As Zuo Song, Luo Feng, and the Foundation Establishment cultivator from Peach Mountain arrived in the grand hall, the heated atmosphere instantly surged to a climax.
Even figures like Zhou Qing went over to familiarize themselves and exchange pleasantries.
After all, those two were genuine great cultivators of the late Foundation Establishment stage!
What was more, each held sway over a sect or family.
Some Foundation Establishment True Cultivators from smaller invited clans couldn't squeeze into their circle and lingered on the periphery, watching with boundless envy.
Figures like Nangong Jin and his companions were all the more shocked in their hearts.
"The Chen family of Tianyi Workshop, the Luo family of Luosha Workshop, the Iron Sword Hall... If you count our Lianyun Merchant Alliance, that makes four factions backed by late Foundation Establishment cultivators."
"Peach Mountain, which operates under a Golden Core Master, has even made a special appearance."
"In just a few short years, how on earth did Luo Chen achieve all this?"
Li Yixian also wore a look of astonishment.
They could not fathom it. Even if someone spent every waking moment scheming and networking without doing anything else, they still wouldn't be able to amass such connections!
Within the crowd, the cultivators were not all huddled together, but mingled in twos and threes, conversing separately.
Take the Foundation Establishment cultivator from Peach Mountain, for example.
Though she had come under Xuan Yu's banner, Xuan Yu himself had not arrived. Instead, it was an early Foundation Establishment female cultivator named Qiao Xiyue.
"Arriving uninvited, I hope Lord Fire Spirit doesn't find me unwelcome!"
Looking at her alluring smile, Luo Chen beamed.
"How could I? Peach Mountain's willingness to come and offer congratulations is an honor for my Luotian Association. Your presence brings an even brighter glow to Danxia Peak."
Qiao Xiyue covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"Fellow Daoist has such a silver tongue. But coming here, I also had a business proposal I wished to discuss with your association."
"Oh?" Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "What kind of business?"
Qiao Xiyue smiled slightly. "The Myriad Wonders Pill!"
Hearing that name, Luo Chen understood in an instant.
Peach Mountain, after all, was a pleasure quarter.
Yet cultivators differed from mortals; Qi Refining cultivators in particular often could not let loose when seeking pleasure. The Myriad Wonders Pill, beyond doubt, allowed people to indulge in boundless delight.
"I hope the Luotian Association will no longer sell the Myriad Wonders Pill to the outside world, but supply it exclusively to our Peach Mountain. We can be flexible on price, and Peach Mountain can even offer discounts to the cultivators of the Luotian Association."
When discussing business, the woman spoke with fluent eloquence, laying out her points with great clarity.
Yet Luo Chen asked an unexpected question: "Is this business deal Fellow Daoist Xuan Yu's intention, or your own idea, Fellow Daoist Qiao?"
Qiao Xiyue froze.
Under Luo Chen's gaze, she said with some constraint, "My husband is currently in seclusion striving for the Golden Core stage and has no time to oversee such affairs. This was my own idea. But that will not affect our cooperation in the slightest."
Luo Chen nodded.
He smiled, sidestepping the matter. "When it comes to business, I haven't made executive decisions in a long time. If you are willing, Fellow Daoist, you may discuss the details with the director-general of my Luotian Association once the ceremony concludes."
"Sima Huiniang?" Qiao Xiyue muttered the name of Luotian's director-general, a hint of doubt crossing her face.
Luo Chen gave an affirmative hum, preparing to end the conversation.
From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Zuo Song standing absentmindedly in the crowd, stealing glances in his direction from time to time.
It seemed Zuo Song still couldn't let go of that Tongxuan Heavenly Crystal!
Unfortunately, Luo Chen wanted to keep that item for himself. Still, it would not do to fall out with him at a time like this.
"Fellow Daoist Qiao, I see two old friends over there whom I must greet. Please excuse me for a moment."
Qiao Xiyue glanced toward the corner at the two early Foundation Establishment cultivators. "Go ahead, then, Fellow Daoist. Please don't mind me."
Luo Chen smiled slightly and walked toward the corner.
……
"It has been a long time, you two. How have things been lately?"
An abrupt voice sounded.
Li Yixian turned her head and looked at Luo Chen in surprise. She had assumed that Luo Chen would not bother greeting them today.
Yet when it came to recent circumstances...
She smiled bitterly. "Hardly well. All we can say is that we have found a place to settle."
Nangong Jin sighed with feeling as well. "Many positions opened up within the Lianyun Merchant Alliance, but the outside pressure we face is far greater than before. Fellow Daoist Li and I are merely struggling to survive."
"Still better off than me, surely!" Luo Chen clicked his tongue. "Not long ago, after that major battle, my Luotian Association was nearly destroyed in a single day."
When he said this, Nangong Jin and Li Yixian looked at each other in dismay.
Was he boasting?
Who didn't know that the Luotian Association had suffered zero losses in that battle and had even reaped a massive harvest?
Where did 'nearly destroyed' come into it?
"Haha, well, this is no time to dwell on past hardships and savor current sweetness," Luo Chen beamed with a chuckle. "Though things may be tough for all of us, isn't it still many times better than huddling back in Dahe Market?"
Hearing his words, the two nodded in agreement.
Their furrowed brows relaxed considerably.
If nothing else, during their years in Tianlan Immortal City, neither of them had neglected their cultivation.
Nangong Jin was already at the second layer of Foundation Establishment.
Li Yixian possessed an even deeper foundation; with a superior cultivation environment, her accumulated effort had borne fruit, bringing her to the third layer of Foundation Establishment.
Impacting the mid Foundation Establishment stage in the future was by no means out of reach.
After Luo Chen's interjection, the atmosphere suddenly turned light and easy.
The sense of distance caused by the successive arrival of prominent figures also faded considerably.
They all hailed from the same place.
They were all struggling and striving.
And each of them had made progress.
It was just that Luo Chen had walked a bit further ahead.
Thinking of it this way, the sting of disparity brought by difference in strength and status softened a great deal.
Catching sight of the person standing behind Li Yixian, Luo Chen couldn't help but furrow his brows.
"Li Ao hasn't established his foundation yet?"
Li Yixian sighed. "He tried once, but unfortunately, he failed."
Standing in the corner, Li Ao instinctively lowered his head. His neck flushed bright red, showing the shame and vexation he felt at this moment.
"Bringing him along this time was not only to broaden his horizons, but also so he could hear more of Director-General Sima's insights on Foundation Establishment."
Li Yixian's gaze drifted toward Duan Feng, Min Longyu, and the others, admiration plain in her eyes.
"Foundation Establishment True Cultivators seem to emerge one after another in your Luotian Association. You must have unique understanding in this regard!"
Nangong Jin harbored the same thought.
It was only a pity that his beloved son, Nangong Qin, was crippled from the waist down—beyond the cure of medicine and herbs—and had lost all hope of Foundation Establishment. Otherwise, he too would have brought his son to learn.
"Don't worry, Huiniang will share her insights on Foundation Establishment when the time comes," Luo Chen said. "And Li Ao, don't lose heart. It's only a single failure. We cultivators never lack the courage and resolve to start anew."
Faced with his encouragement, Li Ao gritted his teeth and gave a strained smile.
As if Foundation Establishment were that simple!
Luo Chen was about to say something more to Li Yixian when his brow suddenly twitched.
He nodded to the two of them and walked toward the entrance of the grand hall.
As the host of today's celebration, Luo Chen's every movement drew the attention of many. Seeing his abrupt action, numerous Luotian Association cultivators around him immediately fell into step behind him.
Faintly, the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators inside the hall realized that an esteemed guest might have arrived.
Sure enough!
In the next moment, a booming announcement, amplified and broadcast by the array, resounded within and without Danxia Peak.
"A warm welcome to Senior Tantai Jin, True Legacy of the Foundation Establishment stage from Ice Fort, on his presence at Danxia Luotian!"
Ice Fort had sent someone!
This came as no surprise to the crowd. Everyone knew that the Luotian Association's backer was Ice Fort; Luo Chen had even been granted a personal audience with Fairy Jueqing.
Yet no one had expected Tantai Jin to come offer congratulations in person!
He was a True Legacy disciple of Ice Fort, a disciple of a Golden Core Master, and possessed a formidable late Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Moreover, he was currently the de facto ruler of Tianlan Immortal City!
To give the Luotian Association this much face?
While everyone was still reeling in shock, the herald's voice rang out once more:
"A warm welcome to Senior Tao Yisheng, inner sect disciple of Azure Pill Valley, on his presence at Danxia Luotian!"
At this, everyone's expression changed dramatically.
Even Azure Pill Valley had sent someone!
What virtue or ability did the Luotian Association possess to be held in such high regard by great Golden Core sects?
Inside the hall, people like Zhou Qing exchanged looks of utter disbelief. Even if they had spoken pleasantries earlier, deep down they had still looked down on Luo Chen to some degree.
Yet now...
"Even our Lianyun Merchant Alliance doesn't seem to have such a formidable backer, does it?"
Meanwhile, Zuo Song of the Iron Sword Hall had already been simmering with displeasure because Luo Chen avoided him and made no mention whatsoever of that tier-four ore material. Had he not seen representatives of factions on equal footing with his own—such as the Lianyun Merchant Alliance, Tianyi Workshop, and Luosha Workshop—he would have flared up long ago.
Yet at this moment, with representatives from two great Golden Core sects arriving, the displeasure in his heart vanished completely. As for that Tongxuan Heavenly Crystal, any covetous thoughts he had held were entirely extinguished.
*I can't afford to provoke them, definitely cannot!*
Chen Xiuli and Luo Feng had been conversing earlier, preparing to join hands in driving down prices during upcoming business negotiations with the Luotian Association. But now, expressions of shock inevitably surfaced on their faces as well.
"Brother Luo, I fear this won't be easy," Chen Xiuli said, shaking her head.
Luo Feng's face was equally grave. "It seems we will have to make concessions. Their backing is formidable; they are by no means as simple as an ordinary mid Foundation Establishment faction."
Having said this, his brow furrowed in utter bewilderment.
"Why would a mere Luotian Association receive such regard from two great Golden Core sects?"
He was not the only one harboring such confusion; a great many True Cultivators in the hall wondered the same.
Peach Mountain's Qiao Xiyue's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"The Luotian Association itself is nothing extraordinary. For Azure Pill Valley and Ice Fort to treat them with such importance, could it be because of Luo Chen himself?"
Without realizing it, many Foundation Establishment cultivators within the hall had instinctively moved toward the entrance. Their awe and apprehension toward great Golden Core sects made greeting them second nature.
Outside the mountain, Luo Chen stood upon the rainbow bridge.
Under the watchful gaze of countless rogue cultivators looking up, he conversed warmly with Tantai Jin and Tao Yisheng, walking side by side into Danxia Peak.
This scene was etched into the eyes of countless rogue cultivators in Tianlan.
Never again would anyone consider the Luotian Association an unpresentable, third-rate faction.
They would only remember:
On that day outside Danxia Peak, escape lights surged and flying boats were beyond count.
None who came and went were of Qi Refining; those who laughed and conversed were all Foundation Establishment.
Numerous major factions dispatched envoys to extend congratulations.
What was more, Ice Fort, Azure Pill Valley, and even Peach Mountain under Ancestor Peach Blossom of the Hundred Blossoms Palace had sent representatives.
These were three great Golden Core sects offering their congratulations at once!
Even if the Luotian Association lacked a great cultivator of the late Foundation Establishment stage, countless rogue cultivators already placed them, from the bottom of their hearts, among the topmost tier of factions in Tianlan Immortal City.
Compared to the Iron Sword Hall, the Du family of Taibai Market, and the Chen family of Tianyi Workshop, they were not inferior in the slightest!
Chapter 312