An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”It’s unnecessary.”

”Is it really unnecessary?”

Inside the stone chamber, one man sat cross-legged on the bed, while the other stood before him with his hands behind his back.

Ahem Ahem....

Luo Chen coughed twice, his voice barely audible in the stillness. Wang Yuan’s gaze remained fixed on him, unreadable yet deeply contemplative.

“You once told me,” Luo Chen murmured, “‘A true man knows when to yield and when to stand tall without losing his heroic spirit. But in moments of true decision, one must hold firm to their will, for if it breaks, a bent back will never straighten again.’”

He exhaled slowly, his tone steady. “I know yesterday’s battle wasn’t absolutely necessary. But I fear that when the real moment comes—the moment that truly defines my path—I’ll hesitate, weighing the risks, calculating the outcomes... and in doing so, I’ll miss my chance and lose my true self.”

Wang Yuan was taken aback by these solemn words.

Was Luo Chen hinting at something deeper?

What exactly had he experienced during Wang Yuan’s absence?

Before he could dwell on it, Luo Chen forced a faint smile. “Besides,” he continued, “someone had to take that talisman treasure’s strike.”

”I could have taken it,” Wang Yuan said firmly.

“And you would have been injured,” Luo Chen countered without hesitation. “More than that, you would have risked exposing your blood-path techniques. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator had been watching, what then?”

Wang Yuan hesitated.

Luo Chen chuckled, shaking his head. “See? Either way, someone had to take the hit. If it was you, you would have paid a price. If it was me, I would have paid a price. There’s no difference.

”Besides, I wasn’t just acting on reckless passion.”

Indeed!

Luo Chen and Wang Yuan had long known about the talisman treasure in the Fu Family’s possession. If they could be listed among Foundation Establishment Families, they naturally possessed Foundation Establishment-level means.

Talisman treasures sealed nearly thirty percent of an enchanted treasure’s power, making them a terrifying weapon for any cultivator below the Foundation Establishment Realm.

From the moment they decided to target the Fu Family, Luo Chen and Wang Yuan had meticulously planned for the talisman treasure. When that enormous hammer phantom erupted, Luo Chen knew all his preparation had not been in vain.

”At the end of the day, the one activating the talisman treasure was merely a ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivator.

”Moreover, after being worn down by Duan Feng and other rogue cultivators, he had lost most of his spirit power. After continuous battles, the so-called thirty percent power of the talisman treasure was significantly weakened.

”But I was different. I already had a supreme-grade enchanted artifact in my hand, with Solar Flare ready to be unleashed.

”What was there to fear?!”

Wang Yuan nodded. With his battle-hardened experience, he fully agreed with this reasoning.

Talisman treasures were technically talismans, yet they differed greatly from ordinary ones. Ordinary talismans contained a fixed amount of spirit power. Once activated, the spell within would release its designated strength, no more, no less. It was absolute.

Hence, using ordinary talismans did not matter if the state of the cultivator was at their peak or on the verge of collapse. As long as it was activated, the talisman would unleash its full power.

But talisman treasures were different!

What they sealed was the might of an enchanted treasure.

And therein lay the question—how exactly did one measure the power of an enchanted treasure? What would be its maximum power?

That depended on the person!

If the Fu Family ancestor who crafted the talisman treasure had only been a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they wouldn’t have been able to seal much of the enchanted treasure’s power. However, if they had been at the Golden Core Realm, that would be an entire different matter.

From what Luo Chen had gathered from Sima Xian, Sikong Shoujia in the past, and various other sources, the Fu Family had never had a Golden Core ancestor. Their lineage wasn’t particularly prosperous.

In fact, before their Foundation Establishment Grand Elder passed away, he had exhausted all of their Foundation Establishment pills in Tianlan Immortal City in an effort to nurture a successor.

That was what led to the Fu Family’s decision to relocate to Dahe Market.

Given all this, the Fu Family’s inherited talisman treasure could, at most, contain the barely sealed power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s enchanted treasure. Moreover, when the talisman treasure was activated, it only projected a phantom of the actual enchanted treasure. This meant that the cultivator still needed to actively control it.

If Fu Zhang had been at his peak, he might have posed a threat to a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Unfortunately, by then, he was far from his peak.

On top of that, Luo Chen had been fully prepared and wielded Solar Flare, a second-tier spell. Only because of this had Wang Yuan dared to let Luo Chen handle the situation himself.

The final outcome?

Fu Zhang was reduced to ashes, while Luo Chen suffered only minor injuries, marking a decisive victory.

Wang Yuan sighed and said, ”After this battle, you’ve truly secured your place among the Qi-Refining cultivators of Dahe Market.”

Luo Chen laughed. ”Haha, didn’t I already have one?”

”Uh, I meant in terms of combat strength, not your ability to make spirit stones.”

Luo Chen waved his hand dismissively. ”Alright, let’s leave it at that. For the next couple of days, I’ll use my injuries as an excuse to avoid some people. Keep an eye on Luo Tian Society for me. Also, work with Murong Qinglian to tally our spoils and losses from this battle.

”You know my nature. If any of our cultivators died in battle and have surviving families... make sure they receive some compensation.

”The Jade Essence pills we’ve refined can also be put up for sale. Have Gu Caiyi and Zeng Wen handle it.”

Luo Chen gave out his instructions one after another, speaking in a steady, meticulous manner. His directions were thorough and detailed, organizing Luo Tian Society’s affairs with impeccable order.

Wang Yuan’s head started to ache from listening.

After a long moment, he shook his head and said, ”Just focus on recovering. Come back soon—I hate dealing with this kind of stuff.”

With that, he turned and left the stone chamber.

As soon as Wang Yuan’s footsteps faded, Luo Chen pressed a hand to his chest, a violent cough escaping his lips.

The external wounds weren’t too bad, but his internal injuries would take some time to heal.

Still, they were just physical injuries—nothing that would hinder his cultivation.

”Perfect. I can use this time to focus on cultivation.”

Finding solace in hardship, Luo Chen activated his formation and quietly descended into the spirit vein cave.

A familiar place, a familiar scene.

Luo Chen gazed at the increasingly translucent spirit stone ore, his brows furrowing slightly.

”The spirit energy here is getting thinner and thinner. Could Fallen Phoenix Mountain really be undergoing some kind of spirit vein elevation process?

”Forget it. No point in overthinking it. For now, at least, this place is still suitable for cultivation.”

Calming his mind and silencing his thoughts, Luo Chen began circulating the Long Spring Art.

***

Four days later. Luo Chen opened his eyes, coughed lightly, and then revealed an expression of pleasant surprise.

Ninth stage of Qi-Refining!

He opened his status panel.

For the first time, Luo Chen browsed through it with a relaxed and cheerful mood.

[Status Panel]

Name: Luo Chen

Lifespan: 27/75

Spirit Roots: Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth

Realm: Qi-Refining Stage Nine (1/100)

Achievement Points: 34

[Techniques]

Long Spring Art: Perfected Mastery

Divine Breaker of Malevolence: Beginner (71/100)

[Spells]

Fireball: Perfected Mastery

Carefree Wind-Control: Perfected Mastery

Traction: Perfected Mastery

Spirit Suppression: Perfected Mastery

Entangle: Grandmaster (810/1000)

Spirit Eyes: Grandmaster (980/1000)

Cleanse: Grandmaster (775/1000)

Heal: Perfection (470/500)

Earth Summit: Skilled (250/300)

Wave Surge: Skilled (210/300)

Sound Isolation: Beginner (71/100)

[Alchemy]

Jade Fracture: Grandmaster (510/1000)

Unadorned Heart: Perfection (327/500)

[Martial Arts]

Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm: Grandmaster (780/1000)

Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers: Perfection (319/500)

[Skills]

First-tier Alchemist:

After carefully calculating, Luo Chen realized that he had broken through to eight stage of Qi-Refining back in early March.

Now, though the weather remained unbearably hot, autumn had already arrived—it was September.

Six whole months had passed.

Throughout these past six months, he had never stopped cultivating Long Spring Art, constantly refining the impurities within his spirit energy.

With the aid of Dust Transformation pills, Calming Incense, Moonlight Herb, and various other cultivation resources, he had managed to keep his spirit energy at its peak condition at all times. The greatest boost had come from the Monkey Wine that Wang Yuan had brought back from Ancient Plains.

Finally, there was that battle five days ago. That fight had provided the most solid foundation for his final step forward.

Now that his condition had recovered to its peak, everything had naturally fallen into place, allowing him to step into the ninth stage of Qi-Refining.

”Half a year... The resources spent amounted to at least ten thousand spirit stones, all just to take this step forward.

”Which rogue cultivator could afford such luxury?

”Still, it was all worth it!”

Luo Chen nearly burst into laughter.

Though the cost had been enormous, advancing a minor realm within just six months—especially a late-stage one—was something few could believe. If he told anyone, they wouldn’t believe it.

”At least I haven’t embarrassed myself as a transmigrator. In less than two years, I’ve climbed from the third stage of Qi-Refining all the way to the ninth stage.”

Luo Chen chuckled as he activated inner sight to inspect his condition.

At the center of his dantian, a faint mist-like cluster of spirit energy had begun to take shape. This was the defining mark of a cultivator who had reached the ninth stage of Qi-Refining.

Only after fully refining his spirit power would this spirit energy mist materialize within his dantian and only with the formation of this spirit energy mist could he proceed with the final step in cultivation.

”According to Mi Shuhua’s insights on Qi-Refining, I need to fill my entire dantian with this spirit energy mist. Only then will I achieve perfection in the Qi-Refining Realm.”

Estimating his progress, Luo Chen couldn’t help but feel a little shaken.

Right now, the spirit energy mist in his dantian occupied less than one-tenth of the space. In other words, to completely fill it, he would need ten times the amount of time he had already spent reaching this stage.

”No wonder so many rogue cultivators spend their entire lives stuck at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining.

”Breaking through eight stage was already extremely difficult, yet this final step requires ten times the effort of the previous ones. Even with all my resources maxed out, it would still take at least five to six years and that’s assuming nothing goes wrong in between.

”The only silver lining is that it establishes a foundation.”

Yes, a foundation!

This spirit energy mist was the root of spirit power. As long as even a single wisp remained within the body, no matter how much spirit power was expended, it could be replenished without requiring another long and painstaking purification process.

With that, a cultivator would only need to temper it slightly to restore it to its original purity. Of course, this only applied to sect cultivators, who practiced complete refined spirit power techniques. For rogue cultivators, they would still have to grind through the old-fashioned way, painstakingly refining their spirit power step by step.

Still, having this root of spirit power would save them a great deal of time.

”So that’s why Duan Feng fought on the Debate Platform, expending his spirit power on purpose and then slowly cultivating it back—continuously refining it in the process!”

Upon realizing this, Luo Chen did not feel discouraged.

Ten times the effort? Five or six years is nothing!

His lifespan was now more than sufficient, he could afford to take his time.

No longer focusing on inner sight, Luo Chen turned his attention to the other entries.

”Divine Breaker of Malevolence is about to reach the second-tier!”

With a sigh of admiration, Luo Chen felt quite invigorated.

After stimulating all thirty-six acupuncture points simultaneously, he had officially begun cultivating Divine Breaker of Malevolence, and it had then appeared in the techniques section of his status panel.

This was more or less what he had expected—Divine Breaker of Malevolence was indeed a technique.

However, it was difficult to categorize. If he introduced fiend qi into his body to refine essence into qi, then it would be classified as a Qi-Refining technique.

However, Luo Chen had never once attempted to channel fiend qi into himself. On its own, the technique served to temper his willpower while also providing a slight enhancement to his divine soul foundation.

So, was it a Will-Refining technique? Or a Divine-Refining technique?

Moreover, this technique had been created by a martial arts grandmaster. If one could endure the infusion of fiend qi, it would also provide additional tempering for the physical body.

So, was it a Physical-Refining technique?

It was hard to classify—that was Luo Chen’s assessment.

For now, he will continue practicing. If nothing else, his pain tolerance had already reached a terrifying level.

That talisman treasure attack had been immensely powerful, yet even after taking it head-on, Luo Chen had still managed to force out a carefree smile, exuding an air of effortless composure before the countless rogue cultivators in Dahe Market.

For that, he owed a debt to the Divine Breaker of Malevolence.

There wasn’t much to comment on in the spells section. He had recently acquired three new spells—Earth Summit and Wave Surge were meant as preparation for the second-tier spell, Landslide. Sound Isolation was something he had picked out from a pile of spoils—not for its power, but purely for its utility!

On the other hand, Heal had been progressing rapidly. Due to his injuries, he had been tossing it on himself whenever he had the chance.

”Huh? Spirit Eyes is about to reach Perfected Mastery?”

Luo Chen had been about to scroll past to the alchemy section but instantly looked back.

Spirit Eyes: Grandmaster (980/1000)

”Just 20 more proficiency points to go...”

Luo Chen rubbed his chin. He had shaved not long ago, but after four or five days of seclusion, stubble had started to grow again.

As he rubbed his chin, it felt itchy, just like his current mood.

”When I broke through to the Grandmaster level, it triggered an anomaly, embedding itself into my eyes.

”If I reach perfection, will I be able to soar?”

Of course, reaching Perfected Mastery in a spell didn’t always mean a qualitative leap.

Take Traction, for example when it reached Perfected Mastery, all it did was make Luo Chen exceptionally skilled at controlling sets of enchanted artifacts. However, when it came to a single artifact, the improvement over the Grandmaster level wasn’t particularly significant, it only extended the range of control slightly.

”Perhaps, it might also have something to do with my own physique?”

Luo Chen thought of Runming Pearl Essence. Altogether, he had obtained around six bottles. Yet, despite using every last drop, no extraordinary effects like ”seeing through the Nine Netherworlds” had appeared.

He guessed that it was still too little or perhaps the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect was holding back, and the Runming Pearl Essence sold externally was far inferior in quality to what was used within the sect.

So, what Qing Yuanzi had said about this being highly effective for alchemists was only true under the assumption that the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had provided the genuine product.

”Forget it for now. I should focus on pushing forward and reaching Perfected Mastery in one go.”

Scrolling down the status panel, Luo Chen glanced at the alchemy section and couldn’t help but curl his lips.

There were only two alchemy techniques—Jade Fracture and Unadorned Heart. That was far too little. If he could learn some of the legendary alchemy techniques recorded in The Treatise on Green Origin Pills, that would be ideal.

”It is said that Flowing Creek Hand is extremely effective in handling water-attribute spirit materials and various liquid-based spiritual ingredients.

”If I could master it, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. I might even dare to refine the Blood Fiend pill directly.”

The main ingredients of the Blood Fiend pill were Netherworld Yin Fiend Qi, cultivator essence blood, and human placenta. Among them, the Netherworld Yin Fiend Qi and essence blood both qualified as water-element spirit materials and liquid-based spirit ingredients.

The reason Luo Chen had been hesitant to attempt refining it was that he had no confidence in handling its main ingredients during the alchemical process.

If it were just a beginner level formula, it wouldn’t be an issue. But unfortunately, this was a second-tier alchemical formula, which did not match his current realm.

The system’s Beginner level entry would also take his own qualifications into account. If his own abilities were insufficient, the number of Achievement Points required would increase significantly.

That was why Luo Chen was so eager to obtain alchemy techniques like Flowing Creek Hand.

”Flowing Creek Hand, Qi Extraction, Divine Fusion... I wonder when I’ll be able to acquire such miraculous alchemy techniques.”

This was his moment to daydream!

After indulging in his fantasies, Luo Chen smacked his lips and almost thought that his mood had become unstable after his realm breakthrough—perhaps he had developed inner devils.

Bah! What kind of low-tier cultivator would be plagued with inner devil so easily?

Glancing over his martial skills and general abilities, Luo Chen finally looked at his Achievement Points.

He murmured to himself, ”Thirty-four points... I wonder if that’s enough to unlock a second-tier alchemical formula.”