Duan Feng was awake.
It had taken about the time to drink two cups of tea—five minutes less than Luo Chen's own first experience.
This meant his gains from the Nether-Passage Pill were not substantial.
Yet that was beside the point. What truly mattered was that he had regained consciousness.
Though in terrible shape after waking, appearing rather dull and dazed as if still trapped in a dream, regaining consciousness was a victory in itself.
Luo Chen did not linger, leaving the space to Feng Xia.
He had his own full plate right now.
Not with administrative trifles, but cultivation.
Beyond his daily routine of circulating his cultivation method, he also needed to grind proficiency across his various spells.
After all, the progress bar for Emperor Flowing Liquid remained stuck.
Healing Art had already reached Grandmaster, but it was still far from Great Perfection, so he set it aside for now.
Luo Chen's immediate focus shifted to the Sound Isolation Art.
He had attained the Entry stage of this immensely practical technique long ago, but because he rarely used it, its progress had stagnated.
Currently, it sat at [81/100].
This one was remarkably easy to grind!
And so, in the days that followed, the cultivators of the Luotian Association witnessed a peculiar sight.
Whenever the president spoke with someone, he would unfailingly cast a sound isolation barrier first.
Initially, everyone assumed they were about to discuss matters of grave confidentiality that had to be kept from prying ears.
Yet every cultivator who finished speaking with Luo Chen walked away completely bewildered.
It had been nothing more than mundane daily chatter.
The president had simply inquired about their wound recovery, asked whether they were accustomed to life on Mount Xiaohuan, and wondered if they had hit any snags in their cultivation that he might help clarify.
Bewildered as they were, being asked such things made those cultivators feel genuinely valued.
Eventually, some even began opening up to the president about matters too awkward to share with others.
Take Zeng Wen, for instance.
"Looking to settle down and start a family?"
"Yes."
"Who's the lady?"
"Xiugu from the Medicine Hall. She's a wonderful person, and she doesn't hold my past wild ways against me."
"Then settle down! Do you want to hold a grand Dao Companion Ceremony? I'll serve as your master of ceremonies!"
"That wouldn't be right... I was just thinking of inviting everyone for a cup of plain wine..."
"Nonsense! The Luotian Association just moved here and needs a victory banquet anyway. We might as well hold them together!"
Zeng Wen was overjoyed.
Though Xiugu did not hold his past against him, deep down he still felt he owed her. Giving her a splendid, dignified Dao Companion Ceremony was the best outcome he could ever hope for.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen gave the word to Sima Huiniang, who immediately dispatched people to make preparations.
The Luotian Association truly needed a raucous celebration banquet.
Right here on Mount Xiaohuan!
Atop the corpse of the Duan clan!
After arranging everything, Luo Chen walked alone to the edge of the small lake.
Indeed, a small lake!
The massive crater he had blasted out had quietly collected a full month of continuous spring rain, gradually pooling into a small lake.
He waved a hand.
The cultivators guarding the area quietly withdrew into the distance.
Luo Chen then dove into the water.
Before long, he reached the sealed cave entrance.
*A month has passed. It should be over by now!* he thought.
Hesitating no longer, he unsealed the entrance and stepped inside.
A pair of blood-red eyes instantly locked onto his.
*Boom!*
A fist came hurtling forward without warning.
Luo Chen's expression shifted drastically. Spiritual light flared in his eyes as he abruptly activated the God-Deterring Technique.
"Brother Wang, it's me!"
The fist ground to a halt right before Luo Chen's face.
The fierce gale it kicked up sent Luo Chen's long hair whipping through the air.
Wang Yuan froze. The crimson fury in his eyes slowly ebbed away.
"I... I..."
Luo Chen exhaled the breath he had been holding, frowning. "You failed?"
In the corner of the subterranean chamber lay Duan Qiankun's shriveled corpse, entirely devoid of life.
Wang Yuan's own aura was exceptionally bizarre.
It was simultaneously powerful and feeble, fluctuating between the surges of Foundation Establishment and dropping back down to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement.
Moreover, his mind seemed profoundly disordered.
At the word "failed," Wang Yuan clutched his forehead in agony.
"How could I fail? How could I have failed?!"
"*Ahhhhh...!*"
Seeing Wang Yuan in such torment, Luo Chen cast the God-Deterring Technique repeatedly without hesitation.
He did not employ its soul-capturing properties, relying solely on its deterring shock.
His only goal was to force Wang Yuan to calm down.
A long time passed.
Wang Yuan held a jug of wine in his hand, throwing his head back and draining it in one go.
Looking at the conflicted expression on Luo Chen's face, he let out a self-deprecating bitter laugh.
"Yes, I failed."
"I was too eager for quick success."
Throughout his journey, he had advanced with fierce momentum, meeting almost no hurdles along the way.
His progress had been astonishingly rapid—hardly inferior to Luo Chen's cheating speed.
Particularly after acquiring Xiao Wuyan's blood dao cultivation method and merging it into his body refinement techniques, he had felt like a fish in water.
Yet things had gone awry with the Heavenly Craft Spirit Seizing Formation.
"In the end, I knew nothing about formations. I coveted the effect of spirit seizing, but ignored the prerequisite of Heavenly Craft."
Wang Yuan's voice was steeped in bitterness, tinged with deep regret.
"Even a Golden Core Master must borrow the momentum of heaven and earth to deploy that formation. Yet I presumed to use my own body as the vessel to plunder a Dao foundation another man spent a century solidifying."
Luo Chen stood before him, looking down.
Heavy chains bound Wang Yuan's hands and feet tightly.
Wang Yuan had bound himself.
The restraints were Hengjiang iron chains he had purchased himself.
In Luo Chen's eyes, this gesture was symbolic rather than practical. If Wang Yuan truly intended to break free, these chains could never hold him.
"What state are you in right now?"
Wang Yuan looked up, his tone despondent. "I still possess the physique of the Second Realm of body refinement, but my immortal cultivation base is far too unstable. It severely hinders my combat strength."
Indeed, fluctuating between the ninth layer of Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment made it impossible for anyone to exert their true power.
It was fair to say that the current Wang Yuan was entirely inferior to the Wang Yuan of a month ago.
"Most critically, Duan Qiankun's remnant soul influences me at every waking moment."
Looking at Luo Chen with lingering dread, he added, "Just now, it was Duan Qiankun's remnant soul erupting with murderous intent toward you."
"If you hadn't deterred him, I might not have been able to hold back my strike."
Luo Chen had not anticipated such a danger either.
Had he not recently cultivated the God-Deterring Technique to the Proficient stage, he would never have cast it so swiftly.
Under that fist, he would have ended up severely injured if not dead.
"A remnant soul?"
Luo Chen's brow furrowed tightly.
He recalled the descriptions in Loose Cultivator Gu Yue's *True Soul Refining Art*. If one successfully achieved Foundation Establishment through the soul dao, one had to find a way to dispel the remnant souls' influence afterward.
The manual had mentioned three methods:
A spell, a pill, and an artifact.
The spell was the Soul-Fixing Oath, which Luo Chen possessed.
The pill was the Soul Siphoning Pill, which absorbed the power of remnant souls for one's own use to lay a robust soul foundation. Luo Chen possessed neither the pill nor its recipe.
The artifact was a dharma artifact known as the Soul Refining Banner.
With such an artifact, one could extract the intractable remnant souls and nurture them within the banner, where they might eventually form a supreme treasure over time.
Unfortunately, Luo Chen had not obtained that artifact either.
Looking at the imprisoned, agonized Wang Yuan, Luo Chen spoke decisively:
"I have a technique that may help you resolve the torment of the remnant soul."
*Whoosh!*
Wang Yuan's gaze snapped onto Luo Chen in an instant.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen imparted the cultivation method of the Soul-Fixing Oath to him.
"This technique draws upon the unseen Heavenly Dao, requiring you to swear a Great Dao oath to cultivate it."
"Throughout the process, you must hold your conviction firm and walk strictly by your oath. Only then can you avoid losing yourself amidst countless vengeful souls."
"I believe it suits your current predicament well."
The Soul-Fixing Oath could not obliterate Duan Qiankun's remnant soul.
It could only enable Wang Yuan to anchor his sense of self and resist being swayed by it.
Wang Yuan's willpower was formidable.
Yet, at the end of the day, he had practiced martial arts and Daoist cultivation for less than a century.
Duan Qiankun had lived two hundred years, possessing a foundation no weaker than his. Even as a mere remnant soul, he posed immense trouble.
Furthermore, the Soul-Fixing Oath had to be cultivated to Great Accomplishment before its full effect could be unleashed.
Back then, Loose Cultivator Gu Yue had lacked the Soul Siphoning Pill and relied on a Soul-Fixing Oath cultivated only to Minor Accomplishment to endure the threshold of Foundation Establishment.
Regrettably, after establishing his foundation, he was swayed by nine hundred and ninety-nine remnant souls, and his Soul-Fixing Oath never reached Great Accomplishment.
Wang Yuan nodded with solemn gravity. "From here on, I will remain at the bottom of this lake. I will not step outside until I cultivate the Soul-Fixing Oath to Great Accomplishment."
This was the only workable measure.
If he went outside in his current condition, a single lapse in focus could harm those around him.
Duan Qiankun's remnant soul retained conscious awareness. Mount Xiaohuan was now populated entirely by the culprits who had annihilated the Duan clan; he would want to slaughter every one he saw.
"Still, this is no long-term solution," Luo Chen said with a deep frown. "If you cannot resolve your fluctuating strength, you won't be able to exert your full power even if your mind is clear."
Faced with Luo Chen's worry, Wang Yuan had a plan this time.
"The Blood Fiend Spirit Seizing Formation allows for three attempts in total."
"I've tested it now: with a seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivator like Duan Qiankun, it's impossible for me to seize his Dao foundation intact."
"However!"
"If there were a cultivator who had only just achieved Foundation Establishment, I could seize their unstable Dao foundation and fully step into the realm myself!"
Luo Chen opened his mouth, but ended up giving a helpless, bitter smile.
Easier said than done.
Where was he supposed to find a newly minted Foundation Establishment cultivator for Wang Yuan?
Still, it was at least a viable path forward.
With a sigh, Luo Chen left Wang Yuan ample food, took a storage bag Wang Yuan offered him, and exited the submerged chamber.
Perhaps it was no longer fitting to call it a cave.
This place had become a dungeon—a self-imposed prison for Wang Yuan.
Emerging into the gentle drizzle of spring, Luo Chen gazed up at Mount Xiaohuan above.
For the sake of this spiritual mountain, they had exhausted every ounce of wit and scheme, even dragging Wang Yuan down into this state.
Could it truly yield enough benefits to make it worthwhile?
*I must achieve Foundation Establishment as soon as possible—for myself, and for them.*
"Them" included Wang Yuan, friends like Gu Caiyi, and the cultivators of the Luotian Association.
These people had gathered around him out of friendship and shared interests. He could not afford to let them down.
Luo Chen waved a hand.
The cultivators previously guarding the lake flew back.
Luo Chen gave them a nod, then vaulted into the mountain.
***
What could Mount Xiaohuan offer Luo Chen?
A land abundant in spiritual energy?
The Ice-Fire Spiritual Spring?
Emperor Flowing Liquid?
No, it was far more than that.
The reason this mountain could nurture the Ice-Fire Spiritual Spring lay in its unique geography.
It possessed both a small water-attribute spiritual vein and half of an extinct volcano.
That was why Luo Chen had exclaimed that it was "nature's uncanny craftsmanship" upon first laying eyes on it.
Only the world of cultivation, steeped in primal fortune, could give birth to such a peculiar sanctuary.
The Duan family had established their foundation here precisely because of that spiritual vein and the half-dormant volcano.
They possessed secret arts to channel portions of underground fire to forge artifacts.
Underground fire!
Something Luo Chen had dreamed of for ages.
Back during the Mountain Breaker Gang era, he had jokingly asked Mi Shuhua to find a site with underground fire to assist his alchemy.
At the time, Mi Shuhua could not accomplish it.
To keep Luo Chen under control, Mi Shuhua had even flatly rejected Duan Qiankun's proposal for an alliance.
Yet today, relying on his own power, Luo Chen had secured a site blessed with underground fire.
*In the end, it's an ordinary extinct volcano. The underground fire channeled from it doesn't even have a formal grade.*
*Still, the magma spring of the Ice-Fire Spiritual Spring represents its concentrated essence, reaching the first tier!*
Standing inside the thatched cottage, Luo Chen erected a frame beside the magma spring and positioned the Four Elements Cauldron atop it.
This way, he needed only to guide the searing flames with his spiritual power to assist his pill concoction.
As for manipulating underground fire, Luo Chen had no concerns.
He possessed Great Perfection Attraction Art, Great Perfection Fireball Art, and had thoroughly digested the Fu family's research on fire-attribute spells.
The *Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition* also contained numerous minor tricks for controlling underground fire.
With multiple approaches at his disposal, he felt completely in his element upon his very first try.
*The only pity is that I can't commission the cultivators from Mount Ailao to tailor a dedicated pill room for me.*
This thatched cottage was no simple hut.
The straw thatching the exterior was a specialized forging material that insulated inside from outside and locked in spiritual energy.
Between the cold and hot springs of the Ice-Fire Spiritual Spring sat a third-tier forging material acting as a partition.
This cottage served as both a place of cultivation and an artifact-forging chamber.
*Grinding proficiency purely through spellcasting is far too slow.*
*Alchemy is the real shortcut!*
A smile tugged at Luo Chen's lips as he fed various ingredients into the Four Elements Cauldron.
Relying on the formation beside the fire spring, it spewed a steady, regulated flame.
Only when he needed to adjust the flame's intensity did Luo Chen personally intervene.
This way, even without fire tenders to assist him, concocting pills alone was nowhere near as exhausting as before.
However, after experimenting for a while, Luo Chen realized that when the time came for mass production, he would still need to utilize the newly constructed pill rooms halfway up the mountain.
His current insistence on concocting alone was to raise the proficiency of several alchemy techniques as much as possible.
Doing it by himself was tiring, but it yielded proficiency at an incredible pace!
*A single batch of pills not only raises pill proficiency, but also grinds several alchemy techniques at once. Now this is what I call power-leveling!*
Smiling faintly, Luo Chen threw himself into his alchemy.
***
One month later.
Inside the green thatched cottage on Mount Xiaohuan, Luo Chen stared at the bright crimson pill in his hand, which resembled a vermilion fruit, his face flushed beet-red.
Holding his breath, he adjusted his breathing several times before the unnatural flush finally receded.
The prominent bulge in his trousers gradually settled back down.
Luo Chen studied the pill with an intensely strange expression.
"Is this the peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill produced after reaching Great Perfection?"
Just now, a mere whiff of its scent had provoked an immediate physical reaction.
This was unprecedented!
Cultivators circulated their cultivation methods daily and typically possessed resolute willpower; their carnal desires were rarely intense.
That had always been the reason the market for Myriad Wonders Pills struggled to expand.
Had it not been for the unique environment of Dahe Market—where cultivators who hunted demon beasts for a living faced excessive survival pressure and needed an outlet—Myriad Wonders Pills would never have sold well in the early days.
Luo Chen was hardly devoid of beautiful women around him. Leaving aside his sister-in-law Murong Qinglian, Gu Caiyi was an undeniable beauty, and Bai Meiling had been charming and lovely in her own right.
In all his time with them, Luo Chen had never displayed such an indecorous reaction.
Yet from a single whiff of this pill's aroma, he had completely lost his composure.
"A peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill... I wonder how potent the medicinal effects actually are?"
Luo Chen stowed it away with great care.
He had no plans to concoct more in the near future.
There were many reasons, too tedious to list one by one.
The most important was simple: Myriad Wonders Pill had already reached Great Perfection and could no longer yield achievement points.
He needed to max out his proficiency in the Jade Marrow Pill.
Not only for the achievement points, but because concocting a peak-grade Jade Marrow Pill might provide a major boost to his own cultivation.
*Still, I'll need to find someone to test this peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill eventually!*
Reflecting for a moment, Luo Chen let out a chuckle.
"Where it all began is where it shall end."
"Fellow Daoist Zeng, I've got your wedding gift ready!"
Chapter 186