Wang Yuan finished the rest of that sentence.
Yet those four words alone left Luo Chen stunned.
"If body cultivators in ancient times were renowned on equal terms with Qi refiners, how could they have been unable to attain longevity?"
"I don't know the precise reason either."
Wang Yuan sighed. "Perhaps the true methods of body cultivation vanished into the long river of history ages ago. Today, orthodox Qi refiners have become the mainstream of the cultivation world. Even when you occasionally encounter body cultivators, most of them practice it only as a secondary path.
"Or perhaps those body cultivators, despite their peak of overwhelming might, never possessed a method for longevity in the first place. Otherwise, how could they have faded into historical oblivion?"
Through Wang Yuan's subsequent explanation, Luo Chen finally understood why the path of modern body cultivation could not yield longevity.
Cultivators who focused on Qi refining gradually strengthened their divine souls as they continually broke through bottlenecks.
Eventually, the physical body became nothing more than a shell to house the divine soul.
While the shell was prone to decay, the divine soul was immortal, naturally allowing one to attain hundreds or even thousands of years of longevity.
Body cultivation, however, ran counter to that principle.
Instead of refining essence into Qi, it fed massive amounts of spiritual energy back into the physical frame, making the flesh increasingly formidable.
This path was strikingly similar to that of monster beasts.
Yet the human constitution was bound by innate limits. Unlike certain powerful monster beast bloodlines, humans were not born with vast lifespans spanning hundreds or thousands of years.
Consequently, even if a human body cultivator tempered his physique to an unparalleled degree, he still could not escape his predetermined lifespan.
Moreover, the extreme methods employed during body cultivation inflicted severe harm on the body's foundational vitality.
An already meager lifespan would only dwindle further.
When one's limit arrived, a physique honed to its very zenith might suddenly collapse in an instant.
"Perhaps true body cultivators possessed methods to extend their lifespan, but among all the body cultivation techniques I have encountered so far, I haven't found a single one."
Listening to Wang Yuan, Luo Chen could not help but ask, "If that's the case, why not focus wholeheartedly on Qi refining?"
"Because the progress is fast!"
Wang Yuan seemed remarkably at ease with the matter. He chuckled. "As long as one's willpower is strong enough, one possesses the right techniques, and resources keep pace, a body cultivator's cultivation speed is beyond imagination."
Indeed.
Wang Yuan's current cultivation speed had already surpassed ordinary comprehension.
In a brief span, he had approached the physical strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at a truly astonishing rate.
For immortal cultivators like Luo Chen, even with proper cultivation methods and abundant resources, cultivation remained a matter of painstaking, grinding effort.
"I'm in a hurry precisely because time is running out.
"Besides, I am not a pure body cultivator. I treat body cultivation as my primary pursuit and Qi refining as secondary. After all, my eighth-layer Qi Refining cultivation is right here."
Thoughtful, Luo Chen ventured, "You intend to elevate your physical strength to rival Foundation Establishment combat power first, and then leverage that to seek a breakthrough in your immortal cultivation, thereby securing the lifespan granted by the breakthrough?"
Wang Yuan nodded. "Precisely. You and I have both attended auctions, and we have seen the true faces of the major sects. Without the strength of Foundation Establishment or above, it is simply impossible to participate in the normal competition for a Foundation Establishment Pill."
The auction of that Foundation Establishment Pill remained vivid in Luo Chen's memory.
Out of five pills in total, only one had been made available for rogue cultivators to bid on.
Furthermore, Foundation Establishment Pills did not necessarily appear at ordinary, small-scale auctions.
They were guaranteed at grand auctions, but those were held only once every ten years.
For a Qi Refining cultivator, how many decades did one have in a lifetime?
Luo Chen fully supported Wang Yuan's decision.
Had he been in the same position without other options, he likely would have done the same.
After all, a bird in the hand was worth ten in the bush.
Of course, Luo Chen had not yet reached such a desperate plight.
He still yearned for the immortal path of longevity—roaming the Northern Sea at dawn and Mount Cangwu at dusk, serenely watching the sun and moon rise and fall.
The main purpose of today's meeting had been the Blood Burning Pill.
Now that he understood the pill's general effects on cultivators, Luo Chen swiftly adjusted his overarching strategy for this Rank 1 elixir.
Its advantage lay in explosive power, making it suitable as a trump card.
Its drawback was the exorbitant cost coupled with pronounced aftereffects.
Under such circumstances, it was unfit for mass production or regular sale as a standard pill.
Even so, having spent ten achievement points to master it, he was unwilling to simply abandon it.
Therefore, he planned to secretly concoct small batches from time to time and seek alternative channels to sell them.
His idea of an alternative channel was quite simple.
Auctions and the black market!
In those two places, pills with unique effects often commanded staggering prices.
He could not say this strategy was entirely foolproof, and it surely had flaws.
Nevertheless, Luo Chen intended to proceed.
The reason was straightforward: others did the exact same thing.
The Medicine King Sect's Spirit Nectar Pill was also a medicine with unique effects and an exorbitant cost.
It was never sold across the counter at the Spirit Herb Pavilion and could only be encountered by chance at auctions.
Luo Chen was simply taking a page from their book.
As he left the headquarters, Luo Chen suddenly recalled Deacon Miao, whom he had met briefly earlier.
*Barring any surprises, the backer behind the Mountain Breaker Gang—or rather, their partner—is that Jade Cauldron sword cultivator.*
***
Returning to the inner city, Luo Chen went to check on his two small shops as was his custom.
Standing in White Stone Square and observing the thinner foot traffic compared to usual, Luo Chen furrowed his brows.
"Why does it feel like there are far fewer people than before?"
Yuan Xiaoyue stood beside him. "Over the past few days, there really have been fewer people."
"Did something happen?"
"Nothing at all. In fact, because that Golden Core Master arrived, the rewards offered by the Dao Discussion Platform have become even better."
Better rewards?
Shouldn't that have drawn more participants and created a livelier atmosphere?
Luo Chen could not make sense of it.
It was not until the following morning, when his bodyguard Dongfang Liang mentioned a murder in a nearby communal courtyard, that he realized what was happening.
"What about the law enforcement squad?"
"They sent someone to take a look, and then nothing came of it," Dongfang Liang said.
Luo Chen asked in confusion, "Has the law enforcement squad stopped doing their job?"
Luo Chen had known for a long time that the inner city was not completely safe.
Yet with the opening of the Dao Discussion Platform and the establishment of the Sword Pavilion's law enforcement squad, murders and robberies in the inner city had grown increasingly rare.
Even when they did occur on occasion, the culprits were swiftly hunted down and brought to justice.
Dongfang Liang offered no concrete answer. He was merely an unvalued seventh-layer Qi Refining rogue cultivator.
Even within Luo Chen's retinue of bodyguards, he was the weakest.
His usual duties consisted of bringing up the rear, standing watch, or running errands to deliver goods to the two shops for Luo Chen.
Faced with Luo Chen's inquiry, he could only offer a bitter smile. "I'm not sure of the details, but the law enforcement squad hasn't been idling. They seem exceptionally busy lately; they just aren't paying much attention to public order."
Very busy, yet neglecting public security?
Luo Chen grew thoughtful.
When he reached the Pill Hall, the situation he heard from the others was even graver than in the inner city.
"The outer city is falling into total chaos. Rogue bandits are lurking in the alleyways even at dusk."
"You still dare go out at night? I keep my doors and windows bolted tight and don't even dare sleep deeply."
"Back when there were fewer people, it was never this bad. If you ask me, it's all because of the rogue cultivators flooding in from other places. A bunch of outsiders ruined the environment."
"They didn't just ruin the environment; they're stealing our work! My brother was working over at the docks, and two days ago they fired him outright, claiming they hired cheaper rogue cultivators."
"Truth be told, this atmosphere was spurred on by the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion in the first place. But previously, the law enforcement squad suppressed them, so bandits didn't dare act so brazenly. Lately, the squad has completely stopped bothering with the outer city, so naturally killings and robberies are cropping up everywhere."
"Hmph, if this continues, people will start fleeing to safer markets sooner or later."
During lunch, after Luo Chen broached the topic, a chorus of grievances poured forth.
Most cultivators in the Pill Hall were ordinary rogue cultivators who were neither skilled in nor fond of fighting.
They were exceptionally sensitive to incidents of murder and plunder nearby, because such occurrences directly threatened their livelihood.
Yet due to their modest finances, they had no choice but to reside in the outer city.
At first, the outer city had only been dangerous at night.
Later, as the Dao Discussion Platform opened and the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion introduced various policies favoring rogue cultivators, coupled with a secure cultivation environment, tens of thousands of outside cultivators were drawn in within a mere half year or so.
With more people came more trouble.
So long as the law enforcement squad held sway, lawless elements were forced to keep a low profile.
Recently, however, the squad had stopped intervening.
The latent perils brought on by the explosive population growth were beginning to surface, bit by bit.
*Dahe Market feels quite like a powder keg right now. All it needs is a single spark to detonate.*
Luo Chen felt an ever-growing sense of urgency.
Yet having just broken through to the eighth layer of Qi Refining, advancing to the ninth layer in a short time was an absolute impossibility.
*I must possess sufficient strength to protect myself!*
*If I cannot advance my cultivation realm rapidly, I'll have to put more thought into my combat techniques.*
Luo Chen gazed at the translucent status panel, his eyes settling upon several spells as he fell into contemplation.
***
Within a dense forest, waves of energy surged, thick with killing intent.
Two silhouettes clashed ceaselessly. Streaks of gold and green intertwined, felling centuries-old trees in thunderous crashes wherever they passed.
One stood immovable as a mountain, unleashing strikes like rolling thunder.
The other moved like a wraith, leaving hardly a trace to follow even when his opponent pushed the Spiritual Eye Art to its limit.
Suddenly, the wraith-like figure leaped into the air and paused.
Seven streaks of jasper light scattered in all directions before converging as one, transforming into a tempest of blades that descended overhead.
Qin Liangchen's expression turned grim. The golden greatsword hovering above his head slashed violently upward.
*Boom!*
The tempest of blades held out for merely two breaths before shattering.
Yet that collapse did not mean the assault was broken.
The moment the seven flying daggers were deflected, under the manipulation of that wraith-like figure, they wheeled around to strike Qin Liangchen from varying angles. Not only that, but the figure blurred, leaving behind an array of afterimages in its wake, making it impossible to tell the real from the false.
Witnessing this, Qin Liangchen's eyelids twitched violently.
"Enough, I'm done!"
"Your control over artifacts is simply absurd! In all my life, I've never seen anyone wield a set of mid-grade artifacts with the power of high-grade ones!"
In midair, the wraith-like figure poised to shift positions came to an abrupt halt.
The afterimages gradually dissipated, leaving only the true body furthest away.
Luo Chen shed his solemn expression, breaking into a smile.
"That was only because you were holding back, Brother Qin!"
Qin Liangchen curled his lip and flew out of the forest.
He swore he had not held back in the slightest.
Even if they hadn't been locked in a life-and-death struggle, the techniques he used were at his normal level.
After all, he had also needed to familiarize himself with his newly acquired high-grade flying sword.
The truth was that Luo Chen's mastery over artifacts had reached an almost unimaginable level.
In his entire life, Qin Liangchen had never witnessed such a prodigy.
Meeting Qin Liangchen's peculiar gaze, Luo Chen merely smiled without a word.
After half a month of arduous practice, he had finally pushed his proficiency in the Attraction Art to the Great Perfection stage.
It was precisely for this reason that he dared to spar against Qin Liangchen using the mid-grade Jasper Sabers.
A Great Perfection Attraction Art possessed no extraordinary quirks; it simply allowed a cultivator to manipulate magical artifacts with vastly greater ease and precision.
This effortless control might not be particularly obvious with a single artifact.
However, with a set like the Jasper Sabers, the effect was extraordinarily pronounced.
One could say that a Great Perfection Attraction Art allowed a set of mid-grade artifacts to unleash might no less formidable than that of a high-grade artifact.
And over the past half month, his gains had not ended there.
His Wind Riding Technique was also nearing Great Perfection.
He had accumulated considerable proficiency in the Entangling Art as well, placing it not far from Great Perfection.
As for the Spiritual Eye Art, Healing Art, and Cleansing Art, he had not neglected them in the least.
The price he paid was that most of the high-grade Jade Marrow Pills he routinely skimmed off were consumed just to replenish his depleted spiritual energy.
"Why have you been so keen on fighting lately, kid?" Qin Liangchen asked in exasperation. This was already the tenth time Luo Chen had sought him out for a spar over the past half month.
"It's not that I want to! It's just that Dahe Market is growing more chaotic by the day. I need some means to protect myself!" Luo Chen sighed.
Without disputing his words, Qin Liangchen sighed in tacit agreement.
As an elder, he was actually the most idle among them.
He did not preside over an entire hall like Wang Yuan or Luo Wudi, nor was he occupied with the Pill Hall's affairs like Sikong Shoujia.
He had always focused quietly on his cultivation, leaving household matters mostly to Murong Qinglian.
Lately, however, he too had grown increasingly busy.
The three battle halls had been running into trouble frequently, requiring him to step in and lend a hand.
"The Xuanyi Society is getting more out of line. Before, they merely used entering the mountains to battle monster beasts as a pretext to temper themselves.
"Now, their numbers have expanded rapidly, and they seem intent on meddling in the business within the mountains."
Luo Chen frowned. "A repeat of the past?"
"No!" Qin Liangchen shook his head. "They are far more menacing than the Great River Gang back then. After all, they have already blazed their own trail."
"Will it really come to open war in the future?"
"Hard to say."
The Xuanyi Society was far more formidable than the Great River Gang.
Backing them were five cultivation families, among whom the openly known Foundation Establishment cultivators included the Duan family ancestor, Nangong Jin of the Nangong family, and the Li family ancestor.
Although all three were merely at the early Foundation Establishment stage and could not match Mi Shuhua's mid Foundation Establishment cultivation, they had strength in numbers!
Moreover, there was no guaranteeing that the other two cultivation families did not hold ancestral Foundation Establishment trump cards.
If it truly came down to battle, the Mountain Breaker Gang would be in grave peril.
Faced with a struggle involving Foundation Establishment cultivators, both Luo Chen and Qin Liangchen were powerless.
All they could do was preserve themselves as best they could.
If worst came to worst, they would either submit or flee!
The world was vast; there would always be a place for Qi Refining cultivators like them.
"Right, Mi Shuhua has been paying close attention to the output of Jade Marrow Pills lately. Don't provoke his temper by dragging me out to spar every single day."
"Provoke his temper?"
Luo Chen chuckled softly. Mi Shuhua naturally wouldn't lose his temper with him.
Throughout this period, he had not slacked off on alchemy in the slightest.
Or rather, he had revealed just a sliver more of his alchemical prowess.
His pill success rate was far higher than before, and the yield of mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills had risen by ten percent.
Under such circumstances, Mi Shuhua was pleased beyond measure.
The two returned to Crescent Moon Valley, gathered Gu Caiyi and Murong Qinglian, and made their way back to the city together.
Zhou Yuanli and the other bodyguards followed at a distance behind them.
The more tense the atmosphere grew, the harder the bodyguards' duties became, and they had been exerting themselves considerably of late.
In private, Luo Chen had supplemented them with a few mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills.
As for whether this would reach Mi Shuhua's ears, he wasn't worried.
Petty embezzlement could go unnoticed if done occasionally, but after so long, Mi Shuhua surely knew everything he needed to know.
They were merely mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills, useful to the early and middle stages of Qi Refining. So long as it did not affect the larger picture, Mi Shuhua would not fuss over it.
On the way back, the four chatted and laughed.
Suddenly, Luo Chen came to a halt.
Seeing this, the other three stopped as well.
Ahead on the ground, two figures were engaged in a frantic pursuit, exchanging blasts of talismans and artifacts from time to time.
One of them was clearly outmatched. After struggling through a few exchanges, he flew toward Luo Chen and the others.
"Fellow Daoists, save me!"
"Scram!"
Qin Liangchen growled, stepping forward to shield Luo Chen and the rest.
His golden greatsword swept out flat!
Before the figure could draw near, he was swatted flying in another direction.
The pursuer behind froze for a moment, only then realizing that the four before him consisted of three ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivators and one at the seventh layer—people he could not afford to offend.
"Pardon the intrusion!"
Cupping his hands, he hurriedly resumed chasing his prey.
"Hall Master, are you all right?"
Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang rushed forward, asking with concern.
Luo Chen shook his head, casting his gaze into the distance.
Spanning over a hundred li, the outer city of Dahe Market had lost its former peacefulness, growing increasingly restless and volatile.
Now, acts of murder and plunder were taking place right before his eyes.
*Great turmoil is at hand!* Luo Chen lamented inwardly.
For the remainder of the journey, the conversation turned to the chaos in the outer city.
The arrival of the Golden Core Master had not brought a sense of security; rather, it had exacerbated the turmoil.
It almost felt as though he had deliberately stirred it up.
Of course, speaking rashly of a Golden Core Master was dangerous, so everyone merely mentioned it briefly and obliquely.
Upon returning to his courtyard, the more Luo Chen thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.
*No matter what happens next, it must not disrupt my cultivation!*
And cultivation could not do without pills!
Early the next morning, Luo Chen hurried out.
Inside the Spirit Herb Pavilion, Luo Chen met an old acquaintance he had not seen in a long time.
"Senior Liu, long time no see."
The old man smiled faintly. "I still prefer you to call me Shopkeeper Liu."
Liu Hecai, formerly the shopkeeper of Hundred Herbs Hall, was now the shopkeeper of the Spirit Herb Pavilion.
Seeing Luo Chen, he was quite pleased as well.
"Who would have thought? I underestimated you in the past. To think your alchemical attainments were so superb."
Luo Chen gave an awkward smile. "Shopkeeper Liu flatters me."
"It's no flattery!" Liu Hecai said earnestly. "I've obtained the pills you refined later on. Whether the high-grade Myriad Wonders Pills or the mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills, both possess unique qualities. Especially those high-grade Myriad Wonders Pills!"
At that point, he paused.
"Do you remember that Foundation Establishment cultivator I introduced to you back then?"
Luo Chen hesitated. "Do you mean Senior Kang?"
Kang Dongyue, master of the Gold and Stone Pavilion in Taishan Market, was also the ancestor of a cultivation family.
"Yes. He asked me a while back if you'd be interested in supplying a batch of high-grade Myriad Wonders Pills for his Gold and Stone Pavilion to sell."
Pills like the Myriad Wonders Pill were hardly presentable in polite company.
Although Liu Hecai praised them, the Spirit Herb Pavilion he managed naturally looked down on such wares.
Yet for a family business like the Gold and Stone Pavilion, they were highly desirable.
Had this been in the past, Luo Chen would have been thrilled.
Now, however, he could only shake his head with a wry smile. "The pills I refine can only be supplied to the Mountain Breaker Gang for sale. I fear I must disappoint Senior Kang's kind intentions."
Hearing this, Liu Hecai did not press the matter.
Though he belonged to the Medicine King Sect, this place was the Jade Cauldron Domain, governed by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
Having traveled thousands of li to come here, he had only a single fellow disciple from Hundred Herbs Hall to rely upon.
Offending a local mid Foundation Establishment cultivator would be truly unwise.
"Coming by so early, what are you looking to buy?"
Luo Chen took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Twenty bottles of Dust-Cleansing Pills and ten boxes of Spirit Calming Incense!"
"Whoa, quite the lavish purchase!"
Liu Hecai blurted out, his gaze toward Luo Chen carrying an extra measure of admiration.
Chapter 122