Chapter 135: Qi-Restraining Technique at Great Perfection

"Mi Shuhua returned to Great River Workshop three days ago."

Wang Yuan’s words kept circling in Luo Chen’s mind.

He returned three days ago; the Mountain-Breaking Gang is in a precarious situation, why not show his face?

Why find me in a hurry today, using frequent psychological tactics, and even taking out a Foundation Establishment Pill?

Thinking of the little old man who used to be ruddy and always laughing like a wealthy man, today he was pale without a trace of blood.

In his mind, the mid-grade spirit stones that turned into stone powder in the corner of the stone room appeared again.

Luo Chen, who was suspicious, instantly realized the truth that Mi Shuhua was now strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

"The Small Spirit-Gathering Array is already quite consuming of spirit stones, let alone a second-tier Spirit-Gathering Array!"

"If the effect is really that good, why would Foundation Establishment loose cultivators take the initiative to join major forces, or become a guest of one side?"

"Although I don't know how long the pseudo-second-tier spiritual vein environment built by the second-tier Spirit-Gathering Array can last, no Foundation Establishment cultivator can afford that expense."

In the eight corners of the stone room, all were placed with ten mid-grade spirit stones.

Added together, that’s eighty mid-grade spirit stones, eight thousand low-grade spirit stones!

When Mi Shuhua auctioned a magic treasure, he spent eighty thousand in one go.

A loose cultivator of his age, whose cultivation actually advanced to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, shows how many resources he consumed.

Inferring this, he must not have many savings.

And it is precisely because of this that Mi Shuhua, who is seriously injured, is now almost at the end of his rope.

"So, that’s why he would spare no cost to force me to refine Jade Marrow Pills with all my strength."

In the blink of an eye, Luo Chen connected the cause and effect and glimpsed the approximate truth.

In the battle for the Jin Dan ruins, Mi Shuhua definitely did not get any benefits.

This can be seen from the fact that the Xuan Yi Society is at odds with the Mountain-Breaking Gang.

Behind the Xuan Yi Society, there are five major Foundation Establishment families, and on the surface, there are three Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Even if Mi Shuhua is at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and has a magic treasure in hand, so what?

Moreover, the Foundation Establishment cultivators attracted by the Jin Dan ruins were not just these few.

As far as Luo Chen knows, those who went with names include the Hua-surname Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Joyous Sect from the Heavenly Fragrance Tower, Wang Haichao of the Great River Gang, Kang Dongyue of the Taishan Workshop, and Tu Xianping of the Snow Lotus Workshop.

As for those who went secretly, who knows how many there were.

Under such circumstances of being surrounded by strong enemies, how could Mi Shuhua retreat unscathed?

Moreover, because the Mountain-Breaking Gang had been operating on the periphery of the Ancient Plains Mountains for a long time, they vaguely regarded it as their own territory.

Mi Shuhua was afraid that he had to stand out under the pressure of the situation.

In this way, it was even more dangerous, and the probability of taking action would be higher.

After thinking through these things, Luo Chen didn't have any thoughts of schadenfreude.

Instead, he felt that things were not right.

Zeng Wen had specifically warned him to be careful recently.

The gang’s manpower was severely damaged, and it’s hard to guarantee that other forces wouldn't have any ideas.

Now that Mi Shuhua is seriously injured...

"A storm is coming!"

……

Early the next morning, Luo Chen went out early.

He rushed to places like the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, Hundred Herbs Hall, and Spirit Source Studio.

Spending a large amount of spirit stones, he bought many pills, auxiliary cultivation resources, and even bought a hundred catties of spirit rice.

His savings of over five thousand returned to one thousand in one go.

In short, Luo Chen was ready to run away at any time.

Before leaving the city, he found Yuan Xiaoyue and brought her to the Honey Snow Ice City milk tea shop.

"For the next period of time, I will probably stay in the Pill Hall most of the time, and the number of times I come to the inner city will be very few."

Yuan Xiaoyue said ignorantly: "You didn't come back to the inner city many times before either!"

Hey!

This little girl!

Feng Xia could understand the seriousness in Luo Chen’s words, and she asked seriously: "Did something happen?"

"Not yet."

Not yet, meaning there might be later?

Feng Xia nodded thoughtfully.

Luo Chen continued: "Maybe one day, the supply for the milk tea shop and snack stall will be cut off, so you must be mentally prepared."

Now the income of the milk tea shop and snack stall is far less than before.

It can only be said that it is barely maintained.

Hearing Luo Chen’s reminder, the two women looked at each other.

Feng Xia thought for a while and said: "Then take this high-grade ice-type flying sword; refrigeration is actually very simple."

"That’s not necessary."

It’s just a high-grade magic tool; Luo Chen is not lacking such a weapon right now.

He said: "Leaving it in the milk tea shop is a gimmick, and you can also use it to save your life at a critical moment."

Feng Xia looked at Luo Chen gratefully.

"In addition, remind Duan Feng from time to time; when it’s too dangerous, don't go out to take jobs."

"I’m afraid I can't persuade him; recently he goes out to repair magic tools every day without fail, working harder than anyone else." Feng Xia gave a bitter smile.

Luo Chen shook his head, "Anyway, I’ve said what I have to say; when you encounter danger, just run away at the first opportunity; there’s no need to force yourself to keep worldly possessions."

After some instructions, Luo Chen left.

……

On the way out of the city, Gu Caiyi looked at Luo Chen strangely.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"Nothing, just feel that your attitude toward friends and others is very different."

Luo Chen patted his chest, "That’s right, my nickname is Little Mengchang of Righteousness, and I am also known as Little Guan Yu of a Thousand Gold Promise!"

"Who is Mengchang? And who is Guan Yu?"

"Hmm... you know the statue I often worship at home, right! That is Guan Yu, a very famous general from my hometown, very righteous!"

Gu Caiyi tilted her little head, thinking, is it really like this?

Is it like this?

Luo Chen asked himself, regardless of his past or present life, he was indeed like this, and it had almost never changed.

For friends, he could generously enjoy their gifts and also give them help without hesitation.

Even after transmigrating, he treated Wang Yuan, Old Daoist Chen, and even these neighbors in the Sihe Academy with sincerity.

When someone was successful, he could flatter them without money and congratulate them.

When they were in trouble, he could also help them as much as possible.

Just like Gu Caiyi, just like Feng Xia, and Duan Feng, who had only recently become a friend.

However, for "outsiders," his attitude was not like this.

Cautious, guarded, and never speaking deeply with shallow acquaintances.

And even, as much as possible, putting his own interests first!

This point was especially obvious in Luo Chen’s relationship with Mi Shuhua!

His relationship with Mi Shuhua was not equal from the beginning.

The two were in a purely interest-based relationship.

Even because of the huge gap in strength, the initiative was on Mi Shuhua’s side from the beginning.

If he hadn't agreed to set up the Pill Hall and refine pills for the Mountain-Breaking Gang, the only outcome waiting for him would be—death!

No one pointed this out, but that was the fact.

Even after becoming the master of the Pill Hall, he was just a tool person, and Mi Shuhua was the capitalist who controlled this tool.

For capitalists, Luo Chen had nothing to say.

Just fleece them!

He never feared to speculate on Mi Shuhua’s psychology with the greatest malice.

It was precisely because of this that he was able to fleece good things from the other party time and time again.

And in fact, he didn't let Mi Shuhua suffer too much of a loss.

Except for the initial losses in the Pill Hall, after the mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills were refined, Mi Shuhua had already started to see some benefits.

For someone who used him and might even suppress him during Foundation Establishment, Luo Chen had always been vigilant against being deceived by the other party’s gentle policies and art of controlling subordinates.

If he really believed the ghost stories hidden under Mi Shuhua’s kind smile, Han Dang, the Heart-Devouring Tiger, and Zeng Wen, the Sick Tiger, would very likely be his future fate.

Especially after that showdown of honesty yesterday, Luo Chen realized this problem even more deeply.

Mi Shuhua’s desire to control him was rising continuously as his own realm rose.

Luo Chen didn't want to face such a deep-scheming enemy when he broke through to Foundation Establishment in the future.

That would be too terrifying!

Vigilance is one thing, but what to do right now is another.

After returning to the Slanting Moon Valley, Luo Chen started his great alchemy cause!

The entire Pill Hall, and even the Medicine Hall, started to operate around him with full force.

As the first day of Jade Marrow Pill refining ended, the success rate completely shocked the two deacons, Gu Caiyi and Sikong Shoujia.

A total of fourteen furnaces of raw materials, with a success rate as high as fifty percent!

And the finished product rate was even one hundred percent, all mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills!

Not a single low-grade Jade Marrow Pill!

"One hundred and forty mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills!"

Gu Caiyi swallowed, unable to believe it.

If this were taken out to sell, it would be worth seven hundred low-grade spirit stones!

If it were like this for a whole month, wouldn't it be able to sell for more than twenty thousand!

Gu Caiyi turned her head sharply, only to see Luo Chen washing his hands by the small mountain spring pool with a relaxed face.

He wasn't surprised at all?

It even seemed like he had known it for a long time.

Compared to Gu Caiyi’s shock, Sikong Shoujia was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

He left the Pill Hall on the spot with the account book; he wanted to report this gratifying information to Mi Shuhua.

Luo Chen clapped his hands and came to the cliff platform, looking at Sikong Shoujia’s back.

"Aren't you tired?"

Gu Caiyi asked worriedly from behind.

Tired?

Luo Chen chuckled; before, he had to deliberately control the success rate and finished product rate, that was what was called tired.

Now, just controlling the grade to be all mid-grade, he was actually much more relaxed.

Looking at Luo Chen’s handsome side profile, Gu Caiyi couldn't help but say: "If this is not a coincidence, going on like this, one month is more than twenty thousand spirit stones, and in a year, it’s more than two hundred thousand. Let alone ordinary pills, even magic treasures could be bought at will, right!"

"Woman, you think too simply."

Luo Chen smiled slightly and drilled into his small hut.

Leaving Gu Caiyi standing on the cliff to blow in the wind.

The hot summer evening breeze blew on her face, and Gu Caiyi thought carefully, finding that she did indeed think too simply.

So many pills, the cost alone would be several thousand.

And if it involved transportation and sales, the manpower and material resources consumed would also cost a lot.

The profit was indeed not as high as imagined.

But no matter what, the final amount earned was still a huge sum!

Especially for Qi Refining cultivators!

Luo Chen was also too powerful; unknowingly, his alchemy attainments had grown to this point.

In her heart, Gu Caiyi had almost started to worship Luo Chen.

And in the stone room, Luo Chen sighed.

Unfortunately, among these pill profits, he could only share twenty percent.

It was really too little!

But limited by his oath, he could only do this.

"Fine, let’s just get through these one or two months!"

"Save enough spirit stones to support my comeback, and then run away!"

……

In order to run away, the preparations Luo Chen made were more than just these.

Besides refining pills every day, he also started to increase his cultivation intensity in the Qi-Restraining Technique, and at the same time started to familiarize himself with the Green Musk Dragon-Gathering Flag as much as possible.

A top-grade magic tool would be one of his huge reliances on the road to escape!

He had to figure out the tricks to avoid the situation of insufficient spiritual power like Qiu Bai had back then.

Under such busyness, half a month passed in a hurry.

That night, Luo Chen wandered among the towering mountains and ridges.

He held the Green Musk Dragon-Gathering Flag, his gaze falling on the corpse of a one-horned goat on the ground.

A strong one among first-tier demonic beasts, a grumpy clan among goat-type demonic beasts.

Even in the Xiaoyue Mountain Range, it had a place.

Those demonic wolves, facing a one-horned goat, often had to hunt in packs to kill one.

But if they were gored by the single horn, even if it was just once, they would often end up with pierced intestines and stomachs.

Among the people Luo Chen knew, only Duan Feng had hunted a one-horned goat in the Ancient Plains Mountains.

If it were before, when Luo Chen encountered this kind of demonic beast, he would either run away or use guerrilla tactics to slowly strangle it.

But this time, he used a frontal strong attack to kill it easily.

"The various wonderful uses of this top-grade magic tool have been figured out almost enough."

The functions mentioned by Tian Xingzi back then were actually extremely incomplete.

Besides directly summoning three wood-attribute dragons, one could actually summon them separately.

In this way, one could greatly save spiritual power.

And even if three were summoned together, there were other tricks, definitely not like Qiu Bai’s barbaric use.

It could only be said that Qiu Bai had it for too short a time and didn't have time to figure out the details.

Just now, with the Jade Blade, Luo Chen only summoned one wood-attribute green dragon and easily killed this one-horned goat.

"Now my combat power is firmly at the ninth level of Qi Refining."

"Against the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, I also have the power to fight."

"I haven't fought a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but the Green Musk Dragon-Gathering Flag in my hand, as well as the Great Perfection Fireball Technique I have mastered, might be able to threaten them a little."

"And my means are more than that!"

Luo Chen’s heart stirred, and his whole body’s aura was restrained to almost nothing, like a withered tree.

His spiritual power moved slightly, and the Carefree Wind-Riding Technique rose instantly.

And in this process, the external aura he maintained did not change at all.

"This is the Great Perfection-level Qi-Restraining Technique!"

"This time I can't leave it to luck; I must experiment a little!"

Luo Chen took a deep breath and flew toward the large canyon deep in the Changyin Mountains.

Soon, he arrived outside that Cold Laurel Forest.

Luo Chen touched the branches and leaves of the Cold Laurel, his aura changed suddenly, emitting a chill.

He continued forward until a small snow-white wolf appeared.

Frost Demonic Wolf, first-tier.

In terms of body size and external demonic aura fluctuations, it was roughly equivalent to a human’s early stage of Qi Refining.

He squatted down and quietly reached out to the small snow-white wolf.

The small wolf raised its head in confusion, looking at this strange creature in front of it; can Cold Laurel trees move too?

Luo Chen’s hand was quickly retracted, with a trace of wolf fur between his fingers.

Then, his aura changed continuously.

After about three breaths, the aura on his body was exactly the same as that frost small wolf just now.

Great Perfection-level Qi-Restraining Technique!

Not only did it achieve the ultimate in restraining aura and spiritual power fluctuations, but it also added a function.

That was to simulate other people’s auras.

This simulation was not limited to humans; even demonic beasts and trees could be simulated.

It was precisely because of this that Luo Chen had the confidence to re-explore the Changyin Mountain Canyon.

Crossing the small wolf, Luo Chen continued forward.

Along the protruding cliffs of the canyon, borrowing the pitch-black moonlight, he approached the cold pool step by step.

He didn't stop until he was five hundred meters away.

"Being so close, that second-tier old demonic wolf didn't discover me, which shows that the Great Perfection-level Qi-Restraining Technique is enough to deceive a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Luo Chen glanced at the wisps of Ice Soul Cold Evil overflowing from the cold pool, then turned and left without hesitation.

He came this time not to seek treasure or kill demons.

It was just to experiment with the effect of the Qi-Restraining Technique using the second-tier demonic wolf with keen spiritual perception.

The final result made him very satisfied.

He could be sure that if he now used the Cleansing Technique to remove Mi Shuhua’s spiritual power means on him, and then ran to a farther place to hide.

The other party would definitely not be able to find him!

Confidence arose spontaneously!

But Luo Chen didn't run.

He had worked hard to refine mid-grade Jade Marrow Pills for the Mountain-Breaking Gang for half a month, but he hadn't yet collected his own share of the profit.

Leaving his hometown, he also had to bring enough start-up capital!

And on Wang Yuan’s side, he also had to give an explanation.