Chapter 96: Spirit Eyes Rooted, Gazing Through the Earth's Veins (Subscription Request)

"How can you not know either?"

"I entered the Heavenly Fragrance Tower at the fifth level of Qi Refinement, dancing every day. I've never fought with anyone, so how would I know these things?"

"Hehe, a weakling!"

Luo Chen looked at Gu Caiyi with disdain, which earned him a glare in return.

However, Gu Caiyi gradually sighed.

"I really need to get better at combat techniques. The Broken Mountain Gang is not like the Heavenly Fragrance Tower. Without a strong background, something like what happened before could happen again."

The "something" referred to the conflict between two gangs.

During that incident, many people died, including Xu Renke, who possessed a fragment of a magical treasure, who died on the Dao Discussion Platform.

And such incidents were bound to happen more than once.

Historically, the Great River Market has seen the rise of many gangs.

The Broken Mountain Gang and the Great River Gang only emerged in the past hundred years.

However... no background?

Luo Chen stroked his chin. Does the Broken Mountain Gang really have no background?

I doubt it!

On the way out of the city, the two chatted about some matters in the city.

"Speaking of which, now that Fu Xiuxiu has left, the east wing is empty. Do you want to move in?"

"Let's not. The renovated back house is a bit cold, but it has no other drawbacks."

"Winter is coming soon, it will be even colder!"

Is winter coming soon?

Luo Chen only then noticed that the leaves on the trees in the outer city were starting to turn yellow.

Cultivators have strong physiques and rarely feel temperature differences unless in extreme weather.

Unconsciously, he had moved from mid-summer to autumn.

Behind them, two bodyguards followed.

They gradually realized that the route was wrong; Luo Chen seemed to be heading not towards the Crescent Moon Valley.

Zhou Yuanli was puzzled, "Hall Master, where are we going?"

Luo Chen smiled and said, "To the main headquarters, to see if the Gang Leader is there. I have something to discuss with him."

Unfortunately, Uncle Mi was not there.

In fact, Uncle Mi did not spend all his time in the Broken Mountain Gang.

He had his own social circle and a small cultivation family, the Mi Family, behind him.

Old Man Mi was a wandering cultivator by origin, but after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, he branched out and founded the Mi Family.

Now, the Mi Family is well-known in the Great River Market, not inferior to some Foundation Establishment families that migrated from other regions.

And because they control the Broken Mountain Gang, they are even stronger.

For this reason, many Foundation Establishment families that have recently moved in often visit Uncle Mi.

Not seeing him, Luo Chen felt a bit disappointed.

But to verify his doubts, he had other methods.

At the Crescent Moon Valley, he practiced four batches of the Wondrous Pill in the morning.

Then, instead of rushing to refine the Jade Marrow Pill, Luo Chen sought out an old cultivator among the fire workers.

Most of the internal staff in the Pill Hall were elderly, women, and children.

This old cultivator, Qu Hancheng, was the most advanced among them, at the sixth level of Qi Refinement.

He had already settled in the Great River Market and had a son and a daughter.

Unfortunately, neither of his children had spirit roots.

He only hoped that he could have another child, or that one of his grandchildren would have spirit roots, to continue the cultivation dream of the Qu Family.

"Hall Master, what do you need?"

Qu Hancheng looked at Luo Chen with confusion.

Luo Chen smiled, "I have something, and it's a good thing! Starting today, you will be the team leader, in charge of all the fire watchers, responsible for scheduling and rotation. Oh, and you will receive an additional spirit stone as monthly salary. However..."

Hearing this good news, the old man was excited.

Watching the fire is exhausting!

He had to constantly monitor the fire, adjust the wood, and release Fireball Spells when the fire was weak.

It was fine once or twice, but after a month, he felt like he was burning up.

If he became the team leader, he wouldn't have to watch the fire himself but could direct others.

Of course, he knew that being the team leader would come with conditions.

The condition was in that "however."

Looking at Luo Chen, who was staring at him as if he were a rare treasure, he felt a bit uncomfortable.

"Hall Master, please speak directly. If there's anything I can do, I will do my best."

"It's simple, come with me!"

Without letting anyone follow, Luo Chen took Qu Hancheng out of the Crescent Moon Valley to the back.

Before them lay a vast, quiet primeval forest.

Qu Hancheng swallowed, "Hall Master, beyond here is the Howling Moon Range. There are many wolf demons there. We shouldn't get too close."

"It's fine, right here!"

Luo Chen smiled and chose a spot, then said, "Do you know the Fireball Spell?"

"Yes!"

"Good, now use your full strength to cast the Fireball Spell, as many as you can, until your mana is exhausted."

"Each fireball must be infused with maximum spirit energy!"

Is it that simple?

Qu Hancheng was taken aback but then followed the instructions, casting the Fireball Spell.

Luo Chen watched carefully, comparing the ordinary cultivator's Fireball Spell with his own perfected version.

Generally, cultivators put the least effort into spells.

Spells are indeed powerful, but they are slow to cast, requiring hand seals and incantations to mobilize spirit energy and form the spell.

Many spells, even after formation, have a slow attack speed.

The Fireball Spell, along with the Golden Spear Spell and the Water Arrow Spell, is a low-level attack spell.

But its speed has always been a drawback.

In comparison, magical artifacts and talismans are much better.

One only needs spirit energy to control, and the other can be instantly activated.

Moreover, spells consume a lot of energy, affecting a cultivator's accumulation of spirit energy and breakthrough to higher realms.

Therefore, only those who have no hope of breaking through and lack suitable magical artifacts focus on spells.

Qu Hancheng was a perfect example of such an old cultivator.

His Fireball Spell, in Luo Chen's view, was about at the proficient level.

This was already very good!

His hand seals were fluent, the spell formed quickly, and it was released quickly, but he couldn't control the direction of the fireballs well.

He couldn't achieve the level of control Luo Chen had, where he could release dozens of fireballs and even change their direction.

But Luo Chen's goal was not in this.

"One, two... sixteen, seventeen. Continue?"

Qu Hancheng's face was pale, and he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I can't, the spirit energy in my body is only enough for these seventeen Fireball Spells."

Only seventeen?

Luo Chen frowned, his gaze falling on the scorched pits.

"How many spirit roots do you have? How long have you been at the sixth level of Qi Refinement?"

"I have three spirit roots. I reached the sixth level at seventy-five years old, and it has been eighteen years now."

Ninety-three years old!

"To still come out to work at this age, you have my respect." Luo Chen's tone became more polite.

Qu Hancheng caught his breath and managed a weak smile, "Not at all, I must thank Hall Master for the promotion. I will be more comfortable in the future."

Luo Chen nodded, lost in thought.

After eighteen years of advancement, even without any medicinal support, with three spirit roots, he should have reached the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refinement.

But considering the financial constraints of mid-level cultivators, who can't afford to live in the inner city with a first-grade spirit vein, his advancement would be slower.

This old man was probably at the mid-sixth level.

Even so, his progress was much faster than Luo Chen's.

But his total spirit energy was less than half of Luo Chen's?

Luo Chen's eyebrows raised, realizing that his total spirit energy might far exceed that of ordinary cultivators.

The Fireball Spell, his most skilled spell.

At the fifth level of Qi Refinement, he could release nearly a hundred Fireball Spells.

It sounds like a lot, but if each one had to be at maximum power, containing the most spirit energy, it would probably be around twenty.

This was also why he usually used the Flying Fire Glow, maintaining about ten at a time.

After breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Refinement, he could release about thirty at full strength, ten more than at the fifth level.

And it was foreseeable that as he continued to cultivate, this number would continue to increase.

If he reached Qu Hancheng's current level, he could probably release about forty.

Does that mean my spirit energy is more than twice that of cultivators at the same level?

This realization shocked Luo Chen.

"When did this change happen?"

Suddenly, Luo Chen thought of the Grandmaster-level Eternal Spring Art.

"It must be the Grandmaster-level Eternal Spring Art, which has opened my meridians, doubling my spirit energy storage."

"Because of this, I need to accumulate more spirit energy than cultivators at the same level to break through."

Understanding this, Luo Chen's frown eased.

This is definitely a good thing.

In terms of combat and foundation, it is a significant enhancement.

But for Luo Chen, who had limited lifespan, it was a major drawback.

It means he needs to spend more time and resources to break through to the next level.

"Maybe the situation is even worse?"

Luo Chen thought of a common knowledge point!

As cultivators continuously move spirit energy, their dantian expands, and their meridians become wider, all to accumulate enough spirit energy for the Foundation Establishment stage.

If I already have twice the base at the same level, doesn't that mean my dantian will be even wider in the future?

And I will need even more spirit energy?

Twice? Three times!

Luo Chen's head ached!

"Hall Master, is there anything else?"

The old man's voice broke his thoughts, and Luo Chen shook his head, signaling him to return.

After he left, Luo Chen took a deep breath.

"Indeed, everything has two sides."

"The Grandmaster-level Eternal Spring Art has brought me many benefits, such as increasing the number of pills I can refine, automatic spirit energy recovery, and accelerated cultivation."

"Now it seems that the opening of my meridians and the increase in foundation are also hidden benefits."

"But this benefit hinders my rapid advancement."

After much thought, Luo Chen suddenly smiled.

"It's just a matter of needing more cultivation resources."

"What am I worrying about? With my alchemy skills, spirit stones are not a problem."

With this realization, Luo Chen returned to the Crescent Moon Valley leisurely.

"Notify everyone that we will no longer practice the Wondrous Pill in the afternoon. We will focus on refining the Jade Marrow Pill!"

...

...

That afternoon, the Pill Hall focused on refining the Jade Marrow Pill.

The results were promising!

All failed!

Luo Chen received dozens of failed spirit stone beads.

On his way home, he angrily threw the stone beads using the technique of the Heavenly Maiden Scattering Pearls.

Everything in his path, flowers, grass, insects, and moths, suffered.

Seeing his state, Gu Caiyi and the two bodyguards dared not provoke him.

After returning home, Luo Chen, as he did the previous day, prepared the Primordial Spirit Liquid.

The materials bought for three hundred spirit stones were enough for thirty doses of Primordial Spirit Liquid.

Sitting in the Purple Cloud Copper Furnace, Luo Chen thought of something.

"In the future, cultivators who eat the Wondrous Pills refined by this furnace might carry my aura."

"Does that mean I will have a sense of participation when they do things?"

"Phew, phew, phew!"

The distraction disappeared as the Eternal Spring Art circulated.

This situation would not actually happen.

After each medicinal bath, he would thoroughly clean the furnace.

And during the refining process, the high temperature would burn away any aura.

With the help of the Tranquilizing Incense, the Eternal Spring Art circulated, absorbing nearby spirit energy and slowly converting it into Luo Chen's own spirit energy.

The vast essence of the Primordial Spirit Liquid, after the herbs were combined, seeped into Luo Chen's body, converting into a stream of qi and blood.

Time slowly passed.

The next morning.

The rooster's crow announced the dawn!

"Huh? Where is the rooster crowing?"

Luo Chen's gaze quickly fell on the east wing.

Gu Caiyi also got up and looked over curiously.

The door opened.

A man in white, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, walked out with a cold expression.

He glanced at Luo Chen and Gu Caiyi, said nothing, and turned to leave the courtyard.

Luo Chen's mouth dropped open, pointing at his back.

"How impolite!"

"Is he a new neighbor?" Gu Caiyi frowned.

The day before, they had talked about the east wing being empty after Fu Xiuxiu left.

Today, a new person had moved in without notice.

And he looked like someone not to be trifled with.

He didn't even bother to introduce himself or greet them.

"He's a tenant brought by Senior Sun. He's from the nearby Duan Family and is called Duan Feng."

Speaking was Qin Liangchen, who had just stepped out.

He stretched lazily, looking exhausted.

He was the most relaxed person in the courtyard.

Holding the title of elder, he had nothing to manage and received a monthly salary.

Naturally, he was more aware of these trivial matters than anyone else.

The Duan Family?

Luo Chen asked curiously, "The Duan Family has an Ice-Fire Spirit Spring, which, though not as large as a spirit vein, is comparable to a first-grade spirit vein in a small area. Why would their family members move to the inner city?"

"Cultivation families are not always harmonious. Duan Feng had a falling out with the family head's son, and his lineage is now down to just him."

"So he moved to the inner city?" Luo Chen shook his head. "That doesn't make sense!"

Qin Liangchen shrugged, "Why does it need to make sense? He's here for the Dao Discussion Platform. His name is still on the Great River Market's list of outstanding cultivators, ranked nineteenth."

Hearing this, Luo Chen instantly understood.

Indeed, there are cultivators in the Great River Market now.

They have no special skills and don't cultivate like the Broken Mountain Gang and the Great River Gang, who rely on the river.

Their cultivation method is to participate in the Dao Discussion Platform battles