Beneath pleasant smiles and easy banter lurked hidden murderous intent!
Min Longyu shuddered.
Looking at Luo Chen, he said apprehensively, "I imagine you wouldn't."
"Oh?" Luo Chen looked at him with a faint smile. "You seem to think you know me well."
Min Longyu lowered his head.
"Ever since the Battle of Crescent Moon Valley, I have watched you closely. Especially when you reorganized the Mountain Breaker Gang and built the Luotian Association by your own strength..."
"You treated Mi Li kindly and gave shelter to the female cultivators who left the Tianxiang Brothel."
"Wang Yuan is merely a body cultivator, yet you offered him the terms of a Foundation Establishment consecrated elder."
"Duan Feng harbored a grudge against the Duan family, so you took the fight directly to their doors."
"Men like Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang are mediocre at best, yet under you, they were placed in important positions."
"I know the Three Sima Cultivators; outsiders though they were, they hold high ranks in the Luotian Association."
...
After a long pause, he slowly raised his head. The apprehension had receded, replaced by resolve.
Looking at Luo Chen, he said, "I admit my judgment is far from keen, but I will not misjudge a person again and again."
"A man like you is gentle and generous, amicable to friends, ruthless to foes, open-minded in employing talent, and humble toward the worthy..."
Luo Chen's brow twitched violently.
*Too much! Way too much!*
*Where did I get all these virtues? Keep talking like this and I'll start thinking I'm a saint.*
"I believe you are undoubtedly an enlightened leader!"
"Far superior to the likes of Mi Shuhua and Wang Haichao!"
Who didn't enjoy hearing flattery?
Luo Chen felt a spark of delight, but kept his expression completely impassive.
"This alone is not enough."
Min Longyu said earnestly, "At your Foundation Establishment Grand Ceremony, you poured out your insights and secrets on breaking through without holding anything back, proving you are no miser."
"Furthermore, you had already reached Foundation Establishment, yet you bid aggressively at the Huo family auction to secure a Foundation Establishment Pill. It is plainly evident for whom that pill was bought."
"I will not play coy. It is for that Foundation Establishment Pill that I have come to pledge myself to you!"
*He finally revealed his true motive, after all!*
Luo Chen's smile gradually faded.
He stared at Min Longyu, who stood tall in his scholar's robes and high cap, composed and orderly.
"During the Battle of Crescent Moon Valley, you breached the Garrison Earth Formation and led a mob to surround and kill me."
"During the Battle of Gaoling Plain, though you helped me, you defected on the battlefield and betrayed Wang Haichao."
"From where I stand, do you think I ought to accept you?"
Luo Chen paused.
Then he said faintly, "Not executing you on the spot was already lenient treatment for your turning away from evil. Do not mistake me for an overly benevolent man."
There was old enmity between them.
Even worse, there was a stain on his character.
Who would accept such a person?
Min Longyu parted his lips, momentarily at a loss for words.
Confusion and dread flickered in his eyes.
*Whoosh!*
A jade token flew through the air, landing right before him.
"Swear a Great Dao oath that you will never betray me in this lifetime!"
Hesitating, Min Longyu caught the jade token, his bewilderment deepening.
He understood a Great Dao oath.
Yet why did it require a jade token as a vessel?
"Promise as well to provide formation expertise to the Luotian Association, holding nothing back for personal gain."
Looking at the hesitant Min Longyu, Luo Chen said indifferently, "I will also make an oath: before you turn sixty, I will secure a Foundation Establishment spiritual medicine for you. As for that Foundation Establishment Pill won at the auction, do not even think about it."
Min Longyu froze.
He could not covet that Foundation Establishment Pill.
Yet Luo Chen was promising to find another Foundation Establishment spiritual medicine for him?
He was even willing to swear an oath himself?
Taking a deep breath, Min Longyu hesitated no longer and immediately swore the Great Dao oath.
Decisive indeed!
Seeing this, Luo Chen also swore the oath to seek the medicine.
Once the oaths were set, two faint rays of dim light flashed from their bodies and sank into the jade token.
Luo Chen formed several hand seals in rapid succession. Having absorbed the dim light, the jade token took on a deeper, more profound sheen.
Reaching out, he summoned the jade token back and placed it into his storage bag.
With the Soul Anchor Oath established, both parties were bound, and a subtle strand of connection formed between their divine souls.
However, the primary burden of this oath lay with Min Longyu.
Luo Chen only needed to fulfill his oath of finding the medicine, and his end would be considered dissolved.
When that time came, he would no longer be bound by it.
Min Longyu merely felt a strange discomfort, as though he were under someone else's control.
Yet that feeling soon faded away.
He shifted uncomfortably. "Then what should I do now?"
"Go find Murong Qinglian and Duan Feng. The former will register your name, while the latter requires your formation skills."
Luo Chen smiled. "Our Heavenly Eagle Flying Boat may appear intact, but its internal formations were severely damaged. Now is the time for you to contribute."
Min Longyu breathed a sigh of relief.
Having tasks to do was good.
Only by working could he quickly integrate into the Luotian Association and avoid those odd, suspicious glances.
"Senior! Then I shall take my leave."
"Go!"
The door opened, and sunlight flooded inside.
Though now bound, Min Longyu seemed to step out with firmer, more resolute strides.
Watching his departing figure, Luo Chen could not help but shake his head.
*This is likely the helplessness of a loose cultivator!*
Circumstances lay beyond one's control; a lone heart could hardly contend with fate.
Yet Luo Chen could offer him a sliver of hope when Foundation Establishment had seemed utterly out of reach.
"A Foundation Establishment spiritual medicine? Heh!"
It was not an impossible task.
Now he had realm, strength, and immense wealth.
At any auction, as long as one appeared, he could fight to secure it.
Even if he could not, he could concoct Emperor's Flowing Syrup to fulfill the promise.
Of course, unless pushed to the absolute brink, he must never expose the latter.
Luo Chen had understood this long ago.
The Foundation Establishment Pills that great sects released at auctions were less a ray of hope left for loose cultivators and more a leash to keep them under control.
With this sliver of hope dangling before them, loose cultivators would not stake everything on one throw of the dice and stand in outright opposition to the great sects.
And Luo Chen possessed a method that could allow one to establish their foundation.
Moreover, it was a method comparable to a Foundation Establishment Pill.
If news of that leaked out...
"The disaster it brings would far exceed orthodox cultivation pills like the Jade Marrow Pill!"
With a quiet sigh, he let the door swing shut.
...
"Did the Association Leader assign you a position?"
"No."
"Was any stipend mentioned?"
"No."
"Where is your ancestral home? What is your cultivation realm?"
"I come from Tianlan Immortal City, currently at Qi Refinement Great Perfection."
Murong Qinglian looked at the man before her in surprise.
He truly had joined the Luotian Association!
Even though she had anticipated it, she still found it incredible.
From the moment this man made a name for himself, he had stood opposite them.
Whether it was brutally killing Han Dang back in the Mountain Breaker Gang era, or breaching the formation single-handedly during the Battle of Crescent Moon Valley.
Years had passed, and the tides of fortune had shifted.
Now, he had abandoned the dark to step into the light, becoming a member of the Luotian Association.
What was more, with a cultivation second only to the Association Leader and the Battle Hall Master, he had received neither an official position nor a designated stipend.
It seemed this man's goal in joining the Luotian Association was crystal clear!
Amid her surprise, she questioned him about his details while carefully recording them onto the registry:
*Name: Min Longyu. Realm: Qi Refinement Great Perfection.*
*Age: Fifty-six years old.*
*Spiritual Roots: Metal, Fire, Earth—three spiritual roots.*
*Craft: Formations.*
*Position: Ordinary Member.*
...
"Everything is recorded. For now, your treatment follows the base stipend of a ninth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator. It isn't much—only three hundred spirit stones and a bottle of Dust Transforming Pills per month. It may change in the future, but that is how it stands for now."
Hearing Murong Qinglian's words, Min Longyu was inwardly astonished.
*Not much?*
Although he possessed considerable wealth now after secretly scavenging resources from the Gaoling Plain battlefield, the Luotian Association's treatment for an ordinary ninth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator had clearly exceeded the standards of the former Great River Gang!
Furthermore, from Hall Master Murong's words, it might change later on?
Naturally, it would not worsen; it would only improve.
Shaking his head, he sighed with feeling. "I have always heard that Senior Danchenzi treats his subordinates exceptionally well. I never imagined that even the base stipend would be so generous."
Murong Qinglian brushed back a loose strand of hair and chuckled softly. "Naturally. If you can serve as a steward, an elder, or in an important post like our hall masters, your remuneration will be even higher."
"Oh?"
Murong Qinglian was a clever woman.
In the early days, she was Qin Liangchen's capable helpmeet; later on, she took charge of the Mountain Breaker Gang's Medicine Hall.
Afterward, she became the Hall Master of the Luotian Association's Merit Hall, overseeing personnel changes and merit evaluations.
After years of tempering, it was no exaggeration to say she understood the ways of the world and human nature thoroughly.
She saw it clearly.
The reason Luo Chen had been magnanimous enough to put past grudges aside and recruit Min Longyu was certainly not because of his Qi Refinement Great Perfection realm.
No matter how high his realm was, it could not surpass Luo Chen or Wang Yuan.
Rather, it was his outstanding, repeatedly proven mastery of formations!
Withholding a position and stipend for now was merely to temper his disposition.
In the future, he was bound to be placed in an important role.
Under these circumstances, she did not mind giving Luo Chen a helping hand.
Generous remuneration was an enticing bait!
"Take me as an example!"
Murong Qinglian gave a slight smile. "As the master of a hall, I receive a monthly stipend of five hundred spirit stones. In addition, there is a bottle of Dust Transforming Pills, a box of Spirit Calming Incense, and a portion of Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid specially provided by the Association Leader."
"I know of the Dust Transforming Pills and Spirit Calming Incense; they are exceptionally suited for ninth-layer Qi Refinement cultivators." Min Longyu nodded, then asked curiously, "What is this Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid?"
He knew that Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid existed on the open market.
Yet common goods like that would hardly be highlighted as a special stipend benefit!
Sure enough, Murong Qinglian's next words made his breath hitch.
"This Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid was personally improved by the Association Leader based on market recipes."
"It possesses miraculous effects in nourishing a cultivator's blood vitality, physique, and meridians."
"Using it regularly in medicinal baths brings great benefit toward breaking through to Foundation Establishment!"
Min Longyu's eyes lit up.
He believed his preparations for Foundation Establishment were already comprehensive.
Whether in the purity of his spiritual power or the depth of his divine soul, he was considered an elite among his peers.
Only in physical cultivation was he at a loss.
Ordinary recipes on the market might be useful to early- and mid-stage cultivators, but for a peak Qi Refinement cultivator like him, the effects were negligible.
If he could obtain the Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid bestowed by Luo Chen, wouldn't his preparations for Foundation Establishment become far more complete?
Looking at Murong Qinglian with envy, Min Longyu said, "I wonder when I might enjoy such treatment and receive the body-refining spirit medicine improved by Senior Danchenzi."
Murong Qinglian looked at him with an ambiguous smile.
"If you only want the Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid, it isn't difficult."
"Oh? How so?" Min Longyu's heart skipped a beat.
"It is simple. Once you enter the association, there is a system of earning and deducting merit."
"If you accumulate enough merit points, you can exchange them for Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid through Steward Sima Wenjie of the Merit Hall."
"Merit?" Min Longyu muttered.
He was a man driven strongly by objectives.
His execution was also remarkably swift.
When his clan proved useless, he followed Zhou Qing far away to Tianlan.
When Wang Haichao acted dishonorably, he showed no loyalty in return and defected on the spot.
Now he followed Luo Chen, swearing a Great Dao oath to join the Luotian Association.
Everything was for Foundation Establishment.
Naturally, he could not afford to pass up this Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid that aided in reaching Foundation Establishment!
"Accumulating merit is not difficult. Depending on your specialty, you simply contribute to the Luotian Association within your abilities. Over time, merit points will pile up."
"For example, the Medicine Hall grows spiritual herbs, the Pill Hall refines pills, the Artifact Hall crafts Dharma artifacts, and so on..."
Min Longyu's eyes brightened as he recalled what Luo Chen had just told him.
"I heard Senior Danchenzi say that the formations of our Heavenly Eagle Flying Boat were severely damaged?"
*He catches on fast!*
Murong Qinglian said with a beaming smile, "Precisely so. We urgently need your assistance."
"Whatever is within my power, I will not shirk!"
Min Longyu immediately thumped his chest.
The formations of a high-grade flying boat were nothing he could not handle.
With that, he turned, ready to start accumulating merit.
Unexpectedly, Murong Qinglian called him back.
"Now you are one of our people. The Artifact Hall will soon forge your identity token."
"From now on... do not refer to him as Senior Danchenzi."
Meeting her meaningful gaze, Min Longyu blinked.
Then he nodded solemnly.
"It shall be so. The Association Leader could accommodate me, so I will naturally not let him down!"
With that, he turned and left.
Murong Qinglian smiled faintly and put away the roster.
Through these recent events, the Luotian Association had undergone another round of weeding out the chaff to preserve the grain.
The cohesion of the surviving cultivators had reached an impressive level.
It was likely even stronger than in some small sects.
After all, they had supported one another through battle after battle.
Even those loose cultivators who once held grievances had begun to truly identify with their status as Luotian Association cultivators.
And Min Longyu's joining had thoroughly filled the Luotian Association's deficiency in formations.
Duan Feng was, in the end, a weaponsmith.
His knowledge of formations was merely dabbling; he was far from proficient.
*If he can successfully reach Foundation Establishment, it will undoubtedly be a blessing for the Luotian Association. Foundation Establishment... the Foundation Establishment Pill...*
Murong Qinglian could not help but knit her brows.
Luo Chen wouldn't give that Foundation Establishment Pill in his hands to Min Longyu, would he?
Yet if he did, wouldn't that violate his original promise?
In all matters, one had to respect seniority, or at least maintain fair rewards and punishments.
Acting otherwise might damage Luo Chen's prestige in the hearts of the association's senior cultivators.
*No!*
*What am I thinking?*
*He is the Association Leader; whomever he chooses to give it to depends entirely on his mood. Worrying over it is just bringing trouble upon myself.*
Shaking her head, Murong Qinglian stopped dwelling on the matter.
Yet deep inside, her resolve only hardened.
She needed to cultivate to Qi Refinement Great Perfection as quickly as possible so she could rightfully petition for that Foundation Establishment Pill.
As for the one their Qin family already owned, she had never even considered touching it.
That was reserved for her husband, Qin Liangchen!
...
Min Longyu had joined the Luotian Association!
This news spread swiftly among the cultivators of the Luotian Association.
From the moment he joined, he bustled about the flying boat all day, leading several late-stage cultivators from the Artifact Hall to repair the formations.
He even spent his own resources, preparing to construct a new Qinglan Formation for the Heavenly Eagle Flying Boat.
This was a defensive formation that, by drawing upon the existing Wind-Riding Formation, could form a barrier of wind.
Its defensive capabilities were far superior to the original defensive array.
The low-tier cultivators were naturally delighted to see this.
The stronger the flying boat's defenses, the safer they would be.
At the very least, they would not suffer the humiliation of being blasted down onto Gaoling Plain by a single strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
However, to the ninth-layer Qi Refinement experts of the Luotian Association, it was another matter entirely.
A threat!
Min Longyu had thrown himself into work the moment he joined.
Was it because he loved this gang made of loose cultivators?
Obviously not!
He did it to curry favor with Luo Chen.
He did it for that Foundation Establishment Pill!
Because he was already at peak Qi Refinement, he desperately needed a Foundation Establishment spiritual pill.
How could this be allowed?
Luo Chen had long promised that Foundation Establishment Pill to them; they simply had not yet reached Qi Refinement Great Perfection.
Not everyone trusted Luo Chen unconditionally like Murong Qinglian.
Alongside their respect and admiration for Luo Chen, every one of them harbored their own selfish desires.
This had nothing to do with nobility of character; it was simply the self-serving instinct inherent to human nature since the dawn of time.
Under these circumstances, the ninth-layer Qi Refinement experts of the Luotian Association harbored a faint hostility toward Min Longyu.
Inside the quiet room, Luo Chen naturally remained unaware of these developments.
Even if he had known, he would have merely laughed it off.
He had already made things abundantly clear to Min Longyu regarding that Foundation Establishment Pill.
If he publicized the matter, the petty undercurrents below would naturally settle down.
Yet there was no need!
With this enticing bait dangling, he could foster a healthy sense of competition and urge them to cultivate harder.
The Luotian Association still had far too few experts!
If a few more Foundation Establishment cultivators emerged, he would not have to worry over so many trivial matters himself.
Nor would he have had to go to such lengths to win over Foundation Establishment cultivators like Li Yixian and Nangong Jin.
Five days flew by since departing Gaoling Plain.
Inside the quiet room.
Luo Chen's eyes were wide open, his Spirit Eye Art pushed to its limit.
He stared fixedly at the storage bag before him, his outwardly projected divine sense shuttling back and forth like a weaver's loom, testing and probing continuously.
Suddenly!
Luo Chen's heart stirred as a sliver of divine sense burrowed into the storage bag.
From the inside out, the restriction crumbled away, inch by inch!
"I've finally unraveled that old bastard Duan Qiankun's divine sense restriction."
Luo Chen rubbed the space between his brows. Though somewhat exhausted, his heart was flooded with relief.
Six or seven years had passed since he obtained this item.
After reaching Foundation Establishment, he had spent three and a half years chipping away at the restriction whenever he had free time.
Only now had he finally broken it.
Rather than rushing to inspect the contents inside, Luo Chen calmed his mind, manipulating his projected divine sense to settle upon his own storage bag.
Supplemented by an infusion of spiritual power, a miniature restriction quickly came to life.
Seeing this, Luo Chen could not help but grin.
"It's hard to say what's inside the storage bag."
"However, to unravel it, I have familiarized myself with some foundational restriction techniques, and my application of divine sense has grown increasingly adept."
"If I were to study formation arts right now, I could probably pick them up with ease."
Luo Chen smiled faintly.
This was only natural!
His divine soul was inherently powerful, and he had thoroughly studied the foundational divine sense manuals Gao Tingyuan had obtained from the Soul Refining Loose Cultivator.
Later, to study the Fireball Art, he had learned some basic talisman techniques.
Adding Duan Qiankun as his unwitting "instructor" over the past three years, achieving such progress was only to be expected.
Yet this was merely entering the doorway.
To become truly proficient, one had to master thousands upon thousands of restrictions, large and small, and weaving them into formations required persevering, ceaseless study.
His ambitions did not lie there.
"Now, let me see just what kind of treasures you, the patriarch of the Duan clan, have left behind in this storage bag!"
Chapter 219