Amidst Danxia Peak, Luo Chen walked alone.
Around him bustled a ceaseless stream of Luotian Association cultivators.
Two starkly contrasting emotions were written across their faces.
Some cheered boisterously, boasting to friends about having survived the great battle and slain formidable foes. Several were busy tallying the merits they were likely to receive, calculating whether they would be able to exchange them for the necessary Foundation Establishment resources once they reached the Qi Refinement perfection stage. They brimmed with youthful vigor, their hearts filled with boundless hope for a bright future.
Others hung their heads in gloom, looking thoroughly dejected. They drifted aimlessly, looking as if they had lost their very souls, and every now and then someone would suddenly break down into muffled sobs.
These were the ones who had lost their closest kin or dearest friends, unable to bear the harsh reality.
Thirty years had passed since the founding of the Luotian Association, and over a decade since they had taken root in Tianlan.
Such a span of time meant little to a True Cultivator or a Revered.
Yet for Qi Refinement cultivators, whose lifespans were so fleeting, it already accounted for a tenth or even a fifth of their entire lives.
Forming friendships, taking Dao companions, passing down crafts, having children…
A war fought on their very home turf had shattered what had been an orderly existence. An untold number of their friends and relatives had perished in the fighting.
Grief and bewilderment hung heavy, refusing to dissipate.
To see two such utterly opposing moods clashing against one another was truly jarring.
Thus, facing the respectful greetings of the passing cultivators, Luo Chen could only maintain a quiet expression, nodding in acknowledgment.
Behind his calm facade, no one could tell what he was thinking.
Only upon seeing his figure did their restless, anxious, or sorrowful hearts find some semblance of calm.
Before long, Luo Chen arrived outside the Elixir Hall. From a distance, he spotted Gu Caiyi directing the female cultivators of the Gold Hall to help tend to the wounded.
"We're still short on a massive amount of first-rank Flesh-Growing Pills. Yuan Xiaoyue, go to the Immortal City's Spirit Herb Pavilion yourself and purchase a hundred bottles."
"Short on spirit stones?"
"I still have some here. Take them for now."
"Has our cotton cloth for staunching blood run out? Hexiang, head over to the Huixin Hall. Senior Chen Xiuli of Tianyi Workshop is there. Her clan definitely has similar materials. See if we can get an advance batch."
"Fiend-Purging Pills… Fiend-Purging Pills… where am I supposed to find those? Yuan Xiaoyue, wait a moment! Make sure to ask around in the Elixir Hall to see if they have any in stock."
Just as Gu Caiyi called Yuan Xiaoyue to a halt, she noticed the figure standing motionless a short distance away.
Biting her lip, she walked over to Luo Chen's side.
"You're back."
"Mm."
Luo Chen gave a soft murmur and reached out to press his palm against her limp right arm.
She offered no resistance.
A faint, misty azure glow arose, and gentle strands of spiritual power seeped into her flesh, causing her right arm to subtly thrum.
"Why didn't you go rest when you were hurt?"
Gu Caiyi quietly accepted his treatment and whispered, "It's just a minor injury. It's nothing serious."
Under Luo Chen's ministrations, the bruised and torn muscular tissue swiftly mended.
What remained were fractures along the bone.
"Later on, ask Sun Shengshou to prescribe some bone-strengthening formulas. In three to five days, you'll be as good as new."
Luo Chen withdrew his hand.
Watching Gu Caiyi test her right arm with tentative movements, a flicker of tenderness surfaced in his eyes.
"I heard Xiao Hei is gone?"
Gu Caiyi nodded. "The situation was critical. Two people pinned down Hall Master Xu, while three other mid Foundation Establishment enemies surrounded the three of us. It was exceptionally dangerous. Fortunately, Bai Meiling had been hiding on me the whole time. She waved her Soul-Refining Banner and turned the tide of battle, even releasing Xiao Hei to trade life for life to kill one of them."
Her explanation was simple.
Yet the outcome of that battle had been horrific.
Xu Huanzhen was wounded, Duan Feng was unconscious, Bai Meiling had retreated into her Soul-Nurturing Banner to recuperate, and Murong Qinglian had suffered a backlash from a magic treasure, her entire right hand reduced to powder.
Even the flock of eagles the Luotian Association had spent ten years rearing had been decimated.
The Gold-Crowned Plume-Snatching Eagle, which they had painstakingly nurtured to the second rank, had been blasted into nothingness, leaving not even bones behind.
Had it not been for their initial tactics—three of them joining forces to ambush and execute one enemy, followed by Wang Yuan stepping in to slay two more with his Blood God Calamity Finger—those eight mid Foundation Establishment cultivators would have slaughtered the four of them with effortless ease.
Xu Huanzhen's breakthrough to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment had happened right before the battle, just like Luo Chen's.
In terms of combat prowess, his enhancement was minimal.
One could only say that not everyone was like Luo Chen, Wang Yuan, or Min Longyu, capable of fighting above their realm.
The suppression a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator held over an early-stage cultivator was simply too pronounced.
Fortunately, on their specific front, all the participating True Cultivators had survived.
As for the other battlegrounds…
"Luo Chen, do you want to go see them?"
"Mm. Lead the way."
Guided by Gu Caiyi, under the solemn gazes of many cultivators, Luo Chen entered a side hall of the Elixir Hall.
Here lay the important figures of the Luotian Association who had perished in this battle.
Reaching the side hall, Gu Caiyi stopped outside.
Luo Chen dusted off his robe, drew a deep breath, and stepped into the chilled, somber interior.
***
Blocks of dense ice were arranged along the perimeter, maintaining a low temperature within.
The moment he entered, three coffins caught his eye.
They were not yet sealed, leaving the remains inside plainly visible.
Su Xiaolin had been the rising talent Luo Chen had valued most among all the rogue cultivators who joined the Luotian Association back at Dahe Mill.
Once, after the Battle of Mount Xiaohuan, Luo Chen had personally healed countless subordinates to grind proficiency for his Healing Art and win their loyalty.
The very first person he had treated was Su Xiaolin!
Back then, Su Xiaolin had been merely at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement.
Later, through diligent cultivation within the association, he reached the ninth layer, advanced to Qi Refinement perfection, and eventually established his foundation.
He had been entrusted with heavy responsibilities by Sima Huiniang, shouldering the Luotian Association's intelligence-gathering mission all on his own.
Initially impetuous, he had once offended the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator Huo Hu in Taishan Market with reckless words.
Yet as time went on, he grew mature and steady, exceptionally clever and accustomed to using his wits. Under his care, the intelligence network Luowang was run with flawless order.
He had even been the first to discover the Yan Alliance's movements against the Luotian Association.
Yet who could have thought he would die here, in the Battle of Luotian?
Luo Chen sighed. He should have had a far brighter future ahead of him.
He recalled that on the Foundation Establishment roster Sima Huiniang had handed him, Su Xiaolin was only fifty-one years old. His prospects on the Grand Dao should have been wide open.
Moving his gaze, a mangled corpse with half its face destroyed came into view.
Bian Zhen.
He had joined the Luotian Association when Luo Chen was cultivating in seclusion in Dahe Ghost City.
Back then, Bian Zhen's cultivation had already been exceptionally refined, surpassing even the likes of Sima Huiniang and Duan Feng.
His subsequent cultivation speed was swift, soon reaching the perfection stage of Qi Refinement.
However, because he had joined late, he had accumulated insufficient merits.
As a result, his turn to attempt Foundation Establishment was delayed behind Min Longyu, Duan Feng, Sima Huiniang, and the rest.
Once he finally scraped together enough merits, he attempted Foundation Establishment alongside Murong Qinglian, Sima Xian, and that entire batch.
Yet they had met with catastrophic failure.
That particular cohort had suffered terrible luck.
Not a single one had succeeded.
Many years passed before Bian Zhen, only recently, managed by sheer fortune to establish his foundation.
"If you had reached Foundation Establishment a few years earlier, would you have survived this fight?"
"Or if you had failed once more, remaining at the Qi Refinement realm and only engaging in battles between Qi Refinement cultivators, could you have survived with your rich combat experience?"
The answers were forever lost.
Suppressing his emotions, Luo Chen looked toward the third Foundation Establishment True Cultivator of the Luotian Association who had fallen in this battle.
Gui Jiang.
Originally from Tianlan Immortal City, he had joined during the first open recruitment of rogue cultivators after the Luotian Association's outer sect was established.
He was exceptionally fierce and courageous.
Not long after joining, he had caught Sima Xian's eye and was recruited into the Battle Hall.
His fortune had been astounding!
Possessing only three-element spiritual roots, he had succeeded on his very first attempt at Foundation Establishment.
Tragically, before he could spread his wings and make a name for himself, he had fallen in an agonizing battle against an enemy of the same realm.
In the end, he had lacked the time to adapt to combat at the Foundation Establishment level, and he possessed no fitting supreme-grade magical artifacts.
Luo Chen had met him only a few times, and their relationship had been ordinary.
For him, Luo Chen could only sigh with pity.
Yet when he walked over to the coffin containing Qin Liangchen's remains, profound sorrow surfaced on his face.
"Brother Qin, in the end, you still didn't make it through this one!"
Memories of every little interaction with this robust man flooded his mind.
Generous and magnanimous, he had never hoarded his insights on the cultivation world, always treating his friends with absolute sincerity.
Throughout his life, Qin Liangchen's path had been rife with hardship.
Whether it was his early days in Qi Refinement without anyone to rely on, or trading wounds for his life on the Dao Discussion Platform, none of those hurdles had been easy to clear.
Along the way, he had even faced the mortal peril of being surrounded and hunted by the Nangong family cultivators in the Green Hemp Forest.
Yet he had survived all of that.
Only this time…
"If you hadn't gone to reinforce Zhou Yuanli, would you have survived?"
Luo Chen muttered softly.
His palm stroked the thick wood of the coffin again and again.
"I saw your son."
"A fine lad. His cultivation is accomplished, and he is already an inner disciple of a Nascent Soul supreme sect. In the future, he has a strong chance of becoming a true disciple."
"With a bit of luck, if he is taken as a disciple under a Golden Core Revered, achieving a Golden Core is well within his reach."
"If you know of this in the underworld, you must feel immensely gratified, immensely proud!"
In a brief daze, he seemed to see Qin Liangchen standing before him with chest puffed out and head held high.
Talking expansively, pointing fingers at the world.
Whenever he mentioned his son, Qin Yuanjiang, a smile brimming with pride and hope always adorned his face.
That young man, while harboring a touch of the arrogance typical of an esteemed sect disciple, would surely improve after being tempered on the battlefield.
His future prospects were boundless.
He had even called him "Uncle Luo."
"Brother Qin, rest in peace. If one day I attain the Golden Core Great Dao, I will certainly look after him."
"And sister-in-law… I will see to it that she is well cared for, too."
Whispering, Luo Chen stepped away from the coffin.
His gaze shifted toward Liu Qiang.
Once his bodyguard who, alongside Zhou Yuanli, had guarded him day in and day out back when he was still weak.
He too had attempted Foundation Establishment, only to fall short.
Back then, he and Zhou Yuanli had joined forces at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement to fight off a ninth-layer marauder from Snow Lotus Market.
This time, he had once again chosen to fight side by side with his brother.
Yet he had died a gruesome death under the sword of a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator.
His intestines were severed and his belly burst open; not an inch of intact flesh remained across his entire body.
Luo Chen gazed upon the gruesome corpse without blinking, as though the gruesome sight could not faze him in the slightest.
"Old Liu, you should have left behind an heir."
Murmuring softly, Luo Chen paced slowly and heavily through the side hall.
The people here had all been important figures within the Luotian Association—either possessing profound cultivation or holding vital positions. Only for that reason were their remains laid to rest in this place.
It was a mark of respect.
Most of them were familiar faces or individuals Luo Chen knew well.
Xiugu of the Elixir Hall, Zeng Wen's Dao companion and the mother of Wang Yuan's disciple Zeng Yilong.
Li Yingjun, Li Yingzhang's younger sister and Yuan Dongsheng's Dao companion.
Hao Tianye, a rising star of the Battle Hall, once listed by Sima Huiniang as a Foundation Establishment seed who had held real promise of advancing.
Chi Junran, one of the rare male cultivators of the Gold Hall—eloquent, nimble, and clever. To cover the retreat of the Gold Hall's female cultivators, he had stepped forward to hold back the enemy, meeting an unfortunate demise. Before this, he had already become the manager of the Danxia branch shop at the Divine Craft Bazaar.
…
Name after name, memory after memory.
They flowed through Luo Chen's mind like running water.
When he halted at the doorway and looked back at the hall filled with coffins, a verse he had heard in his previous life could not help but rise to his mind:
"The affairs of the world surge like tides and men drift like water; one can only sigh at how few ever return from the Jianghu."
These were the heaviest casualties the Luotian Association had ever suffered in its history.
A single war had claimed many of Luo Chen's familiar friends and subordinates.
And all of this…
"Is courtesy of the Yan Alliance!"
"The Zheng family, the Iron Sword Hall, the Xiahou clan… that was merely the interest."
"One day, I will claim justice in full!"
Luo Chen turned around sharply and stepped out of the hall.
Without him noticing, a crowd had gathered outside.
Among them stood an elderly man accompanied by two youths, conversing with Gu Caiyi near the entrance.
When Luo Chen emerged, Gu Caiyi hurried over.
"President, this is Mr. Yan. He is a mortician, exceptionally skilled at applying cosmetics to the departed and repairing remains."
Luo Chen nodded and walked up to the old man.
"Greetings, Mr. Yan."
Old Man Yan said, flattered and overwhelmed, "This junior greets Senior Danchenzi."
"In a moment, I must trouble you to take extra care to restore the features of these friends of mine as best as possible. If you need any materials, do not hesitate to ask. I will have the cultivators of the Luotian Association assist you with all their might."
As he spoke, Luo Chen drew several jade bottles from his storage bag and pressed them into the man's hands.
They were filled with high-grade Qi-Nurturing Pills, exceptionally suitable for cultivators in the late Qi Refinement stage.
"This… this is too much! I have already received my payment."
Luo Chen smiled faintly and pressed them into his hands with an air that brooked no refusal.
Old Man Yan put away the jade bottles with an embarrassed air, then led his two young apprentices into the side hall.
Their trade dealt with the dead.
Some of their methods were rather gruesome, making them unfit for public display.
The doors slowly shut.
Only then did Luo Chen have the opportunity to turn around and look upon the cultivators gathered outside the hall.
As his gaze swept across them, most faces were clouded with grief.
He took a deep breath and spoke slowly: "The dead are gone; dwelling excessively on grief will only harm the living. Every one of those who fell in battle here will receive a lavish burial!"
"Yet the Luotian Association currently faces a hundred tasks waiting to be done. We need everyone to unite in purpose to overcome the difficulties before us."
"These brothers and sisters died to protect the Luotian Association. I am certain they would not wish to see the Luotian Association collapse into despair and decline from this day forth."
"And so…"
Luo Chen had wanted to say something inspiring to lift everyone's spirits.
Yet as the words reached his lips, he found himself unable to continue.
For those who had not personally endured the loss, no matter how elegant the speech, it was ultimately meaningless.
He gave the crowd a strained nod.
"Go about your duties!"
With that, he departed the side hall through the path parted by the crowd.
At that moment, walking amidst the people, he felt as if he were fleeing in disarray.
***
Upon entering the main hall of the Elixir Hall, low groans and cries of pain echoed unceasingly.
Over a dozen female disciples dressed in white robes bustled among the wounded, continuously applying treatment.
When Luo Chen arrived, Feng Xia hurried over to meet him.
"How is the situation?"
"After two straight days of treatment, the situation has stabilized. People are helping to purchase everything that's lacking. What we need most right now is a pill called the Fiend-Purging Pill. Quite a few of the enemies were connected to the Yan Alliance and fought with Earth Fire Fiend Qi. That substance is exceptionally troublesome once it lingers in the body," Feng Xia explained rapidly.
Fiend-Purging Pills?
Luo Chen thought for a moment, then retrieved about a dozen jade bottles from his storage bag.
"I have some here. Take them for now. If they aren't enough, send someone to the Azure Pill Hall in the Immortal City. Azure Pill Valley is very adept at refining this type of pill."
Feng Xia's eyes lit up, and she took them immediately.
Seeing that she was about to leave, Luo Chen called her back.
"How is your Duan Feng doing?"
Feng Xia smiled. "We had Sun Shengshou examine him. It's just a coma brought on by mental exhaustion. He'll recover after resting for a while."
Luo Chen murmured an acknowledgment, his gaze falling upon two women nearby.
He walked over quietly.
"Greetings, Sun Shengshou."
The elderly woman raised her head, looking at him in surprise.
"Fellow Daoist Danchenzi?"
"Indeed, it is I." After introducing himself, Luo Chen looked at Murong Qinglian with concern. "How is my sister-in-law's injury?"
Under his gaze, Murong Qinglian reacted slightly.
However, her expression remained somewhat wooden, as though she were still trapped in her emotions, unable to break free.
Sun Shengshou shook her head. "Her injuries are not severe, but her right hand was ground into powder. That is not something simple medical arts can cure. It requires a proper method for limb regeneration and reattachment."
Powerful demonic beasts were said to be capable of regrowing severed limbs or resurrecting from a single drop of blood.
Yet human cultivators found this extraordinarily difficult to achieve.
Especially when the severed limb was entirely gone, one had to rely on alternative methods for limb replacement and reattachment.
Luo Chen pondered for a moment. "I have seen the Golden Silkworm Rejoining Technique of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, and I have heard that there are quite a few reattachment methods across the cultivation world. Fellow Daoist, do you know any?"
Sun Shengshou shook her head. "I do know a reattachment method, but the required materials are third-rank and exceedingly rare. I have none on hand at present."
It was a classic case of even the cleverest cook being unable to make a meal without rice.
After asking about the materials, Luo Chen learned that she had already inquired with the Luotian Association.
The answer had been no.
"For now, I can only fashion a simple prosthetic hand for Fellow Daoist Murong using lower-grade materials to facilitate daily life. As for the future, you will either need to gather the materials I require, or, ideally, invite an expert from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect to treat her."
The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect was a great sect of sword cultivators, but it also produced formidable medical experts.
Yet now that the Four-Sect Alliance and the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect were like fire and water, how could they possibly enlist one of their experts?
Luo Chen parted his lips, feeling utterly powerless for a moment.
Still, looking at the numb, listless woman, he resolved that no matter what it took, he would eventually restore her severed hand and minimize any hindrance to her cultivation.
This was his promise to Brother Qin!
After speaking for a while longer, Luo Chen gained a clear and direct understanding of the wounded members of the Luotian Association from Sun Shengshou.
Afterward, he remained in the grand hall to personally tend to the wounded.
At first, Sun Shengshou had disapproved.
A cultivator's body was intricate. For someone unskilled in medicine to dabble with simple layman remedies was sheer meddling.
Yet when she saw with astonishment that Luo Chen could wield the Healing Art and the Spring Wind and Transforming Rain Incantation with consummate mastery to treat both external and internal injuries, she stopped objecting.
"Fellow Daoist's medical expertise has truly exceeded my expectations."
"It's merely that a long illness turns one into a doctor. I cultivate body refinement on the side, frequently injuring myself, so I've had no choice but to treat my own wounds. Over time, I picked up a few small tricks. I hope Senior will forgive my clumsiness."
Standing before Xu Huanzhen, Luo Chen conversed with Sun Shengshou while using his medical arts to treat the damage to Xu's meridians caused by over-channeling spiritual power.
Sun Shengshou shook her head.
He was far too modest.
Setting aside the fact that his mastery of those two medical spells was bordering on perfection, his skill in expelling foreign auras from a cultivator's body alone was enough to earn him a reputable name among physicians.
Still, one could tell that he had never received a proper, systematic medical inheritance.
Certain injuries were treated rather clumsily.
"In addition to damaged meridians, Fellow Daoist Xu suffers from displaced viscera and shattered bones. If you wish to treat him thoroughly, you should pair your efforts with the Viscera Restoration Art and the Bone Restoration Art."
"After executing these two spells, supplemented by the Spring Wind and Transforming Rain Art, his future cultivation will not be hindered."
Luo Chen paused his hands, speaking in surprise: "The Viscera Restoration Art and the Bone Restoration Art?"
"Indeed!"
Sun Shengshou smiled faintly. "Between these two spells, the Bone Restoration Art is a first-rank earth-attribute spell, not difficult to learn. The Viscera Restoration Art is somewhat harder, classified as second-rank. Yet the difficulty lies not in the spell itself, but in the fact that the five viscera correspond to the five elements, naturally requiring five distinct methods to restore and nourish them. This old woman possesses exceptional medical talent, yet due to the limitations of my spiritual roots, I have only mastered three…"
As she spoke, she extended her ruddy fingers.
Curving them into a claw, she grasped a bone along Xu Huanzhen's chest and abdomen.
Then, her fingers began to vibrate.
It was not a random tremor, but a rhythmic, calculated vibration.
As her fingers vibrated, wisps of spiritual energy seeped into Xu Huanzhen's body.
Faintly, a series of crackling bone sounds seemed to emerge.
When she withdrew her hand, Xu Huanzhen could not suppress a low groan.
It was a groan of pure relief.
Luo Chen watched the scene, dumbfounded.
If he had known this technique, he might have easily mended the fractures in Gu Caiyi's arm outside the hall earlier.
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
"Senior Sun, please teach me these two spells!"
He offered no terms, mentioned no payment, and was perhaps even quite impolite.
After all, this was the craft she relied upon to make a living in the Immortal City.
Yet beyond all expectation, Sun Shengshou agreed with a beaming smile on the spot.
"The Bone Restoration Art is actually very simple."
"Bones are the support and anchors of a living body—stable, reliable, and tough in structure, corresponding to the earth attribute among the five elements."
"Therefore, to learn this spell, in addition to earth spiritual power, one must master the secret of gathering and dispersing at will, hardening earth into steel and dissolving earth into sand."
"Observe closely the route of this old woman's spiritual power circulation and my method of casting."
While Sun Shengshou explained the mnemonics and intricacies of the Bone Restoration Art, she demonstrated it in person.
Xu Huanzhen, this newly minted great cultivator, became the finest test subject.
Luo Chen stood aside, using his spirit eyes and immense spiritual sense to observe her spellcasting with rapt attention, making certain not to miss the slightest detail.
Furthermore, his mind constantly chewed over the principles she explained.
After merely two or three demonstrations, Luo Chen spoke up.
"Let me try!"
"Hmm?"
"Ah!"
The former came from Sun Shengshou; the latter came from Xu Huanzhen.
Luo Chen extended his hand with confidence. "I feel like I've got it!"
Stunned, Sun Shengshou made way for him, specifically pointing out several bones in Xu Huanzhen's body that were yet to be reset.
Under Xu Huanzhen's nervous gaze, Luo Chen set to work immediately!
"President, be careful!"
His movements were somewhat slow, but as the spiritual power entered his body, Xu Huanzhen could clearly feel the bones within him mending in the right direction.
When Luo Chen pulled back his hands, Sun Shengshou evaluated, "You have indeed stepped across the threshold. Though your technique lacks seasoning, it already has proper form. President Luo, you are truly the most talented individual in the medical arts I have ever seen. If you were to practice this craft full-time, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have a meal to eat in the Immortal City."
Toward the end, she even broke into a chuckle.
Luo Chen smiled as well. "It is all thanks to Senior's fine instruction. And how could you ever go without a meal? So long as I, Luo Chen, am here, and so long as the Luotian Association stands, you will never have to worry about lacking a meal."
Hearing this, Sun Sifang's smile deepened, her brow and eyes brimming with goodwill.
Those words, naturally, did not mean the Luotian Association would always have wounded people.
The underlying implication was understood by both parties.
Probing, contact, and within a brief span, a mutual understanding had been reached.
"Then next, I shall teach you the Viscera Restoration Art as well!"
"The Luotian Association has far too many wounded this time. My apprentices from the Sun Clan Medical Clinic won't be able to handle it alone."
Luo Chen nodded solemnly.
"Senior, please!"
***
"Master, why did you pass your signature spells to Senior Luo?"
During a midday break for a meal, a female disciple asked Sun Sifang in confusion.
This master healer, renowned throughout Tianlan, was currently filled with emotion.
"They are merely minor side-door tricks. Why hoard them?"
"But…"
Sun Sifang shook her head, patting her disciple's hand. "Su'e, I am doing this for your sake!"
Su'e was taken aback, her face full of bewilderment.
By passing along her signature medical spells, wasn't her master creating a competitor for their Sun Clan Medical Clinic?
How could that be for their sake?
Sun Sifang did not answer directly.
Instead, she brought up another matter.
"You are the eldest disciple of our clinic, often accompanying me in and out of the cave abodes of True Cultivators. Your vision and discernment are already extraordinary. Let me ask you: what do you think of this man, Luo Chen?"
Su'e answered without hesitation, "His cultivation is profound, his strength immense, and he possesses alchemy skills renowned across the Jade Cauldron Domain. His future is boundless!"
"I am not asking about that. I am asking about him as a person," Sun Sifang said, shaking her head.
Su'e thought for a moment and hesitated before saying, "Rumor has it that he cares deeply for his subordinates and treats others with generosity. He possesses vast magnanimity and great tolerance. Over the years, a large batch of Foundation Establishment True Cultivators has emerged within the Luotian Association, and all of them are utterly devoted to him. Furthermore, his social connections are broad; during this battle, many friends came to his aid. This shows that in his dealings with outsiders, his character is equally trustworthy."
Sun Sifang sighed. "It seems your years in Tianlan Immortal City have not been in vain. Indeed, that man is truly remarkable. I have never seen the leader of any faction step onto the floor himself to treat his subordinates. Not just one or two, nor limited to high-ranking Foundation Establishment cultivators. He tends to everyone!"
Su'e recalled the scene earlier in the Elixir Hall.
She also recalled some of the rumors about Luo Chen.
Indeed, this was not the first time he had personally treated his subordinates.
If done once, it could be called winning over hearts.
Yet to do so repeatedly, regardless of the motive, could truly be deemed genuine compassion for his subordinates.
A gentleman is judged by his deeds, not his private thoughts!
"Let me ask you another question: after this battle, what status will the Luotian Association hold in Tianlan Immortal City?" Sun Sifang asked again.
Su'e had initially wanted to say that the Luotian Association had suffered heavy losses in this battle and might well decline.
Yet thinking carefully, if one set aside the external supreme sects, the local supreme sects, and the Golden Core sects around Tianlan Immortal City, what remained of the other major factions?
The Lianyun Merchant Alliance had long lost its former glory; the Iron Sword Hall had been wiped out; the Xiahou clan had been exterminated; the Zheng family was destroyed.
The remaining powerful clans—the Luo clan, the Chen clan, the Yue family of Mount Shaohua—were all allies of the Luotian Association.
Furthermore!
During the great battle, the Golden Core Revereds of Azure Pill Valley, Mount Ailao, and the Ice Fort had personally intervened to safeguard Luo Chen.
Was that not equivalent to standing behind the Luotian Association?
Once they weathered this period of mourning and recovery, the Luotian Association would surely soar to the heavens, becoming one of the preeminent factions in Tianlan Immortal City!
Having grasped this, she gasped in shock. "They will be… below the great sects, yet above tens of thousands of cultivators!"
Sun Sifang patted her hand in satisfaction.
Disregarding her Foundation Establishment realm, the scene looked just like an ordinary mortal grandmother chatting with her children about family matters.
"Good. You have indeed grown a lot over the years. Your vision is sharp."
Pleased by the praise, Su'e smiled.
Yet her confusion remained.
"But what does that have to do with us?"
Sun Sifang tucked away her smile and said softly, "I am old, with not many years left to live. And among all of you, not one has reached Foundation Establishment. Even you are barely at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement. Once I pass away, the Sun Clan Medical Clinic will exist in name only."
"As your master… I must find a way out for you!"
Su'e gripped the old woman's hand, choking back tears. "Master!"
Sun Sifang shook her head, brushing aside the sorrowful thoughts.
She looked earnestly at the middle-aged woman before her.
"The Luotian Association is bound to prosper. President Danchenzi is an exceptional person, and his future is boundless. Perhaps he might even achieve a Golden Core and establish his own sect!"
"If we take advantage of my remaining years to join Danxia Luotian at their most difficult hour…"
"This will be sending charcoal in the snow!"
"Even after I pass away, you will have a good home. He will treat you well."
Realizing that her master was still planning for them at such an advanced age, Su'e's eyes brimmed with tears.
Sun Sifang merely smiled warmly, turning over plans for the future in her mind.
Beside her ear came Su'e's soft murmur:
"Will they be willing to accept us?"
She stroked the woman's hair with a smile.
"They already have, silly child."
Su'e blinked. "When?"
"The moment President Luo took the initiative to ask me to teach him medical arts."
***
The people from the Sun Clan Medical Clinic took turns resting.
Yet Luo Chen did not.
He moved among the wounded in the Elixir Hall, casting various medical arts without pause.
The Healing Art, the Spring Wind and Transforming Rain Art, combined with the Cleansing Art and the Spirit Eye Art, yielded extraordinary medical results.
As for the two spells Sun Shengshou had taught him, he had already crossed the threshold of the Bone Restoration Art.
It was not difficult!
The core of the technique lay in the mastery of gathering and dispersing earth-attribute energy at will.
He had actually mastered this long ago.
Back when he was preparing to cultivate Landslide, he had practiced the first-rank earth-attribute attack spell—the Mountain Art.
The Mountain Art contained the true intent of gathering sand into mountains.
That true intent happened to align perfectly with the Bone Restoration Art's principles of hardening earth into steel and dissolving earth into sand.
Hence, he had crossed the threshold swiftly.
The Viscera Restoration Art, on the other hand, had five techniques that required coordinating five different elemental spiritual powers, making it quite complex.
Fortunately, he possessed five-element spiritual roots.
Though he primarily cultivated wood spiritual power, his years of cultivation had accumulated substantial reserves of the other four elements as well.
Setting combat aside, using that spiritual power for mere medical spells was more than sufficient.
After a full day and night, he could adeptly perform the techniques for lung and liver restoration, which involved metal- and wood-attribute arts respectively.
Such swift progress was also thanks to his long-term practice of the Five Viscera Health-Preserving Fist, which gave him an intimate understanding of the human body's internal organs.
In the process of practicing spells and treating the wounded, the heavy gloom in Luo Chen's heart gradually calmed.
He even had the leisure to reflect on his aptitude for spells.
He truly possessed extraordinary talent!
With his deep foundation, he had already reached the point of comprehending all by analogy.
'If I cultivate a vast number of spells across all elements, building a solid foundation in every realm, will I reach the stage where understanding one art unlocks ten thousand arts once I attain higher realms?'
'Such attainment faintly shares the same principles as the Myriad Dao Confluence I created.'
'If that's truly the case, am I wasting my spellcasting talent by walking solely the path of fire magic?'
As he pondered, Luo Chen quickly rejected this whimsical notion.
Low-tier cultivators had short lifespans.
Spells were easy to learn, but difficult to master.
Even with the proficiency panel in hand, he still had to spend massive amounts of time practicing.
For instance, a powerful attack spell like Landslide was only second-rank, yet it had taken him over a decade to master.
Let alone top-tier third-rank or fourth-rank spells.
Taking a single path to its peak was already enough for him to look down upon his peers.
Greedily pursuing too many paths would only result in net loss.
Support spells like medical arts and the Spirit Eye Art were fine; one could dabble in them, and the more, the better. They would always produce unexpected effects at crucial moments.
Yet when it came to combat spells, biting off more than one could chew was a trap.
Moreover, his primary cultivation was wood-attribute, and his casting of fire spells was merely an advantage born of the five-element cycle where wood feeds fire.
To dabble in combat spells of the remaining three elements would leave his spiritual power supply overtaxed.
The results would never match the power of his wood and fire spells.
Therefore, whether viewed from the short term, the long term, or his foundational capabilities, none of it was currently sufficient to support his theory of cultivating all five elements simultaneously.
Having dispelled that notion, the intervals between the coughs beside him grew longer and longer.
Luo Chen withdrew his hand and looked at the young cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement before him, speaking gently:
"I have reset your lungs and left a strand of pure spiritual power to protect and nourish them."
"When you return, follow Sun Shengshou's prescription to brew Blood-Lung Soup. Drink it three times a day for five days, and you will be completely healed."
"Remember: avoid sitting for long periods, do not stay up late, and pause your cultivation for the time being."
Listening to his instructions, the eighth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator nodded repeatedly.
His youthful face was filled with reverence and admiration.
Suddenly, he spoke up.
"President, my name is Hua Zhang!"
Luo Chen was taken aback, then patted his shoulder with a smile.
"Alright, I'll remember your name. Go back and get some rest!"
Hua Zhang scrambled down from the cot, bowed deeply to Luo Chen, and slipped out of the Elixir Hall beneath the moonlight.
Only then did Luo Chen finally catch his breath.
Looking at the few remaining wounded in the hall, he let out a soft sigh.
Those who remained were all critically injured.
Following Sun Shengshou's emergency treatment, their conditions were temporarily stabilized. Yet full recovery would require a long time; it was not something that could be resolved in a day or two.
He walked out of the Elixir Hall and sat on the threshold, gazing up at the bright moon.
Having gone without rest for days, he should have been exhausted, yet he felt a strange sense of ease.
The dead were gone; the living carried on.
May peace abide both in heaven and on earth.
Beneath the moonlight, Sima Huiniang approached, treading on the silver beams.
"President, most of our allies have departed, but some have stayed behind."
Luo Chen stood up from the threshold, patting non-existent dust from his robes.
"Let's go."
"They are waiting for me."
Chapter 411