Chapter 229: Rising Dragon Pill, cultivation speed doubled!

Twenty days later.

Luo Chen sat alone in the quiet room, gazing at his attribute panel with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

【Foundation Establishment 2nd Layer 26/100】

The progress points had jumped by a full two increments.

This was not the credit of the Qi-Gathering Pill alone; for the latter nine days, he had switched to the Rising Dragon Pill.

"Previously, without taking any pills, relying entirely on my own cultivation and the assistance of a 2nd-tier low-grade cave dwelling, I gained 22 progress points in a year."

"That is approximately two progress points every forty days."

"Now, with the addition of 2nd-tier pills, the cultivation speed is just right—it has doubled."

"If no errors occur in between, relying on my current cultivation speed, I will need approximately one thousand years to reach the perfection of Foundation Establishment."

Arriving at this result.

Left Luo Chen both happy and disappointed.

What made him happy was that he indeed had a way to increase his cultivation speed.

What made him disappointed was that the magnitude of the increase was truly too small.

Doubled?

For those geniuses with superior aptitude, this would already count as a massive improvement.

But for him, it was still far from enough.

He sighed.

Luo Chen put away that feeling of disappointment and made himself feel invigorated.

"At the very least, I see hope!"

Doubling the cultivation speed is truly not a small amount.

Moreover, he still had plenty of room for improvement.

Right now, he was more concerned with the effects of the two types of pills.

"The Qi-Gathering Pill is worthy of being a specialty of the Medicine King Sect; its medicinal properties are neutral and mild, and the pill toxins contained within are not many. The only drawback is that the medicinal power provided after refining is slightly inferior to the Rising Dragon Pill."

This judgment did not come from a mere feeling.

Rather, it was derived from his comparison over these past twenty days.

When he gained the first increment of progress, it took a full eleven days.

That was using the Qi-Gathering Pill.

Eleven days later, Luo Chen proactively switched to the Rising Dragon Pill.

And this time, it only took about nine days.

From this, it can be seen that in terms of converting medicinal power into spiritual energy, Spirit-Harmonizing Pills are inferior to Dragon-Ascension Pills.

"As the flagship 2nd-tier pill product of the Green Pill Valley, the advantage of the Rising Dragon Pill is that its medicinal power is immense."

"But the drawbacks are also extremely obvious!"

"The medicinal power is too immense; during the process of circulation, it causes great damage to the meridians, requires high control from the cultivator, and there seems to be more pill toxin as well."

After comparing the two, he had this result.

To be honest, Luo Chen did not feel surprised.

The Medicine King Sect has been able to stand in the cultivation world for nearly a thousand years by relying on stability!

The orthodox cultivation pills they refine, while maintaining basic effects, prioritize not damaging the cultivator's body above all else.

The Green Pill Valley has only a few hundred years of heritage.

Today, being able to occupy a place in the Jade Cauldron Domain relies on being brave and advancing, finding a different path.

Therefore, while the Rising Dragon Pill's medicinal power is excellent, its side effects are also extremely obvious.

Any normal cultivator would choose the Qi-Gathering Pill.

But in reality, in the cultivation world, those who covet progress, or those pressured by their lifespan and eager for quick success, would not look down on the Rising Dragon Pill.

Luo Chen was the latter!

He did not intend to use the Qi-Gathering Pill.

Instead, he chose to use the Rising Dragon Pill as his primary pill for Foundation Establishment cultivation.

Not for anything else, just for that little bit of extra Qi.

Do not look down on this little bit; as it accumulates, day after day, it becomes several, or even dozens of cultivation progress increments!

As for the many side effects of the Rising Dragon Pill?

Luo Chen did not fear them.

His soul foundation was quite profound, and his control over spiritual power could be called a leader among his peers.

It was merely a matter of dividing and circulating medicinal power.

As for the pill toxins being slightly more?

He was already at the point where he had so many lice he didn't feel the itch!

In any case, taking any pill involves pill toxins, and in the end, it still has to be resolved by the Clear Source Wonderful Pill Method.

Since that is the case, he didn't care about this extra bit.

Finally, he cared even less about the damage the Rising Dragon Pill caused to a cultivator's meridians!

Over the past year, he had never stopped using the Golden Quality Jade Liquid.

And his physique was also nearing the completion of the transformation into Golden Skin and Jade Bones.

By that time, he would be what Wang Yuan called the 2nd-tier Body Refining realm—all show and no substance.

What was all show and no substance was the body-refining means.

Not his own body!

The physique of the 2nd-tier Body Refining realm made his meridians sufficiently wide and sufficiently tough.

Mere medicinal power collisions would not cause much damage at all.

Even if there were hidden injuries, he could spend spirit stones to purchase Mending and Moistening Liquid to repair them.

In short, one sentence.

Problems that can be solved with spirit stones are not problems!

"It seems I need to stock up more on the Green Pill Valley's Rising Dragon Pill."

Currently, there were not many Rising Dragon Pills in his storage bag, and most were leftovers from Duan Qiankun's storage bag.

Luo Chen had already allocated that inheritance from the storage bag previously.

Duan Feng obtained the Foundation Establishment resources he needed most, plus a top-grade magic tool, the Rattle Drum.

Wang Yuan obtained two high-grade magic tools, numerous 2nd-tier resources, plus one hundred and fifty medium-grade spirit stones, which was fifteen thousand low-grade spirit stones.

As for Luo Chen, he kept fifty medium-grade spirit stones, one high-grade spirit stone, and that low-grade magic tool sword scabbard.

It looked like Luo Chen had suffered quite a loss.

But in reality, there was still a large batch of resources he did not distribute; instead, after seeking the consent of the two, he put them into the Luo Tian Society.

And converted them into a large amount of merit, gifting it to the two of them.

Among them, the two iron balls wrapped in secret silver were handed over to the Tool Hall; he would plan for their redistribution after Duan Feng figured out what they were.

Currently, the merit of the Luo Tian Society was not a meaningless thing.

On the contrary, it was quite precious!

Because, besides the conventional cultivation techniques, materials, and spells that could be exchanged.

He also added several Foundation Establishment insights, applications of spiritual sense, and detailed explanations of spells.

Additionally, the Cultivation-Nurturing Spirit Liquid he had improved and the carefully refined Deep-Penetrating Pills were also put up.

For Qi Refining stage cultivators, these things were all precious resources.

And they could not be bought with spirit stones.

They had to be exchanged with merit!

Setting it up this way was also to stimulate the work enthusiasm of the lower-level cultivators.

Only when they were more proactive could the Luo Tian Society develop better, and the wealth earned could be greater.

Naturally, the wealth Luo Chen could harvest in the end would far exceed selling these resources directly.

After all, selling them only earns the spirit stones for a single portion of resources.

But hanging them up, letting people see them, letting people exchange for them.

What is earned is the value created by everyone working together from top to bottom!

"Master, you've come out of seclusion!"

In the quiet cave dwelling.

As Luo Chen stepped out of the quiet room, a graceful figure flashed by and arrived at his side.

Luo Chen looked helplessly at the cute woman holding his arm.

"I've told you many times, don't call me Master."

"But you are my Master!" Bai Meiling said earnestly, her clear, transparent ghostly eyes wide open.

Luo Chen shook his head, not intending to argue about this matter.

He came to the living room, reached out, and three sound-transmission talismans fell into his hand.

Bai Meiling let go of Luo Chen's arm and drifted leisurely through the cave dwelling.

Her illusory body passed through solid buildings one after another, only to be bounced back at the edge of the formation.

During her flight, a faint, soul-stirring, heart-moving bell sound rang out.

That was a magic tool Luo Chen had obtained in his early years.

He named it the Soul-Loss Bell.

This bell was not of a high grade; he had only used it once back when he killed Shan Xiu.

Now that Luo Chen had reached Foundation Establishment, a mere mid-grade magic tool was of no great use to him.

Selling it would only fetch a few hundred spirit stones.

So he gave it to Bai Meiling.

The current Bai Meiling, having been supplemented by the essence of a large number of ghosts and evil spirits, had long since stabilized her body.

Coupled with her persistent cultivation of the "Soul Refining True Art."

She could now be considered to have completely embarked on the path of ghost cultivation.

Luo Chen didn't know much about this path and couldn't give too many suggestions, so he could only let her explore freely.

Over a long period of time, although Bai Meiling hadn't completely recovered her memory, she had gradually remembered some people and things from the past.

Luo Chen also took time to bring her to meet Feng Xia, Gu Caiyi, and Murong Qinglian a few times.

Needless to say, the shock, joy, and deep emotion of those few people when they first saw him were self-evident.

Feng Xia, who had the best relationship with her, even cried.

Bai Meiling, on the other hand, didn't feel much, just thinking that the few sisters were quite nice.

By comparison, she still preferred to cling to Luo Chen's side.

Ever since she gained consciousness, she had naturally felt close to Luo Chen.

It was Luo Chen who brought her out of the dark, sunless ghost realm.

It was also Luo Chen who captured a large number of ghosts for her, allowing her to condense a ghost true body and have a foundation for cultivation.

And it was Luo Chen who provided the "Soul Refining True Art," letting her embark on an alternative path of cultivation.

To her, Luo Chen was the Master who bestowed her with a new life.

"Has anyone looked for me recently?"

Luo Chen clipped the three sound-transmission talismans and asked casually.

Over time, he no longer cared about Bai Meiling's natural form of address.

Bai Meiling squatted in the corner, fiddling with the Soul-Nurturing Wood and Moonlight Grass.

She looked up and said earnestly: "Senior Li Yixian came by, President Sima came by, and a very fierce Foundation Establishment True Person also came by."

It was not strange for the first two to come looking for him.

But... a very fierce Foundation Establishment True Person?

Who was that?

Sitting on a stone chair, Luo Chen opened the three sound-transmission talismans in order.

"Fellow Daoist Luo Chen, it has been a long time since we last met, and I have missed you very much. Recently, I have encountered many things and have many troubles with no one to confide in. If you have come out of seclusion, I hope we can meet by chance, and with your worldly wisdom, resolve the confusion in my heart." — Li Yixian.

Luo Chen frowned. Had Li Yixian encountered something?

Her words actually revealed such a sense of fragility.

This did not look like the demeanor of a true cultivator who had practiced hard for decades.

While pondering, Luo Chen opened the second sound-transmission talisman.

"Is this Fellow Daoist Luo Chen? I am Facing Chu Kui. If there is a chance, let's have a drink and be friends!" — Facing Chu Kui.

After listening to this sound-transmission talisman, Luo Chen couldn't help but be stunned.

Facing Chu Kui?

Why was he looking for him?

Luo Chen was not unfamiliar with this name.

On the very first day he entered Tianlan City, Xu Xiaoliu had mentioned the other party's illustrious reputation.

A regular at the Dao-Discussion Platform.

One of the top ten experts on the Tianlan Xiancheng Genius Ranking!

The most critical point was that he was the only loose cultivator among the top ten.

He was not a high-ranking disciple of any sect, nor had he established a sect like Luo Chen; he was a genuine lone wolf.

It was said that the other party's cultivation was genuine late-stage Foundation Establishment!

Such an existence actually came to proactively befriend him.

"This must be the fierce and evil person Xiao Ling mentioned!"

"If I have time, I should go see him and see what the other party means."

Luo Chen didn't know many of the local Foundation Establishment cultivators in Tianlan Xiancheng.

Except for people like Lu Rong, who wanted to slaughter him the moment they met.

He mostly held an attitude of friendly interaction.

His action at Danxia Peak that time actually didn't involve a killing blow.

It was just that Cao Wanchun didn't have much ability but had quite a temper.

Having lost, he still attempted to counterattack.

Just as Wang Yuan said, he already had a way to die!

Now that a great expert wanted to know him, he naturally wouldn't refuse.

Only by broadly building connections would he avoid the situation of practicing in seclusion and finding the world outside had changed upon coming out.

Finally, Luo Chen opened Sima Hui Niang's sound-transmission talisman.

After listening, Luo Chen's expression was neither sad nor happy, as if he had expected it.

"Xiao Ling, I'm going to Danxia Peak. Do you want to go with me to see Feng Xia, Caiyi, and the others?"

Bai Meiling squatted on the ground, manipulating spiritual energy, using a watering can to water the Soul-Nurturing Wood.

Without even raising her head, she said: "No, no."

Luo Chen sighed.

He didn't know if it was because she had switched to ghost cultivation or because she was missing part of her memory.

Bai Meiling's personality was still the same, but she had no feelings for anyone other than him.

During the previous meetings, she had always been very indifferent and distant.

It was as if they were just some people and things she knew.

"Very well. You've also learned how to control the three formations of the cave dwelling."

"When I'm not here, you take care of things for me."

"You are not allowed to go out, remember!"

Bai Meiling kept her head down, still fiddling with the buds of the Soul-Nurturing Wood.

"Got it."

Shaking his head, Luo Chen turned and left the cave dwelling.

The three-layer formation opened and closed in sequence.

Following that was the rumbling sound of a waterfall.

Luo Chen subconsciously glanced at the neighboring cave dwelling, where figures were faintly moving.

But in his spiritual sense, Li Yixian was not there.

Those people should all be members of the Li clan.

Half a year ago, Li Yixian had brought a batch of 8th or 9th-layer Qi Refining clan members to live with her in the cave dwelling.

The purpose was self-evident: to maximize the use of this 2nd-tier low-grade cave dwelling.

"But in doing so, what's being dragged down is her own cultivation speed!"

Luo Chen only sighed; he didn't try to dissuade her.

Every family has its own difficulties.

Renting a 2nd-tier low-grade cave dwelling for ten years also costs a lot of spirit stones.

How could others be as wealthy and imposing as him?

Enjoying an entire 2nd-tier low-grade cave dwelling all to himself!

As far as he knew, after Nangong Jin's injuries healed, he also followed Li Yixian's example, bringing Nangong Qin and two younger clan members into the cave dwelling.

It could even be said that on this Tianlan Peak.

The vast majority of cave dwellings were not occupied by a single person.

Either dao companions lived together, or a whole family, and there were even situations where friends rented together.

Regarding these situations, the Ice Langong turned a blind eye, pretending not to see.

After all.

The contract did not stipulate that a cave dwelling could only be used by one person.

The regulations above mostly forbade damaging the basic configuration of the cave dwelling and forbade attempting to mine the raw spirit stone ore under Tianlan Peak.

If there was any violation, especially the latter, it was immediate execution!

It was precisely because of this that many people skirted the edges, finding others to rent together to share the pressure of the expensive rent.

Releasing the Langqi Flying Boat, Luo Chen drifted away from Tianlan Peak.

Soon, he passed through the Tianyi Water Defense Formation and entered the Xiancheng.

At this time, the flying boat converted to land-travel mode.

Flying close to the ground, never rising.

His gaze fell on the streets extending in all directions.

Looking at the shops, some simple and atmospheric, others magnificent and resplendent.

Luo Chen squeezed his storage bag.

"Right now, I don't seem to be able to call myself wealthy and imposing either?"

Without calculating the liquidity of the Luo Tian Society.

His own savings were not much either.

After renting that 2nd-tier low-grade cave dwelling, he only had eighty thousand spirit stones left.

This sum might be a lot for a loose Foundation Establishment cultivator.

But for Luo Chen, who was determined to seek longevity, it was very meager.

Not to mention anything else!

He had reserved a 2nd-tier high-grade cave dwelling at the Ice Langong.

Once it became vacant, he would definitely have to rent it.

And a high-grade cave dwelling cost four thousand a month, which was forty-eight thousand a year!

Luo Chen's current wealth was barely enough for one year.

For a Foundation Establishment True Person who often goes into seclusion for months or even years, how could one year of high-grade cave dwelling usage rights be enough?

Invisibly, a sense of urgency pressed onto Luo Chen's heart.

"Get spirit stones, get spirit stones, it's all about getting spirit stones!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 230 =====