Lengguang Island.
As a premier super-island in the southeastern Northern Sea, its landmass was immense—nearly twice the size of the entire Jade Cauldron Domain.
Rich in mineral deposits and spiritual flora, and dotted with countless lakes and soaring mountains, it resembled an expansive mainland continent.
With such bountiful resources alongside spiritual veins of various grades, numerous factions had been drawn here to take root and flourish.
Among all these powers, Feileng City was undoubtedly the most renowned and formidable!
And for good reason!
Feileng City was ruled by a Nascent Soul realm City Master—Perfected Person Feileng.
Rumor had it that she shared an old bond with a Nascent Soul Perfected Person from the Yuan Demon Sect, and it was through that backing that she held sole dominion over Feileng City and its Tier 4 spiritual vein.
After taking control of the city, her conduct differed starkly from that of ordinary cultivators.
She founded no sect and branched out no clan.
Remaining a rogue cultivator, she secluded herself to cultivate in the blessed land atop the city's Tier 4 spiritual vein.
Her tranquil, detached demeanor left Feileng City's prime resources sitting idle.
Consequently, with her consent, factions great and small across Lengguang Island gradually moved into Feileng City to conduct all manner of commerce.
Each year, they needed only to pay a portion of their earnings to Perfected Person Feileng to secure her protection.
Under this arrangement, Lengguang Island gradually evolved into a peculiar landscape: a chaotic blend of dragons and snakes, yet governed by an undisputed sovereign.
After entering the city, Luo Chen walked along the broad thoroughfare, lost in thought.
Perfected Person Feileng appeared aloof and unconcerned with worldly ambition, yet in truth, she had not missed out on a single sliver of profit.
On the contrary, this arrangement spared her the burdens of managing a sect or clan, freeing up all her time to focus on cultivation.
*This model has its merits; perhaps I could borrow a thing or two from it.*
*However, to emulate such a model, one must possess absolute strength capable of suppressing an entire region and shielding everyone beneath it.*
*Just like what I did in the Flying Swallow Archipelago!*
*Yet clearly, while I may possess absolute strength in barren, out-of-the-way corners, I cannot exert that kind of undisputed dominance once I step into resource-rich lands.*
*Worse, given my current realm, even if I seized a patch of territory, it would only invite covetous eyes from all directions.*
*When that happens, endless storms would follow.*
*So it is still better to find a powerful faction to lean on. After all, it's nice to cool off in the shade of a big tree!*
Suddenly, Luo Chen came to a halt.
Turning around, he cast a calm gaze toward a young man who had abruptly stopped in his tracks.
Dressed in coarse hemp robes, the man wore a seemingly cordial smile, though an undercurrent of cunning lurked beneath it.
Seeing that Luo Chen had noticed him, he promptly clasped his hands. "Greetings, friend. I am Liu Zhenwei."
"State your business," Luo Chen said coldly.
Getting straight to the point after introducing himself, Liu Zhenwei paid no mind to Luo Chen's frosty reception and continued, "Fellow Daoist is clearly an outsider who has just arrived in Feileng City and might not know your way around. I have lived here for roughly a century; I know every street and alley like the back of my hand. For a modest sum of spirit stones, I would gladly serve as your guide, ensuring you navigate the upcoming month-long trade fair like a fish in water."
Luo Chen listened quietly before shaking his head.
"No need."
With that, he flicked his sleeve and walked away.
Liu Zhenwei was taken aback; it was the first time he had met an outsider who refused so flatly without even asking about the price.
Still, he had finally latched onto a plump sheep, so how could he let it slip away so easily?
He hurried after him. "Trust me, Fellow Daoist! Without someone to guide you, you will easily get ripped off whether you are selling goods or buying resources."
"It's not uncommon for an item to sell for a thousand spirit stones in the southern district, while in the north it costs only five hundred."
"Take renting a cave abode, for example. Three Golden Core clans run that business together. While their pricing is unified, the spiritual qi density varies from one abode to another. If you hire me, I'll definitely help you find the cave abode that offers the best value for your stones."
...
He rambled on as he walked, talking until his lips were dry, yet the red-faced young man remained entirely unmoved.
Liu Zhenwei's expression soured. Suddenly darting forward, he blocked Luo Chen's path.
"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but fighting is not prohibited in Feileng City!"
Luo Chen regarded him with a chilled gaze, softly uttering two words.
"Step aside."
Liu Zhenwei reflexively wanted to snap back, but the instant his eyes met Luo Chen's, an involuntary dread seized his heart.
In a daze, by the time he snapped out of it, the red-faced man's figure had already vanished into the bustling crowd.
Right then, three individuals caught up from behind.
"Brother Liu, why didn't you stop that man and woman?"
"Did you quote too high a price and he refused? If you ask me, you could have lowered it a bit. Once we hook him and lure him to a quiet spot, we can just finish him off!"
"The price couldn't be too low either, or he'd get suspicious. Let's hear Brother Liu explain what happened!"
Confronted by their questions, Liu Zhenwei opened his mouth, his face flushing crimson.
At last, he forced out, "I... I don't know either!"
Indeed, how could he possibly comprehend the mysteries of Luo Chen's illusion art?
Ever since *Mirror Flower, Water Moon* reached Great Circle, it had taken root within his eyes. Even if he changed his primary cultivation technique, it could still be activated as normal.
Against those below his realm, the art was virtually infallible.
Even against experts of the same tier, Luo Chen was confident he could make them succumb without realizing it.
Only in battles across realms, wary of potential backlash, did Luo Chen rarely employ it.
Liu Zhenwei was merely an early Foundation Establishment cultivator; beneath a single glance from Luo Chen, he could only obediently step aside.
...
On a relatively quiet street, Luo Chen curled his lips.
They said Feileng City was chaotic, and sure enough, it lived up to its reputation!
One could see the whole picture just from the city-gate guides common in such places.
With his spiritual sense, how could he have missed Liu Zhenwei and his cohort's conspiracy?
"Still, the fact that private combat isn't forbidden in Feileng City is rather troublesome. It doesn't make for a very peaceful residence."
Muttering to himself, Luo Chen halted before a serene-looking shop.
Looking up, he saw several pale-gold characters inscribed boldly upon the signboard:
"Feileng Cave Abode Management Office."
Luo Chen was by no means ignorant of Feileng City.
Whether from reading the *Annals of Feileng City* years ago or the vast intelligence gathered by the Flying Swallow Caravan during its various travels, he had enough information to move freely without a guide.
This management office, for instance, belonged to one of the three factions overseeing cave abode rentals in Feileng City.
Its rates might be higher, but it enjoyed the best reputation.
Here, Luo Chen could likely select a satisfactory cave abode.
Without further hesitation, Luo Chen led Tianxuan inside.
...
Half an hour later.
A white-haired old man tottered as he led the man and woman into a secluded valley.
Though remote, the valley was far from desolate.
Planted throughout were numerous striking, exotic flowers and herbs, with orchids being the most prevalent.
As they walked, the old man introduced, "Although Feileng City possesses a Tier 4 spiritual vein, the nodes where spiritual qi gathers are rather scattered, making management quite troublesome. Therefore, the Perfected Person delegated management rights to our three clans: Zhou, Wu, and Qian."
"This Abode Jia Nine is situated in the north of the city, quite a distance from the trade fair square. Remote though it is, the spiritual qi density genuinely reaches the third tier. It is well-suited for this fellow daoist."
As he spoke, his gaze bypassed Luo Chen and settled upon Tianxuan.
To rent a suitable Tier 3 cave abode, revealing a Golden Core cultivation base was necessary.
However, Luo Chen had Tianxuan display hers while concealing his own realm.
In this way, he could temporarily mask his whereabouts.
Naturally, Tianxuan was still finding her footing with such worldly affairs, so Luo Chen had to step forward to negotiate the price.
He looked around, satisfaction showing on his face.
Remote as it was, it had the advantage of seclusion, and the spiritual qi density was guaranteed.
As long as proper security measures were established, all would be well.
"Fellow Daoist Zhou, what about the price?"
Stroking his beard, the elderly cultivator surnamed Zhou said solemnly, "Because you are renting short-term, the price is somewhat higher. Furthermore, with the trade fair approaching, many high-level cultivators have arrived in Feileng City, so we have adjusted our rates upward."
"One month is one hundred and fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones, to be renewed proactively at the management office at the end of the month."
"If you wish to switch to a long-term lease, the minimum term is ten years, and the price can be discounted to one hundred and twenty thousand per month."
One hundred and fifty thousand for a single month!
*Good grief, what an easy business.*
Even Luo Chen felt a twinge of envy.
No wonder high-realm cultivators loved to dominate a whole domain; even without establishing a sect, securing ownership of a territory was a priority.
If nothing else, the rent alone brought in fortunes beyond measure.
Envy aside, Luo Chen decided to rent the place.
Above all, both Tianxuan and he genuinely required a cave abode with Tier 3 spiritual qi density to cultivate.
Advancing one's realm required relentless, painstaking effort over time.
Now, he was merely trading spirit stones for time.
It was well worth it.
After Luo Chen handed over the spirit stones, the old cultivator produced a jade token and placed it in Tianxuan's hand.
"What is this?" Tianxuan asked.
The old cultivator smiled. "Whenever an unfamiliar Golden Core cultivator visits Feileng City, they receive such a jade token. Our three families will leave messages through it, hosting regular gatherings for high-ranking cultivators. Whether exchanging cultivation insights or bartering goods, I believe Fellow Daoist will find it rewarding. Of course, whether to attend is entirely up to you."
Having spoken, he turned and took his leave.
Clutching the jade token, Tianxuan looked toward Luo Chen.
"Keep it for now. We can look into it later."
After saying this, Luo Chen began setting up arrangements across the valley.
He buried the Fengshen Compass and activated the Rippling Cloud Dense Mist Formation.
Drawing upon the earth vein's spiritual qi, layers of rainclouds billowed into the sky while swells of fog drifted in all directions, cloaking the entire valley.
Protected by the grand formation, it not only possessed considerable defensive capability but also shielded against spiritual senses, preventing external experts from prying.
In particular, under Han Zhan's helm, the formation could even ward off the spiritual sense probes of Nascent Soul experts!
"Sorry to trouble Senior."
"No matter. Helping you is helping myself, after all," Han Zhan replied casually after adjusting the formation.
Luo Chen stepped into the wooden cabin in the valley and superimposed his own Spirit Gathering Formation over the one previously laid by the Zhou family.
The density of spiritual qi visibly increased by thirty percent.
He only wondered whether his gain here would diminish the flow to spiritual veins elsewhere.
Chuckling softly, Luo Chen began retrieving items from his storage ring one by one.
Looking across the floor, there were crab pincers and crab legs of all kinds, alongside lustrous, perfectly round demon cores.
During those years in the Xuanyan Sea Domain, Luo Chen, the Black King, and Tianxuan had joined forces to hunt numerous demon crabs, totaling over a thousand!
Of those many demon crabs, ninety-nine percent were Tier 2.
Their shells had been refined by Luo Chen into Black Emperor Paste for his body refinement.
All the flesh had either been consumed by him as blood food or rewarded to the Black King.
Thus, what remained were essentially the parts that the Black King had found difficult to digest back then.
These resources were of little use to Luo Chen, but they were by no means worthless.
The Northern Sea was rich in resources and teeming with demon beasts, so alchemists favored demon cores as ingredients in their pills; over a thousand Tier 2 demon cores carried considerable value.
Those hard crab legs and pincers could also be crafted into various magical artifacts.
According to Luo Chen's earlier estimates, selling this batch could bring back several million spirit stones at the very least!
And that was not all.
Next, Luo Chen retrieved another batch of similar materials from his storage ring.
Though similar, their dimensions were visibly larger and their texture considerably harder, with lingering demonic qi that was concentrated to the extreme.
Evidently, these were materials from Demon King-tier crabs collected during Luo Chen's final year.
After refining the Tier 4 Black Emperor Paste, all the rest had been retained.
"Selling off this batch of materials will relieve my straitened circumstances and give me plenty of breathing room."
Luo Chen's wealth had once been immense.
Relying on alchemy, revenue from the Luotian Sect, and spoils from numerous battles, his net worth had once surpassed ten million spirit stones.
Not to mention Foundation Establishment cultivators, even among Golden Core cultivators he had been exceptionally wealthy.
Yet with his Core Formation, participation in the Pioneering War, the Mountain Moving Project, and his daily cultivation, his reserves had been virtually drained dry.
Strapped for funds, only upon arriving in the Flying Swallow Archipelago had he bled those low-tier cultivator clans dry.
Frankly, it had been somewhat unprincipled.
"Once I dispose of these materials, the spirit stones earned should allow me to reap a bountiful harvest at this trade fair."
After taking inventory, Luo Chen categorized the materials of different tiers into separate storage bags.
He then handed all the storage bags to Tianxuan.
"Do you remember the shops I mentioned along the way?"
"Master, I remember them all."
"This batch is quite large; a single shop might not be able to absorb it all. Visit several and sell in batches. Even if the price is a bit lower, it doesn't matter—just prioritize converting them into spirit stones quickly."
Luo Chen instructed her with care.
Over more than half a year, under Luo Chen's guidance, Tianxuan had reached the threshold of mastery with the modified *Breath Concealment Spiritual Art*.
Furthermore, Luo Chen had inscribed a Yinwei Formation onto her, and Han Zhan had added a few subtle tricks.
One could say that unless encountering a Nascent Soul Perfected Person, ordinary beings would be unable to see through her true form.
Thus, Tianxuan could move about outside and attend to miscellaneous errands for Luo Chen.
Meanwhile, Luo Chen planned to refine the demon cultivation technique he had created, using it as a reference to complete his own cultivation method.
...
The next day, Tianxuan headed out carrying the demon crab materials to trade.
In truth, what the Feileng City Master had convened was merely a single high-tier auction; the so-called grand trade fair had simply been organized by those below to capitalize on the occasion.
While it might be a grand event for ordinary low-tier cultivators, Luo Chen held little regard for it and had no intention of participating.
Nevertheless, such a fair provided Tianxuan with an excellent opportunity to offload the goods.
After Tianxuan departed, Luo Chen produced a stack of fine-quality white jade from his storage ring and sat down, focusing his mind.
After calming his spirit for a good while, he began channeling his dharmic powers. Using his finger as a brush, he slowly wrote upon the white jade.
The very first stroke was to record its name.
Since it was tailor-made for Tianxuan and drew from numerous texts such as the *Ascension True Scripture* and the *Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture*, the name came to him effortlessly.
*Universal Feather Secret Scripture*.
With the title established, the rest flowed far more smoothly.
With the concepts already firmly mapped out in his mind, Luo Chen wrote as if possessed by divine inspiration, setting down each word and phrase with fluid grace.
Compared to the rough first draft, this polished revision was far more meticulous, with subtle nuances gradually filled in through deep deliberation.
Drawing upon the body refinement principles of *Convergence of Myriad Paths*, utilizing the spell *Ninety Thousand Li* to supplement flight speed, and incorporating the core essentials of *Micromote Origin Art* to purify dharmic powers...
Bit by bit, drop by drop... gradually, the *Universal Feather Secret Scripture* grew ever more complete, even carrying an all-encompassing aura.
During this process, Luo Chen continually compared it against the two natal techniques he cultivated for qi refining and body refinement.
The essence of power in this realm was constant, all stemming from "heaven and earth spiritual qi" as the foundational energy source.
What changed was merely the direction of cultivation and the means of expression.
Thus, certain limitations that had previously bound him could in fact be reconciled and converted into one another.
To be constrained by outward form was to settle for the inferior.
To pursue the essence was the true path.
Without realizing it, through this act of authoring a scripture, Luo Chen began to consolidate and refine everything he had learned, stripping away the dross to retain the essence, illuminating the grand avenue stretching before him.
Inside the wooden cabin filled with dense spiritual qi, the freshly garbed, white-robed, red-faced man sat peacefully, brow furrowing at times and relaxing at others, an inexplicable resonance swirling about him.
Leaning against a corner of the room, figures shifted across the white banner before finally revealing Han Zhan's aged face.
Gazing upon this scene, his heart could not calm for a long time.
"A sudden enlightenment...?"
The quiet sigh was audible to no one, yet the astonishment and admiration within were laid bare.
Having been a Nascent Soul Perfected Person at his peak, Han Zhan naturally understood what this scene signified.
Under Luo Chen's vast accumulation and countless cultivation practices, quantity had finally yielded a qualitative transformation; in the midst of creating a cultivation technique, he had entered a state of sudden enlightenment.
Such a state was a celestial opportunity.
It could neither be sought nor summoned.
Ordinary cultivators might not encounter it once in an entire lifetime.
Even Nascent Soul Perfected Persons yearned beyond measure to enter this state and perceive the laws and Great Dao of heaven and earth.
Yet who would have thought that Luo Chen would encounter it in the Golden Core stage?
It was somewhat wasteful.
Yet if Luo Chen could reap insights from it, he would either experience a surge in strength or ensure his future path of cultivation was no longer fraught with obstacles, unfolding in complete smoothness.
Whichever it was, it would be a tremendous blessing.
Amid his lingering marvel, Han Zhan drifted out of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
Arriving at the center of the valley, he shook out a streak of dharmic powers. Instantly, the clouds and mist pervading the surroundings grew even denser, saturated to the point of glistening dew.
The Rippling Cloud Dense Mist Formation had been pushed to its absolute limit!
Chapter 570