An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Luo Chen had been right all along.

Back when he first attended the Precious Dragon Black Market, the market’s owner had tried to earn his goodwill by offering him a piece of valuable advice through a gatekeeper surnamed Wang. Among the warnings was a list of locations where raiding cultivators were most likely to ambush people after the black market closed. These included North Street’s Third Alley, Seven-Star Hill, the Mass Graveyard, and the main road leading back into the inner city.

Luo Chen himself had once witnessed an ambush on North Street’s Third Alley, where Qiu Bai had targeted the Sima trio.

Instinctively, he had chosen this area as his ambush site. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t prepared for the other locations as well.

When Luo Chen and Wang Yuan arrived, they saw three black-clad, masked cultivators launching an assault against a lone black-robed cultivator. Their shouts and battle cries were mixed with the blinding flashes of spirit light, creating a chaotic scene.

”Black robe, disguised voice... yes, it’s him.”

”My Blood Qi Sensing confirms it too,” Wang Yuan added, reaffirming their target.

Luo Chen watched the battle for a moment before his brows furrowed.

”Liu Qiang isn’t teaming up with Zhou Yuanli? His strength isn’t even at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining. Even with three eighth stage cultivators attacking together, they still can’t force this person to reveal his trump card.”

He turned to Wang Yuan. ”Brother Wang, I’ll have to trouble you with this one.”

With a sudden whoosh, the night wind whipped against a coarse linen robe, causing it to flutter wildly. In an instant, a heavy black-iron staff appeared in Wang Yuan’s broad palm.

Nodding slightly at Luo Chen, Wang Yuan charged forward in a flash.

”This hill is mine, this tree was planted by me! If you want to pass, leave behind your toll—or your life!” A rough, disguised voice boomed across the battlefield.

Then, in a sudden explosion of movement, a massive, earth-shattering staff [1] shadow came crashing down.

Luo Chen’s mouth twitched. Brother Wang sure has a sense of humor...

But what he found amusing was far from a joke to the others. At the sight of the overwhelming staff strike, one of the masked figures—Liu Qiang—paled instantly.

”Retreat!”

Without hesitation, the three Battle Hall cultivators from Luo Tian Society abandoned their formation and withdrew, leaving the black-robed cultivator alone to face Wang Yuan’s devastating strike.

The black-robed cultivator’s expression twisted in shock. Without delay, they summoned an enchanted artifact—a silk handkerchief.

”Damn Dahe cultivators! So unreasonable!” The previous disguised, juvenile voice vanished, replaced by a clear, feminine tone.

As the tremendous staff strike descended, the silk handkerchief wrapped around it gently, absorbing the full force and dissipating its momentum completely. A fierce gust of wind blew past, sweeping away the black robe, revealing a well-defined, curvaceous figure beneath.

”Oh?”

Wang Yuan let out a faint hum of intrigue—not at the revelation of a female cultivator, but at her exceptional combat instinct. Even though this black-iron staff wasn’t his preferred supreme-grade enchanted blade, as a Grandmaster of the Dao of Martial Arts, he was proficient in all eighteen types of weaponry.

His strike had been unyielding and ferocious. It was meant to force her to reveal the blood talisman in her possession. Yet, she had instantly reacted with the perfect counter.

Softness overcoming hardness [2]

But that was as far as her resistance would go.

With two fingers, Wang Yuan shifted his grip toward the end of the staff, tapping lightly as the weapon twisted and flicked in his hands. The iron staff wove through the air, shifting unpredictably, as he continued his relentless pursuit.

“Marshalling the Mountains and Rivers!”

In an instant, the long staff transformed into dozens of shadowy strikes, overwhelming the sky as they stabbed forward. Each shadow carried the might of a ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivator.

The black-robed female cultivator’s expression changed drastically. Her enchanted handkerchief shot to her side, forming a protective barrier around her. Not only that, but the crystalline longsword in her hand released a flurry of snowflakes. Each snowflake met a staff shadow with precise timing.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The snowflakes shattered, dispersing bursts of energy.

The female cultivator seemed on the verge of collapse, yet each explosion of a snowflake meant another staff shadow had vanished. She had managed to block them all.

Wang Yuan’s eyes lit up. Ever since he had reached the second stage of physical refinement, he hadn’t gained many new techniques. However, his previously mastered techniques had grown significantly in power.

Yet this woman had managed to withstand them all. And she had countered them in the most precise way possible.

What a shame... Wang Yuan sighed inwardly, then extended his hand, grasping the long staff in the void.

”Converge!”

In the next moment, all the shattered staff shadows seemed to rewind through time, reforming as they coalesced. Under the eerie control of his energy, they continued to merge.

A massive staff, dozens of zhang long, stood towering over the night sky of Seven-Star Hill.

The black-robed female cultivator watched in horror, her scalp tingling, as a deep sense of dread crept over her.

”What kind of technique is this?!”

She had no time to think. A blood talisman suddenly appeared in her hand.

”You forced me to do this!”

She poured her spirit power into the talisman, and without wind, it ignited on its own. A dazzling crimson glow radiated from it, mesmerizing and sinister. A rich fragrance, reminiscent of orchids and musk, spread from within.

The scent momentarily dazed the female cultivator. When she snapped back to her senses, a massive blood-red palm was already descending toward the towering staff.

Boom!!!

The deafening explosion echoed for ten li. The brilliant light illuminated the entire night sky, visible even a hundred li away.

Within the explosion, an enraged voice roared.

”Fu Family’s blood talisman—damn it!”

When the light finally faded, Seven-Star Hill, once a notorious haven for raiding cultivators in Dahe Market, had been razed to the ground.

A massive crater, over a hundred zhang wide, stretched before the female cultivator, whose face had turned deathly pale. Within the crater, a mutilated corpse lay silently.

Huff... Huff... Huff...

Panting heavily, the female cultivator burst into a satisfied laugh. ”Damn raiders... Serves them right! They deserved to die!”

What a pity, though, that I had to use my newly acquired blood talisman. Its power was truly formidable—far beyond a Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining strike. It had almost felt like a full-strength attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

As she reveled in her triumph, her expression suddenly shifted once more.

”This is too much—has Dahe Market become a nest of raiders?!” Cursing under her breath, she dared not linger any longer.

She mustered the last of her strength, activated her flying enchanted artifact, and hurriedly fled.

In the outer district not far away, dozens of multicolored streaks of escape light were rushing toward the scene at breakneck speed.

***

Under a large tree, Luo Chen swallowed hard.

”This is what Brother Wang meant by only affecting a hundred-meter range?”

That explosion’s power and area of effect were far beyond a hundred meters!

Wang Yuan strode over, dusting off his robes.”That female cultivator was highly experienced in battle, and her perception was sharp. The original fake blood talisman probably wouldn’t have fooled her.

”So, I added a little something extra.”

No wonder! Luo Chen suddenly understood, though he still couldn’t help but covet the power of the fake blood talisman.

If these could be mass-produced, they could pose a serious threat to Foundation Establishment cultivators. If every Battle Hall cultivator in Luo Tian Society had one, they could dominate Dahe Market with ease.

Noticing his gaze, Wang Yuan sneered. ”I won’t be mass-producing these. It would interfere too much with my cultivation.”

Luo Chen chuckled awkwardly. That made sense. Wang Yuan had spent a full ten days crafting this fake blood talisman, depleting a significant amount of his blood and qi. If it was just about raw firepower, Wang Yuan would be better off focusing on his own strength.

He couldn’t put the cart before the horse!

The two of them gazed into the distance at what was once Seven-Star Hill—now better called Seven-Star Crater. Dozens of light streaks still hovered around the area. A few others had already chased deeper into the night.

”Brother Wang, that shout of yours was truly a stroke of genius!”

”Without it, how else could we make the Fu family famous?”

The two exchanged a knowing smile. Nothing more needed to be said.

***

The next day, word of the battle had spread like wildfire. By morning, every rogue cultivator in Dahe Market had heard of the battle from the night before. The Fu family’s blood talisman had firmly established its name. Countless cultivators were discussing its power, and many craved to obtain one for themselves.

Of course, there were also those who condemned the Fu family, accusing them of secretly capturing cultivators, skinning them, and draining their blood to craft talismans—an act unbecoming of a former Foundation Establishment Family. Such behavior was no different from the devil path and should be eradicated by all!

For a time, the Fu family found themselves at the center of a raging storm.

Within the Luo Tian Society, Luo Chen, having finished a day of alchemy, could hear the discussions among the cultivators. The particularly indignant voices pleased him.

So far, everything was going according to plan.

It was time to proceed to the next step.

”Summon Sima Xian!”

Before long, Sima Xian arrived at the council hall. Gazing at the steady and unassuming man, Luo Chen marveled inwardly.

Back during the battle at North Street’s Third Alley, he had intended to cover his younger siblings’ retreat, taking a full-force strike from a supreme-grade enchanted artifact head-on.

Who would have thought he would survive?

All three of the Sima siblings had made it out unscathed and were now doing quite well in Luo Tian Society.

Sima Xian’s younger sister, Sima Huiniang, had showcased remarkable talent in the Gold Hall, earning Gu Caiyi’s trust and securing a steward position. His younger brother, Sima Wenjie, had also received favorable evaluations from Murong Qinglian. However, he was still a bit impulsive and still lacked experience in handling administrative affairs.

”President, what do you need from me?” Sima Xian asked.

Luo Chen gave a warm smile. ”I need you to make a trip to the Fu family and deliver this letter to their patriarch, Fu Zhang.”

Sima Xian respectfully accepted the letter and waited silently for further instructions. However, Luo Chen did not give any further orders. Instead, he began inquiring about matters beyond Dahe Market.

”My siblings and I haven’t traveled much. We’ve only been to Snow Lotus Market, Taishan Market, Glowing Stream Market, and Tianye Market.”

”You haven’t been to Tianlan Immortal City?”

”No, it’s too far away. I only know that Tianlan Immortal City was built with the combined investment of the seven sects of the Jade Cauldron Domain. It houses hundreds of thousands of rogue cultivators and millions of mortals, making it one of the top ten super cities in the Jade Cauldron Domain.”

”Are there many cities of this scale in the Jade Cauldron Domain?”

”Not many. Such super cities require a third-tier spirit vein as their foundation, and they can even support the cultivation of Golden Core Adepts.”

At this point, Sima Xian hesitated before saying, ”I’ve heard that Dahe Market also has plans to establish an immortal city.”

”Dahe Market?” Luo Chen asked in surprise. ”This place only has a large first-tier spirit vein. Does it really qualify as an immortal city?”

Sima Xian shook his head. ”I don’t know the inside story, but I’ve heard that the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect does indeed have such plans. Besides, the grade of a spirit vein isn’t set in stone. Perhaps those great sects possess some divine secret techniques to enhance spirit veins.”

Hearing this, Luo Chen fell into deep thought.

In the cultivation world, where spirit energy existed, nothing was truly immutable. A first-tier spirit herb, after a thousand or ten thousand years, could very well reach the level of a third or even fourth-tier herb. The spirit fields in Crescent Moon Valley, which were now brimming with energy, had once been mere fertile soil, gradually cultivated into first-tier spirit fields through human effort.

Suddenly, he recalled the closure of the Debate Platform.

At the time, he had assumed that the Golden Core Adept was merely putting on a show, stirring up chaos. But now, it seemed that it might have been related to the enhancement of the spirit vein’s grade.

Setting that topic aside, Luo Chen inquired about the customs and notable figures in the nearby markets.

”Any powerful Qi-Refining cultivators?”

”There are quite a few. In Glowing Stream Market, there’s Qiu Bai and Liu Han. Taishan Market has Hao Xuan, Jin Donglai, and Wang Cheng. Even in Snow Lotus Market, which is known as a harsh and desolate place, there’s the renowned Fairy Liang Yue and Nangong Qin, both formidable Qi-Refining cultivators.

”Oh, Nangong Qin is now considered one of Dahe Market’s top Qi-Refining experts, so he shouldn’t be counted under Snow Lotus Market anymore.”

One by one, Sima Xian listed the names, interspersing them with various related anecdotes.

Luo Chen listened with great interest, but as he heard more about Fairy Liang Yue of Snow Lotus Market, she began to sound increasingly familiar.

Only after Sima Xian left did he suddenly realize something.

The embroidered handkerchief, the Frost Blossom Sword—wasn’t she the same black-robed female cultivator whom Wang Yuan had highly praised last night?

As expected, any cultivator who could make a name for themselves in multiple places was bound to have exceptional skills. Even though Wang Yuan had concealed his true strength last night, he still had to go all out against that female cultivator to force her to use the blood talisman. That alone spoke volumes about her abilities. It was evident that her strength placed her among the elites of the ninth stage Qi-Refining.

But why would a Snow Lotus Market cultivator come to Dahe Market? Could she be planning to move here like the Nangong family?

***

While Luo Chen was pondering these scattered thoughts, over in the Fu family stronghold—

Smack!

A palm slammed onto the sandalwood table, shattering it into fine dust with sheer force. Fu Zhang paid no mind to the scattered wood fragments on the floor, his face contorted in rage.

”That wretch dares to humiliate me like this?!”

1. A staff is a long, cylindrical weapon used in combat. It is typically made of wood, metal, or reinforced materials and can be wielded as a blunt weapon for striking, blocking, and sweeping attacks. ☜

2. 以柔克刚 (yi rou ke gang), A Chinese idiom meaning ”using softness to overcome hardness.” This concept is widely applied in martial arts, Daoist philosophy, and strategic combat, where flexibility, adaptability, and yielding techniques are used to counter brute force or rigid power. ☜