Inside the parlor, the two talked cheerfully.
In truth, it was not particularly cheerful; mostly, they spent the time airing their grievances to one another.
"Out of Mount Bailian's entire ranks, we only had three at Foundation Establishment, and Mount Ailao drafted two away in one go!"
"And how is it any different for my Luotian Association? With great difficulty we scraped together eight or nine Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, yet Ice Fort conscripted five of them!"
"*Hiss*, that many? Could it be that Master Jueqing didn't even show respect to you, Danchenzi?"
"She did! Otherwise, how could a few be left behind to oversee our association's business?"
Gongsun Qian sighed heavily.
"These great sects truly don't treat us small forces as human beings!"
Luo Chen felt a deep resonance with that sentiment.
After commiserating together, the slight awkwardness between them dissolved into familiarity. Perhaps it was the shared misery!
Gongsun Qian asked about the purpose of Luo Chen's visit.
"You want to custom-order a magical implement? As I recall, your esteemed sect has Duan Feng, who is an implement-forging master himself!"
"He was deployed to the front line at Mount Thunder Accumulation."
Well then! No wonder he had come seeking Mount Bailian.
Without dwelling on minor details, Gongsun Qian asked about the requirements for the custom implement.
"I wish to custom-order a wing-type magical implement that can be implanted into a cultivator's body."
"To aid in flight?"
"Correct."
"The kind driven by spiritual power?"
"It would be even better if it could also draw upon the power of qi and blood."
"Then that might be somewhat difficult to arrange. An implement of this sort has extremely high material requirements."
"I brought my own raw materials!"
"Oh? Why not bring them out so I can take a look?"
"Let's move elsewhere. This room is a bit small."
Gongsun Qian readily agreed and led Luo Chen to the spacious backyard.
Right before his eyes, Luo Chen retrieved a folded pair of fiery-red wings from his storage bag.
"The wings of a Tier 2 demon beast?"
"And of the roc kind, no less."
Gongsun Qian grew intrigued. He unfolded the wings, crouched on the ground, and began examining them closely.
Luo Chen stood to the side, looking at the pair of red wings that stretched several zhang across when fully extended, an expression of nostalgia involuntarily showing on his face.
This item was something he had purchased years ago from Xiong Kun, an independent Foundation Establishment cultivator in the underground black market, with Tianxingzi acting as the middleman and even helping him drive down the price.
In truth, this was merely a part of the demon beast he had bought back then.
The blazing cloud roc!
A Tier 2 demon beast.
It was also by relying on that complete demon beast corpse that Luo Chen had refined three portions of Emperor's Flowing Syrup, allowing him to successfully establish his foundation. Because of the demon core, Luo Chen had ended up sparing this pair of wings.
For years, they had sat idle in his storage bag, serving no great purpose.
Recently, while studying the fragmentary Tier 3 body refinement art *Heavenly Roc Transformation*, Luo Chen had obtained a complete flight art from it—Ninety Thousand Li.
In the past, he naturally would not have paid much heed to such a flight art. But after reaching Foundation Establishment, cultivators mostly traveled by sword flight, which caused their speed to surge explosively.
Meanwhile, his previous Carefree Wandering and Wind Riding Technique, even at Great Perfection, granted him smaller and smaller increases in speed as his cultivation realm advanced.
One could say that among cultivators of the same realm, although he still held a certain speed advantage, it had become negligible.
When all was said and done, Carefree Wandering was merely a mortal lightness skill, and the Wind Riding Technique was just the most common foundational flight art in the cultivation world.
Yet, during the Dao Seed contention in Azure Pill Valley, he had witnessed how overwhelming speed could virtually turn the tide of battle!
Whether it was Danyangzi merging his body with his sword or Tao Wan's superior Nine Gale Transformations, both had left him thoroughly shaken!
Speed of that caliber was no longer confined to travel and flight; during combat, it could even grant the chance to evade an enemy's sudden, lethal strike.
It was precisely for this reason that Luo Chen had conceived the desire to boost his speed once more.
Ninety Thousand Li from the *Heavenly Roc Transformation* was just such an art.
Calling it a magical art was not entirely accurate; secret art, body art, or strength-based killing technique would be more precise.
If he could master this art, Luo Chen estimated that he would once again possess the absolute speed advantage over peers in the same realm that he had enjoyed back in the Qi Refinement stage.
At the very least, he would not be inferior to Tao Wan!
However, to cultivate Ninety Thousand Li, Luo Chen's talent for magical arts alone was insufficient.
Either he had to cultivate the *Heavenly Roc Transformation* in its entirety, learning how to transform qi and blood into wings and burst forth ninety thousand li in a single breath, or he had to rely on a suitable external object as an aid to forcibly cross the threshold.
A pair of suitable, externally implanted wings was precisely that aiding object!
In Tianlan Immortal City, factions skilled at forging magical implements were hardly scarce.
Whether it was Wanbao Tower, the Yan Alliance, or other shops, the reason Luo Chen approached Mount Bailian was that their relationship was fairly decent.
Mount Bailian had also been one of the three factions at the Tianlan Boat Mooring Field back then and had maintained a competitive rivalry with the Divine Craft Sect.
When the Luotian Association destroyed the Divine Craft Sect, Mount Bailian was naturally pleased. Gongsun Qian had even personally come to offer congratulations during Sima Huiniang's Foundation Establishment Grand Ceremony.
Given the broader situation in the Jade Cauldron Domain at present, Mount Ailao and Ice Fort were also considered allies. As subordinates of the two sects, Mount Bailian and the Luotian Association naturally shared a closer rapport.
For all these reasons, Luo Chen took the initiative to seek out Gongsun Qian.
The man's forging skills were equal, if not superior, to Duan Feng's!
In the backyard, Gongsun Qian examined the wings for a long time.
He inspected them, infused spiritual power to check their integrity, and from time to time retrieved special medicinal liquids from his storage bag to drip onto them and observe the reaction.
A long while later, he straightened up.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, this material of yours puts us in an awkward spot!"
"How so?" Luo Chen asked.
Gongsun Qian did not conceal anything and spoke plainly: "As a Tier 2 material, it falls short of what is required to forge a magic treasure and can usually only serve as a supplementary material. But if it is used to forge a magical implement, it's somewhat wasteful.
"Furthermore, this pair of blazing cloud roc wings has been stored for far too long.
"Even inside a storage bag, quite a bit of its spirituality has leaked away.
"On top of that, your requirements are somewhat demanding; even if I personally forge it, I'm afraid it will be difficult to make it a magic treasure."
Hearing this, Luo Chen could not help feeling a slight pang of regret.
Though he did not rigidly insist on the might of a magic treasure, if it could become one, he would be able to use it for a very long time—it would still have utility even after he reached the Core Formation stage.
However, the most pressing matter right now was to swiftly enhance his combat strength.
"It doesn't matter if it can't become a magic treasure. Elder, you need only do your best. My minimum requirement is that it must at least reach the mid-grade magical implement rank!"
Gongsun Qian nodded. "Mid-grade won't be difficult. If we add some supplementary materials and refine it thoroughly, high-grade is also possible."
A wing-type implement like this was not a conventional magical implement. Once completed, it could be classified as an esoteric magical implement.
If it could reach mid-grade, its effectiveness would not be inferior to a high-grade flying implement. That was already enough to satisfy Luo Chen's basic needs for cultivating Ninety Thousand Li.
With a preliminary understanding reached, Luo Chen accompanied Gongsun Qian to the storehouse to select the appropriate supplementary materials, then left behind a deposit of one thousand spirit stones.
After agreeing on an approximate delivery date, Luo Chen departed from the Mount Bailian shop.
***
Half a month later.
Along the basin of the Qinhua River, undulating green mountains stretched endlessly.
Two figures appeared in this area.
Gongsun Qian retrieved a pair of palm-sized, crimson wings from his storage bag and held them in his hand.
Luo Chen looked at the item in astonishment. "Did you engrave a Ruyi Formation?"
"No, as a Tier 3 formation, the Ruyi Formation is something only our Mount Bailian sect master can cast. But I took an alternative route: aside from refined gold and profound iron, I incorporated a bit of soft thunder sand," Gongsun Qian stroked his beard, speaking with no small amount of pride.
Luo Chen was greatly taken aback.
Soft thunder sand was an illustrious Tier 3 ore, often added during the forging of magic treasures. This rare resource possessed remarkable adaptability and could freely change size at will.
"I have truly caused you to incur great expense."
Gongsun Qian shook his head. "Hardly an expense—just a tiny speck. It falls tens of thousands of li short of the quantity needed to forge a magic treasure, so keeping it would serve me no purpose anyway. Besides!"
Here, he smiled freely.
"The wool comes from the sheep's back! The finished item is high-grade—and among high-grade implements, a masterwork that does not lose out to any supreme-grade flying implement.
"For such a treasure, Fellow Daoist, you may compensate me as you see fit after testing it out."
Luo Chen nodded.
If it truly worked well, he certainly would not begrudge spending a few extra spirit stones.
Next, through Gongsun Qian's explanation, Luo Chen learned the proper way to use the item.
Because Luo Chen had requested that both spiritual energy and qi and blood serve as power sources, using this treasure came with an additional requirement: blood bonding. Otherwise, it could not be driven by the power of qi and blood.
"Bond with it using blood essence!"
Before Gongsun Qian's eyes, Luo Chen willed a wisp of sword light to prick the pad of his finger.
It pierced with evident difficulty, and only after quite a struggle did a single drop of bright red blood seep out.
Watching from the side, Gongsun Qian's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
What terrifying physical strength!
That wisp of sword light was at least from a supreme-grade magical implement, yet it pierced the skin with such difficulty. Even if the man had deliberately reined in its power, it was still startling.
Furthermore, the drop of blood essence squeezed out contained an astonishingly pure fluctuation of spiritual power!
Just what cultivation did this Danchenzi of the Luotian Association possess?
Even a great cultivator of the late Foundation Establishment stage likely did not possess such pure spiritual power!
Luo Chen was unaware of the tumultuous storm brewing in the other man's heart in that brief span.
With an impassive expression, he merged the blood essence into the palm-sized implement.
Then, before Gongsun Qian, he pulled open his outer robe.
Transforming sword light into threads, he sliced a wound across each shoulder blade on his back.
With a slight furrow of his brow, he fitted the pair of wings into place.
"You can try its flight effect first. Although it's a high-grade esoteric implement, it remains an external object after all, so you might feel somewhat unaccustomed to it.
"As for the wounds, apply some medicinal salve when you get back, and they'll heal in half a day," Gongsun Qian said.
Luo Chen waved his hand to indicate there was no need.
He cast two Great Perfection Healing Arts. Under Gongsun Qian's wide-eyed gaze, the two wounds on Luo Chen's back closed in the blink of an eye, as though nothing had happened.
Then, Luo Chen took a deep breath and channeled his internal spiritual power into the two iron plates on his back.
*Shua!*
A crisp chime rang out.
Two illusory crimson wings extended from beneath Luo Chen's robe, unfolding behind him in dazzling fashion.
They were not large—each wing measured only half a zhang in length. But as they spread open, they looked like a great roc spreading its wings, carrying an uncanny sense of harmony.
With a thought from Luo Chen, streams of spiritual power surged smoothly through his meridians into the wings.
Then—
*Whoosh!*
Gongsun Qian looked up. The young Daoist's figure was already floating in midair.
Under his watchful gaze, the figure flapped the illusory wings behind him. At first, the flight speed was slow, but it grew steadily faster.
Eventually, his flight speed far surpassed that of ordinary cloud-riding and was by no means inferior to standard sword flight.
Gongsun Qian stroked his beard, nodding in satisfaction.
Indeed, although this implement he forged was only high-grade, with the synergy of the appropriate formations and premium materials, its flight speed was completely on par with regular sword flight.
High in the sky, as Luo Chen grew accustomed to the wings, a strange feeling welled up within him.
*It seems there is none of the awkwardness Gongsun Qian mentioned at all?*
*It feels as though this object was originally a part of my own body.*
*Like giving wings to a tiger? No, more like a young hawk or roc naturally spreading its wings and soaring once it matures.*
*Could it be related to the fact that I established my foundation using Emperor's Flowing Syrup refined from the blazing cloud roc? Both share the same origin, and combined with the blood-essence bond, did that create this natural affinity?*
The puzzle lingered in his mind without an answer.
After testing for a while, Luo Chen descended and landed before Gongsun Qian.
"Fellow Daoist, are you satisfied?"
"Very satisfied. This... this thing is excellent." Luo Chen smiled.
Gongsun Qian smiled in return. "Since you are its master, why not give it a name? Otherwise, calling it 'this thing' or 'that thing' lacks elegance."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.
After a moment's thought, he spoke three words:
"Blazing Cloud Wings."
"Blazing Cloud Wings?" Gongsun Qian paused, then clapped his hands in admiration. "Originating from the blazing cloud roc, taking the name Blazing Cloud is marvelous indeed!"
Luo Chen smiled, not being overly particular about such things.
Right in front of him, Luo Chen took out five thousand low-grade spirit stones from his storage bag.
Gongsun Qian said with some embarrassment, "Isn't this a bit too much? You provided the main material, and you already paid a one-thousand deposit earlier. I only contributed some supplementary materials."
"Not too much!"
"The soft thunder sand you added made controlling this item far more convenient. That alone is worth the price."
Luo Chen paused, then continued, "Moreover, given the current times, paying six to seven thousand spirit stones for a high-grade esoteric magical implement is definitely money well spent."
Gongsun Qian was taken aback, then gave him a thumbs-up.
"As expected of Danchenzi—generous and forthright!"
Luo Chen smiled faintly without false modesty.
Declining the invitation to return to the city together, he indicated that he wished to stay behind and familiarize himself further with the implement.
Gongsun Qian had no objection and cheerfully headed back to the city.
Spending half a month without even providing the primary material, he had earned six thousand low-grade spirit stones; naturally, he was overjoyed.
After he departed, Luo Chen felt the faintly perceptible presence on his back, joy likewise showing in his eyes.
His earlier test had merely been standard activation of the implement; he had not yet employed the Ninety Thousand Li secret art.
Even so, the speed was already comparable to sword flight.
If he manipulated it with the Ninety Thousand Li secret art from the *Heavenly Roc Transformation*, just what kind of might would it display?
He looked toward the rolling green mountains.
Birds chirped softly, fluttering and soaring through the mountain woods.
Luo Chen leaped forward into the air.
Just as his body was about to descend, wings suddenly sprouted from his back. His downward momentum halted, and he shot violently upward.
His speed was blistering, his posture sweeping and free.
Like a great roc spreading its wings, soaring upward ninety thousand li!
Chapter 361