Once it was decided that they would become dao companions at the Core Formation Grand Ceremony, the preparations grew all the more demanding.
Though the two women were bound to be busier, their spirits were extraordinarily high.
Over the years, there had been much talk both within the Luotian Association and around Tianlan Immortal City regarding their relationship with Luo Chen. Rogue cultivators in particular delighted in discussing it, constantly bringing it up as gossip over tea and wine. Some meddlers even claimed that Murong Qinglian, the former hall master of the Luotian Association's Merit Hall, had moved far away immediately following her husband's death precisely to avoid suspicion.
Naturally, no one gave heed to such idle whispers. Luo Chen possessed such renown that having one or two beauties by his side was merely icing on the cake; what was there to envy? It was nothing more than wistful admiration.
Now that the two women would receive official recognition, it made little difference to outsiders, but for them, it was the paramount event of their lives.
This was especially true for Sima Huiniang. In earlier years, because of her closeness to Luo Chen, her leadership of the Luotian Association had faced no shortage of private questioning. Even though she had later suppressed all doubts through her proven capability, it had always remained an awkward spot. Now that Luo Chen was a distinguished Golden Core Master, formally acknowledging Huiniang's status meant no one could dismiss it as nepotism. They would only assume that Luo Chen, focusing on his cultivation, had entrusted sect affairs to an exceptionally capable and intimately trusted dao companion. In the cultivation world, such arrangements were common practice.
The two women were busy, but only up to a point. Over the years, the Luotian Association had expanded greatly, and a wealth of talent had emerged alongside it. Setting others aside, both women had trusted confidantes they had nurtured themselves.
Sima Huiniang had taken three disciples; her eldest, Yao Mingyue, had already achieved Foundation Establishment and routinely helped manage day-to-day administrative trifles.
Gu Caiyi was on close terms with Yuan Xiaoyue. Back when Gu Caiyi's Foundation Establishment had failed, it was Yuan Xiaoyue who, as a ninth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, had overseen the Gold Hall on her behalf. Later, after Gu Caiyi succeeded in establishing her foundation, she had expended substantial resources to forcibly elevate Yuan Xiaoyue to the Foundation Establishment stage as well. Naturally, Yuan Xiaoyue was deeply grateful. In recent years, Gu Caiyi traveled abroad less and less; most external business was handled by Yuan Xiaoyue under the caravan's protection.
With capable assistance, the preparations for the Core Formation Grand Ceremony progressed in an orderly fashion. Invitations had begun being dispatched as early as a year ago.
Luo Chen was not idle either. After leaving the Luotian Main Hall, he did not depart Danxia Peak, heading instead toward the Scripture Transmission Hall.
***
"You're here."
"Yes."
"Congratulations on forming your core."
"Heh, didn't you already congratulate me once before, Brother Wang?"
Even though he did not care much for such formalities, hearing Luo Chen address him in private as "Brother Wang" just as he always had brought a warm glow to Wang Yuan's heart. He shook his head slightly. "Words spoken before the crowd are rather different from congratulations offered in private."
Luo Chen smiled. Accompanied by Wang Yuan, he entered the Library Pavilion.
He did not head straight up to the higher floors. Instead, Luo Chen began from the ground floor, ascending slowly step by step. As he walked, he periodically produced manuals and records from his Thunder Accumulation Ring. Some were cultivation methods and secret records, others observations and anecdotes of the cultivation world, and others still secret arts. Most were paper volumes; bamboo slips and jade slips were the minority, alongside a fair number transcribed on beast hides and silk scrolls.
First floor: *Carefree Wander*, *Mountain-Cleaving Stele-Shattering Palm*, *Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers*, *A Century of Observations in Lianxia and Jade Cauldron*, *Detailed Account of Factions in the Eastern Desolation's Thirty-Six Domains*...
Second floor: *Eternal Spring Art*, *Blazing Flame Art*, *Wutu Art*, *Flying Fireflies*, *Entanglement Art*, *Black Prison Flame-Suppressing Art*...
Third floor: *Wood King Scripture* (an alias for the complete Foundation Establishment chapter of the *Yimu Medicine King Scripture*), *Ding Fire Single Qi Method*, *Green Sun Art*, *Pavilion of Waters*, *Blazing Sun Art*, *Landslide*, *Flower Fairy*...
When Luo Chen reached the fourth floor and looked upon the sparsely populated bookshelves, he sighed softly.
From the moment Luo Chen began pulling out manual after manual and scroll after scroll of secret arts, Wang Yuan had understood his intention. Having achieved his breakthrough, the low-tier techniques Luo Chen had amassed over the years were no longer of any use to him. Keeping them on his person was mere baggage. It was far better to contribute them all to enrich the collection of the Luotian Sect's Library Pavilion. Dissolving the association to establish the sect would take place soon. Before then, establishing the sect's heritage was a matter of utmost importance—even surpassing many other affairs.
The only book Luo Chen had kept back was *Records of Customs in the Six Domains*, which Wang Yuan had gifted him free of charge all those years ago. It had no great practical value, but it held sentimental worth.
Hearing Luo Chen sigh, Wang Yuan understood his thoughts.
"Formidable as you are, and as hard as everyone has worked, the Luotian Association has existed for less than a century. It is only natural that our foundation is shallow. There is no need to sigh over it."
Luo Chen nodded. His gaze rested on the few incomplete Tier 3 techniques resting on the shelves, and his eyes lingered there. Meeting Wang Yuan's curious glance, he reached into his storage ring once more to produce manuals.
"From this day forth, the Luotian Association will not lack Tier 3 cultivation methods and secret arts."
*Huaqing One Heart Art*.
*Flaming Sun True Scripture*.
He did not bring out the *Burning Wood True Art*, his primary cultivation method. That technique was still incomplete, and he had only barely reached the Practiced level with it; offering it to others would do them harm rather than good. Furthermore, he had to guard against someone deducing flaws in his art and using them against him.
After placing down the two complete Tier 3 techniques, Luo Chen did not stop. Instead, he placed the complete water-element and wood-element Tier 3 manuals from Helian Yun's legacy onto the shelf as well. With this, among the five elements, aside from metal, the Luotian Sect now possessed corresponding complete Tier 3 methods across the wood, water, fire, and earth elements.
In the future, whether it was older Foundation Establishment True Cultivators like Duan Feng switching to Tier 3 methods after forming their cores, or the younger generation selecting their natal cultivation methods upon reaching Foundation Establishment, there would be a solid heritage to rely on.
This was especially true for the younger cultivators! They would no longer need to waste time and energy transitioning between natal methods at every stage as Luo Chen and Duan Feng had. Instead, upon reaching Foundation Establishment—or even during Qi Refinement—they could directly cultivate the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment chapters corresponding to a complete Tier 3 method.
These methods might not be profoundly esoteric and could not compare to the heritage arts of Nascent Soul sects, but they were still techniques used by grand Golden Core sects for their lineages; their subtleties were well worth speaking of.
Seeing Luo Chen complete Tier 3 methods for four elements, Wang Yuan nodded in admiration. In these years, not only had Luo Chen's cultivation soared ahead of his own, but his wealth and gains had also far exceeded anything he could have imagined.
Seeing Luo Chen reach into his storage ring yet again, Wang Yuan asked in astonishment, "There's more?"
Yet this time, what Luo Chen brought out was not placed onto the shelf.
"I heard Zeng Wen's son, Zeng Yilong, inherited your mantle, and like you did in the past, achieved Foundation Establishment first before focusing on body tempering?"
Wang Yuan nodded. That was a path he considered viable in an era where body-tempering cultivators had fallen into decline.
"Then how is your current realm, Brother Wang?"
Wang Yuan did not hide anything, answering honestly, "Thirty years ago, I had already reached grand attainment in Transformative Jin. After the battle against the Yan Alliance, I grasped some of the mysteries of Dan Jin. Through thirty years of research and cultivation, I have now begun attempting the method of Embracing the Dan."
The path of body tempering seemed simple and clear, exploring the fundamental nature of the human body. In truth, it was vast and profound; those without sufficient talent were often trapped in a single realm for life. Even with Wang Yuan's exceptional talent, having forged his own techniques at every stage like a grandmaster of an entire school, his lifespan had long surpassed the hundred-and-twenty-year limit of a Qi Refinement cultivator. Had he not chosen to achieve Foundation Establishment first back then, he would likely have already succumbed to old age and passed away.
From what Luo Chen knew, the earlier stages of the second realm of body tempering were manageable. But the final four sub-stages—Ming, An, Hua, and Dan—grew progressively more difficult, and unlike Luo Chen's immortal cultivation, there was no established method to follow. For Wang Yuan to have relied entirely on himself to reach the final step of Dan Jin grand attainment and even seek the method of Embracing the Dan was truly admirable!
Luo Chen handed the inscribed jade slip in his hand to Wang Yuan.
"This is... *Convergence of Myriad Paths*? Didn't you already give me a copy before?" Wang Yuan asked in confusion.
Luo Chen smiled. "This copy is different. It is *Convergence of Myriad Paths*, perfected during my seclusion. While its utilization of vitality is relatively crude, it has much to offer when it comes to tempering the physical body. Perhaps it can serve as a stone from another mountain to polish your own jade."
Wang Yuan was startled. The earlier version of *Convergence of Myriad Paths* was already extraordinary; could it truly be improved further?
He probed into it with his divine sense and skimmed through it quickly, identifying several major sections that had been refined. They were the Blood Cleansing Chapter, the Bone Tempering Chapter, and the Carapace Transformation Chapter. In addition, within the Meridian Opening and Aperture Opening chapters, one or two methods had been added on top of what he had originally proposed.
As Wang Yuan browsed, Luo Chen explained earnestly, "My physique reached an unconventional Tier 3 of body tempering early on, but I had been unable to make further progress, for reasons you should understand. Now that I have perfected this method, I have a path to follow. Once I achieve grand attainment in nine blood cleansings and bone tempering, and manifest my natal scales, my body-tempering realm may well elevate to a level comparable to an ancient Tier 4 desolate beast."
Wang Yuan listened quietly. He voiced no objection, but rather compared the words to the cultivation methods recorded in the jade slip and nodded in agreement.
Indeed! If one completed nine blood cleansings to grand attainment and then tempered all the bones in the body, one could return to simplicity and step onto the cultivation system of ancient desolate beasts. And manifesting natal scales? That drew upon the principles of a roc's natal true feathers and the reverse scales of serpents, pythons, and flood dragons.
However! He shook his head. "I may be able to draw some reference from the physical body tempering, but for my current stage of Embracing the Great Dan and generating True Gang, it holds little use."
After comprehending all changes of vitality, a body-tempering cultivator's third realm required taking the path of gang qi. Once gang qi was achieved, its power was no less formidable than a Golden Core cultivator's dharmic power. That was precisely why a body-tempering cultivator's lifespan surged dramatically upon stepping into the third realm.
Wang Yuan assumed Luo Chen did not understand this principle, unaware that Luo Chen had come prepared.
"Giving you this copy of *Convergence of Myriad Paths* was only for your reference, but mainly so you could refine and trim it to teach Zeng Yilong properly."
Wang Yuan paused.
Then Luo Chen continued, "As for your martial path of Embracing the Dan to generate gang qi, in my view, it shares an underlying principle with a cultivator forming a golden core. Martial Dan-embracing is about fusing vitality and willpower into one to give birth to indestructible gang qi. Immortal Core Formation is about fusing spiritual energy and divine soul to produce boundless dharmic power. The two differ in essence, but their forms bear resemblance."
With that, another jade slip was pressed into Wang Yuan's hand.
"This is...?"
"My own creation, a Supreme Core Formation Method—the *Micromote Origin Art*."
In an instant, the usually unflappable Wang Yuan's eyes widened. Staring intently at the jade slip in his hand, he swallowed hard, his expression full of disbelief.
"A... Supreme Core Formation secret art?"
In the cultivation world, even an ordinary Lower Core Formation secret art fetched an enormous price at auction. If it were an Upper Core Formation secret art, rogue cultivators would fight, gamble, and slaughter for it with their lives! Yet now, Luo Chen had created a Supreme Core Formation secret art of his own? If word of this leaked out, wouldn't it send shockwaves through the entire cultivation world?
"Given my aptitude, ordinary Core Formation secret arts could not elevate my realm," Luo Chen said. "Therefore, I drew upon the strengths of various schools and, emulating the creation of *Convergence of Myriad Paths*, devised this supreme secret art myself. With it as my foundation, I successfully formed my core. Its efficacy is beyond doubt!"
Speaking up to this point, Luo Chen radiated intense confidence.
From Wang Yuan's perspective, that confidence felt remarkably familiar. In the past and even now, a similar air resided within himself. Holding two jade slips—both techniques created by Luo Chen—alongside the assorted Tier 3 manuals on the shelves, Wang Yuan finally understood what that demeanor was.
The bearing of a grandmaster!
Synthesizing all one had learned to pioneer a path of one's own, founding a sect and opening a mountain—that was a grandmaster of an entire lineage!
Unbeknownst to anyone, the tiny rogue cultivator who had once set up a street stall selling aphrodisiacs had reached the heights of a grandmaster of his generation, even leaving his older brother behind in his dust. The vicissitudes of life were truly unpredictable, catching one completely off guard.
Naturally, Luo Chen had no intention of boasting before a friend. He quickly added, "However, this secret art was tailored primarily for myself. The prerequisites and restrictions to cultivate it are far too numerous."
Wang Yuan could not help but nod. A cursory glance just now had revealed terrifying cultivation requirements:
*Those lacking a formidable physique may not cultivate this.*
*Those lacking a powerful divine soul may not cultivate this.*
*Those without a Tier 3 great pill may not cultivate this.*
*Those without an unshakeable foundation may not...*
All manner of restrictions—it was simply not designed for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Aside from Golden Core cultivators, how many could meet all these criteria? Yet what use did a cultivator who had already formed their core have for this? Thus, while the *Micromote Origin Art* was a supreme method, it was practically useless to anyone else.
Of course, he had not had the time to examine it thoroughly. Perhaps there was knowledge within he could glean.
In truth, that was precisely Luo Chen's intention. The *Micromote Origin Art* was a synthesis of five Core Formation secret arts, among which *Breaking Free from the Cage*, the *Hunyuan Method*, and *Calming the Waves* all drew from the path of body tempering. *Calming the Waves*, in particular, was a secret art for tempering willpower. If Wang Yuan could comprehend the essence within, he would surely gain immensely!
Once Luo Chen explained these principles, Wang Yuan's anticipation grew.
"Of course, if you have the time, Brother Wang, you might simplify it. Even if its grade is reduced to an Upper or Middle method, it would still be a great blessing for the Luotian Sect."
Wang Yuan nodded. This supreme method was simply unusable by ordinary people. But if the complexities were pruned and it was refined down to an Upper or Middle method, it could be made accessible to ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivators of the Luotian Sect. That way, the Luotian Sect would have its very own Core Formation secret art!
Perhaps in a century or two, the Luotian Sect would naturally produce Golden Core cultivators of its own.
Cultivating their own methods, practicing their own arts.
That vision seemed to flow through both their hearts.
Suddenly, Wang Yuan shook his head vigorously, as if trying to fling something from his thoughts. Under Luo Chen's puzzled gaze, he asked soberly, "Luo Chen, have you gotten sucked in?"
Luo Chen blinked, not understanding what he meant. Gotten sucked in?
Yet when he followed Wang Yuan's searching gaze and looked at the scenery descending from the fourth floor down to the first, understanding dawned. Sucked into the desire for power?
When they had first left Dahe Mill, Wang Yuan had cautioned him about this very thing. Establishing a faction was fine, and using it to gather cultivation resources was normal, but one must never become engrossed in it. Cultivators of their generation chased longevity. Everything else was vanity!
Yet times had changed!
Luo Chen gave a bitter smile. "It's not that I've gotten sucked in; it's simply that people change. These people fought alongside me all the way, giving everything they had. Am I supposed to ignore them?"
Wang Yuan understood, but could not agree.
"Ties and attachments, friends and loved ones... within the bounds of my ability, I must do something, leave something behind."
Wang Yuan frowned. This was precisely what he disliked most. It was because of such ties and attachments that Luo Chen had harbored a thirst for vengeance and charged into Incense Valley years ago. Without them, even if the Yan Alliance were powerful, he could have fled far away to cultivate in seclusion, returning to take revenge centuries later once his cultivation had matured.
"In truth, it is not just that I have changed; everyone changes."
Suddenly, Luo Chen fixed his gaze on Wang Yuan.
"If I were besieged by formidable enemies and on the verge of dying before your eyes, what would you do?
"If your disciple Zeng Yilong were imprisoned and in peril, would you sit by and do nothing?"
Wang Yuan was rendered speechless.
After a moment, he said hesitantly, "Within the bounds of my ability, I would act."
Luo Chen smiled and waved his hand. "You pondered, you hesitated, you wavered. This shows that if such a thing truly happened, you would follow your instincts, and based on what I know of you, your choice would be to help us."
The man opposite him showed a hint of confusion. Had he changed as well?
Luo Chen's words continued. Perhaps because of his many years in seclusion, the long-shut chatterbox within him had opened wide.
"We chase longevity, seeking immortality. What is an immortal? Merely a person beside a mountain. Noble disciples of great sects have spiritual mountains and grand rivers to lean upon, but what of rogue cultivators like us? In this cruel cultivation world, a lone rogue cultivator is nothing more than duckweed and an ant, drifting with the currents. Never mind a spiritual mountain; even a foothold to plant an awl is hard to find. Banding together for warmth, learning from and teaching one another—that is the proper path.
"Of course, this is merely my own partial view. After all, I have poured immense effort into the Luotian Association; giving it up lightly is something I can no longer do."
Wang Yuan gave a soft hum and no longer pressed to correct Luo Chen's mindset. Everyone's pursuits differed, and even with the same pursuit, their ways of chasing longevity could be worlds apart. In these years, hadn't he himself enjoyed the conveniences provided by the Luotian Association? To hold Luo Chen strictly to his old ideals was, in fact, unfair of him.
At his ear came Luo Chen's voice shifting the subject.
"Though these two cultivation methods and secret arts are transcribed copies, they are of paramount importance. I have placed divine sense restrictions upon them. In a moment, I will imprint your and Sima Huiniang's spiritual senses onto them. From now on, in the entire Luotian Association, only you, the Hall Master of Scripture Transmission, and she, as the Sect Master, will be able to unseal them. When suitable disciples arise, if I am not around, the two of you shall decide whether to permit them to cultivate these two arts. If external enemies attempt to seize them, destroy them!"
Wang Yuan hummed in acknowledgment and committed the matter to memory. This fell squarely within his duty as Hall Master of the Scripture Transmission Hall.
Having finished their discussion, hurried footsteps echoed outside the hall. Before long, Min Longyu appeared before them.
"My apologies for arriving late."
"No matter."
Luo Chen smiled and patted his shoulder, knowing the man was busy beyond measure with the preparations for the Core Formation Grand Ceremony three months away. He pointed toward the bookshelves behind him.
"From here on, I'll have to trouble you."
Min Longyu's eyes lit up as he waved away the trouble, saying it was no problem at all. As one of the most vital locations of the future Luotian Sect, the Library Pavilion naturally could not be left without protection. At the very least, every ranked technique had to be secured with corresponding formation restrictions to prevent theft. With Luo Chen contributing such a large collection of books, Min Longyu was bound to have his hands full.
Leaving the two to discuss how to lay the restrictions, Luo Chen turned and headed down the stairs.
As he descended floor by floor from the fourth story, his steps grew increasingly light and brisk. Those techniques and records had either been etched into his memory or cultivated to grand attainment. To shelve them high up now was not to cast them aside; rather, it gave rise to a subtle, inexplicable epiphany.
"Having ascended the tower, I can travel light and unburdened—to scale yet higher peaks!"
Chapter 459