Elder, Draw Your Sword!

[Spirit Eye Art 1000/1000 — Great Perfection Spirit Eye Art] The shift in the panel entry took merely an instant. Yet to Luo Chen, the transformation occurring within his eyes felt as though ten thousand years were passing by. A riot of multicolored hues flickered incessantly across his eyeballs. Even with his eyes shut, a searing sensation lingered, causing him intense discomfort. It was like a mortal opening their eyes wide to stare directly into a scorching sun. Or like sharp icicles piercing into his eyes, inch by inch. Two thin trickles of blood slowly seeped from the corners of his eyes. Suddenly! His eyelids lifted, and a pair of eyes as brilliant as stars opened wide, gazing straight out into the vast world! "Is this... spiritual energy?" Luo Chen instinctively reached out, trying to touch the faint presence drifting in the air. Yet when his fingers closed, they grasped nothing but empty air. "It's too thin to even hold a shape." Luo Chen fell into thought. He was certain that the ethereal, transparent vapor he had just glimpsed was spiritual energy. The original purpose of the Spirit Eye Art was to allow cultivators to see through things bearing spiritual energy fluctuations. Because of this, beginners could usually see spiritual energy fluctuations from those with cultivation realms lower than their own, using those fluctuations to gauge others' realms. Back when he reached the Master level, Luo Chen had even faintly perceived the active spiritual energy fluctuations deep underground, which had led him to discover the spirit vein cave. Now, advancing another step, he could not only see the unmistakable spiritual energy fluctuations of cultivators and spirit vein caves, he could even vaguely perceive the spiritual energy naturally present throughout the world. "And that's not all!" Luo Chen lowered his head. Amid the thick layer of fallen leaves, tiny insects invisible to the ordinary eye were crawling along slowly. He looked up and gazed into the distance. To his surprise, things ten li away were distinctly visible. And this was in the dead of night! If it were broad daylight with high visibility, he could probably see even farther. "Ten li? No, perhaps fifty li, or even a hundred li!" Reaching this conclusion, Luo Chen could not help feeling a surge of joy. From now on, his title of "Little Clairvoyant" would be all the more deserved. "There's more!" In the next breath, Luo Chen's gaze shifted farther eastward. Over there, a striking fluctuation of spiritual energy rose alongside a surge of soaring baleful aura. "Ice Wolf Valley." Indeed, what he saw was the nesting grounds of the frost giant wolves he had previously scouted. Back then, he had only discovered a baleful cold pool. Looking now, however, a massive surge of spiritual energy accompanied it. "It falls just short of a Tier 2 spirit vein, but it far surpasses an ordinary Tier 1 spirit vein." "Judging from the vitality radiating from those spiritual energy fluctuations, it even shows faint signs of rising to another level." "In other words, that valley's spirit vein is very likely to ascend into a Tier 2 spirit vein in the near future." That "near future" might mean a year or two, or perhaps decades or a century. Luo Chen was not concerned with that. What caught his attention was that his eyes could actually discern the vitality of spiritual energy. All things between heaven and earth ultimately face life and death. Even the entire world might march toward destruction hundreds of millions of years from now. Natural spirit veins followed the same law. And now, with these spiritual eyes, Luo Chen could perceive the presence of life and death. Pleasantly surprised, Luo Chen shifted his gaze, continuously looking at the things around him. A dying tree. A blade of grass growing vigorously. A medicinal herb on the verge of stepping into a spiritual rank. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon his own clothing. A high-grade dharma robe engraved with three formations: Cleansing, Dust Warding, and Azure Light Shield. The latter was a defensive formation that, once attacked, would instantly form a protective barrier of spiritual energy under the cultivator's control. Its defensive strength was not remarkably formidable, but its virtue lay in its unbroken continuity and immense resilience. So long as it was granted a brief window of reaction time, its defensive performance far surpassed other dharma robes. And that necessary reaction time was something Luo Chen could buy with his Four Symbols Cauldron and nimble footwork. With just a single glance, Luo Chen could see the formation lines concealed within the fabric. "So that's how it was engraved." "The fabric itself is quite extraordinary too; no wonder it can withstand the power of the formation." "So this is how the Azure Light Formation's resilience is structured." Dharma robes had never been cheap. While they could not compare to specialized defensive magical artifacts, their prices were comparable to ordinary offensive artifacts. What made them expensive was the defensive formation inscribed upon them. Now it seemed their base material alone accounted for a considerable cost. "Seeing through secrets?" The moment the thought surfaced, a sharp pang flared in his eyes. Luo Chen quickly shut them. Drawing a deep breath, he circulated his energy according to the Spirit Eye Art and deactivated it. When he opened his eyes again, the world returned to normal. Luo Chen summarized his discoveries as he walked back. The leap granted by the Great Perfection Spirit Eye Art was immense. He had become vastly more sensitive to spiritual energy fluctuations, even able to see the stray wisps of spiritual energy drifting through heaven and earth. His range of vision had also extended considerably. In the dark of night, he could see ten li away, and in broad daylight, it would likely reach around a hundred li. Nor was it merely discerning faint silhouettes; he could see everything meticulously and clearly, as if standing right next to it. Furthermore, he could observe the life and death lingering upon various things. And finally, there was the ability to practically see through formation lines—piercing secrets. Generally speaking, once formations were inscribed onto magical artifacts, without being actively stimulated by spiritual power, the formations appeared completely unremarkable, impossible to scrutinize. Once spiritual power was channeled, the radiant spiritual light made it even harder for ordinary people to make out the specific formation lines. Such design minimized the chances of outsiders surreptitiously copying an artifact master's formations. Yet with his spiritual eyes, Luo Chen could see right through them with crystalline clarity. "Four abilities, each an earth-shaking transformation!" "I never anticipated this." "Yet with this, the boost to my overall abilities is simply staggering." His emotions surged. Intelligent as he was, Luo Chen could already envision countless applications for these eyes. First and foremost was cultivation; he could gain a far more detailed understanding of his own body. Next were his various skills. In alchemy, he would be able to better control the fusion of medicinal potency within the cauldron, and when breaking down medicinal ingredients, he could target each step with precision. If he used them to study formations, he would surely achieve twice the result with half the effort. Even for other crafts such as talisman-making and medicine, there would be considerable benefit. A good pair of eyes truly influenced many aspects of cultivation. Even sword cultivators, renowned for their combat prowess, often prioritized strengthening their eyes. Moisturizing Pearl Liquid and Clarity Liquid were prime eye-nourishing remedies developed by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect for their disciples. "I'll rest for today, and begin familiarizing myself with these eyes tomorrow." Luo Chen steadied his emotions, calming his excitement. Returning to the spirit vein cave, he resumed his cultivation. ... The name Crescent Moon Valley was no longer entirely fitting. The valley itself remained, but the exterior had expanded immensely, covering several times the valley's original area. The two sections joined together, interspersed with rocks, flowing water, and lush groves that subtly aligned with the principles of the Five Elements. This was the headquarters of the Luotian Association! Starting from an unknown day, the cultivators of the Luotian Association began noticing that their president liked to sit on the mountaintop whenever he had spare time. Facing the wind, a pair of sharp eyes would gaze out in all directions. At first, everyone thought it was fine. Later on, they began to feel uneasy, and their hands worked with far more diligence. Luo Chen had not realized that his efforts to familiarize himself with his eyes had given his subordinates the impression that he was watching their every move. He was entirely immersed in the delight of seeing a hundred li with his spiritual eyes. "These eyes are wonderful!" "Not only can I clearly see scenes a hundred li away, but in combat, I can also vividly perceive an enemy's reactions and movements." "I possess quite a few Tier 1 spells at Great Perfection. Fireball Art boasts the greatest power, Attraction Art is the most practical, and Carefree Wind Riding is the most agile." "Yet by comparison, this Spirit Eye Art has turned out to be the most vital." The Great Perfection Spirit Eye Art was simply too effective. In the short term, it allowed him to anticipate enemy moves and survey a hundred li. In the long term, the benefits to his cultivation were beyond measure. Over the past few days, Luo Chen had verified this across many areas. Once his excitement subsided, Luo Chen planned to resume optimizing the Fireball Art. He believed that with these eyes, his pace of optimization would multiply. Perhaps before long, he would truly complete the optimization, merging it into an even stronger Blazing Sun Art. When that time came, he would possess a trump card capable of threatening Foundation Establishment cultivators. Just as Luo Chen was about to head down the mountain, his eyelid suddenly twitched. A streak of light tore through the distance, shaped like a sword. Once it entered the hundred-li range, he could clearly make out the familiar face. "Why did he come in person?" Frowning slightly, Luo Chen made his way down into the valley without drawing attention. Shortly afterward, inside the Pill Hall: Miao Wen strode into the hall trailing wind and dust, his sharp black eyes studying Luo Chen with a peculiar look. "I didn't notice it at all. It seems my junior brother has a sharper eye." "Hmm? Did something happen?" Luo Chen asked in confusion. "Come with me. The elder has a use for you." The elder! Executing Carefree Wind Riding, Luo Chen followed behind Miao Wen, his heart filled with unease. In Dahe Market, there was only one person whom a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator like Miao Wen would respectfully address as elder: Golden Core Master Pang Renxiong! *What could I possibly have that is of use to him?* *The 'junior brother' Miao Wen mentioned is undoubtedly the Jade Cauldron true disciple Luo Tianhong.* *My only contact with him was a month ago, when reattaching Qin Liangchen's severed limb.* *'A sharper eye'?* *Did he see something on me back then?* Luo Chen was full of suspicion and doubt as he recalled the scene from that day. Luo Tianhong had paid no heed to Qi Refinement cultivators like them, showing no reaction even when passing by the beautiful Murong Qinglian. Yet he had paused for a brief moment beside Luo Chen, even remarking, "The spell was very successful." At the time, Luo Chen thought the man was giving him special regard because of his ties with Miao Wen. Looking at it now, however, it seemed he had overlooked something. What was it? Luo Chen was utterly baffled. What could possibly be on him that caught Luo Tianhong's eye, and was even useful to a Golden Core Master? Amid ceaseless speculation, his heart sank steadily lower. Miao Wen could not be bothered to explain, simply flying forward on his own. Watching the man's back, an untimely thought crossed Luo Chen's mind. *Miao Wen's cultivation isn't particularly profound!* He remembered that when they were ambushed in the Qingma Woods back then, Mi Shuhua had found him too slow and directly wrapped him in a streak of spiritual light to fly. Yet Miao Wen clearly felt his speed was slow as well, but did not take such action. *Well, although Mi Shuhua was a rogue cultivator, he was a genuine middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.* *Miao Wen, on the other hand, is merely at early Foundation Establishment!* Amid these somewhat resigned, stray thoughts, the two entered the inner city and arrived at the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion. ... This was the first time Luo Chen had stepped into the true "Sword Pavilion"! Not the ordinary buildings outside, but a tall tower shaped like a sharp sword. Standing in the spacious pavilion hall, Luo Chen kept his head bowed, not daring to look around. He felt as though sharp blades were aimed at his body from all directions, sending a chilling cold down his spine. Miao Wen and Luo Tianhong stood on either side, just as respectful as he was. There was good reason for their deference. At the very top, behind an obscuring curtain, sat a man whose presence exerted immense pressure even while seated, looking down at them. He said nothing, merely scrutinizing Luo Chen. Suddenly! He extended his index and middle fingers. Forming a sword hand, he pointed straight at Luo Chen. Luo Chen's heart pounded wildly. He felt an intensely sharp presence aiming directly at him. *No way, big boss!* *I'm just a minor Qi Refinement rogue cultivator—what do you want from me!* The next moment, Luo Chen felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow, and his face turned pale. *Cough, cough!* He staggered back several steps, feeling as though something inside his body had been yanked out. A deep, resonant voice sounded in his ears. "Follow this soul seed and find that rat hiding in the shadows for me." "Go!" "We obey the elder's command!" "We obey the elder's command!" ... Amid the howling wind, Luo Chen kept his head down and coughed repeatedly. Beside him, Miao Wen glanced over with a frown. "When were you injured?" Luo Chen forced a smile. "Ten days ago, injured by a talisman treasure." "A talisman treasure?" Miao Wen sneered. "I told you not to go stirring up trouble. Overestimating yourself." His lips twitching, Luo Chen did not argue back. If he had not stirred up that trouble, how could the Luotian Association be developing so smoothly now? Not only had they solved the issues of the milk supply and Huanyu jade, two days ago, the Li family had reached a cooperation agreement with them to purchase a fixed amount of Jade Marrow Pills every month. They had even sent over a deposit—a full five hundred spirit stones. As long as this business held, they would bring in over a thousand spirit stones each month, which would amount to a considerable income over time. Watching Luo Tianhong flying ahead with an eerie green oil lamp hovering above his head, Luo Chen could not resist asking, "What did Elder Pang extract from my body just now?" "Hmph..." Miao Wen scoffed and cast him a glance. "Of course you wouldn't know what tricks that Mi Shuhua left on you." Luo Chen's heart jolted. *Another trick?* He had clearly used his Master-level Cleansing Art to purge the sliver of pure spiritual power Mi Shuhua had planted on him! An involuntary chill crept down his spine. "That was a soul seed. You can think of it as a wisp of spiritual sense severed intentionally by a cultivator. But since Mi Shuhua is already dead, that wisp became rootless duckweed, surviving by anchoring itself to you." "As everyone knows, all things are born with spirit, and humans possess souls. Once one establishes a foundation, the union of soul and spirit allows spiritual sense to be released outwardly." "Therefore, spiritual sense naturally contains a portion of a cultivator's soul origin." "Elder Pang used a grand divine ability to unravel and trace back the original soul origin of Mi Shuhua, combining it with the magical artifact, the Soul Gathering Lamp, to form a soul seed." Hearing these words, Luo Chen was gripped by lingering fear. He had thought Mi Shuhua had only left that sliver of pure spiritual power on him, and had even believed he could make a clean getaway now that he had a countermeasure. He had even made rather thorough preparations. To think that old fox had planted more than one trick on him! Severing one's own spiritual sense—how ruthless! That meant voluntarily cutting off a piece of his own soul. Had he truly fled back then, it likely would not have taken long for Mi Shuhua to hunt him down. At that point, one could only imagine his fate. Being locked in a dark room to concoct pills might have been the best possible outcome. *In the end, I still underestimated the methods of a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator!* *Foundation Establishment—laying the foundation of the Great Dao. Once a foundation is built, every aspect of a cultivator undergoes an earth-shaking transformation; it is never as shallow as mere combat strength.* *In the future, I must be even more cautious!* Luo Chen took a deep breath. Knowing shame, one must summon the courage to improve! Glancing at Miao Wen, Luo Chen noticed that the man's expression was rather sour as well. Recalling his unusual demeanor and tone today, Luo Chen had a sudden realization. *He probably isn't having an easy time either!* *Indeed, the trace Mi Shuhua left on me has been there for quite a while.* *Yet despite interacting with me several times, Miao Wen never noticed it.* *Instead, Luo Tianhong, who had only seen me once, immediately spotted something amiss.* *As soon as Pang Renxiong came out of seclusion, he reported it straight away.* *Whether Luo Tianhong gets rewarded is uncertain, but Miao Wen was definitely scolded!* *This old fellow isn't having it easy either!* With the petty gratification that misery loves company, Luo Chen felt a rare flash of satisfaction. On the surface, however, he maintained appropriate deference. "So what are we doing with this soul seed now?" "Tracing it back to its source to find Mi Shuhua?" "But isn't he already dead?" To Luo Chen's question, Miao Wen surprisingly showed some patience. Though his tone remained harsh, he at least answered Luo Chen's doubt. Only, the answer left Luo Chen somewhat stunned. "How could Mi Shuhua die so easily!" "Don't be fooled by the fact that five Foundation Establishment cultivators besieged him back then. In truth, all five were only at early Foundation Establishment, and Wang Haichao, Nangong Jin, and Li Yixian had no magic treasures." "Besides the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel, Mi Shuhua possessed the defensive magic treasure Lanke Chess Piece and the suppressive magic treasure Demon Locking Pagoda." "Had he fought to the death, at least more than half of those five would have perished, and the rest would have been gravely injured." "Yet the final outcome was that, apart from Duan Qiankun and Li Yixian suffering minor injuries, the rest were completely unscathed." "Meanwhile, Mi Shuhua perished in his own clan's territory." Speaking up to this point, Miao Wen drew a deep breath. A fierce grin surfaced on his face. "That rat hiding in the shadows couldn't resist the temptation after all!" "Soon!" "Soon we're going to drag him out!" Luo Chen was stunned by the sheer depth of Mi Shuhua's wealth and resources. Three magic treasures! What kind of fortune was that? Even some ordinary Golden Core cultivators might not be so wealthy! Leaving aside whether Mi Shuhua could wield three magic treasures simultaneously, simply being able to amass them was astonishing. Yet under such circumstances, Mi Shuhua had still died. Connecting this with the word "rat" uttered twice by both Pang Renxiong and Miao Wen, Luo Chen realized in an instant: He had become entangled in a conflict between Golden Core cultivators! Time flowed by as the sun set and the moon drifted up. As twilight deepened and the setting sun cast its lingering glow over the immensely broad Great River, Luo Tianhong stopped in his tracks ahead. With a solemn expression, he held the Soul Gathering Lamp in his hand. Lowering his gaze, a pair of sharp, luminous eyes stared intently into the depths of the Great River. This place was already far from Dahe Market; the river spanned several thousand meters across, hardly distinguishable from a sea. At the same time, a terrifying, majestic fluctuation of magical power rippled outward from within the river. Its hostility was unmistakable, directed straight at Luo Tianhong. Faced with this terrifying spectacle, Luo Tianhong did not hesitate in the least. He shouted at the top of his lungs: "Elder, draw your sword!" In the next instant, a streak of golden light blasted from the depths of Dahe Market like a falling star. Sword qi surged like a tidal wave, sweeping forward in grand magnificence!