Chapter 115: First Battle on the Dao Discussion Platform

Xieyue Valley, light snow flying.

In the Pill Hall, tea fragrance was lingering, and Luo Chen was holding a book, reading with great interest.

Footsteps came from his ear, followed by a tired sigh.

He didn't lift his head and said: "Failed again?"

"Hmm."

A muffled voice came from Tang Quan's mouth, and at this moment, he looked listless.

The reason for being so spiritless was, firstly, because of the failure in refining the Zhongmiao Pill, and secondly, because his realm was too low, and he consumed a lot of energy during the pill refining process.

"Failure is very normal; the birth of any low-grade pill is accompanied by hundreds or thousands of failures."

Listening to this flat, waveless tone, Tang Quan sighed.

He thought he was valued by Luo Chen and let him lead the refining of the Zhongmiao Pill, proving that he had some talent.

But this month, one furnace every day, he failed all of them.

The closest he came to success was only refining a semi-finished product.

Looking at Luo Chen's light and breezy expression, Tang Quan couldn't help but think, can the gap between people be so big?

Luo Chen was just a loose cultivator at the beginning, neither having a famous teacher's guidance nor the support of a gang.

All the raw materials for pill refining had to be accumulated by himself.

But even so, the other party refined the Zhongmiao Pill, a pill that had entered the grade.

Compared to him, he was simply a waste.

He even doubted himself, whether he had any pill-refining talent at all.

"Perhaps the Hall Master is really a pill-refining genius who is hard to come by in a thousand years, otherwise he wouldn't have refined middle-grade Jade Marrow Pills in such a short time."

Just as he was about to leave, his gaze fell on the cover of the book Luo Chen was reading.

"Dahe Heavenly Pride Record"

?

Tang Quan became interested, "Hall Master, are you very interested in the Dao Discussion Platform competition?"

Luo Chen gave a grunt of acknowledgment and said: "A little interested."

This book was bought by him from a loose cultivator who claimed to be "Dahe's Know-it-all" on the White Stone Plaza.

It contains the battle records of many cultivators on the Great River Market's Heaven's Pride list, as well as their preferred methods, etc.

"This kind of idle book written by others after hearing hearsay can't show the real things."

This time, Luo Chen raised his head.

Tang Quan chuckled, "This kind of thing, you still have to look at my uncle Zeng Wen."

Luo Chen's eyes lit up!

That's right, these idle books are all exaggerated; according to the descriptions above, middle-stage Qi Refining cultivators are invincible, and late-stage Qi Refining cultivators are destroying the world.

But Fellow Daoist Zeng Wen, that is a regular guest of the Dao Discussion Platform!

Can't I just go and ask him myself?

Five days later!

Under the jade wall of Luofeng Mountain, Luo Chen and Zeng Wen arrived together.

Oh no, there was also a woman.

She leaned on Zeng Wen, like a bird relying on a person, with a pair of peach blossom eyes, smiling very charmingly.

This was Zeng Wen's new girlfriend, who was said to come from a fallen cultivation family, and her background was clean.

Now Fellow Daoist Zeng Wen, because the Zhongmiao Pill is scarce, plus the affairs of the Battle Hall, has gone to the Tianxiang Pavilion less.

Perhaps he has turned over a new leaf, so he has plans to start a family.

The realm of the ninth level of Qi Refining is already enough for many female cultivators who have no one to rely on to look at him differently.

That family also welcomes Zeng Wen very much.

So both sides are currently hitting it off, and there is a trend of formally becoming Dao companions.

Seeing Luo Chen looking up at the information on the jade wall, Zeng Wen laughed.

"Don't worry, I've seen him on stage several times. Although he has the realm of the eighth level of Qi Refining, his magic tools are scarce, and the only one he can take out is a high-grade flying sword."

"With your strength, little brother, as long as you respond properly, there is no problem in taking down the other party!"

Luo Chen withdrew his gaze, looking eager to try.

After signing up two days ago, it was his turn to compete on stage this afternoon.

Before this, Zeng Wen and even Duan Feng had carefully selected opponents for him and offered advice on how to defeat the other party.

Given that Luo Chen took out a low-grade magic tool as a bet and his realm was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining.

The opponent named Huang Bin accepted the invitation very readily.

After the sorting by the cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion, the match was set for the first match this afternoon.

"Let's go in!"

Luo Chen waved his hand and prepared to enter the passage.

However, Zeng Wen asked him to wait a moment.

Then next, he began to walk around nearby.

First, he went to the Chenyue snack stall to buy a bag of popcorn, a bag of fairy beans, a bottle of yellow pear wine, and then went to Mixue Bingcheng to buy a cup of milk tea.

After handing the snacks and milk tea to the peach-blossom-eyed female cultivator, Zeng Wen smiled at Luo Chen and drilled into the gambling stall next to him.

"Boss, bet ten spirit stones, bet on Luo..."

He paused and looked back at Luo Chen.

Luo Chen was helpless; not being a yellow dog, now being a gambling dog, right!

"Murong Yuan"

Zeng Wen chuckled, "Ten spirit stones, I bet Murong Yuan wins. By the way, what is the odds of him and Huang Bin in this match?"

The cultivator at the gambling stall curled his lips, "You don't even know this, and you dare to place a bet?"

"Supporting a brother, just for fun!"

The cultivator glanced at Luo Chen behind him and curled his lips, saying: "Huang Bin is an old man on the Dao Discussion Platform, having participated in many battles, although he has lost more than he has won, he is also experienced. This newcomer Murong Yuan, whether it is realm or fame, cannot compare to him."

"Therefore, the odds are high, currently as high as five times."

"Are you sure you're betting on him?"

That goes without saying; Zeng Wen placed his bet decisively.

Then, under Luo Chen's eye-rolling, they bought tickets and entered the passage together.

He and his female companion bought tickets; Luo Chen didn't need to.

After entering, he asked curiously: "Why take such a pseudonym as Murong Yuan?"

"That's to keep a low profile, what if I rank first in Qi Refining in the future."

"I'm not talking about that; I'm talking about the origin of this pseudonym, Murong..."

"Right, it's my sister-in-law Murong Qinglian's surname. A compound surname, I think it sounds very good, very classy! And, doesn't she usually treat me like a younger brother and even want to introduce a Dao companion to me."

Luo Chen said casually about the origin of his alias.

As for the "Yuan" in the name, it was also taken from people around him, the "Yuan" in Wang Yuan's name.

After saying a few words, when they were about to enter the Dao-Discussion Platform, the two sides separated.

Luo Chen had to enter the "Player Lounge."

Along the long passage, Luo Chen relied on his contestant jade token to reach the lounge.

It was actually a series of quiet rooms, specifically for the cultivators who were about to go on stage to rest and wait.

Just as he stepped into his quiet room, Luo Chen gave a soft "eh."

This small room, the spiritual energy was actually so thick?

Far better than the inner city residential houses, even compared to his spiritual vein cave, it was only a notch weaker.

"No wonder so many cultivators are keen to participate in the fights; I didn't expect this quiet room to be an excellent place for cultivation."

Luo Chen muttered, then thought of the rumors from before.

The first-tier spiritual vein of the Great River Market is said to originate from Mount Luofeng, which was enclosed at the time.

Now it seems that it might not be false.

Now that Mount Luofeng has been developed into a Dao-Discussion Platform, the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion has also appropriately given up some benefits to attract many cultivators to participate actively.

"If I didn't have a spiritual vein cave and didn't have alchemy skills, if my realm was high enough, I'm afraid I would also be keen on the Dao-Discussion Platform fights."

Staying in the quiet room to rest for two sticks of incense, the jade token in his hand emitted a brilliant light.

A cold voice came from it.

"The first match in the afternoon, eighth layer of Qi Refining Huang Bin versus seventh layer of Qi Refining Murong Yuan!"

"Please both cultivators come on stage!"

Luo Chen's heart jumped, and he tidied up his magic robe.

Walking out of the quiet room, along the tunnel, he moved forward step by step.

When he stepped out of the underground palace, a mountain-shaking cheer suddenly came to his ears.

As he floated to the high platform, the cheers reached their peak.

"Is this the feeling Wang Yuan, Qin Liangchen, and the others had when they fought on stage?"

Luo Chen looked around, and for a moment, he actually felt a bit hot-blooded.

But with the arrival of his opponent Huang Bin, that restless heart instantly cooled like a deep pool.

In fact, Luo Chen seemed to have a unique talent for fighting.

Unlike the alchemy talent he usually bragged about, which was actually given by the system.

In terms of fighting, he had always performed very well.

Since crossing over, he had experienced three battles in total.

The first time he lacked experience, but relied on faking his death to counter-kill.

The second time, he used the enemy Gao Ting'e's contempt to launch a sudden attack and succeeded in one fell swoop.

And in the most recent third time, he utilized his speed advantage to the maximum, calmly laid out various methods, and finally defeated three with one, which was even easier than the first two victories.

Luo Chen also gradually realized this talent of his.

Therefore, before and after this registration, he also had the intention to familiarize himself with that kind of on-the-spot combat state.

"I am Huang Bin, I have met you, fellow Daoist."

"Murong Yuan, please make your move."

"Easy, easy, let's stop at a point, how about we don't hurt the harmony?"

Looking at the middle-aged man with a warm smile, Luo Chen raised his eyebrows; what does this mean?

Showing weakness?

Or playing a tacit game?

Thoughts turned in his mind, but after the referee gave the order, Luo Chen attacked without hesitation.

First, pull back and fly into the sky.

Then, the Fire-Tip Spear was in his hand, with the tip pointing down.

Spiritual power surged out, and the gray spear body continuously lit up with red light until the tip shone like white heat.

"Not good!"

Huang Bin's expression changed slightly; the other party didn't seem to be affected by his words at all.

A flying sword that had been prepared long ago shot out.

Sure enough, showing the enemy weakness, prepared in advance, fortunately, I am slightly better.

Facing this blow, Luo Chen's expression was cold.

"Go!"

With a soft utterance, sparks filled the sky, falling like rain.

Not only that, Luo Chen flicked his finger, and a Jade Marrow waste bead flew out, hidden in the sparks.

The incoming flying sword was hit exactly by the Jade Marrow waste bead.

Accompanied by the self-detonation of the waste bead, the flying sword paused.

Just as it was about to continue moving forward, one Jade Marrow waste bead after another followed.

And Huang Bin below was currently resisting the sky full of fire rain in a sorry state.

"What kind of magic tool is this?"

"Actually so strange!"

He gritted his teeth and paused, taking advantage of the fact that the wooden shield in his hand could still resist a little, he continuously used the traction technique to control the flying sword, trying to hit Luo Chen.

Looking at the opponent's struggling appearance, Luo Chen was thoughtful.

The eighth-layer Qi Refining opponent didn't seem to be very strong.

He had only used the Fire-Tip Spear and had suppressed him so thoroughly.

However, the opponent's spiritual power was quite abundant; he had supported it for so long without showing fatigue, and even had the energy to control the flying sword.

But, that was all!

He shook his head slightly and pushed his hand heavily.

Under the sky full of fire rain, the fire spear turned into a dragon and roared over.

Facing this violent blow, Huang Bin's expression changed drastically.

"I admit defeat!"

As the words "admit defeat" were uttered, the ninth-layer Qi Refining Jade Cauldron sword cultivator curled his lips and cast a spiritual incantation.

The formation set up on the Dao-Discussion Platform trembled with a hum.

Then a light curtain spread out.

Before the mid-grade defensive wooden shield shattered, it wrapped Huang Bin up in the nick of time.

Looking at the spear tip that stopped in front of him and kept spinning, Huang Bin's face was pale.

Lost.

Lost so easily.

"Fellow Daoist, good magic tool, good methods!"

Good magic tool refers to the Fire-Tip Spear.

And good methods refer to the Jade Marrow waste beads that Luo Chen used to continuously disturb his high-grade flying sword.

Luo Chen cupped his hands, smiled slightly, and floated down from the Dao-Discussion Platform.

However, after coming out of the formation, what he heard was not mountain-shaking cheers, but curses one after another.

"Fixed match!"

"Why did a seventh-layer Qi Refining win against an eighth-layer Qi Refining?"

"Fixed match, return my spirit stones!"

"Why did it end so quickly? It wasn't satisfying to watch at all."

"There wasn't even any blood in this match; that Huang Bin admitted defeat too quickly."

"Could this Murong Yuan be arranged by the Sword Pavilion? Winning so easily, it's hard for me not to suspect he's playing a fixed match."

Luo Chen's expression stiffened.

After entering the underground palace, he couldn't help but curse.

Gamblers' whole families die!

Such a wonderful start, shouldn't they cheer for me?

After returning to the underground palace, a Sword Pavilion cultivator sent him his prize.

A ten-spirit-stone appearance fee and a low-grade magic tool.

"No pills?"

The cultivator waved his hand, "This magic tool is the bet you both placed before the match; pill rewards are only available to those in the top few at the end of the month."

Seeing Luo Chen disappointed, he laughed: "Actually, after the fight, you can also continue to practice in the underground palace quiet room until we close the mountain at night."

This should be an invisible benefit.

Luo Chen didn't care and turned to leave the Dao-Discussion Platform.

After coming outside, Zeng Wen and his female companion were already waiting for him.

"Sure enough, worthy of the man I fancy! The first time on stage, just like me back then, defeating the enemy dashingly."

The female companion beside him narrowed her peach-blossom eyes and looked at Zeng Wen with extreme admiration.

Luo Chen took a deep breath; forget it, I won't expose the embarrassing incident of this guy being beaten pale and having almost no spiritual power left back then.

Knowing that Zeng Wen still had to collect his bets, Luo Chen didn't accompany him and went straight home.

Closing the door, he circulated the Changchun Gong while keeping an eye on his state at all times.

"I didn't pay attention before, but now I realize that every battle does indeed have the effect of refining spiritual power."

He could sense that as his spiritual power gradually replenished, it seemed to be a bit purer than before.

This kind of refinement was not caused by the cultivation technique, but by the internal environment of the body.

Every time a Qi Refining cultivator breaks through a small realm, it causes the dantian to expand, storing more spiritual power.

But as one reaches the late stage of Qi Refining, the physical shackles have not been broken, and the upper limit of the dantian has almost begun to solidify; only after Foundation Establishment will it grow again.

Under the premise of a solidified dantian, the spiritual power that should have continued to grow cannot be accommodated.

Therefore, the body begins to undergo passive compression and refinement, eventually leading to spiritual power that is more refined than before.

"But this refinement effect is too weak?"

Luo Chen frowned.

If he really fought like this, when would he be able to refine his spiritual power to a state where he could perfectly impact Foundation Establishment?

Luo Chen understood a little why rogue cultivators never went through this process at the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

The reason is simple: at the seventh layer of Qi Refining, there is actually still a lot of room for improvement in spiritual power capacity.

That kind of passive compression and refinement is too weak.

Even during battle, the output and recovery of spiritual power are in a state of exceeding income, which will also affect cultivation.

Only when reaching the ninth layer of Qi Refining, or even perfection, will the efficiency of refining spiritual power be maximized.

"It seems I can't pin my hopes on fighting."

Luo Chen's gaze fell on the attribute panel.

The proficiency of the Changchun Gong had gradually approached great perfection.

The master-level Changchun Gong had the effect of automatically recovering energy and clearing meridians.

Once it reaches great perfection, it might make up for the shortcomings of refining spiritual power.

The reason Luo Chen guessed this was simple.

Because Uncle Mi had said that the Changchun Gong was derived from the Medicine King Sect's "Everlasting Evergreen Scripture" and had related functions itself.

But major sects had simplified low-grade techniques again and again.

Besides Qi Refining, many special wonders had been deleted.

And Luo Chen had long had a backup plan.

Even if the great perfection Changchun Gong didn't have similar functions, he wouldn't mind spending a lot of time polishing himself after reaching Qi Refining perfection.