Falling Cloud Smoke Generating Method, Time Waits for No One

"Hmm?" "Fellow Daoist Murong, do you have any further instructions?" Wang Yanchang stopped in his tracks, looking at Luo Chen with a puzzled expression. Luo Chen smiled faintly. "I wouldn't dare claim to offer instructions. I merely wanted to..." He had intended to inquire into the origins of the Zhenlong Black Market, but realized it would be too abrupt. Thus, when the words reached his lips, they naturally turned into something else. "The current situation may seem calm, but undercurrents are surging beneath the surface!" Wang Yanchang's lips twitched slightly. He simply stared, quietly waiting for Luo Chen to get to the point. Luo Chen did not dally. "So, just in case, I would like our supply of all the materials on the list to be doubled starting next month." "Can your side do that?" Double the medicinal ingredients? Wang Yanchang frowned, then shook his head. "I cannot make this decision. I will need to ask Master Tianxingzi for instructions before I can give you an answer." "No matter. I can wait." "Very well." Wang Yanchang nodded and went straight into the main hall. Outside the black market, Luo Chen gave an imperceptible shake of his head. His relationship with Tianxingzi was decent enough, and Tianxingzi had frequently shown him goodwill. However, that was by no means an excuse for him to push his luck. Prying into the other party's background and intentions might seem like the smart move, but it was really just satisfying his own curiosity. Even if he found out, what good would it do? It might even offend Tianxingzi and spoil their smooth working relationship. In contrast, behind that phrase "time waits for no one," there lurked the possibility of an even greater turmoil on the horizon. Under such circumstances, what he needed to do was stockpile provisions! Those raw materials were the very "supplies" he needed most. Without them, his exquisite alchemy skills would be completely useless. Before long, Wang Yanchang returned. He brought back the answer Luo Chen wanted. Doubling the material supply was permitted! With that settled, Luo Chen had no reason to linger. Taking his leave, he melted into the night. With his current strength at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, coupled with the Great Perfection of the Breath Concealment Spiritual Art, and amidst the complex environment of the outer city at night, no one would easily spot him so long as he stayed vigilant—even a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator might not sniff him out. Of course, blanket bombardments or magic treasures scouring the ground were another matter entirely! ... He crept forward through the darkness. Arriving a hundred li away from the Luotian Association, Luo Chen did not enter right away. After experiencing Mi Shuhua planting multiple stealthy trackers on him in the past, he had become far more cautious. Every time he came or went, he would meticulously inspect himself for anything abnormal. In his view, no cultivator's methods could ever truly be completely traceless unless their cultivation realm far exceeded his own. The reason Mi Shuhua had been able to exploit his ignorance back then was primarily that Luo Chen had only been in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement. By the time he reached the late stage, those methods had unknowingly coexisted with him for a long time. Even when he had gotten lucky and discovered the spiritual energy mark, he had still failed to detect the spiritual sense mark. In fact, after Mi Shuhua died, that ownerless spiritual sense mark had coexisted with him for ages. If Jade Tripod true disciple Luo Tianhong hadn't discovered it and Golden Core Master Pang Renxiong hadn't personally intervened, who knew how long that soul seed would have remained hidden? If it had suddenly sabotaged him during his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, that would have been a catastrophic disaster. Now, Luo Chen's realm was elevated, and his divine soul far surpassed those of his peers, faintly rivaling that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Add to that his Great Perfection Spirit Eye Art, and under thorough inspection, almost nothing could escape his gaze. Even so, he still felt it wasn't safe enough. "Hah!" With a low chant, he cast three Cleansing Arts in succession upon himself. From the outside, it merely looked as if Luo Chen had brushed his sleeves three times over his body. After thrice cleansing himself, he inspected his body once more. Only then did he finally relax. At this point, he leisurely took his stride and headed toward the Luotian Association's encampment. *The Cleansing Art has been at the Grandmaster level for a long time, only about two hundred proficiency points shy of Great Perfection.* *I should find some time to grind it to the cap. Perhaps it will bring an unexpected effect.* Luo Chen held high hopes for every spell that reached Great Perfection. Although Carefree Wandering and Traction Art had disappointed him at Great Perfection, Fireball Art, Wind Riding Technique, Breath Concealment Spiritual Art, and even the Spirit Eye Art had all given him immense pleasant surprises upon reaching that peak. In contrast, the Cleansing Art—a widespread lifestyle spell—had already demonstrated remarkable potential at the Grandmaster level. It could cleanse numerous types of aura beyond ordinary impurities, including pill aura, medicinal aura, spiritual energy, and even demonic aura. He greatly looked forward to what changes a Great Perfection Cleansing Art might bring. If it bestowed a divine ability capable of purifying heaven and earth and sweeping clean the cosmos, that would be simply splendid. *Well, I'm at my doorstep.* *Time to stop daydreaming!* Without hurry, Luo Chen began his preparations before cultivation. He brewed Peiyuan spiritual liquid, replaced the spirit stones in the Minor Spirit Gathering Formation, inserted a whole stick of Spirit Calming Incense into the burner... Once everything was in order, Luo Chen put a Dust-Cleansing Pill into his mouth and commenced his cultivation for the day. At dawn, Luo Chen leisurely brought his daily cultivation to an end. *To think taking the Nether-Passage Pill and growing my divine soul would offer such a benefit?* Luo Chen felt that after an entire night of cultivation, he was still full of vigor. In the past, this would have been unimaginable. The reason low-realm cultivators progressed slowly without relying on pills was precisely because their divine soul was not strong enough, severely limiting the number of times they could circulate their cultivation technique each day. Circulating it once in the morning and once in the evening was already considered the limit. Faced with this bottleneck, capable individuals across the cultivation world had naturally tried to solve it. The method they ultimately devised relied on external aids—such as Spirit Calming Incense! Yet that still could not be considered a fundamental solution. To truly resolve this issue, one had to reach Foundation Establishment, where the divine soul became powerful enough to even project spiritual sense outward. Only then could one circulate their core cultivation technique multiple times. The legends of high-tier cultivators entering seclusion for months or years on end were possible precisely because they had overcome this barrier. As for Luo Chen, he had long been plagued by this very constraint. Even after luckily surviving a heart tribulation and having his divine soul doubled, he had remained stuck at the limit of circulating his technique twice a day. Now, however, he saw hope of overcoming this limitation while still in the Qi Refinement realm! *If I keep taking the Nether-Passage Pill, perhaps I'll soon be able to circulate the Eternal Spring Art multiple times in a single day.* Murmuring to himself, Luo Chen tidied up the spirit vein cave. He went to the Pill Hall and returned the Purple Cloud Bronze Furnace to its original alchemy chamber. Only then did he calmly retrieve a jade slip from his storage bag. "Does it require a Great Dao Oath?" Stroking the jade slip, Luo Chen drew a deep breath and spoke in a clear, resonant tone. "I, Luo Chen!" "Hereby swear!" "Whether I master it or not, I shall never impart this alchemy technique to a second person." "Whether intentionally or inadvertently, if it is leaked or passed on, I shall suffer the backlash of the Great Dao, and my cultivation realm shall never advance an inch for the rest of my life!" As the decisive words concluded, the hazy spiritual glow lingering around the jade slip slowly dispersed. At the same time, Luo Chen felt an imperceptible twinge of discomfort. It was as though something imperceptible had cast a fleeting glance at him in that instant. "Could there really be such a thing as a Heavenly Dao in this cultivation world?" Luo Chen muttered under his breath, then meticulously inspected the jade slip in his hand. Confirming there were no hidden tricks, he cautiously pressed the jade slip against his forehead. A torrential flood of information instantly surged into his mind. "Hmph..." A muffled grunt escaped him as Luo Chen's face went pale. Yet he gritted his teeth and held on, refusing to take the jade slip away. Only after a long while did he slowly lower the slip. Rubbing his temples, Luo Chen couldn't help but give a bitter smile. "Who would've thought inventing a friend out of thin air almost did me in!" The massive deluge of information from the jade slip just now had poured into his mind like a raging river. Such an enormous volume of information was something an ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator could not withstand at all. Typically, sect elders would place appropriate restrictions on jade slips so that one could only access information corresponding to their cultivation level. That was why manual scripts available on the market were often divided into versions that could be practiced up to the mid-stage of Qi Refinement or up to the Great Perfection of Qi Refinement. People had begun doing this long ago. Without tiered restrictions, a low-realm cultivator hit by a sudden, massive flow of information would suffer soul damage and remain feeble for months at best; at worst, their mind would be shattered into idiocy, turning them into a complete fool. Because Luo Chen had invented a friend out of thin air—spinning a tale about a Foundation Establishment alchemist—Tianxingzi had never even considered this possibility. For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, this amount of information was nothing extraordinary. Naturally, he hadn't placed any tiered restrictions on it. If not for Luo Chen's deep soul foundation, the flood of information from this set of alchemy techniques would have reduced him to an idiot just now. Even though he had weathered it, his head still felt heavy and dizzy. "I was careless..." Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen made his way to the spirit vein cave. Only under the refreshing fragrance emitted by the moonlight grass did his spirits revive. Glancing at the moonlight grass, he shook his head. "Although it draws a vast amount of wood spiritual energy through the spirit gathering formation, it simply hasn't grown long enough." "If only its age were greater." Rubbing between his brows, Luo Chen closed his eyes and reflected on the contents of the jade slip. After quite some time, he opened his eyes with a thoughtful gaze. "The Falling Cloud Smoke Generating Method." "This water method is remarkably profound. By drawing upon external elements, it can not only refine pills, but also enhance their quality." According to the records of this water method: When refining tier-one spiritual liquids, one could choose a location steeped in vapor and mist to aid in pill formation. For tier-two spiritual liquids, beyond a misty environment, one could supplement it with a spiritual spring to double the efficacy. By the time one reached tier-three spiritual liquids, the assistance from mists and spiritual springs waned. At that stage, it was best to select a location rich in water-attribute spiritual energy, paired with a secret recipe and additional hand techniques, in order to refine tier-three spiritual liquids. "It truly is a water method for tier-one through tier-three alchemy, though refining tier-three spiritual liquids seems a bit strenuous." "Still, Emperor's Flowing Syrup is only a tier-two spiritual liquid, so this is more than sufficient." "Not only that, but two alchemy arts are recorded within it. That's an unexpected pleasant surprise." One was the Washing Brook Hand, and the other was the Cloud Transformation Hand. The former was precisely the alchemy technique Luo Chen had been longing for to handle water- and yin-attribute materials. Once he learned the Washing Brook Hand, whether it was handling the snow fox monster blood for the Nether-Passage Pill, or the cultivator essence blood and Underworld Yin Fiend for the Blood Fiend Pill, he would achieve twice the result with half the effort! As for the latter, at first glance, it did not seem particularly remarkable. Even within the wider cultivation world, it was fairly ordinary. However, the Cloud Transformation Hand was the true essence of the Falling Cloud Smoke Generating Method. Channelling water vapor and spiritual springs into medicine all required this alchemy art. "Looks like I'm going to have my hands full!" Though he grumbled, the smile on Luo Chen's face was plainly visible. The longer he practiced alchemy, the more complicated his feelings became. Repeatedly refining a single kind of pill brought fatigue. Yet every time he came into contact with fresh alchemical knowledge, he was filled with immense joy. No matter what, though, he had genuinely grown to love this craft, rather than treating it merely as a means to make a living. ... Over the days that followed, besides his daily cultivation and researching the Fireball Art, Luo Chen devoted extra effort to alchemy. While refining pills through fire methods, he would also use water methods from time to time to process certain ingredients. No alchemy technique could be mastered overnight. Luo Chen chose to break it down, familiarizing himself bit by bit. When he finally put it into actual practice, it would surely be far easier. Sharpening the axe truly saved time when chopping wood! ... Ten days flew by in the blink of an eye. Luo Chen emerged slowly from a daze. Looking at the empty vial in his hand, he shook his head. "The Nether-Passage Pills are finished. I'll have to brew more." After his first experience of entering a dream, he had gradually adapted to the medicinal potency of the Nether-Passage Pill. This was his third time consuming it, and his soul foundation had expanded once more. That swelling, overflowing sensation still lingered in his mind. Without hesitation, Luo Chen walked into a room heavy with the stench of blood. Several cages were draped in black cloth. Casually casting a Sound Isolation Art, he pulled back the black cloth. "Awoo!" A wolf's howl rang out as an emaciated gray leaf wolf snarled with bared fangs before him. Luo Chen smiled faintly and immediately channeled the God-Deterring Technique. A ghostly green luminescence surfaced in his eyes. The gray leaf wolf reflexively took a step back, but its body abruptly froze stiff. A moment later, with practiced ease, Luo Chen pulled out the gray leaf wolf's soul. Compared to ordinary beasts, this gray leaf wolf, which had just crossed into the realm of a tier-one monster beast, possessed a far stronger soul. Yet before Luo Chen's God-Deterring Technique—which had already reached the Proficient level—it was still utterly powerless to resist. With a soft chuckle, Luo Chen gave a low shout. "Hah!" Under that shout, cracks instantly spiderwebbed across the translucent orb of light. This was a sign of soul damage. Only now did Luo Chen show a trace of strain, though everything remained firmly under control. After two more shouts, the gray leaf wolf's soul shattered completely. The soul fragments were promptly absorbed and swallowed by the Soul Nourishing Tree. The three sprouts, already tender and green, grew increasingly lush and verdant. Faintly, branches seemed poised to emerge. *Phew...* Exhaling a long breath of turbid air, Luo Chen halted his practice of the God-Deterring Technique. "As expected, cultivating with monster souls is far faster than with beasts." "In just several dozen attempts, my proficiency in the God-Deterring Technique has jumped to the Proficient level." Every tug-of-war, contest of strength, and tearing or shattering of a monster soul was a session of cultivating the God-Deterring Technique. The stronger the opponent's soul, the greater the boost in proficiency. To assimilate the three Nether-Passage Pills, Luo Chen had cast the God-Deterring Technique almost daily. Recently, dozens of wild beasts had perished by his hands. Later on, Luo Chen had even instructed Liu Qiang to capture or purchase living low-tier monster beasts and keep them in captivity within the Luotian Association. Using these monster beasts for practice had caused his proficiency in the God-Deterring Technique to skyrocket in a short span. Not only that, but the surging soul energy had also grown increasingly consolidated, truly becoming part of his personal foundation. Such mutual reinforcement yielded an effect where one plus one was greater than two. The God-Deterring Technique tempered his surging divine soul, while his strengthened soul in turn enhanced the power of the technique. There were even additional benefits. Now, the number of times Luo Chen could circulate the Eternal Spring Art each day had increased from four to five. One extra circulation might not seem like much. In terms of cultivation, it was merely absorbing one more portion of spiritual energy. However, small drops pooled into an ocean—over time, this would become an immense improvement! Beyond that, Luo Chen discovered that his strengthened divine soul brought substantial benefits to alchemy as well. Previously, splitting his day into morning and afternoon sessions to refine Jade Marrow Pills, he could barely manage sixteen batches of raw materials. Now, he could do so with effortless familiarity. Occasionally, he even had spare energy to squeeze out time to refine the Blood Burning Pills Tianxingzi needed. Leaving the beast chamber, Luo Chen nodded to Liu Qiang, who stood guard outside. Understanding the gesture, Liu Qiang immediately went in person to dispose of the monster beast carcass. Walking through the Luotian Association grounds, Luo Chen calculated his pill reserves. *Lately, I've refined Blood Burning Pills eight times, all using the Four Symbols Cauldron with four portions of ingredients per batch. Based on my proficiency, I've accumulated around forty pills.* *If I add the ten pills I've held onto, that makes fifty.* *Still, there are a few days left, so there's no rush to deliver the goods.* *The Jade Marrow Pills can wait a bit; I might as well refine two more cauldrons of Blood Burning Pills!* *I can't pause the Nether-Passage Pills either. Over these next few days, I must concoct another bottle.* Having made this decision, Luo Chen let out a soft sigh. Without realizing it, he had found himself running short on time. Jade Marrow Pills were his main business; only by refining enough of them could he earn sufficient spirit stones to buy various cultivation resources. Blood Burning Pills tied into his partnership with Tianxingzi and affected many matters, so they couldn't be halted either. As for Nether-Passage Pills, though they were for personal use, they directly concerned his soul foundation and held immense importance for Foundation Establishment. It was best not to stop taking them. And that was merely on the alchemy front. He also had to cultivate—that was the priority among priorities, absolutely non-negotiable! Then there were spells: researching the Fireball Art represented his greatest combat trump card at present. The God-Deterring Technique was used to temper his soul and deal with the ghosts and spirits in the Ghost City. Add to that the Cleansing Art, the two prerequisite spells for Landslide, and the Healing Art, which was nearing the Grandmaster level... Oh, and the alchemy arts, plus the newly acquired Falling Cloud Smoke Generating Method. And studying the recipes for Emperor's Flowing Syrup and Blood Fiend Pills. "There simply isn't enough time!" "Even an iron man would break down under this pace!" "Now I finally understand why Wang Yuan refused to manage the Luotian Association's trivial affairs no matter what. Those matters consume a vast amount of time as well." "No, I can't keep hitting one hammer blow here and another there." Facing the chilly mountain wind, Luo Chen's steps toward the Pill Hall grew somewhat heavy. He felt he had to make some compromises. In the past, he had possessed no choice. But now, as the head of an association, he could purposefully choose what he wanted to do. As for how to go about it, he would need to give it careful thought. "For now, I'll refine today's Blood Burning Pills. That way, I can free up ample time for other matters." Luo Chen sighed. He had spotted another problem: the main reason Blood Burning Pills and Nether-Passage Pills wasted so much of his time was simply that his proficiency was not high enough, making it impossible to let the medicine apprentices and fire tenders assist. Yet improving proficiency—damn it all—also required time. "Time waits for no one!" "Huh? Why did I say that?" Just as he stepped into the alchemy chamber to prepare for refinement, Luo Chen froze, momentarily baffled.