https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-123-Chaos-Gradates-the-grandmaster/12900077/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-125-Golden-Core-Relic-Ghostly-Divine-Valley-s-Supreme-Elder/12900079/
Chapter 124: Perfect Wind Control Technique, Dao Discussion Platform Closed
Chapter 124: Perfect Wind Control Technique, Dao Discussion Platform Closed
It was indeed a grand gesture.
Twenty bottles of Dust-Transforming Pills, four thousand spirit stones.
Ten boxes of Calming Incense, one thousand two hundred spirit stones.
Combined, it exceeded five thousand.
High-grade magic artifacts could be bought at will, and even supreme-grade magic artifacts could be attempted.
Liu Hecai admired that Luo Chen, who once gritted his teeth over a few dozen spirit stones as a lowly cultivator, could now take out five thousand spirit stones without breaking a sweat.
This clearly showed how high Luo Chen's alchemy skills were and how much wealth he had accumulated in a short time.
However, what Liu Hecai didn't know was that this was almost all of Luo Chen's current assets.
After purchasing this batch of cultivation resources, he only had a hundred or so loose spirit stones left.
"Can't help it. For cultivation, I must have made you, Manager Liu, laugh at me," Luo Chen sighed.
Liu Hecai seemed to understand something and waved over a maid, giving her some instructions.
Soon, the corresponding pills were delivered.
The maid even glanced at Luo Chen a few times, as if trying to memorize his face.
After Luo Chen paid the spirit stones, Liu Hecai smiled and said, "You're thinking about the future because the Great River Market has been a bit chaotic lately, right?"
"You are truly wise, nothing can be hidden from you!"
Luo Chen flattered him without hesitation, hoping to glean some insider information from this Foundation Establishment cultivator of the sect.
In the midst of his flattery, Liu Hecai was quite pleased.
"Actually, there's no need to worry so much."
"Oh, what do you mean?"
There really was insider information!
"It's a simple truth: the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect cannot let the Great River Market remain in chaos indefinitely."
Just that one sentence left Luo Chen stunned.
Indeed, the Great River Market was not a small market; it was a large market near the Donghuang Hundred of Mountains.
Rich in resources and with a bright future.
The increasing number of industries the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had set up here clearly showed how much they valued the Great River Market.
Being in the midst of the situation, he hadn't seen it so clearly.
Seeing Luo Chen's enlightened expression, Liu Hecai chuckled, "You lower-level cultivators only see the surface chaos. But this time, the chaos is actually aimed at Foundation Establishment cultivators, and even those Golden Core cultivators who enter and exit the Donghuang Mountains."
The Donghuang Hundred of Mountains are incredibly rich in resources.
Naturally, it's not just Qi Cultivation cultivators who seek a living there.
At other times, Foundation Establishment cultivators also enter and exit the mountains.
Occasionally, some Golden Core cultivators personally venture in for certain herbs, minerals, or demon beasts.
This can be seen from the resources targeted at Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators in the Great River Market's auctions.
"The Golden Core Elder of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect can't stay in a first-grade spirit vein area indefinitely, right?"
"Right."
"He will definitely leave, and before he does, he will clean up the mess. So, you don't need to worry so much."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Luo Chen's pile of boxes and vials.
His eyes had a teasing look.
Damn!
Why didn't you say so earlier? I've already paid the spirit stones.
Luo Chen really wanted to call him a unscrupulous merchant, but considering that the other was willing to give him these insights, he couldn't bring himself to do so.
Leaving the Spirit Medicine Hall, Luo Chen wondered if he had become like those people who hoard salt back on Earth.
On the way to Crescent Moon Valley, Luo Chen combined Manager Liu's words and reanalyzed the recent chaos in the Great River Market.
In the end, he came up with a series of speculations.
The chaos began when the Golden Core Elder, Pang Renxiong, arrived.
It was exacerbated by the enforcement team's inaction.
Additionally, the increased rewards from the Dao Discussion Platform were also a point worth considering.
Looking at it this way, the situation was created by that Golden Core Elder.
His purpose was easy to guess.
Fei Bowen's death!
The late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Ailao Mountain died in the Great River Market.
According to the disciples of the Immortal Construction Residence, Fei Bowen's death was due to a magic treasure, the Sword Pill, which directly pointed to the Jade Cauldron Sword Cultivators, and even to the highest-ranked cultivator in the market at the time—Pang Renxiong.
Only he possessed a magic treasure-level Sword Pill.
For this reason, the Supreme Elder of Ailao Mountain personally went to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect to demand an explanation.
Luo Chen didn't understand why a Golden Core sect would dare to demand an explanation from a Great Sect of Nascent Soul.
He could only understand that there were constraints between sects, not just simple fights.
Especially since Ailao Mountain was also a powerful force in the Jade Cauldron Domain, with their influence evident in the construction of most market and immortal cities.
When the Supreme Elder took action, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had to respond.
The response came a bit late, after half a year.
However, half a year was only significant for Qi Cultivation cultivators.
For those Golden Core Elders who could meditate for decades or centuries, it might just be a single period of seclusion.
Half a year later, Pang Renxiong returned to the Great River Market and stirred up chaos.
Perhaps he wanted to muddy the waters to find the real culprit.
Or maybe it was just for show to Ailao Mountain.
In any case, he came and did his best.
When the time came, he could leave without a care, whether or not he found the real culprit.
"If things develop this way, the chaos in the Great River Market won't last long, will it?"
Luo Chen was half-convinced by his own speculation.
But then he thought of another issue.
Does this "not last long" refer to the time frame for Qi Cultivation cultivators or for Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators?
The concept of time is not the same for both!
"In any case, I definitely won't lose by buying these cultivation resources."
The Calming Incense is something Luo Chen uses regularly. Whether there is chaos or not, he uses it every day. The salary the Mountain Breaker Gang gives him is only four bottles a month, and he usually needs to replenish two more bottles each month. Buying a few more bottles now is just a matter of course.
"Anyway, the spirit stones just sit there without earning any interest. It’s just a different way of keeping them with me."
Thinking about interest, Luo Chen muttered to himself. "Why doesn’t the cultivation world have a big bank? Even the mortal world has pawnshops and money houses!"
When he started thinking about these things, it meant that Luo Chen’s tense mind had relaxed a bit. However, his work attitude in the following days was still much better than before.
...
"Does the Hall Master seem to be taking his job more seriously lately?"
"Hmm? Isn’t he always serious?"
"No, no, no. While he was always serious, he didn’t put as much effort into refining pills. Even if a batch of materials was wasted, it didn’t matter to him."
"Oh, you’re right, now that you mention it."
As his realm deepened, Luo Chen’s spirit sense became increasingly acute. He could vaguely hear conversations that didn’t use sound transmission techniques.
Serious?
Of course, how could he not be serious! His savings were depleted, and Luo Chen was more anxious than anyone else. That was the money he had saved up to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill after reaching the ninth layer of Qi Cultivation.
He hadn’t been this financially strained since the third or fourth layer of Qi Cultivation.
Even though he knew that the 5,200 spirit stones were just in a different form, Luo Chen was still a bit anxious.
Therefore, he worked harder than anyone else in recent alchemy sessions.
Moreover, he began to take the cultivation of Mi Li and Tang Quan more seriously. If they could stably refine Fasting Powder and Wondrous Pills, he would gain some benefits in the future.
Unfortunately, their alchemy talents were average. Under Luo Chen’s personal guidance, Tang Quan still hadn’t independently refined a low-grade Wondrous Pill. As for Fasting Powder, it was simpler, but Mi Li could only refine low-grade pills. Luo Chen was unwilling to sell them, so he distributed them as benefits to the internal duty cultivators in the Alchemy Hall.
"By the way, why hasn’t last month’s dividend been distributed yet?"
Luo Chen asked Sikong Shoujia.
Sikong Shoujia looked puzzled. "It’s not even the beginning of the month yet!"
"I don’t care. I’m short on spirit stones recently."
"I can’t do anything about it! You need to talk to Mi Junping."
Luo Chen frowned. There was no precedent for advance dividends. After some thought, his eyes lit up.
"Let’s not rush to leave today. Count the number of pills produced this month."
Counting the pills wasn’t a difficult task, and Sikong Shoujia had no objections. Along with Gu Caiyi, the three of them entered the pill nurturing room. Soon, the number of pills was presented to them.
Sikong Shoujia hesitated. "One thousand six hundred medium-grade Jade Marrow Pills and two thousand four hundred low-grade Jade Marrow Pills? Is that the number?"
"Yes, that’s the number!" Gu Caiyi nodded emphatically.
The two looked at each other, their expressions filled with disbelief. Based on the selling price of fifty spirit stones per bottle for medium-grade pills and ten spirit stones per bottle for low-grade pills, the gross profit for this month exceeded ten thousand spirit stones. This was the first time they had broken the ten thousand mark!
No wonder they were so shocked.
"Alright, give me the ledger!"
Luo Chen snatched the ledger and walked out. Behind him, Gu Caiyi and Sikong Shoujia were still in a daze. In just one month of working hard, Luo Chen had significantly increased the pill success rate. With the gross profit breaking ten thousand, how much would Luo Chen’s share be after deducting costs?
Thinking about the spirit stones Luo Chen could earn next month, Sikong Shoujia’s eyes turned red. He had never earned so much in his entire life. Gu Caiyi could only marvel, “No wonder he’s an alchemist!”
As for Luo Chen, next month?
No, this month!
...
"I understand you want to advance last month’s dividend. It will be settled in a day or two."
"But this month’s dividend?"
Mi Junping widened her eyes. "The pills you refined this month haven’t even been sold yet!"
"They’re not unsellable."
"Still no!"
"Then as the only alchemist in the sect, don’t I deserve a bit of privilege?"
"Still no!"
Bang!
Luo Chen slammed the ledger on the table, pointing to the page he had already opened.
"Just look at this month’s results and tell me if it’s okay or not!"
Mi Junping looked over and, upon seeing the number, stared at Luo Chen with a mix of surprise and doubt.
"Are you sure you didn’t fake the numbers?"
"Ha..."
Luo Chen was too disdainful to explain.
Mi Junping was a bit hesitant. Uncle Mi had said it wasn’t good to offend Luo Chen too much. Now that Luo Chen’s work was so outstanding, it didn’t seem right to keep refusing him.
"Wait a day. I need to ask my father."
Luo Chen sighed in frustration. "Your father is at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Can’t he spare a few more sound transmission talismans? This is such a minor matter, and you have to run around for it."
Mi Junping shot him an exasperated look. "How far can sound transmission talismans fly?"
With that, she rushed out the door.
Luo Chen had no choice but to wait a day. He really hoped this would be approved and become a precedent. As an alchemist, it made no sense to have his salary held for a month.
As for the pressure of not having the funds return immediately, that's the Mountain Breaker Gang's problem, not his.
Moreover, Uncle Mi was wealthy and didn't lack these trifles.
...
...
At the beginning of the month, Luo Chen didn't attend the meeting at the Bright Moon Hall, and neither did Mi Junping.
The two met directly in the Alchemy Hall's Pill Nurturing Room.
"See, I didn't lie to you!"
After counting the Jade Marrow Pills again, Mi Junping was still a bit dazed.
One thousand six hundred medium-grade Jade Marrow Pills, compared to the previous monthly output of just over a thousand, was nearly a fifty percent increase.
Luo Chen's alchemy skills had improved so rapidly.
She took a deep breath and took out some spirit stones from her storage bag, handing them to Luo Chen.
"Why are there only a few... Oh!"
Luo Chen, looking at the thirty spirit stones with a crystal-clear, gem-like appearance, hesitated, "Medium-grade spirit stones?"
"Yes!"
Mi Junping, helplessly, said, "The gang doesn't have that many low-grade spirit stones, and they are mainly used to pay the wages of low-tier scattered cultivators. Since you need so many at once, I can only give you medium-grade spirit stones."
"But my dividends for the past two months should be over three thousand, right?"
Mi Junping looked at Luo Chen as if he were an idiot, "Medium-grade spirit stones have a premium. If you think it's not worth it, you can take them to the black market and exchange them for low-grade spirit stones. I guarantee it won't be less than your two months' dividends."
Slap!
Luo Chen slapped his head; he had forgotten about that.
A common sense in the cultivation world: spirit stones operate on a hundred-based system.
But in practice, one medium-grade spirit stone is definitely worth more than a hundred low-grade spirit stones.
As for the reason, Luo Chen wasn't clear, but that's how it was in the market.
There were also people in the black market who specialized in this exchange business for scattered cultivators.
Scattered cultivators who occasionally obtained medium-grade spirit stones were happy to go to the black market to exchange them for a few extra low-grade spirit stones.
With the dividend issue resolved, Luo Chen was very happy.
"I hope the pill production this month can also be settled in advance."
"I also hope your alchemy skills become more profound, at least maintaining stability."
Leaving this message, Mi Junping hurried away.
Watching her leave, Luo Chen shrugged; he did want to become more profound.
But after reaching the master level with Jade Marrow Pills, it would be impossible to achieve great mastery in a short time without being able to mass-produce high-grade pills.
After all, the Wondrous Pill, which had been at the master level for a long time, was still stuck at over seven hundred proficiency points.
Sometimes, he even wondered what effects an exquisite Wondrous Pill could have.
After Mi Junping left, Luo Chen yawned in front of everyone and returned to the stone house.
It was the beginning of the month, the time to count the number of pills, assess material consumption, and replenish raw materials.
It was also a rare rest day for the Alchemy Hall, with most people taking the day off.
Luo Chen didn't need to refine pills, so he planned to use this time to improve the proficiency of a few spells.
The Wind Control Technique was about to reach great mastery!
...
Half a month later, the night was dark, and the Chang Yin Mountain was shrouded in mist.
In the sky, within a cloud, Luo Chen was quite surprised.
"Is this the great mastery of the Wind Control Technique?"
He didn't expect that after achieving great mastery, the Wind Control Technique didn't significantly increase in speed but could barely allow him to ride the clouds.
Riding the clouds is one of the hallmark abilities of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
In most cases, it requires extending one's spirit sense and using a special spell to ride the clouds.
However, the speed of riding the clouds is only slightly faster than using a flying magical artifact, and it can't match the speed of a magic treasure, so many Foundation Establishment cultivators don't use this technique.
Unexpectedly, after Luo Chen's Wind Control Technique reached great mastery, he could ride the clouds.
"It seems it's not just that?"
Luo Chen's gaze fell on the attribute panel, and he was shocked to find that the name of the Wind Control Technique had changed, and the Carefree Wander spell in the martial arts section was gone.
The two had merged into one with a new name.
【Carefree Wind Control】
"New spell?"
Luo Chen thought for a moment, using the spirit seal of the Wind Control Technique to activate it, and instantly felt a different sensation from before.
In the past, the flight brought by the Wind Control Technique wasn't truly riding the natural wind but rather using the spirit energy within his body to envelop himself and fly.
Whether it was flight height, speed, or duration, it was extremely limited.
When Luo Chen was at the perfect level, his speed had only reached the normal speed of a magical artifact.
At the master level, his speed exceeded that of most flying magical artifacts, even matching some attack magical artifacts known for their speed.
But now, he truly felt the wind supporting him as he flew.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
This is truly riding the wind!
Excited, Luo Chen increased his spirit energy output, and a strong wind surged.
His body, like an arrow released from a bow, suddenly shot out.
"Wrong direction, I don't want to go deep into the Howling Moon Mountains."
Luo Chen changed direction and began circling around the Chang Yin Mountain.
As he flew, the mountain echoed with the roars of demon beasts.
"A bit too noisy!"
Luo Chen chuckled, quietly landing on a familiar hillside.
"But this speed is twice as fast as before! It's probably on par with the flight speed of Foundation Establishment cultivators."
If he was unsure before, now Luo Chen could confidently say that his speed had indeed reached the level of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
This change was not only due to the great mastery of the Wind Control Technique but also because it had actively merged with the great mastery of the Carefree Wander technique.
After the two techniques merged, Luo Chen could control the natural wind.
However, why doesn't the new spell show a proficiency level?
On the panel, the Carefree Wind Control Technique has already reached its peak, and cannot be further improved.
"Perhaps this is the upper limit."
After all, it is just a first-class spell fused with a secular light step technique, so its upper limit cannot be very high.
Luo Chen is already very satisfied. This means he has another means of self-protection.
In the future, as long as it's not a Foundation Establishment Cultivator attacking him, he can stand invincible.
...
With this strong self-protection method, Luo Chen feels much more at ease.
Whether it's cultivation, alchemy, or practicing spells, everything proceeds in an orderly manner.
Time passes swiftly, and two months fly by in a blink.
Luo Chen received another 1,700 and 1,800 pills as dividends, along with eight bottles of Dust-Transforming Pill and two boxes of Calming Incense.
However, the business of the two snack shops is getting worse day by day.
In two months, they barely earned less than a thousand spirit stones in total.
Poor Feng Xia, the Honey Snow Ice City brand she just launched is about to be shut down.
Luo Chen had already prepared himself for this.
In a chaotic situation, cultivators no longer indulge in enjoyment.
They prefer to spend their spirit stones on purchasing cultivation resources, or even magical artifacts and talismans.
Even a few spirit stones that they usually don't care about have become particularly precious.
Luo Chen has been waiting for the chaos in the Great River Market to end, but he never expected it to escalate.
The chaos in the outer city has reached a point where it's unsafe even during the day.
A few days ago, in the southeastern district, more than twenty houses were burned down, and the massive flames almost illuminated the entire night sky.
Arson! This is a serious crime that would usually result in imprisonment or public execution.
But this time, apart from sending people to extinguish the fire, the law enforcement team made no other moves.
The inner city is not as safe as imagined either.
Especially in the northern part of the city where Luo Chen and his group are located.
Qin Liangchen personally caught a thief.
The thief tried to take advantage of the house being empty during the day to steal.
However, most wealthy cultivators have storage bags, and their valuables are all inside.
Poor cultivators have nothing much to steal, just a few magical artifacts and a set of magical robes, practically living like ascetics.
The thief was unlucky to encounter Qin Liangchen meditating at home, and was immediately struck down, left dazed and confused.
Later, he was handed over to the law enforcement team, who said they would send him to the Red Pillar for reform.
As for what really happens, who knows?
Only now does Luo Chen realize how correct his judgment was!
The innkeeper Liu's statement that "it won't last long" was based on the time standards of Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators.
For them, cultivators of the Qi Cultivation Stage, three months of chaos is already unbearable.
If this continues, the Great River Market will become uninhabitable and unsuitable for cultivation.
Scattered cultivators will start thinking about leaving.
Either to the safe Mount Tai Market, or the cold but equally full of opportunities Snow Lotus Auction House, or even the barren Light Flowing Market, all of which are better than the chaotic and dangerous Great River Market.
Recently, the prices of pills and magical artifacts in the city have increased to varying degrees.
He had already bought a large amount of Dust-Transforming Pill in advance, so he saved a bit of money.
"The Dao Forum Platform is closed!"
"What?"
Luo Chen, who rarely returns home, heard this news from Feng Xia.
Feng Xia, worried, said, "It's said that the Golden Core Elder is going to seclude himself and cultivate using the main spirit qi of Phoenix Landing Mountain, so the platform will be temporarily closed for half a year."
"Is this a joke?"
Luo Chen was extremely surprised.
When the Dao Forum Platform first opened, the grand ceremony and the significant investment by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect were evident.
Now, to close it just like that, what does this mean?
Just to give an account to Ailao Mountain, is it worth such a huge effort?
Could there be something he doesn't know inside?
Luo Chen can't figure it out no matter how much he thinks about it.
The gap in realms, the lack of connections, and the shallow knowledge all limit his ability to guess the truth.
He only knows that the closing of the Dao Forum Platform will have an enormous impact.
Not to mention other things, just his two small shops, which serve thousands of spectators at the Dao Forum Platform every day.
Now that the platform is closed, which cultivator would have nothing to do and go to Phoenix Landing Mountain?
The White Stone Square commercial area near the entrance to Phoenix Landing Mountain will likely decline quickly.
Seeing Feng Xia's worried expression, Luo Chen knows what she is concerned about.
He can only comfort her, "We've already paid the rent for a year, so we should continue operating normally. And in these few months, we should have cultivated some wealthy regular customers, ensuring basic income, which should be feasible."
It is feasible, but it's unlikely they will earn many spirit stones.
Feng Xia is also helpless about this.
Luo Chen also feels the impact of a high-rank cultivator's words on low-rank cultivators, which can be a huge change in their lives.
Originally, Feng Xia, Yuan Xiaoyue, and other scattered cultivators at White Stone Square could earn a large amount of spirit stones through the Dao Forum Platform.
Their lives were quite comfortable.
But now, they might have to return to their previous state.
Moreover, the impact might not be just this.
Luo Chen's gaze fell on Duan Feng, who was silently sitting in the corner.
"Xiaoduan, what do you plan to do in the future?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
