An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The moment the mountain appeared, Shi Lan hesitated slightly. ”Senior Luo Chen, are you interested in Danxia Peak?”

Luo Chen nodded. ”I’ve heard that aside from being a spirit land, Danxia Peak also holds a first-tier earth fire vein.”

Shi Lan made no effort to conceal anything and laid out all of Danxia Peak’s strengths. ”That’s correct. The earth fire lies deep underground and doesn’t interfere with the mountain above. It’s in a quiet location, with its back to Green Pill Valley. The peak is tall and ranks among the top five mountains in the Tianlan Range.” There used to be several hundred first-tier spirit fields on the mountain, and down below is Biyou Valley, which serves as a natural defensive entrance. That’s why the rent for this mountain has always been high.”

The more he listened, the more interested Luo Chen became. ”How much?”

”Previously, it was fifteen thousand, with a minimum lease of ten years.”

Seeing his growing interest, Shi Lan wanted to close the deal, but since Luo Chen had been referred to by Xu Jingnian, she couldn’t afford to overcharge. She couldn’t take advantage.

So, she bit her lip and admitted honestly, ”I wouldn’t recommend this place as your sect’s base.”

”Oh?” Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. ”Why not?”

”There are quite a few problems,” she admitted. ”A hundred years ago, Danxia Peak belonged to the Min family, experts in formations.”

That wasn’t surprising. Luo Chen and his group already knew Min Longyu’s family had originally lived on Danxia Peak. Later, they had fallen into decline and were unable to afford the rent, so they were forced to leave.

Shi Lan sighed. ”Later on, the Min family provoked a powerful enemy who stormed their mountain gate. The Min family wasn’t weak and relied on their grand formation to hold out for a full year. After that, the formation broke, and all of the Min family’s Foundation Establishment cultivators were wiped out.

”Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem. Tianlan Immortal City could’ve just rented it out again. But it turned out the Min family’s formation was tied to the mountain’s terrain. When it broke, the mountain itself was damaged, and even the spirit vein’s tier dropped slightly. More than half the spirit fields were destroyed. That’s why the city revoked the Min family’s rental rights.”

Luo Chen frowned and asked, puzzled, ”You protect cave residences. Why don’t you do the same for spirit lands? Why allow people to raze mountains and wipe out families?”

Shi Lan shrugged, raising her palms helplessly. ”We just can’t manage it all! Spirit lands outside the city belong to Tianlan Immortal City in name, but in practice, we just collect rent. Just handling affairs inside the city is enough to keep a major sect overwhelmed, there’s no room to manage the outer territories.”

Luo Chen exhaled slowly, shaking his head. So that was it. Rent collection with no after-sales service.

On one hand, it truly was too much to handle.

On the other hand, wasn’t it also a subtle way of encouraging external conflict?

That way, one force rose while another fell. After one act ended, another took the stage, and the one profiting behind the curtain was always Tianlan Immortal City. Even just to live there, people had to pay spirit stones!

”And another thing!” Shi Lan tapped the vivid projection with her jade ruler. ”In the past hundred years, due to the damage and the high rent, most factions have avoided this place. Over time, this allowed many reckless rogue cultivators to settle there. Some of them are even rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators!”

At that, Sima Huiniang couldn’t help but ask, ”You don’t deal with them? Surely they should at least be paying rent?”

Shi Lan gave a helpless smile. ”How could we possibly manage that?”

The main issue was manpower; there just wasn’t enough of it.

Tianlan Immortal City was already flush with wealth. As for those outer spirit lands, organized factions could be billed, but when it came to scattered rogue cultivators, collecting rent from each of them was a logistical nightmare.

”Most of those rogue cultivators are broke. They can’t afford a proper cave residence in the city, and without a spirit land to cultivate, they resort to squatting. Besides, many of them don’t even stay for long. As long as they don’t raise a banner or try to found a sect, we just turn a blind eye.”

Sima Huiniang frowned. ”Then if we rent Danxia Peak, will you send someone to clear out those rogue cultivators?”

Shi Lan gave it a moment’s thought before nodding. ”Yes, we can have the enforcement team make a sweep.”

She then turned expectantly to Luo Chen. ”Senior, is this the mountain you’ve set your sights on?”

There was a spark of anticipation in her tone. If this deal went through, it would be far more lucrative than leasing out those smaller plots. With the commission, she could easily earn several years’ worth of spirit stones.

After all, renting cave residences didn’t bring in money nearly as fast as leasing a spirit mountain.

Luo Chen gave a thoughtful hum. But just as Shi Lan’s face lit up with hope, his expression darkened into a thoughtful frown.

”I do like it,” he said slowly, ”but the price is a bit steep.”

Without missing a beat, Shi Lan responded, ”If you’re serious about renting it, I can make the call to reduce it by a thousand spirit stones per year.”

Luo Chen fixed her with a long, measuring gaze. He smiled to himself.

Outwardly, he gave a weary sigh. ”As you said, the mountain was ravaged by battles a hundred years ago, and the spirit vein’s grade has diminished slightly. So, shouldn’t its rental price reflect that downgrade? It’s not worth what it used to be, is it?”

Shi Lan’s mouth parted slightly. Something about this was beginning to feel off. Still, she couldn’t deny that the pricing for Danxia Peak had been internally adjusted in the past. And right now, it was far from the minimum acceptable rate.

After a moment’s thought, she answered readily, ”That’s fair. I can offer a bit more of a discount.”

”If we rent it, you said the Tianlan Enforcement Team will help clear out the rogue cultivators inside?” Luo Chen asked, feigning innocent curiosity.

”Of course. Renting and leaving it vacant are completely different. Clearing the place out for you is the least we can do once it’s leased,” Shi Lan replied casually.

”If I may ask, what’s the general cultivation of those in the enforcement team?”

”That’s no secret. Anyone could find that out.” Shi Lan said proudly, ”The Tianlan Enforcement Team is led by my Daoist Aunt from the Ice Fortress, Tantai Jin. She’s a late-stage Foundation Establishment grand cultivator! There are also four early-stage Initiates, all elites from the Seven Sects of the Jade Cauldron! With that kind of lineup, any ragtag rogue cultivators would flee at the first sight of them! Senior, there’s really nothing to worry about on that front.”

Luo Chen nodded and then he fell silent.

Shi Lan grew puzzled. Still hesitating at this point?

Suddenly—

”Bringing in so many top-tier cultivators just for a sweep feels like overkill. If we handle the clearing ourselves, could you reduce the rent to ten thousand spirit stones a year?”

Shi Lan’s mouth fell open. Her little head was now filled with a big exclamation mark! She finally realized what had felt off this whole time!

So that’s what’s going on!

This supposedly lofty cultivator had been haggling with her the whole time! And she, completely unaware, had been steadily lowering the price herself without realizing it.

Especially that last line. The idea of summoning a late-stage Foundation Establishment grand cultivator, plus early-stage experts, sounded like a serious undertaking. In most contexts, such an operation came with a steep price tag.

That part was reasonable enough. In the cultivation world, hiring a Foundation Establishment cultivator for a task could cost thousands or even tens of thousands of spirit stones. So, by not using their services, it made sense to ask for a discount.

However, this was supposed to be a standard part of the city’s services! And those enforcers wouldn’t even need to fight. Just showing up would be enough to make any rogue cultivator flee in terror. There was no real ”cost” involved at all.

This senior... seriously... Shi Lan was nearly in tears.

”Senior, that’s too low. I’ll have to consult my supervisor.”

”Go ahead,” Luo Chen replied calmly.

Watching her rush downstairs, Luo Chen added with a chuckle, ”I do have my heart set on Danxia Peak!”

And visibly, the young girl’s steps faltered.

***

Even after leaving Binglan Palace, Sima Huiniang still couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. She gazed at Luo Chen’s calm and unbothered profile, so unfamiliar, and yet so deeply familiar.

Unfamiliar, because a Foundation Establishment Initiate was actually that good at haggling.

Familiar, because if memory served, Luo Chen had done this before, more than once.

Back at the Precious Dragon Black Market, he had valued the Runming Pearl Essence, yet managed to resist bidding on it. Then bought it at the base price when no one else showed interest.

Is this some kind of innate talent?

She couldn’t help it anymore. ”You negotiated it down from a hundred fifty thousand to just a hundred thousand spirit stones. President, you’re honestly just too....”

”Too what?” Luo Chen’s heart skipped a beat. Please don’t say too cool.

”Too incredible!” she said, eyes wide in awe.

The woman gave him a big thumbs-up, eyes brimming with admiration.

Luo Chen froze a little. Something about that feels... off.

”There’s nothing incredible about it,” he said with a shrug. ”If you think about it, the price only drops by a few hundred spirit stones per month. And really, Danxia Peak sitting unused brings no profit to Tianlan Immortal City. If they rent it out at a discount, well, the city loses out, but the Ice Fortress? They’re profiting pretty well. They’ll rent it to us for sure.”

Tianlan loses while Ice Fortress profits? Sima Huiniang fell into quiet thought.

”Alright, let’s head into the Treasure Pavilion.”

”Hmm?” She followed after him, curious. ”Shouldn’t we have more than enough enchanted artifacts already?”

”We do have more than enough. That’s the point.”

Ah. Got it!

The Treasure Pavilion had a long-standing tradition of buying back second-hand enchanted artifacts. Meanwhile, the Luo Tian Society had far too many artifacts in stock. Things lined up quite nicely.

Luo Chen and Sima Huiniang strolled out from the quiet serenity of Binglan Palace, only to find themselves engulfed by a swelling tide of people. The further they walked, the more the crowd surged around them.

Now and then, iron-shelled wagons and puppet-driven carriages sped past. The surrounding bustle was nothing like what they had seen in Dahe Market.

This felt like the true cultivation world.

Eventually, the two stopped before a towering building. Three massive golden sail banners hung from the upper stories.

As Luo Chen looked at those majestic flags, a yearning rose in his heart. These are the emblems of the three Nascent Souls of Tianfan City, huh? I wonder if my name will one day spread beyond the borders, far into the outer domains.

***

As they stepped into the Treasure Pavilion, Luo Chen’s cultivation quickly earned him the personal attention of a charming attendant, who came to serve at his side.

Luo Chen didn’t put on airs. He directly began inquiring about the prices of various enchanted artifacts.

The answers he received didn’t surprise him.

Enchanted artifact prices for single sales were indeed continuing to rise. In fact, they were even higher than they had been during the Dahe Market and Taishan Market periods. But when he asked about the buyback price for second-hand artifacts, the answer to that question caught him off guard.

”You’re not taking them anymore?” he asked, frowning.

”That’s correct, Senior,” the attendant said with a polite smile. ”Our Treasure Pavilion stopped accepting second-hand enchanted artifacts three years ago.”

Now that was strange. If they had simply lowered the buyback price, that would’ve made sense. But to outright stop buying them? What kind of business logic was that?

Still, it wasn’t his place to question how others ran their operations. He could only find it unfortunate. The Luo Tian Society had emerged from numerous battles; while many enchanted artifacts were damaged, they had also seized far more in return.

Luo Chen had planned to retain a selection of high-quality pieces to distribute internally as rewards based on merit. The rest, he intended to sell partly to recoup funds.

After leasing Danxia Peak, their fluid capital had plummeted from one hundred thirty thousand spirit stones to just thirty thousand. And if they were to rebuild the mountain base properly, it would demand even more expenditure. He had hoped to offload the surplus in bulk, even at a discount. However, with the Treasure Pavilion refusing to buy, that plan was off the table.

Shaking his head, Luo Chen’s gaze shifted to a flying boat model on display.

”What’s this one?” he asked.

The attendant’s eyes lit up. ”Senior, you’ve got a keen eye! That’s the newest Langqi Flying Boat. It is Tianfan City’s latest release! A supreme-grade artifact just arrived today!”

Luo Chen gave her a sidelong glance. Talk about a hard sell.

Brand new model, huh? Every so-called ”supreme-grade enchanted artifact” is usually just a failed attempt at crafting an enchanted treasure. What ”custom launch” could there be? You’re just trying to drive up the price.

Still, he asked, ”What does it do?”

”Oh, this boat has plenty of features! In the skies, it serves as a large flying vessel; on land, it functions like a ground cruiser. It can shift size at will, and its mobility is top-class. Most importantly, it’s made of a rare material which is extremely collision-resistant, with superb defense!”

If it’s truly made from materials worthy of crafting enchanted treasures, then it must be good.

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. ”It can change size and move on land?”

”Absolutely! After all, this Langqi Flying Boat was personally refined by the Sage of Jingting Mountain in Tianfan City. Size change is practically a baseline function for enchanted treasures crafted by a Nascent Soul Sage.”

A Sage!

Luo Chen’s expression turned solemn.

”As for the land-cruising function,” the attendant continued enthusiastically, ”it’s incredibly practical. You don’t have to stand around waiting for public transport inside the immortal city anymore.”

She shot a sly glance at Sima Huiniang before adding, ”And if you ever find yourself in a rush, surely you wouldn’t want to go sprinting down the streets, disheveled and out of breath. That would be quite unbecoming of your image, wouldn’t it?”

Then, lowering her voice slightly, she leaned in with a coy smile. ”Now imagine this vessel beneath your feet gliding effortlessly through the city, with a beauty like her at your side—”

Luo Chen interrupted her without hesitation. ”I’ll take it.”

As for the price, there was no room for negotiation. This was the Treasure Pavilion, and the enchanted artifact had been crafted by a Nascent Soul Sage. A supreme-grade artifact forged by such hands was worth every bit of the cost.

What truly won Luo Chen over, however, were its two most practical features, adjustable size and land driving. The attendant was right: The most frustrating thing about Tianlan Immortal City was simply getting around. Sure, he could throw aside his dignity and sprint through the streets with Wind Control, but that wasn’t ideal.

With the Langqi Flying Boat, that would no longer be an issue.

I guess I just bought myself a personal sports car!

The moment the purchase was finalized and the artifact handed over, Luo Chen couldn’t help but laugh. He was genuinely pleased.

Sima Huiniang, however, was quietly astonished. The price tag had been a staggering eight thousand low-grade spirit stones, an amount that could have easily bought a supreme-grade defensive enchanted artifact.

What made it even more outrageous was the fact that the money hadn’t even come out of Luo Chen’s pocket. It had come from the Luo Tian Society’s funds.

The reason? Simple. The Skyhawk Flying Boat was nearly scrapped, and they needed a new flagship vessel. Besides, who needed a reason when the decision had already been made?

After exiting the Treasure Pavilion, Luo Chen didn’t hesitate. He immediately took out the Langqi Flying Boat.

”Hop on. Let’s take it for a spin.”

At Luo Chen’s invitation, Sima Huiniang stepped aboard without a moment’s hesitation.

Luo Chen followed the instructions inscribed on the jade slip and activated the concealment formation.

Then—

Buzz... Whoosh!

The Langqi Flying Boat began skimming the ground. Its speed wasn’t extreme, but it was certainly no slouch. It was comparable to a late stage Qi-Refining cultivator going full speed with Wind Control.

The spectacle quickly drew the attention of those nearby. Dozens of amazed, curious, and envious eyes fixed themselves on the flying boat.

”Is that one of the new public shuttles from Tianlan Immortal City?”

”It’s too small, it can’t be a public shuttle!”

”A private one?”

”It’s so fast!”

”Damn! With a flying vehicle like that, getting around the city would be unbelievably convenient!”

”Goodness... I wonder where they bought it, and how much it costs?”

”If it’s under a thousand, I want one too.”

”I think it came from the Treasure Pavilion... Could it be a new release from Tianfan City?”

”Let’s go take a look!”

What Luo Chen didn’t know was that his high-speed cruise through the city had become free marketing for the Treasure Pavilion. And what he did know was that this Langqi Flying Boat had been well worth the price!

He glanced over at Sima Huiniang. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she was clearly thrilled.

He grinned. ”Not feeling guilty about the price anymore, huh?”

Sima Huiniang nodded repeatedly. She could see the faces of passing cultivators as they made their way, faces full of awe and envy. This... counted as showing off in style.

”But aren’t we being a little too flashy?” she asked, still holding onto her cautious nature.

A smile tugged at the corner of Luo Chen’s mouth. ”Relax. I activated the concealment formation as soon as we boarded; no one could see our faces.”

”Hold on tight, we’re heading out of the city!”

”Out of the city?”

”Yeah! We’re moving into a new home soon. It’s only right we visit the current tenants.”

Sima Huiniang’s heart gave a little jolt.

We’re going to Danxia Peak? Just the two of us?