Chapter 598: Shedding the Cage, Fortifying Blood and Purging Dust, Xiaohu Returns Home, Han Zheng Pays His Respects (II)

Several days slipped by after Luo Chen's return from his meeting with Fei Ming.

One of his few hundred-year Lightning Essences was gone. Fei Ming had taken it with unconcealed delight, his satisfaction written plainly across his face. In his eyes, a mere Initiate required no more than one such treasure; additional ones were nothing but liabilities. It was best to exchange them for things of more immediate use.

True to his beliefs, he had taken the initiative to extend gestures of goodwill by reconstructing Danxia Peak, offering fourth-tier Tracing Mud, and even sharing insights on Core Formation. To him, exchanging all that for a cluster of Lightning Essence was already treating Luo Chen with extraordinary regard.

Of course, Luo Chen did not feel he had lost out either. A centennial Lightning Essence was precious, but Fei Ming was right in that he had no immediate use for it. Well, Fei Ming had no way of knowing that Luo Chen had already acquired millennial Lightning Essences, but that was another story. Trading away a centennial one now, in exchange for resources and knowledge that could serve him immediately, was a perfectly practical choice. Besides, he had forged a friendship with a Golden Core Adept.

During the days following his return, cultivation remained his main focus, but spare moments were devoted to studying Transcending Cage. With Fei Ming's explanations echoing in his mind, his comprehension grew steadily deeper.

This method differed from the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, which fused water and fire. Instead, it relied on violent surges of spirit energy to condense a Golden Core seed. First, it required a Core Formation spirit medicine brimming with immense spirit energy.

Fei Ming had provided three examples: the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's Cauldron Inquiring Pill[1], the Medicine King Sect's Evergreen Pill, and the Nether Origin Sect's Nether Sea Pill[2]. Any of the three could meet the condition. The second requirement was a body strong enough to withstand the surge of spirit energy. Otherwise, the Golden Core Seed would fail to form, and the cage itself would collapse. In that case, transcending the cage would be impossible, as there would be no cage to transcend.

It was no surprise that Fei Ming had judged the method to suit him well. On the battlefield of Danxia Peak, Luo Chen's physical resilience had been proven, when even a strike from Qin Tairan had failed to end him. Luo Chen's body was a formidable cage by nature.

As for the final condition, it was one required by all Core Formation arts: a flawless divine soul! Whether powerful or not was another matter, but it could not be flawed. Otherwise, even if one succeeded in condensing the core, the final step could still collapse into failure.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Transcending Cage truly fits me,

Luo Chen thought.

But what a low chance of success... Like other Lower Path methods, it raises the odds by only ten percent. Who knows if I can really use this sand to make a proper piece of glass? Besides, I don't even have the required spirit medicines.

The Green Pill Valley's Dragon Transformation Pill was still too weak. Luo Chen had consumed it once already, pushing himself to the seventh stage of Foundation Establishment, but it had carried him no further. If paired with Ice Fortress's Ice Phoenix Pellet, the effect might be stronger, yet even then, the potency was only so-so.

The Sword Sect's Cauldron Inquiring Pill, the Medicine King Sect's Evergreen Pill, the Nether Origin Sect's Nether Sea Pill...

Luo Chen's gaze flickered as he reached a decision. He would have the Luo Tian Society keep watch for them and acquire what they could. If he could get his hands on one of them, then by the time he reached Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment, Transcending Cage could serve as his path to Core Formation if no better option arose.

By his count, four secret arts for Core Formation were already in his possession. Beaded Curtain Lock was undergoing trials in Chu Kui's hands. The Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation remained viable with the Dragon Transformation Pills he had gotten from Green Pill Valley. Transcending Cage was steadily yielding to deeper understanding. Step by step, the foundation for Core Formation grew firmer.

In terms of Core Formation preparations, Luo Chen already considered himself far ahead of most Initiates. Of the four methods he had available, three were either under research or actively tested. Decades would still pass before he reached Perfected Mastery in Foundation Establishment; by then, the experiments on these methods should also be near completion. At that point, he would be able to select the one most suited to him and charge unimpeded into the Golden Core Realm.

Planning ahead had always been his way. It had been the same when he sought Foundation Establishment. At the eighth and ninth stages of Qi Refinement, he had secured Foundation Establishment Pills through Tian Xingzi while also preparing a backup with the Imperial Nectar. Now, with Core Formation as the next great hurdle, the stakes were higher and the dangers greater. Therefore, his preparation had to be even more comprehensive.

The arrangements he made covered not only the broad direction of his cultivation but also the finer details, which he continued to adjust and refine whenever possible.

***

In the alchemy room, Luo Chen gazed at the pill in his hand. Its surface gleamed like red agate, and excitement spread across his face. He has successfully refined the Blood-Boosting Pill!

For the past two years, he had cultivated in Hao Ranzi's cave residence. The lesser third-tier spirit land had allowed his progress to soar rapidly, bringing him close to the eighth stage of Foundation Establishment. Yet beneath that progress lurked a troubling concern. Once Hao Ranzi returned, he would no longer have access to this cave residence and would be forced back into his previous second-tier top-grade residence.

Such a change would not have been disastrous on its own; with a second-tier cave paired with suitable pills, his cultivation speed could still remain respectable. Given a hundred years, he would eventually reach Perfected Mastery. However, he had struck a bottleneck in cultivation with pills. Specifically, he had developed tolerance to the Ascending Dragon Pill, rendering even the top-grade version useless. The pills that Tao Wan continued to send him were sold at cost to Chu Kui, Min Longyu, and others in the Luo Tian Society.

Under these circumstances, leaving the third-tier cave would cause his progress to collapse. His cultivation speed would fall not only to a fraction of its current pace but possibly to less than half of what it had been before. In other words, Perfected Mastery could well be two centuries away. Such an outcome was unacceptable.

To deal with this, Luo Chen had been searching tirelessly for a second-tier pill that could serve as a substitute for the top-grade Ascending Dragon Pill. Over the years, he had gathered many alchemical formulas. They ranged from the first to the third tier and included orthodox as well as obscure formulas, some complete and others fragmentary. Many had come from the spoils he seized on the Jilei Nine Mountains battlefield.

After careful study and selection, he finally discovered what he believed to be the most suitable medicine. In terms of efficacy, refinement difficulty, availability of ingredients, and overall cost-effectiveness, this combination stood out as the best option in every respect. It was not a single pill but a complementary pair.

The first part was... none other than the Dustfall Pill! The very same recipe he had learned for Green Pill Valley's alchemy competition, granted by the Grand Alchemy Institute. The refinement was extremely simple, the cost low, and the materials easy to obtain. The only drawback was that its principle of tracing back to the root and transforming vital essence into qi would end up outright crippling one's physique.

With his third-tier Archaic physique, the vital essence he could refine from blood and flesh would be enough to push him all the way to Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment. But of course, only a fool would destroy his own foundations like that. Luo Chen would never discard the body he had tempered through life-and-death struggles. His body was one of his greatest trump cards.

Fortunately, he had a way to replenish his vital essence, and that was through the Blood-Boosting Pill. The formula originated from a minor alchemy force known as the Danyuan Sect. Its master, Dan Yuanzi, had risen to modest fame in Tianlan Immortal City as a second-tier alchemist by relying on this very pill, but after gaining his reputation, he had largely abandoned its refinement.

The reason was simple: Its primary ingredients were far too sensitive. It required the blood of second-tier leeches, Rainbowwood Sap, and... the blood essence of cultivators!

When Luo Chen had first acquired the recipe, his verdict had been blunt:

This is a devilish pill, just like the Blood Fiend Pill.

Any formula that required the blood of human cultivators was condemned as heretical and demonic. Under normal circumstances, Luo Chen would never have considered using it. Now, however, he had chanced upon a stockpile of blood essence, and not just any kind, but blood essence of Initiates!

Whether using it might corrupt him and drag him onto the evil path was beside the point. Simply leaving it untouched would be nothing short of squandering heaven's gifts. Luo Chen had never drawn hard lines between righteous and devilish. In his eyes, so long as he did not end up courting his own death, every resource in front of him fell into only two categories: useful or useless. Since both formula and ingredients were at hand, there was no reason not to use them.

The Blood-Boosting Pill could greatly increase a cultivator's blood qi. Luo Chen could take a Blood-Boosting Pill to expand his blood qi, then follow up with a Dustfall Pill to refine his vital essence into qi and convert it into spirit power. It was indeed troublesome and roundabout, but it was still a true method of advancing his cultivation

.

Moreover, although these pills were rather ordinary, someone of Luo Chen's ability had every chance to refine them to the top grade, or even supreme grade. If he could do that, then their potency would be far from weak; even surpassing the Ascending Dragon Pill would not be impossible! After all, this was the combined strength of two pills working together.

Joy welled up in Luo Chen's eyes. After so many years, he could finally refine cultivation pills meant for his own use. The Jade Dew Pills he produced were orthodox, but their potency was mediocre so far as male cultivators were concerned, inferior even to the qi-nourishing pills he purchased from outside.

Truly, it was laughable. It seemed almost absurd that Dan Chenzi, a renowned alchemy master of the Jade Cauldron Domain, could not refine the very pills he needed and instead had to purchase them from others. If such news were spread, few would believe it. Yet the fact remained undeniable.

Such was the way of the cultivation world. Orthodox cultivation pills were monopolized by the major sects, especially those with mastery in alchemy. Even a Nascent Soul upper sect like the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect could only barely achieve self-sufficiency. And Luo Chen had only now reached that level himself. Well, more like... it was only possible because he had deep pockets and Xuan Yu had paved the way for him. Once the jar of blood essence was spent, the Blood-Boosting Pill would never see the light of day again.

After all, Luo Chen was not a man who reveled in killing. He could not bring himself to emulate Xuan Yu or even Wang Yuan, using devilish methods to harvest blood. Thankfully, the blood essence in his possession was likely enough to aid him to Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment. In fact, a quick calculation showed that there might even be a surplus. That excess could be handed to Wang Yuan; since his path had reached the level of blood qi transformation, the Blood-Boosting Pill would work for him just like the Blood Fiend Pill.

The Dustfall Pill and the Blood-Boosting Pill were well within Luo Chen's grasp. He had already mastered the basics of their refinement, and the next step was to raise his proficiency and refine them at higher grades. But with access to a lesser third-tier spirit land, there was no urgency to consume them for now. When Hao Ranzi eventually returned and he had to move back to a second-tier cave residence, these pills would compensate for the inevitable drop in cultivation speed.

In just two months, Luo Chen had laid out his cultivation plan for the future as he cultivated steadily and honed his proficiency in refinement. During this time, the Luo Tian Society received distinguished guests.

***

"Is this the Luo Tian Society? Not bad."

Outside the bustling Biyou Valley market, a group of a dozen or so stood looking at Danxia Peak. The mountain lay veiled in clouds and rosy light; palaces rose among scattered pavilions, while spirit eagles wheeled overhead like the delicate cranes in an immortal scene.

"Danxia Peak may be small, but it is complete in every respect," the leader commented. "The grandeur of its design must have come from the guidance of a master."

The cultivators around him nodded in quiet agreement. Even those who carried disdain in their eyes dared not voice mockery while he spoke.

A young man at his side stepped forward with excitement. "Senior Brother Han, this is my first visit to the Luo Tian Society's estate. I did not expect it to match my father's letters so precisely. It truly is remarkable."

Senior Brother Han smiled at him and said evenly, "Disciples of the upper sects may travel abroad once they reach Foundation Establishment. However, we are facing turbulent times, so leaving the Jade Cauldron Domain is not permitted. You may only tour within the domain to broaden your horizons. Junior Brother Qin, you have been in the sect for nearly thirty years, and you've advanced from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment. Aside from the Jilei Nine Mountains campaign, you have scarcely gone out. This journey will allow you to reunite with your kin and ease your longing."

Qin Yuanjiang had matured greatly after experiencing the battlefield and brushing against death. Yet with family he had not seen for years awaiting him, excitement still surged in his heart. "Senior Brother, I must thank you for arranging this, and for making the Luo Tian Society our first stop."

Senior Brother Han smiled again and waved his hand before glancing at the juniors behind him. "This trip concerns Junior Brother Qin's family. There is no need for all of you to follow and unsettle our hosts. Those who wish to wander the market may do so freely. Those who want to explore Tianlan Immortal City may go in pairs. We will regroup at our sect's shop in the city. Everyone, as you please!"

The Falling Cloud Sect's Initiates nodded in agreement. Even major rogue forces could muster barely a dozen cultivators at that level, and their group alone numbered more than ten. If they all visited together, they might easily startle their hosts. Moreover, as they were raised amid the grand mountains and rivers of their own sect, they found little to marvel at Danxia Peak. However well built, it failed to impress them much.

When the group dispersed, Senior Brother Han asked with a smile, "Junior Brother Qin, shall we go up the mountain?"

Qin Yuanjiang nodded repeatedly, but as he took his first step, he halted in hesitation. "We? Senior Brother Han Zheng, are you coming with me?"

Han Zheng returned a faint smile. "Of course. I also wished to meet the famed Dan Chenzi. Or maybe I should say the famed Fire Spirit Lord, the Ice Fortress elder who crossed realms to slay a Flame Alliance elder and cut down several of his peers in an instant."

1. 问鼎丹 (wèn dǐng dān) 问 means "to ask", and 鼎 refers to the cauldron. Literally, it reads "to ask about the cauldron." In ancient China, the Nine Tripod Cauldrons (九鼎), cast by Yu the Great, symbolized the Mandate of Heaven and the authority of the emperor. To "inquire about the cauldron" thus became an idiom meaning "to aspire to ultimate power." ☜

2. 冥海丹 (míng hǎi dān) draws on Daoist cosmology, where the "underworld sea" signifies a vast, boundless, and obscure spiritual ocean. ☜