“Greetings, Senior Li!” Sima Huiniang called out. “It’s Huiniang. Are you here to see Luo Chen?” replied Li Yixian. “Yes, the president told me to come by today.” Since they had rented cave residences in the same batch, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators from Dahe Market were housed close to one another, practically along the same mountainside. Just as Li Yixian was about to head out, she happened to run into Sima Huiniang on her way in. They exchanged a few brief words before Sima Huiniang strode straight into Luo Chen’s cave residence, moving with the practiced ease of someone used to getting things done. Watching her composed and capable figure disappear inside, Li Yixian couldn’t help but feel a deep envy. If only the Li family had someone like that, someone who could manage both internal and external matters with such order and clarity. Then she wouldn’t have had to rush around dealing with all the Li family’s affairs before even settling into her own cave residence. Li Ao was still too young, and his cultivation realm was not high enough to shoulder real responsibility. In contrast, Luo Chen had it easy. With Sima Huiniang managing things, he barely had to lift a finger. Li Yixian thought, Maybe... I should let Xiao Ao move into a proper cave residence too. Help him reach Foundation Establishment sooner. If he could stand on his own feet, maybe I could finally set down these endless errands and truly focus on cultivating. The more she thought about the talent gathered within the Luo Tian Society, the more envy stirred in her heart. Even someone like Min Longyu, a true expert in formation arts, had joined them. Without a doubt, the Luo Tian Society’s strength had been elevated once more. Not just Xiao Ao, she resolved. I should help several other family members strengthen themselves as well. We must catch up to the Luo Tian Society! While Li Yixian was still envying Luo Chen, inside the cave residence, Sima Huiniang had pulled out the account ledger and was meticulously reviewing the Luo Tian Society’s assets with him. “The battle at Gaoling Plains was both an ambush and a breakout,” Sima Huiniang said. “Many of the cultivators didn’t have time to gather loot during the fighting. As a result, most of the spoils were collected and turned in afterward. The precise standards for rewards and penalties haven’t been finalized yet, but Hall Leader Murong has already logged the corresponding merits into the records. Once we finish sorting things out on our end, you’ll decide whether to implement it, President.” Luo Chen gave a slight nod. He took the ledger from her hands and began studying it seriously. This was a very different situation compared to the battle with the Fu family or the one at Xiao Huan Mountain. This time, all spoils from the sudden clash at Gaoling Plains had been gathered only after the battlefield was cleared. It wasn’t impossible that someone had hidden things away, but over ninety percent of the goods were still within his full control. The first page of the ledger recorded the number of storage pouches. There were seventy-five in total! "That many?" Luo Chen asked with interest. Sima Huiniang shook her head. “There should have been more. When the Dajiang Gang cultivators fled, they took a lot with them. Some others were too badly damaged in battle to be usable. When everything was counted, we ended up with seventy-five.” Still, seventy-five was no small number! At the standard market rate of ten thousand spirit stones each, that was a fortune. However, Sima Huiniang delivered a piece of unwelcome news. "In Tianlan Immortal City, storage pouches are really cheap!" Oh? Luo Chen's brows furrowed. Sima Huiniang explained, "Yesterday, while I was out with the team, Xu Xiaoliu introduced me to a Foundation Establishment senior from the Treasure Pavilion. He told me, if we buy more than a hundred storage pouches at once, we can get them at a sect for three thousand each." Even though Luo Chen already knew storage pouches were heavily overpriced elsewhere, he hadn’t expected them to be this cheap here. His gaze flickered as he thought, It seemed that ever since the two major Nascent Soul sects had gone to war, the Treasure Pavilion... no, or rather, Tianfan City! The Treasure Pavilion was backed not by the Jade Cauldron Domain, but by another major power beyond it! During this war between the two Nascent Soul sects of the Jade Cauldron Domain, Tianfan City had been especially active! Even back during the Dahe Market period, a large number of enchanted artifacts manufactured in Tianfan City had already begun circulating through the Precious Dragon Black Market. Enchanted artifacts like the Sound-Transmitting Paper Crane were even being mass-produced, and now, even storage pouches appear to be sold in bulk. The buyers weren’t limited to the seven sects of the Jade Cauldron Domain; they included small factions like the Luo Tian Society. "War profiteering," Luo Chen muttered to himself, lips curling into something between amusement and grim recognition. "It’s always the most profitable trade. A once-in-a-century opportunity." Tianfan City isn’t stupid... Hmm? A vague suspicion crept into his mind. Could it be that this war, initiated by the Luoyun Sect, had been secretly supported by Tianfan City from the very beginning? Before the thought could sink its claws in, a crisp, efficient voice broke through his speculation. “In terms of quantity, the spirit stones are substantial, around one hundred and thirty thousand in total!” reported Sima Huiniang. “Most of them are low-grade spirit stones, but we’ve also counted three hundred mid-grade ones. My recommendation is—” Luo Chen blinked, returning to himself. The conspiracies of grand sect faded. After all, what did the secret manipulations of top Nascent Soul sects have to do with a second stage Foundation Establishment cultivator like him? What truly mattered now was managing his own affairs. “One hundred and thirty thousand!” Luo Chen interrupted, unable to hide his surprise. Luo Chen pressed his lips together, eyes gleaming with excitement. It was, without a doubt, an enormous sum, one that easily dwarfed the fifty thousand spirit stones he currently had left. Just yesterday, he’d paid three years’ worth of cave residence rent in a single lump sum, cutting his fortune down to that amount. And that wasn’t even counting the three storage pouches seized from Wang Haichao, Tu Shan, and Huo Hu. If those turned out to contain significant spirit stones, the total value could very well soar even higher. A more fanatical cultivator might already be itching to start more wars just to keep the profits rolling. But Luo Chen quickly suppressed such thoughts. That one ambush had cost the Luo Tian Society over half its cultivators, and his old friend Zeng Wen had died protecting his wife and child. He had no desire to stir up conflict lightly. What he truly yearned for was a quiet life of cultivation. “There are also over a thousand enchanted artifacts,” Sima Huiniang continued. “More than half are in good condition, though many are damaged. They're currently in storage. Additionally, we’ve collected countless pills, talismans, robes, materials, and miscellaneous goods. As for cultivation techniques and secret manuals, we collected over a hundred of them. Most were duplicates. After sorting, only a little over thirty were worth keeping. Five of those are second-tier... “That sums it up. The belongings of the fallen Luo Tian Society cultivators have been returned to any surviving relatives. The rest have already been accounted for in the previous ledger. Oh, right, there are also three alchemy insights. I brought them with me." The string of reports went on for quite a while. Fortunately, Luo Chen had long grown accustomed to this sort of thing. He had gone through the process too many times to count. A less experienced Foundation Establishment Initiate would probably have been nursing a splitting headache by now. Luo Chen took the three alchemy insights from Sima Huiniang and flipped through them casually. Most of them were written by first-tier alchemists, not particularly impressive. However, two first-tier alchemical formulas caught his attention. "These can be stored in the Alchemy Hall as part of our foundation." In my spare time, I can go through it as well discard the dross and keep the essence [1]!" Luo Chen gave a small, satisfied smile. "Huiniang, you've done an excellent job." A smile appeared on Sima Huiniang’s face as well. "I’m only doing what I should." Luo Chen chuckled and shook his head. “There’s no such thing as what one should or shouldn’t do. All the world moves for profit; those bustling do so for gain. You’ve handled everything so well; I’ll naturally make sure you’re rewarded.” Luo Chen said it casually. Yet in Sima Huiniang’s heart, a ripple of emotion stirred. As she looked at the warmth in his smile, she thought to herself, I’m not doing this just for profit. You may never mention saving my life, but I will never forget it. Of course, such thoughts weren’t meant to be spoken aloud. It was enough to show them through actions, not words. Still, her silence left Luo Chen a little surprised. He had expected to see a flicker of excitement, perhaps even gratitude. But this calm, composed Huiniang... it suited her. In fact, it showed just how much she had grown. To hold joy and ambition behind a quiet face, that too is a strength, Luo Chen mused. He shifted the topic smoothly. "I’ve been paying attention. Among those in the Luo Tian Society at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining, you and Duan Feng are the closest to reaching Perfected Mastery. Your daily cultivation must not be interrupted. If you reach Perfected Mastery, that Foundation Establishment pill will be yours. Furthermore, when the time comes for your breakthrough, I will personally guard your Dao. Even this second-tier cave residence will be at your disposal." Upon hearing these words, the previously composed woman couldn’t help but reveal a look of barely contained excitement. Was this... an actual promise? A Foundation Establishment pill! The full protection of a Foundation Establishment Initiate during her breakthrough, along with the use of a second-tier cave residence? What tremendous blessing was that? Back in her days as a rogue cultivator, such blessings had been beyond imagination. At the time, simply collecting enough spirit medicine for Foundation Establishment had seemed like the height of her aspirations, an entire life fulfilled by that single goal. Who could have foreseen that life’s fortunes would turn so drastically? 1. 去其糟粕，取其精华 (qu qi zao po, qu qi jing hua) is a traditional Chinese idiom that refers to the process of eliminating the bad or outdated parts of something while retaining its valuable or refined elements. Often used in the context of cultural, literary, or philosophical evaluation, it encourages thoughtful selection by preserving the best while shedding the inferior. The phrase is commonly invoked in discussions of tradition versus modernity or when drawing lessons from history. ☜