An Alchemist's Path to Eternity-Chapter 648: All Forces Shall Assist in Core Formation (II)
"So many forces are converging... The Howling Moon Mountain Range surely won't be enough to divide among them all."
Luo Chen frowned deeply, unable to understand why a single Frontier War had attracted so many participants. The number of allies might be a blessing during the war, but when it came time to share the spoils, it would become the greatest curse.
The cake was only so large. As the leading force, would the Falling Cloud Sect really agree to divide it into twenty-seven shares? Even the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, which had endured in silence for years, could no longer restrain itself. Luo Chen found it hard to believe that Han Zhan, the Sage of the Falling Cloud Sect, would act with such short-sightedness. If it were him, he would rather suffer heavier losses in battle in exchange for a larger share afterward. A short-term loss was nothing compared to a long-term gain.
But suddenly, Luo Chen recalled the scene of the Great Snowy Mountains, where the Whitebone Dao Palace stood. If the Howling Moon Mountain Range wasn't enough to share, then adding the Great Snowy Mountains would result in more than enough for everyone. If Ice Torrent succeeded in advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm and took advantage of this momentum to launch another Frontier War with the Ice Fortress at the helm, every one of these extra forces would have a role to play and a chunk of the final pie.
If that was the case, it would make perfect sense for Han Zhan to personally act as guardian for Ice Torrent's breakthrough. Of course, it could also be that the two shared an old bond or something of the kind; such matters were not something Luo Chen was privy to. But whatever the case was, if Ice Torrent were to fail her breakthrough....
Luo Chen pressed his lips together before speaking. "The affairs of the Ice Fortress are still under Gu Caiyi's supervision, aren't they?"
Xing Zhonghan nodded. "Yes, Palace Leader Gu has been handling it personally."
"Send part of the Luo Network's men to the trade convoys. Have them collect Ice Fortress intelligence regularly and report directly to me."
Xing Zhonghan asked in confusion, "What kind of intelligence?"
Luo Chen had meant to say "information concerning Nascent Soul Sages," but the words that left his mouth were different.
"All of it."
If Ice Torrent truly succeeded in his breakthrough, word would spread naturally. But if she failed...
"The trade route to Taishan Market should also be reopened," Luo Chen continued. "I'll speak with Sima Huiniang about the details, but send people ahead to collect intelligence from Glowing Stream Market, Taishan Market, and Dahe Market. Make sure preparations are complete."
"Yes, sir!" Xing Zhonghan accepted the order and departed.
Luo Chen's thoughtful gaze lingered long after. The sight of Dahe Market still lingered clearly in his mind. In the days since his return, he had been pondering this matter, and he felt that he had an inkling to the reason the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had left Pang Renxiong unattended all those years ago.
It was not that they had abandoned him out of neglect. Rather, they had allowed him to drift freely and deliberately gave him time to convert to the ghostly path. After all, ghost cultivation was another branch of the Great Dao. As long as one did not defy the heavens or indulge in slaughter, it could not be deemed as devil cultivation.
Of course, the methods Pang Renxiong had pursued could hardly be called orthodox. His practices bore little resemblance to proper ghost cultivation, and that was precisely why his progress had been so rapid. Within mere decades, he had reached the level of a third-tier Ghost King, comparable to a Golden Core Adept. The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's refusal to intervene had not been neglect, but necessity. Had they interfered, Pang Renxiong could not have advanced through such reckless means. After all, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect prided itself on the doctrine of eradicating devils and upholding the righteous path.
Now, the Sword Sect had dispatched Initiates to assist Pang Renxiong in his cultivation. They likely intended to conclude this matter once and for all before the Frontier War began forty years hence. After all, once people from different places gather, tongues will wag and tempers will flare. Outsiders would not bother with the Sword Sect's opinions; they were bound to simply draw their blades and go for slaughter.
As Luo Chen reflected, more people entered the Grand Hall, among whom Sima Huiniang and Duan Feng.
"President, welcome back! I trust the journey went smoothly?" Sima Huiniang asked with concern.
Neither was at the level where they could just sense the changes within Luo Chen. Naturally, Luo Chen shared only the good news and not the bad. After a short exchange, he brought up the matter of opening a trade route from the Luo Tian Society to Taishan Market.
"Once the Frontier War begins, the four markets bordering the Howling Moon Mountain Range—Glowing Stream Market, Taishan Market, Dahe Market, and Snow Lotus Market—will instantly become strategic strongholds. The wealth and opportunities involved will be beyond measure. We're nowhere big or important enough to claim the lion's share, but if we move early and have a head start, even the scraps will be more than enough to benefit us all. It's time to act on the plan that we've long discussed."
After hearing him, Sima Huiniang nodded firmly. "I've thought the same, but the enforcement teams from the Falling Cloud Sect and Jade Cauldron Sword Sect have kept me from acting rashly."
Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Those don't concern us. They only restrict Golden Core sects and above. Besides, this time, we won't be acting under the pretext of trade expansion."
Sima Huiniang blinked in surprise. "Then what are we doing?"
Luo Chen turned toward Duan Feng and smirked. "Why, we are exacting vengeance!"
Duan Feng seemed to have already anticipated this and nodded slightly. "I have enmity with the Bai family of Glowing Stream Market. Now that my cultivation and status are high enough, it's time to avenge my father. No one has grounds to interfere."
Understanding dawned at once on Sima Huiniang's face, and she broke into a bright smile. "In that case, I'll make the arrangements immediately!"
"No, we still have to be cautious," Luo Chen said, shaking his head as he spoke of what he had observed on his way back. "Plenty of clever people have already formed the same plan. From what I saw, many Initiates have already appeared in Glowing Stream Market, and they're clearly the vanguards of other powers. If we didn't feel like acting, that would be one thing. But since we have decided to act, we have to settle the matter in one decisive stroke."
Before the two of them, Luo Chen reached into his storage pouch and took a scroll. The moment Duan Feng saw it, his eyes widened. "This is..." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
"This is your family heirloom, and it should return to its rightful owner," Luo Chen said and smiled as he generously presented Duan Feng with the Marsh Gui Diagram. The scroll floated out, guided by threads of spirit power, to reach Duan Feng. For a moment, he was so moved that he could not compose himself.
After all, this was a rare defensive enchanted treasure. It had been created by the Duan family through the efforts of several generations, supplemented by the family's earliest foundations, and only by sheer fortune had it been completed. In the cultivation world, it could have fetched a very high price.
"Go back and refine this treasure thoroughly. Within ten years, you must at least achieve basic control," Luo Chen said. "When the time comes to strike the Bai family, you will take command. Huiniang and Xing Zhonghan will assist you, and cultivators of the Battle Palace will be under your direction. If you had further needs, you could raise them over the coming years. I have only one requirement: Take the Glowing Stream Market, seize the Bai family's lands, and establish a Danxia Hall branch there."
Duan Feng nodded fervently and took his leave. After he departed, Sima Huiniang watched his fading figure, lost in thought.
From behind her came Luo Chen's teasing voice. "What is it? Envious because I gave him a water-element defensive treasure?"
Sima Huiniang snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. "I rarely travel, and fighting has little to do with me. Why would I envy such things? What I was wondering is why you seem to value Glowing Stream Market so much."
As she thought it through, understanding slowly dawned. "You've taken an interest in that barren spirit energy environment, haven't you?"
Luo Chen nodded in approval. Once the Frontier War began, the front lines would indeed yield immense profit. Yet transforming those raw resources into glittering spirit stones would depend entirely on the thirty-six domains. Thus, the first markets to handle that flow of resources would naturally become hubs of commerce. Both Taishan Market and Dahe Market possessed exceptional geographical advantages; both were prime lands far beyond the Luo Tian Society's reach. Even their current owners would likely be driven out.
But Glowing Stream Market was different. If the Luo Tian Society seized it in advance, then with Luo Chen's connections to the Falling Cloud Sect and the Ice Fortress, and their own growing strength, they might be able to hold it securely. If they brought the Kang family on board, they would also gain the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's banner by association. At that point, relying on a second-tier market, the Luo Tian Society could seize an early advantage that would not arouse envy to the extent of triggering a war.
Of course, such plans were merely passing thoughts that had come to Luo Chen on his journey home. His real focus would certainly not remain on such trifles.
"Huiniang, I am going to start preparations for Core Formation," he said quietly.
That simple sentence made the woman's breath quicken at once. She asked almost instinctively, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Luo Chen smiled slightly and nodded. "There will be quite a lot."
Core Formation was no small matter. In particular, Luo Chen's aptitude was notoriously poor, although his new senior sister had offered a different, well-reasoned view. In the end, he had a five-element spirit-root, something most in the cultivation world regarded as worthless. Therefore, if he wished to form a core, he had to push every advantage he had to the absolute peak, and that demand meant an immense need for resources.
Fortunately, he was not alone. The Luo Tian Society could be of tremendous help while he himself entered seclusion. Thus, without holding anything back, Luo Chen listed the resources he needed. He required decoctions for healing, ingredients for cultivation pills, auxiliary spirit medicines, blueprints for forging a life-bound enchanted treasure, and even life-saving pills to use in case of failure.
At this point, many cultivators from the Eastern Wilderness were gathering in the Jade Cauldron Domain under the pretext of the Frontier War. With more people came brisker circulation of resources. The Luo Tian Society could therefore obtain most of what he needed with far more ease than usual.
Lastly, I need a large number of first-tier and second-tier demonic beasts, and they have to be alive," Luo Chen said.
Sima Huiniang nodded. "That will pose no problem. We're already doing business with spirit beasts, so we have legitimate reasons to acquire them. Getting live ones will be a bit more troublesome, but I can arrange a few channels to obtain them for you."
Seeing her take each request to heart and knowing she would do her best to fulfill them, Luo Chen could not help but say, "With a wife like you, what more could a man ask for? I'll be troubling you this time."
Sima Huiniang's gaze lingered on him, filled with quiet affection. "All I've ever wished for was for you to trouble me. I'm here to help you fulfill your ambitions."
She paused for a moment, then her voice grew faint. "President... you will succeed, won't you?"
Core Formation was a great matter and a perilous trial. If it failed, the lightest consequence would be requiring decades to recover one's primal qi; far worse would be complete loss of cultivation and being cut off from the Great Dao; still worse would be immediate death, and there was no small chance for that to happen. It was no surprise that even the usually composed and unshakable Sima Huiniang showed a trace of worry.
But Luo Chen answered with a confident smile, "Absolutely."
