Looking at the flickering entry, Luo Chen was momentarily stunned.
His strength-cultivation realm had actually been recorded by the system?
Still, what was with this long string of ellipses?
As he watched, characters began surfacing one after another behind "Second Realm of Body Refinement":
*Tendons Changing... Marrow Cleansing... Viscera Refining... Channels Clearing...*
In the end, all the characters converged like a myriad streams flowing into the ocean, resolving into a single figure:
*3/100*
Luo Chen nearly broke into laughter.
"After all that fuss, it's still just a progress bar!"
He was utterly at a loss for words.
Yet as his gaze lingered on the progress bar's number, that "3" continued to flicker faintly, looking as though it could tick upward at any moment.
*Does this have something to do with the slow metamorphosis my body is undergoing right now?* Luo Chen mused silently.
He could feel that ever since reaching the second realm of body refinement, his physical body seemed to possess endless untapped potential.
There were so many areas waiting to be excavated.
Right now, he simply lacked the way in.
If he had an orthodox manual, he might be able to uncover those hidden treasures inside him one by one.
Speaking of orthodox manuals, he did have one on hand.
It was the *Wang Clan Secret Manual* Wang Yuan had given him. Aside from the cultivation methods for the first realm of body refinement, it also contained part of the methods for the early stages of the second realm.
Within those pages, terms like Tendons Changing, Marrow Cleansing, Viscera Refining, and Channels Clearing were indeed explicitly mentioned.
That was likely why the system had vacillated when classifying his strength entry.
It was just that Luo Chen's strength cultivation had never followed an orderly system.
Unable to make a clean classification, the system had ultimately cobbled together a progress bar just like the ones for his immortal cultivation realms.
*If only I had enough time to explore these bodily treasures, that would be wonderful.*
*A pity time is the one thing I'm completely short on!*
Shaking his head, Luo Chen stopped focusing on the new entry.
In the future, he could discuss it a bit with Wang Yuan to pick up some general knowledge.
For now, he preferred to pour his efforts into spells that produced quick results and offered immediate practical benefit.
Spells like *Turtle Spirit Overlapping Armor*!
***
Time had already marched on to the hour of the rabbit.
This was the period Luo Chen had set aside for reading.
Two hours every day was not a great deal of time, but it provided immense help for his travels in the cultivation world.
In the absence of absolute power, so-called authority and cultivation realms were never truly secure.
One careless brush against a poisonous weed or an inadvertent step into a hidden realm could cause a cultivator's death and the end of their Dao.
Therefore, reading more and learning more about the cultivation world was always wise.
And *Turtle Spirit Overlapping Armor* was precisely the sort of marvelous technique that could potentially save his life in the face of grave danger.
This spell had been obtained from an unnamed Great River Gang rogue cultivator during the Battle of Gaoling Plain.
Back then, the man had played dead on the battlefield.
He had even managed to fool Luo Chen's spiritual sense.
That alone was enough to show its wondrous subtlety!
After truly perusing the technique, Luo Chen's interest in it had never waned.
It was actually a complete Tier 2 spell!
Moreover, it was a Tier 2 spell whose components could be learned individually!
It was divided into four parts in total: Turtle Breath, Overlapping Armor, Evading Death, and Prolonging Life.
Turtle Breath, true to its name, meant breathing like a turtle, suppressing one's vital signs until they were practically nonexistent.
Overlapping Armor was a spell that leaned toward defense. It condensed spiritual energy into a suit of armor that covered every inch of the body, including hidden vulnerable spots like the eyes and the lower gates. It could be called an all-around, close-fitting defensive technique.
Evading Death was somewhat more esoteric. A cultivator could sever a piece of their own flesh and blood to evade a single fatal strike, reducing the damage to a minor wound.
Prolonging Life came into play when facing certain death. By converting the entire body's spiritual energy into a single breath, one could stubbornly cling to life. However, this technique could only sustain a cultivator for three days. If no means of returning from the brink of death was found within those three days, death would still follow.
Reading through the entire set of spells revealed an astounding subtlety and wonder.
It had truly remained on Luo Chen's mind throughout these past three years, prompting him to take out the tortoise shell recording the spell and study it from time to time.
He simply had not practiced it before because time was too tight.
Now, he had finally unraveled the essentials of the first two sections.
He felt ready to begin.
"If I can master this spell, it will be a major trump card for survival when facing forces beyond my control!" Luo Chen murmured to himself.
Back then, that rogue cultivator had only learned Turtle Breath, yet he had managed to conceal himself from Luo Chen's spiritual sense across a major realm gap.
That alone demonstrated how marvelous this art was!
With Luo Chen's talent in spells, coupled with his abundant resources, mastering the entire Tier 2 technique would be no great challenge.
He reviewed the contents carefully from beginning to end.
Without realizing it, two hours slipped by.
After a simple meal, Luo Chen attempted to practice the spell.
First was Turtle Breath!
One exhalation and one inhalation counted as a single breath.
Yet the duration of this single breath varied from person to person.
Some had shallow, hurried breathing, taking only five or six seconds for one cycle. Others had deep, steady breath, taking tens of seconds to inhale and exhale.
Short-lived creatures like chickens and dogs breathed once every two or three seconds.
This technique, however, imitated Xuan, the primordial great turtle that lived for thirty thousand years!
Legend had it that during its normal waking activity, it breathed only three times a day.
When it entered deep slumber, it breathed only once every three hundred years.
During those three hundred years, it remained motionless as a mountain, like a dead object completely devoid of vitality. And when it finally drew a breath after three hundred years, the sheer spectacle resembled a giant whale swallowing an entire domain of heaven and earth—truly a terrifying sight.
A mere Tier 2 technique naturally could not match the mythical Black Turtle.
Yet according to its method, if mastered to great completion, a cultivator could manage to breathe only once every three years.
Even at minor completion, one could remain like withered wood for three months.
No one would be able to tell whether they were alive or dead!
*For training purposes, the initial breath should be held to around one minute. Seven times in succession, cycling back and forth, followed by a brief rest, repeated for seven sets until reaching forty-nine cycles!*
It sounded simple enough.
In practice, it required specific hand seals and specific spiritual energy currents to cultivate.
*Lower the lids over both eyes. Eyes view the nose, nose views the mouth, mouth views the heart. Press the tongue against the upper palate. Focus heart, spirit, and will upon the navel, ensuring the mind does not waver.*
His left thumb and middle finger touched, forming a circle.
His right thumb slotted into that circle.
The middle fingers hooked together while the other four fingers interlaced.
The entire seal shifted slightly horizontal, coiling into a narrow, elongated oval.
Once the posture was formed, Luo Chen parted his lips and inhaled deeply.
Then he held his breath for one minute.
One minute later, he released a slow, drawn-out exhalation.
Cycle after cycle, he repeated the process.
***
Sun and moon wheeled across the sky, oblivious to heat and cold.
Time flowed on, and five months passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, a flying boat departed Tianlan Immortal City with bold confidence, heading straight toward Danxia Peak.
Outside the boat, white snow drifted gently.
Two people stood upon the deck.
They were Min Longyu, who had emerged from seclusion with a stabilized realm, and Luo Chen, who had spent the last half year living a quiet, monotonous life at home.
"As you know, this isn't like back in Dahe Market where everyone was modest and obscure. Naturally, your Foundation Establishment ceremony can't be celebrated on a grand scale," Luo Chen said casually, glancing at him.
Min Longyu smiled with understanding. "No matter. I was never one to care for empty ceremony."
"Good that you don't mind." Luo Chen laced his fingers together, letting his wide sleeves drape over his hands like an ordinary worldly scholar. "For this internal Foundation Establishment ceremony, Huiniang summoned back all the Qi Refinement ninth-layer cultivators who were away on business. When the time comes, you must properly share your insights on establishing a foundation with them."
Min Longyu gave a heavy nod.
Three and a half years had passed since he joined the Luotian Association.
Back when he held no official post, he had performed countless tasks for the association to exchange for Origin-Nourishing Spiritual Liquid and Nether-Passage Pills.
It had been the period of his long life in the cultivation world where he had applied himself with the greatest devotion.
Over that time, a sense of belonging to the Luotian Association had gradually taken root within him.
Especially after Luo Chen helped him break through to Foundation Establishment, that sense of belonging had transformed into genuine loyalty.
He knew all too well!
Fighting alone in the cultivation world made every step nearly impossible.
Particularly after reaching Foundation Establishment, one's demand for resources ballooned to a scale Qi Refinement cultivators could hardly imagine.
Only if the Luotian Association grew stronger could he travel further along this path!
Sharing his Foundation Establishment insights so that more True Cultivators might emerge from the Luotian Association was without doubt the quickest way he could help bolster its strength.
Besides, he was not the first to do so.
Whether it was Luo Chen, Duan Feng, or Wang Yuan, who had established his foundation a year ago, all of them had done this in person.
When sharing their insights, they had held back practically nothing.
He did not know whether other small sects and factions in Tianlan Immortal City were like this.
At the very least, the upper echelons of the Luotian Association harbored no secrets in this regard.
They truly worked together with one heart and mind, united as one.
*And all of this is because of the man beside me!*
Min Longyu stole a glance at Luo Chen's profile, only to notice an odd detail.
His companion did not seem to be breathing?
"What is it?" Luo Chen suddenly spoke, slowly releasing a long, continuous breath.
In the midst of this winter season with heavy snow drifting down, it looked as though he had exhaled a white mist dragon.
Witnessing this peculiar sight, Min Longyu was astonished. "President, are you practicing some kind of spell?"
"I am!" Luo Chen offered a faint smile. "Why? Want to learn it? I can teach you!"
Min Longyu hastily waved his hands. "No, no. The Dao of Arrays is vast and profound, and I haven't even truly stepped across the threshold yet. How could I afford to divide my attention?"
"Now you're being far too modest!"
Min Longyu possessed a deep family heritage, and his foundations in arrays had been laid with absolute solidity since childhood.
Back during the Qi Refinement stage, he had already been a renowned array expert.
Now that he had advanced to Foundation Establishment, could use his spiritual sense to set up formations, and was even studying damaged array disks, calling him an array master was by no means an exaggeration.
If he had not even truly entered the threshold, other formation masters would die of shame!
"Still, it's good that you think this way," Luo Chen sighed. "Cultivators like us appear to enjoy a sudden surge in lifespan. Yet along this long path toward immortality, how could our time ever be enough? Being truly skilled in one or two crafts is already remarkable."
Min Longyu was deeply moved as well.
Until one entered the mountain, one did not know its height. Until one trod the path, one did not know its hardship.
Qi Refinement cultivators envied the long lifespans of Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, yet those True Cultivators felt life was all too brief just the same.
Amid their casual conversation, the Langqi flying boat crossed three hundred li and arrived at Danxia Peak.
The Foundation Establishment ceremony had been discussed long before, so by the time they arrived, everything had already been fully prepared.
A grand gathering of the Luotian Association's high-ranking cultivators commenced.
Luo Chen sat at the head of the hall.
Yet the true protagonist was Min Longyu, the newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Speaking with grand eloquence, he went over every obstacle one might encounter during the Foundation Establishment process and shared his personal insights on how he had overcome them, laying everything bare before the crowd.
Luo Chen chimed in from time to time, offering his own interpretations.
His gaze, however, drifted around the Luotian Great Hall.
Over these past years, everyone had been terribly busy.
Busy putting down roots, busy developing, busy expanding the Luotian Association.
Throughout the process, each person had reaped their own harvest.
Sima Huiniang was the busiest of all, yet her realm had not stagnated. She was likely only a year or two away from Qi Refinement Great Perfection.
She held a Foundation Establishment Pill bestowed by Luo Chen.
Given her aptitude, temperament, and various preparations, her frequent guidance from Luo Chen, and the simulation results from the Ghosts and Gods Inquiring Mirror, her odds of success were perhaps the highest of all.
Luo Chen was not particularly worried about her.
What worried him right now were two other people.
***
After Min Longyu's Foundation Establishment ceremony concluded, the crowd dispersed.
Duan Feng sought out Min Longyu, and the two fell into an animated discussion about magical treasures.
Luo Chen, meanwhile, asked two people to stay behind.
"President."
"Sister-in-law, please, don't! There's no one else here. No need to stand on ceremony."
Luo Chen stepped down from the dais and came to stand before the couple.
"Can you tell me what's going on between the two of you right now?"
Under his Spirit Eye technique, both of them stood at the Qi Refinement Great Perfection stage.
This progress was roughly in line with what Luo Chen had anticipated a few years prior.
The only discrepancy was that Qin Liangchen had reached Great Perfection so quickly, without Murong pulling ahead of him.
That gap had closed because, during the auction half a year ago, they had spent a massive sum to purchase a precious Tier 1 Spirit Purifying Pill.
Only then had Qin Liangchen smoothed over the difference and finally attained Great Perfection.
By rights, once one reached this stage, one ought to attempt the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.
As for the Foundation Establishment Pill required for the breakthrough?
They had one in hand as well.
If they worried that one pill was not enough for two people, they could easily let one of them attempt the breakthrough first!
Instead, both of them remained stuck here.
Murong looked at the silent Qin Liangchen beside her, then turned her gaze back to Luo Chen, a bitter smile gracing her lips.
"Little Luo, help me talk some sense into your Brother Qin!"
"If he doesn't attempt the breakthrough soon, he'll truly miss the optimal window for Foundation Establishment."
Qin Liangchen's lips twitched, and he shook his head.
"Don't bother trying to persuade me. That Foundation Establishment Pill is best used on you."
Murong almost pleaded, "But you're already sixty-one! If you don't establish your foundation now, it will only get harder and harder in the future."
"You aren't many years younger than me. You're the one who needs to seize the time."
"Then what about you?!"
"Me? This arm of mine was broken twice. Even after being reattached, it's far from what it used to be. What if I do establish my foundation? Could I ever hope to reach the Golden Core stage?"
"Then if you won't establish your foundation, I will. If I succeed, my lifespan will double. Do you want me to be left all alone, desolate and helpless, a century from now after you pass away?"
"How would you be desolate and helpless? Isn't there still Xiaohu! We established contact with him before. He's held in high regard by the Luoyun Sect now, and he has great hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future."
"You know that's not what I mean."
The couple's argument erupted out of nowhere.
This scene caught Luo Chen completely off guard.
Over all these years, he had never once seen Qin Liangchen and his wife quarrel.
Judging by how practiced they were, this sort of argument had likely flared up more than once lately.
What on earth did marriage bring to a man or a woman?!
He felt a shiver run down his spine and hastily raised his hands.
"Stop, stop! I said stop!"
Looking at the two, who had finally quieted down, Luo Chen said helplessly, "Foundation Establishment isn't that simple. Success isn't guaranteed. Rather than yielding back and forth like this, let one person try first. Whether it succeeds or fails, you can make further arrangements afterward!"
Qin Liangchen nodded. "Indeed. That's why I intend to let your sister-in-law try first."
Hearing this, Murong felt both exasperated and amused, and on the verge of tears. "You're clearly the one who needs Foundation Establishment the most!"
"But Luo Chen said it himself—Foundation Establishment isn't that simple. Given my current condition, the odds of failure are exceptionally high. Why waste that Foundation Establishment Pill? It's better if you..."
Seeing that an argument was about to erupt again, Luo Chen was utterly speechless.
Was this what they meant by an upright official having trouble settling family squabbles?
A Foundation Establishment True Cultivator like him could not even talk sense into a pair of Qi Refinement Dao companions.
This could not go on!
Whether for Murong or Qin Liangchen, the longer this dragged out, the greater the loss would be.
Luo Chen had established his foundation at thirty-two, and even now he felt pressed for time.
This couple was already in their fifties and sixties. How could they afford any delay?
After some thought, Luo Chen made up his mind.
"Sister-in-law, please step outside for a moment. Let me speak with Brother Qin in private!"
The root of the problem clearly lay with Qin Liangchen.
Murong looked at him with longing eyes, but under Qin Liangchen's urging, she finally walked outside the great hall.
***
Once she departed, Qin Liangchen suddenly let out a long sigh.
As that breath escaped him, the man seemed to age by decades, devoid of the presence a cultivator at Qi Refinement Great Perfection ought to possess.
Were his usual strength and indifference merely a man's facade?
Luo Chen could not help but speak up. "Brother Qin, you..."
"Little Luo, I won't call you President, nor will I call you Luo Chen. I'll address you as peers, just like we did back in Dahe Market."
Qin Liangchen cut him off, his tone seemingly returning to those past days.
Luo Chen closed his mouth and let him continue.
"Little Luo, tell me from the bottom of your heart: given my current state, can I establish my foundation?"
Facing those eyes that no longer carried their former sharp edge, Luo Chen wanted to offer words like "perhaps," "maybe," or "it's possible," but in the end, he fell silent.
Someone capable of establishing their foundation would never be in Qin Liangchen's current state.
It had nothing to do with whether his cultivation realm was perfected or whether his preparations were thorough.
Mindset was the most crucial element of all!
Without an indomitable resolve, an attempt that already carried low odds of success would be futile, no matter how wondrous the spiritual elixirs might be.
He could not bring himself to speak against his conscience!
Seeing Luo Chen's genuine reaction, Qin Liangchen gave a dejected smile.
"See? You know my current state isn't fit for Foundation Establishment either. Why force me?"
He walked over to a table and poured himself a cup of wine.
"Do you know why I haven't attempted the breakthrough, even though I've reached Qi Refinement Great Perfection and hold the Foundation Establishment Pill you gave me back then?"
"Fear of failure? Fear of wasting it?"
"No!"
"In this life of mine, I've feared many things, but not those."
"What I fear is that after failing, I'll be heavily injured with only a few years left to live. I won't have time to accompany your sister-in-law, or wait for Xiaohu to finish his studies and step out into the world."
"Given my current physical condition, combined with the insights from you four Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, if I fail, light consequences mean severe injury and shortened lifespan, while heavy consequences mean dying on the spot."
"Rather than taking those risks, I'd rather enjoy the remaining decades of my life in peace."
"That way, even if I die, I'll have no regrets."
Cup after cup of wine went down.
The words he spoke were candid and openhearted.
For a moment, he seemed once again the broad-minded, heroic man of old.
Luo Chen pursed his lips and spoke with difficulty, "Then what about Sister-in-law?"
Qin Liangchen gave a soft smile. "Her resolve for Foundation Establishment is far firmer than mine!"
"As her husband, I know her best."
"She loves me, she can't bear to let Xiaohu go, and she can't bear to leave behind the Luotian Association we built brick by brick."
"If given the chance, she may seem gentle and fragile, but she will march forward more resolutely than anyone!"
Luo Chen fell silent.
Both acted out of love.
One chose retreat, while the other chose advance.
He understood it, yet it was difficult for him to truly feel its essence.
If it were him, even if his body were riddled with wounds and he had only a single day left to live, he would still take the gamble!
"So don't try to persuade me anymore."
"Persuade your sister-in-law instead!"
"In a moment, we'll lie to her together. We'll say you found a Foundation Establishment spiritual medicine that suits my constitution better, and that I'll attempt the breakthrough in a few years."
"Don't worry, I won't let her resent you. When the time comes, I'll pretend to go into seclusion for a month or so, and then come out unharmed, pretending the breakthrough failed."
"Compared to seeing me heavily injured, she'll definitely accept a version of me that failed but emerged in one piece."
Luo Chen did not know whether to laugh or cry.
What kind of arrangement was this?!
*You really do know your wife well!*
"Little Luo, you have to promise me!" Qin Liangchen set down his wine cup heavily, staring intently at Luo Chen. "Just take this as your older brother begging you!"
Luo Chen parted his lips.
In the end, he could not bring himself to voice a refusal.
When the doors opened and Murong walked in anxiously, Qin Liangchen wore a relaxed smile that had not been seen on his face in a long time.
"Wife, it's all settled. Both of us will be able to establish our foundations down the line!"
"Little Luo knows of a set of Foundation Establishment spiritual medicines that suits my constitution better; it just takes time to gather them all. So don't keep yielding that Foundation Establishment Pill back and forth with me."
Murong froze, instinctively looking toward Luo Chen, whose back was turned toward her.
"Luo Chen, is that true?"
Qin Liangchen bit his lip, watching Luo Chen's back with nervous anticipation.
Finally, amid his eager hopes, Luo Chen turned around, wearing a natural smile worthy of a master actor.
"It's true."
This was the first time he had ever told a lie concerning a friend directly to them.
In that instant, an ache stirred in his chest.
Yet seeing the heartfelt smiles on the couple's faces, he felt that perhaps there was nothing wrong with a lie like this after all.
Chapter 267