Flying on a sword was remarkably fast.
Compared to a cultivator riding clouds and mists, it was faster by more than a notch.
Yet even this was far from the fastest.
If one possessed the Five Elements escape arts, or a sword cultivator's technique of transforming into a rainbow of light, both outstripped ordinary sword flight.
Speaking of which, Luo Chen had personally witnessed a Five Elements escape art in action.
Back during the battle on Gaoling Plain, the rogue cultivator Tu Shan had pursued him using Earth Escape. Though Luo Chen ultimately killed him in a counterattack, the speed of that escape technique had indeed far exceeded the ordinary.
One had to remember that during his Qi Refinement days, what Luo Chen had taken the greatest pride in was his flying speed.
Yet after establishing his foundation, someone had actually managed to catch up to him.
Granted, part of it was that he had deliberately slowed down to lay an ambush, but the swiftness of Earth Escape was still astonishing.
Unfortunately, when he later unlocked Tu Shan's storage bag, he found no relevant manual.
"Come to think of it, the *Heavenly Roc Transformation* also contains a flying spell of the third tier. Once mastered, its speed is no slower than a sword cultivator soaring as a rainbow.
"Regrettably, that spell is exceedingly difficult to practice and requires external aids. For now, I have no way to cultivate it."
After a wistful sigh, Luo Chen continued guiding his flying sword forward.
Judging by his carefree demeanor, the night of passion seemed to have been cast completely from his mind.
Yet Luo Chen was hardly an ungrateful, fickle man.
He was fully prepared to shoulder his responsibilities.
However, at daybreak, Sima Huiniang's decision had taken him by surprise.
"This concubine has shallow aptitude. Attaining Foundation Establishment is already a boundless blessing; how could I dare become your Dao companion and seek the Great Dao of immortality at your side?
"To manage the Luotian Association well on your behalf—that is all I ask."
At that moment, Luo Chen had been deeply moved.
He had spoken without reservation. "Now that you have established your foundation, you are my peer on this path. Why belittle yourself when speaking of the future? You are already qualified to walk beside me."
Yet faced with his urging, Sima Huiniang had firmly shaken her head.
Only this time, she spoke not of an ethereal Great Dao, but of the Luotian Association.
Her reasoning was simple.
By not becoming husband and wife, she could govern the Luotian Association far better.
Even if mistakes were made or grievances arose, none of it would implicate Luo Chen.
Moreover, the Luotian Association was currently preparing to institute an inheritance system modeled after sects rather than bloodline clans.
Before that bore fruit, it was better for them to remain formally unwed.
"I want the people below to know that my authority stems from your trust in my capability, Lord Guild Leader,
"and not from what others might assume to be pillow talk and favoritism.
"Otherwise, there will be far too many things I cannot handle with a free hand."
Such words, brimming with confidence and ambition, truly made Luo Chen look at her in a new light.
Yet thinking carefully, had he not promoted this outsider rogue cultivator to serve as the Luotian Association's director-general precisely because of her talent?
"Of course, if Lord Guild Leader develops a taste for the sweetness, this concubine certainly will not refuse."
Her sudden shift to playful flirtatiousness had nearly made Luo Chen lose his composure on the spot.
Only his awareness of moderation kept him from raising his banners anew and waging another fervent campaign.
He did not press Sima Huiniang further.
In some matters, time reveals a person's heart just as distance tests a horse's strength.
As for her heart, he already understood Huiniang's devotion.
The path of cultivation was long, and with his support, there was no reason she could not aspire to the Golden Core Great Dao.
When that day came, she would no longer refuse.
This was not arrogance on Luo Chen's part.
Rather, he truly possessed the ability!
For female cultivators, Jade Dew Pills offered twice the result for half the effort compared to ordinary pills!
As long as the dosage and frequency were carefully managed, they would not leave behind excessive pill toxins.
Supported by his high-quality Jade Dew Pills, even if Sima Huiniang's natural aptitude was modest, she stood a very strong chance of reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment.
At that point, the only concern would be Core Formation.
And as for the necessities of Core Formation, he already had a secret technique in hand.
In due time, once Sima Huiniang reached Foundation Establishment completion, he would surely be able to gather all the resources she needed to form her core!
***
Upon entering Tianlan Immortal City, Luo Chen summoned the Langqi Flying Boat, skimming close to the ground, and soon returned to Tianlan Peak.
After greeting Bai Meiling, he took out the jade slip Tantai Jin had given him.
Examining it with spirit eyes and inspecting it with divine sense, he confirmed there were no hidden tricks or attachments.
Only then did he carefully press it to his forehead.
...
Half an incense stick later, Luo Chen stared at the small puddle of water before him, lost in thought.
This puddle was what the jade slip had transformed into.
He had no idea what methods or materials Ice Fort used to craft it, but once its contents were absorbed, it dissolved entirely, leaving no trace behind.
Meanwhile, the contents of the Core Formation secret technique were already stored in his mind.
After reading through it thoroughly, Luo Chen wore an expression that hovered between amusement and regret.
"So it was this technique!"
Recorded within was a secret technique called Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation.
He was familiar with it.
Back at the immortal city auction, Ice Fort had put it up for sale, and in the end, it was purchased by Xuan Yu of Peach Mountain.
Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation had a grand name, but in truth, it was not particularly complex.
So long as it was paired with Azure Pill Valley's Dragon Transformation Pill and Ice Fort's Ice Phoenix Pellet—taking both pills simultaneously and circulating them through the secret technique—a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment could attempt Core Formation.
At that moment, water and fire complemented each other, Kan and Li reversed, naturally congealing the body's "great medicine."
That great medicine was none other than a cultivator's Golden Core.
Yet at most, the technique only increased the success rate of core formation by ten percent.
Such an increase was simply too meager!
To a cultivator blessed with exceptional innate talent, even this small boost might cause them to rejoice wild with joy.
For Luo Chen, however, it was little more than a chicken rib—of negligible value.
"A mere ten percent... It's practically nothing!"
Luo Chen sighed and waved his sleeve, wiping away the wet stain on the floor.
He felt a touch of regret, but no deep disappointment.
The reason was simple: how could Tantai Jin possibly give away Ice Fort's true, core secret technique so lightly?
Even if she were willing, Ice Fort would never permit it.
Therefore, whatever she could offer in public was bound to be an ordinary, run-of-the-mill Core Formation technique that could not stand among their premier arts.
When he had first received it, after a brief surge of excitement, he had deliberately tempered his expectations for this very reason.
Looking at it now, it was indeed just as he had anticipated.
"Tantai Jin truly played a clever hand.
"With an insignificant Core Formation secret technique, she publicly bound the Luotian Association tight to the ship of the Jueqing lineage.
"I wonder whether this was her own idea or the will of Fairy Jueqing."
Based on Luo Chen's understanding of Tantai Jin, though she was somewhat scheming, she likely lacked the finesse to achieve such leverage with so little effort.
On the other hand, Fairy Jueqing—whom he had only met once in haste—struck him as utterly profound and inscrutable.
Upon deeper reflection, Luo Chen became increasingly certain this was Fairy Jueqing's doing.
For no other reason than that the first time he had requested a Core Formation secret technique, Tantai Jin had rejected him without the slightest hesitation.
"Never mind!
"I'll keep it for now; it's better than nothing. If I reach Foundation Establishment completion and still haven't gathered another method for Core Formation, the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation can serve as a final gamble.
"For the moment, the priority is reaching the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment as soon as possible!"
Core Formation was still far too distant.
The realms he needed to cross in between were enough to cause him endless headache.
Worrying so far ahead was purely borrowing trouble from tomorrow.
***
Reigning in his wandering thoughts, Luo Chen turned his attention to his current cultivation.
After reaching the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment, his cultivation progress had slowed once again.
Under completely uninterrupted conditions, it took nearly twenty full days to advance by a single point.
Luo Chen was thoroughly dissatisfied with this speed.
Yet for now, he had no higher-grade pills to accelerate his cultivation.
Logically speaking, for an alchemist as formidable as Luo Chen, he might lack anything else, but the one thing he should never lack was cultivation pills suited to his needs.
In reality, just like a grain farmer who always went hungry, he had been plagued by a shortage of cultivation pills all along his path.
The cause boiled down to a single issue: recipes!
He lacked orthodox cultivation pill recipes.
In truth, Luo Chen had instructed Sima Huiniang long ago to have the Luotian Association discreetly collect second-tier pill recipes whenever possible.
Especially cultivation recipes that could increase spiritual energy.
Even if they were incomplete fragments, it did not matter.
If he could obtain one, he could refine it and consume it himself.
With his system, he could even produce supreme-grade pills to dramatically speed up his cultivation.
Yet their gains had been next to nothing!
The only second-tier recipe they had managed to procure was a largely useless Face-Preserving Pill recipe.
A Face-Preserving Pill sounded impressive, something female cultivators might covet, but the reality was nothing of the sort.
A second-tier Face-Preserving Pill was far beyond what Qi Refinement cultivators could afford.
Foundation Establishment cultivators could afford it, certainly.
However, once a cultivator established their foundation, not only could they easily practice grain avoidance, but their muscles and marrow were thoroughly cleansed and restructured with each breakthrough.
Under such circumstances, preserving youthful looks required merely expending a tiny fraction of spiritual energy at will.
Cultivators like Tantai Jin and Fairy Jueqing, who were well over a century old, still appeared young and beautiful.
Even Luo Chen, who had been in Foundation Establishment for several years now, maintained the appearance of a young man.
As for those who appeared middle-aged or elderly in the cultivation world, they had either established their foundation at an advanced age, or simply couldn't be bothered to waste a sliver of spiritual energy on something as pointless as appearance, letting time naturally take its course.
When others were loath to waste even a shred of spiritual energy, who would squander spirit stones on a Face-Preserving Pill?
Thus, Luo Chen had never felt the slightest inclination to study that recipe.
With the Luotian Association's current reach, acquiring an orthodox second-tier cultivation recipe was clearly impossible.
In fact, it wasn't just the Luotian Association—other Foundation Establishment factions found it equally unattainable.
The reason was straightforward.
The lofty, dominant sects strictly controlled the outward flow of such pill recipes.
Luo Chen had noticed signs of this back during his Qi Refinement days.
Back then, when he refined inferior Jade Marrow Pills whose potency was only a fraction of a Qi-Nourishing Pill, Mi Shuhua had been fraught with worry.
He had to pull strings in all directions and grant a share of the profits to Miao Wen of the Sword Sect just to allow the Jade Marrow Pills to be sold without hindrance.
Had it been an orthodox cultivation pill with effects rivaling or surpassing a Qi-Nourishing Pill, cultivators from the Medicine King Sect would have been the first to step in and annihilate the Great River Gang on the spot.
Even now, having aligned himself with Ice Fort, Luo Chen dared not cross that line.
For that very reason, when negotiating terms with Tantai Jin earlier, he had not even mentioned asking for such recipes.
Whether she possessed them or not, she certainly would not give them up.
Besides, Shi Boying had mentioned that most of Ice Fort's cultivation pills were purchased externally from Azure Pill Valley and the Medicine King Sect.
There was no need to invite humiliation.
Without new recipes, reliant solely on his existing Qi Harmonizing Pills and Soaring Dragon Pills, did Luo Chen have any other way to quicken his cultivation?
Yes!
Through his physical body!
A few days prior, during his discussion with Wang Yuan, the man had told him that once the Blood River Realm's "Meridian Opening" was accomplished, Qi and blood would circulate through the entire body completely unhindered.
Not only that, the efficiency and force of transporting Qi and blood would far exceed what came before.
Upon learning of this effect, Luo Chen had wondered: could this principle be applied to immortal cultivation?
The answer was that it was very likely feasible!
For a cultivator, meridians existed to channel spiritual energy.
The wider the meridians and the more of them were cleared, the more ambient worldly spiritual energy one could draw into the body within the same span of time.
In that case, wouldn't that translate directly into faster cultivation?
To make an analogy: the outside world was a mighty river, and spiritual energy was the water.
A cultivator's sea of Qi was a parched pond.
The meridians were the pipes connecting the two.
If the pipes were thicker, sturdier, and more numerous, naturally, far more river water could be guided in over the same duration.
Cultivation worked on the exact same principle!
Moreover, this hypothesis was not without theoretical grounding.
Beyond theory, Luo Chen had practical experience.
Back in the Qi Refinement stage, he had prematurely accomplished what was normally done only when breaking through to Foundation Establishment—clearing the eight extraordinary meridians.
Back when he was in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, his *Eternal Spring Art* reached master level, allowing him to open the twelve regular meridians and the eight extraordinary vessels ahead of time.
From that moment on, his cultivation speed had more than doubled.
Now, what Luo Chen needed to do was clear even more minute collateral channels upon that existing foundation, and make his previous meridians wider and sturdier.
This theory was entirely applicable to Foundation Establishment as well.
One could see evidence of this in the *Ageless Evergreen Scripture*, which actively guided spiritual energy to scour and clear the meridians.
Predecessors of far greater vision than him had long recognized the benefits of opening meridians and had even devised corresponding cultivation methods.
"What I must do next is accelerate this process and complete Meridian Opening ahead of time.
"Others might not have the means to do so,
"but I can refine Blood Fiend Pills to assist me."
Wang Yuan had strongly urged him to try the Blood Fiend Pill, which attested to its benefits.
Based on the raw materials on hand, Luo Chen could roughly estimate how many Blood Fiend Pills he could produce.
After prioritizing Wang Yuan's supply, plenty would still remain.
He was not using them for long-term body cultivation; purely for opening meridians, a small amount would suffice.
***
Luo Chen did not hesitate.
That very day, he threw himself into the frenzied refining of Blood Fiend Pills.
In any case, the general direction for the Luotian Association was already settled, and the residual prestige from the Foundation Establishment celebration lingered.
For the time being, no one would dare provoke the Luotian Association.
With Sima Huiniang presiding over everything, Luo Chen was spared endless hassle.
One could say that after striving all the way to this point, he finally enjoyed a stable environment where he had complete mastery over his own time.
With time in abundance, Luo Chen could direct it as he pleased.
In the days that followed, he temporarily set aside reading miscellaneous texts and poured all his energy into concocting Blood Fiend Pills.
Under such focused dedication, three months slipped by in the blink of an eye.
Inside the pill room, counting the Blood Fiend Pills in his hands, Luo Chen was genuinely surprised.
Under normal circumstances, a newly learned pill would have a success rate of only around ten percent.
Over these three months, he had steadily refined one hundred batches of Blood Fiend Pills.
By rights, he should only have produced seventy or eighty pills.
Yet currently in his possession were more than a hundred and thirty Blood Fiend Pills.
"Without relying on the system for an initial mastery boost, my pill yield is actually higher?
"Is it due to my own foundation,
"or did the Ice Emperor Cauldron enhance the success rate?"
With too small a sample size and no control group, Luo Chen could not reach a definitive answer.
Yet this did nothing to dampen the joy in his heart.
With so many Blood Fiend Pills, after satisfying Wang Yuan's needs in the short term, there would still be plenty to spare.
"This should be more than enough for my use."
Luo Chen did not dally.
After resting for a single day and giving a few brief instructions to Xiao Ling, he entered the quiet chamber.
A crimson pill rested in his palm, emitting a strange, intoxicating fragrance.
Like blood, yet like wine; akin to incense, yet reminiscent of musk.
A single whiff made one's Qi and blood feel as though they were about to boil.
"Is this the first pill I have crafted entirely on my own, without leaning on the system?
"It will be my first time ingesting it, too."
With a faint smile, he swallowed it in one gulp.
Luo Chen waited quietly for the medicinal power to take effect.
After several breaths, a shudder ran through his body, and his expression shifted slightly.
Inside him, a torrent of blood fiend erupted as the pill melted away.
It was like dragons and serpents rising from the earth, as though heaven had unleashed its killing intent.
Like a great flood dragon surging through swollen rivers, overturning heaven and earth in its bid to become a true dragon.
In a single instant, fine beads of blood seeped from Luo Chen's skin before he could even register it.
"Ugh!"
With a muffled grunt, Luo Chen instinctively circulated *Bright Spirit Fiend Breaking*, relying on immense willpower to withstand the ferocious, overbearing surge of Qi and blood.
Not only that, he directed this tide of blood fiend to slam against the clogged minor channels.
In the nine tiers of the Blood River, Meridian Opening was the fourth.
Converted to the Qi cultivation system, it was roughly equivalent to the fourth or fifth layer of Foundation Establishment.
Luo Chen was once again attempting a breakthrough in realm—only this time, along an entirely different path of cultivation.
Chapter 316