Only when the body tempers into vajra can one be said to have achieved Perfected Mastery in the first stage of Physical-Refining. To advance to the second stage one must transform from vajra to white jade. According to Wang Yuan, this meant completely transforming the muscles and bones to golden muscles and jade bones. At that level, the body would become pure and flawless, as if reborn entirely from flesh to essence. Only then could one truly claim to have reached the second stage of Physical-Refining. Three days after the fleet departed from Dahe Market, Luo Chen sat quietly in his cultivation chamber. As usual, he cultivated two cycles of the Medicine King Codex of Yimu before turning his attention elsewhere. Contrary to what many outside observers might assume, Luo Chen was far from idle. He was, in fact, busier than ever. He cultivated the Medicine King Codex of Yimu daily. He also persisted in drawing fiend qi into his body, tempering his divine soul and deepening his spirit foundation. In addition to that, he constantly chipped away at the spirit restriction within Duan Qiankun’s storage pouch, using spirit consciousness to wear down the seal in hopes of unlocking it soon. Only during the occasional lull did he indulge in casual reading. Currently, he was poring over the Wang Secret Manual that Wang Yuan had given him. The title was cliché, but the contents opened a whole new world for Luo Chen outside the realm of Daoist cultivation. So there was such nuance and depth to physical cultivation after all. “Breaking through the first stage of Physical-Refining isn’t actually that hard, you just need the right pills. “Wang Yuan used Golden Jade Liquid to constantly temper his flesh and bones. This elixir didn’t enter the dantian or sea of qi, so there was no danger of pill toxins.” Luo Chen wasn’t particularly interested in Physical-Refining itself. He had long come to terms with his mediocre talent, it meant he had to focus entirely on qi cultivation. What did interest him was that incomplete technique him and Wang Yuan had purchased—Sky Roc Transformation. Wang Yuan had dismissed the technique. He merely borrowed a few useful concepts to enhance his own physical path. But Luo Chen? He was very interested. During his Foundation Establishment, he had used the Blazing Cloud Roc to refine Imperial Nectar. That nectar had contained not just a drop or two, but a considerable amount of roc essence blood. If he used that to train in the Sky Roc Transformation, he’d surely get twice the results with half the effort! However, this was a third-tier Physical-Refining technique, extremely high grade. To use the system to force an Beginner level breakthrough would cost a tremendous amount of achievement points. And the version he had was incomplete. Aside from alchemy, Luo Chen had far too little background in Physical-Refining to ever hope to restore it himself. For now, he focused on building a strong foundation. So that if the chance ever came, he wouldn’t be scrambling at the last minute. The Sky Roc Transformation had strict prerequisites. Namely, the cultivator must have a physique refined to at least the second stage. At present, Luo Chen had fully completed the first stage and the second stage was just a single step away. "That elixir is a specialty of the Golden Stone Pavilion in Taishan Market. Once I get there, I should stock up." Golden Stone Pavilion. The name wasn’t unfamiliar to Luo Chen, in fact, he knew it quite well. Its Pavilion Leader, Kang Dongyue, was a Foundation Establishment Initiate. Luo Chen had met him once, years ago, when he came to Dahe Market to attend the grand opening of the Debate Platform. Later, he even sent a message through Shopkeeper Liu, expressing interest in becoming a distributor for Luo Chen’s Myriad Wonders pills. Unfortunately, by then Luo Chen had already joined the Poshan Gang as an alchemist, and the deal was never made. But this time, heading to Taishan Market, not only could he buy more Golden Jade Liquid, he might also use them to offload some of his surplus top-grade Jade Essence pills. “Short on money again...” Luo Chen sighed. Out in unfamiliar lands, there would surely be countless places needing spirit stones. If Wang Haichao was shameless enough to exploit ticket sales for a quick fortune, that said everything. It wasn’t just the two of them, the Li and Nangong families were likely dipping into their reserves as well. As Luo Chen was musing over all this, his brow suddenly furrowed. “What kind of demonic beast is that?!” “It’s a first-tier demonic beast, Silver Dartfish. Fast as an arrow, built to pierce through spirit shields, and they always travel in schools! “Quick, activate the formation! Some of them got in! Sima Xian, take your team and deal with them, don’t let anyone get hurt!” Luo Chen stepped out from his cultivation chamber, his gaze naturally falling upon Sima Huiniang, who stood at the center of activity, calmly issuing orders. She moved with practiced grace, her voice steady, her gestures precise. Watching her work, Luo Chen gave a quiet nod of approval. Over the years, she had grown into the role of Director, not just in name, but in action. Whether handling major decisions or minor logistics, she conducted herself with structure and composure. With someone like her in charge, he truly saved himself a great deal of effort. His eyes then shifted toward the so-called “enemies” encircling them. Though, to call them “people” would have been inaccurate, they were more like fish [1]. One after another, palm-sized silver fish launched themselves from the rushing river below, shooting through like arrows. As the sunlight hit them, their silver-white scales shimmered with a metallic sheen, glinting like polished steel. With their razor-sharp teeth, even the most stable of defensive barriers stood little chance once the Silver Dartfish drew close. A few bites were all it took to tear through a cultivator's defenses. And now, they were facing far more than just a few. All around the massive ship of the Luo Tian Society, Luo Chen could see them, thousands of glittering silver fish, leaping from the river in wave after wave, their slender bodies catching the light like polished blades. Fortunately, these alone weren’t a major threat. With the ship’s defensive array fully activated, and the experts of the Battle Hall standing ready and cutting them down relentlessly, the Luo Tian Society’s forces remained largely unscathed. Only a few unlucky cultivators had been injured in the initial chaos, caught off guard before the defense formation flared to life. But elsewhere, the story was very different. Luo Chen’s gaze turned outward. He narrowed his eyes and extended his spirit consciousness to get a clearer view. Across the river, where a dozen other ships traveled as part of the convoy, he saw the flickering lights of countless defensive arrays, but they were struggling. Every vessel was being battered by an unending onslaught of silver light, flashes so dense they looked like a silken net cast across the river's surface. The lead ship, in particular, had come to a complete halt. The cries of cultivators in pain had begun to erupt one after another. And even that, wasn’t the worst part! The countless rogue cultivators who had refused to buy tickets had either flown alongside the fleet or followed behind on homemade bamboo rafts. Now, tens of thousands of Silver Dartfish attacked at once. On both flanks, the weaker among them had their defensive barriers shattered in an instant and were dragged into the river. A few stronger ones took advantage of the chaos to flee toward the riverbanks. Once they landed, they watched the slaughter unfold, horrified. Cultivators fell like rain. The river churned red with blood. Those on bamboo rafts fared even worse. They were instantly surrounded, not even given the chance to escape into the air. “Where did such a massive Silver Dartfish swarm come from?” That was Nangong Jin speaking. Luo Chen’s brows lifted slightly as he focused his spirit consciousness toward the central ship. A conversation between Foundation Establishment Initiates was unfolding. “To my knowledge, the Lancang River has never had a Silver Dartfish swarm this massive,” Nangong Jin pressed. To his anxious questioning, Wang Haichao replied calmly, “Under normal circumstances, no. But this time, we’ve got over ten thousand cultivators traveling together.” “No beast could resist such a rich feast of blood, and not just any blood, but that infused with spirit energy.” Since when did human cultivators become quantified as spirit-energy-rich meat? Luo Chen fell silent for a moment. “Our Nangong family doesn’t have many cultivators,” Nangong Jin said urgently. “At this rate, we can’t protect the mortals. I’m going in!” “You may act, Fellow Daoist, but absolutely do not use anything beyond the stage of Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining methods.” “Hm?” The questioning tone came from Li Yixian. Wang Haichao replied coldly, “With a swarm this size, there’s definitely a second-tier Silver Dartfish King. We’re in the middle of the river, if it’s provoked, it may not defeat us, but it can destroy our enchanted ships. “Conversely, if the four of us stay low-key, it may hold back in caution.” The logic made sense but still... Watching countless rogue cultivators fall like rain into the Lancang River, even the most steel-hearted Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t help but feel some remorse. Li Yixian asked hoarsely, “We’re just going to let the rogue cultivators die?” “Why should we save?” Wang Haichao shot back instantly. Before Li Yixian could answer, Wang Haichao let out a mocking snort and spoke coldly, “These rogue cultivators? They’re just fish bait. And with their numbers, all flaunting spirit energy without a hint of caution, it’s only a matter of time before they attract a third-tier beast. “When that time comes, Fellow Daoist Li, will you be the one to stand against the Beast King?” Li Yixian fell silent. Luo Chen’s brow lifted slightly. What a ruthless heart this Wang Haichao has... This whole excuse about not provoking the Silver Dartfish King was just a convenient smokescreen. The truth was, he wanted to shed the burden of these freeloaders. “I assume none of you are bleeding-heart saints.” Wang Haichao’s voice faded into silence. Li Yixian let out a bitter chuckle and said no more. Luo Chen blinked and withdrew his spirit consciousness. He wasn’t some great benevolent soul either. These rogue cultivators had followed along without buying tickets, so of course they had to bear the risks. For the safety of the journey ahead, reducing the risks from rogue cultivators’ uncontrolled spirit fluctuations was not only necessary, it was practical. Luo Chen had no power to protect them all. If he could keep his ship and people safe, that was enough. With none of the three Foundation Establishment cultivators stepping in, and Nangong Jin focused solely on protecting the people aboard his own vessel, the Silver Dartfish assault dragged on endlessly. Their coordinated attacks turned brutal, unrelenting. One wave after another crashed upon the convoy, and with little to halt them, the carnage mounted. Before long, that entire stretch of the river had been stained crimson with blood. On both sides of the riverbank, the few surviving rogue cultivators stood trembling, eyes wide in terror and disbelief. Only after the fleet finally sailed past this bloody section did the slaughter come to an end. Luo Chen looked back at the blood-soaked waters and said nothing. Thousands of fish still leapt, countless corpses floating in their wake. Beneath the rippling waves, a deep crimson now stained the start of this journey. If I had failed to reach Foundation Establishment, and fled into the remote mountains as a mere Qi-Refining cultivator… would this have been my fate too?