"Cleansing the marrow and altering the sinews, tempering the viscera and clearing the meridians, opening every acupoint across the entire body to achieve a fully unhindered physique... So that's how it works! Tsk, listening to your words is truly worth more than five years of study!"
"You are being too modest, Old Angler. These cultivation principles are inherently carried out unconsciously by us Qi refiners. You didn't realize it before simply because you knew what was happening without understanding why. Now that the specifics are clear, your future body refinement will surely progress by leaps and bounds, advancing a thousand li a day!"
In the outer hall of the Starry Constellation Hall, an old man and a youth were conversing with great pleasure.
It was as if enlightenment had struck Old Angler from above, giving him complete clarity on the path ahead in his cultivation.
Just as Luo Chen had said, body refiners and Qi refiners actually shared much in common.
When Qi refiners cultivated, even if they did not deliberately train their bodies, they unconsciously tempered their physical forms, making them less frail so they could endure the immense impact of external spiritual energy.
However, while the concept sounded simple, executing it was far from easy.
For instance, techniques for tempering the viscera, clearing meridians, and unblocking acupoints were closely guarded secrets unique to each lineage of body refiners, often requiring corresponding secret medicines to reach completion.
If one attempted to practice those methods using an immortal cultivator's Qi-refining techniques, one risked drawing a tiger only to end up with a dog.
Seeing Old Angler lost in thought, Luo Chen pondered for a moment before offering guidance: "Actually, these lower-tier body-refining methods circulate widely throughout the cultivation world. As long as you are willing to spend a few spirit stones, you can easily gather plenty. When the time comes, experiment with them, categorize them, and find what suits you best."
Old Angler nodded at first. "Indeed, that is not difficult. The Demon Hunting Department has quite a few related manuals."
Then, a troubled expression surfaced on his face.
"Yet if one wants to reach the third realm of body refinement you mentioned—the Smelting Furnace Realm—I'm afraid it won't be that simple."
The first five minor stages of the second realm, the Blood River Realm, all belonged to the foundational phase.
To achieve true success, one had to comprehend the transformations of vitality and blood, cultivating the four forces of Overt, Covert, Transforming, and Pellet.
Those four stages were not easily mastered; they required comprehension, innate talent, ample resources, and vast amounts of time.
Old Angler suddenly raised his head and looked at Luo Chen.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, it seems the path you walk differs somewhat from that of ancient body refiners."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
He had not expected the other man's perception to be so sharp as to notice this.
Old Angler hesitated before saying, "Truth be told, I have seen an orthodox body refiner before—an advanced body refiner who had reached the Smelting Furnace Realm. Even when he merely stood beside me, I could feel an incomparably overbearing astral qi, fiercely aggressive. His entire being was like a blazing smelting furnace, threatening to melt and absorb all things into himself.
"Yet you are different!
"What you convey to me is vigorous vitality and surging blood energy, without that so-called overbearing astral qi. In fact, it is almost as if an ancient primordial demonic beast is standing before me!"
The smile remained on Luo Chen's face, but it had grown somewhat strained.
He had not expected Old Angler's senses to be so acute.
The path he walked was indeed not that of an orthodox body refiner.
Through his system and self-created techniques, he had bypassed the four stages of comprehending vitality transformations, taking an alternative body-refining path reliant entirely on resources.
Instead of Overt, Covert, Transforming, and Pellet forces, his steps were Blood Transformation and Bone Reshaping.
Over the years, by consuming copious amounts of blood food and persevering with doses of Black Emperor Paste, he had undergone Blood Transformation multiple times. To achieve the complete perfection of nine Blood Transformations, only three remained.
At present, the blood within his body was like liquid lead and mercury, roaring like a torrential river.
As for Bone Reshaping, all the bones in his body had grown increasingly hard. Even when he struck them with ordinary magic tools, not a scratch remained.
Luo Chen even had the confidence to endure a direct strike from the true form of a low-grade magic treasure.
The reason outside cultivators could not tell was that the Yinwei Formation engraved upon his body forcibly concealed this terrifying physique, which resembled that of a wild beast.
*Has this Old Angler cultivated some secret art that lets him see through my true state? No, that's not right!*
A thought suddenly crossed Luo Chen's mind.
The other man's earlier demeanor had been hesitant and uncertain, not as though he were entirely sure.
In other words, he might not have sensed Luo Chen's condition directly, but learned of it through another channel.
The battle on Lengguang Island!
That was it.
In the Mo family fishery back then, although Luo Chen had used a grand array to temporarily block external perception, there had been survivors from that battle.
The elder of the Wu family twin brothers had escaped.
Given the Demon Hunting Department's intelligence capabilities, it was highly likely they had gathered relevant information, which ultimately landed in Old Angler's hands.
Facing Old Angler's curiosity, Luo Chen wiped away his smile and took on a slightly solemn tone.
"My apologies. This is my personal secret art and is strictly never shared outside. I must disappoint you, Senior."
Old Angler opened his mouth, his disappointment evident.
To prevent him from harboring improper thoughts, Luo Chen added, "In truth, this body-refining technique of mine takes an extraordinary amount of time, and the resources it consumes are by no means small. You are currently at the ninth layer of Golden Core, merely one step from the Great Perfection. Starting my method now would certainly come too late. As far as I know, when a cultivator breaks through to the Nascent Soul stage, what matters is the unity of the Three Treasures: Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Although called a 'union,' it is not an actual merger, but rather adjusting one's internal state to the point of utmost harmony to withstand heavenly tribulation. Under these circumstances, a cultivator's physique does not strictly need to reach the third realm of body refinement. As long as the foundation is solid and the meridians and acupoints can withstand the scouring of external spiritual energy, it will suffice."
Old Angler listened somewhat dejectedly to Luo Chen's conciliatory words.
The reasoning was sound. He was no longer young—over four hundred years old—with barely a century left before reaching his longevity limit.
In a mere century, trying both to achieve Golden Core perfection and to build another path from scratch all the way to the third realm was sheer delusion.
Yet as Luo Chen continued speaking, the light in Old Angler's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Suddenly, he surged to his feet and stared at Luo Chen in disbelief.
Faced with such a loss of composure, Luo Chen was confused at first, then felt his heart sink.
He had spoken too deeply to an acquaintance, saying more than he should have.
Old Angler's voice turned dry and hoarse. "Fellow Daoist Luo Hai, are the theories you just mentioned regarding Nascent Soul formation... true?"
Indeed!
Luo Chen knew where the issue lay.
Those theories on Nascent Soul formation had been derived from his past epiphanies, combined with occasional pointers from Han Zhan, and finally synthesized by himself.
Such principles were not overly esoteric.
Yet for rogue cultivators, they were great truths boiled down to simplest form—wisdom that rogue cultivators yearned for but could never obtain, even in fragments.
Even as an Eight-Star Demon Hunter who oversaw the Demon Hunting Department, Old Angler seemed to lack this knowledge.
Luo Chen feigned calmness. "They ought to be true. Those words were casually mentioned by Master Fu, an elder of Tianyuan Tower, back when I was on Lengguang Island. Given his status as a Nascent Soul True Cultivator, he surely wouldn't deceive me with falsehoods."
The old man paced in small steps across the hall.
Master Fu?
That would be Fu Chaosheng, one of the four elders stationed by the Tianyuan Dao Sect in the Northern Sea's Tianyuan Commerce Alliance.
Old Angler was aware of this general knowledge.
Rumor had it that this man was very kind to juniors and frequently gave them a helping hand.
Given the exceptional talent of Demonic Lord Qingyang, Luo Hai, it was entirely possible he had caught the senior's eye and received some guidance.
Old Angler halted his steps, his gaze burning as he looked at Luo Chen.
"Is there anything more?"
Luo Chen smiled wryly. "What status do I possess? I am merely a rogue cultivator. To win a True Cultivator's favor and receive a pointer or two was already tremendous fortune. How could I dare ask for more?"
"True enough. Even though our Myriad Immortals Association has seven Nascent Soul True Cultivators, I rarely receive any guidance from them," Old Angler said.
Yet the look he cast at Luo Chen remained half-believing and half-doubting.
Internally, he made up his mind.
In the days to come, he had to seek out this Demonic Lord Qingyang frequently to exchange cultivation insights.
Not just on body refinement, but more importantly, on the theories surrounding Nascent Soul formation.
Perhaps he could unearth even more.
Seeing the weariness on Luo Chen's face, Old Angler collected himself.
"Let our discussion end here for today!
"I came here for another matter as well."
Luo Chen nodded. "Please, go ahead."
"First..."
Old Angler produced a booklet, flipped to a page in the middle, and presented it before Luo Chen.
"What is this?" Puzzled, Luo Chen looked down at the writing on the page.
Old Angler explained, "These are the belongings left behind by that white-robed cultivator from the Yuan Demon Sect. Aside from a few items taken by the Nascent Soul True Cultivators, everything else is listed here. As I said before, these items will be placed in the Demon Hunting Department's treasury for rogue cultivators to redeem. As the individuals involved, you and Duan Li have priority, and your priority precedes Duan Li's."
*Soul-Commanding Sword: Middle-grade magic treasure, crafted primarily from thousand-year peach wood. Attacks follow an extraordinarily bizarre trajectory with formidable might, carrying the special effect of sealing spirits and deterring vengeful wraiths. Recommended for wood-root cultivators.*
*Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Originally contained tens of thousands of souls, though most were depleted in battle. However, the banner has a solid foundation; if a cultivator replenishes a large number of souls, it may restore its original power.*
*Core Formation Insights: Insights on Core Formation from a genius Golden Core cultivator. Rather rudimentary, as this person clearly achieved Core Formation with great ease and encountered few difficulties.*
*Moon-Gold Stone: Rank-four mineral, suitable for refining yin-attribute magic tools and magic treasures.*
...
Names and descriptions of various resources were laid out across the page.
At the top of the page, a name was explicitly noted:
*Yan Zhixian.*
Luo Chen grew thoughtful. It seemed the white-robed cultivator was indeed not named Qin Tianming; his real name was Yan Zhixian.
"Have you chosen?" Old Angler asked.
Luo Chen looked up and probed, "Why is the secret art he used to deploy the black domain not listed here?"
During the battle on the Quyang Defensive Line, among Yan Zhixian's many methods, what had left the deepest impression on Luo Chen was the black domain erected with the aid of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
It was like a ghost domain, yet also like a trapping grand array.
However, it was closest to the Nascent Soul domains released by Wolf Emperor Ao Xiao and Han Zhan during their clash on the Tiangu Plain years ago!
Within that black domain, an enemy's dharmic powers were heavily suppressed, and even divine soul cognition slowed down.
Otherwise, as a mere early Golden Core cultivator, Yan Zhixian could never have held his own against two powerful Golden Core experts like Luo Chen and Duan Li.
If one could master such a method, it would grant an immense advantage in combat against peers of the same realm!
To this, Old Angler replied with unmistakable regret, "Such a secret art is undoubtedly a core legacy of the Yuan Demon Sect. How could he have carried a written copy on his person?"
Luo Chen was skeptical.
Yet Old Angler looked completely candid, showing no trace of deceit.
After a moment's thought, Luo Chen pointed to a specific line.
"I'll take this Soul Fusion Secret Art!"
Old Angler smiled faintly. "Just as I expected. I guessed you would want this secret art, given that you also possess a Ten Thousand Soul Banner of fine quality."
Luo Chen offered a knowing smile.
His own Ten Thousand Soul Banner had been obtained from Yan Nantian and was originally nothing extraordinary.
Yet in the Xuanyan Sea Domain, Han Zhan had secretly gathered numerous demon king souls into it, granting it considerable power.
Then, during the battle on Lengguang Island, Han Zhan had used the Sea-Sealing Bagua Array to absorb the soul of Qian Ting, the Qian family head and a late Golden Core cultivator.
It was thanks to that soul banner that Luo Chen had remained unaffected by the crowd-control effects of the black domain when fighting Yan Zhixian.
Furthermore, after that battle ended, Old Angler had allowed Luo Chen to devour the numerous ghost kings left inside Yan Zhixian's Ten Thousand Soul Banner.
Over the past five years, earth-shaking changes had occurred within it.
In fact, the ghost king formed from Qian Ting's vengeful soul had devoured most of the bizarre, half-human, half-beast ghost king from Yan Zhixian's banner, growing increasingly formidable.
If he obtained this Soul Fusion Secret Art, Luo Chen might be able to fuse the scattered ghost kings in his banner into a single entity, just as Yan Zhixian had, unleashing tremendous might.
That would grant Luo Chen yet another trump card!
"This technique is a spell practiced by disciples of the Yuan Demon Sect's Soul Refinement branch. Though never shared outside, Northern Sea cultivators have devised similar spells over the years.
"Therefore, the redemption cost for this Soul Fusion Secret Art isn't particularly high. Out of respect for the Yuan Demon Sect's prestige, it was priced at two hundred thousand spirit stones.
"You are currently a Four-Star Demon Hunter. With your discount, you only need to pay a hundred and twenty thousand spirit stones to redeem it,"
Old Angler said with a beaming smile.
Two hundred thousand spirit stones was truly not expensive, especially after the discount.
Luo Chen sighed with emotion. "The Demon Hunter star discount is truly wonderful! If only I held a nine-star rank—no, even seven or eight stars would be magnificent. The annual rent for this Penghu spiritual land is a heavy burden on me."
Spiritual veins were plentiful in the Northern Sea, which made them seem cheap.
Yet those with high grades remained exceedingly expensive.
The eight hundred li of Penghu cost three million a year. Even with a forty percent discount, it still came to 1.8 million a year, or nine million every five years!
If Luo Chen possessed a higher Demon Hunter rank, that rent might drop to seven million, six million, or even lower.
For an Eight-Star Demon Hunter like Old Angler, renting a third-rank top-grade immortal's cave cost merely three million every five years—practically dirt cheap! The Demon Hunting Department might even grant him preferential treatment and waive the fee entirely.
Hearing Luo Chen's lament, Old Angler shrugged.
"That's easily handled. With your abilities, take on a few more missions, and you'll raise your star rank in no time. Even if you can't reach our eight-star level, becoming a Seven-Star Demon Hunter is well within reach."
Within the Myriad Immortals Association's Demon Hunting Department, one to three stars mostly comprised Foundation Establishment True Cultivators. Four to six stars were basically Golden Core Masters, with only the rare Foundation Establishment cultivator reaching four stars through extraordinary merit.
Seven-Star Demon Hunters, however, were extremely scarce.
Anyone holding that rank was at least at the late Golden Core stage!
Rather, it was more accurate to say that in the Myriad Immortals Association, all Demon Hunters ranked seven stars or above were late Golden Core cultivators, but not all late Golden Core cultivators could attain seven stars.
Take Huangfu Song, for example: despite being at the seventh layer of Golden Core, his rank was merely six stars.
Old Angler's words were undoubtedly the highest recognition of Luo Chen's strength, directly benchmarking him against those formidable late Golden Core giants!
Luo Chen, however, remained modest.
He waved a hand. "Those missions are mostly perilous. Even the most routine beast-hunting tasks require charging onto the battlefield to fight. That does nothing for my peaceful cultivation, so I have no wish to accept them."
Old Angler was struck speechless.
The widely feared Demonic Lord Qingyang actually disliked slaughter and only wanted peaceful cultivation?
It felt somewhat comical.
Yet on second thought, Luo Chen had handled the previous disturbance with great restraint, truly behaving like someone unwilling to stir up trouble.
It seemed he had misjudged him.
However...
Old Angler sighed. "Regrettably, the second matter I have to discuss will disrupt your peaceful mood."
Without waiting for Luo Chen to ask, he explained the situation directly.
It turned out that Golden Core Demon Hunters were assigned mandatory missions every five years—a rule everyone was required to know before joining the Demon Hunting Department.
Luo Chen had been cultivating at Penghu for five years now without accepting a single mandatory mission.
Even with Old Angler mediating on his behalf, it could no longer be postponed.
"Don't worry too much, though. Such missions generally aren't very dangerous; they simply take a relatively long time."
"Take a long time?" Luo Chen frowned.
Old Angler waved a broad hand. "I know what concerns you. Aren't you just worried that spending too much time will hinder your cultivation?"
Luo Chen hummed in affirmation; that was indeed his concern.
The longer he cultivated at Penghu, the more his cultivation advanced by the day. He was truly reluctant to waste time on trivial tasks.
If leaving were not mandatory, he would rather stay home every single day until he reached late Golden Core, and even the Great Perfection realm.
"I've already filtered out a few missions for you that take the least amount of time. Why don't I list them for you to hear?" Old Angler said with a smile. As a veteran of the Demon Hunting Department, he knew better than anyone which tasks were perilous, which were easy, and how long each would take.
Clearly, to curry favor with Luo Chen and glean more cultivation wisdom from him, Old Angler had begun leveraging the authority at his command.
Luo Chen's eyes lit up. "I would be glad to hear the details!"
...
The next day.
Within the Fulong Mountain Range, outside Cangfeng Cave.
A pale-faced male cultivator locked his immortal's cave, activated the warding array, and stepped out.
Just as he emerged, he saw a streak of light flying in from the distance toward a nearby mountain peak.
Halfway there, the streak suddenly circled back and descended beside him.
"Is that Fellow Daoist Duan Li?"
Duan Li looked over and replied with some hesitation, "Fellow Daoist Xiao?"
The newcomer was Xiao Buhuan—the Five-Star Demon Hunter stationed on Quyang Island.
Xiao Buhuan chuckled heartily. "It is indeed me! I didn't expect that after merely crossing paths a few times back then, you would still remember me."
Duan Li forced a smile. "Doesn't Fellow Daoist Xiao remember me as well?"
Xiao Buhuan smiled, then glanced at the cave behind him with some confusion.
"This Cangfeng Cave...?"
Duan Li nodded. "I am currently renting it. We are neighbors now."
Xiao Buhuan was taken aback.
Back then, he had gone to great lengths introducing the place to Qingyangzi, hoping the man would become his neighbor. Who knew it would end up going to Duan Li instead?
Seeing Duan Li's pale complexion, it seemed the aftereffects of that battle had yet to be resolved.
Duan Li asked with some curiosity, "You haven't shown your face all these years, Fellow Daoist. I assumed you were in seclusion, but seeing you now, you appear to have just returned from a long journey. Could you have just returned from Quyang Island?"
Xiao Buhuan replied, "That is indeed the case."
Duan Li was surprised. "Aren't garrison missions rotated once every year? Why did you remain stationed there for so long?"
"My situation was different." Xiao Buhuan shook his head. "I accepted a long-term mission for a term of ten years. During these ten years, my immortal's cave here on Xiushan was reserved for me. At the same time, this kind of long-term garrison mission allows one to steadily raise their Demon Hunter star rank."
Duan Li came to a sudden realization.
Indeed, a long-term mission spanning a decade required significant effort from a Golden Core cultivator.
Moreover, being stationed on the frontline against demon beasts meant battles could break out at any moment.
Such a mission was vastly different from ordinary five-year mandatory assignments.
Xiao Buhuan asked curiously, "What about Fellow Daoist Qingyangzi? Are you two still in contact?"
"You don't know what happened with him?" Duan Li blurted out, before laughing at himself. "Ah, I forgot—you've only just returned."
"What happened to him?" Xiao Buhuan grew even more intrigued.
Duan Li smiled. "I happen to be heading to Penghu to pay a visit to Qingyangzi. Would you care to join me and learn the way, Fellow Daoist Xiao?"
"Penghu!"
Xiao Buhuan's eyes lit up.
That Qingyangzi was actually cultivating across the eight hundred li of Penghu!
Since when were the spiritual caves there available for individual lease?
Without hesitation, he nodded.
"Let's go together, let's go together!"
Chapter 609