"Xiao Sanren, have you discerned Luo Chen's current condition?"
As Fu Jiusheng asked this, Madam You Sha's mutterings fell silent, and she turned nervously toward Xiao Sanren.
Not just the two of them—even Helian Yun, who had maintained a meek, genial demeanor all along, straightened his expression.
In truth, standing between them and sincere cooperation with Luo Chen—aside from the herbs and the alchemy itself—was another vital factor.
Strength!
If the disparity in power was too vast, this venture could easily turn into a monumental farce, sending sheep straight into a tiger's den.
Luo Chen's prowess in combat was especially notorious, which only deepened their wariness.
If he turned on them the moment the Nether Origin Pill was concocted, and the four of them working together proved unable to restrain him, all their efforts would come to naught.
Therefore, ever since they initially decided to seek Luo Chen's cooperation, their investigation of him had never ceased.
It had continued all the way to this very moment!
From the instant Luo Chen stepped into Lianyun Building, Xiao Sanren—a rogue cultivator with a formidable soul foundation and exceptional perceptive acuity—had been scrutinizing Luo Chen's state incessantly. It was to the extent that throughout the discussion of their partnership, he had barely spoken a word.
Facing their burning gazes now, Xiao Sanren exhaled a heavy breath of turbid air.
"I have indeed caught a glimpse of his reality."
"The rumors circulating outside are not false!"
"Luo Chen's current condition is indeed that of someone freshly recovered from grievous wounds, his vitality thin and faint. His seemingly formidable aura is nothing more than an embroidery over a blaze—a hollow, blazing facade."
"From what I observed, he certainly possesses skill; at the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment, he is not inferior to most experts of the ninth layer."
"However!"
"That is where it ends."
Madam You Sha looked skeptical. "Are you certain you didn't miss anything?"
Xiao Sanren smiled with supreme confidence. "Unless his ability to conceal his aura, his disguise arts, and his soul foundation all far surpass my own, few cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage could remain under my watch for an entire day without exposing their true depths!"
Hearing him say this, Madam You Sha felt somewhat reassured.
She had experienced Xiao Sanren's capabilities firsthand.
Even after suffering soul backlash, he had fought the Four Elders of Lian Cang all by himself, and despite taking a treacherous blow from her husband Ming Sha kicking him while he was down, he had still managed to slaughter all four elders.
It was precisely by claiming their legacies that Xiao Sanren had advanced rather than regressed, his cultivation growing ever more formidable.
Now, he stood a mere half-step from the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.
She was reassured, but Fu Jiusheng remained uneasy.
Those in the herb-gathering trade maintained vigilant caution at all times.
Even after successfully harvesting the herbs their employer needed and delivering them in person, they had to stay constantly on guard against anyone trailing their subsequent gathering routes.
This ingrained caution prompted him to press Xiao Sanren: "Luo Chen can only rival ninth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivators? Isn't that underestimating him too much? Keep in mind, two Golden Core Lords died at his hands. That is an achievement we Foundation Establishment True Cultivators could never hope to attain in our lifetimes!"
Xiao Sanren frowned, finding it difficult to rebut this point.
He could only state the truth: "At the very least, according to what I saw, that is how it stands."
Beside them, the Grand Elder of the Lianyun Merchant Alliance offered a deliberate explanation: "Actually, those two battles were not as miraculous as the rumors make them out to be."
"How so?"
"His first slaying of Di Wanyun was not Luo Chen's own doing at all. Instead, he employed a specific method under unique circumstances to trigger the millennia of accumulated heavenly thunder upon Mount Jilei's Ninth Peak, thereby obliterating Di Wanyun."
Fu Jiusheng blinked. If that were the case, it made sense.
A specific technique, paired with a specific location, bolstered by immense external power.
He was no stranger to such maneuvers; he had even pulled off similar feats himself.
Back when he had just broken through to the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment, he had lured a Rank 3 demon beast into a natural maze array deep in the mountains, grinding it to death bit by bit.
That remained a proud, indelible stroke in his gathering career!
"What about the second time?" he asked, still cautious.
The Grand Elder of Lianyun smiled faintly. "The second time was even simpler. Under the gaze of thousands, Luo Chen's methods were laid bare. He relied on a single-use treasure, the Immortal Thunder Bead, and was aided by two mid-stage Golden Core reinforcements before he managed to kill Qin Tairan."
Fu Jiusheng frowned. "From what I know, he clashed with Qin Tairan head-on, exchanging several bouts. His physique was said to be terrifyingly powerful, like a humanoid demon beast."
Regarding this, the Grand Elder did not argue.
Instead, he nodded in agreement. "That intelligence is indeed true. In fact, it is not just Luo Chen. Within his Luotian Association, both Blood Demon Wang Yuan and Tiankuizi Chu Kui specialize in the path of body refinement. Furthermore, many Qi Refinement cultivators in their Battle Hall cultivate body refinement as well. This seems connected to their mastery of several body-tempering spirit medicines and body refinement arts, which produced this cohort of powerful cultivators."
"However!"
"The path of body refinement has long fallen into decline. Before our magic artifacts, they are nothing more than meat on the chopping block. At least, I personally do not fear formidable body cultivators. Do you?"
Xiao Sanren gave an airy chuckle. "Naturally, I do not."
He had good reason for his confidence!
What did a tough physique matter?
It was nothing but a rigid shell. Before his soul secret techniques, it would prove as frail as a toddler learning to walk.
"Hehe, my late husband previously tempered his body with fiendish aura and reached Rank 2 Great Achievement. I have some experience dealing with such things," Madam You Sha said with an elegant smile, radiating sharp self-assurance.
Yet her confidence seemed to stem from more than mere familiarity with the path of body refinement.
Seeing that none of the three cared about Luo Chen's body refinement attainments, Fu Jiusheng felt a creeping sense of unease.
If it were merely a hard shell coupled with an immature mind, that would be one thing.
Yet judging by Luo Chen's performance today, he was far from a witless brute.
Did these three genuinely not care, or did they truly possess enough trump cards?
"Actually, do not let that Luo Chen deceive you."
Suddenly, Xiao Sanren spoke up in warning.
Seeing their confused looks, he gestured toward the floor near the doorway with his chin.
Puzzled, the three instinctively looked over.
The floor was smooth. There was nothing there!
Yet upon closer inspection, they noticed a slight anomaly.
The stone tiles appeared imperceptibly tilted.
"This is..." Madam You Sha said in bewilderment. "Grand Elder, is the floor of your Lianyun Building always this uneven?"
Helian Yun hesitated with doubt and instinctively asked, "Luo Chen did this?"
Xiao Sanren nodded heavily.
"Rumors proclaim that Luo Chen's attainment in spellcraft is extraordinary, no weaker than his alchemy. Previously, I took it for exaggerated praise, but now it seems he truly has some skill."
"Earlier, when he first stepped through the door and faced the aura pressure from the three of us, he appeared to stand his ground without yielding an inch, even matching all three of us single-handedly without falling into the slightest disadvantage."
"In reality, he couldn't quite bear it, leaving two faint footprints in the stone floor."
"However, with exquisite precision, he casually brushed his sleeve with a Cleansing Art and erased all traces of the footprints."
"That technique was utterly seamless, and he even used the motion as an excuse to flare up at us. Yet under my thorough observation, I still detected the traces."
"This Luo Chen is outwardly strong, but hollow within!"
*Hollow within?*
Those words echoed in their minds. Combined with Luo Chen's behavior today, more and more thoughts began to sprout and spread.
Seizing the initiative, domineering and overbearing.
Arrogant and self-assured, greedy yet seemingly laced with a touch of caution—even insisting they sign an essence blood contract.
Taken individually, these traits fit his renowned moniker as the "Foremost Fire Spirit Lord of Foundation Establishment" across the Jade Cauldron Domain.
Yet viewed as a whole, it felt jarring.
And the cause of that dissonance was that he was outwardly fierce, but inwardly frail!
"He used an overbearing stance to conceal his weakness, attempting to dominate this partnership!"
Once this thought became the consensus, many of their misgivings melted away.
If he was merely an expert within the Foundation Establishment realm, the four of them feared him neither in a one-on-one duel nor collectively.
Even if he was slightly stronger, their combined might would keep him in check.
Luo Chen's current condition was, in fact, ideal for them.
Moreover!
Everyone knew that when an alchemist concocted pills, the expenditure of spiritual power and mental focus was immense.
When concocting out in the wilderness without the aid of earth fire, he would have to rely solely on his Foundation Establishment True Fire.
Under such circumstances, Luo Chen's condition would plummet drastically.
He would pose even less of a threat.
Thus, only one final consideration remained.
As if seeking confirmation, Madam You Sha asked cautiously, "I gave the Nether Origin Pill recipe to Luo Chen. Could he use it as a foundation to deduce an alternative recipe and cast us aside to work alone?"
Fu Jiusheng answered her question.
"You worry too much."
"That is a Tier 3 pill recipe deduced to its peak from a sacred ground recipe by a Soul Formation mighty expert. Even ordinary third-rank alchemists cannot deduce it any further."
"Luo Chen is a mere second-rank alchemist. Being able to concoct it has already exceeded our expectations; how could he possibly advance it?"
Receiving a definitive reply, Madam You Sha let out a sigh of relief.
Her only bargaining chip was the pill recipe.
If they were cast aside, she would lose everything.
"What comes next, then?"
"We each attend to our own duties!"
"I will gather the necessary auxiliary materials for the Nether Origin Pill."
"I must enter secluded cultivation for a time to see if I can reach the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment before we set out."
"See you in nine years!"
***
Inside Abode Yi-17.
Luo Chen's eyes shone brightly. A massive water mirror stretched out before him, rippling with glistening light.
No concrete images appeared upon it.
With the grand array of Tianlan Immortal City active and countless cultivators present, the Water Mirror Art naturally could not be cast recklessly.
Yet upon its surface, four red dots flickered continuously.
One red dot left Tianlan Immortal City and flew toward the far east.
"That is Fu Jiusheng. He is already at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment and has no need to cultivate in seclusion, lacking only a Core Formation spiritual medicine. Still, he is flying toward the far east alone—could the Nine-Pattern Snake Saliva Fruit grow in that direction?"
Another red dot also departed Tianlan, though it did not travel far.
"That is Helian Yun. He is likely returning to Mount Lianyun, the seat of the Lianyun Merchant Alliance."
As the remaining two red dots moved, they drew closer to Luo Chen.
"They are right here on Tianlan Peak!"
"These two must be You Ruolan and Xiao Sanren. Are they trying to use the spiritual veins of Tianlan Peak to push their cultivation to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment within these nine years?"
Luo Chen murmured to himself.
If Helian Yun and the others saw this, they would be thoroughly horrified.
They had no inkling of when Luo Chen had tampered with them, let alone that he could track their movements.
This traced back to the gains from Luo Chen's years of secluded cultivation.
After achieving Great Perfection in the universal Tier 2 spell, the Water Mirror Art, it had developed a rare mutation:
Anyone marked by Luo Chen could be detected within a thousand li.
As for how to mark them?
The simplest method was naturally a spiritual sense imprint.
However, such an imprint was easily detected.
Therefore, drawing on his foundation, Luo Chen had developed an alternative marking technique.
The inspiration originated years ago from Mi Shuhua using both spiritual power and spiritual sense to monitor him.
The core of the technique came from Ling Yuzhi's legacy: Identifying People by Scent.
Luo Chen had refined and integrated it, turning it into Tracking by Pill Fragrance!
The very moment he stepped into Lianyun Building, pushed open that door, and withstood the pressure of the three cultivators head-on, Luo Chen had deployed this method.
That sweep of his sleeve was a stroke that struck three birds with one stone.
What a joke—how could his Desolate Ancient Tier 3 physique buckle under the mere aura pressure of three Foundation Establishment cultivators?
It was nothing more than an intentional show of weakness, deliberately sinking his feet into the floor before using a Cleansing Art to cover his tracks.
Next, he seized on the incident to take the offensive in dialogue, turning the tables and dictating the terms.
Finally, when his Cleansing Art swept away the footprints, he used his unique method to attach a trace of pill fragrance to all four of them.
It was entirely natural for an alchemist to carry the scent of pills.
Hence, none of them had paid it any mind.
And that was why Luo Chen could monitor their movements with the Water Mirror Art.
"A pity I have not refined this art further. If any of them use a few Cleansing Arts on themselves after returning, my mark will be erased."
With a quiet sigh, Luo Chen dispelled the Water Mirror Art.
For now, at least, he knew where they had gone.
Their dispersal also revealed that they were far from united.
Otherwise, they would have stayed at least one night in Lianyun Building together rather than parting ways immediately.
Knowing they were not of one mind made many things much easier for Luo Chen.
None of the four were weaklings; they were undeniably top-tier experts among the Foundation Establishment realm.
Even compared to true disciples of superior sects or Dao Children of great sects, they might lose in a direct duel, but in a fight to the death, the victor would be far from certain.
If all four joined hands against him, Luo Chen would find things genuinely troublesome.
Without the Immortal Thunder Bead, the means he could rely on were his Tier 3 physique, spiritual power and soul foundations comparable to a Great Perfection Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his formidable mastery of spells.
Combined, dominating the Foundation Establishment realm was no problem.
Yet considering the extreme conditions of concocting pills in the wilderness, it still felt insufficiently secure.
"Therefore, my subsequent preparations must focus on this."
"Enhance my combat methods and secure a few more trump cards to handle different scenarios."
"Study the Nether Origin Pill recipe! Not merely to master it, but if I can deduce a viable alternative and substitute the primary ingredients, I can completely cast them aside and refine it for myself."
"As for the Mount Tian Yang-Returning Water, I must request it from Ice Fort. It would be a disaster if they don't have it or refuse to grant it."
Of the three tasks, the last was the simplest.
The other two were far more tedious.
Fortunately, Luo Chen still had nine years, and he was not alone!
That night, after cultivating diligently in his training room, Luo Chen sent out voice transmissions the following morning.
Soon, cultivators of the Luotian Association began appearing at his cave abode in steady succession.
Chapter 439