"He's here! He's here!"
"The Pill Master has arrived! I see his carriage!"
"How much farther?"
"Barely ten li out! He'll be here in the blink of an eye!"
"We need to get closer. If we can show our faces before him, maybe we can trade on a familiar face when we ask for pills in the future!"
"Haha, trade on a familiar face? Who would care about that kind of nonsense?"
"Fellow Daoist, that just shows how little you know. I spent a fortune looking into the Pill Master's past. The man has the demeanor of a true gentleman and isn't the least bit stingy about lifting up the younger generation. Years ago, rumors spread that he coveted a small clan's medicinal herb business and swallowed it whole. But that was pure hearsay. In truth, that clan still thrives under his protection, and even the current sect master of the Luotian Sect is a cultivator from that very family!"
"Letting an outsider serve as sect master?"
"That's not all! I heard that when he formed his core, he wove his insights into a poem and recited it freely to all the cultivators of an entire city. To this day, rogue Golden Core cultivators across the Jade Cauldron Domain still remember his kindness with deep gratitude!"
"Core-formation insights given away for free? He's truly that generous?"
"Of course! How else could he have built such vast connections in so little time, with so many Nascent Soul powerhouses endorsing him? This time, the Pill Master has come in person to Lingtian to serve his three-year rotation on patrol duty. If the senior is in high spirits and lets even a few crumbs of medicine slip from between his fingers, it would benefit people like us for a lifetime."
"So that's how it is! Let's go together!"
Outside Lingtian Pass, amid a clamor of excited chatter, crowds of cultivators jostled toward the main road into the city.
Those who sought favors surged forward eagerly.
Those who had no particular stake refused to be left behind either.
There were also cultivators who had come purely for the spectacle, eager to see what this Pill Master—praised to high heaven over the past two years—actually looked like.
After all, although Luo Chen had pulled off a stunning feat on the Battle Arena back then, his public appearance had been brief, and not everyone knew his face.
In ordinary times, catching a glimpse of a Nascent Soul True Person was extraordinarily difficult.
Now, however, was different!
As a wartime bulwark, Lingtian Pass had an anti-flight grand formation laid out within its walls by several Nascent Soul forces, built upon array diagrams passed down by the Mingyuan Sect.
Anyone wishing to enter had to disembark from their flying vessels and proceed on foot.
So long as Pill Master Luo Chen did not deliberately conceal his features, this was an exceptional chance to witness the True Person's face in the flesh.
Amid the packed throng, two graceful figures were swept along.
One looked aloof and reserved, while the other was gentle and composed.
Yet on closer inspection, both women's eyes held traces of apprehension.
"Master, will he see us?"
"He should."
"If Senior Brother Luo is willing to meet us, that would be wonderful. With his current strength, he might be able to help us."
"Xiao Lan, he is no longer that Foundation Establishment cultivator of old. When we meet again, you must address him as True Person..."
As the older woman spoke the words "True Person," a complex swell of emotion surfaced in her eyes.
The young woman called Xiao Lan nodded hurriedly.
She had simply grown accustomed to the old form of address, but she was by no means an ignorant fledgeling; she naturally understood the deference owed to a powerhouse.
Suddenly!
Xiao Lan's eyes lit up, and she pointed into the distance.
"He's here!"
The older woman took a deep breath, channeled her dharmic power, and pressed forward through the crowd.
Xiao Lan followed closely behind in her wake.
In the sky, a cloud carriage flew swiftly toward them. As it drew near, its speed dropped abruptly, and it descended toward the ground.
Figures of cultivators flew down from it one after another, lining both sides before the crowd.
*Whoosh!*
A burly man bearing a long halberd and a pair of wings on his back circled through the sky once. His surging vitality rolled outward like a slow wave of air.
"Everyone, our Supreme Elder is about to enter the city. Please make way!"
With that, he dropped like the tip of an arrow to the head of the formation.
It was Shalongzi!
In a single glance, people recognized this rising talent of some renown.
A third-tier body refiner, his strength was not one whit inferior to an early Golden Core cultivator.
Yet the crowd's focus was clearly not on him.
Every pair of eyes turned toward the cloud carriage.
A figure in a gold-embroidered white robe emerged from within.
He possessed a handsome countenance and a high-bridged nose.
His thin lips curved in a faint, knowing half-smile that carried a touch of quiet irony.
Most striking of all were the eyes beneath his high crown—deep and cool as a secluded abyss.
Wherever his gaze swept, few dared to meet it.
Even those who tried to look back without flinching found themselves dazed and bewildered in an instant.
*So this is Pill Master Luo Chen?*
He was remarkably young, yet possessed an aura so distinctive that even amid an ocean of faces, he stood out—sharp, singular, and peerless!
Though Shalongzi had parted the crowd, seeing Luo Chen's true appearance made everyone instinctively surge forward again.
Just as they began to jostle, a voice rang out from behind, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure that bore down upon the entire grounds like the vault of heaven.
"Fellow Daoist Luo, you've finally arrived! You've certainly kept me waiting!"
Before the words had fully died away, a phantom-like silhouette appeared before Luo Chen.
Luo Chen paused briefly, then broke into a smile.
"Fellow Daoist Lingfengzi, coming out to greet me like this truly flatters me beyond my worth."
The dashing, elegant middle-aged man chuckled heartily and extended a hand forward.
"After you!"
Luo Chen nodded, stepping forward to walk into the city shoulder to shoulder with him.
Behind him, Yang Pingdu stowed the Six Imperials Flying Cloud Carriage, joining Chu Kui to lead the Luotian Sect cultivators through the gates.
As for the onlookers, before two True Persons, they fell utterly silent, not daring to utter another sound.
Only after the two figures had completely entered Lingtian Pass did a roar of discussion erupt outside the walls.
"So that was Senior Pill Master? I thought he'd be some white-haired old fellow! Who could have guessed he was so young!"
"Shows what little you know. It's said the Pill Master attained the realm of True Person when he was barely two hundred years old. He is truly a paramount prodigy under the heavens!"
"Two hundred years old? Good grief, at that age I was still trying to break through to the Golden Core stage!"
"With that cultivation speed and a supreme mastery of the alchemical dao, even disciples of the holy lands pale in comparison!"
"No wonder the Misty Sect's Supreme Elder treated this so solemnly, coming out of the city to welcome him in person. If it were me, I'd give Senior Pill Master every bit as much respect!"
"First, Sovereign Jiuling stood waiting at Mount Daqing for an audience, and now Lingfengzi personally came out ten li to greet him. In the Eastern Desolation today, whose fame could possibly surpass Senior Pill Master's?"
Among the crowd, the two women seemed to awaken as if from a dream.
Beneath the suppression of Lingfengzi's Nascent Soul domain, none had dared speak for fear of disturbing a True Person.
Now that the man they had come to see had entered the city, what were they to do about their request?
Even a Nascent Soul powerhouse like Lingfengzi had come out personally to seize the initiative.
One could only imagine that Luo Chen's cave dwelling in Lingtian Pass would soon be thronged with visitors. Nobodies like them wouldn't stand a chance of securing an audience.
The older woman, whose face had always been cold and detached, showed a rare expression of utter helplessness.
The younger woman, however, murmured in sudden realization, "Master, I think I just saw Sixth Brother."
"Sixth Brother?"
"Yes, he was right there in the Luotian Sect's ranks. It's hard to see True Person Luo, but if I look for Sixth Brother, we might be able to find a way in through the back door."
At those words, the older woman's eyes instantly brightened.
***
"As the foremost bulwark of the Eastern Desolation today—and arguably the strongest pass across our land since antiquity—Lingtian Pass was built with immense deliberation."
"It cuts across the borders of five domains, pools the wealth of sixteen domains, and drew upon the massive manpower of refugees from the twelve fallen domains in the vanguard. It covers a vast expanse of eight thousand li!"
"The number of cultivators within has already exceeded ten million, with over a hundred thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators!"
"According to tallies from the Castellan's Estate, the Golden Core cultivators on the surface number roughly three thousand. That is a staggering force. Aside from Soul Formation holy lands, virtually no single sect could command such an immense number of Golden Core cultivators at once."
Luo Chen listened as Lingfengzi introduced the conditions of Lingtian Pass. Those cold figures gave him a concrete impression of this great city.
Even so, having anticipated much of it, hearing the figure of three thousand Golden Cores still made his pupils contract slightly.
"How could there be so many?"
Lingfengzi replied as if it were only natural, "When great catastrophe strikes, the ones who survive most easily are always those with formidable strength. Low-tier cultivators die off crop after crop, but Golden Core cultivators do not fall so readily."
"Furthermore, when enough people die, ample resources are left behind. Under immense external pressure, Foundation Establishment powerhouses with sufficient resources will naturally gamble their lives on a desperate breakthrough."
"You have gone through the process of condensing a golden core yourself, so you understand that breaking into the Golden Core stage requires, above all, an indomitable, do-or-die resolve!"
Luo Chen nodded.
In the path of cultivation, each realm's breakthrough had a different emphasis.
Advancing from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment demanded pure spiritual power and the forging of a dao foundation.
Advancing from Golden Core to Nascent Soul required profound foundations, the unification of the three treasures, and formidable means to endure the heavenly tribulation lightning.
Advancing from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core was different still. The methods of forming a core were varied and countless, with innumerable paths leading toward the realm.
Only one thing was indispensable!
That was an unwavering resolve to push forward—victory or death!
If one failed, they might perish in death-seclusion like his old friend Tantai Jin, or end up gravely injured and teetering on the brink of death like Chu Kui.
If one succeeded, they could throw back their head and roar: *A golden core swallowed into the belly, my fate is mine, not heaven's!*
Under extreme external pressure, provided there were adequate resources, a great number of Golden Core cultivators would indeed be spurred into existence.
The Luotian Sect itself had seen nine Golden Cores emerge over the span of a century precisely for similar reasons.
However!
Though such Golden Core cultivators had reached the realm, they were deficient in many regards.
For instance, their dharmic power lacked proper tempering, they failed to switch cultivation techniques in time, or they carried hidden injuries from forced breakthroughs.
They likely had not even possessed the leeway to properly choose their natal magical treasures.
Three thousand Golden Cores?
Those who were truly elite probably numbered less than half.
"As for Nascent Soul cultivators, Lingtian Pass permanently stations five Nascent Souls, rotating every three years."
"Can the rotations keep up?"
Lingfengzi smiled faintly. "Naturally. Within the five Lingtian domains, there are currently twenty fellow Nascent Soul cultivators. If the war grows dire, the five can instantly increase to ten, or even twenty! Furthermore, the sixteen domains in the rear would swiftly dispatch Nascent Soul powerhouses to reinforce us, ensuring Lingtian Pass never falls."
*So many?*
Luo Chen was slightly taken aback.
Yet on closer calculation, the math checked out.
At his Nascent Soul Grand Ceremony two years ago alone, twelve Nascent Soul cultivators had attended.
Factoring in those guarding their respective sects, those stationed at Lingtian Pass, and those in secluded cultivation, twenty was an entirely reasonable figure.
Such numbers inevitably prompted Luo Chen to compare them with the overlord forces of the Northern Sea.
The Canghai Alliance, he reckoned, was probably on par with this!
If one combined the Moluo Sect, the Myriad Immortals Association, and the Penglai Immortal Sect, their numbers roughly matched the Nascent Soul powerhouses across the sixteen rear domains of the Eastern Desolation today.
The destroyed Yuan Demon Sect and the surviving Mingyuan Sect roughly cancelled each other out.
Viewed this way, the Eastern Desolation and the Northern Sea were fairly close in their numbers of high-tier cultivators.
Ah!
He had overlooked one detail: the Northern Sea's islands were widely scattered, and many forces like the Ice Polar Sect had never gotten involved in the three overlords' war for hegemony.
Thus, the Northern Sea had historically boasted more Nascent Soul cultivators than the Eastern Desolation.
It truly lived up to its reputation for abundant resources.
That was how Luo Chen compared the two continents.
Subconsciously, however, he did not include the Central Plains in the comparison.
There was simply no comparing them.
The Central Plains was the domain of a single sect!
Without having suffered depletion, not even he knew how many Nascent Soul powerhouses the Central Plains harbored.
A hundred was an absolute minimum!
Two hundred was merely what appeared on the surface.
Three hundred, or even four hundred, was entirely possible.
If that caged tiger of the Central Plains ever broke loose, the other four continents of the Mountain Sea Realm combined might barely match it!
*This is the benefit of dominating an entire continent: unchecked development.*
*If the Mingyuan Sect could claim sole dominion over all thirty-six domains, or even purge the Million Mountains of the wilderness, its foundation might just catch up...*
At that thought, Luo Chen's brow twitched.
The current situation was precariously perched on the edge of a cliff, as even Sovereign Jiuling could see, yet the Mingyuan Sect still had not dispatched a massive force of cultivators.
They had merely left Castellan Lingtian alone to hold the frontline.
Could they really not see the demon race of the Eastern Desolation gathering ever greater momentum?
With the fall of the Northern Sea's Yuan Demon Sect as a precedent, were they not afraid of following the same disastrous path?
Gathering so many cultivators in one place and forming the so-called Deathground Army—in the end, when it came to seeking survival from the jaws of death, was it for these sects large and small, or for the Mingyuan Sect itself?
*Could they be intending to let us wear down the demon race in a war of attrition, only to step in at the very end to sweep up the remnants? To emulate the Tianyuan Dao Sect and bring the vast Eastern Desolation entirely under a single sect's banner?*
At the thought of this possibility, Luo Chen could not help but quietly clench his fists.
He cast an imperceptible glance at Lingfengzi, who was chattering smoothly beside him.
Did they know?
Or rather, had they ever considered this possibility?
Or had they considered it, yet under the crushing weight of a holy land, found themselves with no choice but to comply, attempting to carve out survival in the face of death and gamble for a sliver of hope to preserve their legacies?
There was no answer, and Luo Chen dared not ask.
After laying on the charm, Lingfengzi finally stopped beating around the bush and voiced his request.
He wanted Luo Chen to personally refine a fourth-tier pill for him!
This had been expected. While Luo Chen was in seclusion refining the Nine Li Pills for Sovereign Jiuling, Lingfengzi had sought an audience twice.
Luo Chen had naturally deduced his intentions.
Especially today, Lingfengzi had taken the initiative to greet him outside the city, following Sovereign Jiuling's example by giving him ample face and boosting his prestige.
Yet if he wanted Luo Chen to refine a pill, the price would need to be discussed.
As for the specific terms, Luo Chen had laid them out back then, and with precedents like Fu Lao and Sovereign Jiuling, anyone who cared to inquire would already know without Luo Chen having to say a word.
Lingfengzi, however, showed an embarrassed look.
Luo Chen understood in an instant. *So he's a pauper! He doesn't have the wealth to pay!*
Yet he showed no disdain on his face, maintaining his genial smile.
"No rush. Allow me to meet our fellow Daoists in the city first, and then we shall speak in detail in private."
Lingfengzi breathed a sigh of relief. The response gave him plenty of face, indicating the matter was feasible, and he felt a surge of gratitude.
Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the Castellan's Estate.
This was Luo Chen's second time here.
Unlike before, he was far more relaxed and at ease.
The wisps of divine sense radiating from within were no longer sharp, but exceedingly cordial.
Stepping into the hall, four figures immediately entered his sight.
Castellan Lingtian, seated in the place of honor, went without saying.
The other three were Xiao Shiniang, the master of the Ancient Firework Islet whom he had met once; Qin Baixiang, sect master of the Hundred Beasts Sect; and Luo Chen's "good friend," Perfected Xianhe.
This arrangement was exceedingly considerate. Counting Lingfengzi, among the four Nascent Souls assigned to the patrol rotation, they were either on good terms with him or sought favors from him, while the other two were mere acquaintances with no malice toward him.
Luo Chen's thoughts shifted. Forming the Ziwu seal with his left hand, he held it upright before his chest and dipped his head slightly.
"Fellow Daoists, Luo has arrived late!"
Chapter 801