Chapter 13 The Initial Formation of the Wind Palace

"Boom" A muffled sound echoed as the Dan furnace trembled, then settled down. Lifting the lid, nine perfectly round Dan pills came into view. A rich aroma of Dan wafted out, refreshing and invigorating. Long Chen's face blossomed with a proud smile. Reaching out, he picked up one of the Dan pills. The pill was smooth and round, emanating a faint glow, and there was a layer of delicate patterns on it. "Although the patterns are shallow and the color is not vibrant enough, the spiritual essence of the Dan has lost some quality. However, it can barely be considered a middle-grade Dan now." This was the first middle-grade Dan that Long Chen had refined. It's known that the improvement of a Dan is related to the Dan furnace, Dan fire, soul power, and various other aspects—none can be missing. Currently, Long Chen's soul power was fine, but the Dan furnace was too poor, and as for the Dan fire... let's not even mention it. Using an ordinary first-grade Dan furnace and the worst Dan fire to refine a middle-grade Dan, in the entire Dan refining world, perhaps only Long Chen, who had fused with the soul of the Dan Emperor, could accomplish that. In one breath, he had refined more than twenty batches of Dan, totaling over a hundred lower-grade Fengfu Dan, quietly lying within Long Chen's ring. Long Chen discreetly inquired about the outside situation. Li Hao had been killed, so naturally, they couldn't pin it on him. Moreover, the imperial capital had posted a bounty notice to capture the killer of Li Hao, but the thunder was loud while the rain was light, and soon it fell silent. Long Chen sneered internally; even if they were acting, they should at least do it properly. Are they treating me like a fool? A son of nobility was killed without any clear reason, and it just ended like that. Isn't that too blatant? Although he understood in his heart, Long Chen dared not act recklessly for now. Without absolute strength, he had to protect himself. Currently, his father was stationed in the wild and had no idea what was happening on his side. According to the customs of the Fengming Empire, all generals and their families outside could not leave the imperial capital, in other words, it was to keep them in check. Long Chen knew nothing about his father's situation; he only knew that since he became aware, his father had not been by his side. As he grew up, the once bustling Marquis's residence gradually became desolate. During festivals, fewer and fewer people came to visit. Since a few years ago, the Long family had become increasingly declining, their status in the imperial capital diminishing. Long Chen had become a target for ridicule among his peers. The Zhenyuan Marquis remained silent about this, and Long Chen couldn't help but feel some dissatisfaction toward his father, but he was sternly reprimanded by his mother. After waking up this time, Long Chen finally sensed that something was wrong; he had once thought too simply. His father's repeated refusals to summon him must have their own reasons; it was unlikely just because of the pressing war with the barbarian tribes. Once or twice could be excused, but over the years, the repeated refusals had made countless nobles in the imperial capital grow dissatisfied with Long Tianxiao. Behind the scenes, there were even whispers suggesting that Long Tianxiao intended to rebel. However, no matter how wildly these rumors spread, there was still no response from Long Tianxiao. Until three years ago, the imperial family stopped summoning Long Tianxiao, but the situation for the Long family worsened. First, the Long family's salary was cut, and without any source of income, they fell into a difficult situation. Then came the various provocations from the other sons of nobility toward Long Chen. Especially after Long Chen was injured this time, that old man tricked the Long family out of so much money, finally making Long Chen alert. They were slowly forcing him and his mother into a desperate situation, aiming to make Long Tianxiao submit. But what secrets lay behind this, Long Chen knew nothing. However, one thing was certain: there was someone behind this, engaging in a power struggle with his father, and the other party was extremely strong. "Let’s not worry about it for now; hungry wolves will eventually show their fangs. What I need is to improve my strength." Long Chen briefly instructed Bao'er, then began to enter seclusion. The embryonic form of Fengfu Star had already coalesced, and then it became simple; he just needed to continuously absorb the medicinal power. Fengfu Star lay beneath Long Chen's feet, rapidly growing larger as he absorbed the medicinal power of the Fengfu Dan. Seven days later, Long Chen devoured Dan like it was a meal, and the Fengfu Star beneath his feet, which was originally the size of a yellow bean, had grown to the size of a longan, as if a whole new space had opened beneath his feet. Once Fengfu Star reached the size of a longan, its shape no longer changed. As he continued to absorb medicinal power, countless tiny patterns appeared on the Fengfu Star, which began to slowly rotate. "Boom" With a loud explosion, after the last middle-grade Fengfu Dan was absorbed, the previously lifeless Fengfu Star beneath Long Chen's feet finally stirred, crazily absorbing the spiritual energy from the outside world. "Yes, finally succeeded!" Long Chen shouted, feeling the operation of the Fengfu Star beneath his feet, his entire being filled with power. "However, this is merely the successful condensation; according to my memories of the Nine Star Dominating Body Technique, each star must go through the Nine Transformations of the Stars to be considered complete. My Fengfu Star has just condensed. If we go by the outside world's standards, I wonder if it counts as the first level of Qi Gathering." "Hoo hoo hoo" He threw out three punches in succession, the whistling wind deafening, shaking the walls, nearly collapsing them. Without using any spiritual energy, relying solely on the power of his physical body, he had such might. Long Chen couldn't help but feel ecstatic; although it was somewhat difficult and the progress was slow, the power of the Nine Star Dominating Body Technique was truly formidable. It was only the first level, but now he was exponentially stronger than when he first punched and sent the stone mill flying. "Hehe, if this continues, I will soon be able to find my future wife," Long Chen chuckled, thinking of Mengqi's face, his heart filled with warmth. However, recalling that Qi Shit brother, Long Chen's heart coldly snorted. Next time I see you, if I don’t beat you to the ground, you won’t understand why flowers are so red. Suddenly, Long Chen slapped his forehead, lost in cultivation, forgetting that today was the day for the Taixue Palace. Seeing that the sky was just beginning to brighten, he hurriedly changed into a new set of clothes and rushed towards the Taixue Palace, all the while the joy on Long Chen's face never faded. He was delighted to discover that his Fengfu Star could store a great amount of spiritual energy, and in the future, when refining Dan, he wouldn't have to worry about insufficient spiritual energy or keep consuming pills. Last time when he fought with Li Hao, Long Chen had unleashed the battle skill Ox Strength, which was incredibly powerful, incapacitating Li Hao with a single punch. However, that punch had nearly drained all his spiritual energy, but now he no longer needed to worry about that. Sensing the spiritual energy within Fengfu Star, he conservatively estimated that it would be enough for him to unleash the Ox Strength a dozen times. This was the real difference of stepping into Fengfu Star. Most importantly, after his cultivation increased, his physical strength also rapidly rose. Although he hadn't tested it, he knew it would be astonishing. Just as he was excited, the grand gates of the Taixue Palace were already in sight. Entering the gates, he followed the usual protocol and headed straight for the Literature Hall. As soon as he entered the Literature Hall, the previously noisy hall fell silent upon Long Chen's arrival. The death of Li Hao still made many people hesitant to accept it. That day during the battle, nearly all the young nobles were present, witnessing Long Chen's domineering punch. The sons of nobility who often mocked Long Chen couldn't help but feel a wave of fear in their hearts. "Haha, Brother Long!" Upon seeing Long Chen arrive, Yu Fatty and the others were overjoyed and hurriedly surrounded him. "Brother Long, you look more spirited!" "Brother Long, please take a seat!" "Brother Long, have some tea!" "Brother Long, let me give you a back rub!" Long Chen laughed and scolded, "Stop with this useless flattery; get me some food, I haven't had breakfast yet!" Long Chen found a corner to sit down, and Yu Fatty had already brought over some pastries, eagerly watching Long Chen. Long Chen was indeed hungry; these past few days, he had mostly been eating Dan and was close to vomiting. He grabbed the pastries and started eating voraciously. After eating for a while, Shi Feng also arrived. Long Chen waved at Shi Feng. Shi Feng walked up to Long Chen, and Long Chen handed him a jade bottle, saying, "Take this. It won't be long before you become the new generation of Blood Condensation Realm experts." Long Chen's voice wasn't loud, but Yu Fatty and the others heard it clearly, leaving them speechless in astonishment. Shi Feng was also taken aback, quickly opening the jade bottle. A rich aroma of Dan wafted out, and inside lay a round Dan pill. "What is this?" Long Chen smiled slightly and lightly uttered three words: "Ninghua Dan." Others might not know what Ninghua Dan was, but as a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Gathering, Shi Feng understood that for a strong practitioner at the ninth level of Qi Gathering, it was a highly sought-after treasure. Ninghua Dan was a pill designed for the Qi Gathering stage, aimed at promoting to the Blood Condensation Realm, containing a large amount of energy that could help one break through quickly. Most importantly, Ninghua Dan was only for the Qi Gathering stage and would not affect future cultivation. However, Ninghua Dan was extremely difficult to refine, with a very high failure rate, especially at the critical moment of condensing the Dan, where the failure rate was a nightmare for alchemists. A single ordinary Ninghua Dan costs over a million gold coins, and even that is often priced without a market. One million gold coins was an unattainable sum for Shi Feng, who had limited resources; he had never dared to think of it. "Long Chen, this..." "What this or that? Just take it. I never hesitate when taking your things; don’t act all coy, just accept it," Long Chen waved his hand to interrupt. Shi Feng nodded. At this moment, saying anything would seem pretentious. He forcibly suppressed his excitement and said, "Alright, once I advance to the ninth level of Qi Gathering, I will take it immediately." "No need. Didn't you see the patterns on it? Go home and take it immediately; you will surely advance to the Blood Condensation Realm quickly," Long Chen said with a smile. Shi Feng then noticed the faint patterns on the Dan pill, nearly screaming in shock. This was actually a middle-grade Dan pill, which meant the price would multiply several times. "Quickly put it away! Among brothers, we don’t speak of useless things," Long Chen said. Shi Feng's eyes turned red as he carefully tucked the Dan pill away. Compared to the Dan pill, he was even more touched by Long Chen's brotherly affection. "Brother Long!" "Lord Long!" "Grandpa Long!" "..." Yu Fatty and the others, although they didn't know what Ninghua Dan was, they understood that Dan pills were treasures. In an instant, they stared at Long Chen like hungry wolves, their eyes gleaming. Long Chen felt goosebumps all over from their calls and hastily told them to stop: "Don’t worry; I told you that I would take care of your matters." In truth, the reason they couldn’t cultivate was that their spiritual roots were too poor to sense true energy. Others might not be able to help, but who was Long Chen? He had fused with the memories of a generation's Dan Emperor. If he couldn’t even manage this, how could he call himself a Dan Emperor? "Here, each of you gets a bottle. Take three drops daily, avoid meat, alcohol, and lust. You will see results in seven days, and within half a month, you may enter the Qi Sensation stage. As for how long it will take to enter Qi Gathering, that depends on personal effort." Long Chen tossed each of them a bottle filled with the medicinal liquid that he had concocted himself. The liquid was not precious and could barely improve the spiritual roots of those with poor roots, but Long Chen was not a god, and the extent of improvement was limited. It would be no problem for them to reach the Qi Gathering stage; with good luck, they might even reach the Blood Condensation Realm, but beyond that was absolutely impossible. However, for Yu Fatty and the others, this was already an unimaginable treasure. The few of them nervously stared at the bottles, eager to drink a drop immediately. "Brother Long, what if we can cultivate? Will it be bad for you?" Yu Fatty, though fat, had a big head but also a big brain. He was the first to think of the issue. If Long Chen really had a way to elevate them, it might bring adverse effects to him. If someone with ulterior motives were to target him, it would be troublesome. Yu Fatty's implication was whether they should help Long Chen conceal this, but Long Chen laughed and said, "It’s fine. These medicines all come from Master Yunqi. Whoever wants them can go plead with Master Yunqi." "Master Yunqi?" The group was taken aback, about to inquire if Long Chen was joking when footsteps approached. Turning around, they saw several of them looking alarmed.