Since arriving in the Central Plains, many of Luo Chen's preconceptions had been upended.
For instance, this continent was brimming with experts, its landscape crowded with great clans.
Nascent Soul True Persons, who had once been rare sights, were everywhere to be found.
He had rationalized this by telling himself that the Central Plains gathered the very essence of the Mountain Sea Realm.
Yet certain high-level cultivators here frequently drew his silent critique.
They clearly possessed the profound realms of Core Formation or Nascent Soul, but whether in their conduct, social grace, or general bearing, they fell far short of high-level cultivators elsewhere in the world.
Immature!
This single word was Luo Chen's assessment of some of the "younger" high-level cultivators in the Central Plains.
Later, he gradually came to understand why this was the case.
The cultivators of the Central Plains had enjoyed peace for so long that their temperaments were comparatively unrestrained and aloof. Even when they competed, their rivalries were often waged across the square confines of a weiqi board. They were unlike "mud-legged" roughs like Luo Chen, whose lives had had nothing to do with gentle breezes and bright moons from the moment they were born, accompanied instead by the flash of blades, shadows of swords, and winds of blood.
These Central Plains cultivators were like the immortals in storybooks, cultivating at their leisure, free of tribulation and suffering.
Yet precisely because they lacked real tempering, they possessed great cultivation realms without the corresponding dignity and gravitas.
Luo Chen did not know whether this mode of cultivation was ultimately good or bad for a cultivator, but he was destined never to experience it himself. If he wished to climb to the pinnacle of this realm, he had to take every step with absolute solidity.
Of course, Luo Chen also recognized that these noble prodigies of the Tianyuan Dao Sect were not without their merits.
They possessed extraordinary talent, and having lived from childhood in an environment of internal clan and sect competition, their dispositions were not truly poor.
Moreover, they had deep cultivation realms as their foundation!
In the future, with just a bit of polishing, these rough gems could shine brilliantly, displaying the true dignity expected of a True Person!
At least, that was how Luo Chen had reasoned it.
Thus, even if he inwardly disdained the fact that Nascent Soul cultivators like Fu Qinglan stood as his peers with the title of True Person, he had never let it show.
However!
That premise was built on the assumption that the other party was truly an unpolished jade.
Right now, glimpsing Fu Qinglan's fingers unconsciously twisting and clutching together, Luo Chen could not help but frown.
To be reduced to such an unsightly state by a single glance—could such a temperament truly be considered unpolished jade?
Did she really possess the ability to bear Fu Chaosheng's hopes and revitalize the fallen Fu clan?
Could she even claim the right to aspire toward the Soul Formation realm?
*Ah, forget it. She is my employer after all. How can I let her be humiliated like this?*
Luo Chen sighed inwardly, shifting his stance slightly to step in front of Fu Qinglan.
His tall frame shielded the woman's figure, simultaneously cutting off the mocking gaze directed at her from across the way.
Fu Qinglan blinked in surprise, unconsciously looking up.
Broad shoulders, a sturdy back—rising before her like a great mountain warding off the wind and rain.
Her lips parted, a surge of gratitude welling in her heart.
Yet in the next instant...
Visible to the naked eye, a rosy flush spread from her slender neck all the way up to her cheeks.
It was shame, a crimson blush born of sheer embarrassment and humiliation.
A humiliating shame that her cowardice had been laid bare before a friend she had treated as an equal, who was now even standing in front to shield her.
Yet this shame did not last long, as the socially adept Luo Chen quickly steered the conversation to divert her attention.
"Shi Ju? Is he one of the thirteen contenders participating in the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven competition?"
"Yes. As we discussed earlier, among the thirteen, scions of the premier clans occupy three seats: Gu Yuan of the Gu clan, Shi Ju of the Shi clan, and Gu Daosu of the Gu clan. Shi Ju is one of those three, and the strongest among them. It is said that when he enters the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven this time, he will not even bring a Dao Protector, which speaks to his absolute confidence."
"How much do you know about him?"
"He is the one with the finest aptitude and the greatest natural talent in our generation. In truth, he shouldn't even be counted among our generation; he should be considered a younger one, but because he cultivated so quickly, he caught up with us. Since childhood, he has received the full backing and dedicated cultivation of the premier Shi clan. After entering the Tianyuan Dao Sect, he cultivated the *Supreme Profound Flame Illumination True Scripture*, one of the Seven Great True Scriptures. He took first place in three minor tournaments in a row, and by the time he formed his Nascent Soul, he was barely two hundred years old!"
"Oh?"
Hearing that it had taken Shi Ju only two hundred years to form his Nascent Soul, Luo Chen was inwardly intrigued.
By all accounts, his own breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm had also taken roughly two hundred years.
The reason he was two hundred and sixteen when he left the Demon Sea was that he had spent twenty years consolidating his realm.
Calculated that way, their cultivation timelines were practically identical!
"Could he possess a Heavenly Spiritual Root?"
Perhaps because her emotions were churning, the normally cool and aloof Fu Qinglan spoke quite a bit, relating the man's circumstances without pause via divine sense transmission.
"Heavenly Spiritual Roots might be rare elsewhere, but in our sect, they are not particularly uncommon. At least seven of the thirteen participants in this competition possess them.
"Such aptitude appears to allow blindingly fast cultivation. However, if one does not wish for the purple mansion's barrier to be too fragile after forming a Nascent Soul—which would impede the grand path to Soul Formation—one cannot take too many pills to aid cultivation beforehand. Therefore, their cultivation time is actually not short. To normally cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm still takes roughly three hundred years.
"What truly sets Shi Ju apart, beyond his Fire Heavenly Spiritual Root, is that he possesses an Innate Nine Yang Dao Body. He can rely on refined sourceless fire to temper his magic power, allowing him to progress swiftly without hindrance."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. Listening to her words, his gaze involuntarily settled on the young man.
Dressed in snow-white robes just like him, sharing the same cultivation timeframe, and even having such similar physiques!
The sole difference lay in the fact that Luo Chen's Fire Spirit Body had been acquired through postnatal cultivation, whereas Shi Ju possessed an Innate Nine Yang Dao Body.
Perhaps because Luo Chen had blocked Fu Qinglan from view, the man standing across the peach grove could only shift his gaze onto Luo Chen.
It had been an idle glance, but the more Shi Ju looked, the more an inexplicable irritation rose within him.
Without turning his head, he gave an order.
"Go fetch Old Ghost Qi!"
The servant behind him froze for a second, but swiftly responded in the affirmative and hurried out of the peach garden.
Meanwhile, Fu Qinglan's explanation continued.
Only now, her tone grew progressively somber.
"It is said that Shi Ju possesses the heart of an innocent child, remaining unchanged for a century no matter how long he cultivates.
"Yet that innocent heart of his is far from benevolent; it is merely reckless, wilful, and utterly heedless of rules. He only ever does as he pleases, never caring about how others perceive him.
"Among his peers, many have suffered terribly because of this so-called pure heart. When Senior Brother Liu Yuan fled to the Northern Sea, while honing himself was his primary reason, Shi Ju's targeting and suppression certainly played a secondary role.
"And it wasn't just Senior Brother Liu. The other senior and junior brothers also despise Shi Ju's conduct. But because he is favored by the sect ancestors, coupled with the prestige of the premier Shi clan, everyone swallows their fury and dares not speak out."
Luo Chen shook his head inwardly as he listened.
What kind of pure, innocent heart was that? It was nothing more than a spoiled, unruly brat!
In the mortal world, someone like that would have had good sense beaten into them long ago.
Yet because this was the cultivation world, the immense background of his sect and clan, combined with the power of personal might, magnified the malice of that unruliness a thousandfold.
True Person Longyuan was hardly a masochist; why else would he have abandoned the sect's lavish cultivation environment to risk life and limb in the Northern Sea?
At this thought, Luo Chen felt a sudden stir of curiosity.
"How has he treated you?"
This time, Fu Qinglan fell silent.
Luo Chen did not press her, nor did he look toward Shi Ju again.
It was best not to provoke such a spoiled brat; he had no desire to get dragged into senseless trouble.
Instead, Luo Chen turned his attention to the others gathered in the area.
Apart from the servants, attendants, and low-level disciples of the Tianyuan Dao Sect, most of the guests present today were Nascent Soul True Persons.
Luo Chen was unfamiliar with the origins of the vast majority of them.
However, with Hermit Lindong and Lu Qiuzhen—two Nascent Soul True Persons who had arrived in the Central Plains earlier—making introductions, he managed to grasp the rough picture.
This one was the clan head of some family, that one was the current patriarch of another, and there were even cultivators from outer continents mixed among them.
Where outer continent cultivators were involved, identities grew far more complicated.
Those that Lu Qiuzhen and the others recognized were merely older Nascent Soul True Persons who had emerged from Heaven and Earth Peak.
As for the rest?
"They must be emissaries sent specifically by great powers of the outer continents to observe the ceremony!"
Observe a ceremony—what ceremony?
The ascension ceremony of the Alchemy Saint!
And along the way, to witness what kind of luminaries had emerged in this cycle of the Tianyuan Dao Sect's five-hundred-year grand competition!
Relying on the customs, cultures, and attire styles recorded in ancient texts, Luo Chen scrutinized them closely and began to pick out telltale signs.
People had come from the Western Desert—not eminent monks from the sacred Hanging Temple, but representatives from several prominent Buddhist factions. Their gleaming bald heads stood out distinctly in the crowd, and they stood relatively near the front, appearing intensely interested in this match between high-level players.
One had also come from the Southern Border, though this figure was wrapped entirely in mystery, cloaked in black robes from head to toe such that neither true appearance nor gender could be discerned. The figure lingered at the back of the crowd, and had it not been for the fact that no one around dared approach, Luo Chen would have had a hard time linking them to the Southern Border.
No one from the Northern Sea!
Whether they simply hadn't come to watch the spectacle today, or whether the perilous warfare in the Northern Sea and the destruction of the Primordial Demon left no one caring about Central Plains affairs to send an envoy, Luo Chen saw no other Northern Sea cultivators beyond the three of them.
From the Eastern Desolation, however, despite the raging war between humans and demons, the Mingyuan Sect had still sent a representative.
It was a young cultivator dressed in Daoist robes bearing the emblem of the Mingyuan Sect. He stood beside Shi Ju and the others; while those around him laughed and chatted, the smile on his face was visibly strained.
It was understandable. The Alchemy Saint about to ascend had once belonged to their Mingyuan Sect!
Now, having to attend her grand ascension ceremony as a guest from an outer continent, who could feel comfortable about it?
By extension, Luo Chen felt that the smile on Shi Ju's face was dripping with provocation and schadenfreude.
Right then, the famous player in the venue, Dao Yin, spoke in a clear, resonant voice.
"Ke-shixiong has made time today to open this match, which is truly Gu's great fortune. Setting victory and defeat aside for the moment, Gu wishes to borrow a Lanke Chess Piece for my clan brother, and am willing to exchange the Gu clan's cherished *No Mercy Chess Manual* in return. I hope Ke-shixiong will grant this."
The moment these words fell, the murmuring crowd went dead silent.
White-haired Ke Lianshan smiled, clearly tempted by the so-called *No Mercy Chess Manual*.
"Black piece, or white?"
Gu Daoyin replied without hesitation, "Black!"
"Very well!" Ke Lianshan smiled faintly, though his tone shifted. "However, I must first see whether your skill in the Dao of weiqi has advanced. If I end up disappointed, a mere *No Mercy Chess Manual* will not move me."
Gu Daoyin let out a breath of relief, took up a black stone, and lightly set it down.
"Shixiong, please!"
A simple exchange had set the terms for a trade of treasures.
Yet the impact it produced on those present was immense.
Shi Ju, for one, instantly changed countenance.
So did Luo Chen.
"What is a Lanke Chess Piece?"
Fu Qinglan's expression had already darkened. Hearing Luo Chen's inquiry, she answered at once, "It is our sect's foundational spirit treasure!"
The words "spirit treasure" alone were enough to explain the sudden shift in everyone's expressions.
Yet what truly stirred the hearts of Shi Ju, Fu Qinglan, and the others was the function of the Lanke Black Chess Piece.
Through Fu Qinglan's explanation, Luo Chen gained a deeper understanding of this spirit treasure known as "Lanke."
It was not a single artifact, but a complete set.
It was composed of a board, pieces, and a legendary endgame puzzle.
These three elements together formed the Lanke spirit treasure, each possessing distinct powers.
Legend had it that in the hands of a Soul Formation grandmaster, the Lanke board could suppress an entire continent's spiritual foundation, preventing its spiritual energy from leaking away.
The pieces were divided into black and white: one hundred and eighty-one black pieces, each possessing the miraculous effect of shielding the soul, and one hundred and eighty white pieces, each a supreme treasure of lethal offense.
As for the endgame puzzle, it was even more unfathomable.
Save for the master who had forged the treasure, anyone who entered the puzzle could never escape, trapped within for the rest of their days.
In fact, to completely refine and claim this treasure, one had to solve that very puzzle.
For thousands of years, the Lanke spirit treasure had remained masterless in the Tianyuan Dao Sect. None had been able to refine it or claim its allegiance, at most borrowing a sliver of the board's power.
It was not until seven hundred years ago, when Ke Lianshan emerged out of nowhere and revealed an earth-shattering talent in the Dao of weiqi, that the spirit treasure was stirred.
Living up to all expectations, upon attaining the Nascent Soul realm, Ke Lianshan made a groundbreaking move within the endgame puzzle. He thereby gained the acknowledgment of the Lanke artifact spirit, becoming the master of Lanke.
From that day forth, his title as the Chess Saint began!
What shook Luo Chen was not the sheer wonder of this treasure, but the black piece.
*The Lanke Black Chess Piece I obtained back then... could it also be part of this spirit treasure?*
*It shouldn't be. That was merely a low-grade magic treasure, worlds apart from a genuine spirit treasure.*
*Yet judging by the description of its effects, and even the distinction between black and white pieces, they are so remarkably alike. If they share no connection whatsoever, I would never believe it.*
*If so, what sort of relationship does the Eastern Desolation's Core Formation powerhouse, Ghost Spirit Valley, have with the Tianyuan Dao Sect?*
For a time, Luo Chen's thoughts churned, his mind wandering entirely from the match before them.
***
"That should be enough."
As the afternoon wore on, Luo Chen felt ready to depart.
His weiqi skills were modest, and he had no desire to exhaust his mental faculties trying to calculate the match. With his mind elsewhere, staying here any longer served little purpose.
Besides, the goal of this outing had been achieved.
Through Fu Qinglan's introductions, he had seen the Dao Protectors of several contenders and formed an initial impression of them.
Weighing his chances, he felt a solid measure of confidence.
Since that was so, it was time to leave!
Seeing Luo Chen prepare to depart, Fu Qinglan hesitated for a brief moment before following along.
Luo Chen glanced at her calmly without saying a word.
He could see clearly that her heart hadn't been in the match today either.
For someone who loved weiqi so dearly to be unable to focus on a game showed just how much pressure Shi Ju had placed on her.
The two walked out of the peach garden at an unhurried pace. The surroundings were exceptionally quiet, a stark contrast to the bustle of people earlier.
Fu Qinglan seemed uneasy with the silence and took the initiative to find topics of conversation.
"The Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven competition concerns the future Soul Formation opportunities for our Dao Sect's true disciples. Therefore, the individuals chosen as Dao Protectors are meticulously selected by the various great clans. Not only must they possess exceptional strength, but their backgrounds must also be thoroughly vetted, and they must ideally be completely loyal.
"Consequently, trusted servants raised by the clans from childhood become the prime choice. Just like my friend, Xiao Linzi—Lin Bufan.
"As for Senior Brother Liu Yuan, whom you were curious about earlier, he lacks such a clan background and the corresponding network. However, he received the backing of the Master-Disciple lineage!
"The Master-Disciple lineage has long declined within our Tianyuan Dao Sect; even their right to send Nascent Soul cultivators into the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven was stripped away. This time, under the pretext of aiding Senior Brother Liu Yuan, they dispatched Senior Sister Mingyan, the most outstanding disciple of their current generation. This is also a subject of widespread gossip among our clans—when the time comes, whether Senior Sister Mingyan will protect Senior Brother Liu Yuan, or whether Senior Brother Liu Yuan will end up protecting Senior Sister Mingyan, is hard to say.
"The Lanke spirit treasure enjoys tremendous renown, but in the past, no one could claim its mastery. Still, research into this treasure has never ceased, resulting in many replicas.
"I noticed that you paid special attention to it earlier. Once we return, I can take it upon myself to gift you a replica set at the magic tool rank."
***
Luo Chen came to a halt.
They were at a bend in the mountain path where the Shi River roared below.
Fu Qinglan looked at him, bewildered.
Luo Chen's expression remained calm, his gaze gentle. "If there is something you wish to say, just say it."
Fu Qinglan parted her lips. Her plump, rosy mouth trembled slightly.
Then, she let out a soft sigh.
"Brother Luo has torch-sharp eyes; little sister could not hide a thing from you."
"Torch-sharp? As in Shi Ju?"
A calm remark, yet it struck straight at the heart.
Fu Qinglan bowed her head, strands of hair fluttering in the wind.
"That man has harbored ill intentions toward me for a long time. He once said that he would have me enter the Shi clan as his concubine. Not only that, he promised to grant me clan servants to protect me in the Mirage Dragon Grotto-Heaven competition. He even claimed that in the future, he would help me revitalize the Fu clan, and that attaining the status of a premier clan would not be out of the question."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. "With such generous terms, how can you call it ill intention? As far as I know, marriages between your aristocratic clans are quite frequent, aren't they?"
Fu Qinglan shook her head. "It is not the same. In a formal alliance, one enters as a primary wife, whereas he wants me as a concubine. Furthermore, what Shi Ju said sounded to me like nothing more than a mockery—words meant to toy with me!"
"Oh?"
"He has a history of this. Back when he was at the Foundation Establishment stage, he used similar promises to dupe a young lady from an aristocratic clan. At the time, that fellow disciple was already in the Core Formation realm, brilliant and widely considered to have a strong chance at reaching Nascent Soul. But after entering the Shi clan, not only did her cultivation path stall, even the clan behind her was seamlessly swallowed up by the Shi clan."
"Truly?"
"Absolutely!"
Luo Chen frowned. "With such conduct, did no one within the Dao Sect raise questions?"
Fu Qinglan pressed her lips together, brushing back a stray lock of hair that had drifted near her mouth, her expression bitter. "Everything happened naturally, and even that fellow disciple's clan submitted to being absorbed willingly. Who would raise questions?"
Luo Chen understood.
Looked at this way, that Shi Ju truly was a prodigy spoiled rotten by his sect and clan!
How could a cultivator's promise be reneged on so casually?
Even setting contractual oaths aside, a normal promise ought to be treated with gravity.
The word "toy" that the woman had used was exceedingly apt.
Shi Ju didn't necessarily lust after their beauty, nor was he necessarily scheming for their modest family clans; he simply derived pleasure from toying with these women.
Trapped in this peaceful region where the only conflict was internal strife, aside from cultivation, he was likely bored out of his mind and looking for cheap amusement!
Such was Luo Chen's thought.
Fu Qinglan added a few more explanations, saying that she was the hope of the Fu clan and could never marry into another family under any circumstances.
Luo Chen was no longer interested in hearing these familiar complaints. Instead, his expression sharpened.
"So that explains why someone has been waiting here specifically for us."
Fu Qinglan froze.
In the next instant, from around the mountain bend, an old farmer stepped out with his hands tucked into his sleeves.
He was dressed plainly, devoid of any silks or satins, wearing only coarse hemp garments and cloth shoes. White gaiters were bound tightly around his socks, and around his brow was tied a plain white sweat cloth commonly worn by spirit farmers.
His frame was hunched, his expression sorrowful and worn.
Upon seeing him, Fu Qinglan blurted out, "Elder Qi!"
"Miss Qinglan remains as kind-hearted as ever, unlike others who call me 'Old Ghost Qi' with every breath."
Seeing Fu Qinglan, the old farmer nodded in greeting.
Then he turned his gaze onto Luo Chen, straightening his back as he spoke.
"So you are Miss Qinglan's Dao Protector? This old man would like to test your capabilities and see if you possess the qualification to protect her."
As his spine straightened, fierce astral winds whipped up with a howling roar, and his tall frame instantly stood before them like a mighty bastion.
Giving Luo Chen no chance to reply, he took a step forward and hurled a punch straight at him.
Luo Chen's eyes narrowed. A Nascent Soul True Person? Or a body cultivator?
Or perhaps both?
If his eyes did not deceive him, that ferocious force closely resembled the astral qi that only an orthodox body cultivator could cultivate.
Against such a powerhouse, had they been in the outside world, Luo Chen would have fought to his heart's content. In truth, he had always wanted to test how his desolate beast body refinement technique measured up against an orthodox body cultivator.
Yet this was the Lanke Mountain Range!
The very grounds of the Tianyuan Dao Sect!
As an outsider, he could not afford to act rashly.
If he engaged in a fight, the Fu clan might not be able to shield him, and Heaven and Earth Peak would certainly not go out of its way to protect a mere external guest elder.
As for his opponent, acting with such decisiveness, he clearly had no such reservations.
Since that was the case...
Facing the punch crashing down through the air, Luo Chen neither dodged nor retreated.
*Boom!*
A shallow crater appeared in the earth.
The fact that it was so shallow demonstrated the old man's exquisite control over his power, while also showing that he had not exerted his full strength.
Yet Qi Xiongcheng stood dumbfounded.
*A clean miss?*
*How could this be?!*
He looked up. Before him, the white-robed Daoist wore a serene expression, his swirling magic power wrapped in shimmering illusions.
Those warm, gentle eyes had turned into an abyss without a bottom, pulling one downward into endless depths.
"This..."
While Qi Xiongcheng stood in a daze, his unyielding willpower shattered the illusion in an instant.
Opening his eyes again, where was any Daoist to be found?
There was only an illusory afterimage of lingering magic power.
He looked back to see Luo Chen already drifting away into the distance, Fu Qinglan hurrying closely behind him, repeatedly glancing over her shoulder at the old man.
Qi Xiongcheng's right hand hung suspended in midair as he stood frozen in place.
"An illusion?"
"Just when did I fall into it?"
Though he remained standing with an upright spine, somehow, his back seemed to hunch over once more.
Chapter 746