https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-170-Divine-Soul-Expansion-Practicing-Soul-Suppressing-Technique/12920477/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-172-Heaven-Sails-Black-Fist-Tier-3-Water-Technique-/12920479/
Chapter 171: Redirecting Troubles, Foundation Establishment Divine Soul
Chapter 171: Redirecting Troubles, Foundation Establishment Divine Soul
Soul Suppressing Technique, an unranked spell.
Its power depends on the strength of the caster's divine soul.
If the caster has reached the Foundation Establishment stage and projects their spirit sense, they can capture an enemy's soul with a single scroll.
If the caster's cultivation is below Foundation Establishment, they can only use their eyes as a medium to cast the technique on the enemy.
At this time, the Soul Suppressing Technique's capturing effect is greatly reduced, and it only has the effect of intimidation and coercion.
However, if the difference in divine soul strength is significant, it is still possible to forcibly capture another's soul.
Initially, the Soul Refinement Vagrant Moon Ancient would often severely injure or kill his opponents, and while their soul had not yet dissipated, he would forcefully capture it and then integrate it into himself.
Currently, Luo Chen is just a beginner in this technique.
His eyes shone with green light, and the fluttering pheasant in front of him instantly became calm.
At the same time, Luo Chen felt his head become slightly heavier.
It was as if something was pulling at his soul, tugging it outward.
Both sides were like a tug-of-war at this moment.
However, the pheasant was just an ordinary wild beast with an unopened spiritual intelligence and a weak divine soul.
With just a thought, Luo Chen gained control of the tug-of-war.
"Come out!"
He silently chanted in his mind, and in the next moment, he felt a faint, illusory object being drawn out of the pheasant.
As it emerged, the surrounding temperature dropped slightly.
But since it was already the depths of winter, extremely cold, Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang nearby did not notice it.
At most, they felt a gust of cold wind blowing by.
They couldn't see the extremely weak soul of the wild beast, but that didn't mean Luo Chen couldn't.
With his Great Perfection Spirit Eye Technique, he could see this invisible object.
"Is it this weak?"
"It doesn't even have a proper form."
In his vision, there was a tiny, transparent ball of light.
It was very faint, not even giving off a hint of threat.
But the trembling, dazed, and helpless appearance was clearly the soul of the pheasant.
A slight pulling force came from the pheasant's body lying on the ground.
Luo Chen seemed to be deep in thought.
He knew that if he released the Soul Suppressing Technique, the soul could return to the pheasant's body in a short time.
This way, the pheasant might become silly, but at least it could continue to live.
"What a pity, it's the winter seclusion season, and I'm short of food. I have no choice but to trouble you."
Luo Chen's lips curved slightly, and with a thought, his eyes slowly shifted to the small flowerpot he had taken out.
As his gaze moved, the soul of the pheasant, a small ball of light, also slowly fell into the flowerpot.
In the flowerpot, the Soul Nourishing Tree, which had only sprouted three new buds, seemed to sense something.
Instinctively, it stretched out its new buds.
The ball of light instantly merged into one of the tender buds.
The Soul Nourishing Tree, a Yin attribute spirit plant, typically grows in cold and chilly places, naturally absorbing and devouring nearby Yin souls.
This tree has numerous uses, such as crafting Soul Path treasures, nurturing divine souls, and absorbing wandering souls.
However, to achieve these effects, the tree's age must be at least a thousand years.
Therefore, when Feng Xia gave him the Soul Nourishing Tree seed, he didn't take it to heart.
In a lifetime, how many people live for a thousand years?
Most of the time, not a single one.
So, he casually gave the seed to Qu Lingjun to play with.
Unexpectedly, he actually managed to grow it.
He didn't know how he did it.
At this moment, Luo Chen made use of the waste.
The soul captured by the Soul Suppressing Technique, without him cultivating a true soul refinement technique, could not be absorbed or integrated.
Instead, it could be fed to the Soul Nourishing Tree to aid its growth.
After the soul of the pheasant entered the tree, a faint glow flashed and vanished from one of the tender buds.
Only after confirming that the pheasant's soul had been absorbed did Luo Chen finally relax.
He closed his eyes and opened them again.
He no longer felt his soul being pulled.
He glanced at his attribute panel, which was still at the beginner level, and his proficiency had not increased at all.
"It seems that the soul of a mere pheasant can only slightly increase proficiency."
"However, from little things, great things come. I'll first familiarize myself with this process step by step."
Luo Chen wasn't discouraged and nodded to Liu Qiang beside him.
Liu Qiang was startled, then suddenly realized.
Without hesitation, he opened his bag and took out another pheasant.
"Again!"
Luo Chen didn't hide anything from the two, and his eyes shone with green light again.
...
Two hours later.
Luo Chen finished practicing the Soul Suppressing Technique and slowly headed back with the two men.
They didn't fly but walked leisurely.
Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang followed closely behind, their eyes filled with reverence.
Luo Chen didn't care about this.
Practicing the Soul Suppressing Technique was full of danger, both internal and external.
Therefore, he needed someone to protect him.
As of now, Zhou and Liu's loyalty to him was unquestionable.
Aside from their character, the treatment he offered was something no other force could provide them.
So, he wasn't worried about them spreading this information.
He looked down at the flowerpot in his hand.
After absorbing the souls of several pheasants and a hyena, the Soul Nourishing Tree's green light became more intense.
Even the buds had slightly thickened.
If not for his Great Perfection Spirit Eye Technique, Luo Chen would have hardly noticed this growth.
He nodded slightly, realizing that the Soul Nourishing Tree could indeed absorb and devour Yin souls.
Although he would likely rarely use this tree in his lifetime, it was still worth nurturing.
Flowers and plants could cultivate one's character!
Currently, he was more concerned about his changes.
The proficiency of the Soul Suppressing Technique had increased very slightly; after casting it six or seven times and capturing seven souls, it had only increased by one proficiency level.
It was unknown how long it would take to raise it from the beginner level to the proficient level.
The surprising change he experienced was not an improvement in his Soul Suppressing Technique proficiency, but rather an enhancement of his divine soul!
Last night, after consuming the Path to the Netherworld Pill, his divine soul had expanded significantly.
However, this sudden expansion made his head feel swollen and his mind floaty.
Even during cultivation and pill refinement, he found it hard to concentrate.
That feeling was akin to someone suddenly stuffing themselves with food and becoming uncomfortably full.
For a while, his body couldn't adapt, and he couldn't focus on anything, let alone engage in physical activities or studying.
But after cultivating the Soul Suppressing Technique, Luo Chen keenly noticed that the expanded divine soul felt less flimsy and had become more solid.
"The Path to the Netherworld Pill increases the foundation of the divine soul."
"The Soul Suppressing Technique polishes and tempers the expanded divine soul, refining it to perfection."
"This way, not only can I quickly eliminate the aftereffects of consuming the Path to the Netherworld Pill, but I can also make my divine soul more resilient."
After reaching this conclusion, Luo Chen couldn't help but feel ecstatic.
This meant that the frequency of consuming the Path to the Netherworld Pill, which he had initially estimated to be once every half a month, could be reduced to once every ten days.
Increasing the frequency of pill consumption might seem insignificant and wasteful of pills.
But in reality, the impact was enormous.
Take the Qi Nourishing Pill and Dust Transformation Pill as examples.
Initially, Luo Chen could only digest one pill per day.
Back then, he didn't have much money, and even this pace was too fast for him.
As his wealth grew, this speed became a hindrance to his cultivation.
It was only after the Eternal Spring Technique reached the Master Level and expanded his meridians that he could digest two pills per day.
Currently, Luo Chen even felt that this pace was too slow.
He wished he could increase it to three or four pills per day.
In general, Luo Chen's cultivation method was to exchange resources for time.
Each time he cultivated, he used two Dust Transformation Pills worth forty spirit stones, one Calming Incense worth twelve, one Essence Cultivating Spirit Liquid worth ten, and the Spirit Attraction Array to draw wood attribute spirit energy, which cost five spirit stones. This amounted to a total of sixty-seven spirit stones.
Not to mention the High-grade Jade Core Pill he occasionally consumed, which added another ten spirit stones to the cost.
If you add the Moonlight Grass, Spirit Vein Cave, and other auxiliary cultivation resources, Luo Chen's daily resource consumption, converted to spirit stones, was nearly eighty spirit stones.
In a month, this added up to over two thousand, and in a year, it would be around twenty to thirty thousand!
Even the Spirit Essence Pill for enhancing the divine soul, body, and eyes, the Deficiency Supplement Pulse Liquid for repairing meridian damage caused by excessive cultivation, and so on!
Luo Chen hadn't even included these pills in his calculations.
If he were to add them, his resource consumption as a mere Qi Condensation Stage cultivator would amount to several tens of thousands in a year!
What did this mean?
This amount of spirit stones was sufficient for a cultivator with normal aptitude to start from scratch and cultivate all the way to the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation.
Luo Chen seemed like a big spender.
However, a regular cultivator would need several decades to reach Great Perfection with this amount of money.
Luo Chen, on the other hand, had achieved it in less than two years!
This was the essence of exchanging resources for time.
Only Luo Chen could do this; others shouldn't even think about it, not even disciples of the sect could easily achieve this.
This was because Luo Chen was a "Noble Pill Master."
He had the strength and wealth to cultivate at a speed comparable to a dual spirit root, or even a heavenly spirit root cultivator, despite his inferior aptitude.
Even with this, Luo Chen felt that his resource utilization rate was still insufficient.
If he could further increase the frequency of pill refinement, it would be even better.
...
When Luo Chen returned to the Luo Tianhui, he happened to encounter a visitor.
It was Nan Gong Qin, the young master of the Nan Gong family.
Gu Caiyi was attending to him.
"I thought we agreed to deliver the goods to you. Why did you go through the trouble of coming here in person?"
"Cough, cough..."
Nan Gong Qin's face turned pale, and he shook his head, saying, "The Nan Gong family is on high alert and might be closed off for a while. So, we need a larger quantity of Jade Marrow Pills, and I had to come here personally."
Outside the hall.
Upon hearing this, Luo Chen raised his eyebrows.
The Nan Gong family on high alert?
Inside the hall.
Gu Caiyi spoke with difficulty, "Each family has a fixed quota for the Jade Marrow Pill. Suddenly increasing it threefold will make it very challenging for us!"
"It's not that difficult." Nan Gong Qin took out a bag, "We won't ask for a discount. We'll purchase at the original price."
For the several Foundation Establishment families, the Luo Tianhui directly offered the Golden VIP treatment.
Not only did they provide a delivery service, but they also gave an eight-percent discount.
In other words, a bottle of Jade Marrow Pill that sold for fifty spirit stones in the market only cost forty spirit stones for the Foundation Establishment families.
This move aimed to occupy the pill market and also expressed goodwill towards the various families.
Now that the Nan Gong family was giving up the discount, the loss was not just ten spirit stones.
With a monthly requirement of fifty bottles, suddenly increasing to two hundred, the loss amounted to a full two thousand spirit stones!
Gu Caiyi was tempted.
However, the demand for pills in the market was also high.
The Qi Nourishing Pill circulating in the black market was priced high, making it a good opportunity for them to consolidate their market position.
As she hesitated, Luo Chen stepped into the reception hall.
He laughed heartily, "With such sincerity, why don't we make it happen?"
"Caiyi, send someone to get two hundred bottles of Jade Marrow Pills."
Having someone make the decision was the best outcome.
Gu Caiyi nodded at Luo Chen and hurriedly turned to leave.
At this moment, only Luo Chen and Nan Gong Qin were left in the hall.
Smiling at each other, Luo Chen said, "Fellow Daoist Nan Gong, how have you been?"
Nan Gong Qin smiled bitterly and was about to speak when he started coughing violently.
Cough, cough, cough...
After the intense coughing fit, he said bitterly, "Forgive me for making you laugh, Elder Luo."
Luo Chen shook his head, "Leading a group to kill into the Ghost City and escaping from the Ghost General's hands is something I can only respect, not ridicule."
"What's the situation inside the Ghost City?" asked Luo Chen curiously.
The other party was in need of his help, yet their attitude remained surprisingly pleasant.
Moreover, the recent scandal had already spread throughout Dahexian Market.
Nan Gong Qin had nothing to hide, so he sighed and began to explain the situation in the Ghost City.
The two chatted for a long time until Gu Caiyi retrieved all the Jade Marrow Pills, and Nan Gong Qin bid farewell.
Luo Chen personally saw him off to the main gate.
Watching the Nan Gong family cultivator riding away on their escape light, Luo Chen whispered, "The Nan Gong family is going to take a break."
"Take a break?" Gu Caiyi was puzzled. "But didn't they just gain some territory from the Po Shan Gang?"
"Even with more territory, they still need people to manage it!"
What the Nan Gong family lacked the most right now was people!
Luo Chen smiled and said no more.
The Nan Gong family were originally outsiders.
They had struggled to fit in at the Snow Lotus Shop, and with the opening of the Debating Platform in Dahexian Market, they decided to relocate.
To establish themselves, they had put in a lot of effort.
They joined the Xuan Yi Association and sent their strongest young members to gain fame on the Debating Platform.
Later, they also participated in the division of the Po Shan Gang's territory.
If everything went smoothly, with their experienced Foundation Establishment True Cultivators and talented Qi Condensation juniors, they would have been able to make a breakthrough in Dahexian Market.
However, the process had been less than smooth.
First, they lost a group of clan members while blocking Qin Liangchen.
Then, they clashed with the local old-line cultivator clan, the Li family, resulting in numerous casualties.
This time, they had gone to the Ghost City, and though they didn't know how much they gained, they lost nine late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators—a severe blow to their vital energy.
In this situation, the many territories they had previously fought for might become a top-heavy burden.
Forcing the management of these territories might easily drag them into a quagmire with other forces.
The Nan Gong family had farsighted members.
So, they made the decision to recuperate and regenerate.
This large-scale purchase of Jade Marrow Pills was a preparation for their regeneration.
With this batch of pills, given enough time, they could cultivate another batch of clan cultivators, even up to the late-stage.
By then, they could stand up again.
Luo Chen understood this reasoning.
Perhaps it was also because his divine soul foundation had increased!
His attention, however, remained on the intelligence that Nan Gong Qin had shared before leaving.
"Perhaps there's more than one Ghost General in the Ghost City?"
Luo Chen narrowed his eyes, feeling a sense of urgency.
If the Ghost General left the city, it would undoubtedly cause bloodshed and chaos.
Such vicious and ruthless beings didn't consider weighing benefits or being swayed by interests.
If they encountered the Ghost General, even Luo Chen's ability to refine second and third-stage pills might not impress them.
After all, these suddenly formed ghost creatures were not orthodox ghost cultivators.
There was no reasoning with them.
"So, it's still necessary to strengthen our strength!"
...
"Listening to you, this Luo Chen seems quite extraordinary!"
The former Mi family territory, now the Nan Gong family's headquarters.
In the meditation chamber, Nan Gong Jin opened his eyes and looked at his son, whose face was flushed with health.
Nan Gong Qin no longer had the sickly appearance he had before. Though his essence, qi, and spirit were not exceptionally vigorous, he no longer coughed incessantly.
He nodded and said, "Luo Chen obtained a lot of intelligence about the Ghost City from me, but even at the end, he didn't reveal the slightest intention of entering the city."
"It seems we were reckless back then."
Nan Gong Jin sighed.
The loss of nine late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators was a significant blow to the Nan Gong family.
The benefits of the Ghost City were too great, and he had obtained many ghost-targeting magical tools from the Zhenlong Black Market, which sparked his interest in exploring the Ghost City.
But he never expected...
It was impressive that Luo Chen, with his Qi Condensation cultivation, could control a force and still resist greed.
This made Nan Gong Jin look at him with newfound respect.
His willingness to befriend the Nan Gong family and provide a large number of pills showed his magnanimity.
"Not only is his insight and bearing remarkable, but the feeling he gives me is completely different from before."
"Oh?"
Nan Gong Qin frowned, a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "In front of him, I actually felt like I was facing Father, and the pressure was quite overwhelming."
Nan Gong Jin's eyebrows raised, "Is that so?"
"Yes!" Nan Gong Qin seemed to be recalling the previous meeting, and he spoke with a hint of discomfort, "In front of him, I felt like my entire being was seen through."
"Not only that, but when I think back, the rhythm of the conversation was always led by him."
"It was as if... I was facing a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator!"
After hearing these words, Nan Gong Jin fell into deep thought.
After a while, he finally heaved a sigh of relief.
"No matter, the more outstanding Luo Chen is, the more beneficial it is for us."
"The other families are quite envious of his pill refining techniques."
"If he attracts attention at the forefront, it will also help us share the pressure and get through this difficult pass."
As he spoke, he looked at Nan Gong Qin with pity.
"You should rest for a while!"
"Although the trip to the Ghost City didn't harm your foundation, it still caused you a significant injury."
"Take this time to cultivate diligently and reach Qi Condensation Perfection soon. I'll keep that Foundation Establishment Pill for you."
Nan Gong Qin was overjoyed and bowed in gratitude.
After he left, Nan Gong Jin silently pondered for a while before suppressing the anxiety in his heart.
"No matter what, the family must not end with my generation."
"Even if it means redirecting troubles... Luo Chen..."
(End of Chapter)
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