"President, is something amiss?"
Seeing the amused smile on Luo Chen's face, Sima Huiniang asked hesitantly.
"Amiss?"
Luo Chen chuckled.
"As far as their Qinhua Li family is concerned, of course nothing is amiss.
"Lingjun is my disciple and runs an entire hall on his own. If they marry into his branch, it means being deeply tied to me, Luo Chen.
"That way, even once the Qinhua Li family loses their ancestor, other factions wouldn't dare make a reckless move out of deference to me."
Sima Huiniang thoroughly agreed.
The other party certainly harbored that intention.
Still, why did the President wear such an expression?
While she wondered, Luo Chen shifted the topic.
"However, they're dreaming far too sweetly!
"Lingjun is only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, and his aptitude isn't great. In the eyes of ordinary people, he's someone with no hope of Foundation Establishment.
"Such a marriage partner poses zero threat to their Li family, yet allows them to leverage my Luotian Association's rising power.
"How could things ever come so cheap?"
Sima Huiniang froze, then suddenly realized.
She had only seen how much weight the other side placed on the alliance by marrying off a direct granddaughter of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement down to Qu Lingjun at the fifth layer.
Beneath the surface, however, wasn't that also meant to ensure that Qu Lingjun, with his lowly cultivation realm, could never overreach into the Li family's interests as a son-in-law?
Just thinking of this brought an enlightened expression to Sima Huiniang's face.
"President is wise!
"Shall we decline the proposal, then?"
"Decline?" Luo Chen shook his head. "Why decline?"
Since the other party had already cast the bait, there was no reason he shouldn't take a hefty bite.
With the strength of the Qinhua Li family, they could never reel in a fish as big as him!
On the contrary, seizing this opportunity, he might even drag the Li family down into the water.
"Submit two other marriage candidates for their Li family to choose from!"
"Which two?"
Luo Chen glanced at Sima Huiniang and uttered two names:
"Sima Xian!
"Yuan Dongsheng!"
Hearing her elder brother's name caught Sima Huiniang somewhat off guard.
Yet upon giving it careful thought, it made perfect sense.
Sima Xian's cultivation was not low, and he held real authority in the War Hall.
With Wang Yuan remaining aloof from routine management year after year, Sima Xian was essentially the acting master of the War Hall in all but name, making him fully qualified to be a marriage partner.
Most importantly, he was the elder brother of the Luotian Association's director-general herself!
In terms of status, this was barely a notch below Luo Chen's direct disciple.
As for Yuan Dongsheng?
Likely the President had added his name specifically to fulfill Granny Yuan's wish.
Yet nine times out of ten, the Li family wouldn't pick Yuan Dongsheng—after all, he was merely a spirit-planting elder in the Medicine Hall.
Thus, the primary candidate remained her elder brother, Sima Xian.
But with her brother at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement...
"Will they agree?"
Faced with this question, Luo Chen flashed a row of stark white teeth. "They don't get to disagree. They were the ones who proposed an alliance, so this matter must go through!"
Sima Huiniang's eyes brightened; she vaguely caught Luo Chen's drift.
Bowing respectfully, she said, "Then leave this matter to me!
"I will surely handle it to your satisfaction!"
***
After Sima Huiniang departed, Luo Chen clicked his tongue.
As the Luotian Association grew stronger and larger, encountering such matters was inevitable sooner or later.
It might seem at odds with the tranquil, detached demeanor of immortal cultivators, but in truth, wherever people gathered, entangled interests followed.
In the past, when they were obscure and nameless, nobody cared.
Now that a single sect boasted three Foundation Establishment cultivators, backed by a behemoth like the Ice Fort, plenty of people feared them, and naturally, plenty envied and fawned over them.
He did not harbor any aversion toward such dealings.
In fact, as long as they were handled properly, the benefits involved would be of great help to him.
It was just that such aid could not be reaped overnight; seeing even a bit of result would take several years, if not decades.
Right now, however, there were tangible benefits close at hand that could aid him immediately.
With a flick of his wrist, a storage bag dropped into his palm.
Wang Haichao's storage bag!
Previously, apart from his own, Luo Chen had four storage bags belonging to Foundation Establishment cultivators in his possession:
Duan Qiankun's, Huo Hu's, Tu Shan's, and Wang Haichao's.
He had already spent time unraveling the restrictions on the first two bit by bit, and the gains had been truly substantial.
Through that process, besides the tangible resources, Luo Chen had also gained a rudimentary grasp of restrictions.
Consequently, shortly after opening Huo Hu's storage bag, he had effortlessly unraveled Tu Shan's as well.
After all, Tu Shan was merely a loose cultivator, and his storage bag had only been marked with crude spiritual energy imprints!
Had Luo Chen not been in a rush to prepare Wang Yuan's Foundation Establishment gift, he could have cracked Tu Shan's right after Duan Qiankun's in one continuous go.
And upon opening that bag, Tu Shan's legacy had certainly not "disappointed" him.
Poor!
Dreadfully poor!
In cash, there were only some seven thousand spirit stones, and all the miscellaneous resources totaled less than ten thousand.
To have fallen to such a state was truly an embarrassment for a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.
No wonder he had lacked the means to compete with Luo Chen over the Clear Source Wondrous Elixir Method at the Huo family auction back then.
In reality, this was the norm for loose cultivators reaching Foundation Establishment.
Achieving Foundation Establishment had already consumed their entire fortune.
Afterward, if they possessed no specialized skill, they often had no choice but to serve as consecrated elders for factions or sell their lives by joining established powers.
Only then could they continue their cultivation.
Those who were stronger and possessed greater foresight would establish factions of their own to amass resources, like Mi Shuhua and Wang Haichao.
Luo Chen also belonged in that category.
Then there were other Foundation Establishment loose cultivators who, feeling that the Great Dao was out of reach, simply gave up entirely.
They took wives, bore children, and founded immortal cultivation families to pass down their bloodline.
Doing so allowed them to enjoy life for quite some time.
The downside, however, was their inability to touch higher-end resources; bound by family ties, they could only circle within their own tiny territory,
frequently having to swallow insults and submit before other powerhouses.
Luo Chen had never harbored any high expectations for Tu Shan's storage bag.
Naturally, he was not disappointed.
But Wang Haichao's storage bag held great interest for him!
"A mere third-layer Foundation Establishment spiritual sense imprint, without even any restrictions mixed in—with my current strength, breaking it is as easy as turning over my palm!"
Though he boasted boldly, Luo Chen's hands remained meticulous and cautious.
He had already spent nearly a month working to unravel this storage bag.
Today, it would finally reach full completion!
*Swish!*
As an azure glow flared and gradually faded, Luo Chen knew he had succeeded.
He had unsealed the storage bag completely intact.
Sending his spiritual sense inside, a brief sweep was enough to bring an uncontrollable look of delight to Luo Chen's face!
"Fellow Daoist Wang, Luo truly thanks you!"
Spirit stones!
Densely packed spirit stones!
Even if ninety percent were low-grade spirit stones, they piled up like mountains, their numbers impossible to count at a glance.
Luo Chen had guessed Wang Haichao might be wealthy.
After all, unlike Mi Shuhua, Wang Haichao was unencumbered by a family clan, and unlike Tu Shan, he wasn't completely on his own.
Leveraging the Great River Gang, he had operated for years and accumulated countless riches.
Even with heavy expenses for his cultivation, a handsome surplus remained.
Still, Luo Chen had not anticipated he would be this rich.
He took some time to count thoroughly and arrived at a final figure:
"One hundred and sixty thousand spirit stones—with three hundred of them actually being mid-grade spirit stones!"
This sum already exceeded the one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones Luo Chen currently possessed!
Once the thrill passed, Luo Chen's mood gradually settled.
It made sense for Wang Haichao to have amassed such wealth.
When departing Dahe Market back then, he had extracted over two hundred thousand spirit stones purely from selling ferry tickets!
Later, he spent a sum purchasing demonic beasts from the Li and Nangong families.
Then at the auction, competing with Nangong Jin for the magic treasure Mystic Fire Sword had burned another seventy to eighty thousand.
That he still had one hundred and sixty thousand left was proof of how well he had managed his affairs over the years.
"Then again, though this sum seems immense, it wouldn't count for much if placed in Tianlan Immortal City."
If nothing else, simply renting a second-rank cave abode cost anywhere from ten thousand to forty-eight thousand a year.
A cultivator's cultivation spanned decades or centuries.
Securing a fine immortal cave would require hundreds of thousands or even millions.
A mere one hundred and sixty thousand could hardly be considered prominent.
Unless one possessed a steady stream of income, like Luo Chen's Luotian Association.
"No wonder Wang Haichao insisted on staying behind in Taishan Market back then."
Sighing with emotion, Luo Chen transferred this stash of spirit stones into one of his own storage bags.
He kept three storage bags on him at all times, dividing different kinds of cultivation resources among them.
Low-grade spirit stones looked small, but in large numbers, they took up substantial volume.
This sum seemed vast at first glance yet modest upon reflection, but it was an excellent supplement for Luo Chen at this moment.
Tianlan Immortal City's decennial grand auction was scheduled to open soon.
If he wanted to make any significant acquisitions at the auction, he had to possess sufficient financial might.
This was not like back in Dahe Market, where a hundred-odd thousand spirit stones could dominate the entire floor.
Adding Tu Shan's share, Luo Chen's liquid savings rose directly to three hundred and twenty thousand!
The Luotian Association also had over half a year of uncollected spirit stones.
His share of the profits, once factored in, would bring his total near four hundred thousand.
If he threw caution to the wind and drained all the Luotian Association's working capital, the funds in his hands could become even more plentiful!
"With wealth like this, I could even contend for a mid-grade magic treasure!"
In the cultivation world, prices of magic treasures followed clear patterns.
Conventionally, low-grade ones stayed under a hundred thousand; mid-grade ones ranged from a hundred thousand to five hundred thousand; and high-grade magic treasures formidable enough to serve as the heirloom of a sect could fetch staggering prices close to a million.
There were even exceptional rarities whose demand far outstripped supply, commanding figures well over a million spirit stones.
The prices of magical artifacts and magic treasures could also define a cultivator's net worth.
Judged by the values of his past life, Luo Chen reckoned that Qi Refinement cultivators generally held only a few hundred or a few thousand in savings, having to risk their entire fortunes just for a single Foundation Establishment Pill.
The wealthy among them who could save up over ten thousand after covering their cultivation expenses were true standouts among men—they could be dubbed "ten-thousand-yuan households."
Back then, Luo Chen had been one of the very best among them.
As for Foundation Establishment cultivators, their wealth was generally counted in tens of thousands.
The impoverished, like Tu Shan, struggled to amass ten thousand.
The wealthy, like Luo Chen, could put together four to five hundred thousand.
Even wealthier ones rarely exceeded a million.
Thus, Foundation Establishment cultivators could be viewed as the hundred-thousand middle class.
Those at the Core Formation stage and above could be regarded as "millionaires."
Luo Chen had little contact with Core Formation cultivators and was unclear on their exact earnings, but presumably they would never be poorer than ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.
As for Nascent Soul Perfected Persons?
Those were existences capable of anchoring an entire domain and founding major sects.
Their personal assets easily surpassed ten million—even calling them "billionaires" wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Naturally, this was merely Luo Chen's personal perspective.
At that level, perhaps spirit stones were no longer of much consequence.
After all, genuine rarities could not be measured in spirit stones and were often traded through bartering.
"Regardless, I count among the wealthy even among Foundation Establishment True Cultivators now!"
After stowing the spirit stones, Luo Chen chuckled and turned his attention to the other items in Wang Haichao's storage bag.
There was an assortment of magical artifacts, primarily mid-grade and high-grade.
They could be put up for sale in the Luotian Association; most of the proceeds would still belong to Luo Chen, saving him the hassle of dealing with them personally.
As for pills, there were bottles of Qi Harmonizing Pills, which circulated widely among Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
Altogether there were around a dozen bottles, worth a few thousand spirit stones.
There was also a huge heap of materials, predominantly water-attribute spiritual materials, worth a hefty sum when added up.
These could likewise be tossed to the Luotian Association.
Additionally, there were over a dozen cultivation methods and manuals,
recorded on books, bamboo slips, jade slips, animal hides, and other mediums.
Luo Chen glanced through them; most were first-rank cultivation methods.
Only the jade slip and a bamboo scroll recorded second-rank arts.
*Boundless Ocean Art*, a second-rank water-attribute cultivation method renowned for the vastness of its spiritual energy.
This was Wang Haichao's primary cultivation method. Back then, relying on it, he had attempted to compete with Luo Chen in spiritual energy depth.
In the end, afflicted by the Green Musk poison, not only had he failed to exert the advantage of his boundless spiritual energy, but it had ended up hamstringing him instead.
*Glazed Sky Screen*, a second-rank water-attribute spell.
Luo Chen was very familiar with this; he had practiced it himself, and it was originally a congratulatory gift Wang Haichao had deliberately presented at his Foundation Establishment to dig a pit for him.
Skimming through it, surprise and delight surfaced in Luo Chen's eyes.
The bamboo scroll actually recorded the cultivation insights of predecessors.
"I could certainly study this closely. Perhaps it can speed up my cultivation of the Glazed Sky Screen."
Pleased, he tucked the bamboo scroll separately into his storage bag.
Luo Chen rummaged through the remaining pile of sundries in the storage bag.
Suddenly,
he pulled out a jade box.
It bore no restrictions, only a simple seal of spiritual energy.
Wang Haichao had only been at the third layer of Foundation Establishment.
Luo Chen was also at the third layer of Foundation Establishment now, and his spiritual energy was purer and vaster than Wang Haichao's ever was.
With a slight exertion of spiritual energy, he quickly broke the seal.
Standing at a safe distance, he peeked inside with cautious eyes.
An utterly familiar pill, the size of a longan fruit, greeted his sight.
"A Foundation Establishment Pill?!"
Luo Chen parted his lips, momentarily caught flat-footed.
Wait...
Didn't Wang Haichao lack Foundation Establishment Pills?
It was precisely because Min Longyu had pleaded in vain for one that he had defected on the battlefield and joined Luo Chen's banner.
Yet how was one to explain this Foundation Establishment Pill, sealed away for so many years?
After his initial astonishment, Luo Chen recalled Wang Haichao's past actions.
In the end, he broke into a laugh.
"This Foundation Establishment Pill must be one of the four won by the four Foundation Establishment cultivators at the Dahe Market auction back then!
"Haha, what a stroke of luck for me!"
This sort of breakthrough pill was packed with immense and violent medicinal potency, making it unsuited for daily cultivation.
Yet in Luo Chen's hands, it could be put to immense use.
Perhaps it could bring forth another Foundation Establishment True Cultivator for the Luotian Association!
"With this, I can be far more at ease during the auction."
Luo Chen's gaze grew contemplative as he took out the invitation Xuan Yunzi had given him, noting that the newly added resources listed on it were growing by the day.
Chapter 252