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Chapter 458: Luo Chen Emerges from Seclusion
Chapter 458: Luo Chen Emerges from Seclusion
In the serene cultivation chamber, Luo Chen sat cross-legged, his gaze as piercing as a torch, with a jade slip floating above his head.
The characters within the jade slip flowed out like a waterfall.
Gazing at the familiar words that he knew by heart, after years of hesitation, Luo Chen finally made a decision.
"The quintessence formation, characterized by the five colors, is a feature of Core Formation with complete Quintessence Essence Roots."
"Although the verdant green of the Wood attribute is dominant, the Flame Essence Energy from the auxiliary cultivation accounts for a significant two-tenths."
"If I were to consider longevity, realm-breaking, and the difficulty of entry, I should continue with the Wood attribute as the main focus and choose the Verdant Harmony Technique."
"But longevity does not equate to immortality; without reaching the realm of living as long as heaven and earth, even with extended longevity, it would still be an illusion without sufficient strength."
It must be said that after experiencing the Withering Flame's devouring of life force, which caused his lifespan limit to plummet, Luo Chen's understanding of longevity became increasingly clear and calm.
Especially after achieving Core Formation, his lifespan limit of two hundred years instantly soared to four hundred.
Vibrant and robust, even his previously gray hair had mostly reverted to a healthy black.
This allowed Luo Chen to view longevity with a clearer perspective.
No matter how high the limit, without a powerful protective cultivation technique, it would be difficult to live safely in the harsh world of cultivation until that time.
In comparison, it was a smarter and more correct choice to make himself stronger within a relatively safe lifespan range.
Not only seeking longevity but also immortality!
"Now that I've refined the Withering Flame, I possess the Primordial True Flame, but my utilization rate is quite low, and I can only use it occasionally during pill refinement."
"The developed Soul Devouring Flame and the means to plunder life force are unexpected delights."
"But the potential of this flame is not limited to this."
"If I want to utilize it to the fullest, switching to a Flame-based cultivation technique is a necessary step."
"However, I can't easily abandon my original Wood-based Spiritual Energy."
"So!"
"The Igniting Wood Technique, it's up to you!"
Luo Chen now possessed an increasing number of Tier Three Cultivation Techniques.
He originally had three, and after killing He Lianyun and his two companions in the Great Snow Mountain, he spent some time unlocking their Storage Bags to obtain the Dark Essence Pills.
He didn't get the legacy of the Ghostly Lady.
She self-destructed in the Ten Thousand Snake Cave, and her Storage Bag didn't survive.
What a pity for the Dark Essence Pill within.
However, the legacies of He Lianyun and Xiao Sanren were indeed a considerable surprise for Luo Chen.
Xiao Sanren's legacy wasn't worth much; altogether, it amounted to just over ten thousand Spirit Stones.
That's how it is for loose cultivators.
Even if they appear to be at a high cultivation level, it's very likely that they've spent their entire savings to reach that stage.
Leaving behind over ten thousand Spirit Stones was already quite an achievement.
The surprise Xiao Sanren gave Luo Chen was a Divine Soul Attack Spell called Riverside Immortal Melody.
By infusing the soul into sound and using sound waves, it allows for Divine Soul Strikes.
This Sound Wave Spell is best performed with a zither, followed by various other musical instruments, and at the very least, it can be incorporated into everyday shouts and roars.
When Luo Chen achieved Core Formation, the Divine Sounds emitted from his body contained traces of this Sound Wave Spell.
He Lianyun's legacy, on the other hand, was quite impressive.
As the leader of the Linked Cloud Commerce Alliance, his accumulated wealth over the years was substantial.
Even though Luo Chen didn't have time to thoroughly inspect it due to the urgency, a rough estimate put the number of Spirit Stones at over a million.
Some of the rare materials, when properly assessed later, would undoubtedly multiply in value several times over.
After obtaining the Dark Essence Pill, Luo Chen's primary interest was in He Lianyun's collection of Tier Three Cultivation Techniques.
He alone had collected two complete Tier Three Cultivation Techniques, one for the Water attribute and the other for the Earth attribute.
It seemed that this Evergreen of the Heavenwave Immortal City had prepared these for his post-Core Formation cultivation.
As a result, the Luo Tian Association benefited from this.
It was the Luo Tian Association that benefited, not Luo Chen.
This was because Luo Chen couldn't make much use of these complete techniques himself, and in the future, they could only be passed down as the sect's heritage after the Luo Tian Association rebuilt its sect.
Thus, while Luo Chen seemed to have five Tier Three Cultivation Techniques, only the original three were suitable for his personal cultivation.
The Flame Sun Scripture from the Flame Alliance.
The Verdant Harmony Technique bestowed by Cang Long Senior.
And a fragmented Tier Three Cultivation Technique collected by the Luo Tian Association, the Igniting Wood Technique.
As the simplest technique to cultivate with the Withering Flame, the Verdant Harmony Technique was naturally excluded.
Among the remaining two, after years of deliberation, Luo Chen ultimately chose the Igniting Wood Technique, which cultivated both Wood and Fire attributes.
Although this technique was incomplete,
it only lacked the Golden Core Late Stage chapter, along with the accompanying spells and secret techniques.
Luo Chen didn't mind the latter; if he had the funds, he could easily acquire various powerful spells through official channels.
As for the former? Perhaps other cultivators would avoid it like a venomous snake.
But for Luo Chen, the problem wasn't that significant.
"As long as I can raise the proficiency of this technique to Grand Completion before the Golden Core Late Stage, the system can more or less make up for some of the missing parts."
"Moreover, this technique originates from the Five Elements Divine Sect."
"This sect is known for researching various divine cultivation techniques and occasionally selling them at the Spirit Source Pavilion."
"In the future, I can pay a price to purchase the complete Igniting Wood Technique from them."
From the present to the future, Luo Chen's thoughts were comprehensive.
In his Qi Sea, there was an immense amount of impure spiritual energy from the heavens and earth, which required a cultivation technique to refine.
The Foundation Establishment stage's Evergreen Longevity Sutra was too inefficient.
Only a Tier Three Cultivation Technique could quickly absorb and transform it into magical energy, a level higher than spiritual power.
Therefore, after making his decision, Luo Chen immediately began cultivating the Igniting Wood Technique.
...
It must be said that with Luo Chen's innate talent for spells, his practice of cultivation techniques was also remarkably effective.
Combined with his years of research, he was already very familiar with this technique.
In just four to five days, he successfully entered the realm of the Igniting Wood Technique.
As a result, the vast spiritual energy he had ingested during Core Formation began to be refined.
During this process, Luo Chen's divine soul continuously merged with it, imbuing every bit of spiritual power with his soul's essence.
One year later.
Inside the cave mansion, Luo Chen halted his cultivation, his face filled with a contemplative expression.
"No wonder in the cultivation world, Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators are as numerous as crucian carp crossing the river, but the number of Golden Core cultivators remains low."
"Breaking through a realm is one challenge, but the complexity of the Core Formation stage's cultivation is another matter."
During the Qi Condensation stage, the primary focus was on simply absorbing external spiritual energy.
After reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, each stage required continuous purification and refinement of spiritual power, turning it into a liquid state. This allowed for the limited space of the Qi Sea to accommodate a sufficient amount of spiritual power.
As cultivators broke through to the Core Formation stage, their cultivation became even more intricate.
For external spiritual energy, one had to go through three steps: absorption, refinement, and fusion!
Absorb external spiritual energy, refine and purify it, and finally envelop it with one's spiritual sense, allowing for a basic fusion.
Only then could the complete transition from spiritual energy to spiritual power, and then to magical energy, be achieved.
The complexity of this cultivation process, even with the aid of a Tier Three Cultivation Technique, was still quite taxing on a cultivator's mental energy.
This explained why Golden Core cultivators had such high demands for Tier Three Spirit Grounds.
Just the purification and fusion alone were so exhausting; how could one spare too much energy for absorbing external spiritual energy?
Tier Three Spirit Grounds were an essential resource for Golden Core cultivators' cultivation! After realizing this point.
Luo Chen couldn't help but show a helpless expression.
He couldn't possibly occupy this Third Mansion for his entire life.
Whether the other Golden Core cultivators in Heavenwave Immortal City were willing or not was one matter.
His financial resources couldn't continue to support it, which was another matter.
Before his Core Formation, he had already exceeded the deadline.
Gu Caiyi had forcefully collected payments from various branch stores, and Sima Hui Niang had mobilized the Luo Tian Association's liquid funds, barely gathering the additional three million spirit stones for the extra three years.
This had already strained their resources to the limit.
It was easy to create a situation where they couldn't keep up with expenses.
This was a self-destructive approach.
But there was no other way; no matter how big the Luo Tian Association was, it couldn't compare to the significance of Luo Chen's Core Formation.
With Luo Chen's success in Core Formation and his reputation as a Golden Core Master, it might temporarily ease this situation to some extent.
However, fame could only provide temporary relief; it couldn't be relied upon as a long-term solution.
During their brief encounter, Luo Chen had handed over all his remaining savings—three million spirit stones and a batch of materials worth several million—to Sima Hui Niang.
Combined with the Luo Tian Association's income, it could temporarily cover the rent for the Third Mansion for the next ten years.
But what about after ten years?
Luo Chen rubbed a thumb-sized iron ring on his finger.
This item was actually a storage treasure.
It originated from Qin Tairan of the Flame Alliance!
As the Enforcement Elder, he was the de facto leader of the Flame Alliance after it faced a major calamity.
It was likely that within his ring, there was a substantial inheritance!
So, for the next nine years, Luo Chen's task was simple and clear.
First and foremost, he needed to stabilize and solidify his current realm.
With the commotion he caused during his Core Formation, as long as he thoroughly refined the vast spiritual energy accumulated in his body, he could directly advance to the first layer of the Golden Core.
This was exactly what Chu Kui had said.
The Upper Method Condensation Technique's cultivation was so challenging that it naturally offered corresponding benefits.
One was that Core Formation was relatively easier.
The other was that cultivation in the initial Golden Core stage was relatively faster.
After all, even before Core Formation, he had already touched upon Golden Core cultivation, and the fusion of spiritual power and divine soul force was already ahead of ordinary initial Golden Core cultivators.
As for the second task, it involved removing the residual spiritual sense imprint on Qin Tairan's iron ring.
Luo Chen was quite experienced in this matter.
It wasn't the first time he had done something like this.
One could even say that he still had a batch of Foundation Establishment cultivators' storage bags that he hadn't opened yet.
He could open these blind boxes later, which might alleviate Luo Chen's current financial predicament.
As for the third task?
It was related to the two cultivation techniques Luo Chen had created himself.
The Convergence of Ten Thousand Paths and the Dusty Origin Technique.
The former was a Tier Three body refinement technique, following the Feral Ancient Beast Body Refinement lineage, with limitless potential.
The latter was a Core Formation technique that Luo Chen had created by combining various techniques, and it was rated as an "Ultimate Technique" by the system.
However, during Core Formation, Luo Chen still noticed various shortcomings in it.
Fortunately, while the Core Formation insights were still fresh, Luo Chen could thoroughly complete it.
...
Outside.
The war had begun, and the preparations were set for fifty years, but it was impossible to strictly adhere to this timeline.
With the gathering of twenty-seven large and small sects participating in this war, some tasks could be carried out in advance.
The coalition led by Falling Cloud Sect finally began to mobilize, supported by countless manpower and resources, to eradicate the demonic beasts within the Jade Cauldron Domain.
They thoroughly opened up several routes leading to the Howling Moon Mountain Range.
Outside the mountain range, they established a temporary outpost, which would serve as a future war fortress.
They dispatched perceptive individuals to enter the mountain range ahead of time, scouting the terrain and gathering information on the concentrations of demonic beast forces in various areas.
Amidst the increasingly bustling Eastern Cultivation World, Luo Chen emerged from his seclusion!
Heavenly Wave Peak, Mansion One of the Third Mansion.
The cloud cover concealing the cave mansion had dissipated, and the mansion's doors were wide open.
Luo Chen stood at the entrance, quietly waiting for something.
Before long, a streak of light flew over from not too far away.
As the glow of magical energy faded, the face of a Falling Cloud Sect Golden Core Cultivator came into view.
Luo Chen clasped his fists in greeting, "Daoist Qu, it's been many years. I trust you've been well."
Qu Xi Bai smiled slightly, about to say something, but his eyes flashed with surprise as he looked at Luo Chen.
"Indeed, you are no ordinary cultivator. To achieve such control over your magical energy and the unity of the Three Treasures within ten years of reaching the Golden Core stage is remarkable. I wonder what realm you've reached now..."
Luo Chen nodded, "The first layer of the Golden Core stage."
Qu Xi Bai was shocked by this anticipated answer.
Typically, cultivators needed several years to stabilize their realm after advancing to the Golden Core stage.
Yes, merely stabilizing their realm required several years.
To progress from the initial Golden Core stage to the first layer, one would need at least three or four decades of dedicated cultivation.
Yet, Luo Chen had skipped this step and directly reached the first layer within a mere ten years.
Such a cultivation speed...
Qu Xi Bai shook his head, "Even with the use of secret cultivation techniques for core formation, your progress is unmatched. It seems your foundation is even more solid than I had estimated!"
Hearing this praise, Luo Chen couldn't help but smile wryly.
Indeed, his progress in the simplest and easiest first layer of the Golden Core stage was exceptionally fast.
However, this was due to the benefits of a rich accumulation leading to a sudden breakthrough.
The subsequent cultivation, on the other hand, had been a constant headache.
His foundation was already unusually robust, and he had chosen a dual-attribute cultivation technique after reaching the Golden Core stage, making his cultivation journey even more challenging.
To be honest, after entering the first layer of the Golden Core stage and discovering the slower cultivation speed, Luo Chen did feel a hint of regret.
Would his cultivation speed have been faster if he had chosen the single-attribute Verdant Harmony Technique?
But this regret was fleeting and minor.
Compared to the slightly slower cultivation speed, the gradually emerging advantages of practicing the Igniting Wood Technique far outweighed this single drawback.
His magical energy was now even more potent than before.
His control over the Primordial True Fire had also become more refined.
Furthermore, he had completed his revisions and refinements of the Convergence of Ten Thousand Paths.
From now on, he could use the Withering Flame for normal body tempering!
The two exchanged a few words about their cultivation experiences and then returned to the main topic.
"Is it truly impossible to continue renting this Mansion One of the Third Mansion?"
"Well, for the next fifty years, I won't be the one making the decisions."
"Hmm?"
As Luo Chen wondered, Qu Xi Bai pointed towards the eastern direction.
This gesture made Luo Chen suddenly realize something.
The war had already begun while he was in seclusion!
As a Golden Core Cultivator of Falling Cloud Sect, Qu Xi Bai had no reason to stay in the Immortal City, especially since it wasn't built by their sect but by the joint efforts of the Seven Sects.
"Regarding the Heavenly Wave Immortal City, our sect has already reached an agreement with the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect."
"They paid a hefty price to reclaim complete ownership of Heavenly Wave."
"Not just my Falling Cloud Sect, but even your Ice Fortress, Green Pill Valley, Ailao Mountain, and Hundred Flowers Palace won't have any claim over this city after the last ten-year rotation."
As Qu Xi Bai explained, Luo Chen's expression turned solemn.
The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect must have paid an enormous price to reclaim ownership of Heavenly Wave.
From now on, the benefits of the Immortal City would no longer be shared among the sects but would solely belong to the Sword Sect.
However, there was a point of confusion.
As far as Luo Chen knew, although twenty-seven sects were participating in this war against the Howling Moon Mountain Range, Green Pill Valley and Ailao Mountain were only contributing manpower.
Even if they conquered the mountain range, these sects wouldn't relocate their headquarters there.
Similarly, the Ice Fortress, after Cang Lang Shangren's unsuccessful attempt at Nascent Soul stage, wouldn't move their base to the Great Snow Mountain.
In other words, these sects would continue to operate within the Jade Cauldron Domain.
Would they be willing to buy out a long-term benefit with a one-time payment to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect?
No one could provide Luo Chen with answers to these questions.
Qu Xi Bai wouldn't either.
His visit today was not only to inspect the cave mansion but also to bid farewell.
"My sect is about to launch a full-scale attack on the Howling Moon Mountain Range. This place is not suitable for long-term residence. At most, within three months, when the Sword Sect cultivators arrive, I will hand over the responsibilities and join the battle."
Luo Chen nodded and expressed his well-wishes.
Before leaving, Qu Xi Bai offered a piece of advice, "Renting a cave mansion in an Immortal City with a significant amount of spirit stones is not a long-term solution. It's best for you to join a Nascent Soul Supreme Sect to enjoy the benefits of a Tier Three Spirit Vein. Or... participate in the war, use your skills to claim a Tier Three Spirit Vein for yourself!"
"In the vast expanse of the Hundred Thousand Mile Mountains, there are numerous high-rank spirit grounds. Don't limit your vision to this small Jade Cauldron Domain!"
(End of Chapter)
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