Chapter 229: Ascending Dragon Elixir, cultivation speed doubled!

Twenty days later.

Luo Chen sat alone in the quiet room, gazing at his attribute panel, his eyes filled with contemplation.

【Foundation Establishment Layer 2: 26/100】

The progress points had jumped by a full two increments.

This was not solely the credit of the Qi Gathering Elixir; for the last nine days, he had switched to the Ascending Dragon Elixir.

"Previously, without taking any elixirs and relying entirely on my own cultivation, aided by a Tier 2 low-grade cave dwelling, I gained 22 progress points in a year."

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

"Now, with the boost from Tier 2 elixirs, my cultivation speed has exactly doubled."

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

Reaching this conclusion.

Left Luo Chen both happy and disappointed.

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

What disappointed him was that the extent of the improvement was simply too small.

Doubled?

For those heaven-gifted prodigies with superior aptitude, this would already be considered a massive improvement.

But for him, it was far from enough.

He sighed.

Luo Chen put away that disappointment and forced himself to become energized.

"At least, I see hope!"

Doubling cultivation speed is truly not a small amount.

Moreover, he still had plenty of room for improvement.

Currently, he was more concerned with the effects of the two types of elixirs.

"The Qi Gathering Elixir is worthy of being a specialty of the Medicine King Sect; its medicinal properties are balanced and moderate, and it contains very little medicinal toxin. Its only drawback is that the medicinal power provided after refinement is slightly inferior to the Ascending Dragon Elixir."

This judgment did not come from mere feeling.

It was derived from his comparison over these past twenty days.

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

That was using the Qi Gathering Elixir.

Eleven days later, Luo Chen proactively switched to the Ascending Dragon Elixir.

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, the Qi-Harmonizing Elixir is inferior to the Dragon-Ascension Elixir.

"As the flagship Tier 2 elixir product of the Green Elixir Valley, the advantage of the Ascending Dragon Elixir is its immense medicinal power."

"But its disadvantages are also extremely obvious!"

"The medicinal power is too overwhelming; during the process of circulation, it causes significant damage to the meridians, requires high control from the cultivator, and seems to contain more medicinal toxins."

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 elixirs they refine, while maintaining basic effectiveness, prioritize not damaging the cultivator's body above all else.

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

Today, being able to occupy a place in the Jade Cauldron Domain relies on their courageous advancement and taking unconventional paths.

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

Any normal cultivator would choose the Qi Gathering Elixir.

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 Ascending Dragon Elixir.

Luo Chen was the latter!

He did not intend to use the Qi Gathering Elixir.

Instead, he chose to use the Ascending Dragon Elixir as his primary elixir for Foundation Establishment cultivation.

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

Do not underestimate this little bit; accumulated over time, it adds up to several, or even dozens of cultivation progress points!

As for the many side effects of the Ascending Dragon Elixir?

Luo Chen did not fear them.

His soul foundation was quite deep, 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 medicinal toxins being higher?

He was now at the point where one doesn't fear more lice!

In any case, taking any elixir results in medicinal toxins, and in the end, it all has to be resolved by the Clear Source Wonderful Elixir Method anyway.

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

Finally, he cared even less about the Ascending Dragon Elixir's damage to a cultivator's meridians!

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

And his physique was nearing the completion of the Golden Skin and Jade Bone transformation.

By then, he would be the "Body Refining Tier 2" that Wang Yuan spoke of, which was all show and no substance.

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

Not his actual body!

The physique of Body Refining Tier 2 made his meridians sufficiently wide and tough.

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

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

In short, one sentence.

Any problem that can be solved with spirit stones is not a problem!

"Green Elixir Valley's Ascending Dragon Elixir, it seems I need to prepare more."

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

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

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

Wang Yuan received two high-grade magic treasures, numerous Tier 2 resources, and 150 middle-grade spirit stones, which was 15, 00 low-grade spirit stones.

As for Luo Chen, he kept 50 middle-grade spirit stones and one high-grade spirit stone. And that low-grade magic treasure sword scabbard.

It looked like Luo Chen had suffered quite a loss.

But in reality, there was 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 points, which were given to the two.

Among them, the two iron balls wrapped in secret silver were handed over to the Artifact Hall; once Duan Feng figured out what they were, they would then plan for further distribution.

Now, the merit points of the Luo Tian Society were not meaningless trinkets.

On the contrary, they were quite precious!

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

He had also added several insights on Foundation Establishment, the use of spiritual sense, and detailed explanations of spells.

Additionally, his improved Foundation Cultivation Spirit Liquid and carefully refined Profound Penetration Elixir were also placed up for exchange.

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

And they could not be bought with spirit stones.

They had to be exchanged with merit points!

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

Only when they were more active 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 look at them, letting people exchange for them.

That earns the value created by everyone working together!

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

In the quiet cave dwelling.

As Luo Chen stepped out of the quiet room, a beautiful figure flashed over to 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 and transparent ghost eyes wide open.

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

He walked to the living room, reached out, and three sound transmission talismans appeared in his hand.

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

Her illusory body passed through solid structures, only to be bounced back at the edge of the formation.

During her flight, a soul-captivating, heart-moving bell sound faintly rang out.

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

He named it the Soul-Losing Bell.

This bell was not of high grade, and he had only used it once when he killed Shan Xiu.

Now that Luo Chen had reached Foundation Establishment, a mere middle-grade magic treasure was of no 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 numerous ghosts and evil spirits, had long since stabilized her body.

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

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

Luo Chen did not know much about this path and could not give too many suggestions, so he could only let her explore freely.

Over a long period, although Bai Meiling had not fully 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 several times.

Upon their first meeting, the shock, joy, and emotion of those few need not be mentioned.

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

Bai Meiling, on the other hand, felt nothing, only 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 a natural affinity for Luo Chen.

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

It was also Luo Chen who captured numerous 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 Technique," allowing her to embark on an alternative path of cultivation.

To her, Luo Chen was the master who gave her a new life.

"Has anyone looked for me recently?"

Luo Chen held 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, President Sima came, and a very fierce Foundation Establishment true cultivator also came."

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

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

Who was that?

Sitting on a stone chair, Luo Chen opened the three sound transmission talismans one by one.

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

Luo Chen frowned. Had Li Yixian encountered something?

To actually reveal such vulnerability in her words.

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

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

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

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

Chu Kui?

Why was he looking for him?

Luo Chen was not unfamiliar with this name.

As early as the first day he entered Tianlan City, Xu Xiaoliu had mentioned the other's illustrious reputation.

A regular at the Dao Discussion Platform.

One of the top ten powerhouses on the Tianlan Immortal City Prodigy List!

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

Not a high disciple of any sect, nor having founded a sect like Luo Chen, but a genuine lone wolf.

It was said that his cultivation was genuine late-stage Foundation Establishment!

Such an existence actually came to proactively befriend him.

"This must be the fierce and wicked person Xiaoling spoke of!"

"If I have time, I should go see him and see what he means."

Luo Chen did not know many of the local Foundation Establishment cultivators in Tianlan Immortal City.

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

He mostly held an attitude of friendly association.

The move he made at Danxia Peak actually did not go for the kill.

It was just that Cao Wanchun didn't have much skill, but his temper was not small.

Having lost, he still vainly attempted to counterattack.

Just as Wang Yuan said, he already had the path to his own death!

Now that a great expert wanted to know him, he naturally would not refuse.

Only by widely building connections would he avoid the situation of cultivating in isolation, only to find the world had changed upon coming out.

Finally, Luo Chen opened Sima Huiniang's sound transmission talisman.

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

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

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

She said without even raising her head: "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.

In the previous meetings, she had appeared very indifferent and distant.

As if they were just some people and things she knew.

"Fine then, you've 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 still kept her head down, fiddling with the tender shoots 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 the waterfall.

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

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

Those people should all be members of the Li clan.

As early as half a year ago, Li Yixian had brought a batch of Qi Refining 8th or 9th layer clansmen to live with her in the cave dwelling.

The purpose was self-evident: to maximize the utilization of this Tier 2 low-grade cave dwelling.

"But in doing so, it drags down her own cultivation speed!"

Luo Chen only sighed, not trying to dissuade her.

Every family has its own difficult scriptures to recite.

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

How could others be as wealthy as him?

Enjoying an entire Tier 2 low-grade cave dwelling alone!

As far as he knew, after Nangong Jin recovered from his injuries, he also, like Li Yixian, brought Nangong Qin and two junior clansmen into the cave dwelling.

It could even be said that on this Tianlan Peak.

The vast majority of cave dwellings were not occupied by one person alone.

Either dao companions living together, or a whole family, or even situations where friends rented together.

Regarding these situations, the Ice Lan Palace 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 were mostly about not damaging the basic configuration of the cave dwelling and not attempting to mine the raw spirit stone ore under Tianlan Peak.

If violated, especially the latter, it would be immediate execution!

Precisely because of this, many people skirted the edge, 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 Array and entered the Immortal City.

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

Flying close to the ground, never rising.

His gaze fell on the streets extending in all directions.

Looking at those shops that were either ancient and atmospheric or magnificent and luxurious.

Luo Chen squeezed his storage bag.

"Am I, right now, not exactly wealthy?"

Without calculating the liquid funds of the Luo Tian Society.

His own savings were not much left.

After renting that Tier 2 low-grade cave dwelling, only 80, 00 spirit stones remained.

This sum of money might be a lot for a rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator.

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

Not to mention anything else!

He had reserved a Tier 2 high-grade cave dwelling at the Ice Lan Palace.

Once it became vacant, he would definitely go rent it.

And a high-grade cave dwelling cost 4, 00 a month, which was 48, 00 a year!

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

For a Foundation Establishment true cultivator who often went 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, still fucking get spirit stones!"