https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-164-The-Heavenly-Peng-Transformation-I-Have-a-Foundation-Establishment-Friend/12900282/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-166-Expressing-Sincerity-Three-Foundation-Establishment-Pills/12920473/
Chapter 165: Imperial Flow, Blood-Refined Sword Pill
Chapter 165: Imperial Flow, Blood-Refined Sword Pill
Two beast hides!
Wang Yuan was dumbfounded.
He truly hadn’t expected that the beast hide, which recorded the third-level body refinement technique, would have another hidden secret.
It was just a thin piece of skin!
No!
It wasn’t just him!
Even the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator likely hadn’t noticed!
"This beast hide, I don’t know what kind of demon beast it came from, but it has a natural concealment effect and can be cut into multiple layers. I even think it can be cut into more layers."
"No, if the technique is sufficiently advanced, even more layers are possible."
Luo Chen caressed the beast hide, quite surprised.
If it weren’t for the Great Perfection Spirit Eye Technique, which could discern truth from falsehood and see through illusions, allowing him to see details more clearly than others, he might have missed it.
It wasn’t until he had it in hand and tried to haggle by nitpicking that he noticed something amiss.
Compared to him, Wang Yuan was more interested in what was recorded on the inner layer of the second beast hide.
"What’s written on it?"
If the third-level body refinement technique was used as a cover, it must be extremely valuable, even though "Heavenly Peng Transformation" was an incomplete technique.
Luo Chen didn’t hide it and directly unfolded it in front of Wang Yuan.
"White Peony, Bamboo Yellow, Blood Scorpion Powder, Purple-Backed Tiankui, Heavenly Star Grass..."
Just by looking at the beginning, Wang Yuan understood.
"It’s a pill formula!"
Luo Chen retracted the beast hide and smiled, "Indeed, and it looks like a complete second-rank pill formula. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to spend spirit stones to buy it."
Bowing his head, he scanned the densely packed names of the herbs.
Luo Chen frowned, "However, this pill formula is quite ancient, and the effects are not fully described. Even if it’s complete, I’ll need to experiment to understand its true effects."
Listening to Luo Chen’s muttering, Wang Yuan shook his head.
He wasn’t interested in pill formulas.
He had obtained a complete Blood Fiend Pill formula, also second-rank, but he still couldn’t enjoy its benefits.
Only someone like Luo Chen, a pill refiner, would find pill formulas particularly attractive.
"Spending three thousand five hundred spirit stones on a pill formula, you still took a loss."
Luo Chen didn’t care, "How can there be a loss? If I succeed in refining it, I can make a fortune."
"True!" Wang Yuan laughed, "I almost forgot, you’re not just good at refining pills, you’re also a great businessman."
He waved the beast hide in his hand, "No matter what, you deserve a share of this body refinement technique. Once I figure it out, I’ll let you see it too."
"Okay."
Luo Chen nodded, not particularly concerned.
Currently, just cultivating Qi was taking up all his time; he had no spare energy for body refinement.
If not for needing a strong physique to break through to Foundation Establishment, he wouldn’t even have purchased large quantities of Golden Essence Liquid.
In fact, in the cultivation world, very few people chose to cultivate both body and magic.
Body refinement might only be useful at lower ranks.
At higher ranks, magical artifacts and treasures could easily cover tens of miles, making it hard for body cultivators to even get close.
And at the most useful lower ranks, they were constrained by the requirement to reach Foundation Establishment before the age of sixty.
Everyone’s time was tight, so they naturally didn’t want to add to their burden.
Not to mention others.
Just look at Wang Yuan, who had indeed benefited from body refinement in the early stages, making him a formidable fighter.
But now, the drawbacks of dual cultivation had become clear.
The future was uncertain, and suitable techniques were hard to find.
He had the realm of the second-level body refinement but lacked sufficient combat skills to match the Foundation Establishment stage.
Especially, dual cultivation added to his financial burden.
For now, he should focus more on cultivating Qi.
Pill refinement was a skill that could provide him with significant help.
"This pill formula is so strange, it doesn’t seem to be for humans. Why would they...?"
"Ah!"
Wang Yuan shook his head. He had seen Luo Chen like this before, when he gave him the Blood Fiend Pill formula.
He couldn’t understand why a pill formula could be so attractive to a pill refiner.
Without disturbing Luo Chen, Wang Yuan quietly left.
...
In the middle of the night.
Voices of self-talk echoed, occasionally mixed with vexed tones.
"Hundreds of auxiliary materials, far exceeding the Blood Fiend Pill, how complex it is."
"The main material is few, only one is needed. But this one material must come from the same origin demon beast, bone, blood, and flesh, all three are essential."
"Yet, it doesn’t specify which demon beast? Does it mean any second-rank demon beast can be used?"
"Imperial Flow... According to some pill books, it should be a legendary substance that greatly benefits demon beasts. Why does this pill have the same name?"
"Sunken sea with the flow, eternal mulberry in the jade field... it even needs to be refined with water?"
...
After a long time, Luo Chen, looking exhausted, moved his gaze away from the pill formula.
This pill formula was far more complex than the Blood Fiend Pill!
The number of auxiliary materials, the peculiar refinement method, and the unclear effects and taboos made it difficult to understand.
He had spent the whole night thinking, but gained nothing.
This was quite rare.
When he first obtained the Blood Fiend Pill formula, Luo Chen found it challenging but not impossible.
The real obstacle to refining the Blood Fiend Pill was the three main materials!
If he had enough main materials, with his current progress in understanding the Blood Fiend Pill formula, he had a certain level of confidence to master it within a thousand failures.
Over a thousand failures!
It sounds like a lot, but only Luo Chen has the confidence to say such a thing now.
If a regular first-class alchemist were given ten thousand chances, it would still be difficult to ensure even one success.
The threshold for becoming an alchemist is not just high; it’s extremely high!
Luo Chen’s foundation in the Alchemy Path is now nearly complete, and he has successively engaged in the refinement of three to four types of pills, with a significant number of high-quality pills produced.
One could say that even among first-class alchemists, he is an extremely top-notch existence!
But this alchemical formula named "Imperial Flow" really gives him a sense of being at a loss.
The main materials are indeed simple, requiring only the bone, blood, and flesh of a second-rank demon beast from the same source.
This is actually not difficult to obtain.
During the black market auction last night, second-rank demon beast corpses appeared both midway and at the end.
After all, this place is close to the Hundred of Mountains, where demon beasts are abundant.
Some rootless foundation establishment cultivators, who don’t want to be bound by rules or human connections, often make a living by hunting demon beasts and exploring for treasures.
For them, being a bit more careful and making sufficient preparations, hunting a solitary second-rank demon beast is not a difficult task.
The problem is, the simple main material is not specified as to which type!
This means Luo Chen cannot conduct targeted research.
Another issue is the water method of alchemy.
Luo Chen has always used the fire method for alchemy, with the resulting pills mostly in the form of ointments or solids.
The water method is actually simpler than the fire method, but he has no experience with it. Even though the "Qingyuan's Alchemy Compendium" mentions one or two water methods, he has never experimented with them.
Moreover, they are of a rather low grade, and it’s uncertain whether they can be used to refine second-rank pills.
This is also a problem.
"This alchemical formula is sewn together with the 'Heavenly Peng Transformation,' so it’s probably a complementary pill, right?"
Luo Chen made this guess.
Finally, he shook his head, not planning to delve deeply into this matter.
He would keep it for now, studying it when he had nothing else to do, and perhaps gain more understanding after reaching the foundation establishment stage.
If he found it truly beneficial, he could consider using the system to learn it.
But with this, the number of second-rank alchemical formulas he had in reserve suddenly increased to three.
A complete Blood Fiend Pill, a complete Imperial Flow, and a partial Jade Dew Pill.
"What merit or virtue do I, a first-class alchemist, have to possess three second-rank alchemical formulas during the Qi Cultivation stage!"
With a self-deprecating remark, Luo Chen put away the beast skin and took out an item from his storage bag.
The Sword Pill!
Though called a "pill," it is not small at all, being about the size of an infant’s fist.
One wonders if the cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect ever feel uncomfortable in their throats when swallowing and regurgitating it.
After a careful inspection, Luo Chen realized how unique the structure of this Sword Pill was.
The surface was not smooth.
Instead, it was filled with various threads and patterns, as if woven from golden threads.
"Perhaps it is precisely because of this structure that the Sword Pill can transform in countless ways in the hands of a sword cultivator!"
With a sigh, Luo Chen bit his finger.
He then summoned a powerful spirit energy, directing it to his finger.
Drip!
A crystal-clear, fragrant drop of blood was squeezed out of his finger.
Luo Chen grunted, his face turning pale for a moment before returning to normal.
This was the cultivator’s essence blood, containing the essence of both his physical body and spirit energy.
Theoretically, regardless of one’s realm, a cultivator can only extract ten drops of essence blood without harming themselves.
After extraction, with some time for cultivation and replenishment, the essence blood can be slowly restored.
However, exceeding ten drops can have unimaginable consequences.
Generally, cultivators only use their essence blood for certain special means, as it is too damaging to their essence.
But now, Luo Chen had no choice.
To use this Sword Pill, he could either continuously nurture it with spirit energy and spirit sense, which would take a long time to make it as responsive as an extension of his body.
Or, he could use another special method.
"Blood Refinement!"
On the Dao Forum Platform, Bai Qi, who fought against Qin Liangchen, was able to use the Sword Pill during the Qi Cultivation stage thanks to the blood refinement method.
Most cultivators actually know this method.
Luo Chen is now using the blood refinement method obtained by Wang Yuan from the blood cultivator Xiao Wuyan.
Compared to ordinary crude blood refinement, Xiao Wuyan’s method is even more brutal.
As long as the blood refinement is successful, it can be used immediately.
"The situation in the Great River Workshop is ever-changing. I must increase my strength. This Sword Pill, as a magic treasure embryo, even if its grade cannot be further improved, is comparable to a supreme quality magical weapon."
"I must master it as soon as possible!"
Without hesitation, the crystal-clear drop of blood landed on the golden Sword Pill.
Then, Luo Chen continuously emitted spirit energy.
Initially, the Sword Pill and essence blood did not mix, but under the promotion of Luo Chen’s spirit energy, the essence blood slowly seeped deep into the Sword Pill.
He continued this process until dawn, when he finally stopped, exhausted.
With a wave of his hand, the Sword Pill, now tinged with a strange blood color, appeared in his hand.
"Thus, it is done!"
He could feel a subtle connection between his mind and the Sword Pill.
Not the ordinary spirit energy connection between a magical weapon and a cultivator, but a wondrous link where a single thought could quickly command the Sword Pill to act.
"Activate!"
He opened his palm, and the Sword Pill emitted a brilliant light, with sword rays blooming forth.
In the blink of an eye, Luo Chen was surrounded by a golden glow.
Upon closer inspection, it resembled a fully bloomed flower.
Except this flower was filled with a chilling aura of death.
"Go!"
The sword light converged, heading straight for the ground.
Sssss!
Like a knife slicing through tofu, the Sword Pill burrowed deep into the earth.
When he summoned it back, Luo Chen couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
"No wonder sword cultivators are so powerful!"
"I've only just grasped the basics, yet it has such speed and such power."
"Unimaginable how powerful this Sword Pill would be in the hands of Luo Tianhong or Pang Renxiong."
Actually, it wasn't hard to imagine.
The battles by the Lancang River and Phoenix Landing Mountain were still vivid in his memory.
The massive sword qi dragon, stretching dozens of feet, was beyond human capability! Since he didn't cultivate the Sword Path, he naturally couldn't achieve that level.
But with this Sword Pill, combined with the Green Musk Dragon-Gathering Flag and other means, he could already act without restraint during the Qi Cultivation Stage.
...
"President, the Duan Family is urging for the delivery of goods."
"Hmm?"
Luo Chen had just finished today's Jade Marrow Pill refinement. Besides the usual medium-grade pills, he had also refined many high-grade Jade Marrow Pills.
High-grade Jade Marrow Pills were as effective as ordinary Qi Nourishing Pills.
But for him now, they were of little use.
The reason he refined them was, firstly, to supply the internal use of cultivators in the Sky Ascension Assembly, and secondly, to quickly max out his proficiency with Jade Marrow Pills.
He wanted to know if supreme-grade Jade Marrow Pills would still be useful to him.
So far, he hadn't developed any resistance to Jade Marrow Pills.
He clapped his hands, dispersing the water droplets.
Luo Chen turned around, looking at the Pill Nurturer in charge of the Alchemy Hall, Qiu Ying, and frowned. "The Duan Family agreed to receive fifty bottles a month, right?"
It wasn't a question but a statement.
Qiu Ying nodded. "That's correct."
"Then why do I remember that it's only been half a month since the last delivery?"
Qiu Ying was also puzzled and couldn't provide an answer.
Luo Chen shrugged. "Forget it, I don't care why they need the pills so urgently. In the end, they're giving us spirit stones."
"Still fifty bottles, right? Send them over in the next few days."
Receiving a positive response, Qiu Ying prepared to enter the Pill Nurturing Room to fetch the pills.
But before leaving, she remembered something and turned back.
"Who should I send?"
Luo Chen was taken aback. "Sima Xian!"
"Elder Sima Xian took a team to deliver goods to the new shop in the outer city, and he hasn't returned yet."
"Hall Master Wang is in seclusion."
Hearing these two pieces of news, Luo Chen frowned.
The pills produced by the Alchemy Hall were now divided into two destinations.
One was the Golden Hall managed by Gu Caiyi, responsible for selling to independent cultivators, which was the main part.
The other was the direct supply to the four major families and the Da Jiang Gang.
This part, though smaller in demand, was more stable.
It had always been handled by the elders of the Combat Hall, who would personally deliver the goods.
Each month, the major forces would purchase a fixed quantity on schedule. The Duan Family's request today was an exception.
This led to the Sky Ascension Assembly unexpectedly being short of manpower.
He hesitated for a moment and then said, "Have Elder Duan go. He's familiar with the Duan Family."
"Okay, I understand."
Qiu Ying ran off, her long black ponytail swaying behind her, quite lively.
But she didn't know why Luo Chen had hesitated for a moment.
Duan Feng, the Duan Family.
Let's hope nothing goes wrong!
Fortunately, by evening, Duan Feng returned safely with his team, bringing back a payment of two thousand spirit stones.
Luo Chen was standing at the cliff, watching from a distance as Duan Feng returned to the Sky Ascension Assembly.
Apart from a less-than-pleasant expression, he seemed to have no injuries.
"As long as he's fine!"
Luo Chen breathed a sigh of relief. He was quite worried about Duan Feng getting into a conflict with the Duan Family.
After all, in the past, Duan Feng had always expressed deep hatred towards the Duan Family.
The details were unknown to him.
But currently, the Sky Ascension Assembly was in a period of rapid development.
Its relationships with several forces were becoming increasingly close.
In the Great River Market, it was gradually establishing a foothold.
Even many independent cultivators were inquiring from people like Murong Qinglian and Sima Wenjie in the Merit Hall, asking if they were still accepting new members.
However, under Luo Chen's instructions, Murong Qinglian had not loosened her stance and easily accepted outsiders.
"Times are unstable; we must be cautious to prevent those with ulterior motives from infiltrating the Sky Ascension Assembly."
This was Luo Chen's original statement, and Murong Qinglian deeply agreed with it.
In the current situation, starting a conflict with any force would not be a wise choice.
Duan Feng's ability to suppress his hatred and faithfully complete this task for the Sky Ascension Assembly showed that he had matured a lot.
Perhaps it was also due to his cultivation realm gradually deepening!
Duan Feng had always been enthusiastic about refining himself through combat.
Among the Layer Nine Qi Cultivators, his cultivation speed was faster than any other Layer Nine Qi Cultivator in the Sky Ascension Assembly.
Only Qin Liang Chen, who was affiliated with the Alchemy Hall but had no specific duties, could barely match his cultivation speed.
But recently, Qin Liang Chen's cultivation speed seemed to have stalled, far from the rapid progress of Duan Feng.
He probably wanted to first break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage and then seek revenge on the Duan Family.
Lifting his head, he looked at the sky.
Luo Chen's heart stirred.
"Quite some time has passed; Tianxingzi must be getting impatient."
"We should give the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator some face."
"Fine, I'll go talk to him today!"
(End of Chapter)
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