It might have been called dull, but in truth, Luo Chen thoroughly enjoyed it.
There was no slaughter, no intrigue. All there was were the visibly rising numbers on his attribute panel and the continuous metamorphosis of his personal strength!
Half a month later, during the afternoon.
Luo Chen, who was grinding proficiency for the Nether-Passage Pill, suddenly felt his body tremble.
With his concentration momentarily broken, ten batches of raw ingredients inside the Ice Emperor Cauldron were instantly ruined in one fell swoop. That meant a full one hundred and fifty lower-grade spirit stones had gone down the drain!
In the past, Luo Chen would certainly have felt immense heartache. The Nether-Passage Pill boasted miraculous effects, but the cost was an incomplete pill formula, extreme concoction difficulty, and ingredients that cost three times as much as Myriad Wonders Pills or Jade Marrow Pills. Ten batches at a time came out to one hundred and fifty stones!
Recently, Luo Chen had been furiously grinding proficiency here every day, accumulating nearly a hundred lower-grade Nether-Passage Pills. It had taken considerable effort to finally push his proficiency to the Mastery rank. Not only had his success rate risen to thirty percent, but the grade of the pills he produced had also reached middle-grade.
He had planned to test today whether middle-grade Nether-Passage Pills would have any effect on him. In the end, this sudden mishap had occurred.
Yet he felt no heartache at all!
Instead, wild joy flashed in his eyes.
"Xiao Ling, clean up the Ice Emperor Cauldron for me. I'm going into secluded cultivation."
Bai Meiling, who was outside studying the Soul Gathering Banner, gave a sweet reply. She then saw a figure dart straight into the meditation chamber.
Not long after entering, however, Luo Chen bolted back out and headed directly outside the cave abode.
"Huh?" Bai Meiling tilted her little head. "Didn't Master say he was going into secluded cultivation?"
***
*The cave abode is too cramped!*
As a Tier 2 high-grade cave abode, its layout within Tianlan Immortal City was exceptionally well designed. It could easily accommodate even the two-zhang-tall Ice Emperor Cauldron. Anyone who saw it would praise how spacious it was. But this time, Luo Chen found it lacking in space.
Standing on the open, flat mountain clearing, Luo Chen opened his eyes wide and channeled his Spirit Eye Art with full power, gazing down at his arms, torso, and legs.
His physique was as unyielding as vajra. His skin was as tough and supple as demonic ox hide. Beneath that thick hide, white jade-like bones were faintly visible.
At this moment, all these elements were subtly blending into one. Within his five viscera, a vibrant vitality surged, as if in the midst of a metamorphosis.
With a thought, a tremor ran through Luo Chen's body. A vigorous wave of blood qi steadily surfaced. Not only that, a pillar of blood qi smoke rose straight from his spine, piercing toward the sky, thinning only as it reached high into the air.
A mighty strength welled up naturally as he clenched his fists.
It was not ethereal like wielding spiritual power. Rather, the instant Luo Chen tightened his grip, he felt a tangible, undeniable power, as though a single punch could blast apart an entire mountain.
*Is this the second realm of body refinement?*
Luo Chen closed his eyes, savoring the rapid changes taking place within him.
After so many years, poured full of vast quantities of resources, even though he had never deliberately practiced body refinement techniques, he had finally reached this stage.
*Let me see just how powerful pure physical strength really is!*
Luo Chen snapped his eyes open.
The next instant, he strode forward, stepping directly into the sky.
He did not employ spiritual power, nor did he cast the Wind Riding Technique. Relying purely on the terrifying vigor of his flesh and the force of the blood qi enshrouding his entire body, he took a step.
Three zhang!
Pausing briefly, Luo Chen roughly channeled his blood qi according to the Soaring Dragon Steps recorded in the *Wang Clan Secret Manual*.
Another step!
Nine zhang!
It was roughly a zhang or two shorter than Wang Yuan's stride during the battle at Mount Xiaohuan.
Luo Chen stepped through the empty void repeatedly. Gradually, he grasped the underlying knack of the movement.
*Extremely explosive!*
*Virtually unstoppable at short range.*
*However, expending blood qi like this causes an unavoidable pause right after the burst.*
Luo Chen halted in midair, letting the potent blood qi buoy him up.
After careful contemplation, Luo Chen understood the strengths and weaknesses of the second realm of body refinement. Its burst was ferocious, but it ultimately lacked the agile, fluid continuity of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator established distance right from the start and employed kite tactics against a second-realm body refiner, the latter would be relegated to simply taking a beating. A range within a hundred zhang was the ideal combat distance for the second realm.
*What if I pair this with Great Perfection Carefree Wind Riding?*
No sooner thought than done.
Luo Chen stepped out, crossing nine zhang in a single stride. Right when his blood qi began to falter, his spiritual energy circulated, and he soared into the air like a great roc.
Following this pattern, Luo Chen practiced continuously. At first, it was somewhat raw and halting, but as he went on, it grew increasingly fluent.
*Whoosh!*
His figure materialized before a cliff wall, and Luo Chen thrust his right palm forward from afar.
Mountain-Cleaving Stele-Shattering Palm!
*Boom!*
A massive beam of spiritual energy surged forth, striking the cliff wall and piercing straight through more than a dozen meters. A cloud of fine dust billowed upward.
Luo Chen pulled back and flew into the sky.
Looking at his right hand, he fell into thought.
Its power was indeed overbearing. If a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator took this palm strike head-on while relying solely on a high-grade defensive dharma artifact, they definitely would not be able to withstand it. Only a peak-grade defensive dharma artifact could hold out against it.
*Still, it's a bit weak in the end.*
*This power is only equivalent to a single strike from a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator wielding a peak-grade flying sword.*
*Is the second realm of body refinement really this weak?*
*No!*
Luo Chen came to a sudden realization.
It was not that the second realm of body refinement was weak, but that he lacked the corresponding combat arts. It was like how a Foundation Establishment cultivator possessed spiritual power a hundred or a thousand times greater than a Qi Refinement cultivator, yet still required peak-grade artifacts and Tier 2 spells to unleash their full might. By the same token, body refiners naturally required combat arts matched to their respective realms. In fact, because their might resided entirely within the physical frame, the requirements for those arts were even more demanding.
Back when Wang Yuan had first achieved the second realm of body refinement, he had admitted outright that he was no match for a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Later, he had painstakingly developed several minor arts, such as the Blood Qi Snake, the Soaring Dragon Steps, and the Giant Spirit Transformation. Yet in the end, those arts still could not fully harness the immense blood qi of a second-realm body refiner. As a result, when he had confidently challenged Duan Qiankun, he had still been thoroughly battered, serving only as a frontal meat shield to stall for Luo Chen's dazzling strike.
It was not until he left Dahe Market that Wang Yuan combined blood dao cultivation methods to develop a lethal technique truly comparable to a Foundation Establishment cultivator's might—the Blood God Tribulation Finger!
It was precisely by relying on that lethal move that Wang Yuan had been able to severely injure Huo Hu across vast distance when the latter saw the tide turning and attempted to flee. The Blood God Tribulation Finger was a true second-realm art capable of perfectly leveraging the power of blood qi.
The Mountain-Cleaving Stele-Shattering Palm Luo Chen had just used, even though already at Great Perfection, was fundamentally nothing more than mortal martial arts. Even its creator, Wang Yuan, rarely used it anymore. The Soaring Dragon Steps he had briefly tested were also raw and halting between strides due to a lack of practice.
*I lack the arts, don't I?*
*Should I cultivate some strength-path arts...?*
*Never mind. Strength path isn't my primary direction of cultivation anyway.*
*Rather than distracting myself, I might as well properly master what I already have on hand first!*
*Stepping into the second realm gives me a trump card for critical moments, and I can faintly sense subtle transformations taking place inside my body. Once things stabilize, it might prove greatly beneficial to my cultivation as well.*
In a mere instant, Luo Chen cast aside those distracting thoughts. He had not even achieved Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment yet; how could he afford to split his focus?
Just as Luo Chen finished his testing and prepared to head back, crisp clapping echoed from the distance.
Luo Chen looked toward the sound. On a jutting terrace along a steep cliff, a man stood watching him with considerable admiration.
"Splendid technique, Fellow Daoist!"
Luo Chen paused briefly, then laughed heartily. "Fellow Daoist Chu overpraises me. It was merely a trifling body refinement move."
As he spoke, the other man flew toward him.
As Chu Kui drew nearer, Luo Chen's mind stirred.
In the past, he had only known that Chu Kui was an eighth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator. Because the man had always presented a genial front, Luo Chen had never felt any sense of threat. But now that his soul foundation had reached the late Foundation Establishment standard, facing him directly allowed Luo Chen to finally perceive the terrifying spiritual power fluctuations faintly latent beneath that physique.
*So pure, so terrifying!*
*His spiritual power capacity must be over a dozen times mine!*
*Is this what a late Foundation Establishment cultivator is truly like...?*
When the disparity in realm was too vast, the weak were actually unable to perceive the true prowess of the strong. Only now, thanks to possessing a soul foundation on roughly the same level, could Luo Chen finally sense a fraction of it. This also made him realize that an insurmountable chasm lay between early and late Foundation Establishment. Setting aside crossing an entire major realm to fight above one's station, even within the same major realm, an early-stage cultivator could not hope to leap across sub-stages to defeat a late-stage cultivator. That was an ironclad truth of the cultivation world!
***
Before the entrance of Luo Chen's cave abode, inside an outdoor flower pavilion that Ling Yuzhi had created years earlier.
This was a place specifically designed for entertaining guests—chatting while admiring the blossoms, utterly carefree. Soon, however, the flowers and herbs in that spiritual field would be unceremoniously cleared away by Luo Chen to make room for economically valuable spiritual crops. For now, Yuan Dongsheng was still gathering the seeds, so the exotic flowers and unusual grasses remained, leaving Luo Chen with a wonderful setting to host a visitor.
Fine wine, sumptuous dishes, and small snacks were laid out across the table. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators capable of simple fasting would find it hard to resist the pull of their appetites when faced with such an assortment.
Chu Kui set down his wine cup and smacked his lips. "When did you move up here?"
"About half a month ago. It was a hasty move, so I didn't get the chance to pay you a visit."
"Then it's a good thing you didn't." Chu Kui pointed outside. "I've been busy working out there this whole time."
*Out there?*
Luo Chen was taken aback. Chu Kui rarely left the city under normal circumstances. Probing, he asked, "You took on a job?"
Chu Kui chuckled. "Indeed! At the auction, I met a few fellow daoists who were troubled with business matters. They pooled a sum of spirit stones to hire me to resolve their headache. A man like me is nothing if not eager for justice and ready to help—known throughout the cultivation world as Tianlan's Number One Timely Rain!"
*Tianlan's Number One Timely Rain?*
Luo Chen nearly failed to keep a straight face. Back in the day, he had also boasted of being Dahe Market's Timely Rain.
While feeling speechless, Luo Chen's thoughts raced. What sort of trouble required Chu Kui's personal intervention? And it was paid for by pooling funds together! It certainly could not have been a small sum.
Luo Chen smiled and said, "It seems Fellow Daoist must have reaped a handsome harvest!"
"Not bad, not bad at all. Enough for me to freeload in this high-grade cave abode for quite a while longer." A look of pride showed on Chu Kui's face as he spoke—partly boasting, but even more a display of martial might.
Luo Chen felt amused inside. From this demeanor, the man was clearly eager to develop him into a client! Unfortunately, Luo Chen currently had no need for Chu Kui's services, nor did he have the spare funds on hand to hire him.
Seeing Luo Chen merely smile without taking the bait, Chu Kui's enthusiasm waned, and he wiped the smugness from his face. Studying Luo Chen with curiosity, he asked probingly, "You cultivate the strength path on the side as well?"
"Just dabbling, just dabbling," Luo Chen said with a modest wave of his hand.
Chu Kui shook his head. "That didn't look like mere dabbling. Your foundation is quite solid."
*How could it not be solid?* Ever since he had the means, Luo Chen had maintained an unbroken supply of spiritual rice and demon beast meat for this body. Later on, he had continuously poured Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid and Golden Quality Jade Liquid into himself. During his time at Taishan Market, he had even traded with Kang Dongyue for a large batch of top-quality Golden Quality Jade Liquid, consuming it for three full years! Even now in the Foundation Establishment realm, where simple fasting was possible, Luo Chen had never ceased having three meals a day of demon beast meat and premium spiritual rice. Though this body had not been tempered through a thousand trials like Wang Yuan's, it had been forged by piling up spirit stone after spirit stone.
Luo Chen smiled reservedly, not pursuing the topic. Instead, he switched to a subject he knew Chu Kui was familiar with and would surely relish discussing.
"Before the auction, I heard that true disciples from the Sword Sect and the Luoyun Sect clashed on the Dao Discussion Platform?"
"Right, they had quite a scrap!"
Sure enough, at the mention of this, Chu Kui—a regular at the Dao Discussion Platform—instantly grew animated.
"I heard the Luoyun Sect's true disciple won?" Luo Chen asked in puzzlement. "Aren't sword cultivators renowned as invincible among peers of the same realm? For those who reign supreme in combat strength across the Jade Cauldron Domain to lose... and to someone of a lower realm, no less?"
"Hmph, that depends on the combat environment!" Chu Kui curled his lip, seemingly dismissive of sword cultivators. "Besides, it also depends on who the opponent was!"
Curious, Luo Chen asked, "I only know that sword cultivator was at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment, named Meng Ziqi, with quite exquisite sword attainment. Securing the position of true disciple in the mid Foundation Establishment realm means he couldn't have been weak!"
"He certainly wasn't weak, but the person he took the initiative to challenge was even less of a pushover," Chu Kui said.
Luo Chen's interest was piqued. "Wasn't that Luoyun Sect true disciple only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment?"
"His name is Han Zheng!"
*Hiss!* Luo Chen instinctively drew in a sharp breath.
*It was him!* He had only heard about the clash from Sima Huiniang, but had known nothing of the Luoyun Sect cultivator's identity, as the man had deliberately concealed his name at the time. Yet the name Han Zheng was renowned far and wide throughout the Jade Cauldron Domain, familiar to every soul.
During his Qi Refinement days, he had ranked first on the Overall Prodigy Rankings, remaining undefeated across dozens of battles. He had even participated in battles against Foundation Establishment cultivators while still in Qi Refinement, securing an impressive record of three wins and five losses. Even if those were merely sparring matches on the Dao Discussion Platform rather than life-and-death struggles, it was still astonishing. Luo Chen knew that had he faced a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator head-on during his Qi Refinement days, he would have been utterly outmatched.
While Luo Chen marvelled, Chu Kui's voice continued.
"This Han Zheng is no simple figure. Back in his Qi Refinement days, his spot as a Luoyun Sect true disciple was already preordained. Though he's currently only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, the puppet he commands is a late Foundation Establishment demon puppet! That Meng Ziqi was arrogant to a fault, letting his opponent choose the battleground. Han Zheng picked a jungle arena packed with obstacles, wore him down first with a horde of low-tier puppets, and then suddenly unleashed the late Foundation Establishment demon puppet to secure victory in a single stroke! Meng Ziqi not only failed to bring glory to his sect, but instead cemented Han Zheng's reputation for fighting above his realm, bolstering the Luoyun Sect's prestige even further!"
Chu Kui was a late Foundation Establishment grand cultivator renowned across the Tianlan Immortal City Dao Discussion Platform. Though he was merely discussing a fight between early and mid Foundation Establishment cultivators, his tone was laden with appreciation and praise.
Looking at Chu Kui's face, Luo Chen reflected that the man had competed on the Dao Discussion Platform for years and undoubtedly held numerous records of battling sect disciples. Strictly speaking, Luo Chen had never actually fought an elite sect disciple himself. In this regard, he could certainly seek advice from Chu Kui in the future.
"Controlling a late Foundation Establishment puppet while only in the early stage... In that case, Han Zheng's soul foundation must be extraordinarily powerful!"
Chu Kui nodded, his tone filled with wistful admiration. "That's how Luoyun Sect disciples are; their souls are generally stronger than their peers'. Han Zheng is even more exceptional—having a soul foundation comparable to late Foundation Establishment at just the third layer. Presumably, his God Evolution Art has been cultivated to an exceedingly high level."
Luo Chen blinked. "The God Evolution Art?"
"Could it be you don't know?" Chu Kui asked in surprise. "This God Evolution Art was obtained from an ancient secret realm by the Luoyun Sect's Grand Supreme Elder, Ancestor Han Zhan. Relying on this art, his soul reached great attainment. Not only did his puppet mastery become extraordinary, but he even broke through to the Nascent Soul realm in one breath!"
Now Luo Chen was truly stunned.
*A spell that cultivates the soul!* It could actually grant Han Zheng a soul comparable to the late Foundation Establishment realm while still in the early stage, and had even enabled Han Zhan to break through to the Nascent Soul realm in a single surge!
Luo Chen possessed a spell for cultivating the soul as well—Bright Spirit Fiend Breaking. Yet that spell was fundamentally created by a mortal martial arts grandmaster; even after cultivating it to the Grandmaster rank, its effect on nurturing the soul was negligible. The reason Luo Chen's soul foundation could now rival late Foundation Establishment was primarily because he had endured a heart tribulation during Qi Refinement and consistently ingested over a hundred Nether-Passage Pills. With such a solid foundation, he had leaped to the mid Foundation Establishment level upon breaking through. Even so, advancing to the late Foundation Establishment level had relied on the simulation provided by the Ghost-God Heart-Interrogation Mirror.
Unaware of Luo Chen's inner shock, Chu Kui merely sighed with envy. "If only I could learn such an art. When condensing a Golden Core, the soul foundation is tested above all else."
"Who wouldn't want that?" Luo Chen's tone carried a hint of longing as well, though he instantly caught the information Chu Kui had inadvertently let slip. "Condensing a Golden Core tests the soul foundation that severely?"
Chu Kui's expression shifted slightly, and he clamped his mouth shut. His relationship with Luo Chen was not yet close enough to impart such precious insights free of charge.
Luo Chen felt a twinge of disappointment; he had inadvertently shown too much eagerness. For a moment, the atmosphere in the flower pavilion turned somewhat awkward.
Amid the silence, both men suddenly raised their heads almost simultaneously, looking toward the foot of the mountain.
A faint aura was steadily rising, growing increasingly potent.
"Eh?"
"Eh?"
After letting out a soft sound of surprise, Chu Kui turned his head toward Luo Chen in astonishment.
*He noticed the disturbance down the mountain only a split second after I did?*
*What an immense soul foundation!*
Luo Chen paid no attention to his reaction, rising to his feet instead.
"My apologies, it seems we won't be able to finish our drinks today either."
*Why say 'either'?*
Chu Kui was dumbfounded. "Could the person down the mountain on the verge of Foundation Establishment be your subordinate as well?"
He recalled the cultivator who had achieved Foundation Establishment halfway up the mountain a year ago—a man named Duan Feng, a hall master of the Luotian Association who deferred to Luo Chen as his leader.
Just as Luo Chen was about to answer, his expression changed again.
Chu Kui's expression also became remarkably colorful.
Down the mountain, yet another newborn aura of Foundation Establishment was steadily rising.
This time, even Luo Chen was thoroughly bewildered.
Chapter 265