Chapter 42: The Heart Tribulation
Chapter 42: The Heart Tribulation
"He's a late Foundation Establishment cultivator from Mount Ai Lao!"
"He came to the Great River Market this time to inspect and repair the various spirit abodes, as the Great River Market was originally designed and built by Mount Ai Lao for the Jade Peak Sword Sect."
"Not only that, the Jade Peak Sword Pavilion is planning to invest a large sum of money to have him redesign and construct a new landmark building."
Hearing Gu Caiyi recount this, Luo Chen's eyelids twitched.
Damn, he's a contractor! No wonder he's so rich, casually handing out low-tier elixirs and magical artifacts.
But even with all that wealth, he shouldn't be spending spirit stones like this!
Faced with Luo Chen's confusion, Gu Caiyi thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "He has feelings for me?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Caiyi's mouth opened slightly, and she grabbed Luo Chen's arm.
"I might have a chance at the Great Dao!"
Luo Chen rolled his eyes, "It's shameful to rely on a rich guy, you know!"
Rely on a rich guy?
Being a cultivator, Gu Caiyi instantly understood the term.
She gave Luo Chen a hard punch, then seriously considered it, muttering to herself, "I heard Fei Baowen is a Dependent Husband (a man who marries into his wife's family), and he already has a partner. His partner is the granddaughter of a Golden Core cultivator from Mount Ai Lao, so he probably doesn't dare to take a concubine."
So, he's a Dependent Husband from a Prominent Family?
She huffed, thought carefully, and sighed.
"Never mind, it's better not to provoke such a person. Even if he has feelings for me, I can't afford to offend his partner."
"Besides, it's not what I want."
With that, she prepared to leave.
Luo Chen called out from behind, "When you come back tomorrow, remember to buy five hundred jade bottles at the Auspicious Market, the same style. I'll give you the spirit stones later."
Gu Caiyi didn't turn back, just waved her hand.
Watching her walk away, Luo Chen sighed and returned to the alchemy room.
"Another failure. Why is the success rate so low in the afternoon?"
"Is two furnaces a day too much of a stretch?"
Luo Chen, covered in ash, looked at the pile of medicinal waste he had just scooped out, feeling disheartened.
One failure meant five spirit stones down the drain.
But he was certain he had done his best!
He cleaned the alchemy furnace and tidied the alchemy room.
After practicing a few spells in the room, Luo Chen washed up and went to bed.
Taking the last few Qi Nurturing Pills, he began to circulate the Eternal Spring Technique.
He felt that his low cultivation realm might be the reason why his success rate in the afternoon was much lower than in the morning.
This made his practice more urgent and intense.
With his eyes tightly closed, he followed the special breathing rhythm, but it seemed a bit heavier than usual.
"How long will this life of struggle go on?"
"Gu Caiyi is really lucky, getting elixirs and magical artifacts as gifts, while I have to earn them myself."
"Is a Foundation Establishment cultivator really interested in her? She is quite beautiful, though her face isn't as delicate as Xiang Xiang's, her figure is really good."
"Why can't such a woman be mine, Luo Chen?"
"Ha, can a mid-Qi Condensation cultivator even deserve such a beauty? Unless I go to the mortal world and give up."
"But with five spiritual roots, can I really reach Foundation Establishment?"
"If I work so hard and end up with nothing, wouldn't that be a waste of my youth?"
"Maybe I should relax a bit and not be so hard on myself."
"Perhaps there will be another chance to cross over, and maybe I'll be born with a Heavenly Spirit Root and a pair of powerful parents, hehe."
A faint, sweet fragrance wafted into his nostrils, penetrating his soul.
"Wait, what am I thinking about!"
Suddenly!
Luo Chen opened his eyes, a sense of oppression and gloom surging in his chest.
Pfft!
A mouthful of fresh red blood spattered on the floor tiles.
Staring blankly at the glaring red blood, a word popped into Luo Chen's mind.
"Heart Tribulation"
A somewhat unfamiliar yet fitting term.
During his practice, he had spontaneously generated many negative emotions.
Those thoughts almost made the spiritual energy in his dantian boil during the circulation of the Eternal Spring Technique.
But shouldn't the concept of a Heart Tribulation be reserved for more advanced cultivators like Golden Core Adepts or Nascent Soul Recluses?
How could a lowly Qi Refinement cultivator like himself possibly face such a challenge?
Lost in confusion, Luo Chen began to gather his thoughts and reflect on what had just transpired.
Gradually, a glimmer of understanding dawned on him.
"Perhaps it's because I recently changed my alchemy environment, which has left my body overly fatigued."
"Or maybe it's because my success rate has been consistently low, leading to significant costs and making me overly anxious."
"Cai Yi's recent provocations might also be a contributing factor."
Luo Chen considered many possibilities, even the drastic changes in his worldview and lifestyle before and after his crossing over, which had built up a lot of negative emotions.
These emotions had been temporarily suppressed by his busy schedule, but as he relaxed recently, they gradually resurfaced.
"If I hadn't woken up in time just now, I might have succumbed to the Heart Tribulation, leading to my death and the loss of my path."
Recalling the sensation of chaotic spiritual energy surging through his meridians, Luo Chen felt a shiver of fear.
"Luckily, the Moonlight Grass saved my life."
His gaze fell on the small, white crescent-shaped plant on his bedside table, and he felt immensely grateful.
The Moonlight Grass has a calming effect on the mind and soul, with its efficacy increasing with age.
Legend has it that a thousand-year-old Moonlight Grass can even aid Nascent Soul Recluses in their cultivation.
Luo Chen didn't have a thousand-year-old Moonlight Grass, but he was only a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator.
The fragrance emitted by this Moonlight Grass had startled him awake, saving his life.
With a smile, he realized he had inadvertently received a favor from Fu Xiuxiu.
But if he told others that he faced a Heart Tribulation at the Qi Refinement stage, they probably wouldn't believe him!
After washing up, Luo Chen stepped outside.
The night was deep and still, with all sounds of the world silenced.
Sitting on the small child-sized swing, Luo Chen gazed up at the starry sky.
"Longevity is a path filled with obstacles, but they are just that—obstacles."
"Having five spiritual roots means nothing. With enough resources, even a pig can become an immortal. Why should I doubt myself?"
"Strive, fight, and never give up until the end!"
Under the stars, the man was humble as dust, but his heart shone like a star.
The next day, the same tedious tasks awaited him.
Luo Chen had grown accustomed to them, and after last night's Heart Tribulation, his mindset was even more peaceful.
Even though he failed in the morning, he didn't rush the second batch of Wondrous Pill in the afternoon.
"Rise!"
He formed the spirit seal, and with his already proficient Manipulation Technique, he lifted the still-warm furnace lid slowly.
A familiar and peculiar fragrance wafted into his nose.
Luo Chen smiled.
Success!
Unlike the spirit iron pot, the alchemy furnace could condense the pills into shape under the control of a magical array.
Thus, Luo Chen directly collected the ten Wondrous Pills into a jade bottle.
During the collection process, he rubbed his temples.
Previously, he often felt drained and fatigued by the end of each afternoon's alchemy session.
But today, he didn't feel that way at all.
Moreover, he sensed a subtle increase in his mental energy, roughly doubling it.
"Is this the reward for overcoming the Heart Tribulation last night?"
Luo Chen mused.
It was said that when high-level cultivators faced their tribulations, they not only dealt with external lightning tribulations but also internal Heart Tribulations.
These could be obsessions, mental barriers, or even the influence of extraterrestrial demons.
High-level cultivators who overcame their internal Heart Tribulations often gained unexpected benefits.
Luo Chen admitted he wasn't at that level yet, but it was rare for anyone to face a Heart Tribulation at the Qi Refinement stage.
So, it seemed plausible that this was the case.
This was undoubtedly a good thing. At least Luo Chen now had more confidence in his ability to refine two batches of Wondrous Pills a day.
Moreover, he had a feeling that this experience might bring unexpected benefits in his future cultivation.
(End of Chapter)
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