An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

At the midpoint between the lower foot and upper waist of Tianlan Peak, nestled within a quiet cave residence, Luo Chen sat cross-legged in stillness, his consciousness fully immersed within.

Within his vast sea of qi, a vortex of spirit power was spinning rapidly. Strands of spirit power surged outward in spirals, crashing into the edges of his sea of qi. Each impact shaved away more of the black residue clinging to its perimeter. This black substance was the residue left from excessive pill consumption, the pill toxins barriers.

Ever since his dantian transformed into a sea, these barriers had not vanished. Instead, they had merged into the sea itself. Until he purged these toxins completely, Luo Chen dared not take any pills to speed up his cultivation.

That was why he had recently devoted so much time to managing the Luo Tian Society’s affairs. Yet deep within, a sense of urgency constantly gnawed at him.

Two thousand years...! If I can’t rely on pills, with my talent, it’ll take me two thousand years to reach Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment and produce a False Core. I must persist with the Clear Origin Mystical Pill Method.

”Mhm!”

A low grunt escaped his lips as his eyes snapped open. Sweat poured down his face. He lifted a trembling hand and wiped his fingertip across his arm.

A thin sheen of dark, oily sweat clung to the skin, a visible trace of pill toxins purged from his body. It signified another successful purge of trace amounts of pill toxins.

He stood up, made his way to the sitting room, and rinsed himself clean with fresh water. Only after changing into clean robes did he feel fully refreshed.

With a thought, he summoned his status panel.

His eyes immediately sought out his cultivation. Since leaving Dahe Market, his cultivation realm had remained stagnant until these nine days on Tianlan Peak brought the faintest sign of change.

Realm: Foundation Establishment Stage Two (2/100)

This wasn’t just the result of nine days, it carried the weight of his unrelenting efforts throughout the journey.

Still, the most credit went to these past nine days!

Even a low-grade second-tier spirit vein cave residence far surpassed cultivating in a place with no spirit vein at all.

But it was still too slow. At this pace, two thousand years wasn’t a joke, it was a grim estimate.

He sighed and glanced at the proficiency level of the Medicine King Codex of Yimu.

It had increased slightly, but remained stuck at the Perfection level. Even with his Long Spring Art at Perfected Mastery, it had only just managed to push the Medicine King Codex of Yimu to the Perfection level. With that, he had exhausted everything he had accumulated.

Techniques were a crucial factor in absorbing spirit energy. But this wasn’t urgent. If he practiced it daily, the Medicine King Codex of Yimu would reach Perfected Mastery eventually.

Recalling the changes brought on by Perfected Mastery of Long Spring Art, Luo Chen looked forward to seeing what breakthroughs his core cultivation method would bring at the Grandmaster level or even at Perfected Mastery.

Finally, his attention shifted to a particular line under the alchemy section.

Yes, alchemy techniques!

His method of toxin purification was neither a cultivation technique nor a spell. It was an alchemy technique!

Clear Origin Mystical Pill Method: Beginner (78/100)

Seeing that line, Luo Chen’s lips finally curved into a smile.

”Doesn’t seem that hard after all!”

According to the jade scroll, it usually took months just to reach the Beginner level, and three to five years of cultivation to reach minor mastery, the stage at which one could properly cleanse pill toxins. And to achieve major mastery? That required over a decade.

Yet he had reached Beginner in just a few days. Now, he was only a few months away from hitting minor mastery.

”Once I reach minor mastery, I’ll be able to suppress the formation of new pill toxins. At that point, I’ll be free to use pills to cultivate again. Now that’s good news!”

Though pleased, Luo Chen remained composed. Everything here was earned through his own efforts.

Day after day, beyond practicing the Medicine King Codex of Yimu, refining the Forsaken Chess Piece and the Mystic Flame Sword, nearly all his time had gone into practicing the Clear Origin Mystical Pill Method.

Otherwise, how could he have progressed this quickly?

Once he reached minor mastery, he could inhibit the buildup of new pill toxins. Upon full proficiency, he could eliminate the remnants of toxins left in his system. If he reached major mastery, the benefits would multiply. Especially the ability to extract essence from the toxins itself; that one made Luo Chen drool with anticipation.

It meant that from the same pill, he could absorb far more than others, achieving maximum efficiency!

Taking a deep breath, Luo Chen reached into his storage pouch and withdrew a black chess piece and a small sword.

The piece was the Forsaken Chess Piece; the sword, the Mystic Flame Sword. Both were trump cards and ultimate weapons in his arsenal. They had to be thoroughly refined if they were to obey his will like an extension of his limbs.

Closing his eyes, Luo Chen let his spirit power flow slowly out of his body. Merged with his spirit consciousness, it began to envelop one of the enchanted treasures.

Only like this could he imprint enough of his spirit power onto it.

He also added a few of his own refinements.

Following Duan Qiankun’s method, he wove fine restrictions out of spirit consciousness, deepening the bond between himself and the treasures.

He didn’t know how others refined their treasures, nor did he care. This method felt right to him, and more importantly, it worked. When he refined the Heavy Recast Seal, this approach had yielded remarkable results.

Under normal circumstances, refining a supreme-grade enchanted artifact without resorting to blood sacrifice would take at least several months. Yet Luo Chen had completed the Heavy Recast Seal’s refinement during his journey to Tianlan Immortal City. It was clear that the fusion of spirit imprints and consciousness-based restrictions was extraordinarily effective.

Time passed quietly as he alternated between refining two different enchanted treasures. When he finally finished, the morning sun was already shining brightly beyond his cave.

He stored the two enchanted treasures and then deactivated his cave residence’s soundproofing, illusion, and defense formations.

Yes, every residence on Tianlan Peak was equipped with a triple formation system: soundproofing, illusion, and defense.

As the first formation lifted, the roaring crash of the waterfall outside poured into his ears. With a thought, Luo Chen sent out two sound transmission talismans, each to a nearby cave.

In his own cave, Nangong Jin opened his eyes, noticing a talisman fluttering aimlessly around the formation outside. Moments later, the talisman slipped inside like a drifting butterfly.

He activated a thread of spirit power. The talisman burned slowly in the air, and from it, Luo Chen’s voice resonated clearly.

”Fellow Daoist, it’s time to move.”

At the same time, the exact same scene was unfolding in Li Yixian’s residence.

”Fellow Daoist, it’s time to move.”

Li Yixian’s gaze flickered slightly. She rose to her full height. Her slender figure stretched gracefully—a vision of elegance and power.

With a swipe across her face, her striking beauty faded, replaced once more by a plain, unremarkable countenance.

”So be it. He has helped me time and again on this journey today, so I’ll repay him with a show of strength.”

***

”Safe travels, everyone! If you need a place to stay next time you’re in the city, don’t forget Tongfu Guesthouse!”

At the end of a northern alley in the city, the housekeeper beamed as he waved off a large group.

In the courtyard, cultivators of the Nangong and Li families looked on as the Luo Tian Society members prepared to depart.

”Did they find a place to settle?”

”I heard the Luo Tian Society’s Director spent a fortune renting a whole mountain!”

”How much?”

”Over a hundred thousand spirit stones!”

”Hiss... That’s terrifying!”

”Well, they don’t call them rich and bold for nothing. As for our Li family... who knows where we’ll end up?”

”Yeah, staying at a guesthouse forever isn’t sustainable.”

”I really want to see their new place.”

”I don’t even know why we can’t go along. Staying here every day is driving me insane.”

”Quit complaining. Have your injuries even healed yet?”

***

Amidst the murmurs, over a hundred Luo Tian Society cultivators, led by Sima Huiniang, exited Tianlan Immortal City. As they passed the drawbridge over the moat, Sima Huiniang gave Xu Jingnian a courteous wave.

Xu Jingnian waved back cheerfully and shouted, ”Liuzi! Don’t slack off, be a good guide to these fellow Daoists!”

Liuzi nodded quickly and followed along with the group toward the docking platform. The plan was to take the Skyhawk Flying Boat to Danxia Peak.

The peak was quite a ways from Tianlan, and traveling separately increased the risk of accidents. Going together by flying boat would only take half an hour.

But when Sima Huiniang and the others arrived, they were greeted by a scene of high tension. Luo Chen, standing together with two other Foundation Establishment cultivators, was engaged in a heated confrontation with Lu Rong of the Divine Craftsman Sect.

Luo Chen’s face was dark. His gaze swept around before landing on a small pavilion at the center.

”So this is how Tianlan Immortal City handles things?”

Lu Rong sneered. ”You want to accuse someone? Bring evidence. Words alone won’t tarnish my name.”

Behind Luo Chen, Duan Feng and Min Longyu’s faces were flushed red with frustration.

”You definitely tampered with it! There’s no way our flying boat wouldn’t even start otherwise!”

Lu Rong scoffed. ”Why would I bother tampering with a piece of junk like that?”

Duan Feng stepped forward to argue again, but Luo Chen held out a hand to stop him. ”It may be a piece of junk, but that’s no reason to assume you didn’t tamper with it.”

He cast a long, deep look at the small pavilion.

No response. In that case...

Luo Chen stepped up to the Skyhawk Flying Boat.

He had arrived earlier with Duan Feng and Min Longyu, intending to start the boat in advance and transport the Luo Tian Society cultivators without delay. But unexpectedly, the flying boat wouldn’t even start.

Lu Rong had cheerfully stepped forward, offering to fix the issue on the spot.

”For just a single spirit stone,” he said.

His mockery was as blatant as it was smug. He was determined to close that deal. Money was one thing; what he really wanted was to reclaim his pride.

Pride?

”Hmph!” Luo Chen gave a cold snort, raising his palm upright. A torrent of spirit energy began to pulse faintly through his hand.

Lu Rong’s expression faltered. ”What are you doing? You want to fight me over this?”

Luo Chen ignored him and cast another glance at the small pavilion above. Then, without warning, he slammed his palm into the Skyhawk Flying Boat.

Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm!

A massive beam of spirit energy burst forth, piercing the boat from bow to stern.

Crack! Crack...

Under everyone’s stunned gaze, the Skyhawk Flying Boat shattered inch by inch, reduced nearly to dust. Strangely, the fragments didn’t scatter wildly. It was a clear display of Luo Chen’s meticulous control over his spirit power.

The crowd stood frozen in disbelief.

Luo Chen waved the dust away, turned around, and stared directly at Lu Rong.

”You want my business? Fine. Start by cleaning the ground.”

He tossed a spirit stone onto the ground at Lu Rong’s feet.

Lu Rong’s face turned white, then red, then green with rage. Finally, he glared at Luo Chen, trembling with fury.

”Fine! Fine! Fine!”

Each repeated ”fine” seethed with rage he couldn’t put into words.

”Hmph.”Luo Chen could not be bothered to look at him again. He summoned the Langqi Flying Boat on the spot.

With spirit power infused, the boat expanded rapidly, instantly stretching fifty zhang long. Such a huge flying boat was a rare sight, even in the city’s large-scale dockyard.

A supreme-grade, large flying boat!

”Board the vessel!”

Luo Chen flew straight onto the flying boat. Nangong Jin and Li Yixian exchanged a surprised glance before hurrying up after him. While Duan Feng and Min Longyu had already rushed aboard with excitement, eager to get familiar with the controls.

Once all members of the Luo Tian Society were aboard, Luo Chen gave the order. With a thunderous roar, the Langqi Flying Boat turned into a streak of light and shot into the sky.

Back at the docking platform, Lu Rong stood under the watchful eyes of cultivators from the neighboring shops, his face burning with humiliation.

Damn upstart from out of town, who’s he trying to show off for?

He cursed under his breath and turned to head back into his shop. But before he could retreat, a voice floated down from the second-floor pavilion. The voice was calm and soft, yet laden with authority.

”Clean the floor.”

Lu Rong froze in his tracks. He stiffened, turned halfway, and opened his mouth in protest. But no words came out.

The voice rang out again—still gentle, but now impossible to ignore.

”You were the one who insisted on taking his business,” it said plainly. ”I kept quiet to save your dignity. But now, he has made the payment. What he bought wasn’t just a service; it was your face. If you can’t accept that, then the Divine Craftsman Sect has no place in the docking quarter anymore.”

Lu Rong’s breath caught in his throat. His fists clenched, then slowly loosened. After a moment of silence, he spun around on his heel, expression dark with defeat.

Without another word, he grabbed a broom from beside the door and began sweeping the platform with jerky, frustrated movements, each stroke a blow to his pride.

Cultivators from the neighboring shops couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

”Fellow Daoist Lu, this is no way to do business. If you ask me, better hand the business over to us while you still can!”

”Exactly! The two of us could easily handle your share of the traffic.”

Lu Rong glared at them, just about to retort, but a warning voice rang out once more, and he lowered his head again.

”There won’t be a next time,” he muttered.