https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-535-True-Flame-Pill-Scorching-Heaven-s-Seven-Rings/12942164/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-537-Han-Zhan-s-Submission-in-the-Demon-Sea/12942171/
Chapter 536: Rapid Progress, Han Zhan's Awakening
Chapter 536: Rapid Progress, Han Zhan's Awakening
Luo Chen felt a lingering sense of unease.
He never expected the True Flame Pill's medicinal power to be so domineering!
It wasn't just about quantity.
What made it truly formidable was the impact of its quality.
If the Starlight Pill's medicinal properties were like countless stars in the sky, allowing the cultivator to pick and choose at will, then the True Flame Pill was like a blazing sun, a singular entity that illuminated everything, leaving no place to hide.
If ordinary cultivation pills were like a gentle stream, slowly absorbed without harming the Golden Core Cultivator's origin, then the True Flame Pill was like a raging torrent, crashing through the meridians and aura sea, with no regard for the cultivator's condition.
In summary, this True Flame Pill had already taken on three parts of the characteristics of a 'boundary-breaking' pill.
It wasn't known for its gentle and enduring medicinal power, suitable for absorption.
Instead, it was renowned for its violent medicinal power, capable of pushing the boundaries of the human body.
It was common knowledge in the cultivation world that boundary-breaking pills, despite containing immense medicinal power, were the least suitable for long-term cultivation assistance.
After all, pushing the boundaries of the human body mostly targeted higher realms, but long-term consumption could also lead to instability in the original realm, resulting in occasional realm regression.
Through this, Luo Chen also understood a long-standing doubt in his mind.
"No wonder the Flame Alliance rarely has cultivators taking the True Flame Pill for cultivation, yet they always maintain a small amount of True Flame Pill refining. They are using this pill as a boundary-breaking pill!"
Luo Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
Fortunately, his foundation was solid enough!
Otherwise, ordinary Golden Core Cultivators would hardly dare to take the True Flame Pill for long-term cultivation assistance.
There was no other reason; Luo Chen's meridians, acupoints, and even his aura sea had established an exceptionally robust foundation during the Foundation Establishment Stage.
After condensing the Golden Core, this solid foundation grew even stronger.
Over the years of cultivation, the benefits became increasingly evident.
Additionally, his body, comparable to a demon beast, could fully withstand the impact of the True Flame Pill.
"Let me search for where the medicine scourge is."
With a thought, Luo Chen's divine perception spread throughout his body, carefully searching for the rumored True Flame Pill's fire scourge.
After a long time, Luo Chen's expression changed slightly.
"Found it! It's so well-hidden, attached to the Golden Core!"
The cultivator's Golden Core was the most important yet easily overlooked part.
If not for Luo Chen's slight sense of discomfort in his energy circulation, he might have never noticed this anomaly.
This was why Luo Chen understood why Flame Alliance cultivators, despite their proficiency in fire techniques, dared not take the True Flame Pill for long-term cultivation.
This fire-attribute medicine scourge was attached to the Golden Core.
Who would dare to joke about such a matter?
However, now that it had been found, things became easier!
Through Luo Chen's experiments, he gradually found three methods to remove the medicine scourge.
One was to slowly erode it with energy, a relatively slow process, which was probably the standard method used by Flame Alliance cultivators after breaking through with the help of the True Flame Pill, and then eliminating the medicine scourge.
Another method involved integrating the Mystic Alchemy Method of Pure Origin's Elemental Technique of Dust. When operating this technique, it would passively scrape off a bit of the medicine scourge from the Golden Core, but the effect was minimal.
"Indeed, the medicine scourge is not like regular poison. The method to eliminate poison has minimal effect."
Luo Chen had anticipated this.
After all, the fire-attribute medicine scourge left by the True Flame Pill was inherently part of its medicinal properties. Without this scourge, there would be no 'boundary-breaking' effect.
Fortunately, Luo Chen had one last method.
In the quiet cultivation room, Luo Chen swiftly formed intricate hand seals, and amidst the dazzling display, a spell took shape following a unique energy circulation route.
Then, he carefully and cautiously pointed it at his lower abdomen.
The next moment, a small fiery knife appeared in his aura sea.
The knife slashed towards the Golden Core!
A faint wisp of energy detached itself.
The Golden Core spun rapidly, seemingly unaware of what it was afraid of.
Then, the knife slashed again.
More anomalous energies were peeled away with each strike.
Luo Chen held his breath until his face turned purple from the strain, and then he suddenly exhaled.
Hiss...
A charred hole appeared on the ground.
Seeing this, Luo Chen felt both joy and shock.
He was delighted that the Fourth Rank Dragon-Slaying Technique was indeed effective in eliminating the medicine scourge, and the effect was excellent!
But what shocked him was the extreme toxicity of the True Flame Pill's medicine scourge.
When attached to the Golden Core, it didn't seem to manifest much, but after being expelled, its intense toxicity became fully apparent.
It was unimaginable what kind of dire situation a cultivator's Golden Core would face if they consumed the pill for an extended period without removing the medicine scourge.
Looking at the charred hole on the ground, Luo Chen fell into a silent reverie.
After a long time, he nodded slightly.
"This medicine scourge is extremely toxic. Even a trace of it can be eradicated with patient effort."
"But if I gather thousands or even tens of thousands of strands to use against enemies..."
...
With the assistance of eighteen "Medicine Apprentices," Luo Chen's time spent processing medicinal ingredients was completely freed up.
As a result, his cultivation in this aspect made significant progress.
Whether it was defensive spells or physical training, he improved rapidly.
His lifebound treasure, the Primordial Cauldron, also began to gradually emit a radiant glow under his daily nurturing and refining. Its power became more apparent, and Luo Chen's control over it became more effortless.
Not only that, but the two martial arts that had stagnated for years also showed signs of approaching perfection as Luo Chen practiced them from time to time in the nearby sea area.
His cultivation base advanced at an astonishing pace! With the assistance of a Third Rank Spirit Ground, he could cultivate without restrictions.
His cultivation speed was comparable to that of a Heavenly Spirit Root cultivator!
As his proficiency in refining the True Flame Pill increased, he produced higher-grade pills.
Additionally, his understanding of the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture deepened.
With all these factors, Luo Chen felt that he was getting closer and closer to the Mid-stage Golden Core Realm within just two or three years.
Of course.
His progress was so evident that it had a profound impact on the Flying Swans Archipelago.
First of all, it was the Cheng Family.
To exchange for the Azure Sun Alchemy Canon on Moon Invitation Island, Cheng Dou went to great lengths, sparing no expense to collect various medicinal ingredients for Luo Chen.
This included not only the raw materials needed for the True Flame Pill but also a portion of the materials required for refining the Incarnation Pill!
Just as Luo Chen had considered Core Formation even when he first entered the Foundation Establishment Stage, now that he was approaching the Core Formation Mid-stage, it was natural for him to plan for his future incarnation.
In his opinion, there were only three conditions required for Incarnation.
The first was sufficient personal accumulation, the second was an appropriate Fourth Rank Spirit Vein, and the last was the Incarnation Pill, which was merely the icing on the cake.
Especially since he couldn't return to the Eastern Wilderness in the short term, he might as well take advantage of the Skyward Isles' group of cultivators to help him gather the materials for the Incarnation Pill.
When the time came, he could slowly figure it out and surely refine the Incarnation Pill.
However, this would be a hardship for the various families of the Skyward Isles.
The True Flame Pill alone required a significant expense, not to mention the vast amount of medicinal ingredients needed for the Incarnation Pill.
Some of the smaller families may have had their doubts, but Cheng Dou paid them no mind.
Without Yan Nan Tian's suppression, even though he was constantly traveling, his cultivation progressed step by step, reaching the Foundation Establishment Peak.
Core Formation was within reach!
Throughout the Skyward Isles, not a single sect possessed a Core Formation Secret Art worthy of recognition. In the past, Skyward Isles cultivators relied solely on their personal accumulation and Heaven's Favor to achieve Core Formation.
Now that they had The Azure Sun Alchemy Canon, how could Cheng Dou not give it his all?
Not to mention him, among the thirty-six islands, any family with a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator of suitable age would spare no effort to collect medicinal ingredients for Luo Chen, hoping to exchange them for The Azure Sun Alchemy Canon as soon as possible.
Under these circumstances, this small cultivation world, located in a remote sea area, fell into a state of morbid frenzy.
The foundations, wealth, and manpower of each family were being continuously depleted.
All the resources consumed eventually transformed into countless medicinal ingredients, flowing towards the small island in the ten-li flat lake.
The strength of the major families did not increase; instead, they stagnated.
If not for the temporary absence of external enemies and the suppression of the Azure Sun Demon Lord above, not to mention the lack of internal strife and chaos, it was possible that they would not only stagnate but also decline.
Under such strange circumstances, those small families with only one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators naturally trembled in fear.
However, there were also insightful individuals who understood the underlying principles.
The fact that the Azure Sun Demon Lord dared to use the Incarnation Secret Art to command the group of cultivators indicated his tolerance and willingness to have a Golden Core cultivator under his command.
And all the major families were Foundation Establishment families.
As soon as one family produced a Golden Core cultivator, they could instantly rise above the rest and suppress the other families.
Even the Cheng family, with their close relationship with the Azure Sun Demon Lord, would lose their advantage if they were a step behind the others.
They were all in a competition!
In this competition among the families, the only one who truly benefited was the Azure Sun Demon Lord.
With just one copy of The Azure Sun Alchemy Canon, the originally peaceful thirty-six islands of Skyward Isles were stirred into a state of exhaustion, truly worthy of the title of a Demon Lord!
...
Luo Chen was completely unaware of the outside world's frenzy and the slander against him. Even if he knew, he would simply ignore it all.
He immersed himself in his little world, reveling in the constant sense of growth, feeling incredibly content.
If not for the limitations of his lifespan and his concerns for Hui Niang, Cai Yi, Wang Yuan, and Duan Feng, Luo Chen might have wanted to indulge in this state for his entire life.
The feeling of constantly perceiving his own growth was truly intoxicating.
Unconsciously, three years passed in a flash.
On this day, a beam of Ethereal Light flew back from overseas, flashing a few times over the Skyward Isles before landing on the central small island.
The clouds and mist parted, and a tall woman stood at the palace entrance, smiling warmly as she watched the visitor approach.
"Senior, your mood seems to be good today!"
Luo Chen laughed heartily, "Of course, I've perfected another great technique, so my mood is naturally excellent!"
As he spoke, he strode into the grand hall with the grace of a dragon.
Cheng Hairen followed behind him, her eyes filled with even more reverence.
Over the past three years, she had basically lived and worked on Moon Invitation Island, tirelessly handling various tasks for Luo Chen.
Whether it was receiving medicinal ingredients from the families, providing Blood Feast at regular intervals, or the most important task of processing the medicinal ingredients, it was all done by her alone.
In these three years, the "Sea Heart Fairy" who had only known carefree cultivation under the protection of her family had disappeared, leaving behind only the efficient and capable "Moonlit Fairy."
However, her "authority" meant nothing in front of Luo Chen.
During these three years, she personally witnessed Luo Chen's cultivation progress day by day.
From time to time, he would gain some insights, and occasionally, he would take her out to sea to experiment with spells and treasures, creating scenes that were often earth-shattering.
This rate of progress completely shattered her preconceived notions of Golden Core cultivators.
According to what she knew, Golden Core cultivators were supposed to take decades or even centuries to cultivate a single powerful technique.
But their master, in just three to five days, would gain minor insights, and in seven to eight months, he would make rapid progress, and in one to two years, he would achieve great success.
Moreover, the technique he cultivated was not one that appeared to be a quick fix but rather a solid and reliable great technique with a strong foundation!
Perhaps, this was what a Demon Lord was like!
As Cheng Hairen looked up to him, Luo Chen stopped in his tracks, narrowing his eyes as if sensing something.
After a moment, he nodded in satisfaction.
"Xu Muchuan is doing well, he's even refined a Middle-grade Condensation Pill."
Just then, he had caught a faint scent of pill fragrance.
He released his Mind Sea, and in a small pill room, he saw a young man happily collecting pills.
That was Xu Muchuan.
Cheng Hairen smiled gently, "All of this is thanks to your guidance, Senior."
"It's also because Xu Muchuan has excellent talent in pill refinement that he has made such progress." Luo Chen humbly acknowledged, but the satisfaction on his face was evident.
Without his guidance, where would Xu Muchuan have found so many low-grade medicinal ingredients to practice with?
Without his pointers, how could Xu Muchuan have refined Middle-grade pills in just three years?
With his current knowledge and abilities, nurturing a talented individual into a pill refinement master was incredibly simple.
Moreover, it didn't even require him to provide resources!
"Here are ten bottles of Top-grade Condensation Pills, give them to Xu Muchuan."
Cheng Hairen was startled, "Senior, he's already advanced to the sixth layer of Qi Condensation in just three years, which is already fast. Why give him Top-grade Condensation Pills? Even Middle-grade ones are already a luxury."
Luo Chen shook his head, "As my registered disciple, he should have some benefits. Besides, these Condensation Pills were refined during my free time, and they aren't of much use to me. Oh, right."
As he spoke, Luo Chen took out several jade bottles from his Storage Ring and placed them in Cheng Hairen's embrace.
"Jade Dew Pills, you've used them before, these six bottles of Middle-grade ones will last you half a year."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Hairen's breathing quickened.
Middle-grade Jade Dew Pills!
Previously, during his free time, Luo Chen had refined some pills, including Jade Dew Pills.
At that time, Luo Chen casually rewarded Cheng Haixin, who had been serving him like a slave.
After consuming it, the woman advanced to the first level of the Foundation Establishment Stage on the same day.
Later, with the remaining Jade Dew Pills and the assistance of a second-rank high-grade cave residence allocated to her on Moon Invitation Island, her cultivation speed skyrocketed, and she even advanced to the middle stage of Foundation Establishment within three years!
Such progress truly astonished all the cultivators of the Skyward Isles.
It was also because of this that she earned the nickname 'Moonlit Fairy.'
Using the name of Moon Invitation Island, where Luo Chen resided, as her Dao name, she wanted to show how much Luo Chen favored her.
Cheng Haixin was not displeased by this and gladly accepted it.
This time, Luo Chen gave her a high-grade Jade Dew Pill!
If used well, perhaps this year, she, Cheng Haixin, could advance to the fifth level of Foundation Establishment!
With her dual spirit root aptitude, she started studying the Dao at the age of six, laying a solid foundation through Qi cultivation and body tempering, and formally began her cultivation at the age of twelve. After twenty-four years of cultivation, with the support of her family, she barely succeeded in Foundation Establishment.
This was already a flying speed.
If she were to advance to the fifth level of Foundation Establishment five years after Foundation Establishment, it would be simply unbelievable!
For a moment, the woman's breathing became rapid, and her heavy chest couldn't help but tremble violently.
The more they interacted, the more the name 'Azure Sun Demon Lord' seemed to be a misnomer!
Where was his demonic cultivation style?
He was clearly a benevolent elder, a senior in the Dao.
He rarely treated junior cultivators harshly, always displaying the demeanor of a senior guiding his juniors.
The world had truly misunderstood him.
Luo Chen glanced at her and took a step forward, with the woman following him in a daze.
"Additionally, your Cheng family's contribution points are almost sufficient. You can notify your eldest brother to come to the Moon Invitation Monument to receive the Azure Sun Canon's empowerment."
After saying this, Luo Chen disappeared into the depths of the palace complex.
The woman felt as if she had been struck, freezing in her place.
After a long while, she finally bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Master!"
With that, she hurriedly left the island and flew towards Black Swan Island.
...
On Moon Invitation Island, Luo Chen watched the departing Ethereal Light and couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.
Three to four years of time, all for the Azure Sun Canon, had greatly exhausted the Cheng family's resources.
The seemingly evenly distributed quota of 500,000 contribution points per family had, in reality, been shouldered entirely by several large families with the intention of Core Formation, as the smaller families lacked the ability to contribute.
Among them, the Cheng family was the most enthusiastic.
Therefore, they had contributed the most.
Not only did they spend a million spirit stones, but they also completely halted the cultivation of their younger generation.
In recent years, all the Cheng family's resources had been devoted to collecting and purchasing medicinal ingredients.
The demon-hunting ship was frequently deployed, venturing into the vast ocean regions to capture large second-rank sea demons.
In this way, they were still slightly short of the required contribution points.
Luo Chen had only opened this backdoor because Cheng Haixin had genuinely dedicated herself these past few years, helping him a lot.
"However, my Azure Sun Canon is not easy to cultivate!"
Thinking of Cheng Dou's somewhat restless and occasionally crazy temperament, Luo Chen couldn't help but smirk.
The Azure Sun Canon was derived from the Elemental Technique of Dust.
Even after simplifying it significantly, the cultivation difficulty remained high, and he wasn't too optimistic about the current batch of cultivators in the Skyward Isles being able to successfully form their cores.
On the contrary, Cheng Haixin, who was by his side, occasionally receiving his guidance, had a higher chance of Core Formation.
"I wonder if, with my abilities, I can cultivate a dual spirit root cultivator to the Golden Core stage within a hundred years?"
Luo Chen's lips curled slightly, as if conducting an experiment.
As he had said before, it wasn't his resources being wasted anyway!
He turned and entered the cultivation room.
The formation was activated, isolating prying eyes from the outside while maximizing the gathering of spiritual energy from the surroundings.
On the attribute panel, his first-rank Spirit Gathering Array had reached Grand Completion! With the support of the major families in the Skyward Isles, a large second-rank Spirit Gathering Array was established around Moon Invitation Island, absorbing more spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
As a result, although the spirit vein on this island was still a third-rank inferior grade, the concentration of spiritual energy had almost reached the middle-grade of the third rank.
And this was one of the reasons why his cultivation was advancing rapidly, bringing him closer and closer to the fourth layer of the Golden Core stage.
Luo Chen sat in meditation, and as he opened his mouth, a small cauldron appeared before him, growing to a height of ten feet in the wind.
Looking at the Primordial Cauldron, which was increasingly linked to his divine sense, Luo Chen revealed a satisfied smile.
If evaluated by Foundation Establishment standards, his current level of refinement for this treasure had already reached perfection!
It was enough to bring out the full potential of this treasure.
However, this was clearly not the true 'perfection.'
A good treasure could enhance a cultivator's strength by one, two, or even several times!
Obviously, the Primordial Cauldron couldn't achieve such an enhancement at this time.
The problem lay in the fact that during its refinement, it had absorbed over a dozen unprocessed raw materials.
There were too many impurities!
"Continue refining it,"
Luo Chen sighed, and his magical power surged out, enveloping his divine sense.
Not only that, but as he opened his mouth, strands of azure flames emerged, transforming into nine fire dragons that wrapped around the small cauldron, spewing azure flames.
This was his imitation of Min Longyu's Nine-Turns Flame Dragon Array, which he used to refine his lifebonded treasure.
The only regret was that he didn't have the array diagram for the Nine-Turns Flame Dragon Array, so this method was merely a hollow shell without the essence.
Even so, it was still much faster than ordinary refinement methods.
"I should find time to search for the array diagram of the Nine-Turns Flame Dragon Array."
With this thought, Luo Chen continued refining the treasure.
This was his daily routine. After his magical power was nearly depleted, he would stop, cultivate his lifebonded cultivation technique to replenish his power, and simultaneously advance his cultivation.
With this cycle, his rapidly advancing realm would become increasingly solid.
After years of cultivation, Luo Chen had already grasped the essence of consolidating his foundation.
Time passed slowly.
Just as Luo Chen's magical power was about to be depleted, and he was about to retrieve the Withering Prosperity True Flame, his divine sense suddenly stirred.
The next moment, the azure flames blazed intensely, enveloping the Primordial Cauldron.
Nine fire dragon heads stretched out, peering into the space within the cauldron, their eyes filled with greed.
Luo Chen sighed softly.
"Senior, now that you've awakened, why not show yourself openly instead of secretly spying on me?"
A faint, bitter laughter echoed from within the cauldron.
"Young friend, with such a grand display, how dare I appear before you rashly?"
(End of Chapter)
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