The change in Luo Chen's physique stemmed from tempering his body with heavenly thunder.
In the past, he had never been this emaciated.
Only after enduring the heavenly thunder body refining had he ended up in this current state.
Recovering his former build was not particularly difficult; he simply needed to increase his intake of meat and spiritual meals.
The very day Luo Chen mentioned it to Sima Huiniang, the Luotian Association began purchasing massive quantities of premium ingredients on his behalf the next morning.
They didn't even use spiritual rice produced by the Luotian Association itself, instead buying Tier 3 spiritual rice cultivated by the Five Elements Divine Sect—which cost a staggering hundred spirit stones for just ten jin!
And when they bought, they started at a thousand jin!
All manner of spirit-infused vegetables and fruits were brought up Tianlan Peak basket by basket via storage bags.
Beyond that, the most important component was meat!
Naturally, Luo Chen had no interest in Tier 1 demon beast meat.
At the very least, it had to be Tier 2.
Through the black market, Sima Huiniang was even attempting to procure flesh and blood from Tier 3 demon beasts for him.
Even if Xiao Ling couldn't cook it due to its tier being too high, Luo Chen was willing to swallow it raw and force it down.
Under his and Wang Yuan's joint study, the underlying principles of *Convergence of Myriad Paths*—a Tier 3 body refining technique brimming with infinite potential—had largely been figured out.
It could hardly be called profound.
In essence, it all came down to the utilization of energy!
Whether it was the initial Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Altering or Viscera Refining and Qi Intake chapters, or the intermediate Meridian Opening and Acupoint Unblocking or Blood Exchanging and Bone Sculpting chapters, astronomical amounts of resources were required.
It was only because the Luotian Association had gotten on the right track over the years that it could provide Luo Chen with such vast quantities of spirit stones.
Coupled with his bountiful harvest from the battlefield of Mount Thunder Accumulation, he could barely manage it.
Otherwise, he truly wouldn't have been able to sustain the exorbitant consumption required for body refining in the short term.
Furthermore!
There was an awkward dilemma confronting him, one that Luo Chen couldn't ignore at all.
He lacked external force!
*Convergence of Myriad Paths* had originally been created to consume the terrifying power of thunder raging inside Luo Chen's body at the time.
Therefore, the technique inherently required a sufficient amount of external force.
If body refining were compared to forging an artifact, where the body was the rough blank and the massive resources were the various ores, then external force was the giant hammer needed to strike the blank.
Luo Chen's current dilemma was that without the great hammer of thunder power, his body refining could not advance.
Still, he understood that one couldn't grow fat from a single bite.
First, he had to thoroughly solidify his current physical foundation and master the corresponding techniques.
As for later?
He would cross that bridge when he came to it!
In the future, Luo Chen still intended to keep his primary focus on the immortal path.
The path of body refining was nearly severed in this era, forcing one to grope forward entirely on one's own.
The path of qi refining, on the other hand, already possessed a well-trodden road ahead.
He had no reason to forsake what was near for what was far.
Practicing the Heavenly Roc Transformation right now was merely to provide sufficient martial protection for his pursuit of the immortal path.
While he cultivated in seclusion, the stream of visitors to his immortal's cave never really ceased.
After Wang Yuan came Chu Kui!
***
"You certainly lead a leisurely life!"
Watching Luo Chen practice a fist routine beneath the cover of the concealment array, Chu Kui spoke with no small amount of envy.
On the mountain terrace, Luo Chen paid him no mind, remaining focused on executing the Five Viscera Health-Nourishing Fist.
He had long since brought this fist technique to great accomplishment!
Yet he still continued to practice it.
The reason, of course, was to nurture and accumulate the five qi within his chest.
Wang Yuan had pointed out that his Heavenly Roc Transformation had flaws, and intended to merge his own Giant Spirit Transformation into it.
And the Giant Spirit Transformation heavily relied on the robust support of the five viscera and five qi.
Luo Chen was currently making the necessary preparations for the new Heavenly Roc Transformation.
After finishing a routine, a light sheen of sweat beaded on Luo Chen's face.
Over the past several months, some flesh had returned to his frame; at least he no longer looked like walking skin and bones.
If one were to use a single word to describe his current condition, it would probably be "wiry"?
Gaunt, yet exceptionally tough and sinewy!
He looked slender, but once he took off his outer robe, his knotted muscles were extraordinarily intimidating.
The power contained within was something even Wang Yuan dared not underestimate.
Sitting down across from Chu Kui, he took a sip of warm spiritual wine and broke into a faint smile.
"Leisurely?"
"Merely finding joy amid hardship, that's all!"
"So, tell me, how is your study of the Luoyun Sect's Superior Method Core Formation secret technique coming along?"
The Luoyun Sect's Superior Method Core Formation secret technique—Locking Bead Curtain!
At the mention of serious business, Chu Kui's expression turned noticeably solemn.
In a low voice, he said, "This technique is far too sinister!"
"Hm?"
Luo Chen was taken aback. Sinister?
Where was that coming from?
Seeing his astonished look, Chu Kui knew that during the time since their return, Luo Chen hadn't yet carefully studied this Locking Bead Curtain secret technique.
After all, Luo Chen was only at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment; there was no need for him to rush.
Chu Kui was different. Already at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, forming his Golden Core was an imminent prospect. Ever since returning, he had spent nearly sleepless nights researching those four Core Formation secret techniques.
Naturally, his closest attention had been on the Superior Method.
Now, he began explaining the essence of the technique to Luo Chen in detail.
"According to the secret technique, once a cultivator steps into the Golden Core realm, their divine soul and spiritual power merge into one. At this stage, spiritual awareness integrates with the soul and transforms into divine sense, possessing boundless miraculous functions. And when divine sense merges into spiritual power, that spiritual power evolves into magic power, wielding immense might!"
"Wait, how are both of those achieved?" Luo Chen did not understand the underlying transformation.
Chu Kui was very patient, explaining it step by step.
"The crux lies in the Golden Core the cultivator forms! The Golden Core is the aggregation of all the spiritual power in one's body. The cultivator tempers and nourishes the Golden Core with their divine soul, allowing the divine soul and spiritual power to interact, which in turn generates inexhaustible magic power."
He explained it clearly, yet Luo Chen still found it somewhat nebulous.
There was no helping it; without stepping into that realm, many concepts sounded simple in words, but were exceedingly difficult to imagine firsthand.
He could only understand it as the Golden Core serving as a massive vessel for spiritual power, inside which the divine soul and spiritual power continuously interacted to undergo a metamorphosis.
Chu Kui did not delve deeper into that, or perhaps his own understanding wasn't that profound either.
He merely conveyed what was described in the Locking Bead Curtain secret technique according to his own comprehension.
"Therefore, the grandmaster who created this secret technique, possessing a bird's-eye perspective and tremendous insight, proposed the concept of first acquiring the characteristics of a Golden Core before actually condensing the Golden Core."
"If one can convert a portion of magic power in advance, then when condensing the Golden Core, the process will naturally become vastly easier."
Luo Chen pondered this thoughtfully.
That indeed seemed to make sense.
Rather than waiting for a comprehensive metamorphosis to achieve a Golden Core...
Why not acquire some of a Golden Core cultivator's traits ahead of time, and then use that to reverse-engineer Core Formation? That way, half the effort would yield twice the result.
And as for magic power...
Luo Chen took another sip of spiritual wine from his cup and guessed, "Could it be about infusing the divine soul into spiritual power? But previously, many Foundation Establishment True Cultivators—including you and me—have tested that. It's completely impossible to achieve on any substantial scale. And even if one manages a tiny bit, it's difficult to sustain for long."
Chu Kui nodded. "Precisely so!"
Yet he immediately countered, "We cannot do it, but in the eyes of a grandmaster, there is indeed a way to accomplish it."
"The Locking Bead Curtain secret technique?" Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly!" A look of profound emotion crossed Chu Kui's face. "This secret technique describes dividing the divine soul and weaving it into soul threads that string together liquefied spiritual power. In this way, every single drop of extremely compressed, purified spiritual liquid, once strung together, can be treated as a drop of magic power! Finally, during Core Formation, with the primary soul acting as the sovereign commander, all the spiritual liquid is fused and enveloped together. Just like that, the Golden Core is formed!"
*Crack!*
The wine cup shattered!
Luo Chen, who had not yet fully mastered his newly strengthened physique, had momentarily lost control of his strength.
Yet this also demonstrated just how shaken he was by such a concept.
Cleaving the divine soul, spinning soul threads, stringing together spiritual liquid into spiritual beads, which then possessed partial magic power characteristics... and finally, because they were all guided by the divine soul, when they merged together, everything would proceed without the slightest impediment.
By then, the Great Dao of the Golden Core would be just around the corner!
Looking at the stunned Luo Chen, Chu Kui gave a bitter smile. "A magnificent vision, isn't it?"
"Truly magnificent!" Luo Chen swallowed hard, marveling, "I wonder which grandmaster conceived such a concept. I can already picture the scene—if all the spiritual liquid is imbued and guided by the soul, condensing the Golden Core in the end would be almost effortless."
Locking Bead Curtain! It was truly a vivid name, utterly true to its function!
A curtain of beads locked by the soul, stepping into the Golden Core in a single bound!
Chu Kui murmured, "It's not just a concept; even the operational method is written down in full detail. How to divide the soul, how to string the beads, and how to merge them in the end—it's all laid out with utmost clarity. The Luoyun Sect didn't hold anything back; this is genuinely a complete Superior Method Core Formation secret technique!"
Hearing his solemn, lingering tone, Luo Chen felt curious alongside his shock.
Why did Chu Kui look so unhappy?
With a Superior Method right before him and the Great Dao within reach, why was he so downcast?
Suddenly, Luo Chen realized the crucial point.
Severing the divine soul!
His expression shifted dramatically. "How can the divine soul be sliced apart? Are they insane? The divine soul is the foundation of foundations for us qi refiners—how could anyone just carve it up as they please?"
All things had spirit, born with a soul.
When a mortal stepped onto the path of cultivation, spiritual awareness would emerge.
In the Qi Refining stage, spiritual awareness resided within the sea of consciousness, unable to leave the body. Once one reached Foundation Establishment, spiritual awareness could extend outside the body, perceiving a radius of several li. And if one were fortunate enough to attain the Golden Core Dao, it would further evolve into divine sense, reflecting heaven and earth.
It was said that subsequent realms—shattering the core to form the nascent soul, transforming the nascent soul into divine transformation—were not shifts in spiritual power, but transformations of the divine soul at ever-higher levels.
One could say the divine soul was the absolute root of a cultivator!
Along his journey, Luo Chen had enjoyed countless benefits brought by a powerful divine soul.
Enduring the Heart Tribulation during the Qi Refining stage and consuming Nether-Passage Pills had continually strengthened his divine soul. Because of his robust soul, he could concoct pills a few more times each day, circulate his natal cultivation method a few more rounds, and even control one or two more magical artifacts during battle compared to others.
One could say the importance of the divine soul far surpassed that of the physical body or spiritual power.
Luo Chen only dared to nurture it carefully; how would he ever dare take a blade to his own soul?
"No wonder you called this technique sinister!"
Amidst his shock, Luo Chen finally understood the reason behind Chu Kui's opening remark.
Chu Kui let out a long sigh as well. "Indeed. Cultivators like us only ever worry that our souls aren't strong enough; who would dare divide and weaken it?"
Once the soul was severed, it would naturally become fragmented and feeble.
The resulting consequences were exceedingly grave.
In battle, one would be unable to divide one's attention; in cultivation, one would easily succumb to qi deviation; and one's control over the vast reserves of spiritual power within the body would become utterly inadequate.
With the slightest slip, spiritual power would lose balance and the sea of qi would plunge into turmoil—consequences that no one could bear!
Luo Chen couldn't help asking, "Since it's a Superior Method secret technique, it certainly shouldn't have such a glaring flaw. Does the technique contain any remedies or supplemental methods?"
"None!"
"Did the Luoyun Sect hold something back?"
"As I said earlier, it truly is a complete Superior Method secret technique. At least with my knowledge and experience, I can't detect any deletions or missing parts."
At this point, both men fell silent.
Looking at the troubled Chu Kui, Luo Chen could roughly empathize with his feelings.
After a long pause, he shook his head and said, "Perhaps it's not a matter of holding back or omitting content, but rather that this secret technique originally had other matching cultivation methods to accompany it."
He suggested this because of his recent experience creating his own technique.
*Convergence of Myriad Paths* was actually a comprehensive body refining art.
While *Heavenly Roc Transformation* served as the general outline, its practical cultivation was divided into very specific sub-methods.
Such as Qi and Body from the Same Source, Bright Spirit Fiend Breaking, Blood Fiend Meridian Opening, Thunder Acupoint Unblocking, and so forth.
A secret technique like Locking Bead Curtain was equivalent to one of the various sub-arts beneath *Convergence of Myriad Paths*.
Hearing him say this, Chu Kui nodded as well.
"Perhaps that is the case!"
"Rumor has it that cultivators from the Luoyun Sect naturally possess stronger divine souls than others, allowing them to command puppets with effortless ease. The strongest among them can even command Tier 3 puppets while only in the Foundation Establishment realm, or manipulate two or three puppets simultaneously in battle by themselves."
Luo Chen was naturally aware of this rumor.
In fact, he had personally witnessed Han Zheng at the fourth layer of Foundation Establishment simultaneously controlling a flying puppet, a melee puppet, and a ranged-attack puppet!
Among those three puppets, two possessed power comparable to late Foundation Establishment cultivators!
The sheer strength of Han Zheng's divine soul was plain to see!
Wait, that wasn't right!
Luo Chen voiced his doubt: "One or two having powerful souls is understandable. But for so many disciples of the Luoyun Sect to be formidable, it clearly isn't an innate trait."
Chu Kui hummed in agreement. "Perhaps it has to do with them possessing techniques for strengthening the soul?"
"Strengthening the soul?" Luo Chen's eyes instantly lit up!
He had no soul-strengthening technique, but he had soul-strengthening pills!
While Chu Kui remained gloomy, Luo Chen pushed forward a bottle of pills.
"What's this?"
"Nether-Passage Pills. While classified as Tier 1, their quality is peak-grade, making them effective even for Foundation Establishment True Cultivators like us."
"What are they used for?"
"Traversing the nether into dreams, strengthening the divine soul!"
Chu Kui froze.
With trembling hands, he cautiously picked up the bottle of pills.
"Big Brother, don't joke with me!"
"Take it back and try it, and you'll see. Would I ever deceive you?"
"No, that's not..."
Chu Kui was so agitated he could hardly contain himself.
Having a Superior Method Core Formation secret technique sitting right before his eyes that he couldn't use, that he dared not rely on to form his core—
That sensation was like standing before a mountain of treasure without being able to enter, or holding a peerless beauty in one's arms without daring to touch her. It was pure torment, pure despair.
Now, Luo Chen had told him that hope was not lost after all.
A soul-strengthening pill!
If he could strengthen his divine soul beyond the threshold of the Foundation Establishment realm, then even if he had to carve off a portion of it, it wouldn't be such a devastating loss.
In that case, the Locking Bead Curtain secret technique could finally be put to use.
*Tap! Tap! Tap!*
The sound of knuckles tapping the table rang out. The excited Chu Kui looked up at Luo Chen.
"I can provide you with Nether-Passage Pills on a regular basis to help strengthen your divine soul."
"However, let me lay the ugly truth out first..."
Chu Kui cut Luo Chen off. "You don't need to say it, I know what you mean!"
He spoke with total clarity: "It simply comes down to me acting as the vanguard, testing this Locking Bead Curtain secret technique to form my core and providing you with the lessons and experience, right?"
Luo Chen hummed in assent. "Yes. This process will definitely not be as smooth as it looks on paper. If you succeed, it will naturally be wonderful. But if you fail..."
The perils of Core Formation far exceeded those of Foundation Establishment!
In the cultivation world, there were countless examples of people failing Foundation Establishment and subsequently succeeding on a later attempt.
Yet those who failed Core Formation and managed to succeed in a later attempt were exceedingly few!
At best, one would only form a False Core, eking out a prolonged, compromised existence.
"In truth, we have three Inferior Method Core Formation secret techniques in our hands. You don't necessarily have to take this perilous path."
"No!"
Chu Kui refused flatly. "Since there is a Superior Method, I could never settle for an Inferior Method. In this life of mine, my name bears the word 'Kui,' and I have reigned as the champion among rogue cultivators; when forming my core, I naturally must choose the finest method! I know full well the risks and the consequences. If I fail, I won't blame you in the slightest."
"If that is how you see it, then nothing could be better." Luo Chen smiled faintly. "I eagerly await the insights and experience you gain from cultivating this secret technique."
An unfamiliar and peril-laden Core Formation secret technique.
Luo Chen dared not test it rashly.
Yet with Chu Kui leading the way, he would be able to obtain an abundance of firsthand intelligence.
Thus, Chu Kui served as the trailblazing vanguard, while Luo Chen reaped the full benefits.
The pros and cons were laid bare in just a few short words, perfectly understood by both.
Without lingering any further, Chu Kui hurried home, eager to test the effects of the Nether-Passage Pill.
In the days to come, he would likely dedicate himself entirely to quiet cultivation, making a push toward the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.
In terms of resources, he had no need to worry anymore.
On the battlefield of Mount Thunder Accumulation, Luo Chen had reaped bountiful rewards, and Chu Kui had likewise gained no small harvest.
After he departed...
Luo Chen retrieved four jade slips from his storage bag.
Ice Fort's Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, Mount Ailao's Breaking Free from the Cage, Azure Pill Valley's Hunyuan Method, and the Luoyun Sect's Locking Bead Curtain.
Four major Core Formation secret techniques: three Inferior Methods and one Superior Method!
Naturally, Luo Chen would not place all his hopes on a single path.
If Chu Kui's path proved impassable, he still had at least three other avenues to explore.
Although he was currently only at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, far from Core Formation...
Familiarizing himself with these secret techniques in advance could never go wrong.
His aptitude was poor, meaning his Core Formation would likely be even more arduous.
As such, he could afford failure even less.
Only by making flawless preparations and succeeding in a single concerted effort would he walk the true path.
"I hope these secret techniques won't let me down!"
Murmuring to himself, Luo Chen opened *Breaking Free from the Cage* to read.
As a prominent Golden Core sect after all, the secret technique provided by Mount Ailao shouldn't be too pathetic, even if it was an Inferior Method!
Chapter 399