In the cramped cave, a young man sat cross-legged with his eyes gently closed.
His moon-white daoist robe rose and fell gently with the rhythm of his measured breathing. Though his face bore a hint of roguish charm, there was a firmness in his features—an unwavering determination that spoke of someone who would forge ahead with optimism no matter the hardship.
Suddenly, his eyelids trembled. Slowly, Luo Chen opened his eyes.
They were clear, alert, and filled with a contemplative light.
The spirit energy concentration here far exceeds that of the SiHeYuan and even surpasses that of Tianxiang Tower. Perhaps it is not even inferior to the primary vein of the first-tier spirit vein under the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion.
Training in such a concentrated spirit energy brings me extraordinary benefits!
With just a brief calculation, he realized that his cultivation efficiency, already quadrupled due to his five-spirit-root aptitude, had been increased by another fold. An efficiency of five times had already surpassed that of a three-spirit-root cultivator. How would it compare to a dual-spirit-root cultivator?
Luo Chen did not know the cultivation efficiency of dual-spirit-root cultivators because he had no frame of reference. Most of the cultivators in Dahe Market were rogue cultivators, and most of them had three or four spirit roots.
Thus, he had neither friends nor acquaintances in this category...
"Actually, there is one, but I've never met him."
Xiaohu—Qin Yuanjiang.
The son of Qin Liangchen and Murong Qinglian. A cultivator born with the dual spirit roots of gold and water. Luo Chen had only heard about the boy but had never met him.
He was now a promising disciple of the Luoyun Sect, considered a rising star with real potential to reach Foundation Establishment.
Luo Chen had never inquired about the child's current cultivation realm. From what he knew, Qin Liangchen and his wife had been meticulous in the boy's early development—avoiding pill use entirely and instead nurturing his body through medicinal baths and proper nutrition. They had taken great care to build a stable foundation.
But all that was beside the point.
Moreover, regarding sect admissions and aptitude inquiries, the Qin Liangchen couple had never given the boy pills from a young age. Instead, they had relied on medicinal baths and nutritional supplementation to strengthen his foundation.
However, these were all trivial matters. Luo Chen only needed to know that cultivating in this place was greatly beneficial to him.
"It seems I'll need to find more excuses to stay at the Alchemy Hall in the future.
"I don't need to cancel the lease for the SiHeYuan either—after all, it's in the inner city, and safety is guaranteed."
Now, a monthly rent of ten spirit stones was no longer a burden for him. It was just the equivalent of a single qi-nourishing pill!
Thinking of the qi-nourishing pill, Luo Chen smiled. "Such a good place and opportunity must not be wasted."
He took out a stick of calming incense and a qi-nourishing pill.
He lit the incense, consumed the pill, and began cultivating.
***
The next morning, Luo Chen emerged from his meditative state feeling utterly refreshed. As he stood up and stretched his limbs, a long, contented sigh escaped his lips.
So comfortable!
This was, without a doubt, the most satisfying cultivation session he had experienced since arriving in this world. The air around him was saturated with spirit energy; his body was constantly refining the power of the qi-nourishing pill, while the Grandmaster level Long Spring Art flowed seamlessly through his meridians. The soothing scent of calming incense bathed his soul in a tranquil warmth, quietly fortifying the spirit strength he had honed ever since enduring his heart tribulation.
On top of that, the essence nurturing liquid he had been supplementing had built up an immense reserve of vitality in his body. With so many favorable conditions, he felt like a starving beggar finally feasting on an imperial banquet.
He was utterly satisfied!
One night of cultivation, and the progress bar went from 6 to 8—a leap of two whole points! If this pace continued, the previously estimated three months to break through to the seventh stage Qi-Refining could be reduced to just two months at most.
Terrifying indeed!
No wonder the major sects produced so many so-called young geniuses. With daily exposure to first-tier, even second-tier, or third-tier spirit veins, some didn't even need to rely on pills. Spirit energy itself surged into them like an endless tide.
Especially during the early and mid stages of Qi-Refining, the faster one progresses, the more time they have to prepare for Foundation Establishment in the late stages.
They don't need to worry about insufficient lifespan like rogue cultivators.
"Sister Xiuxiu once said that the best age for cultivators to break through to Foundation Establishment is before sixty. After sixty, a cultivator's vitality starts to decline, and the chances of failure increase significantly
"Just this one factor has blocked countless rogue cultivators who spent their entire lives reaching the ninth stage of Qi-Refining."
Luo Chen felt a deep pity for those rogue cultivators.
After painstakingly reaching Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining, they still have to face unfavorable circumstances like insufficient lifespan and declining vitality. Even if they acquire a Foundation Establishment pill, it would likely end in failure.
"I must never end up in that situation!" Luo Chen said.
The joy he had felt from discovering the spirit vein cave was largely dispelled. Even if he could break through to the seventh stage of Qi-Refining in two months, the spirit energy required for subsequent levels would only increase!
Especially at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining, where many rogue cultivators found themselves indefinitely stuck. Just like his Big Brother Qin—wasn't he caught in that exact dilemma?
Qin Liangchen clearly had a Foundation Establishment pill—Mi Shuhua held it for him—but he never requested it back. The reason was simple. Qin Liangchen had yet to reach the peak of Qi-Refining and wasn't ready to attempt the Foundation Establishment breakthrough. Without meeting the minimum requirements, trying to advance would be reckless at best, and fatal at worst.
Luo Chen frowned. Moreover, my cultivation speed isn't sustainable! The calming incense isn't sufficient!
Mi Shuhua had promised to provide one box per month, but each box only contained twelve sticks. Without the calming incense, he could only perform the Long Spring Art two or three times a day. Any more, and he would suffer from spirit exhaustion.
Then there were the qi-nourishing pills. He had four bottles, but that would only last twenty days. Barely enough to keep up with his current pace, let alone accelerate it.
As Luo Chen pondered these matters, his hands moved instinctively. He lifted a large, unbroken slab of rock and used it to seal off the entrance to the spirit vein cave. He couldn't allow too much spirit energy to leak out. On his way back through the mining tunnels, he carefully blocked the narrow passages with additional stones.
Even though he knew this couldn't completely stop the spirit energy from leaking, every bit of blockage helped.
Pills and calming incense probably won't be easy to keep squeezing out of Mi Shuhua. Even though I've been using different excuses each time, asking for the same things repeatedly will get on his nerves.
But now that I have some wealth, I can just buy them myself. There's another matter I need to think about!
Luo Chen's eyes flashed as a sense of crisis surfaced in his mind.