Strictly speaking, the very first alchemy manual Luo Chen had ever come into contact with had been a reward bestowed by Mi Shuhua.
Its title was the *Qingyuan Alchemy Exposition*.
This exposition recorded detailed insights into refining low-rank pills, along with several basic alchemy techniques such as the Washing Brook Hand and the Folding Jade Hand.
Back when Luo Chen was still at a low realm of cultivation, those techniques had provided him immense convenience.
Beyond those, it contained another technique called the Qingyuan Pill Nourishing Art!
When Qing Yuanzi penned that alchemy text, he was merely in the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he had managed to refine a rank-three pill.
He did not possess a cheat like Luo Chen's attribute panel. The reason he could craft pills surpassing his own realm was entirely thanks to that pill nourishing art.
The Qingyuan Pill Nourishing Art:
It required pill-refining utensils of at least high-grade magic artifact quality; top-grade was better, and magic treasure rank was optimal!
As for the pill to be nourished, its grade had to be top-grade as well!
Not only that, the nourishing process required at least ten portions of raw ingredients.
Furthermore, it needed the advantage of terrain—ideally a spirit vein, or at the very least a special environment beneficial to the pill.
Finally, the alchemist had to constantly temper the pill's quality with Foundation Establishment True Fire.
The nourishing duration ranged from as short as half a year to as long as a century.
It was truly cumbersome and took an extraordinarily long time!
Luo Chen remembered this method vividly, mainly because the conditions required to perform it were exceedingly harsh for Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment cultivators!
From his current vantage point, however, these supposedly harsh conditions were not particularly difficult to satisfy.
Moreover, using his attainments as a rank-four alchemist to reverse-engineer the Qingyuan Pill Nourishing Art, Luo Chen discovered numerous flaws and oversights.
Even so, he still believed the technique possessed its merits.
In particular, he naturally met several of the criteria already.
A spirit vein? He had access to a rank-four one.
The required true fire? He possessed the Wither-Bloom True Fire, which had already developed sentience.
And time was something he did not lack either.
As for the other conditions...
"The pill must be of top-grade quality, but that restriction was only meant to address the insufficient potency of low-rank pills. Placed beneath rank four, how is my rank-four Nascent Soul Formation Pill not the pinnacle among pinnacles?"
"Around ten portions of raw ingredients—that is even less of an issue. Though few scraps remain, I have ten complete, successfully formed pills. The effect will only be better!"
"The only thing holding me back is the pill-refining vessel."
Luo Chen had already entertained the thought of nourishing the Nascent Soul Formation Pill to elevate its grade.
Just as he had told Han Zhan, if one could guarantee one hundred percent success, why gamble on a seventy or eighty percent chance?
Regarding the refining vessel, Luo Chen felt a slight headache.
The Hunyuan Cauldron could not be used.
Of his three spare refining vessels, two had been ruined after refining due to their inability to withstand the heat of the Wither-Bloom True Fire.
The remaining alchemy furnace was in a precarious state as well.
Reasonably speaking, Luo Chen should have had no moves left.
Yet, as it happened, he still possessed another item!
*Whoosh!*
A flash of spiritual light appeared, and a yellowish bronze basin landed before him.
It was none other than the Dragon Raising Basin!
This treasure had the ability to nourish items and elevate their grade.
In the past, Luo Chen had used it to nourish the Hunyuan Cauldron, nurturing his lifebound magic treasure remarkably well. Originally, it had been estimated to take two to three hundred years of nourishment to thoroughly eliminate impurities, but with the Dragon Raising Basin, it had taken only several decades for the Hunyuan Cauldron to begin showing its sharp edge.
Back then, he had assumed the treasure could only nourish weapons.
Only later did he realize he had fallen into conventional thinking, influenced by how its previous owner, Qian Ting, had used it.
In truth, this magic treasure could be used not only to nurture weapons, but also pills, and could even nourish ores and medicinal herbs to a degree.
Its effects were extraordinary—definitely beyond the crafting capabilities of contemporary cultivators.
Luo Chen had no intention of delving into the Dragon Raising Basin's origins, but right now, it served as the optimal tool to nourish the Nascent Soul Formation Pill.
After pondering carefully for two days to ensure nothing was overlooked, Luo Chen commenced the preparations.
He placed the Dragon Raising Basin in the spot where spiritual qi was richest within the subterranean chasm.
He laid down an array around it, then set nine Nascent Soul Formation Pills inside.
Yes, only nine.
Just in case, Luo Chen kept one pill in reserve.
That way, even if the nourishment failed, he would not lack a spare.
Finally came the Wither-Bloom True Fire!
Luo Chen separated a wisp of fire seed from the Wither-Bloom True Fire. Burning steadily and slowly, it could last for a year.
After a year, he would simply need to replenish it.
Speaking of which, splitting off fire seeds was a little technique he had comprehended during his seclusion in recent years.
In the past, the Wither-Bloom True Fire was just a single flame and absolutely could not be divided.
However, after the fire absorbed many fire spirits and grew ever more profound, Luo Chen had comprehended this little technique naturally without instruction.
Earlier, he had specifically split off three fire seeds to give to Tianxuan, which was an agile application of this very method.
Watching the medicinal potency of the eight pills in the bronze basin slowly converge toward the center pill guided by the array, Luo Chen nodded in satisfaction.
Before having more ingredients to refine pills on a grand scale, increase his alchemy proficiency, and produce mid-grade or high-grade Nascent Soul Formation Pills, using this nourishing technique to raise the finished pill's grade—even if only by a minor sub-tier—was definitely an unexpected delight.
"I don't expect it to reach rank five, but so long as it can be raised from rank-four lower-grade to mid-grade, or even high-grade, it will be sufficient for my nascent soul breakthrough."
Luo Chen murmured to himself and returned to the thatched hut.
He glanced at his attribute panel. In the realm column above, the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage had already progressed halfway.
He was less than a decade away from the Great Circle of the Golden Core stage.
Perhaps he ought to press forward a bit faster.
...
Though he thought of pressing forward, the atmosphere was not truly so tense.
Cultivating at the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage, once setting aside attempts at unifying the three treasures, was extraordinarily simple for Luo Chen: he merely increased and polished his magic power.
Consequently, he still had leisure to venture out periodically, chatting with Han Zhan and inquiring about all the various precautions and details regarding nascent soul formation.
Their discussions on the Dao usually took place on Xiaqiu Mountain, the highest and most scenic vantage point on Longyuan Island.
On this day.
Luo Chen and Han Zhan sat opposite each other as usual, sipping wine and chatting idly.
"It has been seventeen years since you arrived on Longyuan Island. I see your realm is merely a single step away from the Golden Core Great Circle, yet your three treasures—essence, qi, and spirit—remain distinct as day and night. Luo Chen, have you gone down the wrong path?"
Han Zhan voiced the doubt he had suppressed for a long time.
Over these years, Luo Chen had re-engraved the Yinwei Formation, and source power perpetually suffused his body, preventing Han Zhan from observing Luo Chen's specific condition.
He could only glimpse the tip of the iceberg through occasional exchanges.
Even so, he could still tell that Luo Chen's essence, qi, and spirit remained separate, showing no sign of integration.
Luo Chen chuckled softly at this.
"Since Senior knows this, how could you not know the principle of balance and order among the three treasures? Without absolute certainty, how would I dare force them together?"
Han Zhan grew thoughtful. "You have always developed all-around with virtually no shortcomings, so how could your three treasures be unbalanced? Could the disparity be caused by your physique being too strong?"
Luo Chen smiled and nodded.
Han Zhan did not suspect any lack in his divine soul foundation.
That was only natural.
Although Luo Chen had never deliberately cultivated advanced soul-refining techniques, his soul foundation had never been weak.
Back at the sixth layer of the Golden Core stage, it had rivaled cultivators at the eighth layer and closely approached great cultivators at the ninth layer.
Now that he was a step away from the Golden Core Great Circle, his soul foundation had imperceptibly drawn infinitely close to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Ultimately, the factor holding Luo Chen back from taking the next step remained the disparity: his physique was too strong, while his magic power was too weak.
However!
This problem was also on the verge of being resolved.
With a twirl of his fingertips, a wisp of spiritual light flickered softly.
Though tiny in volume, the might contained within it commanded awe.
Han Zhan watched this scene in astonishment, barely able to believe his eyes.
Was this quality of magic power something a Golden Core cultivator could possess?
Its purity was entirely comparable to the magic power used to condense a cultivator's Nascent Soul body!
He shook his head and sighed with emotion. "I really don't know how you tempered it to achieve such a degree. Looking at it now, losing that second primal core was actually a blessing in disguise for you."
Luo Chen deeply agreed.
In the past, cultivating two golden cores simultaneously meant pursuing quantity excessively, unconsciously neglecting the polishing of his magic power.
Although it had still been purer than that of his peers, it had ultimately been lacking, falling far short of the limit Luo Chen himself could achieve.
During these ten-odd years on Longyuan Island, Luo Chen had calmed his mind and returned to the righteous path.
Every wisp of magic power condensed into his golden core had been repeatedly purified and continually tempered with the Wither-Bloom True Fire, finally undergoing a qualitative transformation.
Now, even if the level of his magic power still fell short of his source power, with the assistance of his soul power, he could just barely achieve the fusion of the three treasures.
Luo Chen had already made up his mind: once his golden core reached the Great Circle, he would undergo this process.
Knowing that Luo Chen had reached this stage, Han Zhan began explaining the intricacies involved.
When a cultivator reached the ninth layer of the Golden Core stage, they needed to coordinate the three treasures—essence, qi, and spirit—to achieve a degree of balance.
The hallmark of achieving this balance was condensing the primal embryo!
Essence blood and divine soul merged into the golden core, using the golden core as a vessel to form the primal embryo.
This was fundamentally different from the soul merely tainting magic power in the early Golden Core stage.
That sort of taint was merely a fleeting visitor, touching and withdrawing immediately.
This integration, however, required lasting residence.
When a certain opportune moment arrived, the primal embryo would resonate with heaven and earth, producing the "quickening" that only the cultivator themselves could perceive.
When that happened, it would be the day of nascent soul formation!
In summary:
Unify the three treasures, transforming the golden core into an embryo.
Quickening brings the tribulation; shatter the core to form the nascent soul!
Only then would one become a Nascent Soul True Person of a generation, able to perceive the true vastness of heaven and earth!
Luo Chen listened raptly, continuously cross-referencing what he heard with the ancient records he had read in the past.
It was said that in ancient times, the realm divisions for Qi Refinement cultivators were not as strict as today and bore many designations.
For instance, the Qi Refinement stage was divided into Qi Induction and Spiritual Light; the Foundation Establishment stage had descriptions such as Aperture Opening, Resonance, Meridian Division, and Liquid Transformation.
In the Golden Core stage particularly, things were even more intricate.
Entering Divinity, Dispelling Malevolence, Seeking the Root, Quickening... several designations lay between the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages.
Yet all dharmas return to the source, and the path of qi refinement ultimately led to the same destination. When these esoteric designations were applied to his own cultivation, Luo Chen experienced a sudden epiphany.
Han Zhan's words had pointed out a clear path for him amidst the confusion.
A clear path proven countless times by predecessors in the contemporary cultivation world!
At dusk, this discourse on the Dao drew to a close.
Luo Chen rose and bowed respectfully to Han Zhan, his posture full of sincerity.
"What are you..."
"Along our journey, though we supported each other, Senior has ultimately offered far more guidance, and I have benefited far more. This bow comes from the bottom of my heart."
Han Zhan was caught slightly off guard. Luo Chen had never shown him such reverence before!
In the past, Han Zhan was merely a battered remnant of a Nascent Soul, clinging to life beneath Luo Chen's roof.
Even if there was a difference in realm, circumstances forced his hand.
Especially to secure a seized body, he had painstakingly helped Luo Chen elevate his strength and devise combat techniques.
Now that Luo Chen spoke from the heart, he felt somewhat stunned.
Looking at Luo Chen's earnest expression, Han Zhan's gaze turned complex, and he remained silent for a time.
Just then, Luo Chen suddenly turned around!
Han Zhan was puzzled, but in the next breath his expression shifted as well. He cast his gaze toward the boundless blue sea in the distance.
A powerful aura was brewing in the depths of the ocean.
Across the horizon, dark clouds suddenly gathered.
They arrived without warning, gathering immense momentum!
*Crack!*
A flash of white light flared as a bolt of lightning ripped across the void.
"A sign of facing a tribulation!" Han Zhan blurted out.
Luo Chen looked on with uncertainty, but eventually shook his head slowly.
"Not a tribulation, but a natural culmination—heaven and earth thundering in celebration."
Sure enough.
In the next moment, the sky full of dark clouds leisurely dispersed.
Just as they had gathered out of nowhere, they dispersed silently and without a trace.
There was no rumbling thunder or flashing lightning, nor cold wind or bitter rain.
Above the sea not far from Longyuan Island, countless wisps of spiritual qi converged into a giant funnel, pouring down into the depths of the ocean.
Han Zhan watched in astonishment, an inkling of familiarity rising within him.
Suddenly!
His gaze shifted to Luo Chen.
Indeed, the last time such a bizarre celestial phenomenon occurred, it had happened around Luo Chen.
Back then at Penghu Lake, Luo Chen's physical body had undergone a metamorphosis, transforming as though into an ancient desolate beast!
"Has Black King embarked on the evolutionary path of a desolate beast?" Han Zhan asked.
Luo Chen nodded slowly. "It should be so. His demon core was already shattered, and the blood core I condensed for him was merely an expedient measure. Moreover, years ago, Black King mentioned more than once that he did not want to walk the path of demon beast shapeshifting; his instinct was to follow the path of desolate beasts. Now, he has likely made his final choice!"
Upon ascending to rank four, demon beasts underwent a qualitative change.
Not only could they assume human form, but they could also condense a nascent soul like human cultivators, earning the title of demon emperor or demon cultivator.
At the same time, their comprehension of heaven and earth progressed faster than in their original beast form.
Desolate beasts, however, aside from birthing source power, underwent no major alterations.
This was the primary reason why, after the ancient war, the vast majority of demon beasts changed allegiance and walked the path of shapeshifting.
Whether Black King's choice was right or wrong remained to be seen.
Han Zhan, on the other hand, had a different thought.
"In the past, people said that desolate beasts were the true darlings of the Mountain Sea Realm, and that this world would not even send down lightning tribulations when they advanced to rank four."
"Back then, I only took it as a rumor."
"With the examples of both you and Black King, I have no choice but to believe it now."
Speaking of tribulations, Han Zhan asked curiously, "Have you thought about how you will face heaven's majesty and overcome that Nascent Soul lightning tribulation when you break through?"
Luo Chen nodded, but said no more. Instead, he leaped forward, riding an auspicious cloud to fly to the seashore.
Standing there quietly, Luo Chen sensed Black King's metamorphosis.
He stood vigil for an entire night.
The next morning.
The waves parted, and a colossal, pitch-black dragon head slowly emerged from the water.
Its face resembled a camel's, and its single horn resembled an inverted cone, encircled by spiraling ridges.
Two strands of yellow whiskers trailed leisurely downward.
Its slightly parted mouth revealed rows of gleaming white teeth, as if ready at any moment to tear apart anything that dared challenge it.
*Whoosh...*
As it exhaled, two plumes of vapor shot from its massive nostrils, sending waves splashing in all directions.
Beneath the prominent bulge of its brow, round golden eyes stood vertically erect, radiating icy chill.
A single glance was enough to reveal the violent fury churning within.
Luo Chen's expression remained calm as he slowly extended his right hand.
At this moment, hesitation and struggle flickered in the vertical pupils of the dragon head.
In the end, however, it slowly leaned its dragon head forward in an affectionate gesture.
Resting his palm against the sleek, ink-dark dragon face, Luo Chen smiled with satisfaction.
He could feel that a faint, ethereal connection still linked him and Black King.
It was not a slave seal.
That slave seal had shattered long ago during his physical nirvana. Not just Black King, but even Tianxuan no longer bore his slave seal.
This connection stemmed from bloodline!
Looking back now, the reason Black King ultimately decided to evolve as a desolate beast, aside from instinct, was partly due to the drop of Luo Chen's tongue-tip blood essence back then.
Luo Chen himself had also cultivated the desolate beast body-tempering method!
"Master..."
A deep, heavy voice rumbled slowly.
*Thump!*
Luo Chen patted his face and said with a smile, "Go on back! Now that you've finally broken through, consolidate your realm and don't wander around. Before long, I'll attempt my breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, and I'll need you to guard Longyuan Island to prevent petty scoundrels from disturbing me."
Black King snorted, slowly retreated into the sea, then surged up and plunged like an arrow into the water.
Amidst the splashing spray, Luo Chen caught a glimpse of four legs beneath Black King's belly.
Though he still had a single horn, he now possessed four legs beneath his belly—a true flood dragon!
No longer was he the nondescript creature of before.
Luo Chen turned around, facing away from the morning glow, his face beaming with evident delight.
Behind him, Tianxuan had already been waiting for a long time.
Seeing this, she could not help asking, "Master, has Black King advanced?"
"Yes." As Luo Chen passed her, he patted her shoulder and encouraged her with a smile, "Don't fall too far behind either!"
He was in excellent spirits.
He felt not the slightest embarrassment over his spirit pet advancing before him.
Truth be told, he had attained the body of a rank-four desolate beast before Black King anyway, so what embarrassment could there be?
He only felt gratified—gratified that everything he had invested had finally borne fruit.
He just wondered what Black King's capabilities were like now.
...
Returning to the subterranean chasm, Luo Chen stayed indoors from that point on, not even paying visits to Han Zhan.
Clearly, he had begun a true closed-door seclusion.
Time slipped quietly by.
His magic power swelled at an undeniable pace.
When his vast qi sea could no longer accommodate even a single drop of spiritual qi, it meant he had stepped onto the pinnacle of the Golden Core stage—the Great Circle!
At this point, his magic power could advance no further, nor could it be polished or purified any more.
Only an extremely compressed, solidly condensed crimson golden core hung high within his qi sea like a brilliant sun.
Luo Chen attempted to unify the three treasures, mobilizing the divine soul from his sea of consciousness to merge into the golden core. Moreover, drops of essence blood emerged from every corner of his body, converging toward the golden core as well.
His originally robust body seemed to shrivel and wither.
Yet within his qi sea, the liquid essence blood, the solid golden core, and the ethereal divine soul began intertwining and merging into one.
An ineffable transformation constantly arose within him, metamorphosing and spreading toward the peak.
Until three years later.
*Thump!*
A soft, almost imperceptible sound resonated.
Around the white-robed Daoist sitting motionless in the thatched hut, a ring of invisible ripples surged outward, setting the subterranean chasm rumbling.
The Daoist slowly opened his eyes.
The quickening had begun!
Chapter 711