Across the sky, the wind howled. Dark clouds pressed down, and silver light flickered. The sudden change drew the attention of many cultivators in the city. Outside the valley, Fu Chaosheng watched for a moment, then his expression eased. "Nonsense!"

Whether the person inside heard him or not, the scene shifted at once. Wind and clouds reversed, and the silver light faded. The rising aura withdrew. Only the spirit energy drawn from the earth veins remained as it drifted aimlessly. The mist within the valley slowly parted and revealed a narrow path, just wide enough for one person.

"Senior, since you've taken the trouble to come all this way, why not come in and have a seat? Let me offer you a bit of hospitality."

At the sound of this clear voice, Fu Chaosheng raised a brow, but he stepped inside without hesitation. The mist parted before him and closed again behind him. Before long, he reached a wooden house.

A woman stood guard at the entrance, looking extremely vigilant. The moment she saw Fu Chaosheng, Heavenjade blurted out, "Manager Fu, it is you!"

Fu Chaosheng smiled faintly. "I told you, we have a fated connection and we were bound to meet again."

"Bastard, you followed me!"

Heavenjade's killing intent rose, but before Fu Chaosheng could respond, that same clear male voice came from inside the house. "Heavenjade, don't be rude. He's your senior. Talk to him properly."

Heavenjade froze as her face turned pale.

The voice sounded again. "Senior Fu, my apologies for not coming out to greet you. I'm afraid I am unable to do that right now. Please come inside so we can talk."

Fu Chaosheng did not take offense. He gave Heavenjade a teasing glance and stepped inside.

Outside, Heavenjade stood pale and at a loss. Her thoughts surged like waves. How could this be? She had only sold some demonic beast materials, yet she had run into a Sage. Worse still, he had concealed his cultivation and spoken with her as if they were casual friends. Suddenly, a thought struck her. Wait... why would a Sage hide his cultivation and spend so much time dealing with me? He must have a reason. And he followed me all the way here... His target can only be...

Heavenjade turned around, biting her lip. I didn't cause big trouble for Master... right?

She had no way of knowing what would come out of this. But regardless of her actions, Luo Chen was already in trouble.

As soon as Fu Chaosheng entered the wooden house, he saw a man with loose black hair and a flushed face seated cross-legged on a cushion. His aura surged without control and his mana roiled through the room. Even his divine consciousness could not be contained and kept spilling outward. Others might have taken this as disrespect, but Fu Chaosheng knew it was not intentional. "It seems you really are in no state to greet others."

Luo Chen blinked his bloodshot eyes with effort and said hoarsely, "Sorry, I've made a fool of myself in front of you."

"It is indeed rather laughable," Fu Chaosheng said calmly as he swept his gaze around the room. "Your cultivation isn't high enough, your spirit vein is far lacking, and your vital essence, qi, and spirit aren't complete. You're completely unprepared, yet you're trying to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm. Young man, do you not have a master guiding you to act so recklessly?"

Luo Chen gave a wry smile but offered no explanation. Fu Chaosheng stopped looking around. He had not found what he came for. Yet he had clearly sensed a Sage-level aura within the formation earlier. Could he have been mistaken? He looked at Luo Chen for a moment... and his eyebrows once more shot up. "Hm? You're at the fourth stage of Golden Core?"

Luo Chen nodded. In his current state, he could not conceal anything. His aura radiated uncontrollably, and anyone who could handle the pressure could tell his exact cultivation.

Fu Chaosheng's gaze sharpened. At the fourth stage of Golden Core, this man had actually triggered the initial phenomenon of forming the Nascent Soul! That alone spoke to his foundation and talent. If so, this trip had not been wasted.

He pondered for a moment, then said, "You should know who I am, right?"

Luo Chen nodded. "An easygoing Sage... and my attendant recognizes you. You must be Elder Fu, one of the four elders of the Heaven Origin Dao Sect's trade alliance in the Northern Sea."

"Not bad. Seems you're not some secluded cultivator ignorant of the outside world," Fu Chaosheng said. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked Luo Chen over.

Under his gaze, Luo Chen spoke up, "My name is Luo Hai, a rogue cultivator."

"Luo Hai? Hehe..." Fu Chaosheng chuckled. He knew it was an alias, but in times like this, caution was only natural.

Luo Chen felt the pressure. Under that gaze, it felt as though he had been seen through completely. He knew it was only a feeling, yet it still put him on edge. He gave a light cough. "Senior..."

"Alright, my bad. I just came to take a look. I'll leave it at that." With that, Fu Chaosheng turned to leave. Before stepping out, he paused. Two items appeared in his hand. He sent them toward Luo Chen with a flick of mana.

Luo Chen was taken aback. "What's this?"

"This token is for esteemed guests of the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance. We give this out to those who've done business with us totaling over a million spirit stones. Your attendant made a pretty large deal with me, so she's entitled to it. As for this pill..."

Fu Chaosheng smiled. "As I just told her, it really seems like there's some fate between us. From what I can tell, you'll need at least half a year to recover from this state. With this Returning Yang Pill, you'll recover in three to five days. And if you take the chance to refine the spirit energy here that's already attuned to your aura, you might even gain something extra."

Luo Chen was startled. "This is far too valuable. How could I accept it?"

"If I'm giving it to you, just take it," Fu Chaosheng said lightly. "Just make sure to spend some money at the Heaven Origin Tower in the future."

Fu Chaosheng waved it off and flicked his sleeve before turning to leave. Luo Chen opened his mouth, then held back. In the end, he only asked Heavenjade to see him out.

***

On the mountain path, Heavenjade followed a step behind Fu Chaosheng. She stayed tense and respectful, not daring to even breathe too loudly. Yet, the man broke the silence in his usual cheerful tone. "You're not a Demon Emperor, so how did you manage to transform?"

Heavenjade was startled, but she had long prepared for a question like this and answered at once, "I was lucky enough to find a Transformation Herb. With some help from my Master's pills, I was able to take on this form."

Fu Chaosheng gave no response. A Transformation Herb? Supplementary pills? How much was true and how much was false did not concern him. After leaving the valley, he looked back with a trace of contemplation in his eyes. To grasp the method of Nascent Soul formation at the middle stage of Golden Core, even at a basic level, spoke of rare talent. To subdue a demon of the same tier also showed strength. And that faint trace of Nascent Soul aura suggested he was not without backing.

This young man's quite the talent. A small gesture of goodwill to build a connection... He might be of use in that matter down the line, and even if he isn't, it's just a Returning Yang Pill anyway.

After thinking it over, the man left in a good mood. At the very least, he had confirmed there was no unfamiliar Sage here and that the matter at hand wouldn't be affected. That alone made the trip worthwhile.

Once he was gone, Heavenjade went to see Luo Chen and recounted everything that had happened with Fu Chaosheng. At the end, she asked worriedly, "Master, I didn't cause you any trouble, did I?"

Luo Chen shook his head. "If it were someone else, there might've been trouble. But this man is known for his good temper. It's nothing to worry about. If anything, he even helped me a little."

At that, Heavenjade finally relaxed. After she left, Luo Chen sat quietly inside the wooden house. The Myriad Soul Banner, which he had put away earlier, appeared once more. Soon, Han Zhan's figure emerged before him.

Without turning his head, Luo Chen asked, "Did he notice you?"

"Probably not," Han Zhan replied. "His cultivation might be higher than mine at my peak, but I specialize in divine soul cultivation, and right now, I'm just a remnant soul. With the Myriad Soul Banner hiding me, he won't find me easily."

"Then what about the Nascent Soul aura in the formation?"

"You can pass it off as a result of your attempt at forming a Nascent Soul."

"It still doesn't feel safe."

Han Zhan reassured him. "There's no need to be so worried. The Heaven Origin Trade Alliance spans four regions, each overseen by four Nascent Soul elders. They have plenty of power to fight if they need to, but that's not what they do. They stick to their duties and rarely make enemies. Their focus is gathering intelligence and securing benefits for the sect. More importantly, you're just an Adept. He's not going to do anything to you."

Luo Chen curled his lips. Would they really leave him alone? If they learned he had refined pills for demons, they would not let him off so easily. At the end, his gaze lingered on the token and the pill.

"The token's fine. I've checked it. Just a standard guest token from Heaven Origin Tower. Before he gave it to you, he'd already drawn in your aura, so no one else can use it."

"And this pill?"

Luo Chen's gaze fell on the golden pill engraved with cloud patterns. Even at a glance, he could tell it was no ordinary item. The medicinal power within it was immense.

Han Zhan's tone shifted slightly as he said in surprise, "A Returning Yang Pill, and a good one too! It was one of that Saint Alchemist's signature pills back in his early years. You won't find it in the Eastern Wilderness anymore. These days, it's only used within the Nether Origin Sect."

A signature pill of the Saint Alchemist? Luo Chen was startled. He had obviously heard of the figure who stood at the peak of alchemy in the Mountains and Seas Realm. The man came from the Nether Origin Sect, but after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm, he left for the Central Continent and joined the Heaven Origin Dao Sect. It made sense for his signature pill to appear in the hands of a Sage of that sect.

"What does this pill do?"

"Well... Exactly what you need right now."

"Uh..."

Han Zhan said with a hint of regret, "Forming a Nascent Soul is extremely dangerous. It's not just the matter of the lightning tribulation. Before that, you also have to stabilize everything within yourself. To reach Perfected Mastery in the Golden Core Realm is to bring your whole state into balance. Only then can your soul merge with your blood essence and mana and step into the state of yin returning to yang, giving birth to the Nascent Soul in the Purple Mansion. But the process is complicated. One mistake, and you can seriously injure yourself. A lot of Adepts get stuck at the ninth stage because they repeatedly fail at this step. Every failure leaves lasting damage, and it can even invite inner demons. With a Returning Yang Pill, things become much easier. Even if you fail, it can heal the damage. Back then, I couldn't get my hands on one no matter what. And yet he just gave you one like it was nothing... Your luck really is something else."

Luo Chen felt a jolt in his heart, and his mouth turned dry. He picked up the golden pill between two fingers. After repeated checks, he confirmed it held no poison and no hidden tricks. Fu Chaosheng had given it to him so readily. He did not know what to say. The favor was probably small to Fu Chaosheng but great to Luo Chen, and definitely not something he could ignore. He neither could refuse it, nor wished to do so.

"You should take it later. In your current state, you're really not fit to attend the auction in Jadecold City."

"Mm." Luo Chen responded softly, already feeling a bit impatient.

Han Zhan looked a little guilty. "That's on me. I should've warned you earlier."

Luo Chen let out a long breath. "How could I blame you? I didn't expect that studying those demon cultivation techniques would lead me to grasp a Nascent Soul method. I started practicing it without knowing and nearly caused a disaster. If you hadn't interrupted me, I might've died under the sudden lightning tribulation."

The disturbance he had caused earlier had exceeded everyone's expectations, including his own. While writing down the Heavenspan Wing Codex, he kept comparing it against himself and testing all he had learned. Without even noticing, he grasped a method for forming the Nascent Soul!

Nascent Soul formation, as Han Zhan had just explained, was when a cultivator's soul scattered and changed from yin to yang, condensing into a Nascent Soul within the Purple Mansion. Before this stage, the soul was essentially yin; it feared lightning, rain, fiend qi, and fortified winds. If the body was destroyed, there was still a chance of taking over a new body and cultivating again, but those who actually did so were exceedingly rare.

Only after reaching the Nascent Soul Realm and enduring the trial of heavenly lightning did the soul change. With the Three Flowers Gathered at the Crown and the Five Qi Returning to the Origin, it could manifest outward and travel vast distances. Nascent Soul cultivators were said to be unified inside and out; their essence was fully yang; they could gain enlightenment into the laws of nature, hence the title of Sages.

Luo Chen sighed. "This sudden enlightenment... yeah, I got a bit reckless. Almost messed up badly. But I did gain quite a bit from it. At the very least, I'm a little more prepared for forming the Nascent Soul later."

Forming a Nascent Soul did not differ much from ordinary cultivation. It still came down to wealth, companions, method, and location. Wealth meant, for instance, a Nascent Soul Pill. With Han Zhan at his side, Luo Chen could avoid many detours. Now, he had also grasped a method for Nascent Soul formation. Once his vital essence, qi, and spirit reached perfection, he could attempt to gather the Three Flowers. As for the last factor, a suitable spirit land, that was something to consider later. It was not something Luo Chen could hope for now.

Luo Chen steadied his mind, set aside stray thoughts, and swallowed the Returning Yang Pill. He needed to recover as soon as possible so it would not affect what came next.

As for Fu Chaosheng's goodwill, he could not ignore it. At the very least, he had to pay a visit. Whether they actually met or not was up to the elder, but proper etiquette still had to be observed. If possible, Luo Chen would repay the favor of the pill.

With this in mind, Luo Chen entered a brief period of seclusion again. The wooden house in the valley remained shut, and the spirit energy that had been scattering around began to once more gather toward him. As Fu Chaosheng had said, if he endured this trial, misfortune might turn to fortune, and his cultivation could advance further.