https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-265-Five-Times-the-Cultivation-Speed-/12920639/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-267-Guests-Delight-Foundation-Establishment-Gifts/12920641/
Chapter 266: The Second Realm of Body Cultivation, The Battle of True Transmissions from Two Sects
Chapter 266: The Second Realm of Body Cultivation, The Battle of True Transmissions from Two Sects
It was said to be tedious.
In reality, Luo Chen was thoroughly enjoying it.
There was no killing or scheming.
Instead, there was the visible data improvement on the attribute panel and the constant transformation of his own strength!
Half a month later, in the afternoon, Luo Chen, who was practicing the Spirit Gate Pill to improve his proficiency, suddenly felt his body tremble.
His mind briefly wandered, and within the Ice Emperor Cauldron, ten portions of raw materials were instantly destroyed.
This meant that a full one hundred and fifty Inferior Spirit Stones were wasted! If this had happened in the past, Luo Chen would have been heartbroken.
The Spirit Gate Pill had a miraculous effect, but the cost was that the alchemy formula was incomplete, making it difficult to refine and three times more expensive than the Multifarious Pill and Jade Marrow Pill.
Ten portions meant one hundred and fifty stones! Luo Chen had been practicing here every day, and the produced Inferior Spirit Gate Pills had accumulated to nearly a hundred.
Finally, he managed to improve his proficiency to the Proficient level.
Not only did the pill success rate increase to thirty percent, but the pill grade also improved to Medium-grade.
He even wanted to try today to see if the Medium-grade Spirit Gate Pill would have any effect on him.
However, this incident occurred.
But he didn't feel any pain!
Instead, his eyes shone with joy.
"Little Ling, help me clean up the Ice Emperor Cauldron, I'm going into seclusion."
Bai Meiling, who was researching the Soul Summoning Banner outside, sweetly replied, and then she saw a figure entering the meditation chamber.
Not long after entering, Luo Chen rushed out and went straight outside the cave mansion.
"Hmm?" Bai Meiling tilted her head, "Didn't the master say he was going into seclusion?"
...
"The cave mansion space is too small!"
As a Second Stage Superior Cave Mansion, the planning of the Heavenly Wave Immortal City was very well-designed.
Even the two-zhang-tall Ice Emperor Cauldron could be accommodated.
Anyone who saw it would praise its spaciousness! But this time, Luo Chen felt it wasn't spacious enough.
Standing on the open mountain plain, Luo Chen widened his eyes and fully activated the Spirit Eye Technique, observing his arms, torso, and thighs.
His body was as tough as vajra.
His skin was as resilient as demon ox hide.
Beneath the thick epidermis, white jade bones were faintly visible.
At this moment, these things seemed to merge together.
Within his five viscera, there was a vibrant vitality, as if he was undergoing a transformation.
With a thought, Luo Chen's body trembled.
A vigorous surge of qi and blood slowly emerged.
Moreover, a cloud of qi and blood rose from his spine, soaring into the sky.
As it reached higher, it gradually became thinner.
A powerful force naturally arose as he clenched his fist.
Unlike the control of spiritual power, which was ethereal and intangible.
When Luo Chen clenched his fist, he truly felt his own strength, as if he could shatter a mountain with a single punch.
"Is this the second realm of body cultivation?"
Luo Chen closed his eyes, sensing the rapid changes within his body.
After many years, with abundant resources.
Even without deliberately practicing body cultivation techniques, he had finally reached this step.
"Let me try the pure physical strength and see how powerful it truly is!"
Luo Chen suddenly opened his eyes.
The next moment, he took a step and strode into the sky.
Without using spiritual power or the Freedom Riding Wind technique.
He relied solely on the strength of his body and the force of qi and blood that enveloped him.
One step! Three zhang!
Luo Chen paused and followed the Ascending Dragon Steps recorded in the Wang Family Secret Scroll, crudely manipulating the force of qi and blood.
Another step! Nine zhang!
Slightly shorter than Wang Yuan's battle at Xiao Huan Mountain.
In mid-air, Luo Chen continued to step forward.
Gradually, he grasped the various subtleties.
"Extremely powerful burst!"
"Within a short distance, it's almost invincible."
"However, using qi and blood in this way results in an unavoidable pause after the burst."
Luo Chen stopped in the air, allowing the powerful qi and blood to support him.
After some careful thought, Luo Chen understood the advantages and disadvantages of the second realm of body cultivation.
The burst was strong, but it was still not as agile and continuous as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator controlled the distance from the start and used a kite-flying tactic against a second realm body cultivator, the latter would always be in a position to be beaten.
The optimal combat distance for the second realm of body cultivation was within a hundred zhang.
"What if I combine it with the Freedom Riding Wind at the Great Perfection level?"
Luo Chen acted on his thoughts.
He took a step, covering a distance of nine zhang, and when the qi and blood couldn't keep up, spiritual energy flowed, and he soared through the air like a great phoenix.
Following this pattern, Luo Chen continued to practice.
Initially, there was some awkwardness, but as he progressed, he became more proficient.
Whoosh! Luo Chen's figure appeared in front of a cliff, and his right palm unleashed the Mountain Splitting and Stele Shattering Palm!
Boom! A massive beam of spiritual energy erupted.
It struck the cliff, punching through over ten meters.
A shower of dust rose.
Luo Chen retreated and flew into the sky.
Looking at his right hand, Luo Chen was deep in thought.
The power was indeed domineering.
If a Foundation Establishment Cultivator were to take this palm head-on, even with a Supreme Defensive Artifact, they couldn't withstand it.
Only a Supreme Defensive Artifact could withstand it.
"But it's still a bit weak!"
"This power is equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's strike with a Supreme Flying Sword."
"Is the second realm of body cultivation so weak?"
No!
Luo Chen suddenly realized.
It wasn't that the second realm of body cultivation was weak, but that he lacked corresponding combat techniques.
Just like a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, whose spiritual power was hundreds or thousands of times greater than a Qi Condensation Cultivator, but to unleash their full strength.
They also required Supreme Magical Tools and Second Rank Arrays.
The same principle applied!
Body cultivators also needed combat techniques corresponding to each realm.
Moreover, due to the immense power residing in the body, the corresponding techniques had to be even more demanding.
When Wang Yuan first achieved the second realm of body cultivation, he openly admitted that he was no match for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Later, he painstakingly researched and developed several minor techniques.
Techniques like the Vital Energy Serpent, Ascending Dragon Steps, and Gigantic Transformation.
But these techniques still couldn't perfectly utilize the vast qi and blood of a second realm body cultivator.
Even when facing Duan Qiongkun, he was confident, but he was still thoroughly defeated. He could only serve as a physical shield and delay for Luo Chen's dazzling strike.
It wasn't until later, when he was about to leave Dahedao Market, that Wang Yuan, combining the Blood Path Technique, finally developed a move that could truly rival a Foundation Establishment Cultivator's killing technique.
The Blood God Tribulation Finger!
It was also with this killing move that when Hu Hu saw the situation turning unfavorable and attempted to flee, he managed to severely injure his opponent from a great distance with a single finger.
The Blood God Tribulation Finger was the true Second Stage method that could perfectly utilize Vital Energy Force.
The Mountain Splitting and Stele Shattering Palm that Luo Chen had just used, even though it had reached Great Perfection, was ultimately just a mundane martial arts technique.
Even its creator, Wang Yuan, rarely used this move.
Luo Chen's attempt at the Ascending Dragon Steps was also clumsy and jerky due to his lack of proficiency.
"Lacking in techniques?"
"Should I cultivate some Strength Methods...?"
"Forget it, my cultivation direction isn't focused on strength."
"Instead of being distracted, it's better to master what's in front of me first!"
"Upon reaching the Second Stage, it can be a trump card in critical moments. Moreover, I can vaguely sense subtle changes within my body. Perhaps after stabilizing, it will greatly benefit my cultivation."
In just a fleeting moment, Luo Chen dismissed these unnecessary thoughts.
He hadn't even reached the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection yet, so how could he afford to be distracted?
Just as Luo Chen was about to finish his experiments and return home, a crisp sound of clapping echoed from a distance.
Luo Chen looked towards the source of the sound and saw a man on a protruding platform on a steep cliff, admiring him.
"Fellow Daoist, impressive skills!"
Luo Chen was taken aback and then burst into laughter.
"Fellow Daoist Chu, you flatter me. It's just a simple Body Cultivation technique."
As they spoke, the man flew towards him.
As the man drew closer, Luo Chen's heart stirred.
In the past, he had only known that Chu Kui was an Eighth Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
The man had always been amiable, so Luo Chen never felt any threat from him.
But as his Divine Soul Foundation reached the Late-stage Foundation Establishment, when facing Chu Kui directly, he finally sensed the terrifying Essence Energy fluctuations beneath that body.
"Such purity, such terror!"
"His Essence Energy capacity is probably over ten times mine!"
"So this is a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator..."
When the gap in cultivation levels is significant, the weaker party may not even perceive the true strength of the stronger one.
Now, with a Divine Soul Foundation almost on par with Chu Kui, Luo Chen finally understood a bit.
This realization made him aware of the unbridgeable gap between the Early-stage and Late-stage Foundation Establishment.
Not to mention crossing a major Stage, but even within the same Stage, the Early-stage cultivator couldn't hope to defeat a Late-stage one.
This was the truth in the cultivation world!
...
Outside Luo Chen's Cave Mansion.
In an outdoor flower hall that Ling Yuzhi had set up years ago.
This place was specifically for entertaining guests, where they could chat and appreciate flowers, a truly enjoyable experience.
However, soon, the flowers and plants in that Spirit Field would be removed by Luo Chen to make way for economically valuable Spirit Plants.
Of course, Yuan Dongsheng was still gathering Spirit Plant seeds for him, so the exotic flowers and grasses remained.
This provided Luo Chen with a perfect place to host guests.
Fine wines, delicious dishes, and snacks were laid out on a table.
"Even Foundation Establishment Cultivators who could already practice simple Bigu (Grain Avoidance) or Fasting from Grains would find it hard to resist these delicacies."
Chu Kui put down his wine glass and savored the taste.
"When did you move here?"
"About half a month ago. It was sudden, and I didn't have time to visit you."
"Then it's good that you didn't come."
Chu Kui pointed outside, "I've been busy out there recently."
Outside?
Luo Chen was taken aback. Chu Kui rarely left the city!
He tentatively asked, "Did you take on a job?"
Chu Kui chuckled, "Indeed!"
"At the auction, I met some fellow cultivators with business troubles. They pooled their Spirit Stones and asked me to help them solve their problems."
"I'm the type who is always eager to help others. In the cultivation world, I'm known as Tianlan's First Timely Rain!"
Tianlan's First Timely Rain? Luo Chen almost couldn't hold back his laughter.
He had also boasted about being Dahedao's Timely Rain.
Speechless, Luo Chen's thoughts turned.
What kind of trouble would require Chu Kui's intervention?
And it was a joint investment! It must have been a substantial amount!
Luo Chen smiled and said, "It seems you've reaped quite a harvest!"
"Not bad, not bad. I can continue to stay in this Superior Grade Cave Mansion for some time." Chu Kui spoke with a proud expression.
He seemed to be showing off, but more so, he was displaying his martial prowess.
Luo Chen laughed inwardly.
Chu Kui's behavior indicated that he was eager to develop Luo Chen as a client!
Unfortunately, Luo Chen had no use for Chu Kui's services at the moment.
Moreover, he didn't have the funds to hire Chu Kui either.
Seeing Luo Chen only smile and not respond, Chu Kui lost interest and retracted his proud expression.
He curiously examined Luo Chen and asked tentatively, "Have you cultivated Strength Methods as well?"
"A little, just a little," Luo Chen modestly waved his hand.
Chu Kui shook his head, "You don't look like someone who's just dabbled in it. Your foundation seems quite solid."
How could it not be solid? For this body, Luo Chen had been consuming Demon Ox Hide and Spirit Plant Husband ever since he obtained it.
Later, he even used Essence Cultivation Elixir and Golden Quality Jade Liquid.
In Taishan Market, he obtained a large amount of Supreme Golden Quality Jade Liquid from Kang Dongyue, which he used for three whole years!
Even now, as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he could practice simple "Bigu" (Grain Avoidance) or more contextually:
Luo Chen had never stopped his supply of Demon Ox Hide and high-quality Spirit Plant Husband for his three daily meals.
This body, though not as tempered as Wang Yuan's, was also built up with countless Spirit Stones.
Luo Chen smiled and didn't continue the topic. Instead, he changed the subject.
He knew that Chu Kui would definitely be aware of this topic and that it would spark an interesting conversation.
"Before the auction, I heard that the Sword Sect's true teachings and the Falling Cloud Sect's true teachings had a debate on the Discussion Platform.
"Yes, they fought!"
As expected, when this was mentioned, Chu Kui, a frequent visitor to the Discussion Platform, immediately became interested.
"I heard that the true disciple of Falling Cloud Sect won the battle?" Luo Chen asked in confusion, "Aren't Sword Cultivators supposed to be invincible among their peers? How could they lose, especially to someone at a lower cultivation stage?"
"Tsk, it also depends on the combat environment!"
Chu Kui puckered his lips, showing some disdain for Sword Cultivators.
"And it also depends on who the opponent is!"
Luo Chen was curious, "I only know that the Sword Cultivator is named Meng Ziqi, and he's a fourth-layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator. He seized the true disciple position during the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, so he must be no weakling!"
"He's indeed not weak, but the one he challenged is even stronger." Chu Kui said.
Luo Chen's interest was piqued.
"Isn't that true disciple of Falling Cloud Sect at the third layer of Foundation Establishment?"
"His name is Han Zhen!"
Luo Chen gasped involuntarily.
It was this person! He only knew about this battle from Sima Huiwang, but he didn't know the background of the Falling Cloud Sect disciple.
That person had intentionally concealed his name at the time.
But Han Zhen's name was so famous throughout the Jade Cauldron Domain that everyone knew it.
During the Qi Condensation Stage, he ranked first on the Heaven's Pride List.
He had fought dozens of battles, and not once did he taste defeat.
He even participated in battles against Foundation Establishment Cultivators during the Qi Condensation Stage, achieving an impressive record of three wins and five losses.
Even if it was just a friendly spar on the Discussion Platform, not a life-or-death battle, it was still awe-inspiring.
Luo Chen wondered if he would have been a match for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator during his Qi Condensation Stage.
As Luo Chen was marveling, Chu Kui's voice kept ringing in his ears.
"This Han Zhen is no ordinary person."
"He was already designated as a true disciple of Falling Cloud Sect during the Qi Condensation Stage."
"Although he's only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, the puppet he controls is a late-stage Foundation Establishment level demon puppet!"
"Meng Ziqi was overconfident, allowing his opponent to choose the combat environment."
"Han Zhen directly chose a battlefield filled with obstacles, first exhausting Meng Ziqi with a large number of low-level puppets, and then suddenly releasing the late-stage Foundation Establishment demon puppet to strike the decisive blow!"
"Not only did Meng Ziqi fail to bring glory to his sect, but he also helped establish Han Zhen's reputation for fighting above his cultivation level, further enhancing Falling Cloud Sect's prestige!"
Chu Kui, a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was renowned on the Discussion Platform in Heavenly Wave Immortal City.
He was talking about a battle between early and middle-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
But his words still carried a sense of admiration and awe.
Looking at Chu Kui's face, Luo Chen thought about how he must have sparred with many sect disciples on the Discussion Platform over the years.
To be honest, Luo Chen realized he had never fought against a high-level disciple from his sect.
In this regard, he could seek more opportunities in the future.
"Controlling a late-stage Foundation Establishment puppet at the early stage of Foundation Establishment!"
"If that's the case, Han Zhen's soul foundation must be incredibly powerful!"
Chu Kui nodded.
His tone was filled with emotion.
"The disciples of Falling Cloud Sect are known for their exceptionally strong soul foundations compared to their peers."
"Han Zhen is even more extraordinary; at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, he already possesses a soul foundation comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. It seems he has cultivated the Spirit Transformation Technique to an extremely high level."
Luo Chen blinked.
"Spirit Transformation Technique?"
"Don't you know, fellow Daoist?" Chu Kui asked in confusion, "This Spirit Transformation Technique was obtained by Han Zhan, the Supreme Elder of Falling Cloud Sect, from an ancient mystic realm. With this technique, he perfected his soul foundation, achieving extraordinary prowess in puppet manipulation and advancing all the way to the Nascent Soul Stage in one go!"
Luo Chen was genuinely shocked.
A technique to cultivate the soul!
It allowed Han Zhen to possess a soul foundation comparable to a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator even at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
It even enabled Han Zhan to advance to the Nascent Soul Stage in one go! Luo Chen also had a technique to cultivate the soul—the Bright Spirit Slaughter-breaking Technique.
However, this technique was created by a Martial Dao Master, and even after cultivating it to the Master level, it only had a slight effect on soul cultivation.
The reason why Luo Chen's soul foundation could rival that of a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator was mainly due to his experience of undergoing a heart tribulation during the Qi Condensation Stage, coupled with his consistent consumption of over a hundred Spirit Gate Pills.
With such a solid foundation, he was able to leap to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment after breaking through.
Even so, he still relied on the Ghost God Soul Mirror's simulation ability to reach the late-stage Foundation Establishment level.
Chu Kui didn't mind Luo Chen's shock; he was just envious, "If only I could learn this technique, it would be most beneficial during the Core Formation Stage, which is when the soul foundation is truly tested."
"Who wouldn't want that," Luo Chen's tone carried a hint of sourness, but he instantly caught the unintentional revelation in Chu Kui's words.
"Core Formation greatly tests the soul foundation?"
Chu Kui's expression changed slightly, and he fell silent.
Their relationship hadn't reached the point where he would freely share such valuable knowledge.
Luo Chen felt a bit disappointed; he had inadvertently shown too much eagerness.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the flower hall became a little awkward.
In the silence,
Suddenly!
Almost simultaneously, the two of them looked up at the mountain below.
A faint aura was gradually rising, and it seemed to be growing stronger by the moment.
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Chu Kui exclaimed softly and then turned to look at Luo Chen in surprise.
"He seems to have sensed the movement on the mountain just a moment after I did?"
"What a powerful soul foundation!"
Luo Chen didn't pay attention to this; instead, he stood up.
"Sorry, I can't continue drinking today."
Why did he say 'again'? Chu Kui was taken aback, "Is the person about to achieve Foundation Establishment on the mountain also your subordinate?"
He remembered the cultivator who had been cultivating at the mountain's waist a year ago, named Duan Feng, the Hall Master of Luo Tianhui, who revered Luo Chen.
Luo Chen was about to respond when his expression changed again.
Chu Kui's face also became more animated.
Because below the mountain, another newly formed Foundation Establishment aura was slowly rising.
This time, even Luo Chen was stunned.
(End of Chapter)
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