Chapter 354

The Hunyuan Bell needs too many resources; Advancement is too hard.

All the Spiritual Artifacts and weapon fragments Jing Yuheng sent were devoured, yet they gave little improvement; the weapon I originally envisioned seems to have succeeded, but its appetite is huge, and such a hunger will eventually bankrupt me.

Alas, where there is gain there must be loss.

Chen Chuyang sighed; originally he shouldn't have forged it so heavy, nor have aimed for such a high level. Now he cannot... proceed; the required resources are countless, all rare heavenly and earthly treasures, while ordinary ores and weapon fragments are useless, at most making the Hunyuan Bell merely thicker.

Advancing the Hunyuan Bell at this stage is unlikely in the short term; it also consumes a lot of Qi daily, gradually becoming the weapon with the greatest appetite inside his body. Chen Chuyang is troubled—his cultivated spiritual energy is already scarce, and now he must allocate a portion of it elsewhere. It's too hard.

Looking at the Hunyuan Bell, Chen Chuyang sighed again; nowadays, change is already very difficult, and he can only walk a single dark road. The consolation is that the Hunyuan Bell's power is strong, gradually strengthening, already exceeding Chen Chuyang's expectations—this is his only comfort.

When the Hunyuan Bell is stored, a portion of the absorbed spiritual energy is retained by it, and the same with Qi. Nurturing this weapon, he cannot even forge another weapon; lacking surplus spiritual energy and Qi, Chen Chuyang finds it very difficult.

Fortunately, the Ascending Dragon Pool does not need to absorb Chen Chuyang's spiritual energy or Qi; it automatically draws spiritual energy from beyond heaven and earth. The spiritual energy of Longshe Shan has fortunately increased considerably, restoring the spirit vein; otherwise Chen Chuyang would have to worry about Longshe Shan's spiritual energy.

His head throbbing, he watches Longshe Shan improve; the Ascending Dragon Pool not only devours but also feeds back to the spirit vein. The two help each other, mutually fostering; the stronger the Ascending Dragon Pool, the more it can enhance the spirit vein.

The Ascending Dragon Pool is still better; it requires no effort from me, no Qi input, and no nurturing.

Longshe Shan nurtures itself, automatically absorbing heavenly and earthly spiritual energy as well as Longshe Shan's own, and also drawing various breaths from beneath the mountain range to improve itself. Chen Chuyang originally set it to not absorb Longshe Shan's mountain qi, but to absorb the surrounding mountain qi, gradually supplementing Longshe Shan and strengthening its mountain power.

With the spirit vein enhanced, Longshe Shan can produce more spiritual energy; the many spiritual herbs on the mountain also need spiritual energy, and at the same time they replenish Longshe Shan—mutual achievement, mutual repair.

This is why Chen Chuyang's headache eases; the more spiritual herbs, the better Longshe Shan becomes, and the faster it improves.

The replenishment of pills must also speed up; the newly upgraded Dragon Blood Pill can compensate his losses. Without pills, Chen Chuyang's attempt to advance his cultivation seems unlikely.

Stuck in one realm for a lifetime, unable to advance.

Pills greatly aid cultivation; no wonder many families seek to train pill refiners, all needing them. Refining one's own pills saves a lot of money and can offset one's losses.

Xiao Qian'er's pill‑refining path must be opened quickly; the flame needs to be prepared for her, as does the Alchemy Furnace.

Chen Chuyang's head aches; now he has an extra disciple, and everything must be thought through. He truly makes a good master.

He constantly thinks of his disciple; not doing so is impossible. Xiao Qian'er is still young, her strength insufficient, and she cannot be self‑sufficient.

If this master does not help or guide, Xiao Qian'er will probably never be able to refine pills in her lifetime.

Once Xiao Qian'er can refine pills, I will be much more at ease; then the pills needed by the Chen Clan and the Eldest Princess won't require my concern, and I won't need to worry about those people's pills either—all will be left to Xiao Qian'er.

Thus, he can peacefully attend to his own affairs and cultivate in peace.

If Shang Hongxue were not that kind of material, Chen Chuyang would have already taught her pill‑refining knowledge, making her a pill refiner.

Among so many, only Xiao Qian'er has this talent; her constitution is also more suitable for pill refining.

She is a bit younger, her cultivation a bit lower; she only began cultivating upon entering Longshe Shan. With modest cultivation, she can barely do some tasks, initially consolidating spiritual herb knowledge. When she grows older and her strength improves, she can attempt pill refining.

As for the flame, use earth fire for pill refining; once she condenses a pill and possesses Pill Fire, she can change the flame.

Regarding the Alchemy Furnace, Chen Chuyang has also begun gathering materials, preparing them in advance; when she can refine pills, he will then forge an Alchemy Furnace for her. It's still too early to craft now—perhaps by then his alchemy skill will have greatly improved.

Chen Chuyang thought a lot: the Chen Clan, himself, Longshe Shan, Shang Hongxue, his younger sister Chen Qinger, and his older brother and others. For the whole family to rise, relying on him alone is impossible; the entire clan must ascend, and the new generation must shoulder the main beam.

Alone, he can't support the whole; his older brother's strength and talent are decent, needing time to grow. Chen Qinger is strong in many aspects and will surely surpass the older brother; how far she can develop depends on her destiny. The other young members of the Chen Clan might also be… cultivated.

There are only so many direct‑line members; the second and third uncles are ineffective, and there are few children. The collateral branches can also be cultivated, but who to cultivate is unknown; this requires the father and others to observe. The father should know.

For the Chen Clan to rise, more young members must be cultivated; this is Chen Chuyang's view.

When the Chen Clan becomes powerful, he can cultivate in peace. Previously, limited cultivation resources left everything lacking; now they can begin preparing, resources increase, and the Chen Clan's strength will rise accordingly.

Within the dynasty.

The Crown Prince's residence.

Crown Prince Qimingtian wore a dark face, staring at the person before him.

"Is everything dealt with?"

"Your Highness, all matters are settled; no one can locate them."

"Very well, this matter must never allow the Eldest Princess to find evidence."

The Crown Prince's expression was icy, his eyes fixed on the kneeling person before him.

"Mr. Bai, you must ensure this; otherwise, neither you nor I will be protected."

Mr. Bai replied, "Your Highness, rest assured; I will handle it without leaving any trace. Anyone involved in this matter will be killed by me, none spared."

"Even if the Eldest Princess finds it, it will only be a corpse; she will find no evidence."

"This time, Your Highness is too hasty."

Mr. Bai began to counsel lightly, but the Crown Prince shook his head: "We cannot afford to be unhurried; if the Emperor does not die and we wait a few years, Old Seven will ascend, and by then we will still have to die."

"The time left for us is short; we must eliminate Old Seven soon."

The Crown Prince stared at Mr. Bai with cold, ruthless eyes; in his heart, that position belonged to him alone, no one could take it.

"Even Old Seven must die."