Chapter 718: Array Books and Sword Scriptures, Returning to the Eastern Wasteland (Begging for the guaranteed monthly ticket for Sept

A faint sentence, sounding like an accusation, like a complaint, and mixed with deep emotion.

The other party had once said that the grand competition would last at most a year or a year and a half.

In fact, this was indeed the case; calculated according to the time of the Mountain and Sea Realm, only half a year had truly passed.

But for Luo Chen, inside the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven, a full fifty years had passed!

That lifespan that slipped away was also a solid fifty years!

Fu Chaosheng wore a look of shame, bowing and cupping his hands toward Luo Chen.

"I apologize; Fu's actions this time were indeed improper."

Luo Chen turned slightly to the side, actually refusing to accept this gesture.

He paced slightly within the residence, "You really don't need to be like this. Now that Qinglan has entered the Zuwang Peak and has a promising future of reaching Soul Transformation, how could I possibly deserve such a grand gesture?"

Fu Chaosheng's expression appeared slightly awkward.

In this cooperation, he had failed to inform Luo Chen beforehand, yet Luo Chen had still done his utmost. Comparing the two, the gap was clear at a glance.

Although it is said that a gentleman can be deceived by what is right, the current situation was somewhat different.

Luo Chen's performance in the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven had exceeded everyone's expectations.

There were many who hated him, but even more who favored him!

Right now, within the Heavenly Origin Dao Sect, there were no telling how many families waiting to recruit Luo Chen.

If Luo Chen were truly allowed to lean toward other families, the Fu family would become a laughingstock.

However!

Compared to other families, the Fu family also had an advantage.

That was that Fu Chaosheng understood Luo Chen's needs better!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Three items appeared before Luo Chen.

A book, a jade slip, and a gourd.

"This is..." Luo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the three objects.

Fu Chaosheng began to introduce them one by one.

"This book is titled 'Immortal Mechanism of the Stone Chamber'. It was written by an elder of my sect two thousand years ago and contains over a hundred sets of arrays, large and small. It covers everything from the first to the fourth rank, and even records an incomplete fifth-rank defensive array. That elder had some connection with my Fu family in his youth, and before he passed away, he transcribed a copy as a gift to my family."

"This jade slip records a sword manual named 'Sword Manual of Ten Thousand Transformations in the Thousand Heavens'. Although it was not created by a powerhouse of my sect, it was written by a Soul Transformation great expert from the ancient era, and it is not limited to the distinction between sword pellets and flying swords. If one can master this sword manual, it is enough to dominate those of the same rank. My granddaughter has also practiced this sword manual, but her killing intent is insufficient; she has only achieved minor success and cannot be called invincible."

"As for this gourd, you should be very familiar with it; it contains the essence of ten million human souls. However, I have left the refining method for the soul essence on it, and it is the orthodox refining method of the Yuan Demon Sect!"

He spoke at length, laying everything out.

After he finished speaking, the residence fell into complete silence.

Luo Chen finally turned around and looked seriously at Fu Chaosheng.

"Our cooperation has already ended. Although I, Luo, suffered a secret loss, the reward you gave previously was more than enough. These things are completely unnecessary."

Yes, Luo Chen had indeed been angry that the other party did not inform him about the time dilation beforehand.

But thanks to his efforts, he left the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven in just fifty years, so his losses were not significant.

Especially after coming out, Fu Chaosheng did not burn bridges and still spoke up for him.

By now, his anger had already dissipated.

His previous attitude was merely to test the other party's true stance.

If Fu Chaosheng had left in a huff, their friendship would have ended there, and Luo Chen would not have had any further contact with him.

If he continued to apologize, Luo Chen would not insist further and would generously let the matter pass.

But he never expected that the other party would offer such a grand gift!

Fu Chaosheng smiled slightly, "These are not rewards, nor are they compensation. They are merely gifts from me, inviting you to become a consultant for my Fu family!"

A consultant for the Fu family?

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.

"Although Qinglan has comprehended the true meaning of the laws and entered the Sitting-Forgetfulness Peak, the path to Soul Transformation remains long. And I have little lifespan left; in a hundred years, I will be nothing but a handful of dirt. At that time, the vast Fu family will have no other Nascent Soul True Persons to support it, which would be too pathetic."

Fu Chaosheng was beaming and said enthusiastically, "If you, fellow Daoist, are willing to become a consultant for my Fu family, the situation will surely be very different. I hope you will accept!"

Luo Chen was thoughtful; the other party was making plans for what would happen after he was gone.

That was why he offered such a heavy gift.

His gaze swept over the three gifts. Aside from the gourd containing the soul essence, he seemed to see the shadow of Fu Qinglan in the other two.

The array book, the sword manual.

The Dao of arrays, the Dao of the sword.

These two skills—only Fu Qinglan, who had accompanied him for fifty years, knew his strengths and his weaknesses.

He was skilled in arrays but lacked any formidable great array he could show off. The defensive array he set up in the Cave Heaven could be broken by Qi Xiongcheng with a single palm.

He possessed the flying sword Yuantu, which was comparable to a magic treasure, but his usage of it was very crude; he still relied on brute force to suppress others, and his techniques were all self-taught. If he could learn from an orthodox sword manual, he would surely be able to maximize the power of the Yuantu sword.

Luo Chen pursed his lips and accepted the three gifts.

"You all have put in a lot of thought!"

The word "you all" indicated that Luo Chen understood the origin of these gifts.

Fu Chaosheng laughed heartily.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, you have worked hard in the Cave Heaven, so please rest well. I will not disturb you any further."

"I will see you off."

Both of them left the cave dwelling with smiles on their faces.

Luo Chen saw him off for a long distance before returning alone.

Fu Chaosheng flew along unhurriedly with a smile on his face; he figured this scene of them chatting and laughing would be seen by many people!

By then, no one would think of poaching from his Fu family anymore.

The only pity was that Qinglan had rejected the proposal to become Luo Chen's dual cultivation partner; otherwise, he could have tied the other party even more deeply.

"But when I suggested this at the time, that girl Qinglan was clearly somewhat moved. Why did she still refuse in the end?"

Fu Chaosheng was somewhat puzzled.

He could see that there was some affection for Luo Chen in Fu Qinglan's eyes.

Especially that "Brother Luo" in public; it could not have been fake.

But after entering the Sitting-Forgetfulness Peak, her attitude had undergone a huge change.

Inside the cave dwelling.

Luo Chen took out the three items again and examined them carefully.

He lingered for a long time, especially on the soul essence refining method inscribed on the gourd.

"To think it is refined this way; it is truly too vicious and deeply harmful to the harmony of heaven."

After memorizing the refining method, Luo Chen sighed.

He also understood why the Yuan Demon Sect did not refine the soul essence themselves but distributed this task to other North Sea cultivators.

If they were to refine soul essence in such a rampant manner, not to mention the North Sea cultivators harboring resentment, even the holy lands of the other four continents would likely not tolerate the Yuan Demon Sect.

Now that Fu Chaosheng had taught him how to fish, he would have to use this method cautiously.

Putting away the three treasures, Luo Chen exhaled a breath of turbid air and continued the task he had not finished earlier.

With a thought, the attribute panel hung before his eyes like a waterfall.

【Lifespan: 280/1500】

【Spirit Root: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth】

【Constitution: Fire Spirit Body】

【Realm: Nascent Soul 3rd Layer 79/100, Desolate Ancient 4th Rank 40/100】

【Law: True Meaning of Withering and Flourishing (Wood) 1/100】

【Cultivation Method: Withering and Flourishing Dao Scripture (Proficient) 135/200, Convergence of Ten Thousand Daos (Great Perfection), Ten Thousand Beasts Scripture (Grandmaster) 510/1000, Soul Splitting Art (Proficient) 201/300】

【Spells: Fire Phoenix Prairie Fire (Grandmaster) 620/1000, Flame Dragon Descends (Grandmaster) 501/1000, Withering and Flourishing Dao Finger】

【Body Techniques: Exploding Void Step (Great Perfection), Nine Thousand Miles (Great Perfection), Demon Lord Seven Scattering Hands (Grandmaster) 875/1000】

【Soul Techniques: Mirror Flower Water Moon (Great Perfection), Soul-Awe Technique (Great Perfection), Soul-Bewilderment Technique (Great Perfection), Ghost God Avoidance (Proficient) 110/200, Opening Thatch Technique (Perfect) 385/500】

At a glance, Luo Chen looked at the new entry column.

The Wood-type law true meaning, Withering and Flourishing, was clearly displayed there, proving that Luo Chen was definitely not seeing things.

It was precisely the appearance of this new entry that caused the Five Spirit Dao Body, which had been hidden for a long time, to flicker with a faint light.

And this was not the only new entry.

In the spells column, there was an additional 【Withering and Flourishing Dao Finger】.

This was the new technique Luo Chen had created himself.

But unexpectedly, this technique had no proficiency progress display at all!

In Luo Chen's nearly three hundred years of cultivation journey, this was a first.

Moreover, there were the two characters "Meng Shentong" as a suffix to the entry.

"Could it be that this new technique I comprehended is not an ordinary spell, but a Meng Shentong recorded in the classics?"

Luo Chen was somewhat hesitant.

If that were truly the case, the lack of a progress bar could be understood.

Such Divine Abilities were never enhanced through mechanical, proficient usage.

To make it stronger, one could only strengthen the core of the technique—the true meaning of the law—and then it would strengthen accordingly.

But Luo Chen glanced at the progress bar for the Withering and Flourishing true meaning; it was only at the entry level, so he dismissed the idea of enhancing the power of the Withering and Flourishing Dao Finger.

It was too difficult!

Comprehending this true meaning was entirely due to the power of the Withering and Flourishing Fire Spirit.

As for how to cultivate the true meaning of the law, he was even more in the dark, with no way to start.

In the end, it was because he lacked a sect inheritance!

If he could also enter the Sitting-Forgetfulness Peak to cultivate and have the guidance of a Soul Transformation great expert, he would not be so helpless.

Sighing, Luo Chen returned his attention to the beginning of the panel.

The lifespan was just as it had been in the Cave Heaven.

It was 280 years old, not 230 years old, which would have been the case if only half a year had passed in the outside world.

This also meant that the fifty years in the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven were real, not illusory.

Then, Luo Chen's gaze fell on the realm column.

Compared to the law true meaning, which he had no way to start with, the visible and tangible realm was more reliable.

However, this Nascent Soul 3rd layer, or even near 4th layer realm, felt unstable no matter how he looked at it!

"My foundation is unstable!"

Luo Chen looked at the panel while feeling the large amount of floating magic power in his Purple Mansion, and reached this conclusion.

Even his Nascent Soul body, although it had grown larger, was not solid.

The reason for all this was the hasty absorption of a large amount of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi.

In the past, every bit of Luo Chen's magic power was tempered and refined; one bit of his magic power could equal five or seven bits of a cultivator of the same rank.

That was why his spells could be so domineering, making it impossible for others to resist.

But now, this floating magic power had become a hidden danger.

"The focus of my cultivation must change. Restart the Withering and Flourishing Divine Restriction to suppress the realm while tempering the magic power!"

With a thought, Luo Chen put away the panel, and the Nascent Soul figure in his Purple Mansion began to form spirit seals.

One after another, restrictions appeared and hovered outside.

As the figure's fingers snapped, all the restrictions fell onto the surface of the Nascent Soul and then gradually faded into it.

When the Withering and Flourishing Divine Restriction reappeared, Luo Chen's Nascent Soul became wrinkled again, though this time, under his deliberate control, his appearance did not change much.

And those vast amounts of untempered magic power, under Luo Chen's control, left the Nascent Soul and flew toward a small cyan tree close at hand.

The small tree was no more than three inches tall, but its branches and veins were lifelike.

It was precisely the Withering and Flourishing True Fire!

Unlike the illusory fire tree of the past, this small tree was extremely solid, composed entirely of vast Origin Qi and the Fire Spirit.

And its realm was solidly at the fifth rank!

It was just that the Withering and Flourishing Fire Spirit was also restricted by the Withering and Flourishing Divine Restriction, sealing its consciousness.

This was not Luo Chen's intention, but the request of the Withering and Flourishing Fire Spirit.

On the Heaven and Earth Peak, there existed something that could threaten it!

Therefore, the Withering and Flourishing Fire Spirit requested Luo Chen to suppress it until they left the Heaven and Earth Peak.

"Although I cannot use you to fight right now, using you to cultivate is no problem."

Luo Chen smiled slightly and drove all the restless magic power toward the small cyan tree.

The Fire Spirit seemed to sense it; as its branches and leaves stretched, it rolled in strands of magic power.

And as it breathed, it spat out strands of even purer magic power, which were absorbed by Luo Chen's Nascent Soul.

Seeing this scene, Luo Chen was filled with joy.

He had not yet had the chance to test the combat power of the fifth-rank Withering and Flourishing True Fire.

But it could already provide great assistance in his cultivation.

The magic power absorbed and refined by the fire tree became purer, and the Fire Spirit did not erase Luo Chen's soul imprint on that magic power.

Not only that, Luo Chen could even feel that if he absorbed spirit energy from the outside world, the fire tree could also help him purify and temper it.

These functions did not exist before.

Even if Luo Chen had occasionally used the Withering and Flourishing True Fire to temper magic power and magic treasures in the past, it was time-consuming and laborious, and there was a great loss. How could it be like now, where he didn't need to worry at all, and the Fire Spirit could help him complete this step, and the Fire Spirit controlled its own power without consuming Luo Chen's magic power.

In this way, Luo Chen could save a lot of time.

And he would not waste this time.

The "Immortal Mechanism of the Stone Chamber" and the "Sword Manual of Ten Thousand Transformations in the Thousand Heavens" that Fu Chaosheng had sent became his research targets.

While Luo Chen was tempering his magic power and practicing array and sword Dao, the grand competition in the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven was still ongoing.

Because of the actions of Elder Qideng and Fu Chaosheng earlier, no one, whether they were cultivators from the Heaven and Earth Peak or from various great families, came to find Luo Chen again.

Everyone knew that the Heaven Mystery Pill was gone.

Luo Chen was also completely tied to the Fu family.

But that did not mean no one came to find Luo Chen at all.

For example, a month later, Luo Chen received a special guest; it was True Person Tianshan, who had fought a battle with him before.

The other party had protected Yu Xu in the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven for decades, but ultimately failed.

The fault did not lie with Tianshan, the protector; it was simply that Yu Xu lacked that opportunity, and the black energy in the illusion chess was full, so she was forced to withdraw.

Luo Chen later took the time to ask Fu Chaosheng, and the other party said that Yu Xu might have been too eager for success, and while absorbing the spirit energy in the illusion core, she also absorbed a large amount of Mirage Dragon Qi, which led to her being forced to leave the Cave Heaven even though the time was not up.

In short, True Person Tianshan had neither merit nor fault, and ended this journey of protection.

After coming out, he visited Luo Chen.

The two did not have any major grudges, and they would both be cultivating on the Heaven and Earth Peak in the future, so it was right to build a good relationship.

This meeting lasted for half a day.

Luo Chen learned a lot of anecdotes about the Southern Border from the other party, and he also told the other party some things he had seen and heard in the North Sea.

With that, it ended.

Yu Xu's elimination marked the prelude to the end of the grand competition.

Not long after, Lin Bufan also activated the illusion chess and returned to the Mountain and Sea Realm.

What disappointed the Lin family patriarch was that he had not comprehended the power of the laws.

It had nothing to do with his aptitude, nor with anyone else.

It was just that while using the illusion core to cultivate, the spirit energy leaked, attracting the attack of illusion beasts. He did not have Lin Jingtang protecting him, so in order to survive, he was forced to activate the illusion chess and leave the Mirage Dragon Cave Heaven.

After Lin Bufan, it was Gu Daosu.

Unexpectedly to everyone, even without anyone protecting her, Gu Daosu succeeded!

Regarding this, Fu Chaosheng's explanation to Luo Chen was that the other party had a Rotten Ke black chess piece bestowed by the Chess Saint Ke Lianshan, and coupled with the fact that she was already infinitely close to success, she was able to comprehend the power of the origin again after her second sudden enlightenment.

In this way, there were only four true disciples left in the Cave Heaven.

And the time remaining was only one month.

Inside the Cave Heaven, that was less than ten years.

Could Shi Ju, Gu Yuan, and Long Yuan Mingyan succeed?

Luo Chen no longer cared about all this; he sought out Elder Qideng.

When he stated his purpose, Elder Qideng was somewhat surprised.

"The war in the North Sea will start as soon as the grand competition ends. You want to go to the Eastern Wasteland at this time?"