https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-563-Master-Do-You-Think-I-Can-Form-a-Golden-Core-/12942282/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-565-The-Demon-King-s-Transformation-and-the-Demon-Lord-s-Departure/12942284/
Chapter 564: The Confusion of the Dao Heart, the Demon of Shape Transformation
Chapter 564: The Confusion of the Dao Heart, the Demon of Shape Transformation
"Master, do you think I have a chance to form a Golden Core in the future?"
A voice filled with both anxiety and uncertainty came from the side, causing Luo Chen to frown subconsciously as he looked at the middle-aged man.
For this honorary disciple, Luo Chen hadn't put much effort into nurturing him.
Or perhaps, Luo Chen himself wasn't particularly skilled at teaching disciples.
Whether it was his direct disciple Qu Ling Jun or the younger generation's Zeng Yi Long, Luo Chen's guidance and instruction to them were mostly demonstrated through "practical application."
This was also related to Luo Chen's own experiences.
Throughout his life, Luo Chen had never been particularly good at systematic theoretical learning, and he had mostly relied on gradually improving his proficiency step by step.
Whether it was alchemy, spells, or cultivation and body training, he had always believed that practice was more important than theory, and that true abilities came from practice.
Due to these experiences, he often had his disciples do things themselves when teaching them.
Xu Mu Xian was no exception.
Seeing how he had diligently processed medicinal ingredients for Luo Chen, and considering his natural talent for alchemy, Luo Chen cherished his talent and accepted him as an honorary disciple, teaching him some basic alchemy techniques and occasionally correcting his mistakes.
To say that there was a deep "master-disciple bond" between them would be absurd.
Xu Mu Xian's honorary disciple status held more symbolic value than the inheritance of the Dao.
Luo Chen had merely established him as a sign of peace for the many families of the Flying Crane Archipelago.
At this moment, when the other party suddenly asked this question, Luo Chen was indeed taken aback.
However, amidst his surprise, he frowned and shook his head.
"You're only at the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation, yet you dare to dream of the Golden Core Path. Don't you know the folly of reaching too high too soon?"
His tone was a bit harsh.
Xu Mu Xian trembled all over, but he stammered, "I know."
It seemed like he had anticipated this response.
Luo Chen was displeased and said, "Since you know, why don't you take it step by step and work hard? From Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, then to Golden Core and Nascent Soul, we cultivators have always honed ourselves this way. In the end, we ascend to the Divine Body and achieve the True Immortal Path! What? Do you still want to take the Nine-Turn Golden Core Pill from myths and legends and ascend to immortality in one step?"
Xu Mu Xian lowered his head, looking at the small grass beneath his feet that was sprouting new shoots due to the nourishment of spiritual energy, "I know all this, Master."
Luo Chen was perplexed.
If he knew all this, it meant that his nearly thirty years of life hadn't been wasted. Why would he ask such an absurd question?
Luo Chen didn't press further, but simply watched him quietly.
In the heavy atmosphere, Xu Mu Xian clenched his fists, as if gathering courage, and raised his head.
"Master, I'm thinking that if I have a chance at the Great Dao, I should diligently cultivate and strive without ceasing."
"But what if I don't?"
"That would mean spending decades or even hundreds of years, only to end up as a handful of yellow soil in the end, with nothing to show for it."
"In that case, why can't I enjoy these years and do more joyful and meaningful things? When the time comes for my sitting transformation, I won't regret having wasted my youth."
Luo Chen scoffed, "What do you mean by 'meaningless' and 'wasted youth'? The process of seeking the Dao is, in itself, a meaningful endeavor."
Xu Mu Xian's gaze wandered, with a hint of admiration, "That's true for you, Master. You treat day and night meditation and the cultivation of painful secret techniques as trivial matters, finding joy in suffering. Many people, including myself, cannot persist to the end."
Luo Chen sneered, "Only by enduring the most bitter of hardships can one become a superior person. Without experiencing pain, to dream of the future is still reaching too high too soon."
Unbeknownst to them, Xu Mu Xian's trembling had already stopped.
He stood quietly across from Luo Chen, of average height, with lowered brows, but seemingly composed.
"Master, you enjoy the process, but I want to see the results."
Luo Chen disagreed, "Without going through the process, how can there be results? If you aspire to the Golden Core Path, you should experience the Foundation Establishment realm, at least extending your lifespan by several hundred years."
"Compared to five hundred years of changes in the sea and land, a hundred years is but a fleeting moment," Xu Mu Xian said in a low voice. "Without seeing the results, I feel like I'm in hell, tormented day and night."
Upon hearing these words, Luo Chen's heart was filled with disappointment, and he no longer had the desire to continue the conversation.
He had realized that this honorary disciple of his had talent but lacked a firm heart for the Dao, and his future achievements were clearly limited.
However, why was this the case? Luo Chen was perplexed, as when he had met Xu Mu Xian years ago, the boy had shown ambition.
As his thoughts wandered, he recalled the other's experiences, and a faint understanding dawned on him.
Born into a side branch of the Xu family, he had been neglected in his youth.
After learning a thing or two about alchemy, his status hadn't changed much until he met Luo Chen, which became a turning point in his life.
With his current status, he indeed didn't need to endure solitary cultivation but should enjoy a more relaxed and pleasant life.
Power, wealth, fine wine, and delicacies, all at his beck and call; he could flaunt his strength and influence, and even though he had a beautiful wife, he couldn't fulfill his marital duties.
The last restriction was one that Luo Chen had specifically imposed on him.
Before Luo Chen's departure for Obsidian Island, Cheng Hai Xin had mentioned her desire for a marriage alliance between the Cheng family and the Xu family, offering her daughter to Xu Mu Xian, hoping to win over this rising talent from the Flying Crane Archipelago.
Luo Chen had specifically mentioned this to prevent Xu Mu Xian from becoming obsessed with romantic affairs, damaging his primordial Yang, and losing the chance to establish his foundation in the future.
Both the Cheng family's daughter and Xu Mu Xian had followed Luo Chen's instructions.
It had been well-intentioned, but he hadn't expected...
Indeed, after years of hardship, having achieved success, he couldn't indulge in freedom. Moreover, seeing Cheng Dou, who had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, fail in his attempt to enter the Golden Core stage, losing his life and cultivation, had instilled fear in him.
Luo Chen had a sudden realization.
Back then, after achieving success at each stage, he would indulge in carefree and reckless behavior to ease his mind.
Establishing a power, holding supreme authority, commanding thousands of followers, and annihilating entire clans with a single word—these were all part of his past.
With Caiyi Huiniang and Shuangmei by his side, the Ascendant favored him, and those below revered him.
These experiences made Luo Chen persist in his arduous cultivation, giving him a sense of accomplishment. That was why he never tired of it.
People needed to see positive feedback!
However, many people did not receive enough positive feedback.
Xu Mu Xian's current situation was, in fact, a common occurrence among low-level cultivators.
After realizing that the path to immortality was hopeless, they chose to give up and instead seek comfort in other pursuits.
Traveling the world, enjoying the scenery, starting a family, and passing on their bloodline.
If it weren't for the rules of the sacred sects, who knows how many Qi Condensation cultivators would have abandoned their cultivation and indulged in the extreme luxuries of the mortal world.
Indulging in wine and women, their souls would be in disarray, and nothing could surpass that!
Thinking of this, Luo Chen reflected on himself.
If he didn't have a system that showed his attribute panel with constantly improving proficiency, what would he have become in the end?
Would he have sunk into low-level pleasures, or...
His introspection abruptly stopped.
Luo Chen chuckled silently. Hadn't he already proven this hypothesis many years ago? It was when he first took the Tongyou Dan and entered a dream.
The dream allowed him to enter the dream world and enhance his divine soul.
In that dream, he didn't have a system, but because he wanted to improve his alchemy skills to change his fate, he repeatedly joined the Mountain-Breaking Gang to mine for spirit stones and refine pills... until he finally succeeded in refining the Pill of Numerous Marvels, which could potentially change his destiny.
Although in the dream, he was already old and his vitality was declining, having mastered the art of alchemy meant that even if he couldn't reach the Foundation Establishment stage in the future, he could still improve his cultivation environment.
The aspiration for the Dao was deeply rooted in his soul!
Xu Mu Xian stood quietly, looking at his master, who appeared younger than him, and felt a sense of relief in his heart.
Some words, if kept in the heart for too long, could make one sick.
Recently, he had been unable to enter a meditative state during his cultivation and meditation.
Although he thought his master might be furious, the fact that he was merely displeased made Luo Chen feel much better.
Perhaps he had disappointed his master!
Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder and patted it gently twice.
A man with a calm expression and gentle eyes slowly spoke, "I cannot guarantee that you will succeed in forming a pill, but I know that five hundred years will allow you to witness more scenery and enjoy more pleasures. The Phoenix Islands are just a small corner of the world. Staying here will only make you feel like a frog at the bottom of a well."
"Don't you want to jump out and see a broader world?"
After saying this, Luo Chen withdrew his hand and left with a carefree attitude.
In the end, he still didn't provide his disciple with an answer, only giving the wavering young man a future to imagine.
Xu Mu Xian stood in his original spot, his expression still dazed, and muttered to himself, "A broader world..."
...
After returning to his residence, Luo Chen felt a bit of regret.
If only the Heart Mirror of the Ghost God was still here.
With the illusion technique, Mirror Flower Water Moon, he could easily choose a more suitable path for Xu Mu Xian.
But would he listen to him? And if he did, would he resent Luo Chen, his irresponsible teacher, if he tried his best but still gained nothing?
Luo Chen only pondered these questions for a moment before setting them aside.
After all, Xu Mu Xian was merely an honorary disciple.
...
As Xu Mu Xian said, a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
The time Luo Chen spent in the Phoenix Islands was rapidly passing by in his monotonous life of daily cultivation and pill refinement.
In a fleeting moment, three years had passed, as if it were just a brief daze.
During these three years, Luo Chen's greatest achievement was his vast collection of pills.
Even though the Phoenix Islands were located in a remote area, and the environments of the Northern Sea and Eastern Wilderness were different, making it difficult to gather many medicinal ingredients, Luo Chen managed to refine countless pills through various improvement methods.
In the eyes of outsiders, he was a third-level pill refinement master.
However, on the system panel, he was already a genuine fourth-level pill refinement master, well-versed in pill scriptures and proficient in pharmacology, effortlessly mastering various pill refinement techniques.
Even for first and second-level pill recipes, if he didn't have the appropriate ingredients, he could still find substitutes through repeated experiments.
Pills for abstaining from food, entering dreams, jade dew, imperial essence plasma, starry sky, true flame...
In three years, Luo Chen had accumulated a vast collection of pills.
The price for this was the unbearable suffering of the various families in the Phoenix Islands, as their resources were squeezed to the limit.
Yet, everyone dared not speak up.
The Demon Lord's might did not tolerate provocation!
One day, Cheng Hai Xin delivered an invitation.
In the hall, Luo Chen looked at the golden invitation and understood.
"No wonder there's a ten-year period."
The invitation was for a large auction, with dates, locations, and a list of rare materials carefully marked.
This invitation was brought back by the Phoenix Merchant Group from the outside and specially delivered by Wu Qi from Sorcerer Island.
Cheng Hai Xin explained, "Cold Jade City is located on Cold Glow Island, which is a top-tier super island in the southeastern part of the Northern Sea. The island is filled with numerous cities and various forces, all mixed together."
"Overall, this place is considered a neutral zone."
Luo Chen was puzzled, "Neutral? Shouldn't it be under the jurisdiction of the Sea Alliance?"
Cheng Hai Xin shook her head, "It's not like that. As the largest city on Cold Glow Island, Fei Leng City is one of the most powerful forces among the various factions. The City Lord, Fairy Fei Leng, had a past connection with a Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Demon Tribulation Sect. It was also because of that Demon Sect True Monarch that she was able to monopolize Fei Leng City. Therefore, even after the Demon Sect's destruction, in the eyes of outsiders, she is still considered a remnant of the Demon Sect... a descendant of their lineage. The Sea Alliance tried to accept her in the past, but she refused."
"Didn't the Demon Tide try to recruit her?" Luo Chen asked.
"She refused," Cheng Hai Xin replied.
Luo Chen was a bit surprised.
In today's chaotic Northern Sea, instead of banding together for mutual support, she chose to remain independent and aloof from the world. Wasn't this a path to self-destruction?
Suddenly, he realized something.
The usually tranquil Fei Leng City, in the current situation, was unexpectedly holding a grand auction, gathering various factions. Wasn't this a signal of 'choice'?
Through this auction, the Fei Leng City Lord would likely lean towards one side.
Perhaps it would be the Sea Alliance, the Demon Tide, or some other top-tier Nascent Soul force.
But no matter which side it was, they would all be eager to have another Nascent Soul True Monarch on their side, and conveniently control the first major island in the southeast, Cold Glow Island!
This signal had likely been sent out long ago.
The Demon Tide had also been preparing for a long time, which was why Wu Qi set a ten-year deadline and why Blood Nightmare Demon King came to Flying Swallow to find Luo Chen.
"In other words, if I go, there's a high chance I'll encounter people like Blood Nightmare Demon King?" Luo Chen muttered to himself.
He wasn't afraid of dealing with Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
As he always said, excellent alchemists, unless they encountered jealous rivals, would be sought after wherever they went.
Moreover, he had already reached the Golden Core Stage, and unlike during his Qi Condensation period, he wouldn't be forcibly recruited by Uncle Mi and used as a tool.
His gaze fell on the invitation, and the densely packed material names made Luo Chen's heart stir.
From the invitation, he saw more than a dozen auxiliary materials needed for the Nascent Soul Pill!
It was well known that over the years, the Flying Swallow Trading Team had also been collecting medicinal ingredients for the Nascent Soul Pill for him, but the harvest was meager.
Not only were these materials scarce, but some common ones were also expensive, beyond what the Flying Swallow cultivators could afford.
Some materials required not only Spirit Stones but also 'qualifications' to access.
Without the required cultivation level, one wouldn't even have the qualifications to come into contact with them, let alone purchase them.
"Ascendant, are you going?"
Cheng Hai Xin asked cautiously, but she already had an answer in her heart.
Over the years, Azure Sun Demon Lord had been refining pills extensively, and many of them were not pills he needed for himself. It was clear that he was preparing for a journey.
In other words, his decision to leave was already made.
Indeed, Luo Chen nodded slightly.
Cheng Hai Xin understood, but another question was even more important.
"Ascendant, if you go, will you come back?"
Luo Chen's gaze fell on her, and he asked, "Do you want to come with me?"
"I..." The woman hesitated.
"Go ahead and leave. I still have some matters to attend to."
Cheng Hai Xin's face showed hesitation, but in the end, she bowed slightly, "This servant takes her leave."
After she left, Luo Chen sighed.
If she really wanted to come with him, that was fine too. He didn't mind the extra burden.
On the contrary, since Cheng Hai Xin had been managing his trivial matters over the years, she already knew some of his habits. Taking her along would allow her to continue helping him with these tasks.
However, it was evident that she had family obligations and might not be able to leave so easily.
Luo Chen didn't take it to heart. Without Cheng Hai Xin, with his abilities, finding a second Cheng Hai Xin wouldn't be difficult.
At the moment, there was another important matter that needed attention.
With a flick of his wrist, a dazzling and eye-catching pill appeared in his hand, glowing with gold and overflowing with vibrant colors.
Listening carefully, one could even hear the faint sound of a baby's crying echoing.
It was the Transformation Pill!
After three years on Cangwu Mountain, Luo Chen finally refined a batch of Transformation Pills, a total of five.
Four of them were given to the Crossing Truth Hall Master, You Quan, and the last one was kept by Luo Chen for research purposes.
Such pills were rare and hard to come by.
Even though Luo Chen had mastered the technique and had the means to refine them in large quantities, he couldn't reproduce them.
The reason was simple!
The main ingredient was the biggest constraint!
The main ingredient of the Transformation Pill was the Nascent Soul True Monarch's source essence blood!
Luo Chen didn't have the ability to collect the most precious essence blood of Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
With the Transformation Pill in hand, Luo Chen sent out a sound transmission.
Soon, a gale swept through the hall, and at the same time, a lazy, half-awake voice could be heard.
"Tianxuan, can't you be gentler? You'll destroy the master's flowers and plants. Be careful, or you'll get scolded."
"It's none of your business. You, a big fat snake, sleep all day and have the nerve to criticize me."
"Hmph, little girl."
"You asking for a beating?"
"Come, try me, Black Master. My Black King isn't afraid of you anymore."
"I'm not afraid of you. Go to the sea, and I'll show you how I'll beat you to a pulp."
Amidst the bickering, a seagull and a dragon reduced their size and stepped into the hall.
Before they could speak, their gazes instinctively fell on the Golden Core.
Thump!
Thump!
The sound of swallowing saliva was clearly audible, coming from the throats of the two Demon Kings.
Luo Chen smiled slightly, and with a gentle lift of his hand, the Transformation Pill slowly flew in front of the two.
(End of Chapter)
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