Chapter 655: One Step Short of Success Is Still Complete Failure; An Upper Sect’s Tyranny; The Only Path Forward Is Core Formation (I)

Clouds follow the dragon, and winds follow the tiger. The so-called convergence of dragon and tiger referred to whirlwinds and clouds gathering out of the blue. It was an exceedingly rare phenomenon, usually only seen when an Initiate attempted a breakthrough to Golden Core.

The precise principle behind it remained uncertain, though most believed it was caused by the reversal of spirit energy flow. With such an immense surge of spirit energy, it was only natural for wind and clouds to move in response.

At that moment atop Tianlan Peak, white clouds billowed while soft winds circled the mountain. The magnificent sight instantly drew the attention of countless cultivators within Tianlan Immortal City. Those in Qi Refinement looked up in awe and fear; those in Foundation Establishment gazed on with longing and envy, and the Golden Core cultivators scattered throughout the city extended their divine consciousness, curious about the event.

"Who is forming a core? The phenomenon is rather impressive, so their foundation is definitely solid," someone said. "Still, why not choose a natural third-tier spirit land in the mountains instead of this man-made place? Do they not know that the spirit energy here is bound by the formation and it’s not really ideal for crossing such a great threshold?"

"Perhaps a poor rogue cultivator?" another suggested.

"What kind of poor people do you know that can afford to rent that cave residence? Please introduce them to me too. No, I would say they just lack experience."

"Well, whatever the case is, there shouldn’t be a problem. Even if they’re inexperienced, considering the wind-cloud phenomenon here, Core Formation is already as good as certain."

"Should we pay a visit?"

"No need to rush. Even if they succeed, it’ll still take days to finalize the process and years to consolidate. We can wait."

As the divine consciousness transmission exchanged quietly through the air, two figures suddenly soared skyward toward the Tianlan Peak. But by the time Hao Ranzi and Fengyue arrived, a man had already been standing before the cave residence doors for some time.

With hands clasped behind his back, his tall figure stood as straight and steady as a mountain. Strands of black hair streaked with gray were tied neatly behind him, the mark of one who had weathered many years. When he turned, his clear eyes drew their attention at once. They were deep as a pool, and their brightness seemed to reflect all things in existence.

"Greetings, Seniors," Luo Chen said.

Only then did Fengyue take in the rest of his features. His mouth and eyebrows were firm, and his expression calm and composed. He wore a white robe with a blue collar, its hem patterned with ink-brushed bamboo that swayed lightly in the wind. The style was plain and elegant, yet the aura he exuded was not. Simply standing there, he gave the impression of an ancient Black Tortoise beneath a vast river, or a reef that could not be moved even by the crashing sea. Even in the presence of two powerful Adepts, his bearing remained even and unshaken, neither humble nor proud.

Hao Ranzi smiled faintly and said, "It had been a while. Dan Chenzi, your cultivation has risen another step. I would say your Core Formation is just around the corner."

Luo Chen's lips curved as he answered with a smile, "Senior Haor, your bearing is as graceful as ever, and your righteous aura feels even stronger than before. It seems the Nascent Soul Realm is already calling out to you."

Pft, foolish youngster. Always so smooth with words.

Hao Ranzi could only shake his head with a helpless smile.

If the Nascent Soul Realm is calling out to me, then I must be deaf, because I can’t hear anything.

While the two exchanged pleasantries, Fengyue's gaze never left Luo Chen. A hint of astonishment flickered in her eyes. It turned out that the Luo Tian Society member attempting Core Formation inside was not the famous Dan Chenzi, but someone else. And she couldn't help but admire the calm composure he displayed. With such presence, anyone seeing him for the first time would have taken him for a True Inheritor of a major sect, or even an upper sect.

Moreover, unlike Luo Chen’s fawning words, Hao Ranzi's remark that Core Formation was close was not merely out of courtesy. Even though Luo Chen restrained his aura almost perfectly, her discerning eye could tell that he was nearing Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment, and he was most certainly no ordinary Initiate. He would surely attempt Core Formation himself within the next fifty years.

She sighed inwardly. Every frontier war gave rise to new stars of brilliance. During the last war at the Lianxia Mountain Range, talents like Sage Cloud Crane and Fu Xiangzi had emerged. Back then, they had only been in the Golden Core Realm, yet the moment they returned, they advanced straight to Nascent Soul relying solely on their gains. If Luo Chen succeeded in forming his core and entered the coming Frontier War as an Adept, then in the future...

"This senior possesses profound cultivation and an extraordinary bearing; she appears like an immortal fairy descended from the heavens, yet I had never seen her. I would assume she is not a master of the Jade Cauldron Domain. Senior Hao, would you introduce us?" Luo Chen spoke suddenly.

Hao Ranzi gave Luo Chen a look of approval and was just about to respond when Fengyue took the initiative herself.

"I am Fengyue, Master of the Pill Cauldron Pavilion of Windflower Palace," she said calmly.

Luo Chen lifted a brow, weighing the implications of that brief statement. Windflower Palace was a Nascent Soul sect that ruled over an entire domain. Though it did not dominate as completely as the Medicine King Sect, its centuries of accumulation made it far stronger than upstarts like the Jade Cauldron and Divine Talisman. Most importantly, the Jade Dew Pill was the most renowned specialty medicine of Windflower Palace, and the woman before him just so happened to be the head of its pill division.

Amid the faint fragrance that lingered around her, Luo Chen caught a subtle trace he recognized instantly—a scent born not from any single medicine but from years of refining many kinds of pills. It was rich, subtle, and faintly intoxicating. Had he not made a habit of cleaning himself with Cleanse, a similar fragrance might well have clung to his own robes. The detail alone confirmed that this woman had immersed herself in the alchemical path for many years.

"I heard you possess remarkable skill in refining the Jade Dew Pill. I came specifically to exchange a few insights," Fengyue said gently.

Perhaps because of Luo Chen's earlier courteous words, Fengyue's former aggressiveness softened. The moment she spoke, Luo Chen knew what she was

truly

here for. He was just pondering the best way to negotiate when Hao Ranzi suddenly lifted his head, staring toward the cave behind him.

Luo Chen stiffened. Then, his expression changed drastically.

"How could this be!?" he shouted.

The wind suddenly roared like a dragon, and the clouds scattered like drifting smoke. Where spirit energy had once surged inward, it now reversed course, spilling outward from Tianlan Peak in violent streams.

Fengyue's face paled in surprise. "Strange. He was already more than halfway through. Why fail at the final step?"

Hao Ranzi let out a quiet sigh, and his voice tinged with regret as he commented, "What a pity... Only a single step away, yet it all ended in failure...."

Even Luo Chen, who had carried himself with composure until now, could not hide the shadow that crossed his face. He drew a long breath, forcing his tone steady. "My apologies, seniors. One of my society's members encountered a mishap in his Core Formation. I fear I cannot entertain you today. I will pay my respects in person another day."

Fengyue thought for a moment, then inclined her head lightly. Hao Ranzi offered a few words of encouragement and departed as well. Once they were gone, Luo Chen swept his sleeve, parting the misty wards around the cave residence to open a narrow path for himself.

***

"Why did it fail! I...

pfft

!"

Luo Chen forced down the surge of panic in his chest and stopped asking questions. He saw Chu Kui's face turn pale as spirit energy rampaged through his body. Luo Chen sent strand after strand of pure azure spirit power pouring into him. For a brief moment, the treatment seemed to help, but soon Chu Kui's condition worsened sharply, his breath weakening until he hovered on the edge of death.

"Not good! I can't suppress it. It must be released!" Luo Chen furrowed his brow, made a swift decision, and drew a dull-gray pill from his storage pouch. "Swallow this!"

Chu Kui's half-clouded eyes flickered with hesitation. Luo Chen urged, "Don’t be stupid and take it! You can rebuild your cultivation if you lose it, but if you die here, then you’ll have lived for nothing!"

Chu Kui gave a faint, bitter smile. If he lost his cultivation, was that not the same as losing everything?

Seeing him hesitate still, Luo Chen barked sharply, "As long as you live, there will be firewood to burn again! You still have a hundred years left! With me here and with the Luo Tian Society, you still have a chance to form your core!"

Chu Kui looked at Luo Chen deeply, then opened his mouth. The third-tier Spirit-Dispelling Pill entered his body and its medicinal power erupted at once. Soft popping sounds echoed one after another, like water-filled sacs being pierced with countless tiny holes. From each unseen hole, torrents of violent spirit energy burst outward.

At the same time, the pure spirit power he had cultivated over many years drained away with it. Worse still, his foundation began to collapse. The massive spirit energy leak stirred a violent gale through the cultivation chamber; the wind lashed Luo Chen's sleeves and sent his gray-black hair streaming behind him.

He did not stand idle. One after another, items flew from his storage pouch as he prepared to act. A number of Stabilization Talismans came first. The sea of qi was going to be inevitably damaged, but not destroyed; when a river dries, the riverbed cracks but does not collapse.

Next came Heart-Purifying Incense. It cleared away stray thoughts and steadied his heart. Failure itself was not frightening; only being crushed by it was. At the moment of a failed breakthrough, the cultivator's will had to remain firm to prevent collapse.

When the incense began to burn, Luo Chen swiftly formed hand seals. He cast his Perfected Mastery Heal to repair flesh and bone; Five-Element Organ Realignment to protect his internal organs; and Spring Wind Rain Transformation to restore the meridians throughout his body.

***

Through Luo Chen's continuous efforts, Chu Kui's condition finally stabilized after three days and nights. Although his body still appeared weak and lifeless, his cultivation foundation had been preserved.

"The ninth stage... Chu Kui, I've done all I can," Luo Chen murmured.

Chu Kui sensed his own condition. What had once been Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment had now fallen to the early ninth stage, and that was not even the worst part of the damage. The greater problem was that the thirty-six spirit beads he had painstakingly condensed had all vanished without a trace.

Yet even though the outcome was dire, a faint glimmer of hope remained.

His lips trembled as he forced out two words. "Thank you."

Luo Chen looked at Chu Kui sitting cross-legged with his head lowered, unable to contain his frustration any longer. "Why did it turn out this way? Could you not take that final step?"

Chu Kui spoke weakly, "Forming the core was hard, but I had already endured the worst of it. In the end, my failure came only because of my poor decisions back in the day."

"Poor decisions in the past?" Luo Chen frowned in confusion.

Chu Kui sighed and spat out something—a Golden Core. It was not the core he had almost formed himself, but a Golden Core left behind by another cultivator, precisely the artifact he had long relied on as his trump card.

"This..." Luo Chen's eyes widened in disbelief. “Is this why you failed?”

In a heavy tone, Chu Kui began to explain about the core.

During his Qi Refinement years, he had joined others to explore an ancient cultivator's cave residence and gained many valuable resources. Among them, the most precious was this Golden Core, preserved thanks to a secret art. Through that secret art, he could channel the mana within the core to fight his enemies. Yet even though he was strong and enjoyed some fortune of his own, his cultivation journey had never been smooth. Before meeting Luo Chen, he had already faced death several times. Each time, it was this Golden Core that had saved him, helping him turn defeat into victory. However, the more he used it, the more the refined mana within the core blended into his own spirit power.

"At the time, I thought my spirit power was simply stronger and purer than others’, and my strength was greater as a result. I never realized that the seeds of disaster had already taken root. The power left behind by another, no matter how well it merged with mine, was never truly my own."

Chu Kui let out a long sigh. The weapon that had saved his life so many times in the past had nearly cost him his life this time. It was a cruel and absurd irony.