President, I Shall Walk the Same Path as You!

On the open plain sparring ground. Hearing the name "Landslide," Wang Yuan looked somewhat dazed. It wasn't because Luo Chen had left him in such a disheveled state, but because, despite his wealth of combat experience, he had actually fallen into Luo Chen's trap. This spell was exceedingly powerful! Yet its casting restrictions must be immense as well. From Luo Chen's current level of mastery, casting it was nowhere near as simple as rapidly whipping up a Blazing Sun Art. But he had been clever—he had split the spell apart, broken it down into pieces, and reassembled it without anyone noticing. It must have begun when he deliberately gathered the Blazing Sun Art, only to dismiss it on his own! At that moment, scorching spiritual energy lingered over the battlefield. Using that as a primer... Watching the dazed Wang Yuan, Luo Chen was immensely satisfied. Over the span of a year, he had finally pushed those two Tier 1 spells, Earth Mountain Technique and Surging Waves Technique, from Grandmaster to Great Perfection. In this way, the three lesser techniques forming Landslide—that top-tier Tier 2 offensive spell—namely Fireball, Earth Mountain, and Surging Waves, were finally balanced. Casting Landslide had become vastly easier for Luo Chen than before. Although he still couldn't cast it instantly, after Landslide reached Grandmaster level, he had vaguely grasped the essence of this offensive spell. Earth Mountain governed suppression, Surging Waves governed deceleration, and Fireball governed burst power. Uniting all three not only hemmed in an enemy's escape, but also unleashed devastating power through a terrifying explosion! During the exchange just now, he had broken Landslide down into three distinct steps. Silent, seamless, done in a single breath! The final result had shone brilliantly. "To think you've grown this fast." Wang Yuan snapped out of his daze, sighing with emotion. "Back when you were still weak, I personally taught you how to use any means necessary against enemies. Now your combat finesse is so consummate that even I fell into your trap." Luo Chen descended from the sky. Looking down on someone from above was always impolite. "Brother Wang, you flatter me." Wang Yuan shook his head, speaking earnestly. "I wouldn't say anything against my conscience. I could feel the held-back power in that strike of yours! If it had detonated completely... honestly, how much strength did you use just now?" Luo Chen extended his right hand, curling his thumb and index finger to gesture the number three. "Thirty percent?" Now Wang Yuan was genuinely astonished. A mere thirty percent of his power had forced him to unleash the Giant Spirit Transformation. What if it had been full power? Under such a horrifying explosion, even at his peak, he might well have been blasted into dregs! Seeing his astonishment, Luo Chen chuckled and shook his head. "Brother Wang, why be so surprised? If this had been a true life-and-death struggle, given your abilities and your character, you could have escaped the spell's range during my second step. How would you have ended up trapped in the bombardment afterward?" The second step in casting Landslide had been using the Surging Waves Technique to attack Wang Yuan, forcing him to draw back. Wang Yuan considered it. If it truly were a life-or-death battle, that Surging Waves Technique might pose a threat to an ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, but to him it posed none at all. He would only have needed to barrel straight through it and disrupt Luo Chen's subsequent casting. It was only because this was a friendly spar, and he had wanted to maintain some decorum, that he had chosen to retreat. Once he realized this, he relaxed. Even so, he couldn't help marveling. "You rascal, you really are getting shrewder by the day." "I'm the President of the Luotian Association, a master of human nature!" Luo Chen grinned. "Want to keep going?" Wang Yuan curled his lip, pulled a coarse linen robe from his storage bag, and draped it casually over his bare torso. "Keep going for what? My clothes were ruined by you." "Hey, bursting out of your clothes is a man's romance! If I fought bare-chested from the start, who would dare trade three hundred blows with me? But Brother Wang, ruining an outfit every time you fight isn't very civilized, is it?" The two chatted and bantered as they walked outside. Wang Yuan had his own defense! Unleashing the Giant Spirit Transformation made his body swell and expand. Magic robes capable of accommodating such drastic physical changes were exceptionally rare. Not only did they require materials with exceptional elasticity, but they also needed at least a Tier 3 Ruyi Formation carved into them! And anything that could bear a Tier 3 Ruyi Formation was no ordinary magic robe—it was a magic treasure! He had never come across something so good. Luo Chen, for his part, felt it a pity that he hadn't gotten to directly experience Wang Yuan's Blood God Calamity Finger. He had heard the man was currently developing subsequent finishing moves for the finger technique, fusing overt jin with the purified liquefied spiritual power based on the cultivation method *Qi and Body from the Same Source*. Naturally, Wang Yuan wouldn't test it on Luo Chen. He was still developing that strike himself and couldn't calibrate its lethality as freely as Luo Chen could control the power of Landslide. As for both men's true trump cards? Neither brought them up. Those already involved magic treasures. At the Foundation Establishment stage, wielding magic treasures made it difficult to reel in or unleash power at will. Leaving the Dao Discussion Platform, Luo Chen treated Wang Yuan to a feast at Zhongding House! Both were body cultivators, so they ate with complete abandon. The meal cost Luo Chen a full five hundred spirit stones—equivalent to a low-grade Qi Harmonizing Pill! Such an expenditure for a single meal made Luo Chen's heart ache. The last time he had treated someone at Zhongding House was back in Dahe Market when he hosted Old Daoist Chen. That time had only cost around fifty spirit stones, hadn't it? This time, spending five hundred all at once was indeed a bit profligate! But seeing how satisfied Wang Yuan was, face glowing with vigor, Luo Chen brushed it aside. What was the point of earning spirit stones if not to spend them? Besides, they had eaten so many delicacies this meal; once digested, it would more or less benefit their physiques. That counted as cultivation too! As they parted ways, Wang Yuan casually mentioned, "Sima Huiniang seems to be approaching Qi Refining Great Perfection. If she goes into seclusion for Foundation Establishment, you'll need to find someone to watch over the Luotian Association." Hearing this, Luo Chen's brows furrowed slightly. Breaking through to Foundation Establishment didn't take long. Usually it was just ten-odd days, or a month at most. But after Foundation Establishment, the time required to consolidate one's realm was comparatively long. He himself had spent three years back then. Excluding Duan Feng, Min Longyu had taken half a year, and Wang Yuan nearly half a year as well. If calculated by the latter two, the Luotian Association would likely face a full half-year without a head. For a rapidly expanding Luotian Association, this was hardly good news. After a moment's thought, Luo Chen said slowly, "No matter. Once she reaches Qi Refining Great Perfection, I'll arrange everything." ... A month later. Tianlan Peak, Cave Abode C-6. This was a Tier 2 mid-grade cave abode specially leased by Luo Chen in the name of the Luotian Association. Its spiritual energy density lay between low-grade and superior-grade. Ordinarily, Min Longyu and Wang Yuan shared it. Duan Feng rarely visited; after becoming Dao companions with Feng Xia, he had leased a low-grade cave abode of his own. Sharing quarters would have been inconvenient. As for the expense of leasing a separate low-grade cave abode? That handful of spirit stones was nothing to Duan Feng. As the Master of the Artifact Hall, his monthly income, though not comparable to Luo Chen's, far exceeded that of ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivators. At this moment, inside the cavernous, empty cave abode, only a man and a woman were alone together. "Aren't your eldest brother and third brother coming to see you?" Luo Chen asked. Sima Huiniang looked serene. "I already met with them before preparing for seclusion. Everything that needed to be said has been made clear." She was exceedingly calm—far calmer than anyone Luo Chen had ever seen on the verge of Foundation Establishment. Before his breakthrough, Duan Feng had been brimming with sharpness. When Wang Yuan broke through, he had been spirited and triumphant. Back then, Min Longyu had reclaimed his original aspiration, resolute and decisive. As for Murong Qinglian, because Qin Liangchen had watched over her, Luo Chen hadn't known her exact state of mind upon entering seclusion. Yet judging from her subsequent failure, even if her resolve to establish her foundation had been firm, she must have harbored some attachments and unease. Compared to them, Sima Huiniang's calm seemed almost incomprehensible. Her aptitude was clearly inferior to theirs, and the burdensome trivialities she carried were far more numerous. Yet she remained this composed, as if whether she succeeded or failed at Foundation Establishment caused her little worry. Luo Chen felt a flicker of hesitation. In the simulation of the Ghost Spirit Heart-Inquiring Mirror, Sima Huiniang had successfully established her foundation. But that memory was rather hazy. He had even wondered whether it was merely a fond wish born of his subconscious desire to shrug off his burdens. Yet looking at the woman's demeanor now, he felt uncertain. "Aren't you afraid of failing?" Sima Huiniang's lips curved faintly. "What happens if I fail?" Luo Chen was taken aback. What would happen if she failed? Sima Huiniang smiled. "If I succeed, I remain the Luotian Association's director-general. If I fail, would you slaughter the donkey once it's done grinding, President, and cast me aside?" Well then! No wonder she was so calm. It seemed she had long seen through what the future held. Luo Chen knew he couldn't bear to lose such an exceptional right hand. Whether she succeeded or not, there would always be a place for her in the Luotian Association. Sima Huiniang shook her head, a faint smile hovering on her lips. "In this life of mine, I have traveled far and wide alongside my brothers, weathering storms and tasting life's ups and downs. I once dreamed of Foundation Establishment, and I worked hard for it. But I knew how agonizingly difficult it is for a rogue cultivator to reach Foundation Establishment. Thus, that effort was merely aimless striving, the hope vanishingly slim. "But! "As I became director-general of the Luotian Association, managing and deciding matters great and small as the association grew step by step, I could feel that alongside its growth, I too was truly advancing toward success. "When I saw Duan Feng, Wang Yuan, and the others achieve Foundation Establishment one after another, I knew my turn would come soon. "Today is nothing more than water flowing where a channel is formed. "For me, Foundation Establishment ought to come naturally!" The woman's calm words flowed like a gurgling stream. Without grand swells or roaring waves, they were warm, gentle, yet steady and powerful. Luo Chen knew he had no need to offer any words of encouragement. Stepping outside the cave abode, Luo Chen nodded gently to her. "When you emerge from seclusion, we shall address each other as fellow Daoists." Sima Huiniang pressed the mechanism for the dragon-severing stone, her lips pressed together without a word. Thud! A heavy sound echoed. Hearing the man outside depart, Sima Huiniang leaned back against the massive stone, murmuring softly: "President, I shall walk the same path as you!"