Immortal cultivators sought the path of longevity, aspiring toward the realm of immortals.
Therefore, a breakthrough into each major realm brought a qualitative metamorphosis.
Advancing from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment turned the dantian into an ocean and transformed the tendons and cleansed the marrow, laying down a supreme foundation capable of bearing the profound weight of the Grand Dao. Thus spiritual sense could be projected outward, and spiritual energy was liquefied.
Advancing from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was like a bright moon rising above the ocean, gathering everything attained throughout one's life to coalesce into a Golden Core. Thereafter, one's cultivation gained a true core, with the polishing of the Golden Core becoming the foremost priority. By this point, the Golden Core had begun to absorb the power of the soul, and the energy within it was no longer controlled merely by incantations and secret formulas, but could be directed by the soul itself. Thus divine sense was manifested, reflecting heaven and earth; spiritual energy evolved into dharma, producing magic power of boundless might.
Such a transformation naturally brought all manner of extraordinary benefits.
Mastering far more formidable magic treasures was one.
For Luo Chen, the ability to practice spells without restraint was the second.
In the past, when his realm was low, his soul relatively weak, and his spiritual energy limited, he had to strictly meter his efforts whenever he practiced his arts.
But now?
Setting aside high-tier spells, he could practice those low-tier spells with absolute abandon.
Through Gu Caiyi, large batches of lively low-tier demonic beasts were delivered to his immortal cave each month.
Though the opening war was still in its initial stages, cultivators had already taken to hunting demonic beasts.
Compared to before, the number of living beasts Gu Caiyi could purchase for him was considerably higher.
Once delivered, these beasts were utilized by Luo Chen to their absolute limit!
The Spirit-Befuddling Technique confused their already meager wits.
The Grass-Mowing Geng Metal Sword Art severed their limbs.
Then the Limb Reattachment Art reconnected and mended them.
Through such a cycle, the beasts remained entirely insensible, feeling almost no pain since their minds were already clouded.
Finally, Luo Chen would channel his source true fire, reducing them to ashes in their dazed ignorance to plunder what little vitality remained.
Never before had Luo Chen been able to cultivate spells with such utter recklessness.
He had no need to worry about soul exhaustion, nor any fear of draining his spiritual energy.
Mere Tier 1 and Tier 2 spells required only a sliver of magic power to cast with ease, costing him virtually nothing.
Naturally, there was reason behind Luo Chen's thorough exploitation of every beast.
After all, an intact demonic beast—even a Tier 1 one—readily cost hundreds or thousands of low-grade spirit stones.
In other words, behind Luo Chen's highly efficient spell practice was the consumption of the very wealth the Luotian Sect was earning for him.
Beyond these spells, Luo Chen also purchased large quantities of spiritual plant seeds from within the immortal city.
Most were flower seeds.
His objective, of course, was to cultivate Flower Fairy, the Tier 2 wood-attribute spell that had been stalled for years.
These low-tier spells offered little enhancement to Luo Chen's current strength—practically negligible.
Yet the combination of Flower Fairy, Water Mirror Art, and the Spirit-Befuddling Technique allowed one to cast the Tier 3 illusion art, Mirror Flower, Water Moon!
Luo Chen had long harbored the idea of bringing all three arts to perfection to accelerate his mastery over this illusion art.
Fused spells were often tremendously potent.
Back during his Foundation Establishment stage, he had run rampant among his peers largely thanks to that move, Landslide.
In the Battle of Qinhua River, the great clash at Mount Thunder Accumulation, the Battle of Incense Burning Valley, and the expedition to the Great Snow Mountain, that art had played a pivotal role.
Because of this, Luo Chen held high expectations for the composite illusion art of Mirror Flower, Water Moon.
If he could master it early on, he would have another trump card among Golden Core cultivators.
After all, attacks directly targeting the soul were exceedingly rare!
While practicing, Luo Chen had even pondered whether he should incorporate the Linjiang Xian Melody, the sonic art obtained from Xiao Sanren, into the fusion.
However, he knew nothing of music, making even entry-level mastery difficult.
Furthermore, Mirror Flower, Water Moon had not yet reached great attainment, so he temporarily shelved the plan.
During this period of seclusion, Luo Chen's daily routine did not consist solely of practicing spells; he also used his source true fire each day to temper the Tianyue Purple-Gold Wheel.
Having acquired the secret technique of tempering treasures with true fire, his refinement speed grew swifter by the day, and he was already able to wield the weapon with ease.
And finally!
There was the matter of cracking Qin Tairan's storage thumb ring.
He was poor!
To break through to the Golden Core stage, Luo Chen's consumption of various resources and the rental of the immortal cave had left him with virtually no spirit stones to his name.
In doing so, he had even driven the Luotian Sect into a deficit.
Otherwise, why would the cultivators of the Luotian Sect have participated so enthusiastically in this opening war? It was all because of the burden imposed by their Supreme Elder.
Though his trip to Azure Pill Valley had yielded considerable spoils, the price was that his personal savings had once again hit rock bottom.
All that remained were those fifty high-grade spirit stones.
High-grade spirit stones were vital strategic resources of immense use even to Golden Core cultivators; he could not squander them lightly.
Even if left unused, he needed to stockpile as many as possible.
As a result, Luo Chen found himself in the tightest of straits.
Only unsealing Qin Tairan's storage thumb ring could potentially reverse his current predicament.
Time slipped quietly by amidst Luo Chen's methodical seclusion.
Storms brewed in the outside world, and intelligence from the front line reached Luo Chen from time to time.
Yet he had resolved that so long as the immortal city in the Moon Howling Mountain Range was not completed, he would not set foot on the front line, sparing himself from wasting time waiting around in vain.
***
One month later.
The proficiency of the Tier 1 medical art, Limb Reattachment Art, was the first to reach Great Perfection.
A moment of silence for those demonic beasts whose limbs had been severed and reattached time and again.
Shortly thereafter, the Grass-Mowing Geng Metal Sword Art also attained perfection.
How many years had it been?
It was a spiritual farming art that Yuan Dongsheng had taught him offhandedly back when he was tilling spiritual fields before his doorstep.
Who would have thought it would take this long to finally reach Great Perfection?
Many spells of higher rank had already reached great attainment long ago.
Two months later, more good news arrived in succession.
The Spirit-Befuddling Technique reached Great Perfection, as did Flower Fairy.
This was well within Luo Chen's expectations. His soul was powerful to begin with, and having previously learned the Tier 1 Soul Intimidation Art, the advanced Spirit-Befuddling Technique had come naturally.
Once Flower Fairy reached Great Perfection as well, Luo Chen discovered that Mirror Flower, Water Moon—which he had barely practiced—leaped directly from the adept tier to the perfected tier!
Moreover, it stood on the very brink of the grandmaster tier!
Such was the advantage of composite spells. Although practicing them was tedious, the inherent difficulty of the art itself progressed smoothly from simple to complex.
With a solid foundation in place, progress came swiftly.
The only limitation of such spells was their upper ceiling.
Yet with his proficiency panel, a ceiling was no obstacle at all; he was bound to reach the pinnacle sooner or later.
At this stage,
the low-tier spells on Luo Chen's panel had essentially all reached perfection, leaving only the Tier 3 column: the Innate One Qi Great Handprint, Mirror Flower, Water Moon, Life-Severing Finger, and Microdust Primordial Art.
Suddenly, he found himself with ample free time.
Luo Chen ordered that no more low-tier demonic beasts be sent to him.
Seven or eight a month was a bleeding expense that even the Luotian Sect could hardly sustain!
It was not that the Luotian Sect could not earn that much money, but rather that the sect now had many members, and paying their stipends alone required a massive sum.
With his newfound time, Luo Chen directed his efforts toward cultivating the Innate One Qi Great Handprint and breaking the divine sense restriction upon Qin Tairan's storage thumb ring.
The former was a Tier 3 art with endless marvelous applications.
Though named "One Qi," it was in truth a spell that could be unleashed using any of the five elemental magic powers.
Jin Buque had pointed this out in the past: channeling it with different elemental magic powers produced distinct wonders.
Consequently, cultivating it was slow going.
As for the latter:
"Dammit, I refuse to believe that after wearing it down for so long, I still can't crack you open!"
***
The fifth month finally arrived.
Looking at the black ring glowing with a faint crimson light in his hand, Luo Chen exhaled a long breath of turbid air.
"As expected of a Golden Core elder of the Yan Alliance. Even without specializing in formations, his mastery of fundamental restrictions is formidable.
"Since forming my core, backed by a soul foundation no weaker than the mid Golden Core stage, it took me nearly eleven years to barely unravel it.
"A dead man's fortune truly isn't easy to claim!"
After a brief sigh of emotion, Luo Chen did not hesitate to extend his divine sense inside.
What greeted him at first glance dazzled his eyes.
Spirit stones!
Densely packed, piled like mountains, an innumerable sea of spirit stones!
"Struck it rich..." Luo Chen murmured to himself.
***
"You're here!"
"Come inside!"
Sima Huiniang, Gu Caiyi, Duan Feng, and Min Longyu walked into the immortal cave with puzzled expressions.
They had no idea why Luo Chen had summoned all four of them at once today.
This had been exceedingly rare in the past.
Whenever there was an important matter, he would usually call only one or two people over.
However, the moment they stepped into the "cramped" cave dwelling, they were stunned.
Mountains of resources, radiant with color and dazzling in variety, overwhelmed the senses.
The spiritual energy was chaotic yet dense, and the scents were a complex tangle of sweet fragrances and foul odors.
Large crates were stacked high in the corners.
Gu Caiyi blurted out, "Husband, did you plunder some sect's treasury?"
Indeed!
So many resources had crammed the originally spacious immortal cave to the brim, leaving scarcely any room to walk.
Even Bai Meiling could only float in midair, having nowhere to set foot.
Duan Feng's sharp eyes caught the insignias on those crates.
"The Yan Alliance's?"
Luo Chen nodded slightly. "Yes, all of this is Qin Tairan's legacy!"
The four exchanged stunned glances.
When the Yan Alliance suffered its great calamity back then, only three Golden Core cultivators survived in the end, with Qin Tairan holding the highest realm and status.
Many had suspected that the Yan Alliance's centuries of accumulated reserves were very likely in his possession.
When he fled with his Golden Core exposed back then, a good number of people had pursued him.
Amidst the fierce scramble, his Golden Core had even been shattered.
Yet no one had expected that his remnants had fallen into Luo Chen's hands.
"Cataloging this alone would take far too much time, which is why I called all of you here.
"Come on!
"Count everything, record it in the ledger, and replenish the Luotian Sect's treasury!
"If you find anything useful to me, remember to let me know.
"Set aside anything you don't recognize as well; let no pearl remain hidden in the dust."
Surveying the sea of materials, Luo Chen waved his hand and gave the order.
The four swallowed hard and immediately set to work taking inventory.
"One crate of Tier 3 mineral soft thunder sand, roughly three thousand jin."
"Three chunks of pure Wu-earth essence, all top-grade. If merged into an earth-attribute magic treasure, they can greatly enhance its durability."
"Five boxes of ginkgo pearls, hovering between Tier 2 and Tier 3. They can be used in medicine or artifact refinement."
...
"A stack of Blazing Sun Talismans, three Divine Fire Talismans... Huh, did one of the Yan Alliance's Golden Core masters also dabble in talisman crafting?"
"One hundred bottles of Foundation Establishment Pills, one pill per bottle, all low-grade. From varying production years, crafted by the Medicine King Sect—likely collected separately. With this support, our Luotian Sect won't lack Foundation Establishment Pills for quite some time!"
"An unidentified medicinal herb, preserved after being dried. Brother Chen, take a look?"
Sima Huiniang carried a dried herb forward on a bed of spiritual energy, presenting it to Luo Chen.
Although they were now Dao companions, she preferred calling him "Brother Chen," whereas Gu Caiyi favored "Husband."
As for the rest of the Luotian Sect, they had mostly switched to respectfully addressing him as "Supreme Elder."
Luo Chen took the dried herb and identified it after a brief examination.
It was a Tier 4 fire-attribute herb, dehydrated of its moisture.
Legend had it that it was the sole primary ingredient used to refine a certain Tier 3 fire-attribute pill.
Luo Chen put it away carefully and continued watching them take inventory.
Before their arrival, Luo Chen had already performed a rough count himself.
He had pocketed all the spirit stones.
Eight million spirit stones in total!
It might not sound like an astronomical figure, but they were entirely mid-grade and high-grade!
It instantly resolved his financial embarrassment.
All at once, Luo Chen was rolling in wealth once more!
As for low-grade spirit stones, hardly any were found; they had likely been distributed among the other members before the Yan Alliance fell.
Spirit stones aside, the most valuable part of this legacy was the vast array of diverse resources!
Minerals made up the bulk, accompanied by a large store of pills.
There were over a hundred bottles of the Tier 3 cultivation pills Luo Chen required: Sanyuan Pills produced by the Medicine King Sect.
This resolved Luo Chen's pressing need for cultivation resources.
After all, the supply of Tier 3 Dragon Transformation Pills from Azure Pill Valley had been cut off after his departure.
Over the past five months, his progress in cultivation had been practically negligible.
Watching them catalog the goods, Luo Chen calculated how to put these resources to use.
First, his own needs had to be met.
Second, the Foundation Establishment True Cultivators of the Luotian Sect needed consideration.
Finally, the surplus would serve as the sect's foundational reserves, ensuring healthy long-term growth for the Luotian Sect.
One had to admit that the support a faction provided to an immortal cultivator was reflected in countless ways:
Gathering resources and earning spirit stones;
Gathering intelligence, allowing one in secluded cultivation to keep abreast of the broader trends in the cultivation world upon emerging;
And finally, the vast manpower and materials placed at one's disposal.
Having enjoyed so many conveniences over the years, Luo Chen had conceived the desire, after reaching the Golden Core stage, to formalize their standing and truly establish the Luotian Sect.
As he planned quietly in his mind,
exclamations continually arose within the immortal cave.
"Heavens, seven whole magic treasure embryos! And none of them are shoddy goods—at a glance, they've been meticulously forged, prime embryos suitable for natal magic treasures!"
Luo Chen looked over toward the voice.
He saw Duan Feng retrieving bundle after bundle from several furnaces.
He could not help but ask, "What kind of magic treasure embryos are they?"
Over the years, Duan Feng's artifact forging skills had grown increasingly refined, and having acquired many forging classics preserved by the Yan Alliance, his knowledge had broadened considerably.
Identifying them one by one, he quickly gave Luo Chen an answer.
Three flying swords of differing attributes, a pagoda embryo, a cauldron-type magic treasure, as well as a halberd and a horsetail whisk.
These embryos far surpassed the two magic treasure embryos the Duan family had painstakingly forged in the past.
They were genuine treasures fit to serve as natal magic treasures for Golden Core cultivators!
After hearing Duan Feng's breakdown, Luo Chen showed a look of regret.
Good as the embryos were, none suited him.
Compared to the Primordial Cauldron, they fell far short.
"Still, even so, ordinary Golden Core cultivators would be overjoyed to obtain them!"
Luo Chen sighed and instructed Duan Feng to store them away properly.
They would be handed over to Sima Wenjie of the Merit Hall for safekeeping.
In the future, if anyone in the Luotian Sect advanced to the Golden Core stage, they would not have to worry about finding a natal magic treasure.
While Duan Feng uncovered great treasures on his side, significant discoveries were being made elsewhere as well.
Min Longyu held a bamboo scroll in his right hand and a feng shui compass in his left, his face flush with wild delight.
"The Incense-Burning Spirit Seizing Formation!
"A variant of the Heavenly Work Spirit Seizing Formation!
"If I can master it and lay it beneath Danxia Peak, we might just be able to upgrade our Luotian Sect's spiritual land to Tier 2!"
The Ghost-God Valley's most formidable formation was the Heavenly Work Spirit Seizing Formation.
It stood among the very pinnacle of Tier 3 formations, supreme in its class.
Endlessly versatile, it spawned myriad variations.
Wang Yuan had obtained it and modified it into the Blood Fiend Spirit Seizing Formation.
Azure Pill Valley had drawn inspiration from it to devise their five-peaks-enclosing-the-valley feng shui layout.
And the Yan Alliance had also claimed a share of Ghost-God Valley's legacy back then, developing the Incense-Burning Spirit Seizing Formation, which had even forcibly elevated the Wither-Bloom Fire to the fourth tier.
As Min Longyu reveled in his delight, Gu Caiyi giggled beside him.
She was in charge of cataloging the cultivation methods and classical texts.
At that moment, she held up a thick tome that seemed cast from iron, emitting a heavy metallic clatter as the pages turned.
"Elder Min, seeing you this thrilled, I'm almost afraid to hand this book to you."
Min Longyu froze, puzzled.
"I'm worried you might faint from excitement upon seeing this art!"
As she spoke, Gu Caiyi turned the side stamped with the title toward Min Longyu.
*Array Compendium*.
Four ordinary words, but coming from the Yan Alliance's private collection, it was bound to be anything but ordinary.
Suppressing the excitement in his chest, Min Longyu accepted it with utmost care.
He had flipped through it for only a few moments before a look of renewed exhilaration broke across his face.
He even called out to Duan Feng:
"Xiao Duan, come take a look! This even covers how to flawlessly engrave formations onto artifacts!"
Duan Feng's eyes lit up, and he instinctively moved toward him.
"*Ahem!*"
With a light cough, Luo Chen said helplessly, "Stop fooling around. Finish the inventory before anything else."
Min Longyu and Duan Feng exchanged glances and smiled sheepishly.
Seeing this, Sima Huiniang shook her head with a smile. Just as she was about to open a gourd, she felt a gentle breeze sweep over her, carrying her backward three paces.
Immediately after, a shimmering blue barrier of light enveloped her.
"Careful."
"What is this?" Sima Huiniang looked at the gourd in shock and uncertainty.
Luo Chen received it gingerly, covering the gourd's opening with magic power.
After a brief contemplation, he reached a conclusion.
"It's Wither-Bloom True Fiend."
Sima Huiniang paused, her expression shifting slightly. "Could it be the stuff Zheng Xian and the others used to break our Danxia mountain-protecting array back then?"
Luo Chen nodded heavily.
"Indeed. This fiendish qi originates from the dwelling grounds of the Wither-Bloom Fire, and it is exceptionally insidious and venomous. Its corrosive and aggressive power far exceeds that of ordinary earth fire fiend. Among Tier 3 fiendish qis, its reputation is on par with the Blazing Sun True Fiend!"
Luo Chen spoke with great gravity, and rightfully so.
If an ordinary magic treasure were tainted by even a speck of Wither-Bloom True Fiend, its spirituality would suffer severe damage; excessive contamination could even corrode the mental bond between the treasure and its cultivator.
It was venomous beyond measure!
Sima Huiniang looked at the gourd with lingering fear; had Luo Chen not intervened to protect her just now, she would likely have been harmed.
Yet seeing the immense value Luo Chen placed on it, she realized something in the next breath.
"This is a fire fiend, isn't it?
"Brother Chen, does that mean you can..."
The corners of Luo Chen's mouth curled upward, and he gave her a gentle nod.
Ordinary people could not directly utilize this Wither-Bloom True Fiend.
He, however, was different!
Possessing the source true fire born from refining the Wither-Bloom Fire, he could wield this fiendish qi without harm.
With just this one gourd, if he refined it into his destroyed Blazing Fire Miasma, he would instantly gain another trump card!
Such a method would be a certified lethal killer move even in battles at the Golden Core stage!
"Congratulations, Brother Chen!"
"Congratulations, Husband!"
Luo Chen smiled and nodded. "Carry on, then. I want to see what other treasures Qin Tairan left behind for us."
Chapter 471