Chapter 107: On the Journey

Chapter 107:

They had anticipated Chen Luo to be stronger than them, but never imagined the gap would be so vast.

Even Du Jian, a disciple from Medicine King Peak, with the aid of medicinal pills, had just reached the fifth layer of Qi Refinement. Xie Shuang was even further behind at the fourth layer. The disparity between them widened imperceptibly and would continue to grow over time.

Eventually, they might as well belong to entirely different worlds.

In the cultivation realm, aptitude reigns supreme—a harsh reality starkly evident in their differing progress.

“What do you two plan to do?” Chen Luo asked them. “Would you like to join me on my journey to the She Nation?”

He intended to visit the She Nation next to fulfill Daoist Wuwei’s request. Moreover, within the scroll lay Daoist Wuwei’s insights on reaching Foundation Establishment, which he couldn’t afford to ignore.

“I’d prefer to wait here for Eldest Apprentice Brother and the others to return,” Du Jian shook his head.

He did not wish to leave Divine Lake Immortal Sect.

Although Doude and the others ventured into the arcane realm, there remained a chance they could survive. Du Jian didn’t want Eldest Apprentice Brother to come back only to find no one present.

“Me too.” After a moment of hesitation, Xie Shuang made the same decision she had aboard the flying boat.

Chen Luo acknowledged their choices without further comment.

He then took out some personally crafted talismans and Vitality Nurturing Pills, offering them to both Xie Shuang and Du Jian.

This gesture made Xie Shuang and Du Jian feel quite embarrassed.

As disciples from Tianlu Peak and Medicine King Peak respectively, logically, they should have been providing medicinal pills and talismans. However, upon seeing the quality of Chen Luo’s offerings, they hesitated and held back their initial objections.

“We don’t know when we’ll meet again. Remember to take care of yourselves; if you encounter danger, stay away and be cautious around battles involving high-level cultivators,” Chen Luo advised them earnestly.

Du Jian and Xie Shuang nodded in agreement. After this brief exchange, the sense of unfamiliarity between the three quickly dissipated.

At the moment of parting, with reluctance, they bid farewell to Chen Luo.

The companions who emerged together from the Great Mausoleum would now, due to their individual choices, embark on different paths in life.

In his horse-drawn carriage, Chen Luo followed the official road towards the setting sun.

On a rainy night, lightning flashed amidst thunderous roars under dense, overcast skies.

After traveling all day, Chen Luo decided to stop at a roadside inn along the official road.

It had been half a month since he left the Divine Lake Immortal Sect. Once outside the sect’s boundaries, instead of opting for an intercity flying boat at nearby markets, he chose not to risk it. The markets surrounding the Divine Lake Immortal Sect were unstable, making travel by intercity flying boats highly susceptible to attacks.

Nine Poison Valley and the Corpse-Raising Sect were still cautiously probing each other, while the traitors Su Tianyao and Elder Ke had not yet surfaced. The initially tense atmosphere suddenly calmed down.

However, everyone knew this tranquility was temporary, as the storm from the arcane realm gradually approached the Divine Lake Immortal Sect. With its size and prominence, such a sect could not crumble overnight. On the surface, the sect continued to function normally. Although business was affected somewhat, the overall structure remained intact.

Many individuals chose to stay, awaiting the outcome before the sect leader emerged from seclusion. Chen Luo’s decision to leave was purely personal.

Participating in a sect war at the Qi Refinement stage seemed overly risky. Despite his desire to acquire high-level cultivators’ brains, he assessed the situation and deemed the danger too great. Given his abilities, there was no need for him to rush onto the battlefield; instead, he could wait until the fighting concluded and then return to assist with collecting corpses.

It was a role he knew well.

After leaving the sect, Chen Luo severed all contact, even concealing his identity mark. Traveling by horse-drawn carriage, he appeared indistinguishable from ordinary people, giving him a sense of returning to a mundane world amidst this fantastical setting.

The world was vast.

When no longer soaring effortlessly through the skies, one realizes that traversing just a single commandery can take several months on foot. The lives of ordinary people are also slow-paced; to them, cultivators belong to another world entirely. While they may aspire towards it, their primary focus remains their own daily existence.

“Sir, here’s the hot water you requested.”

The inn was not particularly busy, and Chen Luo had casually created an official token for his stay, a skill at which Wu Dao Peak cultivators excelled.

“You can place it over there,” Chen Luo responded nonchalantly.

After long journeys, mundane officials typically preferred bathing and resting upon reaching an inn. The innkeeper, accustomed to this routine, prepared accordingly.

Upon hearing Chen Luo’s instructions, the innkeeper swiftly directed two assistants to bring in the water before hurriedly departing.

“It seems like rain is coming.”

Standing by the window, Chen Luo observed the dark clouds gathering in the sky, clearly sensing the surging moisture within them.

Cultivating body, mind, and understanding celestial phenomena.

Wu Dao Peak’s techniques inherently emphasized introspection, and even observing rainfall provided significant insights for Chen Luo. Later, when learning divine abilities such as ‘Summoning Wind and Rain,’ this comprehension would prove invaluable.

Thunder rumbled, and droplets coalesced.

Raindrops, charged with the aftermath of battle, fell amidst the startling thunder.

The downpour intensified.

A chill breeze blew through the window, prompting Chen Luo to reach out and close it.

Approaching the table, Chen Luo gently tapped on a jade slip.

A flash of light illuminated, and a massive map appeared in his mind.

He had purchased this map upon descending the mountain, which detailed the regions controlled by the three major immortal sects with precision.

The relay station where Chen Luo currently resided was located in the southwestern mountainous area of the Channan Kingdom. To the west lay vast forests and fragmented ranges, behind which stood the territory of the Divine Lake Immortal Sect. On the map, the entire region bore a prominent ‘Lake’ inscription, signifying the domain of the Divine Lake Immortal Sect within the Channan Kingdom.

Northward beyond Channan Kingdom, it changed to the symbol ‘Corpse,’ denoting the area governed by the Corpse-Raising Sect. Moving east instead revealed the mark ‘Poison,’ representing the influence of Nine Poisons Valley.

“Both Nine Poisons Valley and the Corpse-Raising Sect are hostile factions; I should avoid them for now,” Chen Luo thought as he continued scanning the map.

Below the Channan Kingdom were two more nations: the She Nation and the Yi Nation. Chen Luo’s destination was the She Nation.

To receive Daoist Wuwei’s Foundation Establishment insights, he needed to deliver the scroll to a family named Qi in Northriver Village, situated within the northern part of the She Nation.

“Tomorrow morning, I’ll follow the official road straight ahead. After crossing Junbei Pass, I can search for a market to board an intercity airship. Along the way, I must also start keeping an eye out for materials needed to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill.”

The ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill were highly sought after everywhere.

Even within the sect, the demand for Foundation Establishment materials far exceeded supply. The waiting list for Medicine King Peak’s Foundation Establishment Pills stretched over twenty years. If Chen Luo applied, he would require not only massive amounts of sect contribution points but also a significant number of spirit stones. Even then, obtaining a pill after two decades was uncertain, as occasionally, relatives of elders could jump the queue. With some bad luck, it might take thirty years before getting a chance.

Such a lengthy wait would consume more than half one’s lifespan, making the goal of achieving Foundation Establishment before age fifty akin to wishful thinking.

Chen Luo had learned pill concocting precisely to forge his own path. Relying on others did not align with his nature.

Having finalized his travel plans, Chen Luo carefully stored the jade slip back into his bag of holding at his waist.

He retrieved his pill furnace from another storage compartment and prepared to begin concocting.

After reaching the ninth level of Qi Refinement, the Vitality Nurturing Pills were becoming less effective. He now required the higher-tier Qi Gathering Pills. Consequently, for quite some time, he had been experimenting with their concoction method.

The bold approach of the Beast Control Peak senior had sparked new ideas within him. After parting ways with Xie Shuang and Du Jian, Chen Luo returned to the market and sought out several Medicine King Peak disciples, intending to take advantage of the chaos in the sect to purchase some of their pill formulas.

Qi Gathering Pills were late-stage Qi Refinement medicinal pills, which could only be obtained from Inner Sect disciples of Medicine King Peak.

The process went remarkably smoothly; upon mentioning his interest, the wandering Inner Sect disciple promptly agreed to sell.

Chen Luo acquired the pill formula, but its outcome left him somewhat disheartened.

Numerous individuals sold pill formulas at the market, including even recipes for Foundation Establishment Pills! They were far bolder than the shixiong he approached.

Initially, this seemed promising, but after purchasing several more, Chen Luo sensed something amiss.

There were simply too many—over fifty pill formulas from around a dozen Medicine King Peak disciples! Fifty-plus formulas for just two types of medicinal pills! Priced as bulk deals, it felt akin to dealing with scalpers.

The most troubling aspect was that it wasn’t immediately possible to verify their authenticity. Currently, Chen Luo had collected twenty-seven different pill formulas for Qi Gathering Pills alone, and the rest were all Foundation Establishment Pill formulas, with none of them being duplicates.

This reflected the ethos of the Divine Lake Immortal Sect.

Everyone prioritized profit; as long as they could earn spirit stones, they dared to sell anything, often trading credibility for wealth without hesitation.

Chen Luo ignited the fire beneath the pill furnace.

First, he took out one of the pill formulas—a Qi Gathering Pill formula.

Glancing at the listed ingredients, his eyes twitched slightly.

None of them were cheap!

These counterfeiters were disciples from Medicine King Peak, possessing deep knowledge of pharmacology. Without actually attempting to concoct a batch, there was no way to determine if the formulas were genuine or not.

Following the proportions specified in the formula, Chen Luo swiftly lit the furnace and began the process.

After fifteen minutes, a plume of black smoke emerged from the edge of the furnace.

Expressionless, Chen Luo emptied the failed concoction, discarded the useless pill formula into the furnace to burn, and then retrieved another new Qi Gathering Pill formula to try again.

Second, third…

By the time Chen Luo reached the last pill formula, his expression had become utterly numb. If not for his sweep during his descent from the mountain, acquiring sufficient medicinal ingredients to test these formulas would have taken him considerable time.

These deceitful bastards truly had no conscience! Don’t they fear divine retribution for selling fake pill formulas?!

Just as Chen Luo finished examining the final Qi Gathering Pill formula, sudden commotion arose outside.

Amidst the torrential rain, a figure clad in a straw cape approached the relay station, braving the downpour.

As Chen Luo glanced over, he noticed the Relay Magistrate and several attendants bowing deeply to this newcomer. Sensing Chen Luo’s gaze, the stranger turned sharply, their eyes piercing like blades.

Upon recognizing Chen Luo’s appearance, the person’s demeanor softened, nodding briefly in acknowledgment.

“Remarkably keen perception.”

Chen Luo nodded in response. He detected spiritual energy fluctuations from this individual, indicating that they were likely a cultivator in the Qi Refinement Realm. However, it was impossible for him to discern their exact realm.