As the preeminent Golden Core sect in the Jade Cauldron Domain, the Tier 3 spiritual vein possessed by Azure Pill Valley was naturally of exceptionally high grade.
Taken as a whole, it was a massive high-grade Tier 3 spiritual vein.
Anchored by five main peaks, it blanketed the Inner Pill Valley before rippling outward across dozens of peaks of varying sizes beyond the valley.
Such geographical blessings were truly the envy of countless smaller sects.
Yet Azure Pill Valley had its own bitter struggles!
There were simply too many cultivators. Even with steady attrition and casualties over time, the number of Foundation Establishment cultivators remained around a thousand.
If that were all, it might still have been manageable.
The trouble was that Azure Pill Valley had an abundance of Golden Core Revereds as well!
In the past, the vein could only be partitioned into five high-grade Tier 3 immortal abodes and ten low-grade Tier 3 immortal abodes.
With Danyangzi and Tao Wan successively forming their cores, the shortage of immortal abodes grew increasingly severe.
More often than not, several Golden Core cultivators had to be dispatched to cultivate in man-made Tier 3 abodes within large immortal cities.
This was precisely why Azure Pill Valley, despite its peaceful prosperity, insisted on taking part in the war of expansion.
They, too, wanted to seize a Tier 3 spiritual vein in the new territory—regardless of size, it would at least serve as a branch of the sect.
Yet even under these circumstances, Azure Pill Valley had arranged a complete low-grade Tier 3 immortal abode for Luo Chen upon his arrival.
They had even supplied several bottles of Tier 3 medicinal pills to sustain his cultivation before refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill.
This clearly showed just how imperative refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill was to Qingdanzi.
Inside the clean, pristine Tier 3 immortal abode, Luo Chen sat cross-legged, his hands forming an eccentric incantation gesture with completely different mudras on each side.
As he cultivated, spiritual qi surged within the abode, dominated by a faint interplay of verdant green and fiery red qi.
*Burning Wood True Art*, a Tier 3 cultivation method cultivating Wood and Fire in unison.
Under Luo Chen's circulation, it greedily devoured external spiritual qi without restraint.
Not only that, his divine sense—an order of magnitude higher than spiritual awareness—constantly stirred the surrounding space, sifting through the turbulent, chaotic heaven and earth qi to inhale the Wood and Fire dual-attribute qi best suited to him.
This cultivation session swept by; in the blink of an eye, a full two hours had elapsed.
Suddenly, Luo Chen opened his eyes and exhaled a wisp of azure smoke.
"Cultivation is indeed far more intricate after Core Formation. Not only must one capture the wandering spiritual qi outside, but one must also purify it while infusing the soul into the spiritual energy to forge magic power."
"Still, there are advantages. The efficiency with which divine sense mobilizes heaven and earth spiritual qi has increased nearly tenfold!"
Though he said this, there was little joy on his face.
With a thought, a transparent light screen, visible only to him, drifted down like a waterfall and unfurled before his eyes.
[Lifespan: 110/400]
[Spiritual Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth]
[Realm: Golden Core Layer One 2/100, Ancient Desolation Tier 3 20/100]
[Cultivation Methods: Burning Wood True Art (Proficient 201/300), Convergence of Myriad Paths (Perfection 428/500), Myriad Beast Scripture 15/100]
[Spells: Tier 3: Locking the Beaded Curtain (Great Perfection), Calming the Wind and Waves (Great Perfection), Innate One Qi Great Hand Seal (Perfection 357/500), Mirror Flower, Water Moon (Proficient 291/300), Micromote Origin Art (Adept 179/200), Life-Severing Finger (Entry 15/100)
Tier 2: Flower Fairy (Perfection 413/500), Spirit-Befuddling Technique (Grandmaster 627/1,000), Grass-Mowing Geng Metal Sword Art (Perfection 360/500), Five Elements Viscera-Restoring Art (Great Perfection)
Tier 1: Soul Intimidation Art (Great Perfection), Bone Reconstruction Art (Great Perfection), Limb Reattachment Art (Entry 15/100)
Great Perfection Spells (Click to view details)]
[Alchemy Arts: Scale Turning Hand (Perfection 400/500). Great Perfection Alchemy Arts (Click to view details)]
[Martial Arts: Cloud-Seeking Divine Claw (Grandmaster 590/1,000), Blazing Fire Miasma (Grandmaster 521/1,000)]
[Professions: Tier 3 Alchemist, Tier 2 Physician, Tier 1 Formation Master
Tier 3 Pills: Nether Origin Pill (Entry 6/100)
Tier 2 Pills: Emperor Flowing Liquid (Entry 12/100)
Great Perfection Pills (Click to view details)]
[Achievement Points: 66]
This was the first time since Core Formation that he had fully expanded his status panel.
Consequently, he examined it with great care.
First was his lifespan.
A century to form his core, followed by a decade of secluded cultivation to stabilize the realm, leaving him at exactly one hundred and ten years old.
Such an achievement at his age ranked among the top tier across the cultivation world.
Perhaps only those Heavenly Spiritual Root prodigies who achieved Foundation Establishment in ten years, Core Formation in a hundred, and Nascent Soul in two hundred could rival him.
His lifespan limit had reached four hundred years.
One hundred years less than a standard Golden Core cultivator.
Yet Luo Chen remained unperturbed. Having experienced shifts in lifespan back during the Foundation Establishment stage, he understood his situation.
With subsequent minor realm breakthroughs, his lifespan limit should increase accordingly.
He just didn't know if the increase would match what happened during Foundation Establishment.
If it was the same, reaching the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage would place him at roughly five hundred years, just like ordinary Golden Core cultivators.
And if it was more? That would be an unexpected windfall.
Compared to lifespan, what Luo Chen cared about more were realm and cultivation methods.
Thanks to his previous Great Perfection in the *Yimu Medicine King Scripture*, switching to the dual Wood-Fire *Burning Wood True Art* had been smoother.
Back when he first switched, he had received an initial fifty proficiency points.
Ten years of secluded cultivation and constant circulation brought *Burning Wood True Art* to the Proficient level.
A good thing!
The only flaw was the cultivation speed granted by this technique.
Three months had passed since stepping into the first layer of Golden Core.
A full three months, aided by a Tier 3 spiritual ground and a modest amount of Tier 3 cultivation pills, had only advanced his progress by a single point:
[Golden Core Layer One 2/100]
"Dual-attribute cultivation, an incomplete method, and a Five Spiritual Roots aptitude... in the end, they still heavily drag down my cultivation speed!"
"Reaching the second layer of Golden Core will likely take thirty years."
"Though I do not know the precise disparity in spiritual power between each layer of the Golden Core stage, based on past experience and my discussions with Qu Xibai and Diwu Qi, if I wish to cultivate all the way to Golden Core Great Perfection under my current conditions, it would take roughly... two thousand years!"
Thirty years for a minor realm, yet reaching the pinnacle would take two thousand years.
It sounded absurd.
Yet cultivation was like this: the later the stage, the harder it grew, especially when breaking through major bottlenecks.
Luo Chen knew his own circumstances. He had cultivated so quickly in Foundation Establishment because he continuously upgraded his resources and environment.
Even so, with comprehensive preparation, he had only barely stepped into the Golden Core stage by a stroke of fortune.
In comparison, Luo Chen cared more about that familiar number: two thousand years.
When he first entered Foundation Establishment, that was precisely the timeframe he had estimated for Core Formation.
Now, it was almost the same.
A staggering sum!
Yet Luo Chen was no longer as lost or bewildered as he had been back then.
He knew there were numerous ways to boost cultivation speed. As long as he had direction and sufficient drive, nothing was impossible!
In fact, he was even rather pleased.
Compared to the speed of Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivators, his Five Spiritual Roots were twenty times slower!
Forming a Nascent Soul should have taken at least four thousand years, but he had cut that in half out of thin air.
The reason...
"Presumably, it's tied to the rock-solid foundation I laid during Foundation Establishment."
"A Tier 3 physique, all meridians cleared, all acupoints of the cosmic cycle unsealed, supreme Core Formation... all of this narrowed the fundamental gap between me and heaven's favorites."
"If I continue consolidating my foundation during the Golden Core stage, perhaps after reaching Nascent Soul in the future, compared to those Heavenly Spiritual Roots... haha, I'm getting ahead of myself."
Luo Chen suddenly recalled a rumor in the cultivation world.
Once Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivators reached Nascent Soul, their advantage vanished.
To achieve Soul Formation, the time required showed little difference between them and cultivators of other aptitudes.
In other words, if he could form a Nascent Soul with Five Spiritual Roots, the gap in aptitude would no longer exist at the Nascent Soul stage.
From this conjecture, perhaps the true starting line for Five Spiritual Roots lay at Nascent Soul?
This stray thought derailed Luo Chen's musings.
After a while, he shook his head.
"Thinking too far ahead."
"Forget Nascent Soul; I haven't even secured my so-called current conditions yet."
The prerequisite for a two-thousand-year Nascent Soul was having at least a low-grade Tier 3 spiritual ground and a steady supply of low-grade Tier 3 medicinal pills.
Those were the bare essentials.
Yet Luo Chen had neither under his direct control.
The Tier 3 abode beneath him was merely lent to him temporarily by Azure Pill Valley.
As for Tier 3 pills, he was currently using the congratulatory gifts received at his Core Formation Grand Ceremony, along with the Dragon Transformation Pills provided recently by Azure Pill Valley.
There was indeed a long, arduous road ahead!
He sighed and continued browsing the status panel.
Thanks to revising *Convergence of Myriad Paths*, he could use the Wither-Bloom Fire to temper his body. His Ancient Desolation Tier 3 physique, shackled for many years, had finally begun creeping forward.
Currently, it sat at [Ancient Desolation Tier 3 20/100], up by five points.
Very slow, but this was the best he could do for now.
Tempering his physique with Wither-Bloom Fire was excruciatingly painful.
Enduring the incineration of a Tier 4 wondrous fire across his entire body at every moment was simply beyond the endurance of normal men.
If his willpower hadn't been forged into an unbreakable resolve through countless trials, he would never have withstood it.
Even so, due to a lack of proficiency, he had made multiple missteps that left his body frequently injured.
Had he not practiced multiple medical arts, his body would have been battered and teetering on the verge of collapse long ago.
Through constantly using medical arts to heal himself over those ten years, he gradually brought the Five Elements Viscera-Restoring Art and Bone Reconstruction Art to Great Perfection.
A silver lining in a bitter trial!
"According to the realms of the Ancient Desolation body tempering method I established, once I complete nine blood exchanges and remodel the sinews and bones throughout my body, I can step into Tier 4."
"The second blood exchange is drawing near!"
He could feel the immense power surging within his blood, heavy as liquid mercury, roaring like a torrential river.
And that was merely after a single blood exchange.
Reviewing his cultivation methods and realms gave him an accurate grasp of his current standing.
As for the subsequent spells, there wasn't much to see.
Most of those decades of secluded cultivation were spent cultivating and creating arts, leaving little time for practicing spells.
Only the *Innate One Qi Great Hand Seal* received occasional practice.
Thus, he had pushed its proficiency to the Perfection level.
Relying on this mastery, he had easily defeated Hong Ling during the Core Formation Grand Ceremony, earning Jin Buque's admiration from the Five Elements Divine Sect.
In addition, successfully forming his core on the first attempt had raised *Locking the Beaded Curtain* and *Calming the Wind and Waves* to Great Perfection.
As for his self-created *Micromote Origin Art*, upon successful Core Formation, its proficiency jumped straight to Entry level.
During the subsequent ten years of secluded cultivation, whenever he circulated his natal cultivation method, this Core Formation secret art circulated alongside it, passively increasing its proficiency.
Perhaps once it reached Great Perfection, he would gain fresh insights into this self-created supreme Core Formation secret art?
Luo Chen indulged in the thought with a faint chuckle, letting his gaze slide downward.
Finally, his eyes paused briefly on the professions column.
Beyond Tier 3 Alchemist and Tier 2 Physician, a new profession had appeared—Formation Master.
Though only Tier 1, it signified that he had truly entered the path of formations.
"This must stem from my thorough study of restrictions, which laid a rock-solid groundwork in formation dao."
"With my current foundation, as long as I have the corresponding low-tier formation diagram and materials, I can arrange them."
"What I lack is likely just practice and some finer details in controlling formation operations."
For now, he didn't plan on addressing these shortcomings.
He lacked the time, and perhaps the talent.
Furthermore, formations currently only served him in crafting his natal magic treasure. The demand was far from pressing.
"Sixty-six achievement points, a new record!"
Luo Chen muttered, closing the status panel.
Overall, this review was a mixed bag.
There were gains, but the exposed weaknesses were far more glaring.
He had gained a clearer understanding of his present state and a precise roadmap for the future.
A Tier 3 spiritual vein, Tier 3 cultivation pills, and a natal magic treasure.
Just these three tasks! Nothing else!
However, those were matters for the future.
For now, he had to honor his commitment and help Azure Pill Valley refine the Nascent Soul Formation Pill.
Just yesterday, he had spoken with Qingdanzi.
Regarding the recipe for the Nascent Soul Formation Pill, Qingdanzi was willing to share it, but not now.
Only after Luo Chen reached late Golden Core would Qingdanzi provide a rubbings copy.
In Qingdanzi's words: "An innocent man gets into trouble for cherishing a jade treasure. Giving it to you now would be a curse, not a blessing!"
Luo Chen couldn't dispute that.
Azure Pill Valley's own ordeal was right before him.
The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had attacked based merely on rumors and shadows.
Had the Sword Sect's objective not been limited to dismantling the valley's Five Peaks defensive layout, that clash would have turned into a bloodbath like the Yan Alliance's destruction.
If Azure Pill Valley had almost failed to protect the recipe, Luo Chen, as a mere early Golden Core cultivator, would court certain death if even a whisper leaked.
Thus, he consented to the condition.
"Still, while I cannot obtain the recipe yet, I can accomplish another matter on this trip."
Luo Chen's eyes flickered, a plan taking shape in his mind.
***
After daybreak.
Having completed one cycle of *Burning Wood True Art* and *Convergence of Myriad Paths* respectively, Luo Chen stepped out of his immortal abode.
Riding an escapement light, he arrived at the Grand Alchemy Court on Danyang Peak.
The moment he landed, a Foundation Establishment alchemist stepped forward to greet him.
"Senior Danchenzi, this way please!"
"Lead the way."
Luo Chen nodded. He knew his arrival could not escape the host's notice.
Walking along, Luo Chen cast curious glances at the busy cultivators within the Grand Alchemy Court.
Virtually everyone qualified to enter the Grand Alchemy Court was an accomplished Foundation Establishment alchemist!
And most of them were advanced in age.
For an alchemist, advanced age was no flaw; rather, it was an asset, signaling deep immersion and high attainment in the Dao of Alchemy.
By his estimation, there were at least fifty people inside!
This meant Azure Pill Valley possessed at least fifty seasoned Tier 2 alchemists!
And that wasn't counting the ordinary alchemists scattered across the sect's inner and outer regions.
"Azure Pill Valley alone boasts this many alchemists. I wonder what vast depth of talent the Medicine King Sect, which dominates an entire domain, commands?"
"By contrast, my Luotian Sect, including myself, has only three Tier 2 alchemists."
"Such a chasm cannot be bridged by resources alone; it demands centuries or millennia of heritage."
Luo Chen sighed inwardly.
The more Tier 2 alchemists, the greater the output of pills, and naturally, the more spirit stones earned.
It was by relying on this very wealth that Azure Pill Valley was able to nurture nearly a thousand Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
In the present situation, this cohort of experienced Tier 2 alchemists could assist Qingdanzi and the other five Golden Core experts in processing the massive quantities of low-tier ingredients needed for the Nascent Soul Formation Pill.
"They've prepared for so long, and now I have arrived as well."
"Refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill should begin soon!" Luo Chen thought.
Suddenly, he felt a gaze upon him.
Turning his eyes, he met a pair of complex, enigmatic eyes.
Noticing Luo Chen's glance, the person immediately lowered their head.
"Him?"
Luo Chen frowned slightly.
The person sneaking a look was none other than Xuan Yunzi, He Yun, with whom he had crossed paths before.
Back during Foundation Establishment, Luo Chen had sensed something amiss about Xuan Yunzi.
The man's soul aura was unstable, faintly oscillating between life and death qi.
Now that Luo Chen had attained Golden Core, a sweep of his divine sense confirmed his earlier suspicion.
Xuan Yunzi was a body possessor!
Moreover, in all likelihood, he was the old Medicine King Sect outer disciple who had perished years ago in the Yuanzhao Kingdom—the very fortuitous encounter that set Luo Chen's predecessor upon the immortal path.
"If even I could notice it with my experience, there's no reason the numerous Golden Core cultivators of Azure Pill Valley couldn't."
"Yet they turned a blind eye and even recruited him into the Grand Alchemy Court. Why?"
Puzzlement welled up.
Luo Chen gave the bowed, bustling Xuan Yunzi a deep, searching look, but did not pursue it further.
Under another's roof, it was none of his concern.
Soon, Luo Chen entered the depths of the Grand Alchemy Court.
In the grand hall, five pale-azure glazed cauldrons sat before him.
Four of them already had masters standing nearby.
The remaining one was prepared for Luo Chen.
"Fellow Daoist, you have arrived!"
Qingdanzi strode out from the inner hall, hands clasped behind his back.
Though he had the physique of a youth, his presence bore the senility of an ancient sage.
Considering his five centuries of cultivation, such an aura was only natural.
Luo Chen nodded, his eyes settling upon the glazed cauldron.
"Do we begin now?"
Qingdanzi gave a nod, speaking with a touch of anticipation, "The Azure Sky Glazed Cauldron divides into thirty-six pieces. When refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill, I will helm the primary cauldron, while you five control the secondary cauldrons. In addition, thirty Tier 2 alchemists of consummate skill will each oversee a small cauldron. By constructing the Tier 4 Azure Pill Grand Array, we can cross tiers to refine the Tier 4 Nascent Soul Formation Pill."
This was Qingdanzi's master plan!
Far from wild fantasy, Azure Pill Valley had indeed recorded successful precedent in its history for refining Tier 4 pills in this manner.
The intricate details were staggering, impossible for a single individual to accomplish.
Controlling the primary cauldron and the five secondary cauldrons demanded extreme precision: they had to be Tier 3 alchemists who also commanded a source true fire!
Luo Chen met those stringent requirements perfectly.
"I have already released the restrictions on your secondary cauldron. Danchenzi, you can refine it first and establish a connection."
"Afterward, I will deliver the batches of medicinal herbs you are responsible for, so you can practice processing them in advance to prevent any mishaps."
Luo Chen assented.
He immediately sat cross-legged before the secondary cauldron assigned to him.
His divine sense unfurled, tracing along the formations etched upon it.
Magic power surged forth, completely enveloping the secondary cauldron, which ranked as a low-grade magic treasure.
This was the conventional technique for refining a magic treasure.
However, because the primary cauldron remained with Qingdanzi, this secondary cauldron could not be taken into his qi sea for refinement; it had to be nurtured and refined externally.
Watching from the side, Qingdanzi's brow gradually furrowed.
Suddenly, he spoke up, interrupting Luo Chen's refinement.
"What is it?" Luo Chen halted, looking at him in confusion.
Qingdanzi shook his head. "Too slow. Refining it like this takes far too long."
Luo Chen was taken aback.
Wasn't this how conventional magic treasure refinement worked?
Qingdanzi smacked his lips, murmuring under his breath as words of wisdom were transmitted directly into Luo Chen's mind.
Luo Chen's eyebrows raised.
There was such a secret art?
What Qingdanzi had just imparted was a secret technique that utilized source true fire to accelerate the refinement of magic treasures!
With this art, a cultivator's refinement speed could be doubled!
"Give it a try," Qingdanzi said.
Luo Chen took a deep breath, and a billow of vibrant azure flame poured from his mouth, gradually wrapping around the secondary cauldron.
Gradually, a faint resonance formed between him and the cauldron, growing steadily deeper.
*Oh!*
*Qingdanzi wasn't deceiving me; it truly yields twice the result with half the effort!*
*Once I obtain my natal magic treasure in the future, could I also use this technique and my natal true fire to nourish and temper it?*
*If that works, imagine how much cultivation time it would save!*
Seeing Luo Chen lost in thought, Qingdanzi shook his head and offered no comment.
One could not catch a wolf without sacrificing a kid.
With his lifespan drawing to a close, he could wait no longer.
Taking advantage of the war of expansion, when everyone's attention was diverted away from Azure Pill Valley, he had to refine the Nascent Soul Formation Pill.
Once successful, he would take the pill to a Tier 4 spiritual ground and attempt Nascent Soul breakthrough.
As long as he achieved Nascent Soul, his lifespan crisis and Azure Pill Valley's predicament would both be resolved!
He could even expand their involvement in the war of expansion and seize an entire domain for Azure Pill Valley.
Success or failure hinged entirely on this endeavor.
A mere magic treasure refinement technique was a small concession if it benefited Luo Chen.
***
After several days of refinement, Luo Chen halted, wearing an expression of fatigue.
He had attained one to two percent refinement; doing this a dozen more times would suffice.
Beside him, Qingyunzi, at the third layer of Golden Core, finished his session at the same time.
The two exchanged glances, and clear surprise appeared on Qingyunzi's face.
Although he was only at Golden Core Layer 3, he practiced rudimentary soul techniques, granting him a soul foundation comparable to middle Golden Core.
Yet Luo Chen had endured for the exact same duration.
Did that not mean Luo Chen's soul foundation was in no way inferior to his own?
One had to remember, Luo Chen was merely at the first layer of Golden Core.
Qingyunzi was surprised, but across from them, Danyangzi—who had finished even earlier—was even more shaken.
By all accounts, Danyangzi had formed his core decades before Luo Chen, yet he couldn't hold out as long.
This meant that whether in soul foundation or magic power potency, he fell short of his peer.
Supreme Elder Qingdanzi, who had been observing the hall throughout, paid little mind to the disparity.
The stronger Luo Chen was, the greater his assistance in refining the Nascent Soul Formation Pill.
"Return and rest for a few days!"
"We will continue afterward."
Luo Chen nodded and rose to his feet. Instead of departing immediately, he called out to Danyangzi:
"Fellow Daoist, may we have a word?"
Chapter 467