Chapter 656: One Step Short of Success Is Still Complete Failure; An Upper Sect’s Tyranny; The Only Path Forward Is Core Formation (II)

Seeing the unease in Luo Chen's eyes, Chu Kui shook his head. "By the way, I tested Beaded Curtain Lock. During Core Formation, it truly shows remarkable results. The thirty-six beads can merge under the control of the primary divine soul and form the seed of a Golden Core. The core seed even has trace amounts of mana. If it’s successful, I assume you can immediately cross the threshold and step directly into the first stage of the Golden Core Realm."

At that time, the memory of his failure was fresh, and every detail of the process was still clear in his mind. As he described it carefully, Luo Chen gained a deeper understanding of Beaded Curtain Lock and the steps he had to take during Core Formation. It felt almost as if he had personally undergone the process himself.

After a long while, seeing the deep exhaustion in Chu Kui's expression, Luo Chen chose to end their conversation.

"Rest for now," Luo Chen said softly. "We'll speak of the rest later."

As Luo Chen turned to leave, Chu Kui watched his back. His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. In the end, only a quiet sigh escaped him. The result of this attempt was nothing but disappointment. It was not only his own disappointment. Luo Chen was certainly disappointed, and so would the entire Luo Tian Society.

These were times of prosperity and opportunity. The Luo Tian Society urgently needed a Golden Core cultivator to keep its foundation steady. If he had succeeded in forming the core, the situation would have been completely different. Unfortunately, things had not gone as hoped.

"Do I still have a chance?" he murmured to himself.

As the soft whisper left his lips, the burly man curled up and slowly drifted into a deep sleep.

***

The meeting with Fengyue took place on the seventh day, inside Luo Tian Society's Danxia Hall. There were no outsiders present, only Luo Chen and Fengyue.

Luo Chen had originally intended to visit her in person, but she had been too impatient to wait and came to find him first. As a result, he had arranged the meeting at the Danxia Hall on the central avenue.

Inside the quiet room, Fengyue turned a Jade Dew Pill in her hand, her expression shifting between deep thought and astonishment. After a long silence, she finally set it down, her eyes filled with admiration. "I once thought my expertise in this pill was good enough, but compared to yours, it’s simply laughable."

Luo Chen set down his teacup. "Senior, you flatter me."

The woman shook her head frankly. "This is not flattery. Your pill may be technically classified as top-grade, but the purity of its medicinal power is close to that of a supreme-grade pill. In fact, I feel that you still held back. You could have refined a supreme-grade Jade Dew Pill if you wished."

Luo Chen's mouth stiffened slightly. Her alchemy skill might not surpass his, but her eye for detail was impressive. What she said was the truth: His mastery over the Jade Dew Pill had already reached the peak. The top-grade pills he refined were just an infinitesimal amount weaker than the threshold of supreme-grade ones. Their potency was astonishing. And indeed, he could very well refine supreme-grade ones too.

After the Ice Fortress suffered heavy losses at the Great Snowy Mountains, many of its younger disciples entered life-and-death seclusion to attempt Core Formation. The situation seemed grim, but the very fact that so many were qualified to attempt was remarkable.

Luo Chen's steady supply of top-grade Jade Dew Pills over the years had played a decisive role. Any other sect would have struggled to gather even five disciples capable of such a breakthrough. That alone showed the potency of the pills!

As for the supreme-grade Jade Dew Pills, he had already achieved a twenty percent success rate in refining them. He had not begun large-scale production, and it was not because those pills were inferior but because the top-grade ones offered a better balance between cost and benefit. They also attracted far less unwanted attention.

However, that restraint was only relative. After confirming the depth of Luo Chen's alchemical skill, Fengyue shifted the conversation back to the true purpose of their meeting.

"Let me give you a piece of advice. Do not sell the Jade Dew Pill to anyone else," she said.

Luo Chen responded with a quiet nod. "Aside from the Ice Fortress, I have no plans to sell it elsewhere."

Fengyue shook her head slowly. "You misunderstand me. What I mean is that even after your cooperation with Ice Fortress ends, you must still not sell it."

Luo Chen's brows rose slightly as his gaze grew intent. "Senior, isn't that rather overbearing?"

"My Windflower Palace has every right to be overbearing, doesn't it?"

The atmosphere turned cold at once. Fengyue said nothing more, only continued to turn the Jade Dew Pill in her fingers as if studying its every detail.

After a long silence, Luo Chen gave a slow nod. "I understand."

Fengyue looked at him with quiet approval. "Good. You do know when to advance and when to yield, I’ll give you that."

Luo Chen forced a faint smile and deliberately shifted away from the uncomfortable subject, asking instead about something of personal interest.

"A secret art for purging mana?" she asked.

"Yes. As you well know, one of my subordinates failed Core Formation recently. He once used a Golden Core left behind by another cultivator and became tainted by that man's mana. It led to his downfall. I wonder if you know a method to remove such contamination."

After a moment of thought, Fengyue said, "My Windflower Palace has no such secret art. In truth, most sects would never bother with something like that. No cultivator in their right mind would allow another's mana to intertwine so deeply with their own."

Was Chu Kui not in his right mind? Perhaps. Judging by the result, certainly so. Yet without that core as a trump card, he would never have come this far. Whether he had been right or wrong to use it no longer mattered; what mattered now was how to resolve the problem.

"Perhaps you should seek out cultivators from the Five Elements Divine Sect," she suggested.

"The Five Elements Divine Sect?" Luo Chen repeated.

"Yes. That sect loves to study all kinds of strange and unconventional spells. Their members cultivate with all manner of mixed spirit powers, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve encountered similar situations. If you approach them, they might help. Of course, if they do not have a method, then there is nothing more I can do."

As she spoke, a spark of interest lit her eyes. "You've been striving alone in this cultivation world; it can't have been easy. Would you be interested in joining my Windflower Palace as a guest elder?"

Luo Chen was momentarily stunned. In the end, he declined with a polite explanation, saying he already served as a guest elder of the Ice Fortress.

Windflower Palace was not the only sect that had taken notice of his alchemical skill. Over the years, at least five sects had extended offers to him, including several Nascent Soul sects comparable to Windflower Palace itself. Yet Luo Chen had refused them all. The greater the sect, the more entangled its inner affairs. His dealings with the Ice Fortress already felt like treading on a string. If not for Ice Torrent's fair and steady disposition, he might have faced endless trouble. He had no desire to join another sect and waste his energy on hollow courtesies and meaningless intrigue.

Fengyue took his refusal lightly. She had only been interested in Luo Chen's alchemy skills, nothing more. After all, Windflower Palace ruled an entire domain. It was no grand alchemy sect, yet after years of cultivation, it lacked neither fresh talent nor trained alchemists. They might not profit from the pill business beyond their borders, yet their internal needs were easily met.

"That will be all. I'll take my leave now. Remember my advice!"

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Luo Chen personally escorted her to the door. His expression remained calm as still water, yet his lips pressed together tightly.

Advice? Is that what you call threats these days?

The Windflower Domain lay far from the Jade Cauldron Domain, separated by several vast regions, yet she had come all this way merely to dictate what he ought to do and what not to. This was a display of the arrogance of a Nascent Soul sect—or perhaps, a show of contempt toward the local ruler, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.

He recalled how, when Sage Cloud Crane arrived in the Jade Cauldron Domain, his first visit had not been to the Sword Sect but to the Hundred Flowers Palace. It was clear that the upper sects of other domains held the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect in little regard. In that light, the Sword Sect's decision to host the Jade Emperor Sword Debate in the coming years must have been an attempt to display their strength and reclaim respect.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Without turning, Luo Chen already knew who approached.

"President, that Adept is not someone easy to deal with," Gu Caiyi said softly.

"

Mhm

. You've worked hard these past days," Luo Chen replied softly.

Gu Caiyi brushed a strand of hair aside and looked at his back. His figure stood straight and steady, yet there seemed to be a weight upon him, as if a mountain pressed down on his shoulders. Her man had too many eyes upon him, too much pressure. The thought made her hesitate to bring up what she had come to say.

"Something on your mind?"

Though she stayed silent, Luo Chen sensed her hesitation. Gu Caiyi gave a small, bitter smile and took out a stack of invitations. "Tao Wan of Green Pill Valley has emerged from seclusion and is holding her Core Formation Ceremony. You've been invited. Also... Half a month ago, Tantai Jin was found dead in her cave. She failed in her attempt to form a core and died without anyone knowing. The Ruthless lineage is preparing her funeral. Sima Huiniang asked whether we should send someone to pay respects. And speaking of that, several Foundation Establishment forces close to us wish to invite you to gatherings. These are the invitations."

Luo Chen pressed his lips together and listened in silence. His gaze slowly lifted toward the sky. Some cultivators stepped onto the Golden Core path, while others perished midway. Lesser powers trembled, fearing the rise of a Golden Core within the Luo Tian Society. Yet stronger forces needed only a few words to cut off his plans of expanding the Jade Dew Pill trade. All of it left a heavy mix of emotions in his heart—bitterness, frustration, and quiet resignation.

"You're more familiar with theIce Fortress. Go there yourself and offer condolences on my behalf. For Green Pill Valley, have Huiniang attend in her capacity as Director of the Luo Tian Society. Send a generous gift to congratulate Sect Leader Tao Wan on her successful Core Formation. As for the other invitations, decline them all. If anyone asks, tell them that my close friend Chu Kui is on the brink of death, and I cannot leave his side."

Gu Caiyi nodded and committed every instruction carefully. But by the time she opened her mouth to speak again, Luo Chen had already stepped out the door, making his way toward Tianlan Peak. A faint voice transmission echoed in her ear.

"For the next twenty years, you and Huiniang will handle Luo Tian Society's affairs. Make decisions as you see fit; there's no need to seek my approval."

Is he... letting go of everything?

Gu Caiyi's expression shifted slightly. She bit her lip as she watched his fading figure.

Her man was preparing for seclusion!

Moments later, Luo Chen was back at Cave Residence Jia Three. Chu Kui had already moved back to his old second-tier cave residence, leaving this third-tier one for Luo Chen's use. In truth, this had always been the place he prepared for his cultivation after reaching the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment; Chu Kui had just been borrowing it.

As soon as he returned, Luo Chen took out the Beaded Curtain Lock manual.

"Core Formation is the only path forward!"

As he muttered to himself, a fierce blaze ignited within his frost-cold eyes.

Unless he succeeded in forming a Golden Core, all else was meaningless.