https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-169-Ghost-City-s-Ghost-General-Pill-Completion-and-a-Dream/12920476/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-171-Redirecting-Troubles-Foundation-Establishment-Divine-Soul/12920478/
Chapter 170: Divine Soul Expansion, Practicing Soul Suppressing Technique
Chapter 170: Divine Soul Expansion, Practicing Soul Suppressing Technique
"Where are you from, and what cultivation level are you at?"
"I'm from the Yuanzhao Kingdom, a Baixiu person at the third level of Qi Condensation."
"Such a low cultivation level?"
The Xun Hall cultivator looked at Luo Chen disdainfully and then recorded his name in a thick register.
He then shouted to someone outside.
A young cultivator with a fair complexion hurried in.
"Take the newcomer to the Mine Hall!"
"Yes, Executive Mi."
The young cultivator respectfully acknowledged and led Luo Chen out of the room.
As they walked outside, he introduced himself cheerfully, "What should I call you?"
"Luo Chen," Luo Chen replied in a low voice.
Seeing his somber expression, the young cultivator patted him on the shoulder.
"What's troubling you? Tell me, and I'll cheer you up!"
Luo Chen's face stiffened, and he shook his head without saying a word.
Soon, the young cultivator brought him to the headquarters of the Mine Hall.
A Mine Hall cultivator handed Luo Chen a basket and a shovel.
"You must complete a monthly task of mining six hundred jin of tempered iron ore."
Luo Chen took the items and asked quietly, "What happens if I don't complete it?"
The man gave him a sidelong glance. "If you don't meet the target, you won't receive any payment. Only upon completion will you earn ten spirit stones. For every additional hundred jin, you'll earn an extra spirit stone."
Luo Chen opened his mouth but said nothing in the end.
For a third-level Qi Condensation cultivator, making a substantial amount of money meant enduring the hard labor of mining.
As they left, the cultivator who had brought him earlier was still squatting nearby, playing with ants.
Seeing Luo Chen, he jumped up.
"Did you get everything? Let me take you to the mountains!"
"The tempered iron ore mine is located in the Hualu Mountain of the Ancient Original Mountain Range. There aren't many demonic beasts there, so it's relatively safe."
"Since I led you here, if you encounter any issues, you can come to me for help."
"Remember my name, I'm Tang Quan!"
I'm Tang Quan...
For a moment, Luo Chen felt dazed.
But under the pressure of life, he still went to the Hualu Mountain in the Ancient Original Mountain Range with anticipation.
At dawn, hundreds of people with vacant expressions carried baskets and shovels, entering the sprawling underground mine tunnels.
Luo Chen was among them.
On the first day, he experienced the hardships of mining firsthand.
His hands became raw and bloody, and he could barely dig out a small lump of raw tempered iron ore.
When he weighed it, it was less than ten jin.
Silently, he returned to rest.
The second day was even worse; he couldn't even mine a single piece of raw tempered iron ore.
The cultivator collecting the ore rolled his eyes at him.
However, this situation improved by the fifth day.
"Twenty-two jin, Luo Chen, right?"
"Yes."
"Alright, it's been recorded. You can go now."
Luo Chen heaved a sigh of relief and managed a faint smile.
He received a Spirit Rice ball, a privilege only for qualified miners.
Holding the rice ball, he stood in a corner, devouring it.
Looking at the nearby wanderers with vacant expressions, he vowed never to end up like them.
He hadn't joined the Po Shan Gang to mine; he was here to earn enough spirit stones to continue his alchemy.
After a month, Luo Chen barely passed the test, mining six hundred jin of tempered iron ore.
This impressed Tang Quan, who had brought him here.
He had thought Luo Chen would have achieved nothing in the first few months.
Unexpectedly, he had passed the test on the first month.
"You're a qualified miner!"
"No, I'm not a miner!"
"Hmm?"
Luo Chen didn't explain; he continued silently chewing his rice ball.
Five months later, Luo Chen had once again saved up fifty spirit stones, even a few extra.
He asked the now-familiar Tang Quan to request a leave of absence for him.
Then, he stayed in his room to practice alchemy.
Tang Quan squatted, watching him work.
And he witnessed failure after failure.
"Are you crazy?"
"What kind of pill is a wanderer like you refining?"
"In my opinion, it's better to use the spirit stones you've earned to buy pills and cultivate. Once you reach the fourth level of Qi Condensation, I can even transfer you to the Battle Hall."
"The Battle Hall is dangerous, but the rewards are high!"
Luo Chen forced a smile and then fell silent.
He had spent all his savings, and the few remaining spirit stones couldn't sustain his continued refinement of the Wondrous Pill.
So, he returned to the Mine Hall of the Po Shan Gang and resumed mining.
This time, he only needed four months to save up fifty spirit stones.
Seeing that he was about to buy more ingredients, Tang Quan grew anxious.
"You really don't know your limits!"
"Without a master's guidance or the backing of a major power, how can you possibly refine a first-stage pill?"
Luo Chen pushed him aside and walked into the Hundred Herbs Hall.
"Shopkeeper Liu, ten portions of Fire Dog Whip and Jade Yao Pillar..."
Tang Quan stood behind him, shaking his head and sighing.
This guy was stubborn.
But how could a wanderer possibly become a revered pill master?
Oh well, a few more failures, and he'd give up!
This thought was partially correct, as Luo Chen continued to fail, accumulating countless failures over the years.
But he, still did not give up.
Ten years passed.
Tang Quan had reached the sixth level of Qi Condensation and was no longer a menial task cultivator; instead, he had become a proud member of the Battle Hall.
As for Luo Chen, he was still at the third level of Qi Condensation.
Due to years of mining, his body became stooped, and he grew silent and taciturn.
Only his expression was different from the other miners; he wasn't numb and indifferent to everything.
When he had once again saved up fifty spirit stones, he planned to take a leave of absence and return home to focus on alchemy. However, the Mine Hall executive stopped him.
"No more leaves of absence."
"Do you think Po Shan Gang is some disorganized, undisciplined small force?"
Luo Chen looked up in confusion. Wasn't that the case?
"Hmph, once you leave this door, don't come back. Even other halls won't accept you!"
Luo Chen nodded at him.
Then, he left the Mine Hall resolutely.
After returning home and cleaning up, he looked at his rough fingers.
Luo Chen smiled slightly, "Perhaps I'm really not suited for alchemy!"
"Which alchemist has such rough hands?"
"But, I must refine the Wondrous Pill, I can't give up!"
He clenched his teeth and started a fire.
After another failure, he leaned against the door, dispirited.
"Failed again?"
Tang Quan held a rabbit and looked down at Luo Chen.
The other party didn't speak, and Tang Quan felt awkward.
"Forget it, I can't be bothered with you. I'll cook today and let you see my skills!"
His cooking skills were naturally poor.
At dinner, facing the charred rabbit meat, he couldn't bring himself to eat.
Luo Chen, on the other hand, seemed to have snapped out of it and started devouring the rabbit meat.
Tang Quan furrowed his brows, "Why go to such lengths?"
"No, you don't understand."
Luo Chen swallowed a mouthful of rabbit meat, his eyes hardening.
"Yes, I don't understand, but you do!"
"If you understood, you wouldn't have spent your life achieving nothing, just a small wanderer at the third level of Qi Condensation."
"You've been like this for ten years, as if possessed by a demon, and even eight horses couldn't pull you back."
"I can't be bothered with you anymore."
Tang Quan threw away the rabbit leg and left in a huff.
Luo Chen watched his departing figure without any attempt to stop him.
He silently returned to his room and lay down on the bed.
The next morning, he got up early and prepared to refine pills.
Looking at the blazing flames in the stove, Luo Chen's will was as firm as iron.
"Have I fallen into demonic cultivation?"
"No, I haven't!"
"No matter how many failures I face, I won't give up. The Wondrous Pill is my chance to change my future, and I must seize it!"
With this determination, he began refining pills once more.
When a distinctly different fragrance emanated from the iron pot,
Two lines of clear tears fell uncontrollably from the corners of his eyes.
He choked up and said,
"I, Luo Chen, do have the talent for alchemy. My persistence was not wrong!"
Pushing open the door, the twilight filled his vision.
In the distance, a familiar figure approached, carrying a rabbit.
And there was also a fleeting, ethereal white figure.
...
"Why am I crying?"
In the Spirit Vein Cave Mansion, Luo Chen wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes.
He looked around in a daze; the Wood-attribute spiritual energy attracted by the Gathering Spirit Array was so dense.
This was an environment he had never enjoyed in his dreams.
He lowered his head and looked at his clean, white high-grade robe, so luxurious.
All of these were earned through refining pills.
Luo Chen smiled.
"Persisting in alchemy, how could it be wrong?"
He got up and left the Spirit Vein Cave Mansion.
Along the way, he arrived at the Changyin Mountains.
In the winter, frost and snow fell, and icicles hung from the treetops.
This icy and snowy scene matched his current mood, so open and carefree.
A feeling of fullness and expansion filled his mind.
Luo Chen felt his thoughts were much faster.
"A dream of ten years, a decade in an instant!"
Amidst his reflections, Luo Chen, with the cold temperature, began to summarize the effects of the Path to the Netherworld Pill.
[It has a simple effect of entering dreams, originating from the Phantom Dark Grass and Snow Fox Demon Blood. This effect has its strengths and weaknesses, likely due to the absence of herbs that suppress the Snow Fox Demon Blood in the pill formula.]
[The pill formula is still imperfect and requires further improvement.]
[The Path to the Netherworld leads to dreams, and in the dream, there will be a simple test. Maintaining one's true self, once passed, will bring some gains.]
[This pill must not be given to those with weak willpower. Otherwise, it may cause damage to one's Dao heart, or even lead to obsession and falling into demonic cultivation.]
When he summarized the third point, Luo Chen felt a flash of relief.
Fortunately, he had been persistently cultivating the Bright Divine Soul Annihilation technique.
With his unwavering willpower, he was no longer the same as before.
Otherwise, the dream state might have lasted even longer.
[The duration of the pill's effects varies from person to person. The longer the time, the better the effect. The shorter the time, the worse the effect.]
Although Luo Chen called the dream state a decade in an instant,
In reality, an entire incense stick's worth of time had passed in the outside world.
And within that incense stick's time, he seemed to have truly experienced ten years.
In those ten years, he had gone through many things, enough to turn a toddler into a youth gradually learning about the ways of the world.
The growth of the divine soul was self-evident.
Luo Chen could feel that his thoughts were now moving faster than ever.
The confusions he once had during cultivation were now as thin as a layer of silk, easily pierced through.
This feeling was a manifestation of the increased depth of his divine soul.
It was rumored that some great beings who reincarnated were born with powerful divine souls, allowing them to quickly understand and grasp new things.
Luo Chen now had a vague sense of this.
"However, this Path to the Netherworld Pill can't be taken too frequently!"
Luo Chen rubbed his slightly swollen glabella, a side effect of the sudden surge in the depth of his divine soul.
This side effect needed time to gradually soothe.
It couldn't be alleviated by external objects like calming incense or moonlight grass.
Looking at the quiet surroundings and the snow-covered Changyin Mountain, Luo Chen suddenly had a thought.
"Perhaps, I can continue cultivating the Soul Suppressing Technique!"
This technique, obtained from Gao Tingyuan, was a technique from the ancient wandering cultivator Gu Yue's 'Soul Refining True Art', and Luo Chen had already entered the beginner level.
But entering the beginner level was one thing, and continuing the cultivation was another.
Every time he cultivated, he had to activate the Soul Suppressing Technique.
However, the Soul Suppressing Technique couldn't be performed out of thin air like other techniques such as Fireball Technique or Earth Mountain Technique.
It required a specific target.
Moreover, it had to be something with a soul and a spirit!
The backlash effect of the Soul Suppressing Technique had always been a concern for Luo Chen.
Therefore, after entering the beginner level, he had put it aside.
Until now, he had only practiced it a few times, barely reaching the beginner level.
Now, with a sudden surge in his divine soul, although he didn't know the exact strength, Luo Chen's divine soul depth was already stronger than his peers at the same stage. After the surge, it was likely even more formidable.
With this, the concern of backlash was no longer an issue.
"I must continue cultivating the Soul Suppressing Technique. Not to mention, the numerous ghosts and evil beings in the Great River Ghost City are a big hidden danger."
No one could be certain how long that ghost city would last.
If one day, the evil spirits and ghosts within it were to escape, the situation would be completely uncontrollable.
Currently, most low-level wandering cultivators didn't have effective means to deal with evil spirits and ghosts.
According to the description, the Soul Suppressing Technique was undoubtedly a natural counter to evil spirits and ghosts.
After making up his mind, Luo Chen no longer hesitated.
...
Early the next morning, after refining the Jade Marrow Pill, Luo Chen called Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang.
As they left the Slanting Moon Valley, he stopped the passing Qu Lingjun.
"Wow, not bad, you've reached the second level of Qi Condensation."
Qu Lingjun scratched his head, revealing a clear smile unique to his youth.
Luo Chen pinched his face.
"Go and bring that Soul Nourishing Tree I gave you to cultivate."
Qu Lingjun raised his small face, "But you told me to cultivate it for you until it grew up?"
"Just go and do as I say."
Luo Chen glared at him, and Qu Lingjun pouted and ran back home.
Soon, he came running back with a small flowerpot in his arms.
"Cultivate well, and if you have nothing to do, go help out at the Alchemy Hall. Your sister, Mi Li, has been very busy lately."
"Oh..."
The boy looked glum, gazing at the Soul Nourishing Tree he had personally cultivated, reluctant to part with it.
Luo Chen had promised to let him cultivate it.
Luo Chen shook his head, patted the boy's head, and left with Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang.
After a while, the three of them arrived at the wasteland behind the Slanting Moon Valley.
"President, are we practicing techniques today?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Will Old Liu be your sparring partner?"
Liu Qiang volunteered.
Luo Chen looked at him and nodded slightly.
"Sure!"
Liu Qiang was excited. The president's techniques were extraordinary, and sparring with him always brought great benefits.
However, Luo Chen's next instruction caught him off guard.
"Go to Radiant Leaf Mountain and catch some wild beasts. If you encounter weak demonic beasts, capture some of them too."
"Remember, try to capture them alive!"
Liu Qiang was perplexed, but he had to follow Luo Chen's orders.
After Liu Qiang left, Luo Chen immediately sat cross-legged on the ground.
He closed his eyes to rest and repeatedly recited the incantations for the Soul Suppressing Technique.
Zhou Yuanli stood by, scanning the surroundings and maintaining a vigilant state.
With Zhou Yuanli's protection, Luo Chen felt at ease.
Things were different now compared to the past. Two months ago, Zhou Yuanli had successfully advanced to the ninth level of Qi Condensation, becoming the twelfth Qi Condensation cultivator in the Luo Tianhui.
Considering that Zhou Yuanli was already fifty years old, his chances of reaching Foundation Establishment were slim. Aside from security work, Luo Chen had arranged a nominal position for him.
Law Enforcement Elder! Although he didn't have a single subordinate.
But with this title, he could receive a higher salary.
During the season when heavy snow sealed the mountain, wild beasts weren't very active.
An hour later, Liu Qiang finally returned, carrying a large cloth bag.
He sheepishly carried the bag, "I only caught a few pheasants and a hyena."
"That's enough!"
Luo Chen kept his eyes closed, instructing Liu Qiang to take out a pheasant and place it in front of him.
The next moment, Luo Chen suddenly opened his eyes!
Two faint green divine lights shot out from his eyes, staring straight at the pheasant.
The originally lively pheasant instantly became stiff as a wooden one.
Liu Qiang, standing beside him, subconsciously took three steps back, his face filled with shock.
(End of Chapter)
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