He had not traveled alone on the way there, and on the journey back to the city, his party had only grown larger.
Wang Yuan, Qin Liangchen and his wife, and Gu Caiyi—a party of four—had all hitched a ride on Luo Chen's flying boat.
Luo Chen felt somewhat somber, but so as not to let Qin Liangchen and Murong Qinglian notice anything amiss, he put on a nonchalant front and chatted with Wang Yuan about body refinement.
"*Qi and Body from the Same Source* is indeed a complete Tier 2 body refinement technique, created around the time body cultivators were falling into decline."
Luo Chen asked in surprise, "Hasn’t several thousand years passed since then? Is such a method still suitable for today's cultivation world?"
"Naturally it is," Wang Yuan smiled faintly. "A few thousand years may seem immensely long to us, but to truly mighty beings, it's merely the snap of a finger."
Realization dawned on Luo Chen.
In the world of cultivation, there was no notion that people of the present fell short of the ancients, nor any theory that old arts were inferior to new ones. Whether a technique was formidable or not depended primarily on whether it suited the individual. Furthermore, though the world seemed to experience great upheavals over shifting eras, to the great experts who created such methods, it was perhaps nothing more than a blink of an eye or a single seclusion. One could hardly say that after someone spent a few centuries in closed-door cultivation, they would emerge as an out-of-touch relic.
"This technique thoroughly expounds on the cultivation stages of the Blood River Realm, providing a step-by-step path all the way to the Smelting Furnace Realm. For me, it is an immense stroke of fortune," Wang Yuan said, his tone laden with relief.
In the past, he had mostly picked up scraps here and there, relying on experience and instinct to patch together and slowly refine his cultivation system. But with an orthodox body refinement technique, the road ahead was finally clear. Speaking of which, he had Luo Chen to thank for bidding on this technique on his behalf.
"Blood River Realm? Smelting Furnace Realm?" Luo Chen asked, puzzled.
Wang Yuan smiled and explained the divisions of body refinement to him.
Before Xiantian, all were mundane. The pinnacle reachable by the mundane was the Great Vajra Realm following Xiantian. At that point, the body surpassed vajra and became indestructible, marking the true First Realm of body refinement.
According to the classification in *Qi and Body from the Same Source*, the Second Realm focused on cultivating qi and blood, as well as developing the great bodily reservoirs.
"Blood coursing like a vast river, vigor soaring to the nine heavens; overt, covert, transforming, and Dan—the four forces united into one. Reaching that marks the Great Perfection of the Second Realm. That is why the Second Realm is known as the Blood River Realm. As for the Smelting Furnace Realm..."
Wang Yuan shook his head. "The manual only offers a few brief words. I will have to reach that realm before I can experience it for myself."
Luo Chen asked inquisitively, "Does that mean you are completely confident in how to cultivate the Blood River Realm now?"
"Not completely, but at least I know the direction."
Wang Yuan waved his hand, casually explaining the progressive stages of the Blood River Realm.
Much like how the Foundation Establishment stage was divided into nine layers, the Blood River Realm was split into nine minor stages:
*Viscera Refining, Tendons Changing, Marrow Cleansing, Channels Clearing, Aperture Opening, Overt Force, Covert Force, Transforming Force, Dan Force.*
Luo Chen listened, utterly dumbfounded.
Was body refinement categorized in such meticulous detail?
"Developing the great bodily reservoirs is an extremely dangerous endeavor, so it naturally requires fine divisions," Wang Yuan explained straightforwardly, holding nothing back from Luo Chen. "Moreover, while it seems meticulous, many aspects actually run in parallel. Even Foundation Establishment True Cultivators might unconsciously cultivate certain parts of it."
He even offered a few examples. "Take Viscera Refining—I had already brought that to Great Perfection before I even set foot in the cultivation world. That was thanks to the Five Viscera Health-Nourishing Fist, which tempers the internal organs and nurtures the five qi. As for Tendons Changing and Marrow Cleansing, whenever you cultivators break through a major realm, the world's spiritual energy automatically cleanses your marrow and transforms your tendons. Channels Clearing is even easier to grasp: clearing the major and minor meridians throughout the body allows qi and blood to circulate unimpeded, so that every movement surges with vigor. When you Qi Refinement cultivators circulate spiritual power, you inevitably clear part of your meridians as well. The major differences lie primarily in Aperture Opening and the cultivation of the four forces."
Wang Yuan paused, bringing up the Spirit Clarifying Evil Dispelling technique. That art also possessed a slight means of aperture opening, though it only unlocked thirty-six of the body's acupoints. Yet how could the immense treasure trove of the human body contain a mere thirty-six apertures?
As for the four forces, they were the process of condensing scattered, robust qi and blood into tangible internal force! Overt, Covert, Transforming, and Dan—each force grew progressively stronger. In his earlier, naive years, Wang Yuan had stumbled onto this path of cultivation. His lethal move, the Blood God Tribulation Finger, was an overt force he had cultivated by condensing his qi and blood.
One could say that Wang Yuan's past body refinement had been completely unsystematic. He had tempered a bit here and a bit there, relying entirely on his own groping. Being able to stumble upon an overt force like the Blood God Tribulation Finger in the early Blood River Realm truly proved his extraordinary talent. But now, with a systematic cultivation technique, he could target his improvements going forward.
After hearing all this, Luo Chen could not help sighing in realization.
"No wonder body cultivators declined!"
Others might not have understood his sigh, but Wang Yuan shared the sentiment completely.
Indeed! Developing the body's hidden treasures was far too tedious. Moreover, without the massive lifespan surge that Qi Refinement cultivators enjoyed upon Foundation Establishment, very few could ever see the Blood River Realm through to completion. And lifespan was only one factor. Another reason for their decline was that in the process of breathing spiritual energy, Qi Refinement cultivators actually cultivated portions of their physique as well. Whether it was tendon transformation, marrow cleansing, meridian clearing, or even opening apertures after the Golden Core stage, Qi Refinement cultivators passively strengthened their physical bodies while cultivating. Why bother dedicating oneself to body refinement?
Decline was simply the natural course of the times!
As for the formidable techniques body cultivators possessed—Overt Force? Covert Force? Qi Refinement cultivators had spells, magic treasures, formations, and talismans to replace them, which were far more convenient and often even more potent. No one would choose the difficult, circuitous path over the direct one.
Amid their conversation, the flying boat soon entered Tianlan Peak.
Upon parting, Wang Yuan handed Luo Chen a piece of beast hide as thin as a cicada's wing. "I have thoroughly researched this *Heavenly Roc Transformation*. Take it and look it over whenever you have free time!"
Accepting the hide, Luo Chen nodded.
After Wang Yuan departed, Luo Chen carried the remaining three to his former Tier 2 low-grade cave abode. It was currently leased to Min Longyu, but having just stabilized his realm, Min Longyu would be spending this period immersed at Danxia Peak, discussing with Duan Feng how to forge a magic treasure embryo and restore his array disk. As such, the cave abode was temporarily vacant. It was perfect timing, as Murong Qinglian was at Qi Refinement Great Perfection and preparing to make her push for Foundation Establishment. Luo Chen simply let her use it.
***
Arriving before the cave abode, Luo Chen cast the hand seals to open the protective formation, quickly unlocking it. Murong Qinglian walked inside, took a tour, and looked quite pleased.
"What a wonderful place! It's just a shame it's so expensive."
Even for a Tier 2 low-grade cave abode, rent cost one thousand spirit stones a month. A typical Foundation Establishment cultivator's normal monthly income was only two to three thousand spirit stones. In other words, at least a third or even half of their earnings had to be thrown into the bottomless pit of rent!
Some might argue that one could still cultivate without a Tier 2 spiritual land. But only a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator who had experienced the vast gulf between Tier 1 and Tier 2 would insist on pouring spirit stones into that pit. The difference in cultivation speed between the two was as night and day!
Take Li Yixian for instance. She had established her foundation in Dahe Market twenty or thirty years ago, but after reaching the second layer of Foundation Establishment, further progress had become nearly impossible. Yet after coming to Tianlan Immortal City and renting a cave abode for just a single year, she had advanced to the third layer. Otherwise, the Lianyun Merchant Alliance would never have taken note of her and recruited her as an elder. Had her aptitude improved to warrant such rapid growth? No—it was solely because her external cultivation environment had changed.
Luo Chen said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, as long as you're satisfied. Once you establish your foundation, the Luotian Association will adjust your stipend, and you'll be able to rent a cave abode like this on Tianlan Peak yourself."
Murong Qinglian was about to agree, but as her gaze drifted to Qin Liangchen wandering around the room, the words on the tip of her tongue shifted.
"Renting a cave abode is indeed a massive expense. But in truth, cultivators don't cultivate non-stop every single day. During idle hours, the cave abode's spiritual energy goes somewhat to waste."
Luo Chen's brow twitched, faintly guessing what she meant. "What do you propose?"
Murong Qinglian smoothed a stray lock of hair. "The Luotian Association now has several Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, and under your leadership, there will likely be even more in the future. If everyone rents their own cave abode, an enormous sum of spirit stones will be squandered. From what I know, Tianlan Peak only forbids subleasing; it doesn't forbid family or friends from sharing a lease."
At this point, Luo Chen understood her completely. "A shared lease?"
Murong Qinglian nodded. "Exactly! Rather than letting it go to waste, we should make rational use of every time slot. After all, what we absorb and refine is only the earth vein energy of Tianlan Immortal City—it's not as if it costs us anything. Furthermore, Association Leader, there is one more matter I must bring to your attention!"
She seamlessly switched from her casual address back to "Association Leader." That meant what followed was official business.
Luo Chen's expression grew serious as he waited for her to continue.
"The Luotian Association is in its ascendancy, with a bright future ahead. But as of now, it has only just begun. We have yet to see returns from the spiritual fields, the Artifact Hall's business relies on burning through spoils saved from earlier battles, and increasing our cut from the Biyou Valley market will take time. Right now, what holds up the entire Luotian Association is, as always, the pills you refine.
"Under these conditions, providing for four, five, or eventually even more Foundation Establishment True Cultivators will place an immense burden on our finances! As far as I know, any faction capable of supporting more than five Foundation Establishment True Cultivators commands at least several thousand Qi Refinement cultivators under its banner! Our association of barely two hundred members simply cannot sustain that. What's being exploited instead... is your own value, Association Leader!"
Murong Qinglian spoke slowly, her words growing exceedingly grave toward the end.
Listening to her, Luo Chen's expression shifted repeatedly. He recalled how, back in Dahe Market, Mi Shuhua had relied on the Mountain Breaker Gang's thousands of Qi Refinement cultivators just to support himself. Wang Haichao had done the same. Possessing alchemy, Luo Chen bore less financial pressure than they had, but no matter how light the burden, it could not indefinitely sustain the expenditures of so many Foundation Establishment True Cultivators! When that day came, instead of them supporting Luo Chen, it would turn into Luo Chen single-handedly providing for them!
In the final analysis, the Luotian Association had expanded too fast! In particular, it had absorbed an elite group of Qi Refinement cultivators from Dahe Market. Coupled with his own excessive generosity, arriving in a resource-abundant place like Tianlan Immortal City had triggered an explosive wave of consecutive breakthroughs.
Thinking of the future Murong Qinglian described, a heavy weight settled on Luo Chen's chest. That would truly be putting the cart before the horse!
Seeing that Luo Chen was lost in deep thought and had taken her words to heart, Murong Qinglian sighed and said, "It was only after serving as the Merit Hall Master for so long that I realized something was amiss. But as for how to resolve it, you and Director-General Sima will have to discuss and decide."
Luo Chen managed a strained smile. "My thanks to you, Sister-in-law, for worrying about such matters even before your breakthrough."
"It is my duty. There is no need for thanks."
"Right, I will take my leave then. If you need anything, have Brother Qin come find me up at Cave Abode B-17."
Luo Chen left the cave abode and flew upward in his flying boat. One person still stood quietly aboard. Watching Luo Chen's tightly furrowed brows, Gu Caiyi gently bit her lower lip, her eyes flickering.
***
Moments later, the two entered his cave abode.
Bai Meiling drifted out from the small bedroom where the ghost millstone was kept and greeted Gu Caiyi. Her tone was somewhat distant and cool, but Gu Caiyi paid it no mind. She knew that since Bai Meiling had switched to ghost cultivation, her temperament had undergone an earth-shaking change; it was not that she disliked Gu Caiyi.
"Caiyi, follow me. All the Jade Marrow Pills the Master refined over the past half year are in here."
Bai Meiling drifted ahead into a massive pill-curing chamber. Gu Caiyi's purpose here was precisely to collect the goods. Luo Chen rarely stepped outside these days, conducting all his pill refinement inside his cave abode. Once a batch was finished, he had people collect it at regular intervals. As the Gold Hall Master who also oversaw Danxia Hall in the city, Gu Caiyi was the ideal person for the task.
Before entering the chamber, she cast a subconscious glance back at Luo Chen in the sitting room. He was pacing with short steps, the gloom between his brows refusing to dissipate.
Inside the pill-curing chamber, densely packed pills were stored across several storage bags. Gu Caiyi counted them with care. She needed an exact tally, as every subsequent bottle portioned and sold had to be properly accounted for in the ledgers.
Bai Meiling squatted on the ground, idly tracing circles with a twig.
"Xiao Ling."
"Hm?"
"Is he usually like this?"
"Him? Oh, you mean the Master!" Bai Meiling stuck out her long tongue in an eerie display. "The Master isn't usually like this. He's always cultivating or reading. He rarely looks so idle."
*He isn't idle; he's pondering the future of the Luotian Association,* Gu Caiyi thought, shaking her head. She realized she would learn nothing useful from Bai Meiling.
Soon, before dusk fell, Gu Caiyi completed the count of the Jade Marrow Pills. Over half a year, he had produced a staggering twenty thousand pills! Selling them, without factoring in overhead, would bring in one hundred and seventy thousand low-grade spirit stones. It was a colossal sum, yet compared to Luo Chen's peak production, it was notably lower. This was because he had dedicated half his time to cultivating and refining other pills, and he no longer had the support of the Pill Hall's logistical staff. Hence, output had dropped.
In truth, his efficiency had actually improved. Thanks to his soul reaching the late Foundation Establishment level, along with the Tier 2 earth fire and the Ice Emperor Cauldron's boost to success rates, Luo Chen had spent only half his time yet increased his baseline yield by ten percent.
Gu Caiyi knew nothing of those details, but she was no longer the sheltered courtesan of Tianxiang Brothel. Her long tenure in leadership gave her an intimate understanding of the stipends paid to every tier of cultivator in the Luotian Association. With a quick calculation of the revenue from this batch minus production costs, she arrived at a rough estimate of Luo Chen's net profit.
*Around thirty to sixty thousand spirit stones!*
To any Qi Refinement cultivator, this was an unimaginable fortune, and even for a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, it was an income few could dream of. Yet Gu Caiyi knew that Luo Chen's own demand for resources was equally immense. If nothing else, this Tier 2 high-grade cave abode alone cost forty-eight thousand spirit stones a year!
*No wonder Sister Qinglian said the association would end up squeezing Luo Chen dry.*
After a moment of thought, she tucked the storage bags securely against her person and stepped out of the pill-curing chamber.
"Association Leader, there is something I don't know whether I should say."
Luo Chen looked up and said helplessly, "Then say it. You don't need me to grant you immunity first, do you?"
*Pfft!*
Gu Caiyi, who had been weighed down with worry, could not hold back a sudden laugh. With that, the stifling atmosphere eased considerably.
"I think the benefits you give everyone are a bit too generous."
Luo Chen tilted his head, pondering seriously. It seemed they really were a bit high.
Gu Caiyi sat down across from him, resting her hands on her skirt with an elegant, composed posture. "Everyone knows you treat them well, but it borders on excessive. From what I know, the compensation for members of the Luotian Association is unmatched among the small factions around Tianlan Immortal City—it even rivals mid-sized factions that have operated for a century. But sometimes, giving more isn't necessarily better. You know the saying: a handful of rice creates gratitude, but a bushel creates resentment. Furthermore, you now refine the pills yourself while we handle sales, which means the labor costs for several intermediate steps were eliminated long ago. In my view, the compensation for certain people ought to be adjusted."
Luo Chen lowered his head, sinking into contemplation. Only after a long while did he look up at the radiant Gu Caiyi and say, "Do you know that if word of your suggestion got out, the lower-tier cultivators would curse you behind your back?"
Gu Caiyi parted her lips slightly, momentarily stunned. "I... I only..."
"I know you're looking out for me," Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Still, be cautious with your words in the future. Some burdens aren't yours to bear, nor could you endure the fallout."
Gu Caiyi nodded, but could not resist adding, "You need to consider yourself as well. In truth, even if you kept a little more for yourself, those below wouldn't dare complain."
Indeed, what could they say? Their cultivation was lower, and their leverage was nonexistent. Moreover, Luo Chen had brought them all the way from that barren backwater to Tianlan Immortal City, giving them a new home and an organization to rely on. Yet human nature did not always align with what could be openly stated.
"Enough. I appreciate your good intentions, but don't involve yourself in these matters from now on."
His tone suddenly turned cool.
Gu Caiyi was at a loss as to why. Having collected the Jade Marrow Pills, she had no reason to linger. "Then I will return to Danxia Hall."
She rose and walked toward the exit.
"Wait!"
Luo Chen called out abruptly. Looking at the woman who turned around with a bewildered expression, he sighed inexplicably.
"Those few Jade Dew Pills I gave you last year... you've used them all up by now, haven't you?"
Chapter 268