Chapter 652: Fellow Daoist, May the Dao of Immortality Flourish, and May You Form Your Golden Core! (II)

For rogue cultivators, the need for spirit land during Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment was not especially demanding. Even without a natural second-tier spirit vein, one could still construct an equivalent artificial land using a spirit-gathering formation and a great many spirit stones. That was exactly what Luo Chen himself had done in the past. But the amount of spirit energy required to attempt the Golden Core Realm was far beyond what formations and spirit stones could ever supply. Of course, if one possessed enough top-grade spirit stones, it would be another story. But "enough" was quite the tall order. Even combining all of Chu Kui's wealth with Luo Chen's savings, they could never gather that kind of fortune.

For most rogue cultivators seeking to form a core, only three paths were open. They could attach themselves to a major sect and borrow a third-tier spirit land. They could spend an enormous sum of spirit stones to reserve a third-tier cave residence in an immortal city. Or, as a last resort, they could venture deep into the desolate wild mountains, locate a third-tier spirit vein, and attempt Core Formation there.

Having reached a dead end, Chu Kui now intended to risk the desolate wild mountains. Before he could finish explaining, Luo Chen interrupted him. "Why not borrow one of Tianlan Immortal City's third-tier cave residences?"

Chu Kui spoke instinctively. "But hasn't Senior Hao Ranzi already returned? Would that cave still be available?"

"Of course, Senior Hao Ranzi's cave is out of the question, but Tianlan Immortal City has more than one third-tier cave," Luo Chen said.

The words left Chu Kui momentarily stunned. Luo Chen shook his head. "You've been in seclusion too long and missed the news. After the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect ended their war, they opened their own third-tier cave for rent. Anyone with enough spirit stones can lease it."

"Wouldn't Adepts from the outer domains fight over it?" Chu Kui asked, still uneasy.

Luo Chen said with quiet confidence. "You're overthinking it. I've already made arrangements. For the next twenty years, Cave Residence Jia Three on Tianlan Peak belongs to me."

Chu Kui's eyes widened in disbelief. His lips trembled as he asked in a hushed voice, "How many spirit stones per year?"

The question made the corner of Luo Chen's mouth twitch. "A third-tier cave residence costs 1.2 million a year."

"What the fuck!? They might as well be robbing people!" Chu Kui slammed his palm onto the table with a resounding crack. A top-grade second-tier cave cost only forty-eight thousand a year. Yet this third-tier cave that was built on a mere imitation of a third-tier spirit vein demanded more than twenty times that price! That was no longer mere profiteering. It was daylight robbery, not just biting the flesh but stripping the bones clean!

"Even so, there are still plenty of people who want it and never got the chance," Luo Chen muttered.

Chu Kui rolled his eyes, yet he had to admit that countless rogue cultivators at Perfected Mastery Foundation Establishment would have begged the heavens for such an opening. Only Luo Chen could have managed it. As the foremost Initiate in the Jade Cauldron Domain, an alchemist master, and an ally to several local sects such as the Ice Fortress, Green Pill Valley, and the Falling Cloud Sect, he alone possessed the connections to make it happen.

"Of course, since I leased it for a full twenty years, the Falling Cloud Sect's senior overseeing Tianlan Immortal City gave me a twenty percent discount. It costs just one million per year," Luo Chen added.

Even with that discount, one million spirit stones per year was no small sum. Many Initiates would not earn that much in their entire lives. Chu Kui could not help but ask, "Does the Luo Tian Society really earn you that much each year?"

Luo Chen shook his head. "Of course not. Which is why I had to dip into my savings quite a bit."

After deducting costs, the society netted him only about three hundred thousand a year. It could have been more—after all, the society had absorbed many forces, and its businesses were flourishing. Yet with the Frontier War drawing near and foreign cultivators flooding into the region, Sima Huiniang and Luo Chen had agreed to scale back expansion and stabilize their current ventures to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

There was also the growing cost of maintaining the society itself. With more Initiates among their ranks, the monthly stipends alone consumed a vast portion of the budget. Three hundred thousand spirit stones a year was already the limit the society could offer without jeopardizing its operations.

Fortunately, Luo Chen himself had another steady source of income. His Jade Dew Pill trade with Ice Fortress yielded an annual profit of about five hundred thousand. Together, the two income streams barely covered the rent for the third-tier cave residence. To make up the remainder, he drew from his personal savings, just enough to get by.

In truth, that was the real reason he secured the third-tier cave residence. His reputation and unrivaled power among his Initiate peers were only door-knockers; wealth was the foot that kept the doors open. That was the fundamental bargaining chip that let him outcompete Adepts from the outer domains.

An ordinary Adept usually possessed only around a million spirit stones in assets. Luo Chen's decision to spend millions securing Cave Residence Jia Three for the next twenty years had already sparked envy among them.

These days, he rarely left Tianlan Immortal City, choosing instead to remain within its walls for safety. No one could say for sure whether some destitute Adept would cast aside dignity and cut down a junior out of jealousy...

Suddenly, a faint, eerie sound rose. Luo Chen glanced over and caught Chu Kui rubbing his hands together.

Chu Kui said, "

Ahem

, honored President, I am part of the Luo Tian Society and have rendered great service. Would it be possible..."

Luo Chen's mouth twitched. "Keep dreaming."

Chu Kui stared at him pitifully, then reluctantly pulled out his storage pouch. "I only have about four hundred thousand spirit stones on me. Counting my other belongings, maybe eight or nine hundred thousand in total."

Luo Chen waved his hand and said, "Put it in the ledger. When you signed up, I told you the society offers benefits, and using a third-tier cave residence is one such benefit. With the merits you have accrued, you can exchange for at most one year of use. Now... even if you exceed that, I won't charge you anything, but once you succeed in forming your core, you'll owe the society. A lot."

All Chu Kui heard was "you don't have to pay now." His eyes lit up, and he thumped his chest. "I will repay kindness with loyalty! When the time comes, I will do my absolute best to repay you, even if it costs me my life!"

Luo Chen smiled and did not take the vow too seriously. The Luo Tian Society did not even possess a proper second-tier estate yet; it was not an orthodox force. Once Chu Kui succeeded in forming his core, what could hold him here? Still, forging a good relationship and inviting him to serve as a guest elder would hardly be difficult.

More importantly, Luo Chen intended to learn from Chu Kui's experience with Beaded Curtain Lock and Core Formation. For something as vital as Core Formation, any cost was worth it.

"When do you plan to begin?"

"There is no better day than today. If possible, I want to move into Cave Residence Jia Three now and acclimate to the third-tier spirit land."

"Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you'll have to wait another half month."

"

Hm

?"

"In two weeks, that cave will finally be available for us to use," Luo Chen explained.

Ah, so it's still occupied for now. But then why the hell are you even asking me!?

raged Chu Kui internally.

***

Half a month and not even one extra hour later, Luo Chen and Chu Kui arrived together at Cave Residence Jia Three. A disciple from the Falling Cloud Sect, tasked with cleaning the residence, carefully explained the rules. Only after Luo Chen casually handed him a bottle of pills did the young man take his leave, beaming with delight.

In the spacious, well-lit cave residence, only Luo Chen and Chu Kui remained.

It was Luo Chen's first time stepping into this place. Despite being ranked last among the top three, the density of spirit energy here was in no way inferior to that of Jia One and Jia Two. Even leaving the cultivation chamber aside, they could feel that the living room and adjoining rooms held the ambient richness of a top-grade second-tier spirit land. One could only imagine how dense the spirit energy inside the dedicated cultivation chamber was.

As Chu Kui gazed at the vast residence, he couldn't help sighing. "For more than a hundred and fifty years of cultivation, I've wandered endlessly, always exhausted, always troubled by the lack of resources. I thought the farther I went, the harder the path would become. But ever since I've met you, things have been smoother than I ever dreamed. Now that wealth, companions, methods, and land are all in place. It is the perfect time to form my core!"

In the cultivation world, there was an old saying about wealth, companions, methods, and land. Spirit stones represented wealth; Dao companions, friends, and mentors were the companions; cultivation techniques and secret arts were the methods; and the spirit vein, the land itself, was the foundation upon which one cultivated.

Although Chu Kui could not claim to possess all of these in abundance, for the moment, he lacked nothing essential. He patted Luo Chen's shoulder and said, "I knew it! The day I invited you for a drink was the best decision I ever made. You truly are my fated benefactor!"

Luo Chen wore a faint smile but said nothing. He understood well that Chu Kui's words were not meant as flattery, only as a way to calm his own nerves. Core Formation was dangerous beyond measure; no amount of preparation could guarantee success. Invoking Luo Chen as his"lucky star" was merely Chu Kui's way of borrowing a bit of courage and boosting his spirit.

After accompanying him through the residence and listening to his chatter for a while, Luo Chen finally stopped at the cave's entrance. Facing Chu Kui, who had come to see him off, he turned and cupped his hands.

"Fellow Daoist, may the Dao of Immortality flourish and may you form your Golden Core!"

Chu Kui's expression was complex, but he accepted the heartfelt blessing calmly and returned the gesture. "Fellow Daoist Luo, I shall walk ahead."

Their gazes met for a moment as the great doors closed. Mist rose from the ground, thick and swirling, until one could not see even their nose any longer. But only after a long silence did a lone figure step out from the rolling mist and depart from Tianlan Peak.