Inside the cave dwelling.
Enormous chests were arranged in neat, orderly rows.
Sorted into distinct categories, each was neatly labeled.
The largest share consisted of mineral ores used for artifact forging alongside low-tier magical instruments and magic treasures, making up over eighty percent of the haul.
Common resources like medicinal pills and talismans were a distant second.
As for herbs and cultivation manuals, they were few and far between.
It fit people's stereotype of the Yan Alliance, a grand sect renowned for forging, to a tee!
Of course, the Yan Alliance's actual treasury had not been limited to this.
From what Luo Chen had gathered in conversation with Danyangzi, Diwu Qi, and the others, the alliance's treasury had originally been divided into four shares, carried separately by three Golden Core masters and Sect Leader Xiao Lian at the Great Circle of Foundation Establishment.
The portion Luo Chen had obtained happened to be the most valuable!
Even by preliminary estimates, it was worth at least fifty million spirit stones!
It truly was as the saying went: a horse does not fatten without night grass, and a man does not grow wealthy without windfall gains.
Merely by breaking the restriction on Qin Tairan's storage thumb ring, Luo Chen had vaulted overnight from an impoverished background into a multimillionaire!
Naturally, the vast majority of these resources were unsuited for liquidating and selling off.
The Luotian Sect was now a bona fide sect.
While they had inheritance manuals, they were still sorely lacking in supporting resources.
With this batch of supplies, Sima Huiniang could flesh out the framework previously erected for the Luotian Sect.
If nothing else, the area of artifact forging alone could instantly be transformed from a glaring weakness into a major strength!
Even if they could not reach the heights the Yan Alliance once enjoyed, in terms of Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment, the future held tremendous promise.
This was plainly evident from Duan Feng's beaming face.
Normally, he was not one to lose control of his emotions like this.
Such reactions only surfaced when someone encountered what they loved most, betraying their eagerness upon finding a prized quarry.
Min Longyu was much the same.
That Array Compendium would allow him, already exceptionally gifted in the Dao of Arrays, to scale even greater heights.
As for Luo Chen, his harvest was naturally bountiful as well.
Setting aside the eight million in ready cash,
from the myriad minerals cataloged, he had gathered all the materials required to refine his natal magic treasure, the Primordial Cauldron!
He had acquired a dozen more pieces of Geng metal and several more logs of black sinkwood.
There were also four bottles of cold marrow. Although not the Tier 4 Glacial Soul Cold Marrow, it was the famed Tier 3 Whirling Yin Marrow of the cultivation world; adding just a few drops during artifact forging could significantly boost a magic treasure's power out of thin air.
Through years of consumption and multiple replenishments, the Yan Alliance had only four bottles left.
As for the previously missing Fire Spirit Diamond, the Yan Alliance had astonishingly collected one of this peculiar material as well.
Such a material originated from fire veins, formed by absorbing countless wisps of fire-attribute spiritual energy.
Under normal circumstances, such an ore should have evolved into a high-grade or even supreme-grade spirit stone.
However, because impurities were introduced at its inception, it could only settle for second best, solidifying into a Fire Spirit Diamond.
Yet it was precisely because of this that, through the long process of wearing away its impurities, the spiritual energy within became continuously purified, ultimately giving it a value far exceeding that of ordinary spirit stones.
A single diamond was just barely enough to refine his natal magic treasure.
"A pity. If only there were a few more."
"Although it is said that the more materials added to the Primordial Cauldron the better, there is still a proportion to maintain. Otherwise, the embryonic form can easily become unbalanced during refinement."
"I have prepared at least ten portions of every other material; only the Fire Spirit Diamond is at the bare minimum."
"Perhaps I should wait a bit longer to see if I can buy more Fire Spirit Diamonds from cultivators of my rank during the opening war?"
Luo Chen suppressed the excitement stirring within him.
His gains did not end there.
That gourd of Wither-Bloom True Fiend was another major harvest.
Besides that, he had obtained a Tier 3 pill recipe!
With the Yan Alliance's wealth and prestige as an orthodox sect, how could they not have collected pill recipes?
After all, they were masters of fire manipulation.
Refining artifacts was refining, was refining pills not refining too?
It was simply that in the Jade Cauldron Domain, any alchemist with a modicum of talent had been scooped up by Azure Pill Valley, which made the Yan Alliance's alchemists appear unimpressive by comparison.
During Gu Caiyi's inventory check, she had uncovered five complete pill recipes in total, spanning Tier 1 to Tier 3.
The one Luo Chen valued most was a Tier 3 pill known as the True Flame Pill. According to its description, it could substantially bolster a cultivator's fire-attribute spiritual energy, offering immense benefits to those whose primary cultivation focused on fire techniques.
As for the other recipes, he did not keep them, handing them over to Huiniang instead to take back for Qu Lingjun, Qi Yi, and the others.
"All right!"
Luo Chen clapped his hands, drawing everyone's eyes.
"The inventory is mostly settled, and I have already taken what I need. Look through it and see if there is anything you want—each of you may pick something!"
Hearing this, their eyes lit up.
Duan Feng was about to politely decline when he saw Gu Caiyi already stepping forward to make her selection.
Seeing that, he shed his reservations and joined in.
Luo Chen watched them pick their items, pausing when Sima Huiniang reached for a top-grade flying boat.
"Why not take that low-grade magic-treasure-rank Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat?"
Sima Huiniang smiled softly. "I rarely travel outside, so a top-grade flying boat is more than enough for me. Besides, aren't you still short of a magic treasure for travel?"
Luo Chen was taken aback.
Only then did he realize why they had all tacitly bypassed that exquisitely crafted dragon boat.
They had been saving it for him!
Gu Caiyi teased with a laugh, "Husband, you are a dignified Golden Core Master now. When traveling abroad, you need to maintain appearances. This crimson dragon boat suits your status perfectly."
"Fair enough!"
Luo Chen chuckled. Earlier, he had disliked how voraciously a magic-treasure-grade flying boat consumed spirit stones and intended to leave it to the Luotian Sect; he hadn't expected them to keep it for him.
"True enough. Carrying such a treasure would draw far too much unwanted attention to you."
"I'll gladly accept it, then."
Luo Chen reached out and stowed the dragon boat into his storage ring. Even after being shrunk a hundredfold by the Ruyi Formation, it still measured three zhang in length.
Once they had happily finished choosing their items,
he waved his wide sleeve, sweeping the miscellaneous chests in the hall back into the black iron thumb ring.
"Huiniang, as the Sect Leader of the Luotian Sect, I entrust this to you."
Sima Huiniang hesitated. "Shouldn't a storage artifact with such enormous capacity be given to Caiyi for business?"
Luo Chen laughed. "In crucial moments, it can certainly be used that way. But in normal times, better not, or the subordinates will have nothing left to do."
Well, when put that way, it made sense.
Sima Huiniang slipped the black iron thumb ring onto her thumb, gently stroking it.
Perhaps this item could serve as one of the heirlooms of the Luotian Sect's leadership?
With the "spoils" divided,
the main hall of the cave dwelling felt spacious once again.
Since leisure time was rare, Luo Chen did not dismiss them, choosing instead to inspect their cultivation progress.
Bai Meiling served tea, then leaned over nearby, propping her chin on her hands as she watched.
Among the four, the fastest in progress was unquestionably Sima Huiniang!
In the past, her cultivation had progressed slowly, but after the battle to defend Danxia, she had keenly felt her own inadequacy and had been striving diligently ever since.
With supreme-grade Jade Dew Pills provided by Luo Chen and a Tier 2 high-grade cave dwelling, her cultivation speed had never fallen behind.
On top of that, precious resources like Origin Cultivating Spiritual Liquid and Nether-Passage Pills had been provided in full measure.
After nurturing her eldest disciple, Yao Mingyue, to Foundation Establishment, she had even more time to dedicate to cultivation.
Now at the age of one hundred and thirty, she had already stepped into the late Foundation Establishment realm, reaching the seventh layer!
Such a cultivation speed might not rival the direct lineage of Nascent Soul supreme sects, but it was fully on par with the true disciples of grand sects.
It truly lived up to her primary natal technique, Pavilion of Waters—the closer she was to Luo Chen, the faster her cultivation advanced.
"At this pace, as long as resources keep up, you can make at least one attempt at the Golden Core realm before your lifespan reaches its limit," Luo Chen concluded after examining her.
Sima Huiniang smiled radiantly. "This concubine is only basking in my husband's radiance!"
Luo Chen smiled and turned to check the cultivation of the other three.
Min Longyu held the highest cultivation among them, at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment.
Next was Gu Caiyi, already at the peak of the fifth layer and on the verge of breaking through to the sixth.
Considering she had been the latest among their group to achieve Foundation Establishment, such speed was remarkably swift.
Duan Feng was unexpectedly the lowest, having only just entered the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment.
This fell short of the "genius" reputation he had carried for so long.
The reason, naturally, lay in the disparity of resources.
The two women had Luo Chen's full backing. Min Longyu was proficient in arrays and could use formations to accelerate his cultivation beyond regular resources.
Duan Feng, on the other hand, had little to show for himself aside from innate talent, and was currently only renting a Tier 2 mid-grade cave dwelling.
The longer he cultivated, the more Luo Chen realized:
Though innate talent was of supreme importance to cultivators, at lower realms it was far less crucial than resources.
Unless one possessed a Heavenly Spiritual Root,
most of the time cultivators had not yet reached the point where innate talent became the deciding factor.
Only at the Golden Core realm and beyond did talent grow increasingly paramount, because every minor sub-realm brought a vast gulf.
Even the slightest flaw in one's aptitude would be magnified exponentially.
To put it simply: aptitude was the threshold. If everyone crossed the threshold, the short term depended on resources, while over the long haul, aptitude determined one's upper limit!
From this stemmed the three essentials of immortal cultivation: opportunity, aptitude, and disposition...
He was straying off topic.
After completing his inspection, Luo Chen nodded.
"Though your progress varies, your foundations are very solid without any glaring deficiencies."
With a body-refining titan like Wang Yuan and an alchemy grandmaster like Luo Chen capable of brewing Nether-Passage Pills, the sect's upper echelons naturally did not fall behind in their foundations.
Even if an error occurred during cultivation, medical adepts from Sun Sifang's lineage could swiftly administer treatment.
Only because of this did the four possess such rock-solid foundations.
"Caiyi."
"Mm?"
"Have the high-grade Soaring Dragon Pills promised by Azure Pill Valley arrived?"
"Deliveries were interrupted for a long time after you formed your Golden Core, but ever since you returned this time, they resumed sending them. I've also paid them the corresponding spirit stones."
"Carve out an additional portion from that batch of high-grade pills for Duan Feng!"
"Understood!"
A brief, simple exchange settled the allocation of those high-grade Soaring Dragon Pills.
Previously, they had primarily supplied the various hall masters, followed by the elders, with Luo Chen's disciple Qu Lingjun receiving the lion's share. After all, Qu Lingjun had taken over Luo Chen's duty of refining Jade Dew Pills and deserved corresponding compensation in resources.
This time, however, an extra share was carved out for Duan Feng.
Watching from the side, Duan Feng's lips twitched, but he said nothing.
At the Foundation Establishment realm, the assistance of medicinal pills was starkly evident.
He could not bring himself to refuse against his own interests.
Luo Chen asked again, this time turning to Sima Huiniang.
"Has Wang Yuan completed the simplification of the Microdust Origin Art?"
Sima Huiniang shook her head. "Not yet. According to him, the principles involved are too complex. Even with his abilities, it will likely take several decades to simplify."
"Is that so?"
Luo Chen frowned. In several decades, he reckoned he might already have devised a simplified version through his own daily cultivation.
The others did not know what the Microdust Origin Art was,
nor did they grasp how intricate it must be to prove so thorny for someone as knowledgeable as Wang Yuan.
Only Luo Chen, who had practiced it firsthand, knew how arduous that Core Formation secret art was without simplification.
It encompassed multiple Core Formation secret arts, along with profound techniques like the Clear Source Wondrous Elixir Method and Locking the Beaded Curtain.
If one had to cultivate them one by one, it would be virtually impossible to complete before a Foundation Establishment cultivator's lifespan ran out.
It was precisely for this reason that he wanted to devise a simplified version.
Even if its rank fell short of a supreme method, so long as it reached the level of a high method or middle method, it would still far surpass the ordinary Core Formation secret arts circulating on the market.
After some thought, Luo Chen said, "If he works it out, judge the circumstances and pass it to members of the sect who have reached the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment. Well, those present here can receive it first to study and research, provided it is kept strictly confidential."
"Very well, this concubine will keep that in mind."
Sima Huiniang nodded in assent.
Though the others did not know exactly what cultivation art it was, seeing Luo Chen treat it with such gravity, they understood it had to be extraordinary.
For a time, their motivation to cultivate surged.
"Right!" Sima Huiniang seemed to recall something. "I nearly forgot a major matter!"
Luo Chen looked at her inquisitively.
Sima Huiniang said slowly, "The Luoyun Sect's super immortal city is about to be completed!"
...
One month later.
Above Danxia Peak.
A colossal flying boat three hundred zhang long stretched across the sky like a giant dragon.
Luo Chen stood on the highest pavilion deck of the vessel, gazing down at the scenery below.
Pavilions and towers were dotted throughout, streaks of radiance flew in and out, white clouds drifted overhead, and a refreshing breeze greeted his face.
By his ears, the lively shouts and calls of cultivators rose and fell in waves.
"This is the foundation I built!"
"A pity that even though Min Longyu found a way to elevate this spirit land to Tier 2, it is no place to linger forever."
Though Luo Chen called it a pity, his expression showed little reluctance to part.
Once he secured a Tier 3 spiritual vein to establish a foothold, he would abandon this old ground without hesitation.
At most, he would leave behind a portion of disciples to guard the place as a branch.
His gaze drifted, and Luo Chen turned around, looking out toward the misty distance.
A surge of heroic ambition welled in his heart!
Now his cultivation was accomplished, his sect established, with allies abroad and capable talents within.
His coffers were full, his natal magic treasure within reach, and his myriad techniques fully honed.
He even had a magic-treasure-grade flying boat for conveyance.
Truly, when fortune smiles, heaven and earth lend their aid!
With this, he could fully spread his wings and make his mark!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two streaks of light landed before him.
"Supreme Elder, everyone has boarded the Scarlet Flame Dragon Boat," Xu Huanzhen reported with a respectful bow, his eyes full of reverence.
"Supreme Elder, all the relevant medicinal pills and materials have been loaded aboard. We can depart at any moment!" Yuan Xiaoyue also bowed. The increasingly stunning woman spoke in a clear, crisp voice, her heart brimming with hope.
Luo Chen gave an acknowledging hum.
Looking past the two, he seemed to see the two women of contrasting charms standing side by side outside the Luotian Great Hall, seeing him off.
"In that case, let us depart!"
Luo Chen waved his wide sleeve, his resonant voice carrying across the entire dragon boat.
Echoing shouts arose continuously from below decks:
"Depart!"
"Depart!"
"Depart!"
Departing from Danxia, returning to old haunts, bound for Moon Howling.
It was both a triumphant homecoming in glory and a stride toward a grander future!
Chapter 472