Tao Wan returned to Azure Pill Valley.
Before leaving, she provided Luo Chen with a full ten bottles of medium-grade Soaring Dragon Pills and two bottles of superior-grade Soaring Dragon Pills.
Naturally, they were not free.
Luo Chen had spent twenty thousand spirit stones and taken on a responsibility as well.
He had agreed to instruct Tao Yisheng in the Dao of alchemy.
Luo Chen gladly accepted this task.
He understood well that this was Tao Wan's way of balancing the scales after making such enormous concessions.
If Tao Yisheng could be nurtured into a true Tier 2 alchemist in his own right, it would bring nothing but benefits to the Tao clan, whether Tao Wan became a Golden Core Dao Seed or not.
Of course, if Tao Wan wanted to recoup her losses, Luo Chen certainly had no intention of getting the short end of the stick!
Although Tao Yisheng kept addressing him deferentially as "Daoist Brother," they were not master and disciple after all.
To address this, Luo Chen devised an ingenious approach.
"Yisheng!"
"Do you know where my refined alchemy skills came from?"
"It wasn't something that could be obtained just by reading books day in and day out. It was forged through vast amounts of practical operation, accumulated day by day, and forcefully built up!"
"I know that large sects have far too many disciples and an endless stream of geniuses. Even though the sect possesses abundant resources, it's impossible to look after every single one of you. The number of times you personally get to concoct pills is likely few and far between."
"I have a method that can combine your theory with practice. I guarantee that within a year or two, you will become a genuine Tier 2 alchemist!"
Tao Yisheng had gradually come to treat Luo Chen's words—especially his insights on the Dao of alchemy—as gospel.
Consequently, he was dispatched by Luo Chen straight into the Luotian Association's Alchemy Hall on Danxia Peak.
There was no other instruction, only a single command—refine!
Refine pills with everything he had!
Refine whatever he was best at!
The Luotian Association would purchase and process all the raw materials he needed, and would even assign him a full complement of fire tenders and herb apprentices!
Solidify the foundation, merge it with theory, and achieving the rank of Tier 2 alchemist would be as natural as water flowing into a channel!
Tao Yisheng was initially half-believing and half-skeptical.
Yet once he arrived at the Alchemy Hall and began concocting massive quantities of Tier 1 pills, his newly initiated alchemical arts indeed grew proficient at a visible speed.
Even if his rate of improvement could not match Luo Chen's terrifying pace, the progress was unmistakable.
Eventually, without Luo Chen even needing to urge him, he eagerly ran to the Alchemy Hall every single day.
Throughout this process, Luo Chen subtly instructed Qu Lingjun, Ma Shoupu, and the others to flatter and cater to the young man.
They were to coax Tao Yisheng into offering guidance on theoretical matters during his spare moments.
He was, after all, from a major sect!
Even if he lacked practical experience, his grasp of theoretical knowledge—both fundamental and profound—was comprehensive and systematic.
Even the slightest scrap dropped from his fingertips was bound to benefit these rogue-born alchemists immensely once absorbed.
In this manner, the gaps in Qu Lingjun and the others' theoretical foundations were steadily filled, growing broader by the day.
Naturally, the vast quantities of Tier 1 pills produced by Tao Yisheng became the property of the Luotian Association.
After all, the association supplied the materials and provided the logistical support cultivators.
Tao Yisheng gained alchemical expertise, while the Luotian Association gained pills and elevated several of its Tier 1 alchemists. Everyone had a bright future ahead!
How could that not be wonderful?
***
"Although he is no longer young in years, he is simple-minded at heart. It took almost no effort for the Association Leader to wrap him around your finger."
So remarked Sima Huiniang, making no attempt to conceal the smile at the corners of her eyes and lips.
Luo Chen shook his head. "It isn't about manipulating him. Such tedious, repetitive work is something every outstanding alchemist must undergo."
"Even talent requires hard work to bear fruit!"
Hearing this, Sima Huiniang had a sudden realization.
She was managerial talent rather than technical backbone, so her understanding of such things had never run particularly deep.
Now that Luo Chen explained it, she found that it indeed made sense.
If nothing else, Luo Chen himself had barely ceased concocting pills every day over the years, barring major crises.
In earlier years, he had shouldered the entire financial burden of the Luotian Association solely by himself.
That was something pampered so-called Tier 2 alchemists raised in great sects could never match.
And it was precisely through this day-in, day-out work of pill refinement that his exquisite alchemical craft had caught the eye of Ice Fort's Golden Core Master.
Now, even a true disciple of Azure Pill Valley, a sect renowned for alchemy, had taken the initiative to seek him out.
"You haven't come today just for a trivial matter like Tao Yisheng, have you?" Luo Chen asked, twirling a lock of Huiniang's fine hair.
The faint, delicate fragrance of her hair was refreshing and soothing.
Sima Huiniang produced a storage bag before him.
"This is the surplus of the Luotian Association for this year. I kept a portion in the association's accounts, and the remainder is here."
Luo Chen probed it with his spiritual sense in surprise. The quantity was not immense, merely tens of thousands of spirit stones.
"It has already begun turning a profit?"
Nearly three years had passed since the great battle.
He had expected that digesting the various industries and resources seized into their grasp would require considerable time.
He had not anticipated turning a surplus so quickly.
One had to realize that during these past three years, he had not concocted Jade Marrow Pills very often.
In other words, most of these profits were generated by the Luotian Association's self-sufficient operations.
Sima Huiniang remarked with feeling, "This is largely thanks to the division into the Nine Halls of Luotian, which pushed production capacity to its absolute limit, allowing for such efficiency."
Unconsciously, Sima Huiniang's manner of speaking had grown increasingly similar to Luo Chen's, even adopting some of his accessible turns of phrase.
"Presently, the Forging Hall of the Luotian Association has taken on a substantial volume of business and is already self-sufficient."
"The lion's share of income originates from the Spirit Farmer Hall, the Spirit Beast Hall, the Alchemy Hall, and the Spirit Herb Hall."
"Oh, and revenue from the Li family of Qinhua River has also provided a significant supplement."
When mentioning these halls, Sima Huiniang looked at Luo Chen with deep admiration.
She knew well that Luo Chen had expended the greatest effort on these departments.
Promoting Yuan Dongsheng, employing Xu Huanzhen, and even fighting a major battle for the Li family of Qinhua River.
Now that returns were finally showing—even if only several tens of thousands of spirit stones after deducting costs—it proved that Luo Chen's decisions back then had not been wrong in the slightest.
They truly deserved to be hailed as farsighted!
"Give me a bit more time, and I can have the Luotian Association earn even more spirit stones. When that time comes, you will never lack spirit stones to spend, Association Leader."
"You truly are my capable helpmate!" Luo Chen exclaimed.
The feeling of spirit stones pouring into his pockets while doing nothing was indeed magnificent.
Back when he was a loose cultivator, he would never have dared dream of such good fortune.
After chatting for a while longer, Sima Huiniang took her leave.
This time, Luo Chen did not keep her for the night.
To her pleasant surprise, he merely handed her ten bottles of superior-grade Jade Dew Pills, cautioning her not to reveal the existence of pills of this grade.
Sima Huiniang naturally understood the gravity of the matter.
After she departed, Luo Chen swept his wide sleeves and stepped into the quiet room.
Lately, he could afford no slackening!
The batch of pills left by Tao Wan, combined with low-grade Qi Harmonizing Pills, would suffice for about a year or two.
This timeframe coincided neatly with the interim period before Azure Pill Valley's Dao Seed contest.
It was also just about the time Luo Chen needed to break through to the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment.
"I hope these superior-grade Soaring Dragon Pills will not disappoint me!"
Inside the quiet room, Luo Chen eagerly took out a bottle of superior-grade Soaring Dragon Pills.
Swallowing one, a surging medicinal power burst forth violently as he refined it.
Unlike the neutral and peaceful Qi Harmonizing Pill, the Soaring Dragon Pill had always been renowned for its fierce medicinal force, the advantage being its sheer potency.
If one's cultivation technique lacked sufficient depth, consuming a single superior-grade pill alone would require several days.
Fortunately, Luo Chen's Evergreen Scripture had already reached the Master stage.
A single circulation was enough to refine the power and draw it into his sea of qi.
"Three years have passed since I broke through to the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment."
"Through relentless effort, my cultivation speed has undergone an earth-shattering transformation."
"With the aid of this batch of pills, I might well break through to the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment in one go!"
Time drifted by as Luo Chen cultivated in silence.
***
A year flashed past in the blink of an eye.
It was still the same quiet room, still the same person.
Time had elapsed, yet his countenance showed virtually no change.
A serene expression rested upon his face with its sharp brows and bright eyes. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, showing faint signs of waking.
The next instant!
A formless wave of spiritual energy ripples slowly expanded outward.
From the young Daoist's body, a formidable aura surged abruptly into the air!
Its pressure was immense; though merely at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment, it completely surpassed that of an ordinary sixth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator.
It even carried the faint, looming impression of approaching a late-stage Foundation Establishment grand cultivator.
Luo Chen opened his eyes.
His expression showed neither joy nor sorrow, only calm clarity in his gaze.
"Fifth layer of Foundation Establishment."
"Nearly half a year earlier than I had anticipated."
Previously, he had estimated that the breakthrough would take roughly two to three years.
Nearly a year had passed before Tao Wan's arrival, and now another year had gone by.
Though not quite two years in total, the breakthrough had arrived as naturally as water carving a channel, with the batch of pills left by Tao Wan playing a substantial role.
With a thought, his powerful spiritual sense silently flowed outward like gentle rain nourishing the earth.
He saw Bai Meiling inside the cave abode fiddling with the Soul Refining Banner. He saw Xiao Hei, who had been let out, baring his teeth yet not daring to act insolent before Bai Meiling.
He also saw the vigorous growth of various spiritual plants in the Tier 2 spiritual field, devoid of pests or weeds, showing that Yuan Dongsheng tended them diligently on a regular basis.
He saw even further: Tao Yisheng was hurrying over anxiously from the distance, completely unaware of Luo Chen's scrutiny.
Without a sound, Luo Chen withdrew his spiritual sense.
He nodded to himself in satisfaction. Following the breakthrough in cultivation realm, the foundation of his divine soul had expanded slightly once more.
With the current strength of his soul, he could likely rival cultivators of the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment.
This was not solely due to the breakthrough in realm.
It was also thanks to his periodic consumption of supreme-grade Nether-Passage Pills.
Even though they were Tier 1 pills, the sheer volume and supreme quality made a profound difference.
A single pill or two might not show obvious results, but consistent consumption over time had genuinely augmented his soul's foundation.
After assessing his condition, Luo Chen paid no heed to Tao Yisheng rushing over outside.
Instead, he summoned his attribute panel without hesitation.
A complete transparent light screen unrolled before him like a waterfall.
[Lifespan: 45/220]
[Spiritual Root: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]
[Realm: Foundation Establishment Fifth Layer 1/100, Blood River Realm 50/100]
[Cultivation Methods: Evergreen Scripture Master 537/1000, Bright Spirit Fiend Breaking Great Perfection, Myriad Beast Scripture 10/100]
[Spells: Tier 3: Life-Severing Finger Entry 1/100
Tier 2: Landslide Master 700/1000, Glazed Sky Canopy Master 760/1000, Tortoise Spirit Armor Flawless 313/500, Blazing Sun Art Master 670/1000, Grass-Mowing Geng Metal Sword Art Skilled 125/200
Tier 1: Sound Isolation Art Great Perfection, Soul Intimidation Art Flawless 400/500, Great Perfection Spells (Click to view details)]
[Alchemy Arts: Folding Jade Hand Great Perfection, Pure Heart Hand Great Perfection, Washing Brook Hand Great Perfection, Cloud Transformation Hand Great Perfection, Clear Source Wondrous Elixir Method Master 700/1000, Origin Cultivating Hand Skilled 125/200, Scale Turning Hand Entry 5/100]
[Martial Arts: Mountain-Cleaving Stele-Shattering Palm Great Perfection, Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers Master 501/1000, Wang Clan Secret Manual Flawless 380/500]
[Skills: Tier 2 Alchemist: Tier 2 Pills: Blood Fiend Pill Great Perfection, Jade Dew Pill Great Perfection, Emperor's Flowing Syrup Entry 9/100
Tier 1 Pills: Fasting Powder Great Perfection, Myriad Wonders Pill Great Perfection, Jade Marrow Pill Great Perfection, Nether-Passage Pill Great Perfection, Blood Burning Pill Adept 204/300]
[Achievement Points: 48]
A dense array of system panel data stretched out like a scroll.
And this was even after Luo Chen had deliberately hidden several Tier 1 spells that had already reached Great Perfection.
Yet there were still so many entries.
Luo Chen felt no vexation over this; rather, he was filled with the joy of harvest.
Only through years of hard work had so many entries been accumulated!
"Without realizing it, another four years have slipped away."
Luo Chen sighed softly. The battle at Qinhua River still seemed vivid in his mind, as though an Eight-Turn Flame Dragon had just violently shattered the Divine Craft Sect's Copper Wall and Iron Bastion before his eyes.
Four more years of life had passed.
A mortal would likely lament that time flowed like a great river, never halting day or night.
Yet for a cultivator, vast spans of lifespan still lay ahead.
For someone like Luo Chen, his lifespan ceiling had quietly reached 220 years.
This increased lifespan limit was partly due to his breakthrough in realm, and partly due to the physical enhancement gained from clearing his myriad meridians.
This was evident from the fact that the Blood River Realm progress bar had reached the halfway mark.
Shaking his head, Luo Chen set aside thoughts of lifespan for the moment; he was still young.
Looking at the cultivation methods, the sole pleasant surprise was that the specialized technique *Bright Spirit Fiend Breaking* had reached Great Perfection.
After reaching the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment, he had rarely tempered his body with fiend qi.
The reason it reached Great Perfection was entirely because he used Blood Fiend Pills to unblock his meridians.
During that process, he continuously circulated that terrifying medicinal force, which contained Underworld Yin Fiend, allowing the technique to quietly achieve the Great Perfection level.
And the transformation brought to Luo Chen by reaching Great Perfection in *Bright Spirit Fiend Breaking* was somewhat peculiar.
It allowed him to divide his mind and multitask!
It had not evolved into spiritual soul defense as Luo Chen had previously imagined; instead, it had veered toward another extreme.
This was likely related to the constant need during meridian-unblocking to control fiend-infused medicinal power and charge through countless minute meridians.
Before he knew it, he had acquired this capability.
Luo Chen could not even say for sure whether this was an ability he had trained into existence or a trait derived from *Bright Spirit Fiend Breaking* itself.
Presently, Luo Chen was capable of multitasking threefold!
When refining pills, he could process ingredients, control the flames, and keep an eye on the herb transformations within the cauldron all at once.
In combat, he could even command three magical artifacts simultaneously!
"Though not what I anticipated, it truly is an immensely practical function!"
Luo Chen was very pleased.
Lowering his gaze, his eyes fell upon the spells category.
Resting at the very top was none other than a Tier 3 spell—Life-Severing Finger!
This technique had originated from Li Jinhuang.
After achieving Entry, its proficiency had barely changed.
For good reason: no one else would cooperate with him as Li Jinhuang had to allow him to cast the technique.
Nor was he a demonic cultivator who would casually unleash it upon strangers.
Thus, over time, it had been shelved.
Below Tier 3 were an assortment of Tier 1 and Tier 2 spells.
Constrained by environment, large-scale Tier 2 spells like *Landslide* and *Blazing Sun Art* had slowed in progress after reaching Master stage.
After all, Luo Chen could not practice such spells with reckless abandon on Tianlan Peak.
Inevitably, their proficiency rose slowly.
Conversely, spells that did not require vast spaces, such as *Glazed Sky Canopy*, *Tortoise Spirit Armor*, and *Sound Isolation Art*, had all yielded substantial progress through daily practice.
And it was not just these spells that had achieved notable results.
In fact, over these four years, Luo Chen's greatest harvest stemmed from everything related to pill refinement.
In terms of alchemical arts, the four foundational techniques—Folding Jade Hand, Pure Heart Hand, Washing Brook Hand, and Cloud Transformation Hand—had all reached Great Perfection!
Furthermore, Origin Cultivating Hand and Scale Turning Hand had successively reached Entry.
The poison-neutralizing alchemy technique *Clear Source Wondrous Elixir Method* was not far from Great Perfection either; a few more years at most would see it perfected.
In addition, the Blood Fiend Pill and Jade Dew Pill had both attained Great Perfection under Luo Chen's final two-year push.
He was now a genuine master-level existence in the field of alchemy!
His foundation was terrifyingly solid, enough to command awe and adoration from disciples of great alchemy sects like Tao Yisheng.
He could produce supreme-grade Tier 1 pills with effortless ease.
Even with Tier 2 pills, concocting supreme grades was well within his reach.
Alchemical skill of this caliber was something ordinary Tier 2 alchemists could not even fathom!
Even those conventionally referred to as alchemy masters by the secular world lagged far behind him.
In truth, this was precisely why Luo Chen had dared to bargain with Tao Wan and even make exorbitant demands.
Whether Tao Wan could ultimately claim the Dao Seed seat remained unknown.
Yet he could absolutely help her win the second round of alchemical competition.
Even if Tao Wan failed, he could still obtain Tier 2 cultivation pill formulas and insights on Core Formation from her.
He was guaranteed not to lose out on this deal!
After reviewing the final attribute panel, Luo Chen let out a long breath.
Seeing the tally of forty-eight Achievement Points, the corners of his mouth curved up in an involuntary smile.
It seemed that since achieving Foundation Establishment, he had only spent ten Achievement Points on the Jade Dew Pill.
Accumulated over the years, they had grown into such an impressive sum.
If he could obtain the corresponding cultivation-type pill formulas from the Tao clan, he could master their entry immediately.
Then he could furiously grind their proficiency until he could craft them at the supreme grade.
That way, he would never have to worry about a scarcity of high-grade pill resources for his future cultivation.
"Everything is progressing methodically according to my rhythm."
"Now, what remains is to claim the pill formulas that belong to me!"
With a shift of thought, Luo Chen unleashed his Great Perfection Breath Concealment Spiritual Art, masking the spiritual energy fluctuations of his newly achieved fifth layer of Foundation Establishment.
Not stopping there, he circulated the tortoise breathing method of *Tortoise Spirit Armor* once more.
The aura on his body became faint and ethereal, resembling a black tortoise sinking into deep slumber.
With the two stacked together, Luo Chen's cultivation realm was concealed completely.
Luo Chen was now confident that unless a Golden Core Master appeared, no one could see through his cultivation.
Even against a Golden Core Master, he was confident he could pull off a deception if the other party was not paying full attention.
"The spiritual energy within my body is simply too potent, far surpassing an ordinary fifth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator."
"It is better to conceal it a bit!"
Having set everything in order, he emerged from the quiet room.
"Xiao Ling, open the doors to welcome our guest!"
Chapter 324