Chapter 694: There are three great houses, nine noble clans, yet only the humble-born stand alone in their brilliance

As the sky was about to brighten, Luo Chen put away a furnace of elixirs with satisfaction.

At his current realm, even if his Withering-Prospering True Fire was in a state of transformation and inconvenient to use, he could still drive his Nascent Soul True Fire to refine elixirs and cast artifacts.

In reality, refining elixirs with True Fire is the norm for most alchemists.

After all, not every alchemist can successfully subdue a suitable Source-less Fire while at a low realm. Once the realm is high, those Source-less Fires of inferior grade are not as stable and reliable as one's own Nascent Soul True Fire.

Luo Chen examined the Great Soul Pill in his hand; its color was pitch black, with golden light faintly appearing within.

"Drawn but not released, the medicinal power is restrained; within its plain appearance, divine mystery is contained."

"It is indeed a high-grade pill, without a doubt!"

Luo Chen took the opportunity to glance at his attribute panel, and sure enough, the proficiency of the Great Soul Pill on it had silently ascended to the high-grade level.

In this way, he would have more confidence when taking the Great Soul Pill to refine his soul next.

Speaking of soul refining, a strange look appeared in Luo Chen's eyes.

He hadn't noticed it before, but recently, while practicing the "Soul-Splitting Technique," he had gradually perceived changes in his divine soul.

It was not the split soul!

Because of the monthly mid-grade Great Soul Pill, the split soul had long since recovered to the early Nascent Soul level, which was nothing worth mentioning.

The focus of the change was on the main soul!

He did not know when, but Luo Chen's main soul had undergone significant improvement, even faintly possessing a sense of fullness and roundness.

"Is it the improvement brought by that epiphany?"

Luo Chen attributed the cause to that epiphany which lasted for half a year; otherwise, he could not find a suitable answer.

After all, this Soul-Splitting Technique uses the splitting of the main soul as a means; when one's own divine soul cannot advance further, one continuously splits the main soul and strengthens the split soul, thereby achieving the effect of laterally enhancing the foundation of the divine soul. Regarding the cultivation of the main soul, it actually has no great benefit, at most making it become a bit tougher.

"Unless I break through the realm, my current main soul has already reached a bottleneck period, unable to advance further."

"In the past, I could only cultivate slowly and wait quietly for the realm to break. Now, with the 'Soul-Splitting Technique,' I can continue to improve the foundation of my divine soul."

Luo Chen knew very clearly that the main soul being elevated to the limit is the signal that one can split a split soul.

Although the second split soul was far from reaching the stage of rivaling the main soul, he didn't mind splitting out a third split soul.

By then, advancing side by side, strengthening together, and improving together, wouldn't that be wonderful?

However, that would only be for then; the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven grand competition was imminent, and it was not the best time to split the main soul and fall into a weak period; he had to wait until after this matter was over.

Luo Chen put away the Great Soul Pill, cleaned the Primordial Cauldron, and prepared to go out.

While cleaning the Primordial Cauldron, he suddenly thought.

"At that time, how did the Pill Saint Chu Yan perceive that I was an alchemist, and even an alchemist who might have refined fifth-grade elixirs?"

Knowing that he might be an alchemist was easier to explain.

After all, Fu Fu Chaosheng would definitely provide corresponding intelligence to the Star Gate; he had collected so many medicinal herbs, and he hadn't seen him ask others to refine elixirs, so it could only be inferred that he digested them himself.

But the baseless fantasy of refining fifth-grade elixirs was a bit sensational.

"They might know that I have been to the Sinking Sea, but they definitely do not know that I obtained the Pill Dao inheritance of the Heaven-Refining Demon Lord in the Fallen Demon Land."

"Back then in Mingzhao Heaven, there were not many survivors; Han Zhan, Blood Scatterer, and Blood Nightmare Demon Luo were already dead, Moon Scatterer had disappeared, and the Cape Heaven Matron was of the demon race. The Gu siblings hid their heads and showed their tails, not daring to appear easily."

"The only ones who truly knew that I came out of the Pill Hall were the old Daoist Ji Yuan of the Penglai Immortal Sect and the Moon Scatterer's sister, Fairy Fairy Feileng. The former had already fallen. The latter..."

Luo Chen drew a clue map in his heart.

Fairy Fairy Feileng and Moon Scatterer, these two sisters, were both suspected to be from the Penglai Immortal Sect. And the Penglai Immortal Sect had a very deep origin with the Heaven Origin Dao Sect of the Central Plains. If one said that Fairy Fairy Feileng, in order to avoid her sister's pursuit, defected to the Heaven Origin Dao Sect and incidentally leaked his, Luo Chen's, intelligence...

"Wrong!"

Soon, Luo Chen overturned this clue map himself.

The reason was very simple; if that were really the case, the Star Gate could not have given him only a perfunctory status as an external guest minister.

An existence capable of refining fifth-grade elixirs at the early Nascent Soul stage was definitely the next Pill Saint.

Therefore, the Star Gate did not know this intelligence at all.

So the Pill Saint Chu Yan's judgment of him was merely derived from some intuition of her own.

"Is it an attraction and induction between alchemists themselves?"

"Or is it the mystery of the Pill Dao laws she cultivated to achieve the Soul Transformation realm?"

After forming the Nascent Soul, Luo Chen had made up for many classics related to high realms.

Although most were vague, there were still many records made by people regarding the road further ahead.

The Great Dao is three thousand, and laws are countless.

The Dao is elusive and difficult to estimate, so weak cultivators can only start by perceiving the laws step by step, thereby continuously approaching the true Great Dao.

And among countless laws, they are not divided by superiority or inferiority, but are divided into Great Dao laws and Left Dao laws.

Great Dao laws need no further mention; they are the Yin-Yang Five Elements, Wind-Thunder Space, etc., that construct the entire world.

Such laws are the most complex and cumbersome; often, under one law, many true meanings of laws are divided. However, once cultivated to great success, they are often the closest to the origin of the Great Dao.

And regarding Left Dao laws, most often they originate from the hundred arts of cultivation.

Such as zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, such as pill, array, artifact, and talisman, and there are even more eccentric ones, who perceive extreme laws from that monstrous slaughter.

If Pill Saint Chu Yan really achieved the Soul Transformation stage with the Left Dao law of Pill Dao, then perceiving that he had once refined fifth-grade elixirs seems understandable.

Only in this way, how much of his flat denial at that time could be trusted by her?

For a time, Luo Chen was actually a bit anxious.

Inside the cave dwelling, it was warm as spring, but outside the cave dwelling, it was bone-chillingly cold.

Logically speaking, high-grade spiritual lands have long had the ability to improve their own weather environment, affecting one side of the water and soil.

But whether it was the Mount Cangwu Mountain that Luo Chen had been to before, or the Heaven Earth Peak where he currently resided, the changes of the four seasons all followed natural laws and were constantly evolving.

Especially Heaven Earth Peak, which appeared even more natural.

When Luo Chen left the cave dwelling, looking at the snowflakes drifting from the sky, he did not use magic power to block them, letting them drift automatically onto his head and shoulders.

Because of the Withering-Prospering Divine Prohibition, his hair was gray and his face had wrinkles, making him appear no longer so young, leaning more towards the state of a middle-aged man.

With white snow falling on his hair, his temperament became even more weathered.

This state, for Luo Chen, was actually very simple to change if he wanted to.

Either waste a little magic power, or drive the source power, both could instantly restore him to his normal young appearance.

But he had no such thoughts at all.

Even in the cultivation world where one cannot judge the realm by appearance, those who are overly young often attract too much attention.

Especially, Luo Chen's true age is not large, yet his realm is so high!

Others' exclamations certainly make him feel proud, but they also often bring extra trouble.

It's just fine like this.

Luo Chen smiled slightly and looked at the person coming in the wind and snow.

Fu Fu Qinglan, in a sky-blue long dress, issued an invitation with a charming smile.

"Brother Dao, let's go!"

Standing beside a murmuring stream, Luo Chen watched Fu Fu Qinglan hand an invitation to a Core Formation cultivator.

His gaze shifted, looking into the distance.

The stream flowed murmuringly, without urgency; ahead it was silent, but behind, spiritual energy surged, showing that many people were rushing here.

Chess Saint Ke Lianshan playing against the celebrity Dao Yin, this battle attracted too many people's attention.

It could be said that it was definitely the top grand event before the Pill Saint's ascension and the five-hundred-year grand competition, far exceeding those small troubles before.

"Once as humble as me, now I can also take a seat; it is truly sigh-inducing!"

Luo Chen felt moved.

"Brother Dao Luo, we can go in."

"Mm."

This was the first time Luo Chen had truly stepped into the mountain gate of the Heaven Origin Dao Sect.

Peach Garden, the place where Chess Saint Ke Lianshan cultivated.

Inside, there is a fourth-grade high-grade spiritual vein.

After Luo Chen passed through the array at the end of the stream, the magnificent scenery of the Peach Garden instantly came into view.

Unlike the peach blossoms in full bloom and the mountains covered in crimson as he had imagined, what met his eyes were merely crisscrossing paths and fields of spiritual herbs everywhere.

This scene made Luo Chen a bit dazed.

Perhaps seeing his confusion, Fu Fu Qinglan reminded him from the side: "Brother Dao, why not release your spiritual sense and survey the area of a thousand miles."

Luo Chen hesitated, "Would that be a bit impolite?"

"Just avoid others, and only observe the terrain."

Luo Chen understood and released his spiritual sense.

In an instant, the general terrain of the Peach Garden was reflected in his heart.

Looking at it, Luo Chen felt it was truly wonderful.

Those crisscrossing paths, seemingly like fields, when viewed from above, outlined straight lines.

At every intersection of the lines, there were spiritual energy springs arranged.

And in the spiritual fields, the large number of flowers, plants, and trees planted were like chess pieces, playing against each other.

There were sword orchids with leaves like swords, sharp and peerless; there were ghost catalpas with shade covering, defending against external enemies...

For a time, the Peach Garden, which originally seemed peaceful and harmonious, actually gave people a sense of iron horses and brilliant phenomena.

Luo Chen withdrew his spiritual sense and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"The Chess Saint is using the Peach Garden as a chessboard, paths as lines, and spiritual plants as chess pieces to construct a grand chess game!"

Fu Fu Qinglan smiled slightly, "Brother Dao has a good eye. I didn't discover it at first either; it was only under the reminder of the sect elders that I knew of Brother Ke's exquisite means. Brother Ke himself is not only a master of chess, but also has an extraordinary technique for cultivating spiritual plants. He combined the two to arrange this natural chess game. By borrowing the struggle of flowers, plants, and trees, the chess game naturally evolves... It is said that when the chess game ends, Brother Ke has a great chance to perceive the laws and ascend to the Soul Transformation stage!"

Luo Chen blinked, half-believing.

He admitted that this chess game was exquisite, but could man-made things also be called "natural"?

Luo Chen didn't know, and had no intention of delving into it; he followed Fu Fu Qinglan and walked towards the depths of the Peach Garden.

Wherever they passed, the figures of cultivators became more frequent.

Fu Fu Qinglan seized this opportunity and began to introduce some people to him unilaterally.

"That is Xiang Qi, the most outstanding genius of the Xiang family's generation, and also one of the most dazzling talents of our generation. He practiced Qi at twelve, Foundation Establishment at sixteen, and formed the Core at twenty-six. Ten years ago, he ascended to the Nascent Soul stage; up to now, he is less than two hundred and fifty years old, and his talent is even above mine."

"And the Xiang family is the head of the thirty-six noble clans!"

"This time, he will also enter the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven. His protector is said to be a newly promoted Nascent Soul powerhouse of the Buddhist sect invited by the family from the Western Desert, known as the Angry-Eyed Jin Gang. However, today, that Angry-Eyed Jin Gang did not appear; it seems he is not very interested in the grand event of the chess world."

Luo Chen looked from afar at a young man flying across the sky, surrounded by many followers, like stars surrounding the moon.

The Xiang family?

He had heard of this family name, and had even dealt with their subordinate force, the Myriad Phenomena Pavilion.

It indeed had the atmosphere of the head of the thirty-six noble clans, able to set up its own banner outside the Heaven Origin Merchant Alliance and trade in the North Sea.

Although he couldn't probe the other party with spiritual sense, judging from the magic power fluctuations that echoed with heaven and earth, it was indeed at the early Nascent Soul level.

It was about the same as Fu Fu Qinglan.

"That one is Liu..."

"True Person Long Yuan!" Luo Chen's gaze condensed, and he said so.

Fu Fu Qinglan was a bit surprised, but soon realized.

"Brother Liu Yuan, when walking in the North Sea, indeed used Long Yuan as his Dao title. Brother Dao Luo, could it be that you had contact with him when you were in the North Sea?"

Luo Chen twitched the corner of his mouth, neither admitting nor denying.

True Person Long Yuan, once one of the seven True Persons of the Myriad Immortal Society, and also the only loose cultivator who obtained the resource tilt of the Myriad Immortal Society with the status of a nine-star demon hunter and ascended to the Nascent Soul stage.

Now it seemed, what kind of loose cultivator was he; he was clearly a disciple of the Dao Sect, just experiencing the world.

Fu Fu Qinglan transmitted her voice with spiritual sense, her tone carrying a heavy look, "This time, among the thirteen Dao Sect Nascent Soul cultivators entering the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven, Brother Liu is the only one who is not a child of a great house or noble clan, but a humble-born disciple."

"He could have brought the Liu family to ascend to the ranks of noble clans long ago, but he kept delaying it; he must want to gain something in the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven, so as to obtain more resources for the family's subsequent promotion."

"Originally, we wouldn't care about humble-born disciples participating in the grand competition."

"But Brother Liu is different; he has been in the Nascent Soul stage for the longest time, nearly a hundred years. After forming the Nascent Soul, he has never made a move, suppressing his realm with secret techniques, only then barely obtaining the qualification to enter the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven. It is rumored that Brother Liu has been through life and death in the North Sea and possesses extremely strong combat experience. By then, not only is his protector a major threat, but he himself can also be seen as a combat force!"

Luo Chen nodded cautiously.

He had heard the name of True Person Long Yuan countless times.

Being able to obtain the status of a nine-star demon hunter as a loose cultivator was even more proof of his past combat record.

Back then in the Myriad Immortal Society, none of those high-star demon hunters were easy to deal with.

Under the same realm of combat, the likes of the Fishing Elder, Zi Hou, and others are in no way inferior to the disciples of the Upper Sects, and they are merely Eight-Star Demon Hunters.

True Person Long Yuan's demon hunter star level was above theirs, showing his ability was even higher.

Speaking of which, under Fu Fu Qinglan's introduction and the comparison of previous intelligence, Luo Chen had already figured out the general situation of this grand competition.

The competition at low realms goes without saying.

And for the Nascent Soul realm, there are thirteen people in total.

In terms of background, three from great houses, nine from noble clans, and one humble-born.

True Person Long Yuan is exactly that lone humble-born standout!

"I wonder who his protector is? Is it that frail woman beside him?"

After Luo Chen estimated the odds of winning if he fought True Person Long Yuan in his heart, he asked casually.

Fu Fu Qinglan was about to answer when a hearty laugh came from behind them.

"Is that the Wild Scatterer? Long time no see!"

"Fellow Daoist Luo!"

Luo Chen turned his head, and sure enough, it was the familiar faces of True Person Winter Mountain and Lu Qiuzhen.

"So it is the two fellow Daoists, long time no see, how have you been lately?"

He returned the salute with a smile.

Although they were not close, at least from the surface, they were all from the North Sea cultivation world.

Now that they had all joined the Star Gate of Heaven Earth Peak, walking around occasionally was just human nature.

Fu Fu Qinglan greeted them coldly, not as easygoing as she was with Luo Chen.

As expected of disciples from a Sacred Land, they naturally possess a certain arrogance.

Usually, except for matters related to Go, she always appeared cold and arrogant. Luo Chen was an exception because he was a protector, and the matter concerned the grand competition, so she had to maintain a good relationship, thus taking the initiative to lower her posture and draw closer.

Regarding her cold attitude, the two didn't mind, and chatted with Luo Chen about the past in the North Sea and some of the latest intelligence.

They were formal Star Gate guest ministers and had the right to access some relatively new intelligence, unlike Luo Chen who had to rely on the Fu family's connections.

From Lu Qiuzhen, Luo Chen learned that the war in the North Sea was intensifying, the Ghost Immortal Pavilion was becoming more arrogant, and two Nascent Soul late-stage cultivators of the Li Canghai Righteous Alliance had personally taken action, but couldn't stop the Ghost Immortal Pavilion even from the front.

And the Great Power Li Li Canghai, who had always been elusive, had also begun to appear frequently in the North Sea cultivation world in the last two years.

The strange thing was that his appearance was not to support the war, but to collect spiritual mountains and seas.

This move undoubtedly confirmed Luo Chen's speculation from back then.

The Great Power Li Li Canghai was really refining treasures with the spiritual lands of the North Sea!

It's just that he didn't know if the Heaven Origin Dao Sect had discovered such clues.

Because of the two people's interruption, the conversation between Luo Chen and Fu Fu Qinglan had to be interrupted once, and before they knew it, they had arrived at the scene of the chess match.

That was in a peach forest.

Amidst the falling petals, two people, one old and one young, sat inside.

All around, figures were bustling, and the atmosphere was enthusiastic yet oppressive because no one was speaking.

Luo Chen hadn't yet focused his attention on the two playing chess when his heart moved, and he perceived a gaze landing on him... and Fu Fu Qinglan beside him.

At this moment, Luo Chen clearly felt a tremor in the woman's body beside him.

Luo Chen looked over in a generous and composed manner. In a section of the peach forest most suitable for watching the matches, there was a man with luxurious clothing and an outstanding temperament, holding a white fan and staring at them with great interest.

Facing Luo Chen's gaze, the young man's mouth corners lifted slightly.

"Who is that?"

Fu Fu Qinglan lowered her head, her black hair covering her eyes, her ten fingers unconsciously intertwined.

"Time family, Time Ju!" ===== CHAPTER 695 =====