Doubt in the Dao Heart, Demons of Transformation

"Master, do you think I have any hope of forming a core in the future?" A voice filled with anxiety and confusion came from beside him. Luo Chen looked at the middle-aged man, his brows furrowing instinctively. Luo Chen had never put much effort into grooming this nominal disciple of his. Or rather, Luo Chen was simply not very good at instructing disciples to begin with. Whether it was his true apprentice Qu Lingjun or his junior Zeng Yilong, Luo Chen's guidance had always been centered on "putting things into practice." This was tied to Luo Chen's own life experiences. Throughout his journey, he had never excelled at systematic theoretical studies; virtually all his progress had come from grinding his proficiency step by step. Be it alchemy, spells, or cultivation and body refinement. In his eyes, practice outweighed theory; only hands-on practice yielded genuine skill. Because of these experiences, his way of teaching disciples was usually just to have them do the work. Xu Muxian was no exception. Seeing that Xu Muxian had rendered great service by processing medicinal herbs for him and possessed a modicum of talent in alchemy, Luo Chen had felt a trace of appreciation for his potential. He had taken him on as a nominal disciple, teaching him some basic alchemy techniques and occasionally correcting his mistakes. To speak of any deep "master-disciple bond" between the two? That was utter nonsense. Xu Muxian's status as a nominal disciple held far more symbolic significance than any true lineage inheritance. He was merely a signboard Luo Chen had erected to put the various clans of the Flying Swallow Archipelago at ease. Now that he had suddenly posed this question, Luo Chen was genuinely taken aback. Yet amidst his surprise, he frowned and shook his head. "You are merely at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement, yet you daydream about the Golden Core Great Dao. Do you not know what it means to aim too high?" His tone was rather severe. Xu Muxian trembled all over, yet his lips quivered as he murmured, "I know." Had he anticipated this exchange long before? Luo Chen said displeased, "If you know, why not keep your feet on the ground and take it step by step? Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul—we cultivators have always tempered ourselves through each stage, finally reaching Soul Transformation and ascending to attain the Way of the True Immortal! What, do you expect to swallow some mythical Nine-Turn Golden Pellet and ascend to immortality in a single bound?" Xu Muxian bowed his head, staring at the patch of grass beneath his feet sprouting new shoots under the nourishment of spiritual qi. "This disciple knows that as well." Luo Chen was baffled. If he knew all that, it proved his nearly thirty years of life had not been lived in vain. So why ask such an absurd question? He did not press further, merely watching him in silence. In the stifling silence, Xu Muxian clenched his fists as though steeling his resolve, then raised his head. "Master, I was thinking: if I had hope for the Great Dao, I would naturally follow your example—cultivating diligently through bitter toil, plowing the fields day after day without cease. "But what if I don't? "Wouldn't that mean decades, even a century of my prime, would ultimately turn into a handful of yellow earth, amounting to nothing? "If that's the case, why can't I enjoy these years, doing things that are more joyful and meaningful? That way, when my time comes to pass away, I won't feel regret for having wasted my life." Luo Chen let out a soft huff. "What do you mean 'meaningless,' what do you mean 'wasting your life'? The very process of seeking the Dao is meaningful in itself." Xu Muxian's gaze wandered, tinged with a hint of admiration. "That is only true for you, Master. You treat meditating day and night and cultivating agonizing secret arts as second nature, finding joy in hardship. But many people, including myself, cannot persist to the end." Luo Chen scoffed. "Only by enduring the bitterest hardships does one stand above others. If you daydream about the future without enduring pain, isn't that still aiming too high?" Without realizing it, Xu Muxian's trembling had ceased. He stood quietly opposite Luo Chen. Though of similar height and keeping his eyes lowered, he seemed to have regained his composure. "Master enjoys the process, but what I want to see is the result." Luo Chen disagreed. "How can there be a result without going through the process? If you fantasize about the Golden Core Great Dao, you must first pass through Foundation Establishment, which at the very least grants you over a century of additional lifespan." "Compared to the five-hundred-year span of changing seas and mulberry fields, a century is but the snap of a finger," Xu Muxian said in a low voice. "Effort without a visible outcome feels to this disciple like suffering in Avici, tormented day and night." Hearing those words, Luo Chen felt nothing but disappointment and lost any desire to continue the conversation. He had realized that this nominal disciple of his had talent, but lacked a resolute heart for the Dao; his future achievements could be seen at a single glance. Yet why had it turned out like this? Luo Chen was full of puzzlement. When they had first met years ago, the youthful Xu Muxian had been quite driven and ambitious. As his thoughts drifted over the man's past, Luo Chen faintly began to understand. He had been born into a branch of the Xu family, neglected since his youth. He had painstakingly learned a bit of alchemy, but his status had barely improved until he met Luo Chen, which finally gave him the opportunity to change his fate. With his current standing, he truly had no need for austere, bitter cultivation; he could instead enjoy a much easier, more pleasant life. Power and wealth, fine wine and delicacies, barking orders, flaunting influence—he wouldn't even have to endure living alongside a lovely wife while forbidden from consummating the union. That last restriction had been imposed by Luo Chen himself. When Luo Chen had set off for Xuanyan Island, Cheng Haixin had mentioned wanting to arrange an alliance between the Cheng and Xu families by betrothing a Cheng daughter to Xu Muxian, serving to rope in this promising rising star of the Flying Swallow Archipelago. Fearing that Xu Muxian would become consumed by carnal desires and ruin his primordial yang, ruining any hope of Foundation Establishment later on, Luo Chen had specifically laid down that condition. The Cheng daughter and Xu Muxian had both obeyed Luo Chen's rule. It had been out of good intentions, yet who would have thought... That was it. After years of harsh struggle, achieving success brought him no wanton indulgence. And having witnessed Cheng Dou, who was at peak Foundation Establishment, fail his breakthrough to the Golden Core stage and perish, fear had crept into his heart. Luo Chen vaguely understood. What about himself back then? Come to think of it, whenever he had made breakthroughs at each stage, he had actually indulged in releasing his pent-up stress. Establishing factions, wielding immense authority, commanding thousands of followers, wiping out sects and leveling mountains with a single command. Accompanied by the two beauties Caiyi and Huiniang, favored by Exalted Ones and revered by those beneath him. All those experiences gave Luo Chen a profound sense of reward for his relentless bitter cultivation, which was why he never grew weary of it. Humans needed to see positive feedback! Yet many people never received enough positive feedback. And Xu Muxian's current state was, in reality, the common plight of the vast majority of low-level cultivators. Once they felt the Great Dao was beyond reach, they chose to give up and turned toward comfortable pursuits instead. Wandering the world, taking in scenic sights. Branching out and passing down their bloodline. If not for the regulations imposed by sacred grounds and great sects, who knew how many Qi Refinement cultivators would roam into the mortal realm to indulge in lives of sheer decadence every day? Ponds of wine and forests of meat, completely lost in sensual delight—nothing could surpass that! Thinking of this, Luo Chen reflected upon himself. If he had not possessed the attribute panel that allowed him to see his proficiency rise at every moment, what would he have become in the end? Would he have sunk into low-level hedonism, or... His self-reflection came to an abrupt halt. Luo Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly. Hadn't that hypothetical already been tested many years ago? That had happened back when he first consumed the Nether-Passage Pill. Entering the dream through the nether passage, strengthening his divine soul. In that dream, he had no system either, yet because he wished to improve his alchemy to alter his destiny, he had repeatedly joined the Poshan Gang, mined ore to earn spirit stones, and refined pills... until finally, he successfully concocted the Myriad Wonders Pill that offered a chance to change his fate. Though in that dream, he had grown old and frail, his blood and vitality withered. Yet with respectable alchemy skills in hand, even if he couldn't achieve Foundation Establishment in the future, he could still improve his cultivation environment. The heart for the Dao was rooted deep in his very soul! Xu Muxian stood quietly, looking at his master who appeared even younger than himself. A sense of relief washed over him instead. Some words, suppressed in the heart for too long, would only make a person sick. Lately, when meditating during cultivation, he had found it difficult to enter a state of stillness. Though he had anticipated that his master might fly into a thunderous rage, Luo Chen had merely shown displeasure. Being in this situation already made him feel much better. Yet... he had probably disappointed his master! Suddenly, a hand came to rest upon his shoulder, patting it gently twice. A man with a calm countenance and gentle eyes spoke softly. "I cannot predict whether you can form a core, but I know that five hundred years of lifespan allows you to behold more sights and enjoy far more pleasures. The mere Flying Swallow Archipelago is but a tiny corner; remaining here makes you nothing more than a frog in a well. "Don't you want to leap out and see a broader world?" Having said that, Luo Chen withdrew his hand and strode away with ease. In the end, he still had not dispelled his disciple's confusion, merely offering the wavering man a future to dream of. Xu Muxian remained standing where he was, his expression still dazed, faintly mumbling under his breath: "A broader world..." ... After returning to his residence, Luo Chen felt a touch of regret. If only the Ghost-God Heart-Questioning Mirror were still around. Paired with the illusion art Mirror Flower, Water Moon, it could have easily charted a more fitting path for Xu Muxian. He wondered if the man would heed his words. And if he did listen, toiled to the end, and still came away empty-handed, would he harbor resentment toward this irresponsible teacher of his? After mulling over these questions briefly, Luo Chen cast them to the back of his mind. At the end of the day, he was just a nominal disciple. ... As Xu Muxian had said, a century was but the snap of a finger. During his daily routine of cultivation and alchemy, Luo Chen's remaining time in the Flying Swallow Archipelago slipped by rapidly in this austere life. Leisurely, three years passed in the blink of an eye, feeling like nothing more than a momentary daze. Over these three years, Luo Chen's gains in stockpiling pills were immense. Even though the remote location of the Flying Swallow Archipelago and the environmental differences between the Northern Sea and the Eastern Desolation made many medicinal herbs hard to come by, Luo Chen still managed to concoct many of the pills in his repertoire through modified methods. In the eyes of outsiders, he was a Tier 3 Grandmaster Alchemist. Yet on his system panel, he was already a genuine Tier 4 Alchemist, well-versed in classics, masterful in herbology, and able to execute all manners of alchemy techniques at will. For Tier 1 and Tier 2 pill recipes, even without the exact herbs, he could find substitutes through repeated experimentation. Fasting Pills, Nether-Passage Pills, Jade Dew Pills, Emperor's Flowing Syrup, Starry Sky Pills, True Flame Pills... Over three years, Luo Chen filled his pockets to bursting. The price paid was that the various clans of the Flying Swallow Archipelago suffered miserably, their resources squeezed to the absolute limit. Yet despite their resentment, no one dared voice a complaint. The might of a Demonic Lord brooked no defiance! ... On this day, Cheng Haixin delivered an invitation! Inside the hall, Luo Chen looked at the gold-embossed invitation, a look of realization dawning on his face. "No wonder there was that ten-year deadline." On the invitation were prominently inscribed the date and venue of a massive auction, along with a densely packed list of specially highlighted rare materials. The invitation had been brought back from the outside by the Flying Swallow Merchant Fleet, sent specifically under the orders of Wu Qi from Wushen Island. Standing beside him, Cheng Haixin explained, "Feileng City is situated on Lengguang Island. Lengguang Island is the premier mega-island in the southeastern Northern Sea, home to countless cities and a chaotic mix of various factions. "As a whole, it is considered neutral territory." Luo Chen was puzzled. "Neutral? Shouldn't it fall under the jurisdiction of the Canghai Alliance?" Cheng Haixin shook her head. "Not quite. As the largest city on Lengguang Island, Feileng City is the most powerful faction among them. The city lord, Fairy Feileng, had past ties with a Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Yuan Demon Sect. It was thanks to that Yuan Demon Sect True Monarch that she was able to hold Feileng City alone. Therefore, even after the demonic sect fell, outsiders still viewed her as part of the demonic remnants... the surviving lineage of the demonic sect. In earlier years, the Canghai Alliance attempted to bring her into the fold, but she refused." "Did the Moluo Stream not try to recruit her?" Luo Chen asked. "She refused them as well." Luo Chen was somewhat surprised. In the chaotic Northern Sea of today, refusing to band together for warmth and instead standing aloof and isolated—wasn't that seeking one's own doom? Suddenly, he caught on. Why would Feileng City, typically tranquil and uninvolved in disputes, abruptly hold a super auction under the current circumstances to gather factions from all over? Was it not releasing a signal? A signal termed "choosing a side"! Through this auction, the lord of Feileng City would very likely lean toward one of the sides. Perhaps the Canghai Alliance, perhaps the Moluo Stream, or perhaps another top-tier Nascent Soul faction. Yet no matter which faction it was, they would surely relish gaining an additional Nascent Soul True Monarch while bringing Lengguang Island, the largest island in the southeast, under their control! This signal had likely begun radiating long before. The Moluo Stream had also been preparing for this for a long time, which explained why Wu Qi had set a ten-year term, and why Blood Nightmare Moluo had stopped by the Flying Swallow Archipelago to look for Luo Chen on his way. "In other words, if I go, there's a strong chance I'll run into someone like Blood Nightmare Moluo?" Luo Chen mused inwardly. He was not particularly afraid of dealing with Nascent Soul True Monarchs. It went back to the old truth: an exceptional alchemist would be welcomed with open arms wherever he went, unless he crossed paths with someone petty and envious of talent. Moreover, he was already at the Golden Core stage; there would be no repeat of his Qi Refinement days when Mi Shuhua forcibly recruited him to use as a mere pawn. Looking at the dense list of materials on the invitation, Luo Chen felt tempted. Among them, he spotted over a dozen auxiliary materials required for the Nascent Soul Formation Pill! It had to be said that over the years, the Flying Swallow Merchant Fleet had also been searching for herbs for the Nascent Soul Formation Pill on his behalf, but their haul had been minuscule. Setting aside their rarity, even some of the more common ones were prohibitively expensive, far beyond what the cultivators of the Flying Swallow Archipelago could afford. In fact, for certain materials, it wasn't just a matter of spirit stones, but also of "status." Without the necessary cultivation realm, one wasn't even qualified to come into contact with them, let alone purchase them. "Exalted One, are you going?" Cheng Haixin asked cautiously, though she already had her answer in mind. Over these years, Demonic Lord Qingyang had been refining pills on a massive scale, many of which were not even for his own use. It was evident that he was making preparations for a long journey. In other words, his mind was already set on leaving. Sure enough, Luo Chen gave a slight nod. Cheng Haixin understood, but another question weighed more heavily on her mind. "Exalted One, once you leave, will you come back?" Luo Chen's gaze fell on her, and he countered, "Do you want to come with me?" "I..." The woman hesitated. "Step down for now. I still have matters to attend to." Hesitation showed on Cheng Haixin's face, but in the end, she offered an elegant bow. "This concubine takes her leave." After she left, Luo Chen let out a sigh. If she truly wanted to leave with him, that would have been fine; he wouldn't have considered her a burden. On the contrary, having managed trivial affairs for him over the years, Cheng Haixin had grown familiar with his habits. Bringing her along would allow her to continue handling mundane matters for him. However, it was obvious that she was encumbered by her clan and could not easily walk away from it all. Luo Chen did not dwell on it. Even without Cheng Haixin, finding a second Cheng Haixin would hardly be difficult with his methods. For now, there was another pressing matter that required his attention. With a flick of his wrist, a dazzling, gilded pill overflowing with radiant light materialized in his hand. Listening closely, one could even faintly hear the echoing cry of an infant. It was none other than the Transformation Pill! During his three years at Mount Cangwu, Luo Chen had ultimately refined a furnace of Transformation Pills, yielding five in total. Four had been handed over to Youquan, Hall Master of Duzhen Hall, while the last one had been kept by him under the pretext of study. Such a pill was something one could only encounter by luck, never seek out at will. Even though Luo Chen had achieved initial mastery of it and had the technique to refine it in batches, he could not replicate it. For no other reason than the main ingredient being the greatest bottleneck! The primary ingredient of the Transformation Pill was the origin essence blood of a Nascent Soul True Monarch! Luo Chen had no means to harvest the most precious essence blood of a Nascent Soul True Monarch. With the Transformation Pill in hand, Luo Chen's thoughts stirred, and he sent out a voice transmission. Before long, wild winds swept past outside the hall, accompanied by a lazy voice that sounded as though its owner had barely woken up. "Tianxuan, can't you be a little gentler? If you ruin Master's flowers and plants, watch out for a scolding." "Who asked for your opinion, you fat snake? All you do every day is sleep your head off, and you have the nerve to lecture me?" "Heh, little wench." "Are you looking for a beating?" "Come on, try your luck with your Lord Black. I, the Black King, am not afraid of you now." "As if I'm afraid of you! Find some time out at sea, and see if I don't flay you alive!" Amidst their bickering, a gull and a flood dragon shrank in size and stepped into the grand hall. Before they could even speak, the gazes of both demons instinctively locked onto that golden pill. Gulp! Gulp! The distinct sound of swallowing saliva rose from the throats of the two Demon Kings. Luo Chen smiled faintly. With an upward gesture of his hand, the Transformation Pill drifted slowly toward them.