Luo Chen continued his research into using lightning to open his acupoints. After all, the battles on the frontlines had nothing to do with him. The Four-Sect Alliance's determination to defend the sixth mountain was obvious, but unless they truly ran out of people, the Luo Tian Society would likely remain undeployed.
Several days later, Luo Chen sat cross-legged among the Thunderstruck Tree grove. Faint threads lightning snaked across his body, drawn by the lightning net. For an ordinary Initiate, the sensation would have been unbearable, like venomous serpents sinking their fangs into flesh. However, Luo Chen's physique was far from ordinary. Years of cultivating using the Eternal Youth Evergreen Sutra had granted him exceptional vitality and regenerative strength.
This level of lightning posed no threat to him. Instead, he used his refined fiend qi control to direct these weak strands of lightning to strike the thin spirit membranes blocking his acupoints. With his eyes closed, he focused his spirit consciousness inward, observing every subtle change within his body. Under his careful control, a streak of lightning pierced one of the membranes like a sharp needle.
Suddenly, a low groan escaped Luo Chen's throat, and his eyes flicked open. Joy bloomed in his gaze like spring after frost.
"It works! It really works! I may not be able to control lightning or cultivate with it, but using lightning to open my acupoints is entirely feasible. In the end, fiend qi and lightning are both forms of energy. If I can control one, then I can certainly control the other, at least briefly. Still, I need to be careful. Too much lightning at once would damage my body, and that would be disastrous."
With that, Luo Chen ended his cultivation session for the day. Just as he emerged from the Thunderstruck Tree grove, Xu Haizhen rushed toward him.
"President, Adept Ruthless requests your presence!"
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. What does she want from me?
He was right to be surprised. Since their brief meeting on Golden Sand Floating Island, she had returned to the sixth mountain without another word to him. He had expected things to grow distant; after all, she was likely still displeased with how he'd used Adept Moonshade to pressure her.
However, Luo Chen had no regrets. If he hadn't done that, the Luo Tian Society would have been the ones thrown onto the front lines by now. So much for their current peace—they would've been swimming in blood and ash, not enjoying this peaceful vacation. In fact, the Luo Tian Society was living more comfortably these days than some of the inner disciples of the Ice Fortress!
"Well, if she wants to see me, then I'll go," Luo Chen said with a chuckle.
With no further delay, he turned and made his way toward her camp.
***
Inside the tent, Fairy Ruthless watched him with a cold expression before speaking in a low voice. "You seem to be living quite well these days."
Luo Chen offered her a respectful bow, hands cupped in greeting. "It is all thanks to your care, Adept."
Fairy Ruthless gave the faintest twitch of her lips but said nothing. From her perspective, Luo Chen would have been better off never coming to the Jilei Nine Mountains. As for the Luo Tian Society cultivators, they were just cannon fodder in her eyes, not worth the effort.
"I heard you've been looking for a large quantity of second-tier Earth Fire Fiend Qi," she said abruptly.
Luo Chen's heart stirred, and he nodded without hesitation.
"I happen to have quite the stockpile, roughly five hundred portions. Do you want them?"
A spark of joy lit Luo Chen's face. Of course, he wanted them. How could he not? Although his experiments with lightning had proven effective for opening acupoints, his control over it was not quite there yet. Each session left behind injuries that required extensive healing afterward. On the other hand, Earth Fire Fiend Qi was something he could manipulate with complete confidence. Why struggle through danger when a safer and more efficient method lay before him?
"That would be indeed appreciated, Adept. How many spirit stones?"
"Just pay the standard rate from Golden Sand Floating Island," Fairy Ruthless replied. "Oh, and the gourd that holds the fiend qi is a top-grade enchanted artifact. Add another five thousand for that."
"Of course." Luo Chen nodded and produced thirty thousand low-grade spirit stones from his storage pouch, handing them over without complaint.
This was a proper trade, not a favor. Still, he appreciated that Fairy Ruthless had taken the initiative to consider his needs and offer the deal herself.
Fairy Ruthless watched Luo Chen happily tuck away the gourd full of fiend qi and let out an inexplicable sigh. She looked as though she wanted to speak, yet in the end, no words escaped her lips.
Noticing her hesitation, Luo Chen asked quietly, "Adept, is there something else?"
Fairy Ruthless paused for a while before finally speaking, "In six months, you all will return."
Luo Chen froze. He was about to object until something clicked.
"You all?" he asked cautiously. "Do you mean all of Luo Tian Society?"
"Yes, but it's not a dismissal. You'll be transferred to the rear lines. From there, your people will handle logistics and supply routes. More importantly, you'll keep an eye on the Sword Sect's vassals. They've been getting bold, eyeing our territories," Fairy Ruthless spoke plainly.
As soon as she finished speaking, Luo Chen could no longer contain his joy. What he had been scheming toward from the very beginning was now being granted freely, and all because he had taken the risk of forcing her hand. Still, he masked his delight with a look of concern. "But if we leave, what about your lineage, Adept?"
"That's not your concern. The Ice Fortress will dispatch a team to replace Tantai Jin and the others. The operations in those immortal cities still need a supervising hand," she replied.
Luo Chen had only been pretending to care. Her tone was composed, but something in her words unsettled him. Could the assistance he had provided have been valuable enough to earn her such sweeping benefits? Not only was the Luo Tian Society being pulled back from the battlefield, but even her lineage was being granted a reprieve. That level of reward felt far too generous.
Fairy Ruthless must have seen the doubt flash across his face. At that moment, she stopped concealing the truth. "The sect has made its decision. You are to be appointed as a guest elder of the Ice Fortress. More specifically, you will be the only Foundation Establishment Realm elder in the entire sect."
Luo Chen's expression went still. Then, in the next instant, realization dawned. So that was it! She had traded him away at a handsome price!
Adept Moonshade's warning echoed in his mind: "If the sect wants him, you won't be able to keep him to yourself."
In the end, Fairy Ruthless hadn't tried to keep him at all. She had used him as needed, then offered him up as the bargaining chip that secured her own freedom and favor within the sect.
Her actions were entirely logical, yet being sold like this left Luo Chen with rather mixed feelings.
Fairy Ruthless watched him closely and asked, "Do you object?"
Luo Chen gave a faint, wistful smile and said freely, "To become an elder of a major sect while still in the Foundation Establishment Realm is truly my honor."
That answer marked his acceptance. Fairy Ruthless's expression softened, her gaze turning distant, touched faintly by melancholy. "In that case, you may go. From now on, the war will no longer concern you."
Luo Chen gave a rare formal bow. "I will take my leave."
Behind him, Tantai Jin emerged from the shadows, concern written across her face as she looked at Fairy Ruthless. "Master, why didn't you try to win him over? Once he's appointed as our sect's guest elder, he won't serve just our lineage anymore. If we built a better relationship now, maybe—"
"You're speaking out of turn."
Fairy Ruthless's tone was cold and dismissive.
Tantai Jin fell silent, like a cicada struck by winter[1].
Fairy Ruthless looked away and said coldly, "There's no point in putting on a show. I was never going to keep him if the sect wanted him. Besides, Luo Chen is not a fool. He's sharp enough to know the situation without me saying it out loud."
That remark was quite the praise by Fairy Ruthless standards. Tantai Jin suddenly understood and looked much less worried. What she didn't notice was the trace of reminiscence in Fairy Ruthless's eyes.
After so many years, the Ice Fortress would once again gain an alchemist master, just like when Shang Hu first joined. And by coincidence, Fairy Rutheless herself was the one who had brought him in.
Her gaze lingered on Tantai Jin, whose expression and bearing resembled her own from years ago. For an instant, an unfamiliar feeling flickered through her heart. But she quickly suppressed it.