https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-401-The-Thriving-Luo-Tian-Association-Trouble-Brewing/12932562/
Chapter 400: A Vicious Secret Art, The Prelude to Kingship
Chapter 400: A Vicious Secret Art, The Prelude to Kingship
The changes in Luo Chen's physique were due to the Heavenly Thunder Body Transformation Technique.
In the past, he wasn't this thin.
After undergoing the Thunder Tempering Body, he transformed into his current state.
To regain his previous physique wasn't difficult; he just needed to increase his intake of high-quality meat-based Spirit Meals.
When Luo Chen mentioned this to Sima Huiwang, the next day, the Luo Tian Association began procuring large quantities of premium ingredients for him.
Instead of using their own Spirit Rice, they purchased third-rank Spirit Rice cultivated by the Five Elements Divine Sect, which cost a hundred Spirit Stones for just ten pounds!
They bought it by the thousand pounds! Various vegetables and fruits infused with Spirit Energy were also transported to Heavenly Wave Peak in large quantities through storage bags.
But most importantly, it was the meat! Luo Chen naturally had no interest in first-rank Demon Beast meat.
At the very least, it had to be second-rank.
Sima Huiwang even tried to procure the blood and meat of third-rank Demon Beasts through the black market.
Even if the quality was too high for Xiao Ling to cook, Luo Chen was determined to consume it raw.
Through their research, Luo Chen and Wang Yuan had grasped the principles of the Convergence of Ten Thousand Paths, a third-rank Body Refinement Technique with limitless potential.
It wasn't a simple technique.
It was all about energy utilization! Whether it was the initial Yi Jing Bone Washing and Qi Ingestion Chapter or the intermediate Unblocking Meridians and Blood Replacement Bone Transformation Chapter, all required an immense amount of resources.
Only the Luo Tian Association, now on the right track, could provide Luo Chen with a large number of Spirit Stones.
Additionally, his bountiful harvest from the Thunder Accumulation Mountain battlefield played a significant role.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to sustain the costs of Body Refinement in a short period.
Furthermore, there was another awkward situation that Luo Chen couldn't ignore.
The lack of external force! The Convergence of Ten Thousand Paths was created to consume the terrifying Thunder Power within Luo Chen's body.
Therefore, it required a substantial amount of external force.
If Body Refinement was likened to forging a weapon, the body was the mold, the vast resources were the various materials, and the external force was the giant hammer needed to strike the mold.
Luo Chen's current dilemma was the absence of the Thunder Power, that giant hammer, which left him unable to continue his Body Refinement.
However, he knew he couldn't become a big fat man overnight.
First, he needed to solidify his current physical foundation and master the corresponding methods.
As for the future?
He'd deal with that later! Luo Chen still intended to focus on his Immortal Cultivation.
The path of Body Refinement was nearly severed, leaving him to explore on his own.
As for the path of Qi Refinement, he already had a clear path ahead.
He had no reason to seek a more distant goal.
Currently, his practice of the Heavenly Peng Transformation was merely to provide sufficient protection for his Immortal Cultivation.
During his dedicated cultivation, visitors to his cave abode never ceased.
After Wang Yuan, it was Chu Kui!
"You're living a leisurely life!" Chu Kui said with a hint of envy as he watched Luo Chen practicing a set of boxing techniques under the concealment of an array.
On the mountain platform, Luo Chen paid him no mind and continued his Five Viscera Health Preservation Fist.
He had already mastered this set of boxing techniques!
But he was still practicing it.
The reason was to nurture the five energies within his chest.
Wang Yuan had mentioned that his Heavenly Peng Transformation had a flaw, and he intended to integrate his Gigantic Transformation to compensate.
And the Gigantic Transformation required the support of robust Five Viscera and Five Energies.
Luo Chen was now making the necessary preparations for his new Heavenly Peng Transformation.
After finishing the set, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Luo Chen's face.
After a few months, he gained some weight, at least no longer appearing emaciated.
If one had to describe his current state in a word, it would be "lean"? Thin, yet robust! He looked slender, but beneath his clothes, his muscles were exceptionally terrifying.
The power within them was not to be underestimated, even by Wang Yuan.
Sitting across from Chu Kui, Luo Chen took a sip of warm Spirit Wine and smiled.
"Leisurely?"
"It's just finding joy in suffering!"
"Tell me, how's your research on the Upper Core Formation Secret Art from the Falling Cloud Sect going?"
The Upper Core Formation Secret Art from the Falling Cloud Sect—the Spirit Bead Curtain!
When the conversation turned serious, Chu Kui's expression became solemn.
He said in a deep voice, "This technique is too vicious!"
"Hmm?"
Luo Chen was taken aback. Vicious? How so? Seeing his surprised expression, Chu Kui realized that during his time away, Luo Chen hadn't seriously studied the Spirit Bead Curtain Secret Art.
After all, Luo Chen was only at the sixth layer of Foundation Establishment, so there was no need to rush.
But Chu Kui was different; he was at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment, on the verge of condensing his Gold Core. After returning, he had spent countless sleepless nights researching the four Core Formation Secret Techniques.
The Upper Core Formation Secret Art was, of course, his primary focus.
At this moment, he explained the intricacies of this technique to Luo Chen.
"According to the Secret Art, once a cultivator steps into the Gold Core realm, their soul, spirit, and energy merge as one. At this point, the spirit perception integrates with the soul, transforming into divine perception, which has infinite wondrous uses. When the divine perception merges with the energy, it evolves into magical power with immense might."
"Wait, how is this achieved?" Luo Chen didn't understand the transformation.
Chu Kui was patient and explained it step by step.
"The key lies in the Gold Core that the cultivator condenses! The Gold Core is the collection of one's entire spiritual energy. Through the soul's enchanting of the Gold Core, the soul and energy interact, allowing for the evolution of infinite magical power."
His explanation was clear, but Luo Chen still didn't fully grasp it.
There was no other way; without experiencing that realm, many things sounded simple, but it was challenging to imagine them personally.
He could only understand it as the Golden Core being a large container that holds Spiritual Energy, with the soul and Spiritual Energy constantly interacting within to bring about transformation.
Chu Kui didn't go into detail, or perhaps his own understanding wasn't that profound.
He merely explained the description from the Spirit Bead Curtain Secret Technique based on his understanding.
"Thus, the creator of this secret technique, with their lofty vision and insight, proposed the idea of first forming the characteristics of the Golden Core and then condensing it."
"If one can transform a portion of their Magical Power in advance, then when it's time to condense the Golden Core, it will naturally be much easier."
Luo Chen seemed to be deep in thought.
It seemed to make sense? Instead of waiting for a complete transformation and achieving the Golden Core, it would be better to first possess some of the characteristics of a Golden Core Cultivator and then reverse the process to form the core, making it twice the result with half the effort.
And as for Magical Power...
Luo Chen took a sip of the Spirit Wine in his cup and guessed, "Could it be merging the soul into the Spiritual Energy? But before, many Foundation Establishment Cultivators, including you and me, have tried it, and it's fundamentally impossible to achieve on a large scale. Moreover, even if a small amount is achieved, it's difficult to maintain for long."
Chu Kui nodded, "Exactly!"
But immediately, he rejected this idea, "We can't do it, but in the eyes of a master, there's a way to make it possible."
"The Spirit Bead Curtain Secret Technique?" Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly!" Chu Kui's face showed a look of admiration, "This secret technique mentions dividing the soul, deriving Divine Soul Threads, and linking them to the liquefied Spiritual Energy. In this way, each drop of highly compressed and pure Spirit Essence, when linked together, can be considered a drop of Magical Power! Finally, when condensing the Golden Core, with the main soul as the leader, all the Spirit Essence is fused and wrapped together. Thus, the Golden Core is formed!"
Crack!
The wine cup shattered!
Luo Chen, who had not yet fully mastered his current powerful body, lost his composure for a moment.
But it also showed his shock at this concept.
Dividing the soul, deriving Divine Soul Threads, linking the Spirit Essence, and forming a Spirit Pearl, this Spirit Pearl would possess some characteristics of Magical Power. Finally, since everything is connected by the soul, when merging them together, it would naturally be advantageous.
At that time, the Golden Core Path would be within reach!
Looking at the shocked Luo Chen, Chu Kui sighed, "It's a grand concept, isn't it?"
"Indeed!" Luo Chen swallowed, exclaiming, "I wonder which master proposed this idea. I can even imagine the scene of easily forming the Golden Core if all the Spirit Essence were to be infused and guided by the soul."
Spirit Bead Curtain! It's truly a fitting name!
Soul Spirit Bead Curtain, entering the Golden Core in one go!
Chu Kui said with a faint voice, "It's not just a concept, but even the operational methods are clearly written. How to divide the soul, how to link it, and how to finally merge it, it's all explained in great detail. The Luoyun Sect didn't hold back; this is indeed a complete Upper Core Formation Secret Art!"
Listening to Chu Kui's faint tone, Luo Chen was shocked, but he was also curious.
Why did Chu Kui look so unhappy?
With the Upper Method in hand, the Great Path was within reach. Why the gloom?
Suddenly, he realized the key.
Dividing the soul!
His expression changed dramatically, "How can the soul be divided? Madness! The soul is the most important aspect of our cultivators; how can we just divide it?"
All things have a spirit, and life is born with it.
When humans embark on cultivation, they develop Spirit Perception.
Initially, during the Refining Qi stage, the Spirit Perception resides in the Sea of Knowledge and cannot leave the body. Once Foundation Establishment is achieved, the Spirit Perception can leave the body and illuminate the surroundings for several miles. If one is fortunate enough to achieve the Golden Core Path, they can further evolve their Spirit Perception, illuminating the heavens and earth.
It is said that the subsequent Core Shattering into Embryo and Embryo Transforming into Divine are not changes in Spiritual Energy but higher-level transformations of the soul.
In a sense, the soul is the very foundation of a cultivator's existence.
Along his journey, Luo Chen had reaped the benefits of a powerful soul.
During the Refining Qi stage, when he faced the Heart Tribulation and consumed the Mystic Soul Pill, his soul became stronger. Because of his strong soul, he could refine more pills each day, cultivate his innate techniques more frequently, and even control a few more magical artifacts during battles.
One could say that the importance of the soul far surpasses that of the body and Spiritual Energy.
Luo Chen only dared to nurture it carefully and would never dare to tamper with his soul.
"No wonder you said this technique is sinister!"
Luo Chen was shocked and now understood why Chu Kui had said those words at the beginning.
Chu Kui also sighed, "Yes, we cultivators only wish for a stronger soul; how dare we weaken it?"
After the soul is divided, it will naturally become weaker.
The consequences are also extremely severe.
During battles, one cannot afford to be distracted. When cultivating, it's easier to fall into demonic cultivation. Controlling the vast Spiritual Energy within the body will become a daunting task.
A slight mishap, an imbalance of Spiritual Energy, and a disturbance in the Sea of Qi—no one dares to bear such consequences!
Luo Chen couldn't help but ask, "Since it's an Upper Method Secret Technique, there must be no such flaws. Does the technique have a supplementary healing method?"
"No!"
"Did the Luoyun Sect hold back?"
"As I said before, it's indeed a complete Upper Core Formation Secret Art. At least, with my knowledge, I can't see any deletions or omissions."
At this point, both fell silent.
Luo Chen looked at the worried Chu Kui and could roughly understand his feelings.
After a while, he shook his head, "Perhaps it's not that they held back or deleted anything, but that this secret technique itself has a complementary set of other techniques.
"
His words were naturally related to the cultivation technique he had recently created.
The "Ten Thousand Paths Converging" was actually a comprehensive Body Refinement Secret Art.
The "Heavenly Peng Transformation" served as the main framework, but the cultivation methods were further divided into specific techniques.
These included Qiti Tongyuan, Divine Mind Slaying Demon, Blood Cleansing Meridian, Thunder Strike Opening Acupoints, and more.
The Spirit Bead Curtain Secret Art was akin to one of the many sub-techniques under the "Ten Thousand Paths Converging."
Hearing this, Chu Kui nodded.
"Perhaps that's the case."
"It's rumored that the Luoyun Sect cultivators have naturally stronger soul spirits than others, allowing them to effortlessly control automatons. The powerful ones can even control Tier 3 automatons at the Foundation Establishment stage or simultaneously manipulate two to three automatons to fight."
Luo Chen was well aware of this rumor.
Furthermore, he had personally witnessed Han Zheng, a cultivator at the Fourth Level of Foundation Establishment, simultaneously controlling a flying automaton, a close-combat automaton, and a long-range attack automaton!
Two of those three automatons were as powerful as those of late-stage Foundation Establishment Grand Masters!
The strength of his soul spirit was evident.
Wait a minute!
Luo Chen asked in confusion, "It's understandable for one or two people to have powerful soul spirits, but for so many disciples of the Luoyun Sect to be this strong, it's clear that it's not an innate ability."
Chu Kui hummed in agreement, "Perhaps it's related to the Soul Strengthening cultivation techniques they possess?"
Luo Chen's eyes lit up instantly.
He didn't have a Soul Strengthening cultivation technique, but he had Soul Strengthening pills!
As Chu Kui felt dejected, Luo Chen handed him a bottle of pills.
"What's this?"
"Mystic Soul Pill, a First-Rank pill, but of the highest grade. It's effective even for Foundation Establishment cultivators like us."
"What's it for?"
"To enter the Mystic Soul Dream and strengthen the soul spirit!"
Chu Kui was stunned.
Trembling, he carefully took the bottle of pills.
"Don't joke with me, brother!"
"Just take it and try it, I'm not trying to deceive you."
"It's not that..."
At this moment, Chu Kui was so excited that he couldn't contain himself.
He had a Core Formation Secret Art in front of him, but he couldn't use it and dared not attempt Core Formation with it.
The feeling was like standing before a mountain of treasures without being able to enter, or holding a beauty in his arms but not daring to touch her. It was tormenting and hopeless.
Now, Luo Chen was telling him that there was still hope.
Soul Strengthening pills!
If he could strengthen his soul spirit beyond the Foundation Establishment stage, then even if he split a part of it, it might not be a big deal.
With this, the Spirit Bead Curtain Secret Art could be put to use.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The sound of knocking on the table echoed as Chu Kui, excited, lifted his head to look at Luo Chen.
"I can provide you with the Mystic Soul Pill regularly to help strengthen your soul spirit."
"But let me be clear from the start..."
Chu Kui interrupted Luo Chen, "You don't need to say it, I understand what you mean!"
He said with relief, "It's just that I'll be the one to try out this Spirit Bead Curtain Secret Art and provide you with experience and lessons, right?"
Luo Chen hummed in agreement, "Yes, this process won't be as smooth as it seems. Success would be great, but failure..."
The dangers of Core Formation surpassed even Foundation Establishment!
In the Immortal Cultivation World, there were numerous examples of cultivators who succeeded in Foundation Establishment after previous failures.
However, those who failed at Core Formation and then succeeded in subsequent attempts were extremely rare!
At most, they would only form a False Core Realm and barely survive.
"In fact, we have three other Lower Method Core Formation Secret Arts. You don't need to take this risky path."
"No!"
Chu Kui refused decisively, "Since we have the Upper Method, I definitely won't choose the Lower Method. In this life, my name includes the character 'Kui,' and I'm also known as the leader among loose cultivators. For Core Formation, I'll naturally choose the best method! I understand the risks and consequences, and I won't blame you if I fail."
"It's best that you think this way," Luo Chen smiled slightly, "I'm eager to hear about your experiences after cultivating this secret art."
A mysterious and dangerous Core Formation Secret Art.
Luo Chen didn't dare to try it lightly.
But with Chu Kui taking the lead, he could obtain a wealth of firsthand information.
Thus, Chu Kui would be the vanguard, and Luo Chen would reap the benefits.
The advantages and disadvantages were clear to both of them in just a few words.
Without saying more, Chu Kui hurried home to test the effects of the Mystic Soul Pill.
In the future, he would likely dedicate himself to quiet cultivation, striving for the Great Perfection of the Ninth Level of Foundation Establishment.
In terms of resources, he no longer had to worry.
On the Thunder Mountain battlefield, Luo Chen had gained a lot, and Chu Kui had also acquired a significant amount.
After Chu Kui left, Luo Chen took out four jade slips from his storage bag.
Ice Fortress Dragon Phoenix Tribulation, Ailao Mountain Escape Shackles, Qingdan Valley Primordial Law, and Luoyun Sect Spirit Bead Curtain.
Four Core Formation Secret Arts, three lower and one upper!
Luo Chen naturally wouldn't place all his hopes on a single method.
If Chu Kui's path didn't work out, he still had three other paths to try.
Currently, he was at the Sixth Level of Foundation Establishment, still far from Core Formation.
But familiarizing himself with these secret arts beforehand was never a bad idea.
His talent was too poor, and Core Formation would likely be even more challenging.
Therefore, failure was not an option.
Only with thorough preparation and seamless execution would he be on the right path.
"I hope these secret arts won't disappoint me!"
Mumbling to himself, Luo Chen began to read the "Escape Shackles."
After all, it was a secret art from the Great Golden Core School, so even if it was a Lower Method, it shouldn't be too bad!
(End of Chapter)
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