I Am Danchenzi!

"What is he doing?" "Concocting pills! Ever since we returned from Danxia, whenever he isn't cultivating or tending to your injuries, he's been concocting pills non-stop." "By himself?" "Yes. Master's alchemy has grown so formidable over the years that he hardly needs my help anymore." "What kind of pills is he concocting?" "I wouldn't know. In any case, President Sima has had a great deal of ingredients sent over recently, none of which I recognize." This conversation unfolded between Bai Meiling and Gu Caiyi. Just as they were talking, a faint sound came from outside the cave dwelling. Moments later, Sima Huiniang walked straight inside. Her eyes fell first upon Gu Caiyi, who sat in a wheelchair with a thin blanket draped over her lap. In that instant, sparks seemed to flare in the air. Yet Sima Huiniang said nothing. After a single glance, she waited outside. As if sensing her arrival, Luo Chen emerged from the alchemy chamber shortly after. With a nod to Gu Caiyi and Xiao Ling, he stepped outside with Sima Huiniang. Outside the cave dwelling, they were still within the barrier of the concealment formation. Luo Chen seemingly went through unnecessary trouble by casting a sound-isolation ward as well. Only then did he speak. "Has the news been put out?" "Just as you instructed, we released the news that the Luotian Association is deploying to the war without alteration." Having said that, Sima Huiniang added with some concern, "At present, anxiety is running high across the association. In the Outer Gate, rogue cultivators who joined only last year have even slipped away in secret. If this continues, I fear it will have severe repercussions." "No matter," Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Rogue cultivators who were never of one heart with us are of little use anyway. They weigh profit and peril; they came for profit, so when mortal danger looms, they will naturally want to flee." Sima Huiniang sighed. "The Luotian Association hasn't had much time to grow, after all. We lack the foundation of heritage sects, where powerful cohesion unites everyone from top to bottom through thick and thin." "Our days ahead are long. There is no rush," Luo Chen said. Sima Huiniang nodded, then began recounting the latest developments. The Lianyun Merchant Alliance had mobilized in force, heading for the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield. The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had truly not wronged them back then; the Lianyun Merchant Alliance really did have ties with the Luoyun Sect. Even that rogue Golden Core consecrator from before had been introduced through the Luoyun Sect's matchmaking. Besides the Lianyun Merchant Alliance, various factions with any sort of renown—such as the Iron Sword Hall, the Zheng family of Gunlong Ridge, the Luo family of Luosha Workshop, and many others—had successively dispatched personnel to the Mount Thunder Accumulation battlefield. Led by Foundation Establishment cultivators with late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators forming the bulk of their forces, they converged into a river of cultivators, pouring incessantly toward the Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks battlefield. "It seems the great sects' conscription isn't an isolated case for our Luotian Association; everyone is suffering under it," Luo Chen mused. After sighing in reflection, he asked with mild interest, "What about Peach Mountain?" "No movement there." Sima Huiniang shook her head. "It remains a scene of singing, dancing, and merrymaking. However, with far fewer patrons, it isn't quite as bustling as before." Luo Chen smacked his lips, deep in thought. It appeared the Hundred Blossoms Palace was still maintaining neutrality, remaining uninvolved in the Jade Cauldron Civil War. Peach Mountain was the property of Patriarch Peach Blossom, one of the palace's three Golden Core cultivators. If the Hundred Blossoms Palace had aligned with either side, there would be no reason to leave their subordinate forces at Peach Mountain untouched. From what he knew, Peach Mountain had five Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, plus Xuan Yu—a late-stage cultivator on the verge of forming a core. That was a formidable combat force. It was rather strange, though, given that Master Shixiang of the Hundred Blossoms Palace had attended the ceremony at Azure Pill Valley back then. Luo Chen shook his head and took a storage pouch from Sima Huiniang's hand. Inside was a large quantity of ingredients he needed for alchemy. The two talked a bit more, and Luo Chen instructed her to proceed as normal, prioritizing stability above all. Only after she departed did Luo Chen re-enter the cave dwelling. He handed the storage pouch to Bai Meiling. "Sort these and arrange them for me. Follow the markings I left previously and set them out as usual. I need to make a trip outside." Bai Meiling nodded. She was more than capable of handling a simple task like that. Seeing Luo Chen prepare to leave, Gu Caiyi couldn't help speaking up. "Has something happened recently?" Luo Chen gently rubbed her hair. To the touch, it was much softer than the dried-grass texture it had before, proving that the recent period of recuperation had genuinely produced results. "Just some minor matters. Don't worry yourself." Gu Caiyi bit her lip, doubt lingering in her eyes. A matter that prompted Sima Huiniang to come in person, disregarding the awkwardness of facing her, could hardly be a small matter, could it? ... Naturally, it was a major matter. Yet whenever a crisis arose, one needed composure. Luo Chen had already seen through the Golden Core sects' intentions in conscripting their subordinates to join the war. The answer was actually quite simple. The coming clashes would likely be unprecedentedly fierce, and the great sects cherished their own feathers too much to suffer heavy losses. Thus, they wished to drive rogue cultivators and subordinates forward as cannon fodder, preserving their own strength as much as possible. This could be inferred from numerous details in those dossiers. Ever since the battle at the Soaring Void Secret Realm, high-ranking cultivators from the two Nascent Soul superior sects had rarely taken action personally; instead, they pushed their allied Golden Core sects into the fray as their primary instruments of contest. Yet the Golden Core sects were no fools either. Cultivating their own disciples was no easy feat. Every single one was nourished with precious resources—who would willingly throw them away to be consumed? Azure Pill Valley had recalled its Foundation Establishment disciples under the pretext of the Dao Seed contest, while Ice Fort had hesitated for years. Both demonstrated that they knew full well what was happening. Under such circumstances, with participation in the war unavoidable, they naturally turned their eyes toward their subordinates. Luo Chen did not know how many subordinates Ice Fort possessed, nor how many external subordinates the Jueqing lineage controlled. However, he knew that Azure Pill Valley and the Yan Alliance had an immense number of them. Taking the Yan Alliance as an example, those Luo Chen knew of included the Huo family of Taishan Market from back then, the Zheng family of Gunlong Ridge, and the Iron Sword Hall. And those were only the ones out in the open; how many lurked in the shadows? If all these subordinates were rallied together, they could easily form an army numbering over ten thousand. With this pool of expendables, no matter how far the war escalated, the great sects could preserve their core strength to the greatest extent possible! Attrition! Unless a Nascent Soul True Person capable of deciding the outcome intervened personally, war was fundamentally a battle of attrition: financial resources, material resources, and manpower! Under such conditions, Luo Chen's worth as an alchemist became extraordinarily precious. The pills he concocted could enhance cultivators' strength. With greater strength, the attrition of manpower would naturally decrease. That was precisely why Fairy Jueqing had ordered the Luotian Association to mobilize entirely, yet granted Luo Chen alone permission to stay behind and avoid the war. "If I can minimize the casualties of Ice Fort... no, minimize the casualties of the Jueqing lineage to the greatest extent, why would the Luotian Association need to deploy entirely to the battlefield? "Besides, compared to the present, it is the future that Fairy Jueqing should value most." Standing atop Tianlan Peak, Luo Chen gazed at the cave dwelling's entrance before him, tightening his grip on the two jade bottles in his hands. A moment later, the massive entrance slowly swung open, and Luo Chen strode inside. ... Inside the cave dwelling, Luo Chen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, fully exuding the bearing of a grandmaster. Fairy Jueqing paid no attention to his posture. Instead, she kept her head lowered, closely examining the pure-white, distinctly veined pill in her hand. "A superior-grade Jade Dew Pill. Danchenzi, you've certainly hidden your talents deep!" Luo Chen smiled faintly. "It is not that I deliberately concealed my skills, but rather that my alchemical craft improved slightly through frequent exchanges at Azure Pill Valley's Grand Alchemy Court, allowing me to concoct superior-grade Jade Dew Pills with ease." With ease? Fairy Jueqing's interest was piqued. "What is your pill success rate?" Luo Chen brushed the question aside and stated directly, "Provided conditions permit, I can supply Master with at least a hundred bottles of Jade Dew Pills a year!" "All superior-grade?" "Yes!" Fairy Jueqing fell silent. A hundred bottles was a staggering amount. Ever since her Dao companion, Shang Hu, passed away, her Jueqing lineage had lost influence within Ice Fort; otherwise, she would never have been relegated to Tianlan Immortal City. Consequently, her lineage possessed merely ten Foundation Establishment disciples in total. Waning influence could not be more stark. Her eldest disciple, Tantai Jin, had failed in the contest for Dao Child and received no favored allocation of sect resources. If she had these hundred bottles of superior-grade Jade Dew Pills, it would provide an immense boost to her disciples' cultivation. If nothing else, Tantai Jin could swiftly cultivate to the peak of Foundation Establishment perfection. With her guidance, he would have a high probability of congealing a Golden Core. Should that happen, she would no longer be isolated within Ice Fort, and leaving Tianlan to return to the core of Ice Fort would be well within reach. She looked up, meeting Luo Chen's gaze. "You said 'conditions permitting'? What conditions?" Luo Chen offered a carefree smile. "Very simple. Large-scale pill concoction has never been a solitary endeavor. Gathering and processing the requisite medicinal herbs consumes a great deal of effort. I require sufficient manpower." Fairy Jueqing curled her lips into a half-smile. "You don't want the Luotian Association's cultivators deployed to the battlefield?" Luo Chen made no attempt to disguise it and nodded directly. Before she could refuse, he promptly presented another jade bottle. "This is... hm?" Uncorking the bottle, Fairy Jueqing raised an eyebrow and blurted out instinctively, "The Luoyun Sect's Blood Burning Pill?" "Not the Luoyun Sect's pill, but my own exclusive concoction, crafted by Danchenzi!" Luo Chen replied plainly. Fairy Jueqing held the pill in her hand as a rich fragrance of fresh blood washed over her senses. She was familiar with this item. During the early clashes between the Luoyun Sect and the Sword Sect, it had made a stunning debut. When taken by Qi Refinement disciples, it could instantly trigger an explosive surge in strength, boosting their power by around thirty percent. It was truly an exceptional aid for slaying enemies above one's realm or fleeing for one's life! Unfortunately, after shining brilliantly in the early stages, the Luoyun Sect's Blood Burning Pills had become exceedingly rare. Never had she imagined that this pill was actually Luo Chen's proprietary creation. No wonder! No wonder the Luoyun Sect had been unable to produce any more of them later on. While she pondered, Luo Chen continued: "Ordinary Blood Burning Pills are only effective for Qi Refinement cultivators. However, I am capable of concocting top-grade Blood Burning Pills that even Foundation Establishment cultivators can use. "If every Foundation Establishment cultivator in Ice Fort held one, I imagine quite a few more might survive!" Fairy Jueqing narrowed her eyes slightly and murmured, "Ice Fort's Foundation Establishment cultivators?" Luo Chen nodded. "I have heard that Master's standing in Ice Fort is far from ideal. I can concoct a greater quantity of top-grade Blood Burning Pills for you to curry favor with other fellow disciples. Surely, for the sake of these life-saving items, the Jueqing lineage will fare much better during the great war!" These words were spoken with blunt directness. They were even somewhat disrespectful. Yet Luo Chen felt no fear. From the moment Fairy Jueqing had delivered her cold notice to him earlier, he had known there was no sentiment between them to speak of. All that existed was naked entanglement of mutual interest. Fairy Jueqing rolled the blood-red pill against her fingertips, her thoughts racing. Curry favor with other fellow disciples? More than that! She could easily use these to negotiate and trade with other Golden Core cultivators. These days, few Golden Core cultivators in the sects were entirely solitary; most had disciples, followers, descendants, and kin. However... "You can concoct top-grade Blood Burning Pills in bulk?" Fairy Jueqing said, skepticism coloring her tone. "Though it is merely a Tier 1 pill, once it touches the top-grade realm..." "Master, I am Danchenzi!" For the first time, Luo Chen interrupted her. Fairy Jueqing froze, yet no significant anger rose within her. Danchenzi was a figure who had overwhelmed the most brilliant young alchemists of the great alchemy sect. To question his alchemical skill was to question the very standards of Azure Pill Valley. High as Fairy Jueqing's cultivation realm was, in the Dao of alchemy, she truly had little room to argue. Putting away the two bottles of pills, she looked at Luo Chen. "State your conditions!" At that moment, the heavy stone weighing on Luo Chen's heart finally settled.