Upon returning to the Luotian Association, Luo Chen settled back into his rhythm of dedicated pill concoction and cultivation.
During this time, Wang Yuan came to see him once.
It was not concerning the Heavenly Peng Transformation, but rather because Wang Yuan had made a breakthrough with a minor technique he had previously researched for dealing with yin spirits and ghostly apparitions.
However, Luo Chen already possessed the high-grade dharma artifact known as the Green Firefly Lantern, so the minor trick held little practical use for him.
"So, are we going to send anyone into the city to explore?" Qin Liangchen asked with keen interest.
At present, Qin Liangchen was formally affiliated with the Pill Hall, holding the titular post of elder.
He usually lent a hand with miscellaneous administrative duties, though nothing was strictly required of him.
His true value lay predominantly in combat.
During the previous assault on the Fu family, he had stepped onto the field.
Standing alone against Fu Jue, the third elder of the Fu family, he had slain him with ease.
One had to admit that Luo Tianhong's Golden Silkworm Rejoining Technique truly yielded remarkable results.
After having the new hand attached, Qin Liangchen had adapted to it in short order.
He had acclimated even faster than the previous time.
Perhaps experience played a part in that!
Glancing at the enthusiastic Qin Liangchen, Luo Chen did not give a direct answer. Instead, he asked about the exploration progress of the other factions.
"Each family's progress varies. At present, the Nangong family is moving the fastest. They've not only retrieved the remains of the cultivators from their shops, but they've also reaped substantial spoils."
"The Great River Gang is the slowest. Their expedition is led by Li Da, who is at the ninth layer of Qi Refining."
Hearing the name Li Da, Luo Chen's eyes glinted.
He remembered clearly that back when Gao Tingyuan was trying to stall him, he had spoken of his past exploration of the Soul Refining Cave Abode.
It was Li Da who had entered alongside him back then.
That man's strength was by no means lacking. On the Discourse Stage, he had also taken the field on behalf of the Great River Gang and secured a victory.
The Mountain Breaker Gang cultivator he had killed was the initial master of the Mining Hall, Wind-Forest Tiger.
They were all familiar acquaintances.
"Li Da is leading the exploration?"
"Aside from the Fengdu Dharma Robe and the Green Firefly Lantern bestowed upon him by Gao Tingyuan, he surely has other cards up his sleeve."
"It seems he reaped a bountiful harvest inside the Soul Refining Cave Abode back then as well!"
The Loose Cultivator Soul Refiner, Gu Yue, had been a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator after all.
His posthumous legacy might not have matched that of a sect's Foundation Establishment cultivator, but to two cultivators at the ninth layer of Qi Refining, it was undoubtedly of immense worth.
After listening a bit longer to the news of the various factions exploring Dahe Ghost City, Luo Chen slowly shook his head.
"We shouldn't meddle in these murky waters."
"Fair enough!"
Qin Liangchen's enthusiasm waned. He had simply been bored lately and wanted to go back to take a look at his former home in the inner city.
Not many resources remained there, but there were a few keepsakes of sentimental value that he wished to retrieve.
Seeing his dispirited demeanor, Luo Chen could not help smiling. "Are you really that bored? Brother Qin, how has your cultivation been progressing lately?"
At the mention of this, Qin Liangchen's smile grew somewhat strained.
Luo Chen frowned. "What is it? Are you short on pills, or have you hit a bottleneck?"
Qin Liangchen shook his head.
"Back then, I was only a few years of steady grinding away from the Great Circle of Qi Refining."
"Bottlenecks don't even enter into it."
"I'm not lacking pills either. After all, the various black markets have plenty of high-priced Dust-Cleansing Pills transported in from elsewhere."
Luo Chen was puzzled. "Then what is the problem?"
Qin Liangchen sighed, his left hand coming up to touch his right arm.
"This newly attached arm was constructed primarily from green gold silk, supplemented by my own flesh and bone."
"Yet in the end, it isn't my original arm!"
"My cultivation efficiency now is far inferior to what it once was. What was originally a few years of steady grinding will now be delayed by at least ten to twenty years."
According to Luo Chen's memory, Qin Liangchen should be fifty by now.
In ten to twenty years, he would have long passed the age of sixty.
By that time, even with the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, his chances of achieving Foundation Establishment would plummet drastically.
Moreover, his innate aptitude was merely that of a three-spiritual-root bearer.
Understanding dawned on Luo Chen. No wonder Qin Liangchen was so dispirited.
With his path toward the Dao clouded in gloom, Luo Chen knew he would feel the same way if placed in his shoes.
The new arm had been constructed primarily from the silk of the green gold silkworm. Even though it simulated Qin Liangchen's meridians and acupoints through flesh and blood, it ultimately was not his original limb.
Whenever he cultivated for slightly longer periods, a prickling pain would flare up.
Prolonged cultivation might even damage the arm.
No wonder Qin Liangchen's cultivation speed had dropped so severely.
Luo Chen had no immediate remedy and could only offer words of comfort.
Fortunately, Qin Liangchen was open-minded by nature and did not allow such somber emotions to linger.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The road is walked step by step, and every problem has a solution!"
He chuckled heartily, putting the matter behind him.
Luo Chen sighed inwardly, though a smile remained on his face. He then assigned him an errand.
"Receive a shipment of herbs?"
"Yes, sent over from the Zhenlong Black Market. It should arrive within the next two days. I'll have to trouble you to make the trip for me, Brother Qin."
As he spoke, Luo Chen handed over a set of high-grade dharma artifacts.
This was one of the spoils from the battle at Crescent Moon Valley, possessing concealment capabilities.
Although its effect could not rival a Great Perfection Concealment Spiritual Incantation, it was still remarkably ingenious.
Qin Liangchen took it and accepted the task.
After he departed, Luo Chen shook his head.
He had already done more than enough, but when it came to personal cultivation, there was nothing he could do to help.
Some matters had to be faced on one's own.
Taking out a piece of beast hide, Luo Chen calmed his mind and began to study it.
"Emperor's Flowing Syrup... Based on the medicinal balance and its effects, it truly is a spiritual medicine beneficial to demonic beasts."
"However, three of the auxiliary ingredients can only be absorbed by humans."
"In other words, can humans actually use this medicine as well?"
"'Possessing temperament without longevity, replenish temperament to return to nature. Possessing temperament and longevity, escape the cage and commune with heaven and earth.'"
"Can this be understood as meaning that vegetation-type flora can draw closer to the Great Dao using Emperor's Flowing Syrup?"
"While non-vegetation beings can rely on this medicine to escape their cages and commune with heaven and earth?"
"What is the cage? What is heaven and earth?"
Lost in thought, Luo Chen formed a vague hypothesis.
Yet that supposition was not something he could confirm.
After a long while, he put away the recipe for Emperor's Flowing Syrup and took out another recipe.
The Nether-Passage Pill!
Main ingredients: Phantom Nether Grass, demon fox blood.
Auxiliary ingredients: twenty-seven types.
When consumed, it could enhance a cultivator's soul foundation and increase their spiritual sense.
This was an incomplete pill recipe obtained from Mi Shuhua.
Back then, in addition to the Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition, Old Man Mi had given him two pill recipes.
The Jade Marrow Pill was of paramount importance, while the Nether-Passage Pill was merely an added bonus.
Though it was incomplete, Luo Chen had possessed it for a long time.
He had nearly mastered its principles and had gradually added several auxiliary ingredients to it, barely managing to complete the formula.
Opening the system, Luo Chen held the completed formula for the Nether-Passage Pill and focused his intent.
[Nether-Passage Pill, complete Tier 1 pill recipe, available to initiate.]
[Initiate: Yes / No]
Closing the system panel, Luo Chen put the recipe away with satisfaction.
This proved his completion was on the right track; those twenty-seven auxiliary ingredients could indeed fuse with the two main ingredients noted on the original recipe.
However, he did not choose to initiate it immediately.
The primary reason was that he had to see whether Tianxingzi had gathered the corresponding materials for him.
Certain auxiliary ingredients could be purchased from the Lianyun Merchant Alliance.
Yet one of the main ingredients, snow fox blood, was far harder to obtain.
This was a specialty of the Snow Lotus Market.
The snow fox was a Tier 1 demonic beast of the Great Snow Mountain. Highly skilled in concealment and illusion arts, it was exceedingly intelligent and remarkably attuned to human nature.
Such creatures were notoriously difficult to capture and kill.
Even with the capabilities of the Zhenlong Black Market, acquiring it would likely prove challenging!
***
As it turned out, Luo Chen had vastly underestimated the Zhenlong Black Market.
That very evening, Qin Liangchen returned carrying a storage bag.
"Everything's inside!"
"Except for Underworld Yin Fiend and North Sea jade conpoy, they managed to procure quite a lot of all the other herbs on the list. Of the three thousand spirit stones you gave me, a total of one thousand seven hundred and eighty were spent. Here is the remaining one thousand two hundred and twenty. Count it yourself."
*They're that capable?*
*They even managed to get snow fox blood!*
Pleasantly surprised, Luo Chen took the storage bag without even bothering to count the spirit stones.
"Would I ever doubt your word, Brother Qin?"
Qin Liangchen grinned. "The cultivator surnamed Wang who delivered the goods said that Underworld Yin Fiend is a Tier 2 fiendish energy that they truly couldn't locate. As for the North Sea jade conpoy, they've found a lead and are making arrangements. They will definitely be able to supply it next month."
This outcome was within expectations.
Luo Chen had previously inquired with Bai Meiling about it for the Blood Fiend Pill.
According to her, even the Medicine King Sect did not possess Underworld Yin Fiend.
The fact that North Sea jade conpoy could be supplied next month was undoubtedly wonderful news.
That meant the concoction of Myriad Wonders Pills could resume.
Nodding, Luo Chen put away the storage bag and asked with a smile, "How are you liking Fu Zhang's golden melon mallet?"
"Quite good. Aside from being a bit heavy, its might is tremendous. It's a metal-attribute dharma artifact, which suits me perfectly."
Back after the battle with the Fu family concluded, Qin Liangchen had specifically traded his spoils from Fu Yu with Luo Chen to obtain Fu Zhang's golden melon mallet.
His original greatsword had been destroyed in combat, and he had been lacking a satisfying dharma artifact ever since.
Luo Chen had seen no issue with it and agreed to the trade immediately.
After chatting a while longer, Qin Liangchen yawned and left the Pill Hall.
Presently, he and Murong Qinglian resided in a courtyard constructed by the Luotian Association.
In truth, more than half of the cultivators in the Luotian Association had chosen to build residences nearby.
The inner city was destroyed, but the spiritual energy from the spirit vein had diffused outward.
Living here was not inferior to living in the former inner city.
And they didn't have to pay rent!
The thought of rent instinctively reminded Luo Chen of Sun Shou from the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion.
What a pity; he had been a very respectable senior.
He had originally intended to dedicate his entire life to the sect in this remote market.
Yet he had fallen silently without a trace, ultimately failing to reach the natural end of his days.
The departed were gone; dwelling on them only brought sorrow.
After sighing with emotion, Luo Chen stepped into the Pill Hall.
He first put the spirit stones away, then placed the various medicinal herbs into their respective medicine cabinets.
Many of these items required specialized processing before they could be used.
Only then did he take out all twenty-seven auxiliary ingredients and the two main ingredients required for concocting the Nether-Passage Pill.
"The Phantom Nether Grass needs to be dried. That's simple enough—the residual heat of a furnace will do."
He spread a large bundle of vibrant green Phantom Nether Grass evenly across the heated kang normally used for drying medicinal herbs.
The stove beneath steadily radiated warmth.
As one of the two main ingredients, the processing of Phantom Nether Grass was the simplest.
However, the blood of the demon snow fox was not nearly as straightforward.
"Treating snow fox blood is extremely complicated. It must go through five separate procedures... A pity. If I knew the Washing Creek Hand, I could completely bypass three of them."
"Azure Star Grass is intensely toxic and carries potent hallucinogenic properties. Toxin-dispelling mineral jade must be used to eliminate the severe poison, yet the hallucinogenic trait must be preserved."
"These few auxiliary ingredients aren't nearly so troublesome. We already have processed batches in our own dispensary."
***
By midnight, Luo Chen had finalized the treatment plans for the many raw and primary ingredients on the Nether-Passage Pill recipe.
Some were already being processed, while others would have to wait a while.
Yet times had changed!
Many things no longer required his personal labor; once day broke, he could simply leave them to the apprentice alchemists under his command.
Cultivation was something he could never afford to neglect.
When he finished another cultivation session, Luo Chen glanced at his attribute panel.
[Realm: Qi Refining Layer 9, 8/100]
Nearly four months had passed since his breakthrough to the ninth layer of Qi Refining.
This rate of progress left him thoroughly pleased.
During the initial month, the progress bar had crept sluggishly from 1 to 2 like a snail.
Yet over the subsequent two-plus months, thanks to the Spirit Purifying Pills, his efficiency had doubled, and he had now reached 8 points of progress.
"My actual cultivation speed should be around 1.5 points per month."
"Spirit Purifying Pills truly are wonderful things!"
"I hope Tianxingzi can procure more of them for me."
Luo Chen estimated his remaining stock of Spirit Purifying Pills. Two-plus months had passed, consuming one every ten days, leaving only thirty-three pills.
In other words, they would last at most another year.
"No rush, can't rush this!"
Luo Chen sighed softly. To have achieved such cultivation speed was already extraordinary.
Even dual-spiritual-root cultivators were merely on par with this.
With the boost of Spirit Purifying Pills, his pace was likely not far behind that of a heavenly spiritual root cultivator.
Even if his cultivation speed could not be increased further, he could still enhance his strength in other areas.
Facing the chilly morning breeze, Luo Chen retrieved a small medicine vial from his storage bag.
Guided by spiritual power, two droplets of crystalline liquid flew out and settled gently into his wide-open eyes.
The moment the medicinal liquid entered, Luo Chen felt a scorching sting, and he hastily shut his eyes.
It felt like chili pepper smeared across his eyes, interspersed with the pricks of needles and the stabs of swords.
Tears spilled involuntarily down his cheeks.
After a long while, Luo Chen slowly opened his eyes.
Wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes, he exhaled a long breath of turbid air.
"Fortunately, having cultivated the Divine Ming Fiend-Breaking Art, this level of pain remains within tolerable limits."
Blinking, he felt the exhaustion in his eyes from staying up late to cultivate wash away, replaced by crisp clarity.
His dark eyes were deep and pitch-black.
As the light filtered in, they shone as brilliantly as stars in a boundless night sky.
"Penetrating Clarity Liquid truly possesses ten times the efficacy of Moisturizing Pearl Liquid!"
"After applying it consistently for merely two months, my visual range has already broken past a hundred li."
Shaking the empty vial, Luo Chen felt a touch of regret.
"This won't do. I need to get my hands on more of this stuff too!"
Luo Chen understood the benefits of a pair of spiritual eyes better than anyone.
Because of these eyes, he had enjoyed far too many advantages.
During the battle at Crescent Moon Valley, he had seen through the spy's disguise.
In the two battles along the Lancang River and within the Dahe inner city, he had observed combat scenes from a safe distance that ordinary people could never witness.
Most notably, within the Zhenlong Black Market, these eyes had allowed him to see through the camouflage on the beast hide of the Heavenly Peng Transformation and acquire the Tier 2 pill recipe for Emperor's Flowing Syrup.
That had been the very first time since his transmigration that he had experienced the thrill of picking up an overlooked treasure.
Therefore, continuing to strengthen his eyes was a set objective.
Even if he lacked Penetrating Clarity Liquid, he had to persist in using Moisturizing Pearl Liquid.
Little by little, accumulating over the days and months, he would eventually take another step beyond his current Great Perfection Spirit Eye Art!
Beyond the Penetrating Clarity Liquid, his morning training was not yet finished.
Luo Chen took out another vial.
Golden Quality Jade Liquid!
A body refinement spiritual medicine far more suited for Qi Refining cultivators!
The reason Wang Yuan had reached the second realm of body refinement in such a short time—aside from his martial arts foundation during his mortal years—relied heavily on this substance.
Ever since taking charge of the Flood Dragon Hall, he had poured nearly all of his resources into Taishan Market, purchasing Golden Quality Jade Liquid from the Gold and Stone Pavilion.
Back when he achieved major accomplishment in the first realm of body refinement, he had extra Golden Quality Jade Liquid and gifted a vial to Luo Chen.
It was then that Luo Chen had savored the medicine for the first time.
It had to be said that its effects were truly singular.
Its efficacy was readily apparent from its very name.
Golden Quality Jade Liquid: "golden quality" corresponded to the outer physique, which, through long-term consumption, progressively advanced toward the realm of Body Surpassing Vajra.
"Jade liquid" targeted the internal sinews and bones.
Upon reaching major accomplishment, it would manifest as the signs of ice-like muscles and jade-like bones that Wang Yuan currently displayed.
As for how to cultivate the second realm of body refinement, Wang Yuan had touched upon it briefly without delving into detail.
Even if he had explained in detail, Luo Chen, having never personally engaged in dedicated body refinement, would not have understood all the intricacies.
He only knew that he could not allow his physical constitution to lag behind.
Golden Quality Jade Liquid was for strengthening the physical body, while the Nether-Passage Pill was for bolstering the soul.
Even if he could not reach an extraordinary level, he could not let these aspects drag him down when breaking through to Foundation Establishment.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen took a swallow of Golden Quality Jade Liquid.
The sensation was like swallowing molten magma.
Yet Luo Chen, having long grown accustomed to it, merely smacked his lips as if drinking scalding soy milk.
"A shame one cannot drink too much in a single day, or it will scorch the internal organs."
Luo Chen could feel a tingling, numb, and itchy sensation spreading throughout his entire body after the Golden Quality Jade Liquid entered his system.
This was the hallmark of his physique growing steadily stronger.
"With this, only the Nether-Passage Pill remains."
Refining qi, strengthening the body, and bolstering the soul.
Luo Chen intended to advance along all three fronts simultaneously!
All of it was solely to break through to Foundation Establishment!
Chapter 166