Great Perfection of Qi Refinement, Refining Emperor Flowing Liquid

A celebration banquet, and a wedding banquet. It was held beneath rare, bright spring sunshine. The stars of this banquet were Zeng Wen and Xiugu, as well as every cultivator of the Luotian Association. With the assistance of Luo Chen, the "highly respected" master of ceremonies, the newlyweds were ushered into their bridal chamber. And after that came a night of wild revelry for the Luotian Association! Luo Chen drank a great deal of wine. Most of it came from his subordinates stepping forward one by one to toast him. After more than a month of rest and recuperation, the Luotian Association's strength was gradually recovering. The heavily wounded cultivators had healed their injuries. Aside from those whose ailments could not be entirely eradicated, most had even seen some progress in their cultivation. In addition, they had recruited a batch of rogue cultivators. At present, the Luotian Association seemed weakened to the extreme after surviving several brutal battles. In truth, it was several degrees stronger than it had been at its peak. This "strength" was not merely reflected in the number of cultivators. More importantly, it showed in the fact that with Luo Chen and Wang Yuan holding down the fort, they had no fear of Foundation Establishment True Cultivators. This meant the Luotian Association was now an organization comparable to a Foundation Establishment power. Furthermore, its cohesion was far stronger than before, having forged a core backbone of veterans tempered by battle and flame. Through the Luotian Association, they enjoyed greater resources and higher status. Naturally, they were all the more committed to defending this organization. *** Noon the next day. Luo Chen was still in the thatched cottage refining pills when Zeng Wen came looking for him. "President! President!" "Do you still have any more of that good stuff?" Facing an anxious, urgent Zeng Wen, Luo Chen stepped out unhurriedly. First, he cast a Cleansing Art upon himself, stripping away the soot, pill vapors, and herbal aromas clinging to him from the alchemy process. Then, right in front of Zeng Wen, he cast a Sound Isolation Art. This succession of little tricks left Zeng Wen utterly bewildered. Luo Chen then took out his Jinzhu brush and a book. Flipping to a blank page, he said, "I do have a few left, but you'll have to tell me about your user experience with the peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill." "Er..." Zeng Wen froze in embarrassment. His round, aged face flushed bright red. For a moment, he genuinely did not know where to begin. Luo Chen was not surprised by this reaction. Like an experienced physician, he offered gentle, patient guidance. Before long, the pristine white paper was filled with notes on the various effects of the peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill. [Extremely potent aphrodisiac effect, far exceeding the previous version by threefold.] [Outstanding performance in prolonging stamina and aiding erection.] [Can increase cultivation; benefit not limited to the user, as both partners gain, and pairing with dual cultivation methods may yield even better results.] When recording this last note, even Luo Chen was astonished. The peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill could actually be used for cultivation? Zeng Wen was thick-skinned after all, and by now his earlier embarrassment had vanished. Sleeves fluttering, he spoke with great eloquence and confidence. "I am by no means indulging in carnal pleasures!" "It is truly because this pill has shown me the hope of the Great Dao." "If I could take one each day, it would not be impossible for me, Old Zeng, to catch a glimpse of the Foundation Establishment realm!" "Get out of here!" Cursing under his breath, Luo Chen gave him a kick. *Hope of the Great Dao? One each day?* *Did he think peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pills were roasted soybeans?* It was not that Luo Chen was stingy with the things. Rather, the success rate for peak-grade pills plummeted sharply to around ten percent. Though their medicinal efficacy was formidable, the cost was equally high! Moreover, with Tianxingzi's departure, the source of Jade Scallop—the primary ingredient—had dried up. Once he raised Myriad Wonders Pills to Great Perfection, production had to be shelved. After handing a few pills to Zeng Wen, the man scampered down the mountain in high spirits. Watching his delighted, retreating figure, Luo Chen knew someone was in for a rough time! He kept a few on his person just in case. Of course, not for his own use! He had asked thoroughly. Even a peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill offered a boost to cultivation only comparable to a low-grade Qi-Nourishing Pill. Such a thing was truly of little use to Luo Chen. He had merely recorded the pill's effects out of an alchemist's occupational habit. Right now, his focus lay on Jade Marrow Pills. There was both the Luotian Association's demand and his own need for Achievement Points. Day after day passed. A month later, his proficiency in Jade Marrow Pills finally reached Great Perfection. Expending some effort, Luo Chen refined a peak-grade Jade Marrow Pill. Unfortunately, the effect fell far short of the qualitative leap brought by the peak-grade Myriad Wonders Pill. Its medicinal potency was simply double what it had been before. Overall, it was stronger than a Qi-Nourishing Pill, but slightly weaker than a Dust Transformation Pill. In reality, this effect was already quite impressive. After all, the Jade Marrow Pill was not an orthodox cultivation pill to begin with, possessing the inherent defect of dantian jadefication. Thanks to the system, Luo Chen had successively resolved both the dantian jadefication and the low medicinal potency, forcibly elevating it to a level rivaling orthodox cultivation pills. No matter where one went, such an accomplishment was enough to make anyone look at him in a new light. As for the success rate, it had also dropped from fifty percent during the high-grade phase down to ten percent. Calculating by profit, a cauldron of high-grade Jade Marrow Pills yielded a net profit of over eight hundred spirit stones, whereas a peak-grade batch yielded only four hundred. Refining peak-grade Jade Marrow Pills in large quantities was simply impractical. After reaching this conclusion, Luo Chen felt quite disappointed for a time. Whether it was the unranked Fasting Powder or the Tier 1 Myriad Wonders Pill and Jade Marrow Pill, achieving peak grade brought changes, but fell far short of earlier stages in terms of profit. He even wondered whether it was because these pills were relatively "unorthodox" by nature. Yet after his initial disappointment, Luo Chen gradually came to his senses. Certain things could not be calculated that way. In terms of pure revenue, lower-grade versions of the same pill inherently carried higher profits. Because of their lower grade, their output was large and their price low, resulting in a vast market. Consequently, the overall profits were naturally substantial. This was readily apparent from the fact that most of the Qi-Nourishing Pills and Dust Transformation Pills sold by the Medicine King Sect were low-grade. The Medicine King Sect was a colossal alchemy sect. To suggest they were incapable of refining higher grades would be a bad joke. Since they had chosen the same path, it proved Luo Chen's assessment was correct. On the other hand, setting aside profit and looking purely at cultivation efficiency, high-grade pills held an overwhelming advantage. The number of pills a cultivator could consume each day was limited by how many times they could circulate their cultivation method. Within that finite limit, consuming high-grade pills with greater potency naturally yielded superior cultivation efficiency. And that was a luxury only strong individuals with adequate resources could choose for themselves. "So the Medicine King Sect's high-grade pills are usually sent to black markets, auctions, or inter-sect trade." "Because they enhance efficiency, high-grade pills can command a massive markup!" Having thought this through, Luo Chen looked at the porcelain-white pill in his hand, his disappointment fading. "It just so happens my supply of Dust Transformation Pills is running a bit tight for reaching Great Perfection of Qi Refinement." "These peak-grade Jade Marrow Pills might help make up the difference." Contentedly stowing the pills, Luo Chen headed down the mountain in a bright mood. *** By now, the Luotian Association was fully on track. Moreover, it no longer relied on him alone to carry everything. A portion of the newly recruited cultivators had been integrated into the Medicine Hall, replenishing the ranks of herb gatherers. This way, the Medicine Hall could cultivate spirit herbs of its own while regularly dispatching teams into the mountains to harvest wild herbs. A small portion of the harvested resources was kept for internal use, while the majority was sold to the Lianyun Merchant Alliance. The Artifact Hall had also been established once Duan Feng regained his senses. Its composition, however, was rather unconventional. It was formed from the apprentices Duan Feng had previously mentored, along with several Duan clan members who had been stranded outside. Regarding this, Duan Feng's words to Luo Chen had been: "Let it end here!" Duan Qiankun was dead. Though not slain by Duan Feng's own hands, he had played a part in it. And executing Duan Rui with his own hands counted as avenging his mother. After all, proposing the marriage alliance with the Nangong family had been Duan Rui's idea in the first place. Duan Qiankun had indulged him, and finding merit in the plan himself, had made that fateful choice. One could only say that such was the way of the world—never perfect, always marked by phases of waxing and waning. Luo Chen did not force the issue. He merely warned Duan Feng to keep a tight rein on these Duan clan cultivators. If anything went wrong in the future, the blame would fall squarely on Duan Feng. "Before I reach Foundation Establishment, not a single Duan clansman will be permitted to leave the mountain." Duan Feng looked at Luo Chen and declared this firmly. This was putting his own word on the line as a guarantee. Looking at the resolute Duan Feng, Luo Chen thought of the storage bag in his possession. Wang Yuan had handed it to him. The bag had belonged to Duan Qiankun. Though the man was dead, the spiritual sense restriction left on it was remarkably stubborn. If a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator like Miao Wen were present, they could spend time gradually grinding it down. Yet the Luotian Association currently had no such expert. Luo Chen was unwilling to let outsiders handle it, so he had kept it on him the entire time. *There might be plenty of good things inside.* *If there's anything useful to Duan Feng, I can return it to him when the time comes.* Compared to Duan Feng's aspirations of Foundation Establishment, Luo Chen possessed far greater confidence in his own. It wouldn't be long now! After seeing Duan Feng, he personally went to visit Wang Yuan. The man was bitterly practicing the Soul-Fixing Oath spell. Unlike how easily he had picked up the Breath Concealment Spirit Art and merged various blood-path and body-refining methods back then, his cultivation this time proved exceptionally arduous. It was a soul-path art, after all. Moreover, his body was still plagued by the influence of Duan Qiankun's remnant soul. Naturally, his progress could not be fast. After meeting with Wang Yuan, Luo Chen announced internally that he was entering secluded cultivation. Of course, this seclusion was merely nominal. Each month, he still set aside time to refine a batch of Jade Marrow Pills. This remained the Luotian Association's primary business, after all. To maintain amicable relations with the Nangong family and the Great River Gang, Jade Marrow Pills were of paramount importance. Once he grew accustomed to using earth fire for alchemy, Luo Chen's efficiency leaped another step. Compared to manual fire control, earth fire was vastly more convenient. Previously, refining sixteen batches of raw materials in a single day was pushing his absolute limit; now, he could manage twenty! Part of this was the advantage of earth fire, but it was also due to the growth of his soul. With increased pill production, Luo Chen could save more time for his own pursuits. Proficiency, proficiency, and damned proficiency! Following the ascent of his Healing Art to Grandmaster, his Sound Isolation Art from Entry to Perfection, and his Soul Deterrence Art to Skilled... Luo Chen's Entanglement Art and Cleansing Art successively reached Great Perfection as well. On the alchemy front, although the lack of Earth Fire Baleful Aura prevented him from continuing to refine Blood Burning Pills, reaching Great Perfection in both Myriad Wonders Pills and Jade Marrow Pills still granted him two Achievement Points. Moreover, through month after month of alchemy work, his mastery over several alchemy arts grew increasingly polished. *** Two years later. Inside the thatched cottage atop Mount Xiaohuan. Luo Chen sat cross-legged beside the Ice-Fire Spiritual Spring, his piercing gaze fixed on the empty air as if staring at something visible only to him. The attribute panel! [Realm: Qi Refinement Great Perfection] [Cultivation Methods: Eternal Spring Art (Great Perfection), Spirit Clarifying Evil Dispelling (Perfection 305/500), Myriad Beasts Scripture (Entry 10/100)] [Spells: Fireball Art (Great Perfection), Carefree Wind Riding (Great Perfection), Traction Art (Great Perfection), Breath Concealment Spirit Art (Great Perfection), Spirit Eye Art (Great Perfection), Entanglement Art (Great Perfection), Cleansing Art (Great Perfection), Healing Art (Grandmaster 610/500), Earthen Mountain Art (Perfection 315/500), Surging Waves Technique (Perfection 309/500), Sound Isolation Art (Perfection 312/500), Soul Deterrence Art (Skilled 179/200)] [Alchemy Arts: Folding Jade Hand (Great Perfection), Pure Heart Hand (Grandmaster 513/1000), Washing Brook Hand (Skilled 125/200), Cloud Transformation Hand (Skilled 112/200)] [Martial Arts: Mountain-Cleaving Stele-Shattering Palm (Grandmaster 880/1000), Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers (Perfection 357/500)] [Skills: Tier 1 Alchemist: Fasting Powder (Great Perfection), Myriad Wonders Pill (Great Perfection), Jade Marrow Pill (Great Perfection), Blood Burning Pill (Skilled 150/200), Nether-Passage Pill (Entry 80/100), Emperor Flowing Liquid (Unlearned, click to view progress details...)] [Achievement Points: 13] Two years of peace, free of internal strife and external threats. This had been the most tranquil period Luo Chen had enjoyed since transmigrating, second only to his days as an ordinary rogue cultivator. This peace had been bought through the destruction of the Duan family. He had not wasted a single moment, dedicating nearly all his time to cultivation. The Luotian Association's administrative chores had essentially all been handed over to Sima Huiniang and the others. Only in this way had he barely managed to cultivate to Qi Refinement Great Perfection! Feeling the cloud of spiritual energy within his body swollen to its absolute limit, it was nearly impossible to advance even a single step further. It was already pressing against the walls of his dantian. This meant he had truly, undeniably reached the apex of the Qi Refinement stage. "Fortunately, I had peak-grade Jade Marrow Pills to supplement me, or I nearly would have run out of resources." Luo Chen had not expected that while supplies of Spirit Calming Incense, Nether-Passage Pills, Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid, and the like had held out without issue... And even the rarest Spirit Purifying Pills had been replenished by Tianxingzi before his departure... The Dust Transformation Pills, which he cared about least, had actually run short during the final two months. He had only thought the supply was slightly tight. He had not anticipated a full two-month deficit. Yet by relying on the peak-grade Jade Marrow Pills he refined with his own hands, he had ultimately ground his way to Qi Refinement Great Perfection. "With that done, it's time to prepare for breaking through to Foundation Establishment." As Luo Chen murmured to himself, a large pile of items was laid out before him. Five portions of Yang Restoring Water, three boxes of Spirit Calming Incense, four jars of Glazed Paste. All of these items offered some degree of aid in establishing a foundation. Some had been gathered by Luo Chen himself, while others were obtained from the Duan family's storehouses. After all, Duan Rui had been attempting Foundation Establishment in recent years, so preparations had naturally been made in this regard. Yet none of these were the crux. The crux was the Foundation Establishment Pill! "I don't have a Foundation Establishment Pill. Over the past two years, whenever I commissioned Nangong Jin and the others to buy one, they mostly made excuses." "This was within my expectations. If they had any, they would naturally prioritize internal use. Why would they sponsor me?" It was this difficult to find locally. Venturing outside would only make matters harder. Fortunately, Luo Chen had another card up his sleeve. "Emperor Flowing Liquid!" "In two years, pushing every skill and spell to break through rank limits yielded me thirteen Achievement Points in total." "Now I can finally attempt to master the basics." Without hesitation, he tapped the final entry. [Emperor Flowing Liquid—Entry Progress: 88/100] With a thought, he channeled the thirteen Achievement Points into it one after another. Upon investing the tenth point, a bright flash of light erupted. The entry abruptly transformed into [Emperor Flowing Liquid (Entry 1/100)]. "Oh? It only took ten points?" Luo Chen was slightly surprised. Then he fell into thought. Over the past two years, he had made immense strides on the alchemical path. Beyond bringing two pills to Great Perfection, he had repeatedly refined peak-grade Jade Marrow Pills. The difficulty of refining a Tier 1 peak-grade pill was not far behind that of a Tier 2 pill. He had even sensed that his success rate with peak-grade pills was steadily creeping upward. In addition, throughout the continuous refining, his alchemy arts had advanced, and his familiarity with earth fire and medicinal ingredients had deepened. Under such conditions, saving two Achievement Points was only natural. "As expected, the system's enhancements are grounded in my own abilities." "The harder I work, the greater the boost the system provides!" Proficiency did not materialize out of thin air. It was accumulated day by day, bit by bit. Setting aside these idle thoughts, Luo Chen dismissed the attribute panel. From his storage bag, he retrieved an earthenware jar. Inside lay the blazing cloud roc materials he had pre-cut. It contained one-tenth of the beast's bones, flesh, and blood—just enough for a single refinement of Emperor Flowing Liquid. "Don't let me down!" Taking a deep breath, he dumped the entire contents of the jar into the Four Symbols Cauldron. Guided by the array formation, a wisp of earth fire slowly rose from the searing magma. Forming an incantation seal with his left hand, Luo Chen drew a curtain of water from the frigid spring, draping it over all the ingredients. Emperor Flowing Liquid. First refinement. Begin! *** Water method alchemy. This did not mean using water to concoct pills. Rather, it meant that the finished medicine took the form of a liquid instead of a solid pill or paste. Compared to the common fire method alchemy, water method alchemy boasted numerous advantages. First was safety. Unlike fire method alchemy, water method alchemy emphasized gradual progression and natural harmony, vastly reducing the dangers of conflicting medicinal properties. This was evident from the fact that the Emperor Flowing Liquid recipe required primary materials of the same origin. Second, the resulting medicine was mellow and gentle. Spiritual liquids such as Moistening Brightness Pearl Liquid, Deficiency-Supplementing Meridian-Nourishing Liquid, and Yang Restoring Water all possessed mild medicinal natures. Consuming them in large quantities would not produce severe aftereffects. Lastly, the operation was simpler. Fire method alchemy required a vast array of alchemical arts, hand seals, and intricate techniques. Water method alchemy required far fewer. So long as one could thoroughly blend the medicinal potencies of the various ingredients, the refinement was considered a success. The *Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition* contained extensive insights on fire method alchemy. Only on water method alchemy were the descriptions sparse. The primary reason was that the author, Qing Yuanzi himself, felt there was little worth explaining. Luo Chen strictly adhered to the Emperor Flowing Liquid recipe, adding the supplementary ingredients in precise proportions. At the same time, employing the Falling Cloud Smoke Generating Method, he occasionally wielded the Cloud Transformation Hand to draw water vapor from the spiritual spring covering the cauldron, infusing it into the herbs. Throughout the process, the earth fire burned steadily, purging the impurities from the supplementary ingredients. Especially the primary materials! The flesh, bones, and blood of a demon beast—and a Tier 2 blazing cloud roc at that. Purging every last impurity from them was truly painstaking, time-consuming work. Luo Chen was in no rush; he had long outgrown the age of impatience. Two years had passed, and he was now thirty-one—a man firmly standing on his own feet. Having weathered countless trials, ups, and downs... Even if his mental fortitude could not rival that of old monsters who had cultivated for centuries, it was definitely extraordinary among his peers. It was merely a matter of patient grinding! Time slipped quietly away amid Luo Chen's steady refinement. *** Three days flew by in a flash. With a calm expression, Luo Chen shut down the array and scooped a mass of black, pasty liquid from the Four Symbols Cauldron. A failure. He was not surprised. Even with thorough preparation, failure was an inevitable guest. Across his long alchemical career, it was the most ordinary sight imaginable. Carrying the wooden basin holding the black liquid, Luo Chen stepped outside the thatched cottage. A biting mountain wind swept over him as he lowered his head to inspect the waste. "The impurities were purged very well; practically none remain." "The issue arose during the solid-liquid separation. Melting the bones and flesh required greater heat, yet because I feared excessive heat would consume too much medicinal potency, I held back too much, causing the effort to collapse at the final hurdle." "Furthermore, the timing of the Cloud Transformation Hand wasn't optimal. Introducing the spiritual spring water into the medicine must be done slightly earlier to achieve a complete merge." "I'll rest for two days before trying again!" After a thorough analysis, Luo Chen carefully sealed the basin of waste. He had no intention of destroying it. If subsequent attempts failed, it could serve as a point of comparison. *** One day, two days... in the blink of an eye, over half a month passed. Luo Chen had failed four or five times. Even someone as accustomed to failure as he found it somewhat grueling. Refining a Tier 2 medicine, even a spiritual liquid, consumed vastly more soul energy and mental focus than an ordinary Tier 1 pill. "Having taken Nether-Passage Pills consistently for two years, the foundation of my soul is certainly no weaker than that of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator." "Even so, I still feel worn down." "Crossing tiers to refine a Tier 2 medicine truly is extraordinarily difficult!" Luo Chen sighed and decided to take a proper rest today. He planned to take a walk down the mountain to check on the Luotian Association's recent affairs. Presumably nothing major had happened, or Sima Huiniang would have notified him using a sound-transmission paper crane long ago. This was fine—visiting friends, sharing everyday conversation, and unwinding. Alternating between tension and relaxation was the true path of cultivation. Just as he was about to set off, a sudden stir touched his heart. Turning sideways, he gave a light beckoning gesture. A small pangolin scurried out, bearing a glittering five-pointed star on its back. "Tianxingzi's token has reacted?" Realizing a certain possibility, Luo Chen's eyes instantly lit up.