An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Let us drink this cup together!”

”Though this journey takes you thousands of li away, may you have a safe and smooth journey, Sister Xiuxiu!”

Under the moonlight, the five of them gathered in the small courtyard, their cups raised in a heartfelt toast. Anyone unaware might have thought it was a celebration. But in truth, it was a farewell banquet for Fu Xiuxiu.

The gentle yet resolute young woman had left an impression on each of them from the very same courtyard, and her departure brought a subtle heaviness to their hearts.

Lowering her cup, Fu Xiuxiu swept her gaze across the group, pausing slightly as her eyes met Gu Caiyi’s.

”Since I’m leaving, there are things at home I can’t take with me. Most of them I’ve left with Feng Xia, but I prepared some small gifts for you all.”

She handed a talisman to Little Ling, who accepted it with a mixture of surprise and gratitude.

”This is a deodorizing talisman. Little Ling, you’ve spent so much time at the Hall of Hundred Herbs, and over time, your body carries the scent of various medicinal herbs. I know you dislike those mixed odors. With this talisman, activate it periodically, and it can remove unwanted smells.”

Little Ling clutched the talisman, eyes slightly red. ”Sister Xiuxiu, you’re the one leaving; we should be giving you gifts. How can I accept this?”

Fu Xiuxiu only smiled and then turned to Luo Chen. From her storage pouch, she retrieved two potted spirit plants.

”Moonlight Herb. Little Luo, I know you’ve always liked it. Since I can’t take it with me, I’m giving it to you!”

Luo Chen opened his mouth, wanting to decline, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

The Moonlight Herb was indeed incredibly beneficial to him. It could calm his mind and focus his spirit, and it had once even awakened him from a Heart Tribulation. He had often pondered why he encountered a Heart Tribulation at such a low cultivation realm.

Apart from overwork and external stress, the complex thoughts of a transmigrator must have also been a contributing factor. The Moonlight Herb was truly a powerful aid for cultivation.

While he hesitated, Fu Xiuxiu had already handed another small flower pot to the surprised Gu Caiyi.

”This is a sprouting hydrangea. I’ve always wanted to grow it in the courtyard, but I always failed.”

Luo Chen’s face turned slightly red as if he wasn’t the one who destroyed the hydrangea.

”This one, I successfully cultivated just a few days ago.” Her tone softened. ”Caiyi, I’m giving it to you.”

This time, her gaze carried no hint of displeasure toward Gu Caiyi, only a faint appreciation.

Gu Caiyi accepted the pot as Fu Xiuxiu continued, ”You’re different from them. Now that you’ve left Tianxiang Tower, your future might become even harder.” But I believe that even if your eyes are filled with dust, your heart will remain as clear as a mirror, always knowing what you truly want. Even if you’re mired in mud in the future, I hope you’ll always grow toward the sunlight, like this hydrangea.”

Tears welled up in Gu Caiyi’s eyes. She quickly wiped them away, but her smile was radiant. Women had their own way of understanding each other.

Luo Chen hugged the Moonlight Herb, which he had cared for so long, and now it truly belonged to him. He felt somewhat embarrassed and said, ”We should be the ones giving you a gift, Sister Xiuxiu. You’re heading somewhere unfamiliar, starting from scratch.”

”Start from scratch?” Fu Xiuxiu smiled faintly. ”Yes, leaving this heart-wrenching place, everything should start from the beginning.”

Seeing the sadness in everyone’s expressions, she suddenly shared a piece of news to lift the mood.

”The Divine Talisman Sect has given me a chance. If I succeed in establishing my foundation within five years, I can become an inner disciple.”

Their eyes lit up. For a cultivator who had failed once before, receiving such an opportunity was rare and precious. It also suggested that the sect would likely provide her with a Foundation Establishment pill.

Fu Xiuxiu didn’t elaborate on the specifics. But no one worried for her anymore. Instead, they wished her success in her Foundation Establishment, hoping she’d remember them in her future prosperity.

”Departing in five days?” Luo Chen asked. ”I should be free. I’ll come to see you off.”

***

In the quiet room, Luo Chen consumed a Qi-Nourishing pill and began circulating the Long Spring Art amidst the faint fragrance emitted by the Moonlight Herb. After completing one cycle, he glanced at his status panel and saw the progress bar for his cultivation realm inch forward.

When he finished, he felt somewhat fatigued but even more overjoyed. The feeling of immediate feedback and rewards for one’s efforts was truly addictive.

Lying on his bed, he took out the piece of beast hide.

”The Blood Fiend pill... I wonder if I can directly learn it?”

He had as many as 21 achievement points, enough to master two first-tier pill recipes.

However, the Blood Fiend pill was a second tier pill.

As he pondered, the achievement points section on his status panel flickered and then displayed several new entries.

Achievement Points: 21 (Can be used to master corresponding realm techniques, spells, or skills)

Current Realm: First-Tier Alchemist, Requires ten times the achievement points to master high-tier recipes.

For incomplete same-tier pill recipes, additional achievement points can be used for analysis, completion, and mastery.

Reading these three lines, Luo Chen’s heart leapt with excitement. The system could analyze and complete incomplete pill recipes!

It wasn’t that he couldn’t master the recipe; he simply didn’t have enough achievement points. Moreover, the system also had the ability to analyze and complete incomplete pill recipes.

This meant that once he broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, he could potentially complete the recipe for the Jade Dew pill.

It was worth noting that the Jade Dew pill was no obscure pill. It was a mainstream cultivation pill geared toward female cultivators and those with yin-aligned physiques, with an excellent market demand.

If he could complete the Jade Dew pill after reaching Foundation Establishment, it would likely become a significant source of income for Luo Chen.

”Stay calm, don’t get ahead of yourself,” Luo Chen stopped himself from thinking too far ahead and focused on the present.

”Mi Shuhua was clear—he has one complete pill recipe and one incomplete recipe. Perhaps, I can make good use of that.”

***

The next morning, as soon as the sun rose, Luo Chen and Gu Caiyi hurried out and headed straight for Crescent Moon Valley.

Dahe Market was remote but vast! Because of its remoteness, much of the land surrounding the market remained underutilized.

The best use of the area was undoubtedly the sprawling outer-city slums built around the inner city, with tens of thousands of houses.

Other than areas close to the inner city, most parts were widely scattered. For example, Luo Chen’s old courtyard had no neighbors for a few thousand meters.

Cultivators weren’t foolish when it came to this vast, empty land. Under the tacit approval of the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion, they made practical use of it.

Families like the Li, Duan, and Nangong clans, which Luo Chen and Wang Yuan casually mentioned before, occupied minor spirit veins for their cultivation needs.

As the largest rogue cultivator faction in the area, the Poshan Gang naturally wouldn’t let prime spots go to waste. Crescent Moon Valley was one such place.

Setting foot in the valley, Luo Chen immediately felt spirit energy that was sparser than in the inner city but noticeably denser than in the outer city.

”This place once had a vein of Star Silver, but after the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion mined it out, it was left vacant,

”Later, Leader Mi spent some spirit stones, and Crescent Moon Valley became part of the Poshan Gang’s territory,”

Sikong Shoujia pointed at the busy crowd in the valley and smiled. ”Don’t be fooled by this abandoned mining valley; there’s actually a branch of a spirit vein beneath it, perfect for cultivating low-tier spirit herbs.”

Luo Chen and Gu Caiyi followed his gaze and saw vast patches of spirit herbs planted in the fields and nestled in crevices along the cliff faces.

Gu Caiyi couldn’t help but ask, ”Can this place be used for cultivation?”

”It can, barely. But the effects are nowhere near as good as the main spirit vein in the inner city,” Sikong Shoujia replied.

Luo Chen clicked his tongue. ”This is already great, much better than where I lived in the outer city.”

Having experienced renting in the outer city herself, Gu Caiyi sighed, ”A place like this would surely make rogue cultivators green with envy if they knew about it!”

”Envious?” Sikong Shoujia sneered. ”They’d need the strength to force their way in first.”

Both Luo Chen and Gu Caiyi agreed with this sentiment.

Crescent Moon Valley wasn’t some public restroom where anyone could come and go as they pleased. The valley housed two key branches of the Poshan Gang.

Among them were four ninth stage Qi-Refining experts, Sikong Shoujia, Murong Qinglian, Gu Caiyi, and an elder from the Medicine Hall. Additionally, there were six cultivators at the seventh or eighth stages of Qi-Refining.

With such a lineup, alongside over a hundred early and mid stage cultivators, combined with the naturally defensible terrain, it was nothing short of a fortress.

Unless a Foundation Establishment expert intervened, who could possibly take it down?

”Our Alchemy Hall is being built in the safest and deepest part of Crescent Moon Valley. Hall Leader Luo, shall we take a look at your alchemy room first?”