A Fierce Front, a Hollow Core; Pill Scent Identification

"Xiao Sanren, could you tell what state Luo Chen is in now?"

At Fu Jiusheng's question, Madam You Sha stopped muttering and looked at Xiao Sanren with intense anxiety.

It was not just the two of them. Even He Lianyun, who had been meek to the point of seeming overly obliging, set his face.

In truth!

Besides medicinal ingredients and pill refinement, one crucial issue stood between them and sincere cooperation with Luo Chen.

Strength!

If the gap in strength was too great, this partnership could easily become a colossal joke of sheep walking into a tiger's jaws.

Luo Chen's reputation for combat prowess made him all the more daunting.

If he turned on them the moment he refined the Nether Origin Pill, and the four of them together could not subdue him, all their efforts would come to nothing—like drawing water with a bamboo basket.

Therefore.

They had been investigating Luo Chen ever since they first decided to seek his cooperation.

That investigation had continued right up to now!

From the moment Luo Chen entered Connecting Cloud Tower, Xiao Sanren—a rogue cultivator with a formidable Divine Soul Foundation and keen powers of perception—had observed him constantly. He had barely spoken even while they discussed the partnership.

Now, under the others' burning gazes, Xiao Sanren let out a heavy breath of Turbid Qi.

"I caught a glimpse of his true condition."

"The rumors outside are true!"

"Luo Chen has indeed only recently recovered from serious injuries, and his vitality is thin. His seemingly powerful bearing is no more than a facade: flowers draped over brocade, oil boiling over a blazing fire."

"From what I saw, he does have some strength. At the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer, he is no weaker than most experts at the Ninth Layer."

"But!"

"That is