Looking at the infant speaking in human words, Luo Chen's pupils contracted.
A cultivator's Nascent Soul was born of returning from the acquired to the innate, pure and unsullied as a lotus rising from the mud. As such, they were almost always plump, fair, and utterly adorable.
Even when formed by the ancient and decrepit, a Nascent Soul retained a touch of childlike innocence.
Yet such a grotesque and terrifying Nascent Soul genuinely made him furrow his brows.
He knew this was caused by the special cultivation method the other party practiced.
Moreover, only an extraordinarily powerful technique could bring about such an aberration.
Ordinary methods at most affected a cultivator's physique or appearance.
Take Luo Chen himself: back when he attained enlightenment on Heaven and Earth Peak and created the *Wither-Bloom Dao Scripture*, his Nascent Soul had taken on an aged appearance, but internally, nothing fundamental had changed.
For someone like Jiuling Yuanjun, covered in tumors like a monster...
"Wait?"
"So that's how it is!"
Examining the nine fleshy tumors closely, Luo Chen finally understood why the other's magic power was so far beyond that of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.
Nearly every single tumor was composed of pure, solidified magic power!
Combined, the magic power contained within the nine tumors was actually greater than that of the Nascent Soul itself!
Seeing this, Luo Chen also understood why he hungered so desperately for the Jiuli Pill.
It was just like someone training under heavy weights to raise their upper limit of strength; Jiuling Yuanjun grew nine external tumors to expand his magic power capacity horizontally, thereby attaining vast power that looked down on his peers.
However, when those training under weights bore a load exceeding their threshold, far from improving themselves, it became a burden, or could even backfire and cripple them.
Right now, the magic power stored within Jiuling Yuanjun's nine tumors already surpassed that of his true Nascent Soul!
If this continued, his Nascent Soul would either collapse under the unbearable weight or be assimilated into the fleshy tumors, utterly ruining any future chance of breaking through from Nascent Soul to Soul Formation!
"If I truly help him craft the Jiuli Pill and separate the nine tumors, their shared origin means they won't continue to burden him. Instead, they will become nine reserves of magic power."
"And if there's a subsequent method of advancement, their ceiling will be unimaginable!"
"Once he reaches the late Nascent Soul stage, Jiuling Yuanjun's magic power might instantly surpass those veteran Great Cultivators!"
After realizing all this, Luo Chen could not help feeling a spark of curiosity toward the Nine Spirits Sect's cultivation technique.
Just what kind of secret method could take the extreme firmament spirit essence into the body and transform it into appendages on a Nascent Soul?
Firmament spirit essence was none other than firmament qi!
Such a substance was exceedingly overbearing. Even Luo Chen dared not let his Nascent Soul come into direct contact with it, only refining it to be carried by his peerlessly powerful Yuan Tu sword.
No wonder Jiuling Yuanjun knew firmament qi so intimately; he had been using such extreme materials for his cultivation all along!
Yet curiosity remained merely curiosity.
Entrusted by others, one must remain true to one's word. Luo Chen could not go prying into the bottom of things; otherwise, his reputation as an Alchemy Grandmaster wouldn't last a few days.
With a dry cough, Luo Chen broke the silence.
"Drawing essence blood from your Nascent Soul may be somewhat painful. You will need to bear it for a moment."
Jiuling Yuanjun replied calmly, "Do as you must!"
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow and delayed no longer.
With a flick of his wrist, a translucent, crystal-clear knife appeared in his palm.
It was none other than the knife forged entirely from Tongxuan Heavenly Crystal, the very same one he had used each time he cut the Five Elements Lotus Platform.
The moment the blade appeared, Jiuling Yuanjun's Nascent Soul instinctively recoiled in wary apprehension.
A cultivator's Nascent Soul was the vessel of their entire Dao fruit; how could they easily allow another to take cold steel to it?
Luo Chen did not force the issue, merely advancing the blade slowly.
If he was to build a wide network of connections under the name of an Alchemy Grandmaster, coming into contact with countless people's secrets was unavoidable.
Like that Nascent Soul Great Demon of the White Crane Sect failing its shape transformation.
Like which cultivator in the Divine Talisman Sect was preparing to sprint for the Nascent Soul realm, or that Elder Fu secretly possessed a Nascent Soul Formation Pill formula.
Or right now, Jiuling Yuanjun's predicament, and even his potential future achievements.
Once his fame grew even greater and more people sought him out to refine pills, he might learn that someone harbored a hidden affliction, or that someone else was using pills to practice a certain secret art.
Under such circumstances, he had to be like a physician—a "harmless" presence.
*I know your hidden ailments, and I know others' secrets, but my credibility stands firm. You can lower your guard with me; at the very least, when seeking pills, you must face me with complete candor!*
If he truly took advantage of such moments to harm someone, all the reputation he had painstakingly accumulated would be cast to the winds.
Even with the abilities of an Alchemy Grandmaster, no one would acknowledge him, and no one would ever approach him again.
Closer, closer!
Just as the heavenly crystal knife was about to touch its flesh, the Nascent Soul miniature widened its eyes, yet in the end, it made no move to resist.
He chose to trust Luo Chen.
Or rather, he chose to trust his own judgment: Luo Chen needed that reputation right now!
Of course, one could not rule out that under the pressure of internal troubles and external threats, Jiuling Yuanjun was treating a dead horse as if it were still alive—taking a desperate gamble.
In any case, Luo Chen's blade finally descended upon one of the fleshy tumors on the Nascent Soul infant.
The Nascent Soul was the product of the unification of the three treasures: essence, qi, and spirit.
To outsiders, its defining feature was its immense magic power.
In truth, it also harbored the cultivator's essence blood and soul power.
This was precisely why the Nascent Soul was so extraordinary, truly serving as a cultivator's second life.
For Luo Chen to extract essence blood from the Nascent Soul was essentially cutting its flesh to draw forth its Nascent Soul power.
For him, doing it himself was a first, yet the process was not unfamiliar.
Back on Mount Cangwu, when he was to refine the Shape Transformation Pill for the demon race, the most crucial primary ingredient had been Nascent Soul essence blood.
It was just that back then, someone else had done the deed for him; now, he was doing it with his own hands.
*Chi!*
A snowy gleam flashed and vanished.
The Nascent Soul miniature shuddered violently, yet did not make a single sound.
Luo Chen could not help but silently commend him. Jiuling Yuanjun truly possessed immense willpower; cutting into one's Nascent Soul was excruciating beyond measure, yet he could bear it without uttering a sound.
Compared to himself, he was probably not far off.
Luo Chen did not belittle himself; in this regard, he had plenty of confidence.
Ever since his Qi Refining days, he had endured the agony of piercing acupoints, and later had even forcibly weathered the torment of bodily nirvana.
Thus, it was merely a passing commendation.
His blade moved like lightning, and in the blink of an eye, he harvested the exact portion of essence blood prescribed in the pill formula.
Because of his swiftness, Jiuling Yuanjun was spared a few moments of torment.
"All done!"
*Whoosh!*
Without the slightest pause, the miniature Nascent Soul fled back into his physical body. Jiuling Yuanjun slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with exhaustion.
"I leave the rest in Fellow Daoist's hands."
Luo Chen gave a faint smile. "This formula is exceedingly obscure, and you should well understand the difficulty of concocting it, so it may take quite some time."
Jiuling Yuanjun nodded his heavy head. "No matter. So long as it is refined before the demon race breaches the three front domains and marches to the gates of Lingtian Pass, it will not be too late."
Luo Chen was somewhat surprised. "Lingtian Pass boasts towering walls, deep moats, and countless powerful experts, backed by the veteran sixteen domains to the rear and supported by a Soul Formation Sacred Ground. Such a majestic stronghold ranks among the foremost in the world. Why is Fellow Daoist so pessimistic about it?"
For Jiuling Yuanjun to take the risk of placing his trust in Luo Chen to craft the Jiuli Pill, aside from the constraints of his own cultivation, the pressure from the demon race outside was another major factor.
In other words, in Jiuling Yuanjun's eyes, if the demon race truly reached the foot of Lingtian Pass, his current strength would not be enough to ensure safety.
That was why he needed to forcibly take a step forward in a short time!
Facing Luo Chen's confusion, Jiuling Yuanjun said wearily, "You have not witnessed the demonic host, and you do not know the ferocity of their vanguard. I can only tell you that unless the Mingyuan Sect personally enters the fray, Lingtian Pass alone will never hold back a flood of demon beasts that has been gathering strength for three thousand years."
Luo Chen parted his lips, wanting to ask further.
Yet seeing the profound exhaustion etched onto the man's face, he could only suppress his curiosity.
Forcing out so much Nascent Soul essence blood at once was a severe blow to Jiuling Yuanjun's vitality.
Right now, he only wanted to rest properly.
Thinking of this, Luo Chen asked no more, but specially retrieved a pill radiating a soft white light.
"This is a fourth-tier Yuzhen Pill, a specialty of the Central Plains' Tianyuan Dao Sect. It holds little great utility, save for temporarily suppressing the pain of the Nascent Soul. Allow me to gift it to you, Fellow Daoist!"
Jiuling Yuanjun looked at the white pill, his gaze slowly shifting to Luo Chen's youthful face.
Taking the pill, he said in a low voice, "Many thanks!"
Luo Chen smiled and promptly arranged for someone to escort Jiuling Yuanjun to rest.
Once his guest had departed, Luo Chen put away his smile and looked at the bronze figurine left behind.
The pill formula on the back was faintly visible, while the nine tumors on the front were jarring to the eye. Luo Chen took on a contemplative expression.
"'Absorb the firmament spirit essence into the body to obtain supreme magic power.'
"'Then divide the nine essences to form nine great spiritual infants.'
"Spirit essence, spiritual infant?
"How does this so-called spiritual infant differ from a second Nascent Soul?"
...
At his peak, Luo Chen possessed a fortune of several hundred million spirit stones—virtually equivalent to the lifetime wealth of an impoverished Nascent Soul cultivator.
All of that wealth had been converted into cultivation resources.
Naturally, it wasn't solely cultivation manuals and medicinal herbs; it also included supplementary cultivation aids useful to Nascent Soul cultivators.
The Yuzhen Pill produced by the Tianyuan Dao Sect was one of them.
Just as Luo Chen said, this pill held no great use, save for numbing pain!
It was a pill specifically used by Tianyuan cultivators to sever the connection between the Nascent Soul and the divine soul when cultivation went awry, preventing deviation into madness.
Gifting one to Jiuling Yuanjun did indeed bring him considerable relief.
After resting at the Luotian Sect for a few days, he quietly departed.
After all, Luo Chen had previously said that refining the Jiuli Pill would take a long time, and the Nine Spirits Sect had not fallen; he could not linger outside indefinitely.
Before leaving, Jiuling Yuanjun specially exchanged contact tokens with Luo Chen.
When necessary, they could quickly reach each other.
After his departure, Luo Chen's life returned to that previous placid and unhurried calm.
Consolidating his realm, refining Crimson Firmament Sword Qi.
However, he devoted a portion of his energy to thoroughly researching the Jiuli Pill formula inscribed on the back of the bronze figurine.
He intended to directly initiate the formula onto his system panel to ensure a steady success in concocting the Jiuli Pill, thereby magnifying his reputation as an Alchemy Grandmaster.
Yet before initiating it, the fundamental groundwork of studying the formula down to the marrow still had to be done.
This was being responsible toward Jiuling Yuanjun, and equally responsible toward himself.
Furthermore, Luo Chen was exceedingly curious about the matter of the "nine great spiritual infants" the man had spoken of.
The Jiuli Pill severed nine Nascent Soul tumors, and then one cultivated nine spiritual infants?
Such a method was truly bizarre.
In terms of the end result, it resembled a second Nascent Soul.
Yet based on Luo Chen's past experience cultivating the Origin Core Art with Hidden Dust Sand, it followed an entirely different path.
One relied on external objects; the other sought within oneself.
Moreover, several medicinal ingredients in the formula were demonic realm herbs, forcing him to suspect that the Jiuli Pill was a demonic dao pill, and that the method of Nine Spirits Attaining Sanctity was a demon race cultivation technique.
For this reason, while studying the Jiuli Pill formula, Luo Chen frequently consulted the numerous alchemical texts left behind by Demon Lord Heaven Refiner, drawing cross-references and mutual corroborations.
Half a year later.
After refining his fourth strand of Crimson Firmament Sword Qi, Luo Chen set to work on concocting the Jiuli Pill for Jiuling Yuanjun.
As for the formula, he judged that he had already mastered eighty to ninety percent of it.
Even without relying on the system, feeling his way through on his own, he had a chance of producing the Jiuli Pill.
Yet clearly, the raw ingredients provided by the client could never withstand the consumption of trial-and-error experiments.
Therefore...
[Modified Jiuli Pill formula detected. Initiate?]
"Initiate!"
With a single thought, light flickered across the panel.
Under the fourth-tier pill section, the entry slowly emerged: [Jiuli Pill: Entry (1/100)].
At that very instant, Luo Chen gained complete certainty in his ability to successfully concoct the Jiuli Pill!
Wasting no further time, he headed straight for the pill chamber.
Not long after, Qi Yi arrived in haste.
Luo Chen swept his divine sense over him and could not help nodding with satisfaction.
"Half a year's work, and your magic power is considerably purer. It seems you haven't slacked off during this time."
Full of gratitude, Qi Yi replied respectfully, "It is all thanks to Supreme Elder's nurturing. The *Spirit Tempering Art* is indeed extraordinary. Though my realm has not advanced much, I feel completely reborn compared to half a year ago."
Luo Chen waved a hand. "Cultivation is one's own affair; there is no need to thank me. I summoned you here today to concoct a new pill. You will assist me with the preparatory tasks."
A new pill?
Qi Yi's eyes lit up instantly.
Even if high-tier pills were beyond his current capacity to concoct, merely assisting from the side and observing would yield immense benefits.
Above all, Luo Chen was never stingy with pointers and guidance.
Soon, once Luo Chen assigned him his tasks, he began processing auxiliary and marginal herbs.
As the chief alchemist of the Luotian Sect's Pill Court, Qi Yi enjoyed a modest reputation outside.
Yet right now, meticulously preparing leftover scraps like a common medicine boy, his appearance would probably drop jaws if word got out.
Qi Yi could not care less about such things. To him, being able to learn at Luo Chen's side was already a blessing of the highest order.
Forget serving as a medicine boy—even if he were merely tending the furnace fires, he would do so with utmost joy.
Luo Chen was very pleased with this junior who carried the humble mindset of an apprentice.
*His alchemy talent is inferior to Lingjun's, and even slightly behind my North Sea registered disciple Xu Muxian, but he excels in his tireless thirst for knowledge and his willingness to pour genuine effort into it.*
*He is well worth nurturing!*
*Once I finish refining the Jiuli Pill, I will grant him a portion of resources and send him into secluded cultivation. If he can achieve the Golden Core stage, he will have a bright future ahead.*
When it came to junior disciples, Luo Chen placed less weight on natural talent and cared more about temperament and character.
The three elements of cultivation: innate aptitude, mentality and character, and opportunity and fortune!
The first could not be sought, and the last was exceedingly hard to come by.
Only mentality and character were within a cultivator's own grasp.
One with aptitude as poor as his own could walk this far and claim a place in the vast Eastern Desolation; one of humble origins like Wang Yuan could carve out an alternative path and forcefully forge the name of the War Demon in an era when body refinement had declined.
What did they rely on, if not that unyielding, indomitable character?
The more Luo Chen observed Qi Yi, the more he favored him. Originally, he had only considered the man's years of faithful service to the Luotian Sect and let him assist to pick up a few things.
Now, he had truly formed the intention to cultivate him in earnest.
Still, the urgent priority was concocting the Jiuli Pill.
Clearing away stray thoughts, Luo Chen poured his entire focus into the preparatory work before the formal refining.
...
Time flowed quietly by.
Within the Luotian Sect, the days were peaceful and serene.
The cultivators of the Luotian Sect had gradually grown accustomed to their Supreme Elder never stepping outside his doors.
Even if Luo Chen never appeared before the crowd, it did nothing to alter his exalted status in the hearts of the disciples.
These days, no one dared bully the Luotian Sect anymore. Aside from the cultivators of Motian Cliff and the Five Elements Divine Sect, everyone spoke to them with gentle deference.
Nor did they stir up trouble, strictly obeying Sect Master Li Yingzhang's orders to direct their energies into their cultivation.
In addition, from time to time, they had to practice mastering the spiritual cranes sent by the White Crane Sect!
All Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, including several formidable late Qi Refining cultivators, were required to master the art of riding spiritual cranes.
This was a strict command handed down directly by the Sect Master!
On this day.
Several figures lingered along the lower reaches of Blackwater River, each mounted atop a second-tier spiritual crane.
They were all Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Luotian Sect.
At this moment, they watched the river below with bated breath, their eyes fixed on the man and crane locked in battle.
"Do you think Senior Brother Zeng can subdue this spiritual crane?"
"It'll be tough! That mutant spiritual crane is the fiercest of all the cranes sent by the White Crane Sect, already at the level of a third-tier Demon King! In recognition of Senior Brother Zeng's years of braving life and death, the Sect Master specifically rewarded it to him."
"If he used standard beast-taming techniques, he could enslave it. But Senior Brother Zeng attained his Dao through body refinement and lacks the divine sense of a Golden Core cultivator, making it impossible to forcibly enslave a third-tier Demon King."
"He disdains forcible enslavement anyway! I heard that if one wins a spiritual crane's recognition through one's own might, the crane can coordinate seamlessly with him in battle even without verbal commands. That's the effect Senior Brother Zeng truly wants!"
The gazes these Foundation Establishment cultivators cast toward Zeng Yilong were thoroughly steeped in admiration.
Among the younger generation, Zeng Yilong was unquestionably the most dazzling figure in the Luotian Sect!
Not only had he earned the Daoist title of Shalongzi, but he had personally defeated the Golden Core Master Qi Emei of the Five Elements Divine Sect!
Over the years, he cared deeply for his junior brothers and sisters; whenever he led them on missions, he charged at the very front, and during retreats, he often covered the rear alone.
It was fair to say that everyone hoped Zeng Yilong could successfully tame this mutant spiritual crane and add to his combat strength!
Right amidst their eager anticipation, a roar suddenly erupted from midair.
"Beast, submit!"
Zeng Yilong's brawny hands pressed down ruthlessly on the gold-crested spiritual crane. Man and crane plunged straight out of the sky into the Blackwater River.
Waves surged, and the broad river churned.
The onlookers held their breath as they watched. Forcing a third-tier spiritual crane into submission through sheer physical force without harming it was an unimaginably difficult feat.
Could Senior Brother Zeng succeed?
Amid the onlookers' hopes, the surging vital blood of a human and the roiling demonic qi of a beast collided continuously beneath the river's surface.
After about the time it took an incense stick to burn.
A massive silhouette slowly surfaced.
It was the gold-crested spiritual crane!
But where was Senior Brother Zeng?
Just as anxiety began to grip everyone, Zeng Yilong suddenly emerged from the water and clambered onto the crane's back.
Heaving for breath, he bared his teeth in a grin.
"In the end, I won!"
Meeting a third-tier Demon King head-on with pure bodily strength!
Along the riverbank, several Luotian Sect Foundation Establishment True Cultivators erupted into cheers.
Suddenly.
The gold-crested spiritual crane let out a shrill cry, its white feathers bristling straight up in sheer alarm, as if confronting a deadly enemy.
Zeng Yilong's brows knitted. "Jinmao, we had an agreement earlier. Are you trying to back out now?"
The gold-crested spiritual crane called Jinmao paid him no mind, its piercing eyes locked onto the distance.
Zeng Yilong realized something at once, stood up on its back, and looked far into the distance.
In his field of vision, a flying boat skimmed low through the air.
Aboard the vessel stood three figures braving the wind.
The leader's willow-leaf brows were slanted upwards, her expression haughty, radiating an aloof, unapproachable aura.
She was an exquisite beauty!
She looked down over Blackwater River, her gaze sweeping across the crowd.
"What a fine gold-crested white-feathered crane!"
Zeng Yilong frowned. In his perception, this woman was formidable!
Moreover, she seemed aggressive, carrying an air of readiness for battle at any moment.
Yet this was the Luotian Sect!
Behind him stood a gathering of junior brothers and sisters who admired and revered him!
The gold-crested white-feathered crane was already exhausted, which made it all the more impossible for him to retreat.
Without a second thought, Zeng Yilong rallied his remaining strength as astral qi surged, and with a crisp *shua*, fiery-red wings shaped like crescent moons unfurled from his back.
"The Luotian Sect lies ahead! Fellow Daoist, please halt!"
Seeing the fiery-red wings, the woman paused in surprise, her aura surging forth with palpable hostility.
Yet in the next moment, as if recalling something, she immediately withdrew her magic power fluctuations and curtsied gracefully toward Zeng Yilong.
To everyone's bewilderment, she offered a slight smile.
"Would Fellow Daoist please notify your sect's Supreme Elder: Tianxuan has returned!"
Behind her, upon the shoulder of another graceful woman, a small dark shadow suddenly poked out.
"Are we finally here?"
Chapter 796