Spirit energy contained both clear and turbid elements. When it gathered in large amounts, it formed spirit veins. Along with spirit energy accumulation, the turbid sank while the clear rose. Both could be absorbed, but cultivators preferred the clear. For that reason, they usually chose spirit lands along slopes or peaks, and cave residences were usually built at higher elevations.

Luo Chen was different. Though Surging Island was quite large, and a good few mountains rose across it, he used formations to confine high-quality spirit energy within the Starry Palace. This left the island's tallest mountain largely unused. It was not entirely abandoned, though. Heavenjade would sometimes turn into her seagull form and fly above it. Thus, he had also built a pavilion there for her, and named it Lakeview Pavilion.

At this moment, inside the pavilion, three Daoists enjoyed the breeze. They drank tea and discussed the Dao. From afar, they looked like immortals from worldly legends. Yet Xiao Buhuan felt more like an ordinary mortal facing a spectacular natural phenomenon. Even after all the tea, he had yet to recover his composure.

Before him stretched a vast expanse of water. Fish darted below, birds circled above, and countless islands lay scattered like stars. And this wondrous place had actually been fully rented by the man before him! Before coming, he had thought the Society had loosened restrictions and allowed separate rentals of each individual spirit vein at Surging Lake. He had never imagined that Luo Chen possessed such wealth as to rent the entire place outright!

While he was still dazed, a gentle voice sounded in his ear. "Fellow Daoist? Fellow Daoist?"

Xiao Buhuan shook his head and snapped back to his senses. "Hm? What is it?"

Luo Chen smiled slightly. "Nothing much, I just wanted to ask about the garrison mission at the Winding Defensive Line."

"Didn't you stay there for half a month?" Xiao Buhuan asked.

"I'm not asking about the local customs or the state of the war," Luo Chen said. "I'm more interested in the specifics of the mission. Things like how the personnel are arranged, what the daily duties look like, that sort of thing."

"Oh."

Xiao Buhuan began to explain everything in detail. The matter was not complicated. After all, they were Adepts; even when they were stationed in one place for a longer period, they would not handle every task themselves. Winding Island served as the central hub of the Winding Defensive Line. More than a thousand cultivators were stationed there year-round. Most of them were rogue cultivators from the Society, and they rotated each year. They were divided into several teams, each led by a late-stage Initiate. There were formation teams, patrol teams, law enforcement teams, logistics teams, and more. These teams handled most of the daily affairs. As for the Adepts stationed there, their role was simply to fight. They were there to block the first wave of attackers while waiting for reinforcements in an emergency.

There were three Adepts stationed along the Winding Defensive Line. Their assignments differed in duration; Xiao Buhuan had taken on a long-term posting, while the other two served in one-year rotating terms. The reason Luo Chen had not seen them during his previous visit to Winding Island was that they had been transferred to the first defensive line, the Flowing Defensive Line.

"Wasn't it supposed to be a mission in the Winding Sea Region? How did they end up getting transferred to the Flowing Sea Region?" Luo Chen asked in puzzlement. "Can the assignment location change like that?"

Xiao Buhuan said helplessly, "The rules and procedures aren't fully set yet, so things can be pretty flexible. Especially for short-term rotation, Adepts are basically moved wherever they're needed. Of course, it also has to do with those two being only four-star demon hunters. They wanted to go to the frontline to hunt demonic beasts and raise their rank."

"I see." Luo Chen nodded and committed these details to memory.

Then Xiao Buhuan suddenly caught on. "Fellow Daoist... why are you asking all this?"

Luo Chen smiled. "Getting ready for my upcoming mission."

Xiao Buhuan and Duan Li were taken aback for a moment, but then understood that Luo Chen must have taken a short-term defensive garrison mission. After chatting a bit more, Xiao Buhuan took his leave. He had just returned and had not rested well in a while, so he felt mentally fatigued. Moreover, there were matters at his cave residence on Splendid Mountain that needed his attention. Rogue cultivators did not spend large sums to rent spirit vein caves solely for cultivation. The abundant spirit energy could be used for many things. For instance, Luo Chen had Zhang Jiadi's family start an aquaculture enterprise. Xiao Buhuan did the same. He had hired rogue cultivators to plant large quantities of spirit plants on Splendid Mountain while he was away on missions. Although he had learned about the profits through letters over the years, he still needed to personally return and assess the situation.

After Xiao Buhuan left, the atmosphere in the pavilion turned dull. Luo Chen said nothing and simply drank his spirit tea. Duan Li stared at the steam rising from the cup on the stone table, and his expression wavered. After a long pause, he finally said, "Fellow Daoist, could you do me a favor?"

Luo Chen's lips curved into a faint smile. As expected, Duan Li needed his assistance. Otherwise, he would not have risked himself to step in back then. Still, Luo Chen had a good impression of him. If it was within his means, he would not refuse.

"Sure. As long as it's within my ability, I'll do my best to help."

Duan Li's expression eased slightly, then he spoke solemnly. "Back during that assessment battle, the devil sect remnant used some vicious methods, and I took a hit from it. At the time, I thought it was just a minor injury that could be healed in time. But it turns out there was more to it. The longer it's been left untreated, the worse it's gotten... like something clinging to my bones, impossible to shake off. Over the years, I've gathered quite a few healing methods, and I've finally settled on one. But for it to work, I need an Adept whose divine soul is far stronger than mine to assist me. After thinking it through... the only one I can really trust is you."

After speaking, Duan Li looked at Luo Chen expectantly. He had taken note that during the assessment task, Luo Chen was not afraid when facing divine soul attacks from Yan Zhixian. Similarly, when he faced Huangfu Song that day, there was an invisible clash between them. Others could not sense it, but Duan Li had been close enough to feel Huangfu Song's Imperial Voice. At that moment, he had nearly lost control of himself, even though he was not the actual target. Yet Luo Chen remained unaffected and even used a strange ability that left Huangfu Song shaken. From this, it was clear that Luo Chen's attainments in the divine soul far surpassed his own. If he wanted to heal the injuries, Luo Chen was his only choice.

Luo Chen didn't hesitate. "Let me see what you have first, I'll take a look and assess the situation."

"Alright." Duan Li handed over a jade slip.

Luo Chen studied it carefully. After a while, he withdrew his divine consciousness. "It's not too hard. Going by what's written here, as long as everything's prepared, it should only take half a day or so."

"Then..." Duan Li looked at him nervously, then quickly added, "I've already made all the necessary preparations. Everything's ready in my cave."

Under his anxious gaze, Luo Chen thought it over for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

Duan Li finally let out a breath of relief. He stood up and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist!"

***

That day, Luo Chen followed Duan Li to Hidden Wind Cave. It was his second time visiting the cave residence. Last time, there had been little decoration, and after five years, there was still not much change. It was clear that Duan Li had been far too troubled by his injuries to think of minor things like home decor. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

They moved to an auxiliary room where spirit energy was almost nonexistent. Duan Li raised his hand and cast several seals. At once, streams of spirit light appeared on the floor, and formation patterns emerged. At the center of the formation, a space had been left open, and only a meditation cushion had been placed there.

Duan Li glanced at Luo Chen, then sat onto the cushion while the formation slowly activated around him. "Azure Yang... I'll leave the rest to you."

Luo Chen gave a faint smile and took out a small white flag. "Don't worry, just relax."

In the next moment, Duan Li closed his eyes. One palm stood upright before his chest, while the other struck the ground. At once, the formation's light flared brightly. The white flag in Luo Chen's hand began to tremble violently. At the center of the formation, Duan Li started to tremble, and his expression twisted in pain.

A soul-extracting formation... Using something like this to forcibly remove the energy that keeps his injuries from healing... How truly ruthless!

One could easily imagine how dangerous such a method was to a cultivator. After all, Duan Li no longer had any control over what happened to him; he had placed everything in Luo Chen's hands. That showed tremendous resolve. Under normal circumstances, no cultivator would entrust themselves to someone they barely knew. Not even Luo Chen would do so. In other words, Duan Li had truly reached a dead end. Lucky for him, Luo Chen was not the backstabbing kind. When someone genuinely placed their trust in him, he rarely let them down.

Luo Chen took a deep breath and released the white flag, which remained floating in the air. Then he sat cross-legged and formed a series of hand seals. An invisible force surged from the formation like a rope that linked him to Duan Li. He gave a sharp pull. Duan Li's body jolted. A strand of black energy surfaced on his face, twisting and squirming like a worm. In the next instant, Luo Chen tore it free. The black energy tried to return at once, but Luo Chen gave it no chance. The floating white flag swept through the air and absorbed the black energy.