immensely long journey across the years. Along that journey, one would weather countless storms. Without a sufficiently strong heart, one would sooner or later lose their way on the path of cultivation. Now that he had this technique to forge his mind and temper his will, how could he possibly give it up? By comparison, failing a few pill concoctions was entirely acceptable. Besides, the consequences of failure were borne by the Mountain Breaker Gang. When split down to his share, it was merely a difference of several or a few dozen spirit stones in revenue. Second by second, time slipped by amid pill concoction. By dusk, when taking stock of the finished Jade Marrow Pills and the consumption of raw ingredients, Sikong Shoujia noticed today's failure rate was rather high. In the past, a full day's yield usually hovered around a fifty-percent success rate. Today, however, it was under thirty percent. To this, Luo Chen offered a simple explanation: "My cultivation hit a snag, which has troubled me and left me restless while concocting pills. Once I adjust, my condition will return." Sikong Shoujia nodded, accepting the explanation. …… Inside the cavern, spiritual energy was dense. A figure sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, lips slightly parted. With a deep inhalation, two faint, transparent vortexes were swallowed into his belly. Luo Chen opened his eyes, concluding today's cultivation with satisfaction. His progress had moved forward a bit more, drawing ever closer to the eighth layer of Qi Refining. His gaze fell to the ground, where the pot of moonlight grass Fu Xiuxiu had given him was growing exceptionally lush. Previously only a few centimeters tall, it was now the size of his palm. "It seems the abundant wood-attribute spiritual energy drawn by the Spirit Gathering Formation is also very beneficial to the growth of such spirit herbs!" Murmuring an appreciative remark, Luo Chen donned an outer robe and walked out of the cavern. Following the specially excavated underground tunnel, he soon arrived at Mount Changyin. With his Breath Concealment Spiritual Art operating normally, Luo Chen inhaled the fresh mountain air, feeling invigorated. Stepping out of the narrow crevice, Luo Chen headed outward. He intended to explore Mount Changyin properly. Of course, this was the territory of demonic beasts, so he couldn't swagger about openly. Luo Chen merely planned to explore bit by bit, at least familiarizing himself with the surrounding terrain. That way, even if he encountered danger in Crescent Moon Valley later on, he wouldn't flee blindly after escaping here via the underground tunnel. A cunning hare kept three burrows; Luo Chen naturally needed to find more safe havens for himself. This time, the scope of his exploration wasn't large, spanning only about five li. Whenever he came upon potentially dangerous spots, he would toss out a waste Jade Marrow bead to test the waters. If anything seemed amiss, he retreated immediately. When the sky began showing the pale white of dawn, Luo Chen wisely returned to Crescent Moon Valley. Today's scouting had gone well, confirming most of the nearby conditions. Moreover, he noticed far fewer demonic wolves nearby than before. He didn't know whether too many had died in infighting or if they had migrated elsewhere. Before heading up, Luo Chen followed his routine of cleansing any demonic Qi he might have picked up in the mountains. In the process, he naturally avoided the wisp of spiritual power on his shoulder. "Huh?" With a soft exclamation, Luo Chen's face gradually darkened. The last time he checked, that wisp of spiritual power, while pure, had been dispersing and showing signs of weakening. This time, however, he found the spiritual power had been restored to its original strength. High-ranking figures were said to possess enduring, inexhaustible magic power, but in the relatively low Foundation Establishment stage, he had never heard of any method to make spiritual power permanently self-sustaining. In other words, this restored wisp of spiritual power had recently been replenished by new spiritual power of the same source. *Yesterday?* *Mi Shuhua sought me out not just to talk about the Earth Fire Fiend; he probably used some covert means then to reinforce this spiritual tracking mark.* Without hesitation, Luo Chen pinpointed the truth instantly. With a shifting expression, Luo Chen sighed. That old man truly kept a tight hold on him! …… Ten days later. "Fifty-seven pills recovered: forty-one lower-grade, sixteen mid-grade." After speaking the numbers, Sikong Shoujia looked uncertain. To avoid an error, he counted them once more. Yet no matter how many times he counted, the number of pills on the plate remained the same. He couldn't resist asking, "Hall Master, why is today's pill formation rate even lower than yesterday's?" *You're asking me?* Luo Chen shot him an expressionless glance and turned to leave. What a joke. He had stimulated another acupoint last night, which had hurt like hell. Being able to barely oversee pill concoction today was already a testament to his dedication. Coming to work while suffering from illness, anyone else would praise him, yet this fellow dared to interrogate him? "Luo Chen!" "I am the Hall Master. Matters of pill concoction do not require extensive explanations to a layman like you." With that, he stepped straight into his stone lodge and activated the formation. He couldn't be bothered to explain, but Sikong Shoujia was growing restless. Setting aside his share of profits from the Pill Hall, just five days ago his son had held his wedding ceremony, officially becoming a son-in-law of the Mi family. Thus, the Pill Hall's profits were directly tied to his son's future cultivation resources. Now that profits were dropping, he was more anxious than anyone. Without wasting time, he headed straight for the Mi family ancestral grounds after finishing his duties, seeking out Mi Shuhua. "Gang Leader, the Pill Hall's pill output this month is looking rather low!" "Oh?" Mi Shuhua seemed to have just returned from outside, weariness visible on his face. He rubbed his brow and asked for the details. "Over eleven days, Luo Chen has only concocted eight hundred and twenty lower-grade Jade Marrow Pills and three hundred and fifty-seven mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills. "Compared to previous months, this amount is nearly twenty percent lower!" Hearing these figures, Mi Shuhua couldn't help turning serious. "Did Luo Chen offer any explanation?" Sikong Shoujia replied, "He said his cultivation hit a snag and left his mind restless, making it impossible to focus fully during pill concoction." *A problem caused by cultivation?* Mi Shuhua narrowed his eyes slightly, stroking his beard out of habit. With Luo Chen's five-element spiritual roots, running into cultivation difficulties was entirely normal. Yet no such issue had cropped up before. Perhaps he had hit a bottleneck in the alchemical dao. Last time, he had mentioned wanting to use Earth Fire Fiend to raise the grade of his pills. Had his failure to break through caused his skill to regress instead? As for the exact truth, Mi Shuhua had no way of knowing. Alchemy was technical work where outsiders could hardly dictate terms. After a moment's thought, Mi Shuhua said, "He is a clever man and will surely adjust. We must give him more time. "Besides, take some good news to him tomorrow." As he spoke, he handed something over. Looking at the item, Sikong Shoujia's eyelids couldn't help twitching.