Three days later.
Mount Xiaohuan, quiet for an entire year, suddenly burst into lively activity.
Lanterns and banners were strung up as people came and went in streams.
Among the pavilions and towers, clusters of blossoms formed vibrant displays.
Several cultivators even cast spells, conjuring layered, drifting mists.
Combined in this manner, the scenery appeared quite celebratory at first glance.
A closer inspection, however, made it seem somewhat mismatched and clumsy.
Yet as an organization formed by rogue cultivators banding together, no one cared about such details.
A bustling atmosphere was enough!
In truth, there were few precedents to follow for a Foundation Establishment Grand Ceremony.
Most formal ceremonies of this kind originated in the holy lands of great sects.
Such places easily boasted tens of thousands of disciples.
A mere junior reaching Foundation Establishment would never warrant mobilizing so many resources or throwing a grand ceremony.
At most, close friends and family would gather, and congratulations would conclude with a polite toast.
Only when a cultivator stepped into the Nascent Soul realm would a sect fling wide its gates, inviting fellow Daoists from all directions to celebrate the emergence of a Perfected Person.
It was only in small, remote corners like Dahe Market and Snow Lotus Market,
where Qi Refinement rogue cultivators gathered in heaps,
that the birth of a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator became a momentous affair.
To flaunt their strength, the faction backing that True Cultivator would hold a so-called "Foundation Establishment Grand Ceremony."
Such was the case for the Luotian Association atop Mount Xiaohuan today.
They had not even invited many external peers.
For the most part, it was an occasion for internal members to celebrate together.
Early in the morning, Luo Chen came down from the mountain.
He did not do so to show deference to the arriving Foundation Establishment peers, but rather to catch up with his friends.
"You really established your foundation."
"Inconceivable! Truly inconceivable! I never could have imagined it!"
Three exclamations of disbelief poured from Zeng Wen's mouth in a row.
Luo Chen chuckled and said, "With talent as extraordinary as mine, isn't it only natural?"
Zeng Wen rolled his eyes, treating it entirely as Luo Chen blowing his own horn.
He understood Luo Chen better than anyone.
Back when he was already at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, this fellow had still been hawking wares at a stall in the inner city's rogue cultivator market.
In the blink of an eye, five years had passed. Luo Chen had reached Foundation Establishment, while he himself remained stuck in place.
"Is this your son?"
"Yep. Handsome, isn't he?"
"Let me hold him."
Luo Chen took the chubby child from Xiugu's arms.
"Whoa, he's quite heavy. Looks like he'll grow up to be a big fat guy just like you!"
Zeng Wen glared.
Xiugu, however, smiled sweetly and said, "President, Xiaolong is already two years old."
Looking at the chubby child resting quietly in his arms, Luo Chen could not help feeling how quickly time flew.
It was merely a single seclusion, yet the once wild and reckless Zeng Wen had already settled down with a family and career.
Even his child was two years old.
"His name is Zeng Yilong?"
"Yes. Brother Wen hopes he won't be a worm like himself in the future, but rather a dragon among cultivators."
In that case, the boy possessed spiritual roots.
It made sense; both parents were late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators.
Zeng Wen had possessed decent aptitude back then; otherwise, he never would have cultivated to the ninth layer of Qi Refinement.
The child they bore had a very high chance of possessing spiritual roots.
Luo Chen teased the child for a moment, then shifted his gaze to Tang Quan standing behind Zeng Wen.
"I heard from Huiniang that you've been doing quite well lately."
Tang Quan bowed respectfully. "It is all thanks to the President's early guidance and nurturing!"
Luo Chen sighed and handed Zeng Yilong back to Xiugu.
What nurturing had he really provided?
His training of Tang Quan had been completely misguided.
After so much time spent on alchemy, the man had ultimately achieved nothing in that craft.
He was doing well now because he had stopped concocting pills and taken over the management of the Pill Hall instead.
His cultivation had reached the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, which was genuinely something to be celebrated.
With Luo Chen's sigh, the previously warm and lively atmosphere of catching up suddenly quieted down.
Luo Chen paused, slightly startled.
Then he realized what had happened.
He was no longer the same as before!
After establishing his foundation, an imperceptible pressure accompanied his every word and gesture, weighing heavily on those around him.
This was plainly visible in the reaction of the child, Zeng Yilong.
The boy had been utterly motionless while held in his arms, but the moment he returned to his mother's embrace, he began squirming and fidgeting.
Fortunately, the oppressive atmosphere was broken soon enough.
"Greetings, President!"
"Congratulations on your Foundation Establishment, President! This is my congratulatory gift!"
The former voice belonged to the gentle Mili.
The latter voice, however, was an unfamiliar youth's.
Luo Chen looked at the young man in surprise. "Lingjun?"
The youth scratched his head bashfully. "It's me!"
Tsk, tsk!
It had only been a few years!
The boy had changed so much.
Not only had he shot up two heads taller, but his voice had shed its former childishness, becoming far more steady.
"I almost didn't recognize you."
Luo Chen smiled and took the jade bottle from his hands.
"Let me see what you brought as a Foundation Establishment gift."
Before holding the ceremony, Luo Chen had told his friends not to bring gifts.
Given their current realms, anything they could offer would be of little use to him.
A simple word of congratulations was more than enough to convey their sentiment.
Under Qu Lingjun's expectant gaze, Luo Chen uncorked the jade bottle.
In an instant, he froze.
A snow-white pill rolled into his palm.
The familiar scent of medicinal herbs made him certain beyond doubt that this was a Jade Marrow Pill.
A low-grade Jade Marrow Pill!
Yet it had not come from Luo Chen's hands.
Luo Chen could not concoct such a "shoddy" pill; even the cloud patterns on its surface were broken and disjointed.
However, it was precisely this flaw that sent a great shock through his mind!
"You made this?" Luo Chen blurted out, a tempest surging in his heart.
Qu Lingjun replied somewhat sheepishly, "It wasn't entirely me. Sister Mili and Brother Tang Quan helped."
Luo Chen's stern gaze instantly turned to the two of them.
Tang Quan immediately spoke up. "I didn't have much to teach. I merely demonstrated some of the pill refinement techniques you showed me back then."
Mili felt a bit nervous, but her tone remained steady and unhurried.
"I have studied the Jade Marrow Pill formula for many years. Combining it with your insights, President, I merely followed the recipe step-by-step.
"Originally, I intended to refine it myself. But after repeated failures, I gained nothing. Little Lingjun wanted to give it a try, so..."
Beneath Luo Chen's stern expression, no one dared to breathe loudly.
Even Qu Lingjun, who had eagerly anticipated praise, pursed his lips and stood stiffly in place.
After hearing their explanation, Luo Chen understood.
Indeed, when it came to the length of time spent studying the Jade Marrow Pill formula, he had not researched it as long as Mili.
After all, the recipe came from the Mi family.
Mili had been the first person Mi Shuhua groomed to become an alchemist.
She had surely memorized the proportions of the ingredients long ago.
All she lacked was proficiency and a sliver of talent.
As for technique, although Luo Chen had never formally taught others,
he had not been stingy when teaching Tang Quan how to concoct the Myriad Wonders Pill.
What he had not expected was that under such circumstances, Qu Lingjun could draw connections by analogy and successfully produce a low-grade Jade Marrow Pill.
Luo Chen gave Qu Lingjun a deep, lingering look.
In a low voice, he said, "After the ceremony concludes, do not wander off. I will come find you."
With that, he carefully put away the Jade Marrow Pill.
Before walking away, he paused momentarily.
"I like this gift very much."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the tension in the room instantly dissolved.
Mili let out a long breath of relief.
The youth standing beside her broke into a radiant smile.
***
"President, letting Mili and Qu Lingjun refine pills was my decision."
Inside Huanyu Hall, Sima Huiniang took full responsibility.
"At the time, you had been in seclusion for too long. Our relations with the Great River Gang, the Nangong family, and even the Li and Chen families were growing increasingly tense.
"We did not dare disturb you, but our pill business could not simply grind to a halt. Therefore, we attempted to let Mili, who had modest alchemical skill, refine the Jade Marrow Pills.
"We never expected that in the end, it would be Qu Lingjun, who had only been assisting her, who successfully crafted one."
Luo Chen's gaze grew heavy. "How many failures did he go through?"
Sima Huiniang produced the Pill Hall's ledger. Rather than opening it, she respectfully presented it to Luo Chen.
As Luo Chen flipped through the pages, she reported everything in detail from below.
"In total, seventy-nine batches of Jade Marrow Pills were attempted.
"During the first thirty-five attempts, three came close to forming pills.
"The first true success came after the sixtieth attempt. That batch yielded seven formed pills and ten ruined dross pills.
"The bottle of Jade Marrow Pills he presented to you should be from the furnace refined five days ago. That batch yielded eleven pills, all of low grade."
Seventy-nine attempts.
Thirty-five, sixty, seven pills, eleven pills...
Numbers flowed through Luo Chen's mind one after another.
After a long silence, he closed the ledger and handed it back to Sima Huiniang.
"I understand. For this matter, commendations will be the primary response. You, Tang Quan, and Mili shall all be rewarded.
"However, next time—no, there will be no next time.
"Without my explicit permission, no one in the Pill Hall is allowed to refine any pill outside of what I specify."
He did not say what punishment would follow a second offense.
Yet given Luo Chen's consistently ruthless approach toward external enemies, internal transgressions would hardly meet a pleasant end.
Sima Huiniang's heart seized, a chill creeping up her spine.
She hastily bowed low and responded with utmost deference, "Understood!"
"President, what about Qu Lingjun?"
Luo Chen glanced at her and said calmly, "As for him, I have other arrangements. You will all be informed when the time comes."
"Understood!"
With that settled, it was still early.
Sima Huiniang reported all the affairs that had accumulated over the past year one by one.
She had already made decisions and implemented actions for most of them.
Presenting them now was simply to let Luo Chen review everything; if anything had been handled improperly, he would naturally point it out.
As for the unresolved issues, this was the perfect opportunity for Luo Chen to address them.
"The Ghost City has become increasingly dangerous?"
Luo Chen frowned slightly. Before he could question Sima Huiniang further, footsteps echoed from outside the hall.
He stopped what he was doing and looked at the crowd entering.
First were Qin Liangchen and his wife, wearing complicated expressions.
"Congratulations to the President on reaching Foundation Establishment!"
"Congratulations to the President on reaching Foundation Establishment!"
It was no longer the old "Little Luo," nor the familiar "Luo Chen."
It was a heartfelt call of "President."
Luo Chen sighed inward. He had noticed this subtle shift long ago.
Keeping his expression neutral, he smiled and invited the couple to take their seats.
Next came the taciturn Duan Feng, a beaming Gu Caiyi, and Granny Yuan, who walked in trembling with the support of her grandson Yuan Dongsheng.
With this, all six hall masters of the Luotian Association were gathered together.
Every single one of them offered sincere words of congratulations to Luo Chen.
As for how much envy and wistfulness lay beneath their words, none could say.
Luo Chen accepted them all calmly.
He did not chat and laugh casually with them as he had with Zeng Wen's family outside the hall.
He understood that changes in cultivation realms and differences in status had imperceptibly altered the way they interacted.
Open-minded figures like Zeng Wen were rare exceptions after all.
That was a man who had dared to demand payment from Mi Shuhua, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, right before a crowd of onlookers.
Luo Chen understood this very well.
He still considered these people his friends.
Yet he would not express it in words; he would only show his goodwill through their future interactions.
Soon, all the upper echelon of the Luotian Association were seated in Huanyu Hall.
Only four seats remained empty.
Everyone present knew whom those seats were reserved for.
Suddenly,
Luo Chen's expression stirred.
"Huiniang, lead some people outside to receive our guests."
Sima Huiniang was startled, then quickly realized what was happening and hurried out of the hall.
Before long, loud announcements echoed from outside.
"Senior True Cultivator Nangong Jin offers congratulations to Danchenzi, presenting a five-hundred-year-old spirit ginseng!"
Following that announcement, every Qi Refinement cultivator inside Huanyu Hall stood up.
Soon, Nangong Jin appeared before the crowd.
Behind him followed the familiar figure of Nangong Qin.
"Haha, Fellow Daoist, you have spent lavishly!"
A hearty laugh came from Luo Chen.
Yet he remained seated, not moving an inch, merely extending an open hand.
"Fellow Daoist Nangong, please be seated!"
Nangong Jin returned the greeting with a bow, and guided by a maidservant, took a seat to Luo Chen's left.
Following Nangong Jin's arrival, the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators arrived in succession.
Li Yixian—the Li family patriarch whose clan's heritage in Dahe Market was second only to the Duan family—appeared before everyone for the first time.
"Senior True Cultivator Li Yixian offers congratulations to Danchenzi, presenting a second-tier cultivation method!"
As soon as these words rang out, the numerous Luotian Association cultivators banqueting outside the hall burst into an uproar.
A second-tier cultivation method was worth thousands of spirit stones at the very least.
To offer it so casually as a gift?
This was far more precious than the five-hundred-year spirit ginseng gifted by Nangong Jin.
Yet Luo Chen showed no sign of surprise or delight.
This had been agreed upon in private long beforehand.
To obtain this cultivation method, what he had traded away was by no means small!
Soon,
Luo Chen saw Li Yixian's true appearance for the first time.
She possessed a graceful figure, and her voice sounded like heavenly music.
Yet her facial features were utterly ordinary—plain even among common female cultivators.
She looked at Luo Chen and offered an elegant curtsy.
"This humble woman greets Fellow Daoist!"
Staring at her face, Luo Chen's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded gently.
Then he deliberately shifted his gaze to the young man behind her.
Li Ao.
The most outstanding member among the Li family's younger generation, who had recently taken over the position of clan head.
In both realm and status, he was on par with Nangong Jin's son, Nangong Qin.
To be brought to an occasion like this by Li Yixian showed how highly this female Foundation Establishment cultivator regarded him.
"Danchenzi, Elder Zhou Qing of the Lianyun Merchant Alliance likely will not be able to attend today."
As soon as Li Yixian sat down, she brought Luo Chen unexpected news.
"Oh?"
Li Yixian said softly, "The conflict between the two Nascent Soul sects outside is currently raging fiercely. The Lianyun Merchant Alliance is suspected of being a covert pawn of the Falling Cloud Sect and has been targeted by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. Elder Zhou Qing was recently summoned back to Tianlan Immortal City by headquarters."
Such a development had occurred?
Having been in seclusion for so long, Luo Chen was truly unaware of the recent turbulence in the outside world.
It seemed the struggle between the two Nascent Soul sects had escalated from minor skirmishes into targeting each other's subordinate factions.
As for whether the Lianyun Merchant Alliance truly was a covert pawn of the Falling Cloud Sect, that remained unknown.
However, judging by the ambush laid against Pang Renxiong in the Zhenlong Black Market back then,
the Lianyun Merchant Alliance had almost certainly played a role.
Just as Luo Chen was pondering this, his senses stirred, and he looked toward the entrance.
At the same moment, Li Yixian also raised her head and looked outside.
Noticing their synchronized movements, Nangong Jin was momentarily taken aback.
Only then did he react as well.
However, his expression became somewhat awkward.
That mere fraction of a second revealed the disparity in soul foundation among the three of them.
Li Yixian smiled gently. "It seems Fellow Daoist Wang Haichao has arrived."
Shortly after her words fell, a booming announcement came from outside.
"Senior Wang Haichao of the Great River Gang offers congratulations to Danchenzi, presenting a second-tier spell!"
Then, two figures stepped into the hall.
It was not Wang Haichao, but two cultivators at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement.
Min Longyu and Li Da.
Luo Chen frowned. Wasn't Min Longyu an affiliated cultivator of the Lianyun Merchant Alliance? When had he joined Wang Haichao's banner?
Just then!
A violent surge of spiritual power erupted, and an azure flood dragon charged straight into the hall.
Its momentum was ferocious; as it whipped its head and thrashed its tail, the entire hall seemed to shudder.
Yet its overall force was remarkably concentrated, demonstrating the caster's formidable control over spiritual power.
This move was executed with deliberate intent!
If not handled carefully, one would suffer injuries at worst, or end up drenched in heavy rain and thoroughly humiliated at best.
This was Luo Chen's Foundation Establishment Grand Ceremony!
If he were turned into a drowned rat before all his guests, he would lose tremendous face.
In an instant, everyone held their breath.
Luo Chen's eyes flashed.
His right hand waved forward with an unhurried sweep!
Whoosh...
A gentle breeze brushed past, and the massive azure flood dragon dissolved into harmless raindrops in the blink of an eye, vanishing without a trace.
What kind of technique was that?
Wang Haichao's figure revealed itself, landing in front of Min Longyu and Li Da, his face filled with astonishment.
"Fellow Daoist's strength is extraordinary indeed!"
Chapter 190