https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-902-Fire-Marrow-Reappears-Yin-Yang-Dan-Formation/13111361/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-904-Refining-Ling-Ji-Clouds-and-Rain-Transform-into-a-Shower/13111423/
Chapter 903: Grand Master Luo Chen
Chapter 903: Grand Master Luo Chen
February 2nd, 2025
The concept of Two Instruments, the foundation of the Great Way, represents the Yin-Yang principle.
According to legend, when the heavens and earth first opened, everything was in chaos, also known as Wuji. From Wuji came Taiji, and from Taiji emerged the Two Instruments, which then gave birth to the Four Symbols and Eight Trigrams, and ultimately, all things in the universe.
This fundamental principle is known to every novice cultivator who has embarked on the path of Qi Training. Naturally, Luo Chen is well aware of it.
However, in the world, things are often easier said than done, and even 'easy to know' is rarely simple.
Luo Chen's understanding of the Yin-Yang concept of the Two Instruments came gradually through his extensive study and arrangement of formations, and he gradually grasped it through Feng Shui.
By drawing parallels from formations, he realized that the concept of Yin-Yang opposition also exists in other aspects of life.
In the refinement of the Two Instruments Dan, this concept has been applied to the utmost by Luo Chen in his current practice! All materials must be in opposition, with their grades kept consistent, to maintain sufficient balance.
Not only that, unlike the usual preparation of auxiliary materials before refining Dans, the refinement of the Two Instruments Dan begins with the direct processing of the two primary materials.
The difficulty of this process can be imagined.
After all, many things progress from small to large, from easy to difficult, and gradual steps make it easier to approach success.
Why would anyone start by immediately raising the difficulty to the maximum?
But Luo Chen must do it this way; only by merging the two primary materials of water and fire into a state of Two Instruments balance can he accommodate all things.
For this, Luo Chen must be fully focused, not daring to slack off even a little.
First, he uses Earthfire to heat the vase, conserving mana, and this process lasts for a full three days.
Under Luo Chen's precise control, the vase gradually reaches the ideal state.
Then, with a flick of his finger, the Dry Source Fire Essence and the Youming Cold Spring simultaneously enter the Primordial Cauldron.
As soon as these two materials with extreme attributes enter, they erupt in the most extreme conflict.
"All things embrace Yin and hold Yang, and equilibrium is achieved through the onset of Qi!"
"To make them coexist harmoniously and reach a balanced state of unity, one must use an even more powerful force to suppress them!"
Luo Chen's thoughts flashed, and he opened his mouth to expel a breath.
A blue-white dual-colored flame slowly flew out, completely enveloping the Primordial Cauldron.
It was the Kurong Divine Fire!
As soon as this fire appeared, the entire Earthfire Hall experienced a momentary upheaval.
Chen Mozzi, who was refining auxiliary materials, was so shocked that he looked up at Luo Chen.
"What kind of primordial true fire is he using that has such power to make countless fires tremble?"
Fortunately, this was not a critical stage of Chen Mozzi's Dan refinement; otherwise, this interruption might have caused him to abandon all his previous efforts.
Luo Chen couldn't afford to pay attention to others; once the Kurong Divine Fire was unleashed, the consumption of mana was unimaginable.
He usually only dared to borrow a tiny bit of it when refining Dans, not like this moment when he directly used a whole lot! But the effect was surprisingly good!
When the Kurong Divine Fire enveloped the Primordial Cauldron, the conflicting water and fire materials inside immediately ceased their struggle.
Both sides began to merge together under the Dan Shu technique displayed by Luo Chen.
This process was very slow, but as long as it went smoothly, everything would be fine! Luo Chen was willing to wait.
One day, two days... Unknowingly, three months had passed.
Bang!
In the Earthfire Hall, a light sound suddenly echoed.
Amidst a puff of smoke and ash, Chen Mozzi stumbled back, his face covered in soot.
His expression was gloomy, but in the end, he could only manage a bitter smile.
He had failed!
He had anticipated this outcome, as even the Dan formula was hastily created using existing materials, leaving no room for familiarity.
But accepting this failure was more painful than he had imagined.
It wasn't just the failure of the refinement, nor was it the end of his connection to the Dan Sheng Inheritance; it was more about the fact that the step he had just taken with great courage had received a definitive blow.
"Mr. Xuan Yan advised me not to adhere to old rules but to dare to break free from conventions and strive for innovation. Yet, the world always operates according to predetermined laws, and breaking conventions is not as easy as it seems!"
The creation of any Dan formula requires countless experiments to obtain the best ratio.
The difficulty of achieving success in one attempt is unimaginable.
He sighed, waved his hand to sweep away the dregs in the copper cauldron, and was about to leave dejectedly.
But before leaving, he glanced at the opposite side unintentionally.
The blue-white flame was still burning slowly!
In the virtual space, Luo Chen, who was deeply focused, seemed undisturbed by any external factors.
However, his pale face was even more ashen than Chen Mozzi's at this moment of failure.
"What kind of Dan is he refining?"
"Just the first step alone took three whole months!"
"It's hard to imagine how much longer it will take."
Chen Mozzi shook his head, refrained from disturbing Luo Chen, and quietly left the Earthfire Hall.
With no connection to the Dan Sheng Inheritance, there was no point in acting dishonorably. Now that Luo Chen was struggling with the first step, it was unlikely that he would succeed in refining the Dan, and he might not even encounter the Dan Sheng Inheritance.
For Luo Chen at this moment, the Dan Sheng Inheritance was the last thing on his mind.
His thoughts and vision were solely focused on the viscous liquid in the cauldron, gradually merging into a red and blue hue.
His entire being was on the edge.
"Why can't it successfully merge into one?"
"The Kurong Divine Fire is powerful enough to suppress everything, but under the harmonious surface of the two materials, there is an internal extreme conflict. In this conflict, the medicinal power is constantly dissipating."
"What went wrong?"
Luo Chen kept asking himself these questions.
The initial merging of the two primary materials had gone smoothly.
Perhaps because the Kurong Divine Fire also contained the Yin-Yang principle of the Two Instruments, Luo Chen's most challenging step had progressed smoothly from the start.
At the final critical moment, he was unable to complete the task.
As a result, he was stuck, and could only watch helplessly as the two main ingredients repeatedly collided and repelled each other, wasting their power in the process.
Suddenly, a thought came to him, vague but clear in its intent.
"Change the fire!"
It was the Kurong Fire Spirit.
Since the birth of its spiritual consciousness, the Kurong Fire Spirit had never spoken, but it had already developed its own awareness. Most of the time, it was under the guidance of Luo Chen.
This was the first time it had proactively given a reminder.
Luo Chen was startled. Change the fire? Change to what fire?
But his instincts took over, and his body had already made the move.
The blue-white flames suddenly contracted, and the viscous liquid in the cauldron began to boil vigorously.
Before it could reach its boiling point, a golden flame enveloped the entire cauldron.
It was the Nirvana Holy Flame, still in its infancy!
This flame held a higher position, but it was too weak. Even Luo Chen dared not forcefully activate too much mana, fearing it would be scattered by the surge.
However, as soon as the Nirvana Holy Flame appeared, the boiling liquid in the cauldron instantly calmed down.
Luo Chen stared in astonishment, realizing something in his dazed state.
The so-called Kurong, in fact, still had its roots, and it wasn't an absolute repulsion. It was just a temporary hibernation.
It was more about the power of life and death between the transitions of prosperity and decay.
Corresponding to the Yin-Yang Two Instruments, it was only similar in form, not in essence.
But the Nirvana Holy Flame was different!
It was the extreme conversion between life and death!
Only through Nirvana, embracing death to attain life, could one reach the pinnacle.
At this moment, Luo Chen entered a state of enlightenment, and the law clause related to the Prosperity and Decay Essence on his attribute panel was visibly increasing in progress.
He didn't have time to pay attention to these changes, only knowing that in that state, relying on his instincts as an Alchemical Master, he controlled the rapid fusion of the two main ingredients.
The fusion that had been stalemated for three months was now completed in just three days.
Luo Chen suddenly snapped out of it, feeling fortunate.
If it weren't for the divided soul controlling the pill refinement and his powerful instincts, this sudden enlightenment alone might have caused him to fail at the last moment.
But having overcome this hurdle, the rest would be simple.
He just needed to add the auxiliary materials one by one, and success was foreseeable.
Of course, the word 'simple' was only relative to the first step.
Luo Chen still carefully added various rare materials into the cauldron, controlling the formation of the pill.
Gradually, the red and blue inside began to change, eventually forming a presence surrounded by black and white breaths.
Several days later!
A voice rang out, "Collect!"
In the hall, with a weary expression but bright eyes, Luo Chen waved his wide sleeves, and a black and white pill flew towards him.
As the pill entered his hand, Luo Chen didn't even have time to examine it closely, when the golden bird transformed from the Nirvana Holy Flame and the small tree of the Kurong Fire Spirit simultaneously stirred in his Purple Mansion.
Luo Chen smiled silently.
This scene was enough to indicate whether he had succeeded or failed.
The attitudes of the two powerful flames spoke volumes.
However, it wasn't the right time to enhance them yet.
Luo Chen put away the Primordial Cauldron and held up the Two Instruments Dan towards the Earthfire Hall, which was now empty.
A buzzing sound filled Luo Chen's keen ears as the formation activated, and a cloud of smoke approached, attempting to envelop him.
Luo Chen didn't resist, allowing the formation to carry him to the next trial.
As he floated, he opened his eyes to find himself in a new realm.
...
Without a single mistake, he opened the book and read the contents.
"Where is this?"
Luo Chen stepped out of the teleportation array in surprise, gazing at the picturesque scenery, filled with birdsong and floral fragrance.
A thought emerged in his mind.
"Heavenly Cave?"
No!
In an instant, Luo Chen dismissed this idea and gave another answer.
"Fortunate Land!"
So-called Heavenly Caves and Fortunate Lands were often confused by the world.
But the two were completely different.
Heavenly Caves often formed their own spaces, independent of the world.
Like the Sloong Heavenly Cave, or the small broken space in the Medicine King Sect used specifically for cultivating the Jikong Flower, they were either internal worlds within living beings or spaces forcibly created by powerful beings.
Fortunate Lands, on the other hand, were closely connected to the real world, appearing independent but inseparable.
There was no distinction of superiority between the two. As powerful as the Sloong Heavenly Cave, a top-tier Great Wilderness, was, its internal derivation of law essence had already surpassed that of ordinary Fortunate Lands. But as weak as the Medicine King Sect's small space was, even a few Yuan Spirit Infant-stage practitioners fighting within it could shatter it, so how could it compare to the stability of the present world?
What surprised Luo Chen was that Dan Sheng China Yan actually had such a Fortunate Land.
"Wait, this Fortunate Land should belong to the Abyss Sect!"
"So she left, but the Fortunate Land remained."
"No wonder the three Grand Ancestors of the Abyss Sect weren't worried about the Dan Sheng Inheritance over the years, and they didn't forcefully take it. Instead, they repeatedly sent people to participate in the trials."
"They don't care much about the Dan Sheng Inheritance; they care about reclaiming this Fortunate Land!"
"And the Dan Sheng Trial is the key to unlocking this Fortunate Land."
Hoo...
Luo Chen breathed a sigh of relief, no longer thinking about these irrelevant matters, nor was he in a hurry to find the so-called fourth trial.
Instead, he immediately sat down in a meditative posture, adjusted his position, and began to cultivate his techniques.
The previous refinement of the Two Instruments Dan, which heavily relied on the Kurong Divine Fire and the Nirvana Holy Flame, had greatly depleted his mana.
No matter what the content of the fourth trial was, the immediate priority was to restore his mana first.
As he breathed in and out, a massive amount of pure spiritual energy surged towards him.
Moreover, due to his deeper understanding of the Prosperity and Decay Essence, even after the epiphany state dissipated, its influence remained.
Something indescribable was approaching him.
...
The stream gurgled, and a white-robed Taoist sat cross-legged.
His spiritual sense danced, and his mana flowed.
Strand after strand of heavenly spiritual energy was drawn into his body, first undergoing a transformation through the circulation of his meridians and acupoints, then being tempered by the Kurong Divine Fire, and finally merging into the plump Yuan Ying infant within him, transforming into the purest mana.
Luo Chen immersed himself in this process, feeling a sense of "inexpressible wonder."
Cultivation was supposed to be arduous, so where did this feeling of wonder come from? But at this moment, he genuinely felt this way because compared to his past self, the efficiency of this transformation and restoration of mana was indeed too high, far too high.
It was almost two to three times faster than before!
This speed wasn't achieved out of thin air but was precisely calculated by Luo Chen after cultivating the Sky Phoenix Nirvana Sutra on Cangwu Mountain.
He clearly knew that his cultivation had embarked on the most correct path, as his cultivation and recovery speeds had doubled or tripled.
Previously, he had thought that breaking through from the fourth layer of Yuan Ying to the fifth layer would require at least four to five decades. Even with the help of the fourth-grade cave mansion on Cangwu Mountain, which could be considered top-notch, it only shortened the time by a fraction.
But if calculated at the current speed, the breakthrough could be achieved in just two to three decades.
At this moment, Luo Chen estimated that with this cultivation speed, it would take only about fifty years to reach the sixth layer of Yuan Ying.
This was after deducting the assistance from the Cangwu Mountain cave mansion, the blessings of the Dan Sheng Paradise, and various pill and formation aids.
It was just ordinary cultivation in a fourth-grade spiritual land!
If those were added, Luo Chen was confident that he could minimize this time!
"The later stage of Yuan Ying is beckoning to me."
"The threshold of Hua Shen is also a great opportunity to explore in the future."
"The future is indeed incredibly bright!"
As his mana gradually recovered to its peak, Luo Chen's mood became increasingly cheerful.
Suddenly!
He opened his eyes wide and looked across the stream.
An old man with white hair, a face full of wrinkles, and an air of decay emanating from his entire being was smiling at him.
Luo Chen stood up, surprised, and said, "Mr. Xuan Yan? What's going on with you...?"
He clearly remembered that when Mr. Xuan Yan appeared earlier, although he was quite old, his aura was robust, and his complexion was incredibly rosy. It was not like the current state of impending death.
Mr. Xuan Yan didn't seem to care about his changes; he casually said, "I have long surpassed the thousand-year lifespan limit of a normal Yuan Ying master. The reason I've managed to live for over a hundred years is merely due to the resources of the Abyss Sect and longevity techniques. My previous state was a fleeting glimpse of vitality."
Luo Chen understood; he had felt that Mr. Xuan Yan's behavior was completely different from the rumors.
So, it was just a fleeting glimpse of vitality.
But why did he suddenly become so despondent, and why did his entire aura become even weaker?
As he wondered, Mr. Xuan Yan slowly raised his right hand, and a white token appeared before Luo Chen's eyes.
"What is this?" Luo Chen wondered, a guess forming in his mind.
Mr. Xuan Yan didn't keep him guessing; he spoke directly, "This is the fourth trial, and it's something left behind by China Yan. Only by unlocking it can one truly obtain the Dao Tradition Transmission."
Luo Chen's gaze fixed on the token, but he soon shook his head.
"I don't know what's inside, but the first three trials have already benefited me greatly."
"Since this transmission is already in your hands, Luo Chen congratulates you, senior!"
Mr. Xuan Yan raised his eyebrows, somewhat surprised by Luo Chen's words.
After all, this was the Dan Sheng Inheritance!
But for Luo Chen, the gains from the first three trials were indeed enormous.
In the first trial, he solidified his foundation in the Dao Tradition.
In the second trial, he created a reverse pill refinement technique, the Gui Chen, and gained insight into the essence of medicinal ingredients.
In the third trial, he refined the Two Instruments Dan, a high-grade pill that would undoubtedly be of great use, and his confidence soared after a successful pill refinement, dispelling any fear of unfamiliar pills in the future.
It was at this moment that Luo Chen truly embodied the demeanor of a Grand Master from within.
Even when facing the renowned Mr. Xuan Yan, he was filled with confidence. Although he might lack experience, he was no less skilled in pill refinement! It was just a transmission, and since it had already fallen into someone else's hands, why bother taking it by force?
Mr. Xuan Yan looked at Luo Chen in amazement, his raised hand in the air feeling somewhat awkward.
"I never expected you to be even more outstanding than I imagined!"
"No wonder China Yan favored you, and no wonder the three from the Abyss Sect would open the Pill Sage Hall ahead of time for you."
"Here, take this!"
Whoosh!
As Luo Chen was taken aback, the white token was tossed over lightly, as if it were not a transmission left behind by a Hua Shen Dan Sheng but a mere Nourish Qi Pill.
"Do you know why I came to find you specifically?"
"I don't know."
"It's because only you have the chance to open this token, and I, in the end, am one step short!"
Mr. Xuan Yan spoke slowly, his tone somewhat desolate, and his demeanor was rather dejected.
Luo Chen didn't understand why he was saying this, but as his gaze fell on the smooth white jade token in his hand, all his questions were instantly answered.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
