An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Mi Junping! Mi Shuhua’s biological daughter.

Now, Murong Qinglian has become the most trusted person in the Luo Tian Society under Luo Chen. This trust had not appeared out of thin air.

It had been built up, little by little, through their daily interactions.

On the night of that battle, when Murong Qinglian charged alone toward Lan Tianyun, leaving behind those final words, “Caiyi, take Luo Chen and go!”

At that moment, Luo Chen had realized that his sister-in-law had always treated him well. That was why he had entrusted her with the most important department in Luo Tian Society.

Controlling this department, in a sense, meant controlling every cultivator within Luo Tian Society,both now and in the future.

Their names, tasks, salaries,everything. The Hall Leader of the Merit Hall held a position of power second only to Luo Chen himself as the President!

”Next is the Gold Hall.” As he spoke, a faint smile appeared on Luo Chen’s lips.

The others grew curious,what exactly was the Gold Hall’s purpose?To earn spirit stones?

”Yes, just as you all guessed. The Gold Hall will exist to earn spirit stones,” Luo Chen confirmed.

”After all, no matter how many pills I refine, someone needs to sell them. That way, we can all earn spirit stones and buy cultivation resources suited to us. But selling pills is an art in itself!”

”The old Gang Leader Mi had a good grasp of the big picture, but he was poor when it came to the finer details. ”I’ll explain how we’ll operate later. Today, I’m only appointing the Hall Leader.”

As he said this, Luo Chen’s gaze fell upon Gu Caiyi, who had been quietly observing.

Gu Caiyi froze for a moment. She raised a slender, fair finger and pointed at herself. ”Me?”

”Yes, you. Our prettiest and wittiest Gu Caiyi,our dear Miss Gu!” Luo Chen teased.

Hearing Luo Chen’s playful words, everyone burst into laughter.

After that laugh, the atmosphere somehow lightened. It was as if the bloody memories of the brutal breakout two nights ago had faded just a little.

Gu Caiyi shifted uncomfortably, her cheeks flushing red. She was not shy. She had seen far more outrageous scenes during her time at Tianxiang Tower.

What made her uneasy was Luo Chen praising her so openly in front of so many people. Especially since Murong Qinglian and Granny Yuan were both close friends of hers.

Wait! Gu Caiyi suddenly realized something,why had Luo Chen chosen her to lead the Gold Hall?

”Miss Gu had only served as a minor steward in my Alchemy Hall before. That was truly a waste of talent,” Luo Chen said with admiration.

He continued, ”Your true strength lies in dealing with people,welcoming guests and maneuvering skillfully. Bargaining and socializing come naturally to you. This newly established Gold Hall will be where your talents can truly shine.”

Luo Chen was not merely flattering her. Having spent so much time with her, he had seen her talents firsthand in this area.

She had stayed at Tianxiang Tower for so long, maintaining her integrity, and had ultimately left resolutely. Her skill in dealing with people was undoubtedly unique.

To say nothing else,when Luo Chen had moved into that Siheyuan courtyard. The first person to grow close to him had been Gu Caiyi.

Even after arriving at the unfamiliar Alchemy Hall, which was not her specialty, Gu Caiyi had still done her best to play to her strengths. She had helped Luo Chen win people over, trained the internal cultivators, and made efforts to form ties with the neighboring Medicine Hall’s cultivators. It could be said that while Gu Caiyi might not excel in combat, she had unique talents in other areas.

Hearing Luo Chen’s words, everyone seemed to understand. They nodded in agreement.

Only Gu Caiyi appeared slightly choked up.

Finally, she stood up, her voice firm. ”Although I do not yet know how the Gold Hall will operate in the future, I will give my all and never let everyone down!”

Was this considered swearing a military oath?

Opposite her, Gu Caiyi suddenly winked at Luo Chen. The two exchanged a knowing smile.

”President, what about the Battle Hall?” someone asked.

Perhaps, in Luo Chen’s eyes, among the four halls, the Alchemy Hall was the core, the Merit Hall the most vital, and the Gold Hall necessary,but the Battle Hall ranked the lowest. However, in the eyes of cultivators, battle prowess was always second only to cultivation itself!

This had been evident from the old Poshan Gang’s organizational structure. Among the nine halls, three had been dedicated to battle! Moreover, those three halls had mostly been filled with Mi Shuhua’s trusted subordinates,each one possessing formidable combat strength.

Now, Luo Tian Society was far from being able to compare to the fallen Poshan Gang. The number of true combat cultivators they could call upon was pitifully small.

The Battle Hall was little more than an empty shell. It was no wonder that someone had asked about it.

Luo Chen had already prepared an answer. ”The matter of the Battle Hall can be handled together with what I’m about to discuss next.”

”You all know very well that Luo Tian Society is currently nothing but an empty shell. We only have ten thousand spirit stones as startup capital, and as for manpower,there are barely any to choose from. I’ve made it sound good, but the Merit Hall and the Gold Hall are essentially just my sister-in-law and Caiyi standing alone.”

”Therefore, expanding our manpower is Luo Tian Society’s top priority!”

”Recruitment,no, a recall order!”

Luo Chen looked around at everyone, his expression serious. ”The Poshan Gang has fallen, but some of our brothers survived. I won’t waste words on sentiment. What we need to do now is use my name,Dan Chenzi,and Mi Li’s name to call back those scattered cultivators.”

Using Luo Chen’s name as Dan Chenzi would likely bring back a few. After all, he was a master alchemist.

Using Mi Li’s name, however, would be far less effective. Mi Shuhua was dead,who would still value old ties enough to return to the Poshan Gang?

Murong Qinglian hesitated. ”Are we not revealing the existence of that person?”

That person?

Miao Wen, of course,the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect Initiate!

Luo Chen slowly shook his head. ”It’s enough that we know he is behind the Luo Tian Society, but we must never use his name.”

He did not elaborate on the abstrain involved. But everyone more or less understood.

Miao Wen was not a rogue cultivator,he belonged to a sect, with lineage and backing.

He could use Luo Tian Society and Luo Chen to earn side profits, but such matters could never be made public. Otherwise, he would not be able to explain himself to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect.

Of course, no one would dare spread this around. Although Dahe Market was under the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect’s jurisdiction, it was tens of thousands of li from their sect’s core territory.

Here, Miao Wen was beyond the reach of his superiors,a local overlord. Who would dare provoke him?

”But this way... I’m afraid we won’t be able to bring back many people,” Murong Qinglian said worriedly.

Luo Chen shook his head. ”It’s fine. Whoever returns is a gain. We can’t afford too many for now anyway. Besides...” Glancing around at the crowd, Luo Chen said softly, ”The most important thing is to recall those we need!”

People they needed? Suddenly, a name surfaced in everyone’s mind.

Wang Yuan!

Seeing that everyone understood his intentions, Luo Chen did not dwell on the matter any further.

He went on to share a few thoughts regarding the future development of Luo Tian Society.

The four halls were merely the foundation; new halls might be added in the future. Furthermore, as each hall filled out with more members, new positions would be created. Luo Tian Society would not place anyone above the Hall Leaders. Instead, elder positions would be introduced. However, these elders would be placed under the Hall Leaders, acting as intermediaries between the Hall Leaders and the stewards. Additionally, the salaries for each cultivation stage had to be standardized,how much was the minimum, and how the upper limit should be determined. All of this required consideration.

By the time all these miscellaneous matters had been discussed, dusk had fallen.

Luo Chen stood up. ”For now, Crescent Moon Valley will serve as Luo Tian Society’s headquarters. I’ll take my time considering a permanent base.”

”You must all be exhausted. Many of you are still carrying injuries. We’ll adjourn here for today. Go home and rest well for a few days.”

”Granny Yuan, I’ll have to trouble you to look after things in the Alchemy Hall.”

Granny Yuan smiled and nodded at Luo Chen.

With the meeting concluded, everyone wasted no time and left together in small groups.

Luo Chen did not stay in Crescent Moon Valley either. He returned to the Siheyuan courtyard alongside the others. Late into the night, after watching Gu Caiyi fall into a deep sleep upon taking her healing pills, Luo Chen quietly closed her door.

When he turned around, he noticed a slightly desolate figure under the moonlight.

Luo Chen smiled as he approached. ”Big Brother Qin, come to my room for a chat?” he invited.

Qin Liangchen did not hesitate. He followed Luo Chen into the somewhat shabby backroom.

In the courtyard, Murong Qinglian leaned against the doorframe, staring blankly at their backs.