"Fellow Daoist Kang, long time no see," Luo Chen greeted. His casual words made Kang Xianqiong pause mid-step, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes. "Have we met before?" Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Back on the second floor of Golden Stone Pavilion. I was discussing business with Fellow Daoist Kang Dongyue, and you were in the next room, weren’t you?" Kang Xianqiong’s pupils shrank. Before she came, her grandfather had warned her countless times that Luo Chen was no ordinary figure. She had been told to build a good relationship with him. Yet even with all those warnings, she hadn’t expected his spirit consciousness to be sharp enough to detect her eavesdropping that day. After all, the concealment formations in Golden Stone Pavilion were not of poor quality. While she stood stunned, Luo Chen was quietly observing her. This young woman was clearly inexperienced and sheltered, yet by virtue of her birth, she had reached Foundation Establishment safely and at a young age. Who would not envy such a life? "You’ve come a long way to reach Tianlan Immortal City," Luo Chen said with a polite smile. "As the host, allow me to give you a proper welcome." He gestured toward the winding paths ahead. "Danxia Peak is known for three breathtaking sights. Would you care for a stroll?" Kang Xianqiong bowed gracefully in return. "Then I shall follow your lead." Together, they began walking side by side along the mountain trails of Danxia Peak. From time to time, cultivators of the Luo Tian Society passed by, each offering respectful salutes. Kang Xianqiong observed the scenery with curiosity, but it wasn’t the landscape that captured her attention. It was the people. Everyone she passed by appeared energetic, smiling, and filled with hopeful ambition for the future. They weren’t simply grinding away in dull cultivation. Each moved briskly, as if with a clear purpose. In several spirit fields, she even spotted late stage Qi-Refining cultivators working with diligence. Luo Chen... he is really impressive, she thought. He leads a rogue cultivator faction, yet it is as disciplined and vibrant as a century-old sect. Even compared to my Kang family, it’s nearly on par. As Kang Xianqiong marveled silently, Luo Chen studied her from the corner of his eye. It wasn’t unusual for the Kang family cultivators to appear in Tianlan Immortal City. What puzzled him was why she had taken the initiative to seek him out, especially after walking with him this long and still offering no explanation. At last, as if realizing their conversation was going nowhere, Kang Xianqiong cleared her throat. "You must be wondering why I came to Tianlan Immortal City right after reaching Foundation Establishment." "A little," Luo Chen replied in a casual tone. "I came here mostly for the major citywide auction taking place in half a year," Kang Xianqiong explained. An auction? Luo Chen’s heart stirred. He recalled the invitation still tucked away in his storage pouch. It had been delivered by Xuan Yunzi of Green Pill Valley, and indeed, the event was scheduled to take place in half a year. This was no ordinary auction like the ones in Dahe or Taishan Markets. It was the once-in-a-decade grand auction of Tianlan Immortal City, drawing cultivators from the Qi-Refining Realm to the Golden Core Realm, with countless treasures brought forth for bidding. "Is there something in particular you’re seeking?" he asked. Kang Xianqiong let out a soft sigh. "Yes. I urgently need a third-tier healing spirit medicine." "A third-tier healing pill?" Luo Chen arched an eyebrow, sensing that something serious had happened. "Did something happen to Fellow Daoist Kang Dongyue?" Kang Xianqiong’s expression dimmed. Seeing that, Luo Chen knew he had guessed correctly. "Did something happen in Taishan Market?" She bit her lip and said, "You’re right. Something did happen at Taishan Market. "Not long after you left, a third-tier demonic beast crossed the river and attacked the Huo family on Chican Mountain. Since our Kang family is based nearby in Mount Tai, we were affected as well. My grandfather was gravely wounded while protecting our family and has been bedridden since. That’s why I risked a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment so I’d be strong enough to venture out and find a suitable healing spirit medicine. "Fortunately, I succeeded. And when I heard about the auction, I rushed here immediately." Her final words carried both emotion and a trace of lingering luck, but Luo Chen’s focus was firmly on the first two lines. "A third-tier demonic beast? It attacked the Huo family on Chican Mountain?" Kang Xianqiong nodded. "Yes, a third-tier Three-Legged River-Swallowing Toad of mid stage strength, something our Foundation Establishment families could never hope to resist." Luo Chen frowned. "River-Swallowing Toads are known to be docile. Why would it suddenly attack the Huo family?" At that, Kang Xianqiong’s cheeks flushed slightly. She averted her gaze. "According to my grandfather... it seems the beast entered mating season." Mating season? Luo Chen instinctively swallowed. Could it be the very one I fed with countless pills back then? Including those three supreme-grade Myriad Wonders pills? He vaguely recalled that when Luo Tian Society departed Taishan Market, he had sensed the River-Swallowing Toad’s energy flow moving up along the Lancang River. By all logic, a toad that is well-fed should not have gone on a rampage so soon... unless... "The Huo family’s Chican Mountain takes its name from the colony of Crimson Flame Toads dwelling in its first-tier earth fire spirit vein," Kang Xianqiong continued, her tone edged with resentment. "One of them even reached second-tier and became the family’s guardian spirit beast. It was probably that toad that attracted the River-Swallowing Toad." Her expression turned grave. "What’s strange is that River-Swallowing Toads typically enter mating season only once every hundred years, and they usually travel upstream to the Great Snow Mountains to seek out glacial ice toads. This time, though, it came ten years early. That was why the Huo family was completely unprepared... and why our Kang family was caught in the crossfire." Luo Chen’s expression turned increasingly strained. There was a very real chance that those three supreme-grade Myriad Wonders pills had triggered the River-Swallowing Toad’s early mating season. One pill might not have been enough. But three? That could easily have pushed it over the edge. They might have been only first-tier pills, yet the toad had already been close to entering its mating cycle. It made sense that the supreme-grade Myriad Wonders pills had accelerated the process and lured it out ahead of time. In other words, Luo Chen himself was the unwitting cause of the Taishan Market disaster! He asked cautiously, "Is Fellow Daoist Kang Dongyue badly hurt?" "Very badly," Kang Xianqiong said. "He has been bedridden for a long time. Even when he steps outside, he never leaves the confines of Mount Tai. Traveling is completely out of the question. "That’s why I had to make this journey." "And the Huo family?" Luo Chen pressed. That was the question that mattered most. His enmity with the Huo clan ran deep, and he had not forgotten it. Even Huo Hu, their newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator, remained firmly under his control. "The Huo family?" Kang Xianqiong gave a sharp, mirthless laugh. "They got exactly what they deserved." As Kang Xianqiong continued her story, Luo Chen finally understood what had happened to the Huo family. The Three-Legged River-Swallowing Toad had descended without warning and detonated the entire first-tier earth fire spirit vein. Chican Mountain was already a dormant volcano; this shock set off a full eruption! Over a hundred Huo family cultivators and tens of thousands of mortal members perished in the raging inferno. Even their core Foundation Establishment cultivator, Huo Quan, was forced to break his seclusion. At first, Huo Quan tried using his enchanted treasure to repel the River-Swallowing Toad. But how could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator stand against a third-tier demon king? It was like an ant trying to shake a tree [1]! With a single devastating strike, he had been flung into the raging earth fire spirit veins of Chican Mountain. One could say that all because the River-Swallowing Toad entered mating season and sought a partner, the Huo family suffered a calamity from the heavens and was thus wiped from existence. Their destruction had nothing to do with Luo Chen at all. That was the terrifying power of a third-tier demon king. For such a creature, obliterating an entire cultivation family was as easy as lifting a finger. No wonder that after we captured Huo Hu, no one from the Huo family came after us, Luo Chen thought to himself. Even after all this time in Tianlan Immortal City, not a single trace of the Huo family was seen. Who would’ve thought such a fortunate turn of events could happen. After hearing Kang Xianqiong’s account, the heavy weight that had long pressed on Luo Chen’s chest finally lifted. He had never truly feared Huo Quan as long as Huo Hu remained under his control. But Huo Quan was, after all, a mid or late stage Foundation Establishment grand cultivator. A man like that, whose whereabouts were unknown for so long, had been like a thorn in his spine. Now, that threat was gone for good. Unbeknownst to them, their conversation had brought them to the summit of Danxia Peak. Ahead stood a small thatched hut, its green thatched hut simple yet sturdy, perched quietly at the peak’s edge. Kang Xianqiong looked at the thatched hut curiously. "Someone lives up there?" Luo Chen halted and looked up at the thatched hut, his expression softening. "A friend of mine." It was the same little hut that had once stood atop Xiaohuan Mountain. When Luo Chen left Dahe Market, he had personally dismantled it and brought it with him. Strictly speaking, it was an enchanted artifact, one that could channel, gather, and contain spirit energy. It had previously been used to suppress the energy of the Ice-Fire Spirit Spring. After settling on Danxia Peak, Luo Chen rebuilt it on the summit and gifted it to Wang Yuan. Wang Yuan had already Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining and didn’t rely heavily on spirit energy, because his path was that of Physical-Refining. His desire for Foundation Establishment wasn’t about the power or status it brought. What he wanted was the life-extending benefits it brought, which would give him the time he needed to reach the third realm of Physical-Refining. According to Wang Yuan, Physical-Refining cultivators would undergo a qualitative transformation upon reaching the third realm, and for the first time, their lifespan would be altered! This was why Wang Yuan had never rushed his Foundation Establishment. He still had plenty of time left. Although Wang Yuan once suffered from rushing, he now preferred a solid foundation, believing it would lead to a faster rise in the long run. Seeing Luo Chen come to a stop, Kang Xianqiong wisely held back and refrained from stepping closer. "Fellow Daoist Luo," she said with a teasing smile, "Danxia Peak has been pleasant so far... but I wouldn’t exactly call anything I’ve seen a ‘great view.’ So, where is this famous sight you mentioned?" Luo Chen smiled faintly. "Turn around, and see for yourself." Kang Xianqiong turned as instructed and stood beside Luo Chen, looking out beyond the peak. And before her eyes, somehow unnoticed until now, lay a boundless sea of clouds, resting at their feet. "A sea of clouds...?" she whispered. Then, as her eyes adjusted, "No... not just clouds!" Luo Chen stood beside her, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze reaching into the horizon. Beneath their feet, the clouds surged and rolled like waves in the ocean, crashing and swelling against invisible shores. Evening had begun to fall, and the setting sun cast a golden hue across the sky. Amber light bathed the mountaintop. The clouds at the farthest edge caught the sunlight and blazed like fire. The entire sea shimmered with golden tides, as though an ancient scroll had unfurled beneath their feet, its faded ink painting the world in soft strokes that stretched for thousands of li. Kang Xianqiong stood still, awestruck. For the first time in a long while, a profound peace welled up in her heart. In the past, under the protection of her grandfather, her life had been carefree. But ever since his fall, she had been forced to shoulder the weight of her family alone. And after reaching Foundation Establishment, her pursuit of healing spirit medicine had sent her rushing across the land, never stopping. But now, for the first time in a long while, her restless heart found a moment of stillness. Suddenly, a voice called out softly, almost childlike in its pleading tone. "Senior Brother Luo Chen!" Luo Chen stiffened. From "Fellow Daoist" to "Senior Brother"? He turned, catching the wide, hopeful eyes staring up at him. "May I ask a favor, Senior Brother?" "Fellow Daoist, speak plainly," Luo Chen replied, keeping his composure. He wouldn’t be swayed by beauty! Kang Xianqiong bit her lip, voice tinged with supplication. "At the Tianlan Immortal City auction, experts will swarm, and every treasure will be fiercely contested. With just my strength and means, I might not succeed in winning the healing spirit medicine I need. "My grandfather once told me you were well-versed in the ways of auctions. So... could you help me then, Senior Brother Luo?" So that’s what this is all about! Luo Chen let out a quiet sigh of relief. Though oddly enough, there was a tinge of disappointment in it. He had been ready to agree outright, but a sudden thought made him change his words. "Helping you isn’t out of the question. After all, I did get along quite well with your grandfather." Kang Xianqiong visibly relaxed. This had, after all, been the main reason for her visit! She had no real confidence in securing the healing medicine she needed. After all, it was a third-tier spirit medicine! If Luo Chen agreed to help, her chances would rise dramatically. At the previous Taishan Market auction, Luo Chen hadn’t bid many times, but every time he did, he succeeded. Her grandfather had praised him greatly for that afterward. Still, something about his tone suggested there was more he hadn’t said. "If you have any requests, Senior Brother Luo," she said quickly, "I’ll do everything in my power to fulfill them!" Luo Chen’s smile was calm, thoughtful. "Nothing too troublesome. But... the Kang family’s Golden Jade Liquid hasn’t been selling too well lately, has it?" Kang Xianqiong blinked in surprise. She nodded subconsciously. "Why not collaborate on it with us," asked Luo Chen. "The Golden Jade Liquid?" she echoed, caught off guard. "Exactly," he replied. Kang Xianqiong eventually took her leave. Since arriving in Tianlan Immortal City, she had been staying at a modest guesthouse, rarely venturing outside. Her mind was wholly focused on the upcoming auction. Luo Chen stood midway up the mountain path, gazing into the distance with a faint smile of amusement tugging at his lips. With just a few simple words, he had secured a promising business deal for the Luo Tian Society. Truth be told, he had long noticed that the Kang family’s Golden Jade Liquid wasn’t selling well. The fact that Kang Dongyue had so easily traded away a batch of supreme-grade Golden Jade Liquid during their last meeting was all the confirmation Luo Chen needed. Clearly, the Kang family had an oversupply on hand. The issue hadn’t been with the medicine itself, but with the market. Taishan Market had too few cultivators, and even fewer who practiced Physical-Refining. Naturally, the product had struggled to find buyers. But that didn’t mean the Golden Jade Liquid was some useless medicine! Luo Chen had been using the supreme-grade Golden Jade Liquid for some time now, and his physique had grown increasingly formidable; he was close to fully achieving the Golden Flesh and Jade Bones. In other words, he was close to breaking into the second realm of Physical-Refining. This type of medicine definitely had a viable market! Just because it didn’t sell at Taishan Market didn’t mean it wouldn’t sell in Tianlan Immortal City. At the very least, it would add to Danxia Hall’s variety of offerings. Luo Chen mused, Back when I was still in Qi-Refining, Kang Dongyue was the one trying to secure distribution rights for my Myriad Wonders pills. Who would've thought, after all these years...I’d now be the one distributing their family’s medicines.If there’s anything more unpredictable than fate, I’ve yet to see it. Luo Chen stepped onto a drifting cloud and rose swiftly toward the summit, where the little green-roofed thatched hut awaited. The wind howled around him as he touched down, robes fluttering. Facing the breeze with a wide grin, Luo Chen called out cheerfully, "Brother Wang! If you’re not going to break through to Foundation Establishment now... then when?" 1. 蚍蜉撼大树 (pi fu han da shu) literally means "an ant trying to shake a giant tree." This Chinese idiom is used to describe someone vastly overestimating their own strength or attempting to challenge a far more powerful force, often in vain. It conveys the futility and arrogance of the weak attempting to take on the overwhelmingly strong. The phrase is commonly used in political, military, and literary contexts to illustrate a mismatch of power or status. It is similar in meaning to the English expression "a fool rushing in where angels fear to tread," or "biting off more than one can chew." ☜