Clouds follow dragons; winds follow tigers.
The convergence of wind and cloud was known as the gathering of the dragon and tiger, giving rise to an extraordinary celestial phenomenon. Such an anomaly typically manifested only when a Foundation Establishment cultivator broke through to the Golden Core stage.
None knew the exact principles behind it, though it was likely tied to the massive inversion of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy rushing into a single point. After all, when spiritual energy surged on such a colossal scale, it was only natural for the wind and clouds to stir in resonance.
At that moment atop Tianlan Peak, white clouds surged and winds whispered softly. The grand spectacle instantly drew the gazes of countless cultivators throughout Tianlan Immortal City.
Those at Qi Refining looked up in dread and awe.
Those at Foundation Establishment gazed in envy and yearning.
Meanwhile, the various Golden Core cultivators scattered across the city sent their divine senses sweeping toward the peak in curiosity.
"Which family's cultivator is forming their core?"
"An impressive display. His foundation in Foundation Establishment must have been forged quite solidly."
"Still, why choose to break through here on an artificial spirit vein in an immortal city rather than a Tier 3 spirit ground amidst great mountains and rivers? Does he not know that the spiritual energy of an artificial vein is bound and regulated by formations, making it ill-suited for charging into a major realm?"
"Perhaps he is just an impoverished rogue cultivator!"
"Hardly impoverished. Anyone capable of leasing a Tier 3 immortal's cave in the city is bound to be wealthy. In this old man's view, he simply lacks worldly experience!"
"Lack of experience or not, judging by this celestial display, his Core Formation is practically set in stone."
"Shall we pay a visit?"
"Better to wait. Even setting aside the several years needed to consolidate the realm once Core Formation succeeds, simply steadying one's current state takes three to five days. No rush, no rush!"
Amidst the chatter of transmitting divine senses, two figures suddenly tore through the air, ascending straight to the summit of Tianlan Peak.
When Haoranzi and Fairy Fengyue arrived, a figure had already been standing before the entrance of that immortal's cave for quite some time.
His hands were clasped behind his back, his spine straight as an unyielding mountain.
Long hair, streaked with gray and black, was bound behind his head, giving him the air of someone who had weathered life's vicissitudes.
When he turned around, a pair of clear, bright eyes immediately commanded their attention.
Deep as an abyss, yet bright enough to illuminate all things.
"Junior Luo Chen greets both seniors!"
Only when he spoke did Fairy Fengyue seem to take in his other features.
Neat brows, solemn eyes, serene and unruffled.
He wore a white robe with a green collar, patterned with faint ink bamboos swaying gently in the breeze. It was an elegant, understated style, yet for some reason, merely standing there, he gave off the indomitable presence of a primordial black tortoise holding fast in a mighty river, or a colossal reef rising unmovable from the sea!
Even when facing two Golden Core Masters at once, he remained neither servile nor haughty, his expression completely undisturbed.
Haoranzi smiled faintly. "Long time no see, Danchenzi. Your cultivation realm has climbed another level. Core Formation must be just around the corner for you."
The corners of Luo Chen's lips curved upward into a matching smile. "Senior's poise remains peerless, and your noble qi is even more profound than before. Nascent Soul must already be beckoning to you."
Haoranzi chuckled helplessly and shook his head.
This Luo Chen!
His courteous pleasantries were always so impeccably delivered.
Nascent Soul?
He was still far from it!
While the two conversed, Fairy Fengyue kept her gaze fixed on Luo Chen, inwardly astonished.
So the one charging into the Golden Core stage inside the cave was not Luo Chen, but someone else!
Even so, she could not help but marvel at the presence Luo Chen projected.
With such bearing, anyone who saw him out in the world would take him for a first-rate figure, like a true legacy Dao Child of a great sect.
Haoranzi's remark that "Core Formation is just around the corner" was truly no empty flattery. The ripples of spiritual power the young man gave off, though somewhat restrained, were readily apparent to her sharp eyes as being in no way inferior to an ordinary cultivator at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.
Such a figure would certainly attempt Core Formation within fifty years!
Fengyue sighed inwardly. Every opening war inevitably brought forth an array of figures shining as brightly as stars.
During the previous opening of Lianxia, geniuses like Master Yunhe and Fuxiangzi had emerged. At that time, they had been mere Golden Core cultivators, yet upon returning after the war, they had relied on the spoils of battle to step straight into the Nascent Soul stage.
If this Luo Chen could successfully form his core and join the opening war as a Golden Core cultivator, his future prospects would be...
"This senior possesses profound cultivation and an extraordinary air, looking like someone descended straight from the heavens, yet I have never seen you before. Presumably, you are not an esteemed master of our Jade Cauldron Domain. Would Senior Haoranzi be so kind as to introduce us?" Luo Chen suddenly remarked.
Haoranzi cast Luo Chen an appreciative glance and prepared to speak.
Yet to his surprise, Fairy Fengyue took the initiative to introduce herself.
"I am Fengyue, Pavilion Master of the Dan Ding Pavilion of Fenghua Palace!"
Luo Chen's brow twitched as he digested the information revealed in her brief words.
Fenghua Palace—a superior Nascent Soul sect that commanded an entire domain.
Even if they had not monopolized their domain as thoroughly as the Medicine King Sect, their long centuries of stewardship far exceeded latecomers like the Jade Cauldron and Divine Talisman sects.
Most importantly, the Jade Dew Pill was Fenghua Palace's most famous signature medicinal pill!
And this woman was the Pavilion Master of their Dan Ding Pavilion.
Beneath the faint feminine fragrance drifting from her body lay a scent of medicinal pills that Luo Chen knew better than anyone. It was not the scent of any single pill, but a peculiar aroma compounded from year upon year of refining countless varieties of pills.
Rich, mellow, and intoxicating.
Had Luo Chen not persistently used the Cleansing Art, the pill aroma clinging to him would have been even stronger.
Clearly, this woman had immersed herself deeply in the Dao of alchemy for a very long time.
"I heard that you are exceptionally skilled in refining Jade Dew Pills. Upon learning of this, I made a special trip here, wishing to exchange insights with you."
Thanks to Luo Chen's earlier compliments, Fairy Fengyue had discarded her previous aggressive posture.
Luo Chen's mind settled; he knew she had come for the Jade Dew Pills. Just as he began framing his words to consider how best to negotiate, he saw Haoranzi suddenly look up in shock toward the immortal's cave behind him.
Luo Chen froze.
A moment later, his expression changed drastically.
"How could this be!"
The wind roared abruptly like a bellowing dragon!
The clouds suddenly scattered like wisps of smoke!
What had been an inward rush of spiritual energy suddenly reversed, violently surging outward in all directions across Tianlan Peak.
Seeing this, Fairy Fengyue looked startled and uncertain. "Strange. It was clearly more than half complete, just one step shy of the end. Why did it turn out like this?"
Haoranzi let out a heavy sigh, full of regret. "What a pity. What a tragedy. He was just that one step away, only to fail on the very brink of success."
Luo Chen, who had maintained an entirely composed and steady facade until now, could not keep his face from darkening in the face of this disaster. He drew a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm.
"Forgive me, seniors. A mishap has occurred with my association member's Core Formation today; I fear I cannot properly host you. On another day, I will surely pay a personal visit."
He directed that last sentence straight to Fairy Fengyue.
After a moment's thought, Fairy Fengyue gave a slight nod. Haoranzi offered Luo Chen a few words of encouragement, and then the two departed.
Once they were gone, Luo Chen waved his broad sleeve. The cloud mist of the formation enveloping the Jia-3 Immortal's Cave parted, creating a path for him to stride inward.
***
"Why did it fail!"
"I... pfft..."
Luo Chen suppressed the anxiety in his heart and ceased his questioning.
Looking at Chu Kui, whose face was as pale as golden parchment while wild spiritual energy ran amok throughout his body, Luo Chen tapped his fingers in rapid succession.
Stream after stream of pure Qinghua spiritual energy poured into Chu Kui's body. Yet even after applying his medical arts for a time, he saw Chu Kui's condition only worsening, teetering on the verge of breathing his last.
"No good!"
"It cannot be dammed, and it cannot be smoothed over. It must be vented!"
Frowning, Luo Chen made a decisive choice and retrieved a dusty, nondescript pill from his storage bag.
"Swallow this!"
Chu Kui stared blearily at the pill, a trace of hesitation in his eyes.
Luo Chen urged him urgently, "Take this Spirit Dispersion Pill! If your cultivation is lost, you can cultivate it back. If your life is lost, a lifetime of effort goes down the drain!"
Chu Kui smiled bitterly.
If his cultivation was gone, would that not also mean everything had gone down the drain?
Seeing him still hesitate, Luo Chen could not help but growl, "Where there's life, there's hope! As long as I am here, as long as the Luotian Association stands, with a century of lifespan remaining, you will still have a chance at Core Formation!"
Chu Kui looked deeply at Luo Chen, then opened his mouth.
The Tier 3 Spirit Dispersion Pill entered his body.
Its medicinal power surged instantly.
A muffled popping sound broke out across Chu Kui's body, like a water-filled bladder being pierced with tiny holes. The wildly violent spiritual energy within him followed these vents, pouring relentlessly out of his body.
At the same time, the pure spiritual power he had cultivated through decades of bitter effort drained away with it. His cultivation realm showed signs of outright collapse.
The massive discharge of spiritual energy whipped up a fierce gale in the cultivation chamber.
The howling wind snapped Luo Chen's sleeves and sent his gray-streaked hair fluttering wildly.
Luo Chen did not stand by idly.
Item after item was drawn from his storage bag.
Barrier Stabilizing Talismans!
The sea of qi could be breached, but it could not be destroyed. No matter how wildly the river waters raged, the riverbed had to be preserved.
Mind Cleansing Incense!
To dispel stray thoughts and preserve one's original heart. Failure was not terrifying; what was terrifying was being crushed by failure until the mind collapsed. A cultivator who failed to break through had to maintain an unyielding will at this critical juncture.
Once the censer was lit, Luo Chen's hands tapped out again in rapid succession.
The Great Perfection Healing Art, mending flesh and skin.
The Five Elements Viscera-Restoring Art, protecting the internal organs.
The Spring Breeze and Rain Incantation, repairing the damaged meridians.
***
Under Luo Chen's ceaseless efforts, three days and three nights passed.
Chu Kui's condition finally stabilized.
Though he remained as weak as someone on his deathbed, his foundation had ultimately been preserved.
"Ninth level of Foundation Establishment... Chu Kui, I did everything I could!"
Chu Kui took stock of his body. The rounded, seamless state of the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment was gone; now, only the level of a newly entered ninth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator remained.
The condition inside his body was even more dire. In particular, the thirty-six spirit beads he had previously condensed were entirely gone—not a single one remained.
Tragic as it was, it had nevertheless preserved a glimmer of hope.
His lips twitched as he forced out two words. "Thank you!"
Looking at Chu Kui sitting dejectedly with his head bowed, Luo Chen finally could not hold back.
"Why did this happen? Could you not take that final step across the threshold?"
Chu Kui said faintly, "Forming the core was difficult, but I had actually weathered it. The final failure was caused by a chronic affliction."
"A chronic affliction?"
Luo Chen was baffled.
Chu Kui sighed. Before Luo Chen's eyes, he opened his mouth and spat out a golden core.
It was not a core he had formed himself, but the Golden Core of another cultivator that he had relied on as a lethal trump card throughout his Foundation Establishment days.
"This..."
Luo Chen could hardly believe it. Had Chu Kui's Core Formation failed because of this thing?
In low spirits, Chu Kui recounted the origins of this Golden Core.
He had been blessed with great fortune. Back in his Qi Refining days, he had joined forces with others to explore an ancient cultivator's cave, obtaining a substantial bounty of resources. The most precious among those treasures had been this Golden Core, preserved through a secret technique.
Using a secret art, he could drive this core to battle enemies.
His journey had not been smooth. Before meeting Luo Chen, he had weathered several life-or-death crises. Every time, he had relied on this Golden Core trump card to turn danger into safety and cheat death.
Yet the more he used it, the pure magic power lingering within the core had unknowingly seeped into his own spiritual power.
"Back then, I merely thought my spiritual power was abundant and purer than my peers', and that my combat strength was naturally formidable."
"Little did I know that the seeds of disaster had long been sown!"
"No matter how well the magic power left by a predecessor merges with my spiritual energy, it is not something I cultivated myself through bitter effort!"
Chu Kui let out a long sigh.
The lethal weapon he had once relied upon had nearly killed him instead.
What an absurd irony.
Seeing that Luo Chen was still brooding over it, Chu Kui shook his head.
"As for the Locking Bead Curtain secret art, I have already tested it. It is indeed remarkably effective during Core Formation. Merging the thirty-six spirit beads into one under the control of the primary soul allows one to form a golden core seed."
"In fact, that golden core seed inherently possesses the characteristics of true magic power."
"Had I succeeded, the moment I formed the core, I would have bypassed the initial threshold entirely and become a first-layer Golden Core cultivator."
This was immediately after his failed breakthrough, so every insight and experience from the Core Formation process was still vivid in his memory.
As he recounted it in detail, Luo Chen gained a clearer understanding of each step of using Locking Bead Curtain during Core Formation. It felt as though he had personally undergone an attempt at Core Formation himself.
After a long time, seeing the deep weariness etched into Chu Kui's brow, Luo Chen took the initiative to halt the discussion.
"Rest for now!"
"We will speak of future matters another time."
Watching Luo Chen's retreating back, Chu Kui parted his lips, but in the end, only a despondent sigh escaped.
This outcome was bitterly disappointing.
Not only was he disappointed in himself, but he had also disappointed Luo Chen, and disappointed the Luotian Association.
A grand era was unfolding, and the Luotian Association desperately needed a Golden Core cultivator to hold the fort. Had he succeeded, the situation would have been completely different.
What a pity...
"Do I still have another chance?"
Muttering under his breath, the burly man curled his body up and sank into a deep sleep.
***
His meeting with Fairy Fengyue took place on the seventh day.
It was held inside the Danxia Hall of the Luotian Association.
There were no outsiders present—only Luo Chen and Fairy Fengyue.
Luo Chen had originally promised to pay a personal visit, but she had grown impatient and came knocking on her own. Thus, Luo Chen had arranged to meet her at Danxia Hall on Central Avenue.
In the quiet chamber, Fairy Fengyue turned a Jade Dew Pill over in her hands, the expression on her face shifting repeatedly.
After a long silence, she gently set it down, her eyes filled with marvel.
"I considered my alchemical attainment in concocting this Tier 2 Jade Dew Pill to be consummate. Yet compared to yours, it is like comparing the light of a candle to the radiant moon!"
Luo Chen set down his teacup. "Master flatters me."
The woman shook her head, speaking without reservation. "It is by no means flattery! Though this Jade Dew Pill is top grade, the purity of its medicinal power is infinitely close to supreme grade. It even gives me the impression that you still held back, that you could entirely refine supreme-grade Jade Dew Pills if you wished."
The corner of Luo Chen's mouth stiffened slightly.
Her alchemical skills might not surpass his, but her discernment and vision were truly extraordinary!
Indeed, his mastery over refining Jade Dew Pills had long reached the absolute pinnacle. Even at the top grade, its purity bordered on supreme grade. The potency of its medicinal power was staggering!
After Ice Fort suffered heavy casualties on the Great Snow Mountain, its juniors had entered closed-door seclusion one after another to charge into the Golden Core stage. It looked tragic, yet the fact that they possessed so many juniors qualified to attempt Core Formation was remarkable in itself.
In this, the vast quantities of top-grade Jade Dew Pills Luo Chen had supplied over the years had played a decisive role!
Any other sect would have been hard-pressed to assemble a lineup of at least five people simultaneously entering secluded death-seclusion to attempt Core Formation.
From this alone, the potency of the top-grade Jade Dew Pill was evident!
As for supreme-grade Jade Dew Pills, he currently achieved a success rate of twenty percent. The reason he did not refine them on a large scale was not because they were inferior, but because top-grade pills were far more cost-effective—and relatively less likely to incite greed.
Yet, that was only relative.
Having confirmed Luo Chen's alchemical attainments, Fengyue brought the conversation back to the crux of the matter.
"A word of advice: do not sell Jade Dew Pills externally."
Luo Chen hummed in acknowledgment. "Aside from Ice Fort, I never sell them to outsiders."
"No, you misunderstand me." Fairy Fengyue shook her head.
Under Luo Chen's gaze, she said slowly, "What I mean is, even after your cooperation agreement with Ice Fort ends, you are forbidden from selling them externally."
Luo Chen's brow twitched as he stared intently at her. "Master, is that not somewhat too overbearing?"
"Is it not only natural for my Fenghua Palace to be overbearing?"
With those words, the atmosphere turned icy.
Fairy Fengyue said nothing more, merely caressing the Jade Dew Pill Luo Chen had produced earlier, as though examining something fascinating.
After a long pause, Luo Chen slowly nodded.
"Junior understands."
Fairy Fengyue looked at him approvingly. "Very good. You truly know when to advance and when to retreat."
Luo Chen forced a smile, taking the initiative to steer away from the uncomfortable topic. Instead, he raised another question.
"A secret art to purge foreign magic power?"
"Indeed. A few days ago, my subordinate's breakthrough to the Golden Core stage failed primarily because in his early years, he relied on a Golden Core left behind by a Golden Core cultivator, becoming tainted with another's magic power. In the end, it caused his efforts to collapse right at the threshold. I wonder if Master might have any guidance on this matter?"
Perhaps because Luo Chen had shown tact earlier, Fairy Fengyue's attitude was relatively pleasant.
She considered it and said, "My Fenghua Palace possesses no such secret art. In truth, most sects would never bother researching such a thing. After all, no fool would bind someone else's magic power so deeply to themselves."
Was Chu Kui a fool?
Well, judging by the outcome, he certainly was.
Yet looking at the journey, without that trump card, how could he have survived to this day?
Right and wrong were hard to parse now. The crucial issue was how to solve the problem.
"Perhaps you could try reaching out to cultivators of the Five Elements Divine Sect in the future."
"The Five Elements Divine Sect?"
"Yes!" Fairy Fengyue curled her lip. "That sect loves nothing more than researching all manner of bizarre spells, and the spiritual energy and magic power cultivated by their members are extraordinarily mixed. They must have encountered similar situations before. You will not go wrong seeking them out."
"Of course, if even they have nothing, then I am afraid I cannot help you."
At this point, Fairy Fengyue suddenly grew interested.
"Seeing you making your way alone in the cultivation world, it cannot be easy. Would you be interested in joining my Fenghua Palace as a guest elder?"
Luo Chen was taken aback.
Faced with her invitation, Luo Chen ultimately declined politely on the grounds that he was already a guest elder of Ice Fort.
Fenghua Palace was not the only party that valued his alchemical skills. Over the years, no fewer than five sects had extended olive branches to him. Among them were superior Nascent Soul sects just like Fenghua Palace.
Yet Luo Chen had turned them all down.
The greater the sect, the more complex its internal politics. His dealings with Ice Fort had already felt like walking on thin ice. Had Master Canglong not treated him with considerable favor, who knew how many troublesome affairs would have found their way to his doorstep?
If he rashly joined another sect, Luo Chen truly had no appetite to exchange hypocritical pleasantries with yet another crowd.
Fairy Fengyue did not mind Luo Chen's polite refusal. She merely appreciated his alchemy. Fenghua Palace commanded an entire domain; while it was not primarily an alchemical sect, after generations of nurturing talent, it did not lack an alchemist or two. They might not make massive profits selling pills externally, but they could easily achieve self-sufficiency for internal consumption.
"Very well. The matter here is concluded, so I shall take my leave."
"Remember my advice!"
Luo Chen personally escorted her to the main entrance.
His expression remained tranquil as an ancient well, yet his lips were pressed somewhat tight.
Advice?
A warning, more like!
The Fenghua Domain was vast distances away from the Jade Cauldron Domain, separated by several major domains. Across such an immense expanse, they still dared to come here and throw their weight around.
Such was the arrogance of a superior Nascent Soul sect!
Or perhaps it was sheer contempt for the local master, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.
Recalling how Master Yunhe had visited the Hundred Blossoms Palace first rather than the Sword Sect upon arriving in the Jade Cauldron Domain, it was obvious that superior sects from external domains held the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect in little regard. The Sword Sect's decision to hold the Jade Sovereign Sword Debate in a few years was likely intended to flex their muscles and command respect.
Footsteps sounded behind him.
Without turning around, Luo Chen knew who had arrived.
"Association Master, that Master is not easy to deal with!"
"Yes. I put you through a lot these past days."
Gu Caiyi smoothed her hair and looked at Luo Chen's back. Though he stood tall with a straight spine, she felt as though a mountain were pressing down upon him.
Her man bore too many gazes and too much pressure. So much so that she hesitated over the matters she had come to report.
"Is something the matter?"
Though she had said nothing, Luo Chen sensed her hesitation.
Gu Caiyi gave a wry smile and pulled out a stack of invitations.
"Master Tao Wan of Azure Pill Valley has emerged from seclusion and is holding a Core Formation Grand Ceremony. She has invited you to attend."
"Tantai Jin of Ice Fort was discovered half a month ago to have failed her attempt at the Golden Core stage, dying silently inside her immortal's cave. The Jueqing lineage is holding a funeral for her, and Sima Huiniang asks whether we should send someone to pay our respects."
"In addition, several Foundation Establishment factions on good terms with us wish to invite you for a small gathering. These are recent calling cards."
Listening to these matters, Luo Chen pressed his lips together.
He raised his head to look at the sky.
Some stepped onto the Grand Dao of the Golden Core, while others perished halfway along the journey. Petty characters grew fearful of the Luotian Association producing a Golden Core cultivator, while a mighty figure could sever Luo Chen's future avenue of expanding his wealth through Jade Dew Pills with a single word.
Such circumstances truly brought a tumult of mixed emotions to his chest.
"You are more familiar with Ice Fort. Go there personally to offer condolences on my behalf."
"As for Azure Pill Valley, have Huiniang make the trip. In her capacity as President of the Luotian Association, have her present a generous gift to congratulate Daoist... Sect Leader Tao Wan on achieving the Golden Core."
"As for the other invitations, decline every one of them."
"If anyone asks, say that my dear friend Chu Kui's life hangs by a thread, and that I cannot leave because I must treat him."
Gu Caiyi readily agreed, noting down each of Luo Chen's instructions in her heart.
Just as she opened her mouth to say something more, Luo Chen had already stepped through the entrance, striding steadily toward Tianlan Peak.
A transmitted voice lingered by her ear.
"For the next twenty years, you and Huiniang will handle the affairs of the Luotian Association as you see fit. There is no need to seek my counsel."
Was he washing his hands of everything?
Gu Caiyi's expression shifted slightly. Looking at Luo Chen's distant, receding back, she bit her red lips.
Her man was preparing to enter secluded death-seclusion!
***
A short while later, Luo Chen returned to Jia-3 Immortal's Cave atop Tianlan Peak.
Chu Kui had already moved back to his original Tier 2 cave dwelling, leaving this Tier 3 immortal's cave for Luo Chen's use. In truth, this cave had originally been prepared by Luo Chen for his own cultivation once he reached the ninth level of Foundation Establishment.
The moment he returned, Luo Chen took out the Locking Bead Curtain secret art.
"Core Formation... Core Formation is the only way!"
As he muttered to himself, a blazing fire seemed to ignite within his frost-cold eyes.
Without forming a Golden Core, all would ultimately be vanity!
Chapter 454