Luo Chen met Fu Chaosheng again on the seventh floor of the Heaven Origin Tower. He carried a respectful demeanor and bowed properly. He remained calm and steady, and showed neither excessive deference to his interlocutor's status, nor excessive arrogance.

After looking him over, Fu Chaosheng nodded in satisfaction. "Just as I thought, you really turned misfortune into fortune. Your cultivation's improved quite a bit. More than I expected, actually."

"It's all thanks to the pill you gave me, Senior," Luo Chen said sincerely.

Fu Chaosheng shook his head. "That Returning Yang Pill might be valuable, but it's only useful for those who haven't formed the Nascent Soul. To me, it's nothing special. I was planning to give it to a junior anyway."

At this point, he asked casually. "You came to Jadecold City for the auction, didn't you?"

Luo Chen gave a soft acknowledgment. "That's right. Life as a rogue cultivator isn't easy. Gathering resources is always a struggle. Large auctions like this are one of the few chances to get what I need and to see more of the world. For that, I sold off everything I gathered hunting demonic beasts out at sea over the years."

"If you know how hard it is for rogue cultivators, why not join a major force? At least you'd have some backing."

Luo Chen's gaze sharpened. Instead of answering, he asked. "What kind of force would count as major?"

Fu Chaosheng chuckled. "The four overlords, I'd say. There's Devil's Snare, which controls an entire region. Farther out, there's the rising Penglai Immortal Sect. Both have late-stage Sages at the helm. If that still doesn't feel stable enough, there's also the newly established Holy Land, the Righteous Blue Sea Alliance. They've got Li Douliang, a new Ascendant. Even the demon races are wary of him; they wouldn't dare invade the Northern Sea islands lightly. Of course, if you prefer freedom and don't like being tied down, there are rogue cultivator forces like the Myriad Immortal Society. As long as you're strong enough, you'll do just fine there."

The four overlords, you say? As he listened to this explanation, Luo Chen gained a clearer picture of the current structure of the Northern Sea cultivation world. He asked humbly. "From your perspective, Senior, how do these forces compare?"

The man before him hailed from the Heaven Origin Dao Sect, and his knowledge spanned all the five territories. His perspective was far beyond Luo Chen's limited understanding. Fu Chaosheng thought for a moment and then smiled faintly. "Since you showed up with such a generous gift, I might as well clear up your doubts."

He then began to lay out the general situation of the four major forces.

The Devil's Snare needed little introduction. Its twelve lineage lords were all powerful and were largely connected to the former Primordial Devil Sect. From the very beginning, they had proclaimed their intent to revive the sect and restore the glory of the devil path in the Northern Sea. As for the so-called rising Penglai Immortal Sect, it was not actually new. It was a top-tier upper sect with a heritage spanning thousands of years. It was only called a rising power because it had once been suppressed by the devil sect and forced to spread its teachings in the outer sea. Now that the devil sect had fallen, they seized the chance to return to the inner domains and carve out their own place. Their name had long since spread throughout the Northern Sea cultivation world.

The Righteous Blue Sea Alliance gathered cultivators devoted to the righteous path and was backed by a formation grandmaster. At this point, it could be considered the actual overlord of the Northern Sea. With this, Luo Chen also found out the full name of the Ascendant—Li Douliang.

As for the Myriad Immortal Society, Luo Chen had barely heard about it before. Yet when Fu Chaosheng spoke of this force, he placed particular emphasis on its three founders: the Blood Hermit, the Moon Hermit, and the Mad Hermit. All three were mid-stage Sages with formidable abilities, each capable of contending with ordinary late-stage Sages. Since the Myriad Immortal Society mainly took in rogue cultivators and did little to provoke others, it had long been ignored. Yet over the decades, it had quietly grown into a force to be reckoned with. It was even rumored that among the three hermits, one had already advanced to the late stage. With that, the Myriad Immortal Society gradually rose to stand alongside the other three major powers.

Luo Chen pondered deeply while listening to this explanation, then his thoughts slowly settled into clarity. "As you said, Senior, the Devil's Snare is fragmented, with constant internal strife. If I join, I'll likely get caught in it. The Penglai Immortal Sect, on the other hand, is tightly united. Even when the Primordial Devil Sect was still around, they never bowed. As an outsider, it'd be hard for me to fit in. The Righteous Blue Sea Alliance has the largest numbers and the greatest overall strength. Its top experts are second to none. It's even replacing the Primordial Devil Sect as the new Holy Land of the Northern Sea. As for the Myriad Immortal Society, it's nothing more than a loose coalition of rogue cultivators. There's little cohesion. Among the four overlords, it's the weakest and could fall apart at any time."

Fu Chaosheng smiled. "You're quite sharp. In such a short time, you've already weighed the situation of each force and figured out what joining them would mean for you."

"It's not that I'm sharp," Luo Chen replied modestly. "It's just that you see things from a higher vantage point, Senior. I'm only building on what you've said."

He paused, then asked sincerely, "From your perspective, which force should I join?"

Fu Chaosheng waved his hand. "You've already thought it through this far. I'm sure you have your own ideas and preferences. Why ask me? Still, I'll give you a reminder. The taller the tree, the harder the wind hits it. And that Ascendant Li... he usually stays in seclusion and doesn't involve himself in affairs. That so-called righteous alliance may not be quite as solid as it seems on the surface."

Luo Chen was taken aback. He had indeed considered joining the Righteous Blue Sea Alliance. But from what he had just heard, the strongest force might instead be the one most likely to fall. If that was the case, he would have to think this through much more carefully.

He asked cautiously, "Senior, what do you think of Blood Nightmare?"

Fu Chaosheng looked at Luo Chen in surprise. "Do you have ties with him?"

"I would not say that. But he did try to recruit me before." Luo Chen answered honestly.

Hearing this, Fu Chaosheng showed a look of surprise and examined Luo Chen closely. In the end, he answered, "If you have no ties to the Primordial Devil Sect, don't join him. That man's not what he seems. And if you are connected to the Primordial Devil Sect, stay even farther away. It could cost you your life."

Luo Chen felt a chill run through him. "How..."

He wanted to press further, but it was clear Fu Chaosheng had said all he intended to say. Luo Chen's expression flickered. In the end, he felt a trace of relief that he had not gone to meet Blood Nightmare directly. No matter what, he trusted Fu Chaosheng more. After all, the man came from the Heaven Origin Dao Sect and had a solid reputation.

In the end, he probed again, "Honestly, I don't think any of those four can truly be called a top-level force. In the Mountains and Seas Realm, the strongest force should be the Heaven Origin Dao Sect."

Fu Chaosheng simply looked at him with a faint smile and said nothing.

Luo Chen let out a helpless sigh. "Looks like I was overthinking it."

His thoughts were not complicated. He feared dealing with a Holy Land, worried that his past act of refining pills for the demon races might be exposed. Yet at the same time, he wanted to approach one and have the matter quietly resolved. Only then could he walk openly in the light and perhaps even return to the Eastern Wilderness. This contradiction drove him to make that tentative probe. But it was clear that Fu Chaosheng either did not think highly enough of him or was bound by certain constraints and could not offer any promises. With that, Luo Chen's other ideas were snuffed out before they could take shape.

With that being the case, where could he go from here?

Devil's Snare was not an option. The Blue Sea Alliance might soon fall. That left only the Penglai Immortal Sect and the Myriad Immortal Society. Or perhaps he would remain a lone rogue cultivator with nothing to rely on?

As his thoughts grew unsettled, a knock sounded at the door. Shan Shubao stepped in with a plantain-leaf fan in his hand.