Chapter 501: I Am Dan Chenzi!

Inside the cave residence, a quiet conversation unfolded between Gu Caiyi and Bai Meiling.

"What's he doing?" Gu Caiyi asked softly.

"Refining pills," Bai Meiling replied. "Ever since Master came back, aside from cultivating and treating your injuries, he's been refining pills nonstop."

"By himself?"

"Yes, Master's alchemy skills have grown so advanced he barely needs my help anymore."

"What kind of pills is he making?"

"That, I don't know," Bai Meiling admitted with a shrug. "But lately, people have been delivering materials I've never even seen before."

Just as they spoke, a faint disturbance echoed from outside the cave. A moment later, Sima Huiniang stepped through the entrance. Her gaze landed instantly on Gu Caiyi, who sat quietly in a wheelchair with a thin blanket draped across her lap.

For a brief moment, sparks seemed to flicker in the air.

But Sima Huiniang said nothing. With only a glance, she turned and waited outside.

As if sensing her arrival, Luo Chen emerged shortly from the alchemy chamber. He gave a simple nod to Gu Caiyi and Bai Meiling, then walked out to meet Sima Huiniang.

Outside the cave, they were still within the confines of the formation. But even though it seemed redundant, Luo Chen cast a Sound Isolation Barrier.

"Did the news go out?" he asked.

Sima Huiniang nodded. "As you instructed, I released the information that the Luo Tian Society will be joining in the war."

After speaking, Sima Huiniang added with concern, "There's unrest in the society. Some of the rogue cultivators who joined last year have begun to flee. If this continues, the impact might be serious."

"It doesn't matter," Luo Chen said, smiling faintly. "Those people were never committed. They came for profit, and now that there's danger, they naturally want to leave."

Sima Huiniang sighed. "The Luo Tian Society is still young and doesn't have the foundation of a legacy sect. We don't have that deep-rooted unity where success and failure are shared by all."

"But we do have time. No need to rush," Luo Chen said calmly.

Sima Huiniang nodded, then updated him on recent developments.

The Lianyun Trade Alliance had mobilized in full force, heading toward the Jilei Nine Mountain battlefield. As it turned out, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect hadn't wrongly accused them, and they did indeed have ties with the Falling Cloud Sect.

Even the rogue Golden Core retainer they'd hired had been introduced by the Falling Cloud Sect.

Aside from Lianyun, many moderately known powers—the Iron Sword Hall, the Zheng family of Rolling Dragon Ridge, and the Luo family of the Luosha Market—had begun sending people to Jilei Nine Mountain.

Foundation Establishment cultivators led the way, with late stage Qi Refinement cultivators forming the main force. It became a steady river of cultivators, flowing ceaselessly toward the battlefield of the Jilei Nine Mountains.

"Looks like Luo Tian Society isn't the only one conscripted, many are suffering the same fate!" Luo Chen remarked. He then asked with some amusement, "What about Peach Mountain?"

"Nothing unusual," Sima Huiniang replied, shaking her head. "Still a haven of music and pleasure but it's gotten much quieter, with fewer guests than before."

Luo Chen smacked his lips thoughtfully. It seemed the Hundred Flowers Palace remained neutral, refraining from participating in the civil war.

Peach Mountain belonged to Grand Elder Peach Blossom, one of Hundred Flowers Palace's three Golden Core cultivators. If the palace had taken sides, vassals like Peach Mountain should've mobilized by now.

As far as he knew, Peach Mountain alone had five Foundation Establishment Initiates and they had Xuan Yu, a late-stage grand cultivator nearing Core Formation; this was a significant force. He thought it was strange, especially since the Mistress of Fragrance from Hundred Flowers Palace had also attended the Green Pill Valley Dao Scion Ceremony.

Luo Chen shook his head and accepted the storage pouch Sima Huiniang handed him. It was filled with a generous supply of alchemical materials and ingredients. After exchanging a few words, he instructed her to keep all current operations running steadily, without any changes.

Once she departed, Luo Chen returned to the cave residence.

He passed the pouch to Bai Meiling. "Sort and arrange these as usual. Follow the labels I left earlier. I'll be stepping out for a while."

Bai Meiling gave a quiet nod. Tasks like these were well within her ability.

Noticing Luo Chen about to leave, Gu Caiyi couldn't help but speak. "Has something happened recently?"

Luo Chen reached out and gently rubbed her head. Her hair, once dry and brittle like straw, now had a soft luster to it. It was clear proof that her recent treatments were working.

"Just some minor matters. Nothing you need to worry about."

Gu Caiyi bit her lip, suspicion clouding her gaze.

If it's something serious enough that even Sima Huiniang would visit, even though I'm here and it's quite awkward... It probably isn't something minor, is it...

***

It was, of course, a matter of great consequence.

But in times of crisis, one had to remain calm.

Luo Chen had already understood the true purpose behind the major Golden Core sects conscripting their vassal forces.

The answer was, in truth, quite simple. The coming war was destined to be fiercer than any before it. And these sects, which valued their own strength above all, were unwilling to suffer heavy internal losses. Thus, they intended to use rogue cultivators and vassals as expendable resources while preserving their own forces.

This much became apparent when one pieced together the subtle clues scattered throughout the intelligence scrolls.

Since the battle at the Sky Ascension Secret Realm, the two major Nascent Soul sects rarely had high-tier cultivators fight personally, instead relying on their allied sects to carry out the bulk of the warfare.

But the Golden Core major sects weren't fools either. Their cultivators had been raised with great effort and rare resources, so how could they bear to have them squandered?

Green Pill Valley had recalled its Foundation Establishment disciples under the pretense of the Dao Scion competition, and the Ice Fortress had long hesitated.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Clearly, they understood the same truth, yet they were obligated to participate in the war nonetheless.

And so, their attention turned toward their vassals.

Luo Chen didn't know how many vassals the Ice Fortress had, nor how many the Ruthless Lineage controlled externally. But he did know that Green Pill Valley and the Flame Alliance had an especially large number of them. In the Flame Alliance for example, he knew of the Huo family of Taishan Market, the Zheng family of Rolling Dragon Ridge, and the Iron Sword Hall.

And those were just the ones out on the surface, who knew how many were hidden in the shadows? If all those vassals were assembled, they could form an army tens of thousands strong.

With these expendable forces in hand, no matter how far the war escalated, the major sects could still preserve their core strength.

It was all about attrition!

Unless a Nascent Soul Sage capable of deciding the outcome took the field personally, war would simply be a contest of attrition. What won such a contest was wealth, material resources, manpower!

In such a situation, an alchemist like Luo Chen became exceedingly precious. His pills could strengthen cultivators; stronger cultivators meant fewer casualties in battle.

This was precisely why Fairy Ruthless demanded the entire Luo Tian Society go to war,

except

for Luo Chen. He was spared from the battlefield.

If I can minimize the Ice Fortress's casualties, and more specifically, the Ruthless Lineage's casualties, then what need is there to send Luo Tian Society's full force into battle? She may value what we have now, but what she really values is our potential, what we might offer in the future.

Standing atop Tianlan Peak, Luo Chen stared at the cave's entrance, tightening his grip on the two jade bottles in his hands.

In the next moment, the cave door slowly opened, and Luo Chen stepped inside.

***

Luo Chen walked with his hands clasped behind his back, displaying the bearing of a true master.

Fairy Ruthless didn't look up to see his posture, however. Her attention was entirely dedicated to the snow-white pill in her hand, its lines delicate and well-defined.

"Top-grade Jade Dew pill,

huh

. Dan Chenzi, you certainly kept yourself well hidden!"

Luo Chen smiled faintly. "It's not that I was hiding my skills; my alchemy improved substantially after all the exchanges I had with the Grand Alchemy Institute of Green Pill Valley. That's how I can now refine top-grade Jade Dew pills with ease."

With ease?

Fairy Ruthless's heart stirred. "What's your success rate?"

Luo Chen dodged the question and said directly, "If conditions permit, I can provide at least one hundred bottles per year."

"All top-grade?"

"Yes!"

Fairy Ruthless fell into silence.

A hundred bottles were an enormous figure. Since the death of her Dao companion Shang Hu, the Ruthless Lineage had lost favor in the Ice Fortress. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been relegated to Tianlan Immortal City.

Her lineage now had only ten Foundation Establishment disciples in total. Her disciple, Tantai Jin, had failed to win the Dao Scion position and gained no support from the sect. As a result, their influence was minimal, to put it mildly. But if she had a hundred bottles of top-grade Jade Dew pills, it would massively accelerate her disciples' cultivation. At the very least, Tantai Jin could swiftly reach Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment.

With Fairy Ruthless's support, she'd have a high chance of forming a Golden Core. That way, she would no longer be marginalized within the Ice Fortress and might even return to its core power structure.

She raised her head and looked at Luo Chen.

"You said 'if conditions permit.' What kind of conditions are you talking about?"

Luo Chen smiled carefree. "Simple. Large-scale alchemy is not a one-man effort. Gathering and processing the necessary ingredients takes time; I'll need enough hands."

A half-smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "In other words, it would be a shame if the Luo Tian Society's cultivators went to war and couldn't assist you anymore."

Luo Chen didn't even bother to hide it. He simply nodded. But before she could say anything in response, he offered her another jade bottle.

"This is...

huh

?"

Fairy Ruthless, having just uncorked the bottle, raised her brows and blurted out instinctively, "Falling Cloud Sect's Blood-Burning pill?"

"It is not Falling Cloud Sect's pill, but my own exclusive creation. Dan Chenzi's signature pill, if you will."

Fairy Ruthless held the pill in her hand as a strong, blood-like fragrance rushed up to her nose.

She knew what this was. It had made a stunning appearance during the early skirmishes between the Falling Cloud Sect and the Sword Sect.

When consumed by a Qi Refinement disciple, it could instantly unleash power exceeding their own by around thirty percent. Truly an ideal item for surpassing one's level to kill enemies or for escaping death.

Unfortunately, after its initial brilliance, the Falling Cloud Sect's Blood-Burning pill had somehow... vanished. She had never imagined that this pill was actually Luo Chen's exclusive creation.

No wonder! No wonder the Falling Cloud Sect could no longer produce such pills!

As she pondered, Luo Chen continued, "Ordinary Blood-Burning pills are only useful to Qi Refinement cultivators. But I can refine supreme-grade ones, which work for Foundation Establishment cultivators as well. If every Initiate of the Ice Fortress has one in hand, surely many more will survive the coming battles."

Fairy Ruthless narrowed her eyes slightly and asked softly, "Every Initiate of the Ice Fortress?"

Luo Chen nodded. "I heard that you are not exactly in the best position within the Ice Fortress. I can refine more supreme-grade Blood-Burning pills for you to use in winning over your fellow Ice Fortress members. I imagine that, given the life-saving value of these pills, your Ruthless Lineage will fare much better when war breaks out."

He spoke in a very frank and direct manner; in fact, under normal circumstances, the way he spoke would have been considered borderline disrespectful. Yet Luo Chen showed no fear. From the moment Fairy Ruthless had delivered her summons with cold indifference, he had understood clearly—there was no personal bond between them. Only a stark, transactional relationship built on mutual interests.

Fairy Ruthless idly turned the blood-red pill between her fingers, her expression unreadable.

Win over Ice Fortress members? No... This is more than that.

With this pill, she could initiate negotiations with other Golden Core cultivators. In this age, few such figures stood truly alone; most had disciples or even direct descendants to consider. But still...

"You can mass-produce supreme-grade Blood-Burning pills?" Fairy Ruthless said, skeptical. "Even if it's just a first-tier pill, achieving the supreme grade is—"

"Adept, I am Dan Chenzi!" Luo Chen cut her off for the first time.

Fairy Ruthless paused for a moment; she was clearly taken aback, but didn't appear truly angry.

He was right. Dan Chenzi was the one who had outshone the Green Pill Valley's Seven Prodigies. To question his abilities was to question the very standards of Green Pill Valley itself. Even with her lofty cultivation and prestigious background, Fairy Ruthless had little to say when it came to matters of alchemy.

She put away the two pill bottles and looked straight at Luo Chen.

"Name your terms."

At that moment, the heavy stone in Luo Chen's heart finally lifted.