Chapter 519: A Steady First Step, Opening the Apertures with Fiend Qi?

"Senior Sister, the sect wants him. You won't be able to keep him for yourself."

That chilling voice lingered in Luo Chen's ears, cold and biting like the palace he had just departed. Yet his own steps had already carried him beyond that frigid hall. Sunlight streamed down from above, cloaking his figure in a warm golden glow. Ahead, a woman stood tall, with her back straight as a blade and her silhouette edged in light.

All at once, his footsteps came to a stop. With a sudden turn, the woman faced him, and her gaze was as sharp and cold as the tip of an icicle.

"You're bold," she said flatly.

Luo Chen pulled his lips into a flat smile and said nothing.

"I don't want to see something like this happen again," she said coldly.

"I don't either," Luo Chen replied, his voice calm and even.

"

Hmph!

"

The Fairy Ruthless let out a snort and swept her sleeve as she turned to leave.

Luo Chen remained where he was, standing beneath the blazing sun that hung high over the endless dunes of yellow sand. The heat pressed down upon him, yet it felt strangely comforting. It burned away the icy pressure that still clung to him from the presence of the two powerful women.

Slowly, the corners of his mouth rose into a faint curve. Gone was the uncertainty, the tension that had haunted him within the Ice Palace. In its place was quiet serenity.

He let out a long, steady exhale that carried all lingering tension with it.

The first step was risky, but I took it, and it landed steady and true.

Then he stepped forward, walking slowly back toward the Luo Tian Society's encampment. Along the way, he passed many unfamiliar cultivators, some in the Qi Refinement Realm, others at Foundation Establishment. Some were from vassal forces, others from Ice Fortress's Inner Hall or even True Inheritor disciples.

Every single one of them recognized him. Some looked on coldly, some greeted him warmly, and others actively sought to befriend him. It felt almost as though Luo Chen had spent years cultivating his reputation here. And all of it was the chain reaction from that one decisive first step.

He appeared calm. Ever since setting foot on Golden Sand Floating Island and even before coming to the Jilei Nine Mountains, he had been pondering how to break the deadlock he was in.

To outsiders, neither he nor the Luo Tian Society seemed trapped in any predicament. But in truth, a very real dilemma had hung over them from the start—the lack of true recognition.

Whether it came from the pride of a Golden Core cultivator or the comfort of entrenched familiarity, the Ruthless Lineage had never valued him or the Luo Tian Society as highly as they should have.

Even after he had risen to prominence in Green Pill Valley, and even though he had been actively scouted by several Golden Core Adepts across different sects, Fairy Ruthless had remained aloof and unmoved, as though watching calmly from her lofty ivory tower.

The reason was clear. At that time, she represented Ice Fortress, and no allied sect would offend a major sect over a mere second-tier alchemist. But what if the perspective shifted? If other sects could not act, was the Ice Fortress itself not capable?

But at the end of the day, Luo Chen wasn't serving the Ice Fortress; he was in a transactional relationship with Fairy Ruthless herself. If someone within the Ice Fortress, especially a Golden Core cultivator, showed interest, could Fairy Ruthless remain so composed?

The answer, he had expected, was no. And judging by the outcome earlier, that answer was correct. It had gone exactly as Luo Chen had anticipated. The moment he stepped onto the island, he learned from Duan Feng that the Qu family and the Divine Water Sect were coveting the land and pressuring the Luo Tian Society. So he prepared to kill the chicken to warn the monkey.[1]

While Luo Chen had struck hard to intimidate the other vassal factions, he had also intentionally handed over leverage to the true authority, Adept Moonshade. By giving her a reason to intervene, he had opened the door for her to try and win him over.

Others might not understand the value of a powerful alchemist, but those Adepts certainly did, and Luo Chen was well aware of his own worth. He truly had the ability to carry a small or mid-tier organization on his back, and even within a major sect, he could elevate a whole lineage! And so came the trip to the Ice Palace and the meeting with Moonshade. This was a situation he had deliberately created.

Of course, from the start, he had never intended to change allegiances. No matter how much Fairy Ruthless looked down on the Luo Tian Society, her investment in him had been real from the very beginning. If he were to betray her under such circumstances, even if he gained favor from the Moonshade Lineage and the sect leader, his position within the Ice Fortress would be tenuous at best. They would never truly trust him. At best, he'd be a glorified tool.

Those who betray for profit rarely meet a good end, especially when one they betray did them no real wrong.

But Luo Chen wasn't just thinking about himself; he was thinking of the Luo Tian Society and all the people rallied under his banner. His goal was to channel Fairy Ruthless's attention so that her favor toward him would extend to his entire organization. Thus, he borrowed Adept Moonshade's power to force Fairy Ruthless to declare a position, and judging by the results, his gamble had paid off!

Of course, these were broad strategies. But in the finer details, Luo Chen had also acted flawlessly. Whether it was undermining Qu Zhenbiao's character, defeating him in a crushing blow, or subtly playing with emotions within the Ice Palace, he had pushed every angle to its peak. No matter how others spoke of it afterward, it would only reflect well on the Luo Tian Society. The only thing that had caught Luo Chen off guard was the level of an Adept's tactics.

"That woman... Her illusion methods were so subtle I nearly fell into her trap!" Luo Chen rubbed his brow, a flash of lingering dread passing through his eyes.

Everything about Adept Moonshade in the Ice Palace, from her words, expressions, and gestures, was crafted to disarm the mind. He had only seen through it because his divine soul foundation was strong and because he had long practiced spells such as Soul Intimidation, Spirit Beguiltment, and Mirror Flower Water Moon, a third-tier illusion spell.

Moreover, after he reached Grandmaster level in Divine Breaker of Malevolence, he had formed a basic mental defense. At Perfected Mastery, his focus shifted from reinforcing that barrier to refining his multitasking abilities, but even then, it still served its purpose. At least, it was enough to sound the alarm when danger crept close, enough to pull him back from the edge.

And it wasn't just that; the Forsaken Black Chess Piece was also a soul-defense enchanted treasure.

It was only through the layered protection of all these means that he had somehow withstood Adept Moonshade's charms. Otherwise, he truly might have accepted her offer in the Ice Palace and defected to the Moonshade Lineage. Or rather, not just the Moonshade Lineage, but the entire faction behind the sect leader herself.

Earlier, when Fairy Ruthless said those simple words,

"You're bold,"

they had carried a weight far beyond the surface. She had seen through it all. She knew Luo Chen had used Moonshade's influence to pressure her, and more than that, she knew he had dared face Moonshade with the full intent of staying true to his own path.

"If I couldn't move a mountain with a feather's touch, then I'd have no business trying to change my fate," Luo Chen mused with a carefree smile.

With that casual grin, he turned and made his way back to the encampment.

***

After a brief rest, Luo Chen began working without delay. His priority was healing the wounded. Li Yingzhang's case remained unsettled, and Luo Chen still hadn't finalized that particular treatment. Tests would be necessary before he could attempt it. And the best subjects for such trials were the many injured cultivators of the Luo Tian Society.

He'd already had Xu Huanzhen tally up the numbers earlier. Now, with Yuan Xiaoyue's help in coordinating the queues, injured cultivators filed into his room one after another.

"For minor injuries, I'll treat you here," Luo Chen instructed a wide-eyed disciple as he waved him closer. "Afterward, go to Yuan Xiaoyue for a prescription of recovery herbs and simmer them for two days."

Even as he spoke, his hand traced fluid patterns, casting Spring Wind Rain Transformation. As a second-tier healing spell, it far surpassed even Heal at the Perfected Mastery, and worked in a different manner altogether.

Heal primarily closed external wounds, and even at its absolute peak, it could only manage superficial meridian damage. Spring Wind Rain Transformation, on the other hand, was a dual-element spell of water and wood. It could mend internal injuries that even the patients themselves were unaware of, and its effect even extended to repairing damage to the apertures.

After Luo Chen cast the spell twice in a row, the cultivator before him felt thoroughly refreshed and revitalized. As the cultivator was about to leave with a bow of thanks, Luo Chen casually flicked his sleeve. A gentle breeze swept through the room, and the cultivator departed with renewed vitality in his step, lighter and freer, as though all lingering sickness had been wiped away.

"The President's healing arts are incredible! He just glanced over me, and the ache in my Tanzhong aperture[2] is gone."

"Hey! You're looking sharp again," another laughed. "Since you're healed, you're drinking with me tonight!"

Inside the quiet room, Luo Chen used the brief pause before the next patient arrived to summon his status panel. Under the spells section, Spring Wind Rain Transformation now gleamed at the Proficient level. Just one more step, and he would reach Grandmaster level.

That progress hadn't come from a single day's effort. Back at Tianlan Peak, during the year he had spent treating Gu Caiyi, the spell had been cast twice daily without fail. Now, with a constant flow of wounded cultivators before him, he was simply accelerating the process. In truth, he wasn't only refining Spring Wind Rain Transformation; he was also testing whether his Cleanse at Perfected Mastery could be applied to healing.

Technically speaking, Earth Fire Fiend Qi is a type of qi. If Cleanse can purge spirit energy, yin qi, and medicinal energy, it should be able to remove fiend qi too. Second-tier fiend qi is very aggressive and easy to notice, but the Luo Tian Society cultivators also accumulate blood fiend qi over the years of battle, and they have no idea.

As he tested his hypothesis, he concluded that Cleanse did in fact remove some of the blood fiend qi, but since it was self-generated, the purging was not entirely effective.

But the Earth Fire Fiend Qi in Li Yingzhang's body is a foreign entity. If I control it properly, maybe I can...

Another cultivator entered. Luo Chen greeted him with a faint smile as the man bowed, his face alight with excitement. He moved into a familiar rhythm and sent a thread of spirit consciousness into the man's body to survey the internal condition. Then, he applied healing spells, Heal and Spring Wind Rain Transformation, to reach deeper injuries. Lastly, he cast Cleanse to strip away the lingering foreign energies clinging to the cultivator's meridians.

Of course, everything Luo Chen was capable of was not everything that had to be done. Many injuries still required corresponding pills and herbs. What he could do was alleviate the burden as much as possible.

And so it went.

Three days passed in a flash. Inside Li Yingzhang's stone hut, Luo Chen sat beside him with calm focus, using his Spring Wind Rain Transformation, freshly at the Grandmaster level, to melt the icy spirit energy surrounding the Earth Fire Fiend Qi in his body. Under his control, the frost slowly dissolved beneath the gentle wash of spring wind and rain.

"

Mmgh!

"

A muffled groan escaped from Li Yingzhang's lips.

"Hold still!" Luo Chen commanded and carefully cast Cleanse.

In the next instant, a strand of freshly awakened Earth Fire Fiend Qi was drawn out. It sizzled violently as it hit the ground, burning straight through the stone floor and leaving a blackened hole in its wake. Luo Chen stared at it in silence, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Li Yingzhang looked visibly astonished.

It's gone! It's really gone!

He could feel that the burden on his body had lessened.

"President, this..." he began.

"Rest. I'll extract fiend qi for you three times a day. You'll recover soon," Luo Chen said. Without another word, he turned to leave.

His thoughts were already elsewhere; he didn't even acknowledge the grateful words Li Yingzhang said. On the path outside, he passed by Xu Haizhen, but barely spared him a glance. He was not paying attention to anything around him; he seemed to have entered a state of enlightenment.

"What's going on with him?" Xu Haizhen asked in confusion as he watched Luo Chen's retreating figure.

Was it enlightenment? Obviously not. At this level, there was nothing truly worth calling "enlightenment." Luo Chen had merely been inspired while drawing out the Earth Fire Fiend Qi earlier. Based on what he had experienced and learned, a sudden thought had struck him.

Could this perhaps be used for Aperture Opening?

He had recently spent a great deal of time studying the third-tier Physique Refinement technique Sky Roc Transformation so it was only natural that he had been constantly exploring its possibilities. Fiend qi, after all, was indeed used for the refinement of physique.

After reaching Foundation Establishment, he had once refined Earth Fire Fiend Qi himself beneath Xiaohuan Mountain, with Wang Yuan's help, pushing his Physique Refinement level into the Blood River Realm.

The steps for cultivating the Blood River Realm were highly detailed. Unlike Foundation Establishment cultivators, whose primary goal was simply to accumulate spirit power, Physique Refinement cultivators in the Blood River Realm had to pass through nine different stages—Tendon Transformation, Marrow Cleansing, Organ Refinement, Meridian Unblocking, Aperture Opening, and the Four Forces of Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force, and Pill Force.

Those who managed to complete all these stages could elevate their bodies to an astonishing level. At that point, their blood would surge like a river, their qi would pierce the heavens, and the four forces would merge into titanic power. It could even cause the very foundation of a Physique Refinement cultivator's life force to be transformed, allowing them to ascend to the third realm, the Furnace Realm. The problem of lifespan would be resolved due to this transformation of life force.

Luo Chen had never been particularly interested in the traditional Physique Refinement methods. The main reason was that the later stages, particularly the Four Forces, consumed far too much time and energy. Moreover, they demanded exceptional talent. Only someone like Wang Yuan, whose aptitude in Physique Refinement was extraordinary, had been able to comprehend Bright Force early on, and had even begun grasping Dark Force in recent years.

Still, with ample resources at his disposal, Luo Chen had already completed four of the first five stages. He had refined his tendons, cleansed his marrow, strengthened his organs, and fully unblocked his meridians. The only stage left unfinished was the fifth—Aperture Opening. Yet in truth, Luo Chen was hardly unfamiliar with it. The early stages of Divine Breaker of Malevolence, beyond strengthening his will, had also involved stimulating acupoints. Besides the standard acupoints, he had unknowingly opened all thirty-six major apertures by practicing Divine Breaker of Malevolence over the years.

Back then, I used spirit energy to open apertures. It was gentler, but also less efficient. But if I use fiend qi instead, won't the results be better? Of course, first-tier fiend qi won't do, but what about the second tier?

The more he thought about it, the more plausible the idea seemed. And right now, he happened to have time to spare. Since arriving at the Golden Sand Floating Island, the Luo Tian Society had yet to be assigned mountain guard duty, and his responsibilities were minimal. He no longer needed to refine pills every day; most of his time was spent cultivating with top-grade Ascending Dragon Pills or healing the injured cultivators. As for Wang Yuan's whereabouts, Duan Feng had already arranged for people to inquire persistently.

In truth, what had seemed like a dangerous posting on the front lines had instead become one of the rare stretches of leisure Luo Chen had enjoyed in years. In other words, he had plenty of time for himself.

If I could complete Aperture Opening, wouldn't it enhance my cultivation as well? Just like the massive leap I got after unblocking all the meridians...

The thought sparked a quiet excitement in his chest. But just as he was about to act on the idea, Duan Feng approached in haste. "President, someone has presented a visiting card."

"Who?" Luo Chen asked.

"He calls himself Tian Xingzi, from the Falling Cloud Sect."

Luo Chen's heart stirred. He had expected visitors after his battle above the floating island, but he hadn't imagined the first would be an old acquaintance. Memories of their previous cooperation surfaced, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.

"Hand me the card!" he said.

1. 杀鸡儆猴 (sha ji jing hou) refers to punishing a minor offender as a public example to intimidate others and maintain control. ☜

2. 檀中穴 (tan zhong xue) is a major point in traditional Chinese medicine located at the center of the chest. It is associated with the Heart and Pericardium meridians and is believed to regulate qi, calm the mind, and relieve chest congestion or emotional distress. ☜