The cauldron of his dreams was splendid, but naturally, it was not without its flaws.
As a rule, peak-grade dharma artifacts suffered from the drawback of consuming excessive spiritual power.
The Ice Emperor Cauldron was naturally no exception.
Luo Chen did not mind this in the least; with spiritual power several times more vast and vigorous than that of peers in his realm, such a minor drain was a mere drop in the ocean.
The Ice Emperor Cauldron had another shortcoming, however, and this one was far more crippling.
The cauldron stood a full two zhang tall, with a round body measuring one zhang and two chi in diameter—a colossal behemoth by any standard.
Yet, despite its immense size, it lacked an inscribed Size-as-Will Formation!
In other words, ordinary storage artifacts could not contain it at all.
Strictly speaking, this shortcoming was not an actual flaw.
According to the instructions left by Shi Lan, the Ice Emperor Cauldron had originally been designed as a sect-anchoring pill cauldron, with an intended height of three zhang!
A full ten meters high!
Such behemoths were permanently installed in the Ice Fort's Pill Palace for Golden Core Masters to use.
Portability had never been a consideration from the outset.
The one in Luo Chen's hands was the byproduct of a failed forging attempt, making its dimensions slightly smaller.
Even so, none of his storage bags could possibly fit it.
"Fairy Jueqing must have also feared I'd abscond with the cauldron!"
With a hearty chuckle, Luo Chen cast an art formula toward the earth fire below.
A wisp of flame darted out like a spirit serpent emerging from its burrow.
The flame was small, but the scorching heat within made Luo Chen's eyelids twitch.
"Heat of this degree is already comparable to the Foundation Establishment True Fire of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator."
"A Tier 2 earth fire truly lives up to its name!"
Foundation Establishment True Fire was a technique accessible to any cultivator once they broke through to Foundation Establishment.
This held true regardless of spiritual roots, even for those without a fire spiritual root.
That was because "Foundation Establishment True Fire" was less a fire than a surge of violent energy produced when a cultivator forcefully ignited their liquefied spiritual power.
Its nature was explosive and turbulent.
Hence, it was analogized as "fire."
Generally speaking, Foundation Establishment True Cultivators rarely deployed Foundation Establishment True Fire.
Only under special circumstances that demanded an extreme burst of energy would they unleash it.
For instance, when an instant temperature surge was required during pill concoction or artifact forging.
Or when confronting intangible, formless yin souls and spectral entities, where potent energy was needed to shock their spirit and ethereal form.
Unleashing true fire prevented one from maximizing the efficiency of their refined spiritual liquid.
It was simply too wasteful.
Now, with the aid of the Tier 2 earth fire,
Luo Chen could reduce his frequent reliance on Foundation Establishment True Fire during alchemy.
Especially when concocting Tier 2 pills!
When crafting Jade Dew Pills, he had needed to unleash wisps of true fire from time to time, which took quite a toll on his spiritual power.
That was precisely why he had proactively asked Fairy Jueqing for a Tier 2 earth fire.
Possessing vast experience, she had instantly grasped his concerns.
Consequently, she had agreed to his request without hesitation.
"The Ice Emperor Cauldron consumes spiritual power, while the Tier 2 earth fire saves spiritual power. Balancing the two, I'm barely losing anything. In fact, by boosting my alchemy efficiency, I stand to gain even more!"
Luo Chen felt exceptionally cheerful.
From his storage bag, he retrieved several medicinal herbs and tossed them into the Ice Emperor Cauldron,
letting the wisps of Tier 2 earth fire roast the vessel.
This was not to concoct pills, but to season the cauldron!
It was just like a mortal household seasoning a newly purchased iron wok.
Top-grade cauldrons also required seasoning and pre-warming.
Evidently, this Ice Emperor Cauldron had never been used and was brand-new; Luo Chen needed to nurture and temper it.
Taking advantage of the time, he tested each formation inscribed upon the cauldron one by one.
And so he carried on,
not finishing until the afternoon.
By the time he emerged from the pill chamber, the cave abode had been completely transformed.
Not a trace remained of its previous occupant, Ling Yuzhi.
In their place were orderly arrangements and antique, elegant furniture.
Moonlight stones had been installed in every room for illumination.
In a corner, several spirit fish swam in a Tier 1 spirit spring suffused with faint spiritual qi.
In the apothecary that led directly into the pill chamber, Bai Meiling had neatly categorized and arranged Luo Chen's commonly used medicinal ingredients.
A faint scent of sandalwood lingered around his nose;
Mi Li had lit incense in the burner within the living room.
"President," Mi Li greeted him.
Luo Chen gave her a nod, looking across the spacious, renovated abode with deep emotion.
After so many years of arduous striving, he finally had a decent home.
Even if it was only rented.
"All right, everyone, stop bustling about and come rest for a moment."
Luo Chen waved them over and sank into a soft sofa.
This sofa had been custom-made for Luo Chen by Sima Huiniang, stuffed with avian feathers and upholstered in genuine demon beast leather.
Sitting on it was absolute bliss.
It seemed rather out of keeping with Luo Chen's usual image of an austere cultivator.
Yet Luo Chen had his own justification!
After striving hard for so many years, couldn't he enjoy himself a little?
Of course, he could not indulge in pure pleasure.
Reclining on the sofa, Luo Chen looked at the four people seated on the stone chairs across from him.
"Have you run into any issues with your pill concoction lately?"
"While I have some free time today, I'll answer them all for you."
The four seemed to have anticipated this.
Qu Lingjun was the first to speak up.
His alchemy attainment was the highest among the four; he could already consistently concoct middle-grade Jade Marrow Pills.
Yet the more one knew, the more one realized one's own ignorance.
Consequently, his mind had long been packed with countless questions.
Some pertained to concocting Jade Marrow Pills, some to alchemy techniques, others to fire control, medicinal ingredients...
Faced with a barrage of questions, Luo Chen answered most of them.
The rest he set aside to explain in detail during practical concoctions.
After Qu Lingjun, Mi Li, Qiu Ying, and Ma Shoupu took turns asking their questions.
Duplicate or overlapping questions were naturally passed over.
For simpler questions where someone had merely gotten stuck in a rut, Luo Chen refrained from handing out direct answers; instead, he used analogies and examples to help them draw parallels and grasp the concept on their own.
This back-and-forth continued until dusk.
Luo Chen rose from the sofa.
"Come, follow me into the pill chamber!"
"Today we will concoct the Nether-Passage Pill, one of the most difficult Tier 1 pills to produce. Watch closely; how much you learn depends on yourselves."
Entering the pill chamber,
Qu Lingjun and the other three were utterly dumbfounded when they saw the colossal cauldron standing six to seven meters tall.
They had thought their master's Four Symbols Cauldron was enormous,
never imagining an even more gargantuan monstrosity existed.
Little did they know that the alchemy magic treasures used by truly high-ranking alchemists were even more extraordinary.
Gigantic cauldrons were merely suited for massive ingredients that could not be easily cut down.
As far as Luo Chen knew, certain alchemy implements were famous for being minuscule.
In fact, within the Medicine King Sect, there was an alchemy kettle known as the Sun and Moon in the Pot.
This kettle possessed three inner and outer layers, housing a world of its own, with effects that were peerlessly unique.
Ordinary Tier 1 to Tier 3 pills were completely effortless for it,
and it could even be used to concoct Tier 4 pills.
He dared not dream of the Sun and Moon in the Pot for now.
With this brand-new, peak-grade Ice Emperor Cauldron, Luo Chen was exceedingly satisfied for the moment.
Using the Ice Emperor Cauldron for the first time, Luo Chen felt relatively relaxed.
His proficiency with the Nether-Passage Pill had already reached the Adept level, yielding a success rate of around twenty percent.
Moreover, his overall alchemy attainment had vastly improved over the years.
Crafting a mere Tier 1 pill was hardly a daunting task for him.
Relaxed though his mindset was, he did not treat the process casually.
Instead, his movements were more meticulous than ever.
"The treatment of demon fox blood involves the Washing Brook Hand technique. Lingjun, watch carefully!"
"Using Tier 2 pill fire for a Tier 1 pill produces excessive heat. Therefore, we must employ this Fire-Diverting Formation to reduce the earth fire's temperature and expand its contact area."
"The Fire-Diverting Formation possesses no offensive or defensive power; its primary function is regulating the intensity of the fire..."
As he explained, Luo Chen focused his attention entirely inside the Ice Emperor Cauldron.
Standing beneath the immense vessel, he appeared diminutive.
Yet during the pill concoction, his calm, poised movements lent him an imposing stature.
The four alchemists of the Luotian Association watched with rapt attention.
Throughout the demonstration, Luo Chen occasionally explained why a particular alchemy art was chosen at a given moment.
Combining theory with practice!
This method of instruction benefited all four immensely.
"It is done!"
"However, we must wait a moment. Unlike ordinary cauldrons, this Ice Emperor Cauldron is equipped with a Pill Solidifying Formation and a Cloud Gathering Formation."
"Although both formations have been operating throughout the concoction, letting the pills rest a little longer before extraction maximizes the formations' effects."
"Good food is worth the wait, after all!"
With a chuckle, Luo Chen withdrew the earth fire,
allowing the cauldron's residual heat to bake the pills within.
Dreamlike wisps of medicinal aroma swirled inside the vessel, held in place by the Cloud Gathering Formation so they could infuse deeper into the pills and elevate their grade.
After roughly half a cup of tea's time, Luo Chen's thoughts stirred, and he made a beckoning gesture.
The next moment, seven snow-white pills landed in his palm.
"Master, is this the Nether-Passage Pill?" Qu Lingjun leaned forward excitedly.
Curiosity filled the eyes of the other three as well.
The Nether-Passage Pill was renowned among the upper echelon of the Luotian Association.
Rumor had it that it had miraculous effects on achieving Foundation Establishment!
Sima Huiniang had already designated it as one of the Luotian Association's two premier Foundation Establishment spirit medicines.
The other was Luo Chen's modified Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid.
However, the Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid required consistent long-term use, unlike the Nether-Passage Pill, which took effect rapidly.
Its effects were particularly extraordinary upon first ingestion.
This was their first time witnessing Luo Chen concoct the Nether-Passage Pill in person, so their excitement was hardly surprising.
Luo Chen did not speak at first, closely examining the pills in his hand.
Ultimately, drawing upon his experience of taking the Nether-Passage Pill many times, he determined that their quality had indeed improved.
Though they remained low-grade, their quality was superior to previous batches, bordering on middle-grade Nether-Passage Pills.
"The Ice Emperor Cauldron truly does enhance pill quality!"
After sighing in inward appreciation, Luo Chen took out five pills and gave them to the four.
The extra pill was naturally for Qu Lingjun.
He was his disciple, after all, so Luo Chen inevitably showed some favoritism.
"Don't head back tonight. Ingest the Nether-Passage Pill here and leave tomorrow."
"With me watching over you, nothing catastrophic will happen."
Surprised, Qu Lingjun asked, "Could taking this pill actually be dangerous?"
Luo Chen nodded,
taking the opportunity to explain the taboos regarding the Nether-Passage Pill.
Passing into the nether and entering a dream, illusions arose naturally.
The first time one consumed it was the most perilous.
Yet correspondingly, the first dose yielded the greatest benefit.
The longer one remained in the dream, the more one's soul foundation grew.
However, "longer" did not mean indefinitely.
Becoming trapped within the illusion would conversely injure oneself.
It seemed paradoxical, but that was how it worked.
Upon hearing this, the four exchanged glances.
Possessing a youth's spirited nature, Qu Lingjun thumped his chest.
"Lingjun will certainly not disappoint Master!"
Mi Li clutched her pill and nodded as well.
Qiu Ying was the oldest and had served as a Pill Hall deacon, making her relatively composed.
She asked a few more questions, all of which Luo Chen answered.
The young Ma Shoupu followed Qu Lingjun's lead with a similar boast of bravado, clearly unwilling to be outdone.
Luo Chen paid it no mind. Leaving the pill chamber, he immediately had each of them find a private room to ingest the pill.
"Master, do you value the four of them very much?"
Bai Meiling floated over.
Luo Chen sat on the sofa, inhaling the subtle scent of sandalwood, holding a chilled white book that radiated coldness.
Every page seemed formed from condensed flakes of ice.
The calligraphy upon them was vivid and fluid, as though alive.
This was the Tier 3 alchemist's treatise gifted to him by Fairy Jueqing, titled *Shanghu Alchemy Exposition*.
Compared to the straightforward and easily understood *Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition*, this *Shanghu Alchemy Exposition* was vastly more intricate.
Where it touched upon Tier 2 and Tier 3 alchemy techniques, the prose was abstruse and difficult; Luo Chen had to expend immense effort just to puzzle out a line or two.
In the half-month since obtaining it, he had only managed to read a few pages.
Hearing Bai Meiling's question, Luo Chen replied without looking up:
"Of course I value them. Why do you ask?"
Bai Meiling asked in confusion, "The highest among them is only at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, and their alchemy skills can't hold a candle to yours. Why invest so much effort into grooming them?"
"Heh."
Luo Chen gave a soft laugh. "Naturally, it's because they possess potential worthy of nurturing!"
Among the four, the most talented was Qu Lingjun, followed by Ma Shoupu. Mi Li was next, while Qiu Ying was the least gifted.
Luo Chen had personally answered their questions, conducted a live demonstration, and even bestowed upon them Nether-Passage Pills—items ordinarily redeemable within the Luotian Association only by Qi Refinement ninth-layer cultivators.
Expending so much effort was all to elevate their alchemy arts.
Having experienced the simulation within the Ghost-God Heart-Questioning Mirror,
even if those scenarios were not the true course of the future, certain memories still served as warnings from the past.
In those simulated memories, Luo Chen had spent over two hundred years concocting pills.
Though it seemingly had not hindered his cultivation, it had been an utterly exhausting existence.
If he could save more time from alchemy and dedicate it to cultivating, could he achieve even greater heights?
The answer required no deliberation.
He definitely could!
The reasoning was simple: the mirror's simulation had not factored in the system!
And Luo Chen's system was a proficiency panel.
Grinding proficiency required time above all else.
As things stood, he still possessed an entire array of skills that had not yet reached max level.
Therefore, he needed time!
And how could he liberate himself from endless alchemy work?
Grooming several alchemists capable of taking his place would do the trick!
Naturally, some might argue that Luo Chen was treating them as tools, ruthlessly exploiting them.
Yet if asked, they would surely desire such an opportunity.
In the cultivation world, countless people yearned to be exploited by someone above them without ever finding the chance.
Luo Chen was a genuine Tier 2 alchemist!
When it came to crafting several specific pills, he was indisputably an alchemy grandmaster!
Receiving personal guidance and cultivation from Luo Chen was a blessing they could not have prayed for in several lifetimes.
Without Luo Chen, Qu Lingjun, with his quadruple spiritual roots, would scarcely have made a name for himself in this life.
Without Luo Chen, Mi Li—whose family was ruined and who suffered from chronic frail health—would have had no future to speak of.
As for Qiu Ying and Ma Shoupu, without someone to discover their talents, their gifts would never have been realized.
With Luo Chen, on the other hand, they could bring their potential into full bloom and stood a great chance of achieving Foundation Establishment in the future!
Debts and grudges, entanglements of interest.
Luo Chen clearly distinguished right from wrong.
And deep down, they understood it just as well.
"Oh, someone is awake!"
Luo Chen set down *Shanghu Alchemy Exposition* and walked toward one of the rooms.
The first to wake was Qiu Ying.
This was within Luo Chen's expectations.
Looking at the dizzy, melancholic Qiu Ying, Luo Chen smiled faintly.
"Get some good rest, or take a walk outside if you'd like."
"Yes, thank you, President."
Qiu Ying nodded, then instinctively shrank toward the head of the bed, hugging her knees with both arms.
Evidently, this dream had not been a pleasant one.
Luo Chen did not probe further.
Next, Mi Li, Ma Shoupu, and Qu Lingjun awoke one after another.
The last to wake was Qu Lingjun. He had truly lived up to his earlier words and had not disappointed Luo Chen.
He had lasted a full two cups of tea's time, roughly ten minutes.
Back then, Luo Chen had only lasted an incense stick's time—about fifteen minutes.
"Go outside for a walk, catch the night breeze, and take in the night scenery of Tianlan Peak."
"Mi Li and the others are waiting for you outside."
Luo Chen ruffled the young man's hair.
He was clearly in his twenties, yet waking from this dream, his collar was drenched in tears and he wept like a child.
It seemed his dream had been a deeply sorrowful one.
Standing in the living room and watching Qu Lingjun stumble out of the cave abode with Mi Li supporting him, Luo Chen said to Bai Meiling:
"Keep an eye on them for me. Make sure they stay in the vicinity and don't wander into the territories of other cave abodes."
Bai Meiling nodded hurriedly.
She was always remarkably lively at night!
After seeing to all of this, Luo Chen entered the meditation chamber alone.
He wore the Ice God Jade against his skin.
He sat cross-legged upon the Ice Silkworm Prayer Mat.
A stick of Fierce Spirit Incense was slowly lit.
The spiritual qi of the Tier 2 high-grade cave abode was so dense that it seemed almost eager to bore into his body.
Luo Chen held his breath and focused his mind, slowly circulating the *Yimu Medicine King Scripture*.
Having rested for a full half-month, he had done nothing besides practicing the Five Viscera Health-Nourishing Fist and reading books.
No pill concoction, no cultivation, and no socializing.
That portion of soothing, fragrant warmth had been completely exhausted,
and his fatigued soul had returned to its original state, feeling significantly stronger than before.
Just how much stronger, he could not yet determine.
Now, everything was in place!
It was time to cultivate in earnest.
He wanted to see just how fast his cultivation speed could reach in this comprehensively upgraded environment!
On the attribute panel, under the realm column:
[Foundation Establishment Third Layer: 10/100]
Chapter 263