"...so in the end, it's about Aperture Opening. The only way to ensure a solid level of Physique Refinement is to open every single aperture."

"So that is how it is! Tsk tsk, I don't even know how many years of study you're saving me!"

"You're giving me too much credit," Luo Chen said with a faint smile. "The thing is, these principles have always been there, but we've just been following them without thinking too much. We always knew that things worked, but not why they worked. Now that you understand this part, you should be able to advance quickly on your own."

In a hall of the Starry Palace, an old man and a young man talked cheerfully. The Angler felt as if he had been enlightened; he now had a good direction for his future cultivation. Just as Luo Chen had said, physique cultivators and qi cultivators shared many similarities. When qi cultivators processed the spirit energy of heaven and earth, the process itself tempered their physique to make it less fragile and more capable of withstanding the immense impact of external spirit energy. However, letting this happen passively was nowhere near the optimal path. At the same time, methods for refining the organs, unblocking the meridians, and opening the apertures were closely guarded secrets among physique cultivators. They often required specific medicines to reach perfection. If a qi cultivator tried to apply pure qi cultivation methods instead, the result would likely fall short, if not miss the essence entirely.

Seeing the Angler fall into thought, Luo Chen pondered for a moment before offering a tip. "Low-tier physique refinement methods are pretty common. If you're willing to spend a couple spirit stones, you can gather quite a few. Just sort through them and test them out to find what suits you best."

The Angler nodded. "That shouldn't be difficult. The division has quite a number of them."

Then, a troubled look appeared on his face. "But if I want to reach the Furnace Realm, it won't be so simple."

In the second realm, the Blood River Realm, the first five minor stages all belonged to the foundational phase. To achieve something out of it, the cultivator had to then comprehend the transformations of blood qi and cultivate the Four Forces: Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force, and Pill Force. This was a lot easier said than done. The process required comprehension, talent, resources, and a great deal of time.

The Angler suddenly raised his head and looked at Luo Chen. "Fellow Daoist Luo... the path you're walking seems a bit different from that of the old physique cultivators."

Luo Chen's brows arched. "What makes you say that?"

He had not expected the old man to be so perceptive.

The Angler hesitated before speaking, "I've seen a true physique cultivator before. Even just standing beside him, I could feel that overwhelming and domineering fortified qi. It was extremely aggressive, almost oppressive even. His whole presence was like a blazing furnace, as if he could melt everything around him into himself. But you are different! What I feel from you is vigorous life force and blood qi. There's none of that domineering fortified qi. If anything... you feel more like an ancient beast standing right in front of me."

Luo Chen still wore a smile, but it was now somewhat forced. He truly had not expected the Angler's perception to be so sharp. The path he followed was indeed not the orthodox route of Physique Refinement. Instead, with the help of the system and his self-created techniques, he had skipped the stages of comprehending blood qi transformations. Instead, he had taken a different and more direct path that relied purely on resources. It was no longer the Four Forces, but Blood Replacement and Bone Forging.

Over the years, he had consumed large amounts of bloodfood and continued applying Black Sovereign Paste. Through this, he had undergone Blood Replacement again and again. He only had three cycles to go, and he'd reach the full nine. His blood now flowed like molten lead, surging like a torrent. As for Bone Forging, his skeleton had grown incredibly tough. Strikes from enchanted artifacts could not harm him at all, and he even had the confidence to withstand direct blows from low-grade enchanted treasures. Of course, others could not see this, because the Concealment Veil Formation carved into his very skin hid his terrifying physique.

What kind of technique has the Angler practiced, to see through me like this...? Wait, hold up!

A thought suddenly came to Luo Chen. The Angler had hesitated earlier and did not seem completely certain. That meant he might not have actually observed Luo Chen's physique so much as learned about it one way or another. And that train of thought led to the battle at Coldlight. That had to be it! At the Mo family's fishery, he had used a formation to block external probing, but there had still been survivors. The elder of the Xiang brothers had escaped. With the intelligence network of the division, it was very likely that information had been gathered and eventually passed on to the Angler. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Facing the Angler's curiosity, Luo Chen put away his smile and became serious. "I'm sorry, but this is my personal secret technique and it cannot be shared. I am afraid I must disappoint you."

A trace of disappointment was clear on the Angler's face. Still, to prevent any lingering desire, Luo Chen added, "I don't think it would be useful for you anyway. My method relies less on comprehension, but it's extremely time-consuming and resource-hungry. You are already at the ninth stage, and you're fairly old. It's too late to switch to my method. Also... As far as I know, breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm requires the unification of vital essence, qi, and spirit. But this unification is not fusion. It's simply adjusting your internal state, bringing everything into perfect alignment to withstand the might of heaven. And with that being the case, you don't actually need to reach the third realm. As long as you have a solid foundation and your meridians and apertures can endure the influx of spirit energy, that's enough."

The Angler listened with a hint of disappointment. The reasoning was indeed sound, and Luo Chen was on point. He was already over four hundred years old, with only about a hundred years left before his lifespan ran out. Within that time, he would need to reach Perfected Mastery, and to walk another path from nothing to the third realm was nothing short of fantasy. Yet as Luo Chen continued his explanation, his eyes began to shine with growing intensity. All at once, he sprang to his feet and looked at Luo Chen with shock and uncertainty. Faced with such a reaction, Luo Chen was puzzled at first. Then his heart sank. He had spoken too much.

The Angler's voice was hoarse. "Fellow Daoist Luo Hai, are you sure about those theories about forming the Nascent Soul?"

As expected... I really did say too much. Luo Chen instantly figured out where the problem lay. His theories on forming the Nascent Soul had come from a moment of enlightenment, along with occasional guidance from Han Zhan, and were later organized on his own. The principles were not particularly profound, but they were nevertheless truths pertaining to the Great Dao; to ordinary rogue cultivators, even a few words like these were something they hardly heard in a lifetime. Despite being an eight-star demon hunter and head of the Demon Hunter Division, the old man seemed to lack such knowledge.

Luo Chen kept his expression calm. "Fairly sure. I heard this from Elder Fu of the Heaven Origin Tower, back on Coldlight Island. A Sage wouldn't bother lying to me."

The Angler looked at Luo Chen with burning eyes. "Is there more?"

Luo Chen smiled bitterly. "I'm just a rogue cultivator. For a Sage to take a liking to me and offer a few pieces of advice is already a tremendous stroke of luck. How could I dare ask for more?"

"That is true. Even though the Myriad Immortal Society has seven Sages, I rarely get any guidance from them," the Angler said.

However, his gaze toward Luo Chen still held a trace of doubt. In his heart, he had already made a decision. In the days to come, he would seek out Luo Chen more often to exchange insights on cultivation. This would not be limited to physique refinement; more importantly, he had to ask more about this Nascent Soul theory. Perhaps he could learn something better.

Then, the Angler noticed the fatigue on Luo Chen's face, and he steadied himself. "Let's end it here for today. I actually came for something else as well."

Luo Chen nodded. "Go ahead."

"First..." The Angler took out a booklet, flipped to the middle, and held it out to him.

"What's this?" Luo Chen asked, puzzled as he looked at the text.

The Angler explained, "These are the belongings left behind by that guy you took down, the one from the devil sect. Aside from the portion taken by the Sages, everything else is listed here. I said before that these items would go into the division's treasury for exchange among rogue cultivators. Since you and Duan Li were directly involved, you get priority selection, and you're ahead of him in line."

Soul-Commanding Sword: Mid-grade enchanted treasure, crafted primarily from thousand-year peach wood. Its attack trajectory is unpredictable, and it has considerable offensive power. It has a special effect of sealing souls and suppressing vengeful spirits. Recommended for cultivators with wood spirit roots.

Myriad Soul Banner: It originally contained tens of thousands of souls, but most were expended in battle. The foundation remains solid. With sufficient replenishment of souls, it can be restored to its former power.

Core Formation Insights: Notes on forming the core left behind by a talented Adept. The content is relatively straightforward, suggesting the process was completed with ease and little difficulty.

Moongold: Fourth-tier mineral. Suitable for refining yin-element enchanted artifacts and enchanted treasures.

.....