An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Inside the spirit vein cavern, Luo Chen dispelled the spirit-gathering array and stored away the Purple Cloud Copper Furnace.

However, he did not leave immediately.

Under the faint fragrance of the Moonlight Herb, he fell into deep thought.

It was not because of Duan Feng. Once he confirmed that Duan Feng had no intention of leaving Luo Tian Society, the matter became trivial. He trusted this friend, whether staying or leaving, he would make it clear to him.

What occupied his mind now was how to allocate his time going forward.

Too many trivial matters were beginning to interfere with his cultivation. Especially now that he could practice the Long Spring Art five times a day, this was not something he could neglect. He had to carve out at least half an hour for it.

”In the past, when my strength was weak, I would seize any opportunity to improve myself, no matter what it was.

”But now, I have the luxury of choice. I can’t keep swinging aimlessly at everything.

”That would be far too inefficient.”

As he muttered to himself, his thoughts turned even faster.

Countless intricate matters surfaced in his mind one by one. Sorting the important from the trivial, he had to prioritize what was most urgent.

First and foremost, he needed to delegate Luo Tian Society’s affairs to others! Those minor matters were not particularly crucial, as long as someone was intelligent, even if their cultivation was lacking, they could still manage.

”In the Alchemy Hall, there’s Granny Yuan at the top, along with the nominal leader Qin Liangchen, and below them are Qu Hancheng and Qiu Ying.

”As for the other three halls, the Merit Hall has Murong Qinglian, the Battle Hall has Sima Xian, and the Gold Hall is managed by Gu Caiyi and Zeng Wen.

”This means all four halls have already found their rhythm and are operating smoothly.

”What I lack is a representative to oversee the bigger picture in my stead.”

Luo Chen’s thoughts swirled as he began considering candidates from among Luo Tian Society’s cultivators.

Qin Liangchen was out, he had never concerned himself with trivial matters.

Zhou Yuanli seemed like a good choice, but he was too rigid and inflexible, something that had been evident during the battle at Crescent Moon Valley. Perhaps in warfare, he had the talents of a commander. But when it came to managing an organization, he lacked the necessary finesse.

Feng Xia? She was trustworthy, but her cultivation realm was too low to command the respect of others. And lately, her mind had been entirely preoccupied with Duan Feng, hardly an ideal situation.

Zeng Wen? Not a great fit either. He was competent in social affairs, but in critical moments, he had a tendency to falter.

After much deliberation, the best candidate remained his sister-in-law, Murong Qinglian. She had a high cultivation realm, commanded respect, could be trusted in crucial moments, and could wield authority with both firmness and grace.

However! She had been managing the Merit Hall for a long time, if she also took on the role of Luo Chen’s proxy, it could create the illusion of dual leadership within Luo Tian Society.

Even if Luo Chen was willing, Murong Qinglian herself would likely decline. She was a very astute woman.

After much thought, a woman’s name suddenly surfaced in Luo Chen’s mind.

Mi Junping! Her personality wasn’t great, she was strict and demanding with people. But as a subordinate, she was undeniably capable.

She had once managed the enormous Poshan Gang with precision, giving Mi Shuhua ample time to negotiate with other forces. She was excellent at handling financial matters, every time Luo Chen needed funds from her, he had to argue extensively just to get a little.

”Unfortunately, she is no longer here.”

Luo Chen sighed with regret. Thinking about it, he had almost shared a fateful entanglement with that woman.

A woman?

Suddenly, a face flashed across Luo Chen’s mind.

”Perhaps... she could?” After a moment’s thought, Luo Chen nodded. ”I’ll keep her as a backup choice for now!”

As long as this pressing matter was resolved, Luo Chen could free himself from the burden of endless trivial affairs.

That left two more important matters to address—Alchemy and cultivation.

”Alchemy...” Luo Chen pondered for a moment before swiftly making a decision.

He would continue refining three types of pills, but their priority needed to be adjusted. The importance of the Jade Essence pill would be slightly reduced. It would take a backseat to the Spirit Passage pill and the Blood-Burning pill.

The former directly affected the foundation of his divine soul, an investment that could never go wrong. The Blood-Burning pill, on the other hand, was tied to his collaboration with Tian Xingzi. The other party had consistently shown goodwill, and Luo Chen could not afford to be negligent. Moreover, partnering with a force that carried such an enigmatic background would benefit him in many ways.

As for how? It is simply that they could procure Foundation Establishment pills! With the Spirit Herb Pavilion gone, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect absent, and no major auctions being held, this was of paramount significance.

”At the start of the month, I will first refine enough Spirit Passage pills to last me a month. Then, I’ll complete the Blood-Burning pill orders. Only after that will I dedicate the remaining time to producing Jade Essence pills.”

The reason for lowering the priority of the Jade Essence pill was that, based on his current earnings from alchemy, he already had enough resources to support his Qi-Refining Realm cultivation.

Anything beyond that would simply be hoarding wealth!

He was no miser, rather than hoard tens of thousands of spirit stones with no way to spend them, he would rather ensure each one was used where it truly mattered. With the second matter settled, all that remained was the final and most crucial matter, cultivation.

Thanks to the presence of the status panel, Luo Chen had invested a great deal of effort into various spells.

However, some of them were unnecessary.

For instance, the second-tier techniques he had once held in the highest regard, Landslide!

Since acquiring this spell, he had placed great expectations upon it, even going so far as to invest significant effort into mastering the three prerequisite spells. It was simply because this spell had immense offensive power and promising potential. Even among second-tier techniques, it was considered one of the most powerful.

Who wouldn’t be tempted by that?

But after much careful reflection, Luo Chen realized he had made a serious mistake.

Landslide was undoubtedly powerful, but mastering it was incredibly difficult. One had to first attain proficiency in three prerequisite spells just to even qualify for learning it. And even then, that was just to begin learning it.

At the Beginner level, spells were riddled with flaws, making them practically useless in real combat. Only at Perfection level or higher could they be reliable in battle against enchanted artifacts and treasures. If he wanted to surpass the power of enchanted artifacts, then he would need to reach Grandmaster level, or even Perfected Mastery.

I should never have wasted so much time studying Landslide. This spell was meant for Foundation Establishment cultivators, I was far ahead of myself! But fortunately, it’s never too late to mend the fence after the sheep have escaped.

Luo Chen decided to put his training on hold for the time being.

Not only Landslide, but also Heal, Cleanse, Entangle, Wave Surge, and Earth Summit would all be put on hold for the time being.

In alchemy, Jade Fracture had already reached Grandmaster level, but it was still far from Perfected Mastery, there was no need to rush. Unadorned Heart was still some ways from Grandmaster level, but it didn’t require deliberate effort, just refining pills naturally would suffice. Flowing Creek Hand and Cloud Transformation Hand were newly acquired and could be practiced gradually during his alchemy process.

In other words, alchemy would not demand any additional dedicated time.

As for martial arts, there was even less to discuss. They contributed little to his overall strength. The only one of value was Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers, but so far, he had only mastered three techniques, Primordial Pearl, Seven-Night Star, and Iron Caltrops.

This left Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers stuck at Perfection level. To advance it to Grandmaster level, he would need to master at least two more hidden weapon techniques.

Luo Chen had no intention of wasting effort on that. This decision wasn’t because Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers was useless. Rather, with Traction already at Perfected Mastery and Spirit Eyes at the same level, his control over enchanted artifacts had already reached an extraordinary level. Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers would merely be an embellishment.

With so many spells put on hold, it was obvious where Luo Chen’s focus would shift.

Knowing a little of everything is nothing compared to mastering one thing to perfection [1]!

Fireball at Perfected Mastery still has room for growth. I should combine the Fu family’s talisman techniques, Perfected Mastery Spirit Eyes, and dedicate myself fully to Fireball, pushing it to its absolute peak, beyond all limits. In doing so, the fusion spell Solar Flare will become my true trump card while I am still in the low realms!

After making this decision, Luo Chen couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief. The chaotic and scattered spell training he had been engaging in now felt like a fog being lifted, bringing him back onto the right path.

1. 样样会，不如一样精 (yang yang hui, bu ru yi yang jing), a Chinese proverb meaning ”Knowing a little of everything is not as good as being an expert in one thing,” emphasizing the value of specialization over general knowledge. ☜