Chapter 1217: Recognition from the Holy Land; A True Upper Sect (II)

Apart from them, there were three Sages Luo Chen knew far less about: Xiao Shiniang, lord of Ancient Fireworks Isle; Primal Sovereign Nine Spirits, Supreme Elder of the Nine Spirits Sect; and Wind Listener, Supreme Elder of the Ethereal Sect. Their circumstances were much the same as those of the Divine Talisman Sect and Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.

Before the five domains became humanity's final line of defense, twelve domains had already fallen to the demonic beasts, while another three remained ravaged by war. Ancient Fireworks Isle, the Nine Spirits Sect, and the Ethereal Sect had once each dominated one of those lost domains. Now, however, all three had been forced to relocate into the remaining five domains and live under the roof of others. In other words, they all had nowhere left to call home.

Yet when Luo Chen met them, his attitude remained exactly the same as it had been toward the others. After all, speaking plainly, was the Luo Tian Sect really in any better position? They, too, had lost their homeland and were surviving on someone else's territory. Perhaps that shared misfortune made conversation easier; Luo Chen soon found himself getting along particularly well with these displaced cultivators.

As they continued talking, it turned out that Xiao Shiniang had no habit of hiding what was on her mind. Not long after they were introduced, she went straight to the question that had brought many of them here. "Fellow Daoist Luo, you claimed in your invitation that you can refine a hundred different kinds of spirit medicines and you are proficient in every one of them. Is it really true?"

That line had indeed appeared in the invitation. In fact, it was one of the main reasons so many Sages who had never met Luo Chen before were willing to travel tens of thousands of li to attend his belated Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony.

The moment Xiao Shiniang asked, nearly every gaze turned toward him. Most of them carried obvious doubt. Only Idle Crane stood behind Luo Chen with a smile, saying nothing. Even Fairy Windflower, who already knew something of Luo Chen's attainments in alchemy, was only half convinced. After all, being able to refine a hundred kinds of spirit medicine and being proficient in them all was quite the bold claim!

Among the Hundred Ways to Immortal Ascension, alchemy had traditionally been regarded as one of the foremost. That ranking held special value among low-tier cultivators, for whom a single suitable spirit medicine could shorten years of bitter cultivation or even help them break through a bottleneck.

In reality, however, the higher one's advance in cultivation, the less pronounced that advantage became. For Sages like those gathered here, years of cultivation atop a high-tier spirit vein were usually far more dependable than relying on spirit medicines. Moreover, fourth-tier spirit medicines suitable for their cultivation were exceedingly rare, while alchemists capable of refining them were rarer still. For that reason, ordinary alchemy naturally became less important as one's cultivation advanced.

Of course, that only applied to average alchemists. Anyone capable of refining even fourth-tier spirit medicines, let alone fifth-tier ones, would be treated as an honored figure wherever they went. And Saint Alchemist Chu Yan was the clearest example!

More importantly, the Eastern Wilderness was no longer living through ordinary times. With demonic beasts rampaging across the land, many of the cultivators gathered here had lost their former territories and spirit veins. These displaced sects barely had a stable place to settle, much less access to the kind of high-tier cultivation grounds they had enjoyed in the past. Worse still, battles could break out at any time, and peaceful cultivation was almost impossible.

Low-tier cultivators could still take advantage of the enormous quantities of demonic beast ingredients pouring out of the war to advance their cultivation. But for cultivators at the Sage level, such resources could hardly replace a high-tier spirit vein. As a result, after a century of upheaval, many of the Sages present had spent very little time cultivating in peace, and their progress had naturally stagnated.

When all those factors were taken into account, the value of spirit medicines had risen once more. Unlike a spirit vein, spirit medicines did not require a fixed cultivation ground. They could be carried anywhere and taken whenever the opportunity arose. For cultivators constantly moving between battlefields or living under another force's roof, that convenience alone made high-tier spirit medicines enormously valuable.

That also explained why Windflower Palace took such an interest in Qu Lingjun. Why had Old Ghost Skyscraper stretched his covetous hands toward the Luo Tian Sect? And why had the Medicine King Sect, once wealthy enough to be renowned throughout the Far East Six Domains and even across the thirty-six domains of the Eastern Wilderness, ultimately been destroyed so thoroughly under the onslaught of demonic beasts?

Because spirit medicines were simply too valuable! That was precisely why Luo Chen's claim on the invitation had drawn so much attention. No ordinary alchemist would dare announce before so many Sages that he could refine a hundred different kinds of spirit medicines and that he was proficient in every one of them. At the very least, such confidence suggested the attainments of an alchemy grandmaster... no, maybe even a great-grandmaster, and maybe—just maybe—a second Saint Alchemist!

Yet even that was not the most important point. By writing those words directly onto the invitation, Luo Chen had effectively told everyone who received it that he was willing to refine spirit medicines for others. The mere fact that he was a great-grandmaster was enough to make powerful cultivators eager to connect with him. But the possibility that such a person might refine precious spirit medicines on their behalf was what had truly persuaded those Sages to travel all the way here!

Faced with all those expectant gazes, Luo Chen smiled faintly and was just about to answer when his brows suddenly lifted.

At almost the same moment, a thin man in golden robes spoke from within the hall. "Looks like someone else has arrived."

Luo Chen glanced in his direction, then swept his sleeve and left the hall to greet the newcomer himself.

The thin man watched him go with his eyes narrowed slightly. A moment later, he sent out a voice transmission through divine consciousness. "Divine Fire, is Luo Chen really that good at alchemy?"

Divine Fire replied, "Most likely. He was already well known for his alchemy when he was younger, back in the Jade Cauldron Domain. That's where he got the Dao title Dan Chenzi. Golden Plume, didn't we already talk about this before we came? Why are you asking me again?"

Golden Plume's expression was calm, but a trace of gloom lurked in his eyes. "Because I think we both underestimated just how much sway a great alchemy grandmaster can have over Sages."

Divine Fire paused. Then, thinking back over everything he had witnessed since entering the hall, he quickly understood what Golden Plume meant.

The warmth everyone had shown Luo Chen earlier, along with the unmistakable flattery hidden in some of their words, was hardly how Sages normally treated a fellow cultivator they had only just met. If Luo Chen's claims were genuine and he truly possessed the attainments of a great alchemy grandmaster, then the moment he began showing goodwill to these people, they would inevitably repay him in kind.

Low-tier cultivators would fervently idolize him and spread his name far and wide. Sages would seek to curry favor with him, or at the very least avoid offending him. And once Luo Chen began refining precious spirit medicines for them, those relationships would no longer be superficial. If trouble ever found him, how many Sages who owed him a favor might answer his call and act on his behalf?

Perhaps even the Holy Lands, those lofty powers standing above the countless sects of the Mountains and Seas Realm, would eventually take notice and invite him to become an honored guest, just as they had once done with Saint Alchemist Chu Yan. In fact, Luo Chen was clearly laying the groundwork for exactly that right now!

He had publicly displayed his attainments, openly signaled his willingness to refine spirit medicines for others, and used this Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony to draw powerful cultivators from across the five domains into one place. With every favor exchanged and every connection established, his momentum would only continue to grow. Once that momentum truly took shape, what could the Divine Sect possibly do against him?

Even just the Sages gathered in this hall, together with the forces standing behind them, were already enough to give the Divine Sect a huge headache. If Luo Chen's reputation continued spreading across the Eastern Wilderness, drawing more and more powerful cultivators to seek spirit medicines from him and leaving them willing to act on his behalf, then the Divine Sect might eventually find itself...

Golden Plume narrowed his eyes. "Whether it’s true or not, we can't just sit here and let him keep building momentum."

Just then, the ceremonial announcements rang out outside the hall, and the very first one was enough to stun everyone present. "The Nether Origin Sect bestows upon the Luo Tian Sect the technique for refining spirit stones!"

It was neither a gift nor an offering, but a bestowal. Typically, phrasing a gift as such would have sounded extremely arrogant, as though the giver were placing itself above the recipient. But this time, the one making the bestowal was the Nether Origin Sect, the Holy Land of the Eastern Wilderness!

Everyone present understood perfectly well what the technique for producing spirit stones represented. This was not something one could obtain merely by reaching the Nascent Soul Realm. Only a force recognized by a Holy Land, acknowledged as a true upper sect, and therefore granted the right to wage a Frontier War, would be entrusted with such a technique. Many of those present had either gone through the process themselves or witnessed it happen before. Therefore, the meaning behind the announcement was immediately clear.

From this moment forth, the Luo Tian Sect was no longer merely a sect protected by a Sage. It had now been formally recognized as an upper sect and stood on equal footing with the major forces represented in the hall!

After a revelation like that, whatever gifts came next hardly mattered. Instead, every gaze turned toward the two figures entering the hall side by side, chatting casually as they walked. One was Ye Lingtian, lord of Skypiercing City, and the other was Luo Chen, Supreme Elder of the Luo Tian Sect.

"Fellow Daoist Luo, congratulations!" Ye Lingtian laughed as they entered. "Although your sect may be stuck in a difficult spot for now, I have to say, your disciples are impressive. Give it some time; it will surely flourish and display the grandeur expected of an upper sect. The demonic beasts may hold the advantage now, but that won't last forever. Once we start pushing them back and expanding again, perhaps you can claim a blessed land or two of your own. Wouldn't that be something?"

A chorus of congratulations immediately followed. Luo Chen smiled and cupped his fist in thanks. After exchanging a few more words with Ye Lingtian, he made his way to the place of honor and took his seat.

"It seems everyone is here. Let the feast begin!"