https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-589-Old-Stories-of-Jade-Cauldron-Han-Zhan-Clarifies-Doubts/12942374/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-591-A-Double-Strike-The-Great-Battle-s-Aftermath/12942378/
Chapter 590: The Langya Fleet, Keeping a Promise
Chapter 590: The Langya Fleet, Keeping a Promise
"So you're Mu Rong Yuan?"
On Qinghua Mountain, amidst the lingering fragrance, a man curiously sized up Luo Chen at the foot of Langya Mountain.
Luo Chen looked at this young man who seemed a bit too youthful and nodded before asking, "Are you a senior member of Wang's family?"
Usually, he wouldn't be so direct in his questioning.
The reason was that this young man, despite being at the Foundation Establishment Stage, seemed overly young. Based on Luo Chen's Divine Perception, he was at most in his thirties, and due to his well-maintained skin, he appeared no different from a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth.
Under normal circumstances, the concept of seniority based on cultivation stages only applied to cultivators without blood relations.
Could it be that the Wang family was like this internally?
The young man smiled, "Indeed, I am his senior. Although I'm a full sixty years younger, according to the family genealogy, I'm two generations older than him. He should address me as Uncle."
Alright then!
Luo Chen's doubts were finally answered.
Or rather, the seniority relationships in the cultivation world had always been a tangled mess.
For instance, if two brothers cultivated together, and one of them reached the Golden Core Stage, remaining chaste and avoiding women, while the other had mediocre talent and married and had children in his twenties or thirties, then after a few hundred years, the latter wouldn't even know how many generations had passed.
At that time, if the Golden Core cultivator suddenly married and had a child, giving birth to a one or two-year-old baby, then all the descendants of the latter, spanning over ten generations, would have to consider this baby as their senior!
As for the titles...
If this baby grew up and had children of his own, the other branch of the family would have to recalculate their titles.
In summary, unless there was a family genealogy to refer to, and with the guidance of seniors, one could somewhat make sense of the seniority. Otherwise, for cultivators outside the family, it was extremely difficult to determine seniority based solely on age and cultivation stage.
"Did Fellow Daoist Mu Rong conceal your cultivation before?"
"Fellow Daoist Wang has sharp eyes. I did indeed conceal my cultivation stage, appearing as a Qi Condensation Stage cultivator to the outside world, but I'm actually at the Foundation Establishment Stage. As for the reason..."
"No need for explanations, when traveling, one should do as they please." After Luo Chen's acknowledgment, the young man revealed a proud smile, feeling satisfied with his keen perception. However, he maintained his composure and said with grace, "Since our cultivation stages are similar, we can address each other as peers. My surname is Wang, and my given name is An."
Luo Chen cupped his hands in greeting, "Han Jia, a wandering cultivator, Mu Rong Yuan, greets Fellow Daoist Wang An."
Wang An returned the gesture.
As for Luo Chen's mention of Han Jia, it was merely a place he had casually mentioned, located between the Feiyan Archipelago and Baisha Island.
Such a small place was completely unknown to Wang An.
The other party didn't seem to care.
What he cared about was Luo Chen's destination.
"Fellow Daoist, are you heading to Whale Harbor?"
Luo Chen nodded, "Yes, with the current chaotic situation and the frontline of the righteous and demonic battle here, my strength is insignificant. I don't want to get involved in this muddy water. Whale Harbor, I've heard, is the commercial alliance headquarters of the Heavenly Origin Sect in the Northern Sea. With the reputation of the Heavenly Origin Sect, neither the righteous nor demonic factions would dare to invade their territory, ensuring my temporary safety."
"You do have a good eye for things, but the prices in Whale Harbor are extraordinarily high, not a place that ordinary wandering cultivators can afford to stay in."
Wang An muttered, seeing that Luo Chen's expression remained resolute, and then proceeded to discuss the main matter.
"The travel expenses you gave me were quite generous, but in the end, they were only suitable for a Qi Condensation cultivator. In reality, you are a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and if I were to take you along, the price would have to be renegotiated."
Luo Chen revealed a troubled expression.
Wang An seemed to understand his predicament, as the letters from Red Tide Harbor had already informed him of this wandering cultivator's situation.
He had injuries on his body, and the maid who had served him since childhood was frail and often ill. Over the years, his savings had been completely depleted.
The spirit stones he had given were all the savings he had left.
"Rest assured, I'm not an unreasonable person." Wang An waved his hand, "You only need to follow our instructions during the journey. Encountering monsters is one thing, but if we come across tribulation cultivators, you'll have to lend a hand and help out, after all, we're all on the same boat."
A boat in the literal sense!
Luo Chen nodded, his expression easing as if a burden had been lifted.
From then on, Wang An's identity check and the subsequent departure details were concluded.
After that, Luo Chen stayed in a small town at the foot of Langya Mountain for two days.
On the third day.
As the morning sun rose, Luo Chen stood at the seaside port of Langya Mountain, watching a massive ship sail out from the shipyard.
After the large ship emerged, seven or eight smaller boats gradually gathered from all directions.
Although they were called small boats, their size was no less than the largest demon-hunting ships in the Feiyan Archipelago.
Witnessing this scene, Luo Chen couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Indeed, it was a major force with a Nascent Soul Immortal in command!
The so-called merchant caravans of ordinary family sects were usually just one or two ships. How could they casually assemble a fleet like this?
At that moment, Wang An waved at him from the largest ship.
Luo Chen flew up with Tian Xuan.
"Your room is on the second floor. It's equipped with a simple Spirit Gathering Formation, roughly equivalent to a high-grade first-rank Spirit Vein. With the support of Spirit Stones, it won't hinder your daily cultivation."
Luo Chen's eyes widened in surprise.
Could a merchant ship actually create such a dense concentration of spiritual energy?
Especially since he was merely a trivial passenger. If it were an internal Foundation Establishment Cultivator or even a Golden Core Cultivator, wouldn't it mean an even better cultivation environment for them?
Just then, several figures flew out from the mid-slope of Wolf Fang Mountain.
Their powerful spiritual pressure was immediately sensed by everyone.
Countless low-rank cultivators bowed in unison.
Luo Chen followed their lead, but his gaze quietly swept over the group.
They were all Golden Core Stage Cultivators!
Wolf Fang Mountain indeed had an impressive foundation!
However, upon noticing the emblem on their clothes, Luo Chen realized that only three of them were from Wolf Fang Mountain, while the rest were likely its subordinates.
The nine Golden Core Cultivators ignored the greetings from below, exchanged polite greetings with each other, and then each descended into a merchant ship.
"Set sail!"
A faint voice came from Luo Chen's ship, but it rumbled loudly at the harbor.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the massive ship departed, thousands of tons of seawater were pushed aside.
Under the rolling white waves, nine enormous ships unfurled their sails and sailed towards the distant sea, bathed in the morning sunlight.
...
The giant ship Luo Chen was on was named Lanying, and it served as the backbone of the fleet.
The destination of this voyage was the farthest—Whale Harbor.
Luo Chen considered himself lucky to have boarded this ship.
After settling Tian Xuan in the second-floor room, Luo Chen looked around, and his gaze eventually settled on the floor beneath his feet, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Did they directly transplant a small third-rank Spirit Vein onto this ship?"
"No wonder!"
Luo Chen realized the difference between the Eastern Wilderness and the Northern Sea regarding Spirit Veins.
The Eastern Wilderness was highly skilled in modifying and upgrading Spirit Veins.
On the other hand, the Northern Sea excelled in transplanting Spirit Veins.
Previously, at the auction, he had seen the Cold Light True Person take out a third-rank black-green treasure basin fish. According to Han Zhan, a Spirit Vein had been transplanted onto it.
And now, on this very ship beneath his feet, Luo Chen had discovered traces of the Mountain Shifting Technique.
This meant that there was a Spirit Vein on the ship, providing the necessary spiritual energy for the cultivators on board.
"It's probably related to the different environments."
"In the Northern Sea, waterways crisscross, and numerous islands are scattered in isolation."
"Even if you manage to conquer a sea area through war, it's still impossible to block some monsters from infiltrating."
"In such circumstances, some high-level experts simply use the Mountain Shifting Technique to directly excavate and relocate some outer sea Spirit Veins to the inland areas. The losses incurred are negligible compared to not having access to them at all."
After understanding this, Luo Chen couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
The Northern Sea region was too vast, and it would be extremely dangerous for low-rank cultivators to rely solely on flying across the various sea areas.
The depletion of spirit energy, monster attacks, and the occasional appearance of Tribulation Cultivators all threatened personal safety.
Although merchant ships were slow, they could ensure that cultivators remained in peak condition at all times, ready to deal with any unexpected situations.
While flying boats were faster and safer, they also consumed more mid-grade and high-grade Spirit Stones.
These major powers were meticulous in their calculations and wouldn't waste large amounts of Spirit Stones on such matters.
After considering all these factors, Luo Chen concluded that sea ships were the more economical choice.
With this realization, Luo Chen's interest in the ship diminished.
He began to walk around the room, occasionally setting up flags to block the prying eyes of other cultivators.
Once everything was prepared, he sat cross-legged and meditated, examining his own body.
After the battle at Cold Light Island, his vitality had reached its lowest point. His entire body was covered in wounds, and even after releasing the True Peng's body, his internal organs were faintly visible.
However, his injuries weren't as severe as they appeared.
As he examined himself, he found that his muscles and blood had already recovered, and his strong heart was beating vigorously.
The hands that had been sliced to the bone by the black and white twin blades had also healed.
This was due to Luo Chen's exceptional medical spells and, more importantly, his robust physical body.
No, it should be attributed to the Withering and Flourishing True Flame. Years ago, using this flame, he had refined numerous monsters, absorbing countless vitality.
These vital energies merged into his body, and the change in his lifespan was actually not significant.
The true significant change was the hidden, terrifying regenerative ability!
To outsiders, his injuries were shocking, but to him, they were merely superficial wounds.
If one were to follow Luo Chen's early speculations, relying on the withering and flourishing True Flame to refine vital energies, and with his body refinement technique, cultivating his physical body to the fourth stage... perhaps the fourth stage might not be feasible, but the fifth stage should be possible!
After cultivating to the ancient fifth stage, comparable to the Divine Transformation Stage, he might be able to achieve the rumored ability of monster beasts to regrow severed limbs and revive from a drop of blood.
However, that was too far away.
It was merely a beautiful aspiration.
For now, Luo Chen's true hidden danger was the depletion of his spell power.
In that battle, he frequently used large-scale spells, and even in the final moments, he frantically activated his natal magical treasure, completely refining the seventh-layer Golden Core of Qian Ting. All of this caused his spell power to be depleted to the extreme.
Even after more than half a month had passed, continuously consuming True Flame Pills and circulating his cultivation technique, he had only recovered two to three tenths of his power.
Two to three tenths, does that seem like a lot?
In reality, it was too little.
One must know that after entering the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, an additional function of the Golden Core automatically rotating and constantly absorbing the stray spiritual energy of heaven and earth was added.
It could be said that his spell power recovery speed was also far superior to his peers!
In such a situation, even with a large number of high-grade True Flame Pills, and even top-grade True Flame Pills, he still couldn't recover to half of his original state, which was truly unexpected.
However, Luo Chen also understood the reason for this problem.
Spirit Vein!
Without a suitable third-rank Spirit Vein, his spell power recovery wasn't as ideal as he hoped.
In the current situation where battles could occur at any time, there was never a moment when Luo Chen's desire for a third-rank Spirit Vein wasn't at its peak.
"Sigh..."
With a light sigh, Luo Chen emerged from his meditation.
Opening his eyes, he saw Tian Xuan across from him, staring blankly as if in a daze.
Probably knowing what she was thinking, Luo Chen suddenly spoke up.
"Don't think too much. This time, it might not be a bad thing for you."
Tian Xuan was startled.
"In your early years of cultivation, without guidance, relying only on your instincts, even with the cultivation method I tailored for you, aside from the extremely compatible Nine Ten Thousand Mile Technique, you still couldn't grasp the other techniques."
"The reason for this is that your early cultivation habits have influenced you."
"During this period of recuperation, try to discard your past nature and learn to cultivate in the human way. Perhaps you'll truly be able to learn the Heavenly Plume Secret Canon."
"Tian Xuan, remember this. When everything is going well, think of the worst-case scenario for any situation. But when things turn bad, think positively and always keep a heart full of hope!"
The woman furrowed her long, willow-like eyebrows, carefully considering Luo Chen's words.
Luo Chen shook his head and no longer paid attention to her. Instead, he sent out a divine sense transmission.
"Senior, this journey is long..."
"What's wrong? Do you want to chat about the past again to pass the time?"
"No, it's about the thing you promised me. It's time to give it to me."
The promised thing?
Han Zhan instantly understood Luo Chen's meaning.
He pondered for a while, "But you haven't removed the bad luck from the Soul Nourishing Tree for me yet..."
"The condition wasn't like that. You said that if I helped you obtain the Soul Nourishing Tree, you would give me the Core Formation Technique and the Baby Formation Pill formula." Luo Chen's tone was firm, not giving an inch.
This tone made Han Zhan somewhat displeased.
However, Luo Chen's next words made him feel a bit better.
"Moreover, you know my current state. My spell power is incomplete, and I'm barely able to protect myself. It's impossible for me to use my spell power to remove the bad luck from the Soul Nourishing Tree. I'll definitely help you as soon as I recover."
Han Zhan was helpless.
He discovered that this kid, Luo Chen, aside from his exceptional talent in cultivation, was also quite eloquent.
His words were well-reasoned, leaving Han Zhan unable to refute.
"Fine, I'm just a bit reluctant. After all, the Core Formation Technique is a secret technique of our Falling Cloud Sect, and the Baby Formation Pill formula was also obtained by me after enduring countless hardships. Now, you're exchanging it for a mere Soul Nourishing Tree, and with me currently relying on others..."
Listening to the old senior's rambling, Luo Chen smiled but didn't speak.
What a joke?
What does he mean by a mere Soul Nourishing Tree?
It was something Luo Chen had spent five million spirit stones on, along with several bottles of top-grade herb pills and a second-rank pill formula, to win at an auction.
However, after Luo Chen truly obtained the cultivation method of the Core Formation Technique from Han Zhan, he realized that he had indeed gotten a great deal.
This technique alone was worth millions!
(End of Chapter)
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