Chapter 1245: Greetings, Senior Luo (I)

Luo Chen's arrival eased much of the tension hanging over Skypiercing Pass. With war looming, nearly every kind of resource was in short supply, and spirit medicines that could quickly improve a cultivator's strength were especially sought after. In the past, the Eastern Wilderness had relied heavily on the Medicine King Sect for high-tier spirit medicines. Now that the sect was gone, capable alchemists had become increasingly difficult to find. Most had already been recruited by major powers, while the rest were too occupied with their own affairs to accept commissions from outsiders. Thus, Luo Chen had returned at exactly the right time to fill that gap!

That was one of the main reasons his reputation had spread so quickly, and Skypiercing Pass naturally treated him well in return. The way the five Sages had been deployed made that clear enough.

Qin Baixiang of the Hundred Beast Sect held the easternmost position at the very front, directly facing the direction from which the demon army was most likely to attack. Xiao Shiniang and Idle Crane guarded the two flanks, each roughly a thousand li from the central front, so they could reinforce it when needed. Luo Chen, meanwhile, had been assigned to the western rear. Unless some unforeseen circumstances appeared, the most he would encounter were whatever scattered groups of demonic beasts that slipped past the front lines.

Wind Listener, on the other hand, had no fixed position at all. He remained on standby; with his exceptional speed, he could rush to whichever section needed support. From time to time, he was also sent ahead to scout the front lines. That was more or less how the defenses had been arranged.

After learning his patrol area, Luo Chen first went to the cave residence that Ye Lingtian had prepared for him. "So this is where I'll be staying for the next three years."

He stepped out of the cultivation chamber with satisfaction. It had been a long time since he last cultivated in a place supported by a fourth-tier spirit vein, yet here in Skypiercing Pass, such cave residences were hardly rare.

Rumor had it that when the city was built, a group of Sages had moved mountains and reshaped the land, transplanting these spirit veins from major domains that were on the verge of falling. If Skypiercing Pass ever became trapped in a prolonged war, these cave residences would give its Sages somewhere to recover and return to peak condition.

Seeing Luo Chen's reaction, Wind Listener smiled. "As long as you're satisfied, fellow Daoist, all is well. This is one of the finest cave residences in the city."

Whether compared with Dragon Abyss Island or Cave Residence Jia Seventy-Eight on Heaven-Earth Peak, neither could compare with this place. It seemed Ye Lingtian had gone to great lengths to make sure he was comfortable.

Seeing how satisfied he was, Wind Listener finally stopped holding back. "I heard Nine Spirits already got the pill he came for. Seems the rumors about you weren't overblown after all. Fellow Daoist Luo, your alchemy really is something."

Luo Chen laughed freely. "You flatter me. At a time like this, there's no need for us to keep dancing around the subject. Just tell me what you need."

Wind Listener's expression brightened at once. Unlike Nine Spirits, who had hesitated before revealing his formula, he took one out without a second thought and handed it directly to Luo Chen.

"This pill is related to one of my lifesaving trump cards. If you can refine it for me, I'll owe you a great favor."

Luo Chen merely waved a hand and accepted the formula. Rather than making any promises, he lowered his head and began reading it. Wind Listener knew better than to interrupt and simply waited while Luo Chen studied. This was something that Luo Chen had made a habit out of whenever he came across a new pill.

Around two hours later, Luo Chen finally raised his head. "I can refine this pill."

Wind Listener's eyes lit up at once.

"But you'll need to provide all the ingredients yourself," Luo Chen added.

"Of course." Wind Listener nodded repeatedly. "You're already willing to spend the time refining it for me. I could hardly expect you to pay for the ingredients as well."

Luo Chen smiled. "Good. Then let's talk about my fee."

At that, Wind Listener's enthusiasm visibly faltered. He knew perfectly well that in times like these, someone merely being willing to refine pills for another person was already an act of considerable goodwill. For Sages, time itself was precious, and spending half a year or even longer shut away in an alchemy room was no small sacrifice. Naturally, Luo Chen deserved proper compensation.

The problem was that Wind Listener simply did not have much to offer. He still remembered the three things Luo Chen had asked for during the Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony. Unfortunately, he had very little crimson firmament energy and hardly any valuable alchemical formulas. He did own several physique refinement arts, but none were particularly high-tier, so Luo Chen was unlikely to be interested in them.

After hesitating for a moment, Wind Listener gritted his teeth. "I can offer three hundred top-grade spirit stones."

That was equivalent to roughly three million low-grade spirit stones. Given the current situation, that was hardly a small amount, and with war on the horizon, top-grade spirit stones were even more valuable because of their strategic use. Even so, it was not enough, and to nobody's surprise, Luo Chen's expression did not change.

Seeing that, Wind Listener hurriedly added, "I also have several ancient physique refinement arts. They're around third-tier."

Luo Chen continued smiling without saying a word.

Wind Listener thought for a while longer before gritting his teeth again. "Then I'll add the tendon of a fourth-tier Nine Hells Enchanting Python. That beast was extremely powerful. Back then, I had to work together with other Sages just to kill it. Its tendon is excellent for refining artifacts. If you take it—"

Luo Chen sighed. "Fellow Daoist, you know none of that is especially useful to me. If I take this on, I could be tied up for half a year, maybe even a full year. Do you really think what you're offering is worth that much of my time?"

Wind Listener's expression stiffened. Strictly speaking, what he had offered was enough to hire a Sage, but that only mattered if the other party actually wanted those things. More importantly, this was not some simple request either. He was indeed asking Luo Chen to spend as much as a full year refining pills for him.

Seeing Wind Listener struggle to come up with anything else, Luo Chen finally relented. "Alright, how about this? If you agree to one thing, I can take the job."

Wind Listener blurted out, "What is it?"

Luo Chen smiled. "Nothing complicated. If I ever need your help in the future, lend me a hand. And if you happen to come across someone from my sect in trouble, help them if you can. Don't worry. I won't ask you to throw your life away or do anything unreasonable."

The hesitation on Wind Listener's face disappeared almost instantly. He cupped his fist, unable to hide his relief. "If that's all, then you have my word. Thank you, Fellow Daoist."

He was genuinely grateful, and also genuinely impressed by Luo Chen. For a Sage, lending someone a hand once was hardly an unreasonable price, especially when Luo Chen had already made it clear that he would not ask for anything overly dangerous. Most likely, if Luo Chen ever called on that favor, it would only be for help with something well within Wind Listener's ability.

He's actually a pretty decent person!

It seemed Nine Spirits had been right about him. For all his growing fame, Luo Chen truly did conduct himself like a gentleman.

Before leaving, Wind Listener handed over all the materials needed for the pill, along with the three hundred top-grade spirit stones, the physique refinement arts, and the python tendon he had offered earlier. Then he departed in an excellent mood.

Once he was gone, Luo Chen first stored away the ingredients before going through the rest of the payment. Three hundred top-grade spirit stones was admittedly not an enormous sum for a Sage, but these were hardly ordinary times. With war approaching, top-grade spirit stones were in high demand for all kinds of strategic purposes, and their consumption had risen sharply. For all Luo Chen knew, this might have been nearly everything Wind Listener still had on hand. Naturally, he had no complaints, because he was short on spirit stones himself.

Maybe I should refine some low-tier pills and sell them for spirit stones. I could use that to win over some of the rogue cultivators too. Hmm, but if everyone simply pays whatever the pills are worth, then what favor is there to remember?

As Luo Chen turned the idea over in his mind, several possibilities gradually began to take shape. Meanwhile, his hands continued sorting through Wind Listener's payment.

The first item he examined was the main tendon of a fourth-tier Nine Hells Enchanting Python. It was exceptionally tough, and even after all this time, abundant blood qi still remained within it. Among fourth-tier materials, it was undoubtedly a rare treasure.

Luo Chen's eyes brightened slightly. That's the main material for Caiyi's treasure.

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