They were a man and a woman. The man was tall and looked rather ordinary; the only striking feature was his red face that resembled a furnace packed with a bit too much burning coal. It seemed to be something caused by a cultivation technique. He emanated the aura of an early-stage Initiate, although somewhat unstable. The woman, by contrast, had delicate features. Her slightly elongated phoenix eyes were closed, yet they carried a sharp and imposing aura. She sat cross-legged on the cloud and breathed slowly and regularly, obviously in a state of meditation. From her presence alone, Bai Xiang could not determine her cultivation.

"What is your name? Where are you from, and where are you going?"

Luo Chen first thanked him for helping earlier, then replied calmly, "My name is Luo Hai. I'm from the Luo family in Abyssgate City. After reaching Foundation Establishment, I started traveling outside. I've just returned from the outer seas. I heard there's a large trade fair in Coldlight Island, so I thought I'd head over to widen my horizons."

Bai Xiang snorted coldly. "You're only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, yet you dare wander around like that. Do you think we're still in the old days when the Primordial Devil Sect was around?"

While the Primordial Devil Sect still existed, the devils ran rampant, yet a certain order remained in place. Now the sect had fallen, and the struggle between so-called righteous and devil forces had brought constant chaos. Initiates rarely dared to venture out to sea, and even some cautious Adepts avoided it.

Bai Xiang could not tell whether this Luo Hai was bold or simply ignorant. Then, his gaze shifted to the woman. "And who is she?"

Luo Chen glanced at the woman beside him and smiled. "She's my attendant. She was injured recently and is still recovering, so she can't really move around too much. That's why I'd like to travel with your ship and rest while we continue the journey."

As he spoke, he took five spirit stones from a worn storage pouch and slid them toward Bai Xiang. "Sorry for the trouble. I hope you can make an exception, Fellow Daoist."

Bai Xiang's brows arched. Mid-grade? Huh... This fellow is quite generous.

Five mid-grade stones were the nominal equivalent of five hundred low-grade ones, but they were worth a bit more than that. As a fare for two people, that was more than enough.

After a brief moment of thought, he beckoned to Luo Chen. "Fine then. Follow me!"

Luo Chen thanked him and quickly followed behind. Soon, they descended upon a dock.

Bai Xiang turned around and pointed toward a white ship moored by the dock. "You came at just the right time. We will be setting out tomorrow morning, and I'll be leading. Wait here for a bit while I go make a report. After that, you can board the ship and get some rest. Oh, right! My name's Bai Xiang. I'm an elder of the Bai family."

"Thank you and sorry again for the trouble, Fellow Daoist Bai," said Luo Chen with a smile, cupping his fist.

Bai Xiang then strode away.

Han Zhan watched his departing figure and asked with confusion, "Why not just take the Flying Swallow Merchant Caravan straight to Coldlight? Or with your strength, you could simply take a ship by force. The Bai family wouldn't dare to say no. Why go through such trouble?"

Luo Chen cast Sound Isolation and said calmly, "Wu Qi managed to send the invitation to me through the Flying Swallow Merchant Caravan. That means he's probably been keeping a close eye on the archipelago. If I leave with them, I might fall under their watch before I even reach Coldlight Island. If I reveal my cultivation and take the Bai family ship by force, it will lead to the same result."

Han Zhan paused in surprise. Earlier, he had assumed Luo Chen felt little concern about Devil's Snare. Now it seemed that was merely the surface. Luo Chen remained calm as he considered the greater strategic level, yet he treated every detail with caution. Once he arrived there, he would likely investigate the situation first before meeting the people of Devil's Snare. If the circumstances proved unfavorable, he might turn to another force or just go on as a rogue cultivator.

No wonder this kid could unite several major sects against the Flame Alliance even when he was only an Initiate. He doesn't just have guts, his mind is sharp as well.

As Han Zhan was praising him inwardly, Luo Chen added, "There's also another thing... Heavenjade's demonic energy still isn't fully restrained. She needs some time to practice the concealment technique I taught her. The merchant ship may be slow, but that'll work to our advantage because it gives her the time she needs."

Heavenjade pressed her lips together. "Sorry, I have caused you trouble."

"Don't worry about it. This is my fault, I should've thought this would happen," Luo Chen said.

He clasped his hands behind his back and looked out over the scenery of the dock.

White Sand Island looked insignificant, yet its location was excellent. The island connected the Flying Swallow Archipelago with several settlements of human cultivators, and the harbor bustled with trade. Any force that controlled such a hub could not be weak, and indeed, the Bai family turned out to be a major force with a Pseudo-Adept at the helm!

While Luo Chen pretended to observe his surroundings, a strand of spirit consciousness swept over them. It paused briefly on Heavenjade before withdrawing.

In a cluster of ancient buildings at the center of the island, an old man slowly opened his eyes.

Bai Xiang asked somewhat nervously, "Grand Elder, is there any problem?"

The Bai family's Grand Elder pondered for a moment. "I don't think so. That man is only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. As for the woman concealing her aura, from what I could tell she's merely at the Qi Refinement Realm. Once they board the ship, just keep an eye on them. They won't cause you any trouble."

Bai Xiang let out a breath of relief. He was a mid-stage Initiate and had an enchanted treasure. He was not even concerned about other mid-stage Initiates, let alone an early-stage one. Now that the Grand Elder had said there was no problem, things were probably safe. After all, the Grand Elder had survived a failed Core Formation attempt and had even condensed a Pseudo-Core. Among those below the Golden Core Realm, he was considered invincible.

Unless... the man and woman had concealed their cultivation and were Adepts... But obviously, that thought was absurd. They looked even younger than Bai Xiang himself. How could they possibly be an Adept?

"But—"

Bai Xiang paused and asked when he heard the Grand Elder continue, "What is it?"

The Bai family's Grand Elder spoke calmly, "The situation is chaotic right now. The righteous and devil forces are constantly fighting, and demonic beasts are attacking the immortal islands. Five hundred spirit stones for passage isn't worth it. If they want to board the ship and be under our protection, double the price!"

Bai Xiang relaxed. "That's simple. I'll go tell them. If they don't agree, we won't force it."

***

Late at night, inside a cabin on the second deck of the merchant ship, Heavenjade looked puzzled. "If we join them, their strength increases and the journey becomes safer. Why are they charging us more for passage?"

Luo Chen shook his head. "It's just a bit of petty profit. No need to worry about it. They probably have their reasons. There's no point quarreling with them for a couple of spirit stones." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

He had Heavenjade sit down cross-legged, placed a hand against her back, and sent his divine consciousness through her meridians and acupoints while channeling streams of mana into her body. "How is your progress with Spirit Suppression?"

"I think I'm close to minor mastery, but if I want to completely suppress my demonic power, it'll still take some time."

"There's no hurry. Take your time. I'll use this time to take a look at your body."

Luo Chen carefully examined her new human body—naturally, the result of the Transformation Pill. Through this inspection, he found many places where her body differed from that of a human. Because of those differences, ordinary cultivation techniques did not suit her well. Is this a flaw from using the Transformation Pill instead of going through a lightning tribulation?

Luo Chen fell into thought. He had been pondering and studying for quite some time, for two purposes: to create an appropriate cultivation technique for Heavenjade and to determine the effects, side effects, and contraindications of the Transformation Pill.

After a while, Luo Chen withdrew his hand as if having gained some insights.

Heavenjade looked at Luo Chen nervously. "Master, will it work?"

Luo Chen smiled slightly. "I already have a few ideas. Give me a few days and I should be able to come up with a cultivation technique that suits you."

Heavenjade brightened at once. "Master, you're really wise!"

The corner of Luo Chen's mouth twitched. For some reason, the ordinary compliment felt slightly strange to him.

After Heavenjade left, Han Zhan asked, "You brat, can you really come up with an entirely new cultivation technique?"

"Is it that hard?" retorted Luo Chen.

Han Zhan was taken aback. "I wouldn't call it impossible, but you're only at the Golden Core Realm. Creating a cultivation technique from scratch for someone of the same realm is no small feat. Usually only experts in major sects can do that, and they're all walking libraries with top-tier competence in spellcasting and the likes."

Luo Chen laughed lightly. "Ah, then you have misunderstood. I'm just taking a few techniques with similar principles and mixing them together."

"Mixing them together?" Han Zhan said in surprise. "You can do that?"

Luo Chen shrugged. "Let's give it a try and see."

Though he spoke of merely trying, his eyes held a strong sense of certainty that made Han Zhan raise an eyebrow. He was well aware that Luo Chen possessed some talent in spellcasting, and had praised the young man himself for that. However, improving upon existing spells and creating a cultivation technique, especially one suited to demon cultivators rather than humans, were entirely different matters. Even if it was not creation out of nothing, the task still required drawing upon the strengths of many techniques and weaving them into a whole. Such a feat lay far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

In fact, even Han Zhan himself, for all his vast knowledge and experience, had only come this far after forming his Nascent Soul. He had worked out two techniques for the Foundation Establishment Realm and one for the Golden Core Realm. Yet Luo Chen was claiming that he could accomplish the same thing while still in the Golden Core Realm?