Inside Xingdou Hall, a white-robed Daoist sat cross-legged.
He was utterly silent, as if in deep nirvana.
After a long while, he finally exhaled a breath of turbid air.
Such a prolonged breathing rhythm would have suffocated anyone else, yet in this Daoist, it pulsed with profound rhythm, resembling an ancient black tortoise breathing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Suddenly, the Daoist slowly opened his eyes.
Sensing his current condition, he showed a smile of relief.
"As expected, devoting oneself to artifact forging for an extended period takes a heavy toll on cultivation. Fortunately, my foundation is solid enough to have stabilized it."
To forge the Demon Emperor's remains, Luo Chen had spent an entire year.
Prior to that, he had barely broken through to the sixth layer of Core Formation.
He ought to have struck while the iron was hot after advancing in realm, but he had not anticipated that such an arduous period of forging would drain his spirit and physical body so severely.
Moreover, because he had swallowed supreme-grade True Flame Pills whole like simple Qi-recovering pills, a massive amount of fire poison had accumulated within his sea of Qi.
While engrossed in forging, he had not noticed it.
Only after setting the treasure embryo to nurture and returning to his regular rhythm of cultivation did Luo Chen realize something was amiss.
His newly attained sixth layer of Core Formation had nearly regressed.
To remedy this, Luo Chen first repeatedly employed the Dragon Slaying Art to purge the fire poison from his body, consumed a large quantity of nourishing supplements, and finally rested for about a month before his body returned to normal.
After that, Luo Chen cultivated with restraint for another two months, finally stabilizing his realm.
At this moment, the entry on his status panel—[Core Formation Sixth Layer: 1/100]—hung quietly, granting Luo Chen an immense sense of security.
"The treasure embryo is forged. All that remains is nurturing it and engraving the formations, so my time has suddenly freed up."
"Three months of recuperation have restored my essence, Qi, and spirit to their peak. I cannot slack off going forward."
Looking at the status panel, Luo Chen planned his upcoming matters.
Naturally, the time spent waiting for the treasure embryo to mature could not be wasted; he needed to find things to do.
First and foremost was undoubtedly cultivation.
For Luo Chen, his regular cultivation was divided into two parts: Qi refinement and body refinement.
In terms of combat prowess, body refinement naturally took priority, but when it came to the Grand Dao of longevity, Qi cultivation could not be neglected in the slightest.
Luo Chen made a rough estimate based on his previous cultivation speed.
With the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture as his natal cultivation method, supported by an abundance of high-grade True Flame Pills, and enhanced by the core Tier 3 superior-grade spiritual land of Xingdou Hall, his cultivation speed was genuinely on par with a Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator.
Ultimately, Luo Chen arrived at an approximate timeframe.
"Ten years!"
"If no outside matters disturb me while in seclusion at Xingdou Hall on Lake Penghu, I will need only ten years to advance to the seventh layer of Core Formation and become a genuine great cultivator!"
Previously, advancing from the fifth layer of Core Formation to the sixth had been estimated at six to seven years.
In the end, it had taken a full nine years.
Those extra two to three years were due, for one, to his departure for a guard mission on the Quyang Defensive Line, where the immortal cave possessed only a Tier 3 inferior-grade spiritual environment, greatly delaying his cultivation speed.
In addition, he had devoted his attention to refining the Convergence of Myriad Paths during that period, and constantly adjusting his body-refining cultivation method had taken a considerable toll on his physique.
Consequently, he had wasted three additional years before breaking through to the sixth layer of Core Formation.
Dual cultivation of method and body was precisely like this.
Immortal cultivators placed little emphasis on the physical body, yet the physique genuinely affected cultivation efficiency.
Practicing both simultaneously would inevitably lead to friction, and even with the aid of the system panel, Luo Chen still had to pay a price.
Fortunately, the Convergence of Myriad Paths had now been successfully adjusted, so it should no longer disrupt his regular cultivation going forward.
He already possessed combat strength comparable to that of a great cultivator; in ten years, he would attain the realm of a genuine great cultivator as well. By then, his combat strength would multiply even more terrifyingly.
If the formation engraving on the treasure embryo succeeded and he gained a defensive magic treasure forged from the Demon Emperor's remains, Luo Chen might boldly declare by that time: "Who can stand against me beneath the Nascent Soul realm!"
Of course, such hopes remained in the realm of imagination for now.
At present, he still had to walk the path one step at a time.
After Qi refinement came body refinement.
[Desolate Ancient Tier 3: 81/100]
Looking at the status panel, Luo Chen counted the quantity of Black Emperor Paste on his fingers.
"It should last until perfection in Tier 3 body refinement, shouldn't it?"
He was somewhat uncertain.
The body-refining path he had created had been smooth sailing at first; later, he substituted fire for lightning to accelerate his refinement speed, and recently he had utilized the art of forging to temper both internally and externally, which could be called flawless.
At least, it was flawless within the bounds of Luo Chen's current vision and perspective.
However, taken as a whole, this path remained relatively coarse and barbaric. Even the system's classifications did not divide it into layers one through six like the Core Formation stage, merely using the broad realm division of Desolate Ancient Tier 3.
As a result, Luo Chen's overall perception of each incremental breakthrough remained somewhat vague.
Moreover, the cultivation of any Grand Dao only grew more difficult the further one advanced.
How much resources would be consumed between this progress of eighty-one and the perfection of one hundred was something Luo Chen had no certainty of.
"I can only take it one step at a time!"
With no established methods to rely upon and no precedents to follow on this path, Luo Chen could only cross the river by feeling the stones.
After Qi and body refinement, Luo Chen's attention fell upon the formations column.
Tier 4 Formation: Two Instruments Six Jia Formation.
This was a composite formation using the Tier 3 Two Instruments Formation as its core, supplemented by six Tier 3 defensive formations.
He had already cultivated those six Tier 3 defensive formations past the master level, and using them as cores, he had forged six sets of profound armor.
Yet to forge the treasure embryo crafted from the Demon Emperor's remains, the core Two Instruments Formation could not be neglected in the slightest.
This formation was only of the third tier, but its power knew virtually no ceiling.
What influenced its might was the materials used to lay it.
As mentioned before, what were the Two Instruments?
Yin and Yang were the Two Instruments.
Heaven and Earth were also the Two Instruments.
Odd and even, hard and soft, or Xuan and Huang, Qian and Kun could likewise serve as the Two Instruments.
Even clear and turbid, water and fire, male and female, young and old contained the essence of the Two Instruments.
In short, by taking opposing meanings and laying out a formation, one captured the true essence of the Two Instruments.
Its power also depended on the two contrasting forces.
In this sense, this Tier 3 Two Instruments Formation resembled the Tier 3 Heavenly Work Spirit Seizing Formation of Ghost-God Valley back then; both were said to have boundless potential.
The Two Instruments Five Elements Sword Formation that Han Zhan had relied upon as his lethal measure in the past had likewise capitalized on the Two Instruments Formation's limitless ceiling.
Back when Luo Chen obtained the forging diagram, he had learned the Two Instruments Formation from Han Zhan, easily gaining basic mastery.
Yet in subsequent practice, his progress grew increasingly sluggish.
To this day, it remained stuck at the perfection level, falling short of the master level that Luo Chen considered his baseline requirement.
As the core of the Two Instruments Six Jia Formation, how could it lag behind the Six Jia?
"It seems I must find time to pay Han Zhan a visit and seek a bit of guidance."
Luo Chen sighed, though a touch of reluctance showed in his eyes.
If outsiders knew of their relationship, they might find Luo Chen's reluctance strange.
They had clearly cooperated amicably and coexisted in harmony before, so why would he be unwilling to meet now?
This inevitably brought up the wariness lingering in Luo Chen's heart.
Back on the Mount Langya merchant ship Langya, when Luo Chen purged the foul Qi from the Soul Nourishing Wood for Han Zhan, his sea of consciousness had been struck by a backlash of foul Qi.
That occasion had been perilous.
Inside his sea of consciousness, illusions had spawned relentlessly, beyond even the defense of his soul-protecting magic treasure, the Lanke Black Chess Piece.
It was Han Zhan who personally stepped in to resolve the crisis of illusions for Luo Chen.
Because of this incident, Luo Chen turned misfortune into a blessing, not only bringing the Dragon Slaying Art to great perfection, but also seizing the opportunity to upgrade his illusion art, Mirror Flower, Water Moon, unlocking a second layer of illusion. Beyond the mirror flower and water moon, a ghost immortal tower materialized—the name of which was inspired by the words "Ghost Immortal Tower" blurted out by a white-robed cultivator during his demon hunter assessment mission.
Yet that incident had also planted a lingering worry in Luo Chen's heart.
Namely, that Han Zhan could bypass the defense of the Lanke Black Chess Piece and invade his sea of consciousness!
He did not know whether this was a common method among Nascent Soul cultivators or a specialized secret art of Han Zhan's in soul refinement; in any case, before Han Zhan, Luo Chen had felt for the first time the chilling terror of his soul being left completely defenseless.
Throughout their journey, Luo Chen had never shown such wariness, continuing to get along well with Han Zhan.
However, ever since arriving at the Myriad Immortals Association and entering this eight-hundred-li Lake Penghu, he had deliberately lived apart from Han Zhan in separate locations.
He had used a very reasonable pretext:
Han Zhan had acquired the Soul Nourishing Wood and needed to restore his cultivation and strength, whereas Luo Chen had many affairs to manage; staying together would inevitably cause unwanted interruptions.
Han Zhan was naturally glad to accept this, or perhaps he had seen through Luo Chen's thoughts and proactively avoided suspicion.
In any case, the two had lived apart for years.
Even when Luo Chen encountered perplexities while refining the Convergence of Myriad Paths, he relied on his own fumbling rather than seeking Han Zhan's guidance.
Now, however, he had to take the initiative once.
"It is time to meet, lest we grow estranged."
Luo Chen muttered to himself, releasing a voice transmission talisman outside the hall.
***
On an isolated island in the eight-hundred-li Lake Penghu.
Unlike other places, there were no flowers, grass, or waterfowl here, nor any insects, ants, or beasts. The barren island ecosystem even gave off a sense of total lifelessness.
Yet this very place was Han Zhan's solitary residence.
Several days prior, Luo Chen had arranged a meeting time with Han Zhan.
Today, Han Zhan set aside time to receive Luo Chen.
"There is something I have long wanted to say. Your approach to practicing formations is somewhat rigid—or rather, you have strayed down the wrong path."
"Previously, I thought you possessed remarkable talent for formations. You picked up low-tier formations with ease the moment you learned them, making rapid strides right away. Some of the formations you laid down even showed better effects than those of a grand Nascent Soul True Person like myself, which was truly incredible."
"Later, however, I discovered that you seem obsessed only with tracing and inscribing by the book. You value only form, not intent."
"This method of learning might suffice for low-tier formations, but once high-tier formations are involved, it falls short."
"You must understand that any formidable formation master never binds themselves to conventional rules when laying formations. They adapt to local conditions, but they also reshape the environment to establish the most suitable formation in their mind. Why can they do this? Because they comprehend the true essence of the formation!"
"Because they comprehend, they are unrestricted."
"Because you do not comprehend, you are constrained at every turn."
"Every high-tier formation contains the design philosophy of its creator. You can only arrange a flawless outer shell, yet you cannot touch the genuine core. That is merely possessing form without substance."
"Take the Sea-Sealing Bagua Array, for instance. You can only deploy it in places rich in water vapor, yet I could force it into being at the site of a volcanic eruption. Can you understand the difference?"
"Or take this Two Instruments Formation. You picked it up extremely fast, but now you are stuck at the minor achievement level. The power you produce can at most cause a bit of trouble for early Core Formation cultivators. Do you know the essence of the Two Instruments Formation?"
Luo Chen had never expected that what he assumed would be an ordinary meeting of asking questions and receiving pointers would result in the other party striking him with such a sobering blow regarding his path of learning formations.
His past self-satisfaction seemed utterly laughable amid these direct rebukes.
He had assumed that relying on the proficiency panel would allow him to learn any formation without limits, but it now appeared he had clearly taken a wrong turn.
As he reflected inwardly, he found a similar truth within the Dao of alchemy.
Even after reaching great perfection in alchemy, his yield rate of superior-grade pills remained around fifty percent, meaning half resulted in failure.
This probability was already exceptionally high, enough to qualify as an alchemy master.
Yet something did not add up. Ever since Luo Chen concocted the Tier 4 Transformation Pill, he was already a Tier 4 alchemist.
Such a figure, not just in crafting a single specific pill but across various pill refinings, could be called an alchemy grandmaster, only a thin line away from being an alchemy sovereign.
Likewise, when facing low-tier pills, such an existence should be virtually certain of success, if not achieving a hundred percent yield rate.
Yet he could not do it!
It wasn't that he truly couldn't. Luo Chen had long noticed that the longer he spent refining a certain pill, even after reaching great perfection, the pill yield rate would still slowly creep upward, not far from what could be called near certainty.
Back then, he had simply attributed the principle to "nothing more than practice makes perfect."
Now it seemed clear: "Read a book a hundred times, and its meaning reveals itself!"
In the Dao of alchemy, he had subconsciously been grasping the true essence of specific pills.
Now, Han Zhan's sharp wake-up call in the Dao of formations suddenly made him realize another layer of meaning beyond the proficiency panel.
Above proficiency lay true essence!
Viewing things from this higher vantage point, Luo Chen reasoned backward through his past experiences.
When the Fireball Art reached great perfection, it gained the effect of the Blazing Sun Art; that was the inherent true essence of the Fireball Art itself.
When the Spirit Eye Art reached great perfection, it took root in his eyes; from its inception, this art was meant to transform a cultivator's eyes, granting them superior sight to perceive life and death and steer clear of danger.
Mirror Flower, Water Moon was like this; the Dragon Slaying Art was like this.
All of them followed this pattern.
Were the other spells that showed no special effects limited because their innate ceilings were low, or because he had not grasped their true essence, thus stalling at great perfection?
For a time, inside Han Zhan's cave dwelling, Luo Chen fell into deep thought.
Han Zhan did not disturb him either.
Only after Luo Chen came to his senses did Han Zhan return to the topic, imparting to him the advanced cultivation method for the Two Instruments Formation.
When Luo Chen walked out from the barren, lifeless island, he could not help but glance back in Han Zhan's direction.
"It seems I measured the belly of a gentleman with the mind of a petty man."
"Such selfless instruction and guidance is no different from what a devoted master or a close elder would offer."
"True enough. With the Great Dao oath sworn back then, why would he harbor any ill intentions toward me?"
Luo Chen chuckled self-deprecatingly, finally breathing a long sigh of relief.
It was both because of Han Zhan's selfless guidance today and because he now knew how to cultivate the Two Instruments Formation to a higher level.
***
Night fell.
A pristine jade disc of a moon rippled gently upon the water.
Deep at the bottom of the lake, inside a water-curtain cave overgrown with aquatic weeds and vibrant coral, a colossal flood dragon coiled, eyes shut in deep slumber.
Beside him sat a slender figure, back held straight as she sat cross-legged, hands forming incantation gestures before her. With every breath, she inhaled and exhaled the exceedingly pure spiritual energy of this place.
Looking closely, the figure was a young girl.
She wore water-green garments embroidered with lifelike white lotuses.
White silk stockings showed faintly beneath her skirt, and her slender waist seemed small enough to grasp in one hand.
Her face possessed delicate brows, snow-white skin, and a perky nose.
Yet alongside her striking spiritual air, she looked somewhat too refined, lacking a bit of the baby fat typical of girls her age.
Suddenly, a deep voice reached the girl's ears.
"It is time for you to return."
The girl opened her eyes, a flash of slyness passing through them.
"Uncle Long, how did you know I was awake?"
Black King looked at the girl helplessly. "What you absorb is the pure spiritual energy I refine and breathe out. Would I not know when you have reached the point to finish your session?"
The girl curled her lips. "Tch, no fun at all."
Black King sighed. "Go back. I once heard Master say today is Mid-Autumn. Aren't you going to reunite with your family?"
The time of the full moon was a time of reunion.
Zhang Jingqing stared blankly outside, momentarily choked with silence.
A rustling sound arose as Black King began shifting his massive body.
The girl panicked at once. "Uncle Long, let me stay here for the night, okay? Please, I beg you!"
Black King was puzzled. "Do you dislike seeing your mother and father that much?"
"Father? The only thing in his eyes is that younger brother," the girl murmured, head lowered, her mood plummeting. "As for Mother, ever since she went to Quyang Island two years ago to deliver spirit stones to Lord Lushan and took Lord Lushan as her master, she gave up her job on the Qingyang to devote herself entirely to cultivating under Lord Lushan. I'll go see her in a while."
Her words held a lingering attachment toward her mother, but were filled with resentment toward her father.
As Black King listened, his body began slowly gliding outward.
Seeing this, tears nearly welled in the girl's eyes.
"Do you not like Xiaoqing anymore either?"
Black King turned his head helplessly, sweeping his magic power to hoist her onto his back.
"Master has business with me. What does that have to do with liking you or not? You have far too many worries for such a little girl. Come out with me; during such a fine festive occasion, Master might be in a good mood and take you as a disciple."
The master Uncle Long spoke of?
Sitting on the flood dragon's back, the girl showed a flurry of complex emotions.
There was adoration and admiration, awe and fear, and as her gaze flickered, mostly nervous apprehension.
One wondered how someone so young could hold so many conflicting feelings.
The flood dragon swam at tremendous speed. Leaving the water-curtain cave, he parted the waves, ascending straight upward.
With a loud splash, amidst flying spray, the flood dragon surfaced upon the great lake.
On the dragon's back, the girl looked up.
Beneath the bright jade moon, a man and a woman stood in midair.
The woman stood behind, someone the girl had known since childhood, whom outsiders called Fairy Tianxuan, while she would sweetly address her as Auntie Tianxuan.
As for the white-robed man standing directly in front, his skin was like raging fire and his build like a towering mountain. Even as the clear moonlight washed over him, he seemed like a volcano ready to erupt at any moment.
The flood dragon bowed his head. "Master, what instructions do you have for Old Black?"
Chapter 622