An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

In the heart of Tianlan Immortal City, the central plaza thrummed with life. The Trade Assembly was in full swing, drawing wave after wave of cultivators from every direction.

For many rogue cultivators, especially those without invitations to the auction, this market was the highlight of the season. Even wealthy individuals who have invitations to the auction would occasionally wander this open market. After all, one never knew when a hidden gem might turn up.

On the third day of the Trade Assembly, a figure squatted on the ground, shaking a jar labeled The Swallowing Waves and Oceans Jar. Even though it was sealed within an enchanted container, he could still feel its crushing weight.

Across from him, the stall owner spoke in sales pitch mode, “Senior, I’m not lying. These three drops are genuine Heavy Profound Darkwater! If I possessed a larger quantity, I would have consigned them to the auction myself. But three drops are far too little, and the auction fees are outrageous. That’s why I’m selling it here.”

He grinned hopefully. ”If you are interested, ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, and it is yours.”

Luo Chen tilted the jar again. His brows drew slightly together, and disappointment flickered across his face. “It may be famed as weighing a thousand catties per drop, but with only three drops, the effect is underwhelming. You need at least ten drops to approach ten thousand catties of force. This is of little use.”

With a flick of his wrist, he placed the jar back onto the mat and turned as though ready to leave.

The stall owner paled. “Wait! Senior! No need to walk away so quickly! Most could never afford ten drops at once. You could begin with these three and slowly accumulate more over time!”

Luo Chen paused and stroked his chin. “You make a fair point.”

Then he turned, expression neutral. “Alright. I’ll take them all for five thousand.”

The rogue cultivator froze. He had dealt with hard bargainers before, but this was something else entirely. To slash the price in half without a blink? That was daylight robbery.

He swallowed hard. “Senior, this is a third-tier material. Isn’t five thousand a little too low?”

“How much do you want then?” Luo Chen asked, his tone flat. “But I’ll say this now, ten thousand isn’t worth it.”

The cultivator fidgeted. “Nine thousand? That’s three thousand per drop. It’s not unreasonable...”

“You’re not being sincere.” Luo Chen turned and began to walk away.

Now the seller truly panicked. The name Heavy Profound Darkwater might sound prestigious, but in such small amounts, it was practically useless. Even at an auction, no one would bat an eye. He couldn’t afford to let a willing buyer walk away.

He darted out from behind his stall, blocking Luo Chen’s path. “Alright, Senior. You name the price. Sincerely.”

Luo Chen frowned slightly, pretending to mull it over. “We each take a step back, split the difference. Seven thousand five hundred. Take it or leave it.”

The rogue cultivator stared at him for a long moment. His eyes flicked from Luo Chen’s impassive expression to the jar lying quietly on the mat. There was no eagerness in this buyer, no desperation.

At last, he clenched his teeth and said, “Fine, deal.”

***

As Luo Chen strolled through the spacious yet bustling marketplace, he casually tossed the Swallowing Waves and Oceans Jar in his hand. Though it contained only three drops of liquid, the weight it carried felt as if he were cradling an entire lake. Heavy and highly condensed!

He was in a rather good mood. After two fruitless days of wandering, he had finally stumbled upon a true find the moment he stepped out today.

Heavy Profound Darkwater was a third-tier water-element material. It was far from obscure in the cultivation world. It was highly regarded for its unique density and raw elemental power. A single drop was said to weigh a thousand catties, and if one could gather several dozen and fully refine them, they’d become nearly unmatched among their peers. And if someone managed to collect a full three hundred sixty-five drops, they could redirect rivers and reverse waterfalls as they pleased.

Of course, such power was beyond the reach of any Foundation Establishment cultivator. Only Golden Core Adepts could wield so much weight with precision.

For Luo Chen, whose cultivation focused on fire and wood attributes, the material had little personal use. He hadn’t bought the darkwater for himself. It was meant for Duan Feng.

This happened to be one of the two remaining core ingredients missing from the embryo of the enchanted treasure. The crafting process didn’t require quantity, only purity and potency. Thus, a single drop was sufficient to imbue it with the intended qualities. As for the extra two drops? They wouldn’t go to waste. Luo Chen had yet to give Duan Feng a proper gift to celebrate his Foundation Establishment breakthrough. This would serve perfectly as it is.

Luo Chen recalled browsing through the Ocean Severing Wave that Duan Feng cultivated. That technique made a clear mention of using rare elemental waters to forge powerful killing moves. Among them were the Gui Water True Essence from the Zeguo Gui Diagram and the Heavy Profound Darkwater itself. While the Gui Water True Essence was a second-tier material that relied on large volumes, it paled in comparison to the concentrated might of the Heavy Profound Darkwater.

Of course, if Duan Feng wished to truly elevate his technique, he would have to gather more of the Heavy Profound Darkwater on his own one day.

Satisfied, Luo Chen carefully stowed away the Swallowing Waves and Oceans Jar in his storage pouch.

Just as he turned to leave, his steps halted abruptly.

He retraced two steps, eyes narrowing as his gaze fell upon a secluded stall tucked away in a shadowed corner of the marketplace.

There were enchanted artifacts on display and not just one or two; there were dozens of them. Every piece bore clear signs of heavy use, encrusted filth, dried bloodstains, lingering fiend qi, or strange scars marred their surfaces. From this alone, it was clear these enchanted artifacts weren’t acquired cleanly. They carried the residue of death and violence, as if looted from battlefields or stripped from fallen cultivators.

Each item had a price tag neatly affixed beside it, and next to those tags stood a bold sign that read clearly: No haggling.

Despite being tucked away in a secluded corner, the stall was far from quiet. A small crowd had already gathered, murmuring in low tones as they examined the strange artifacts on display.

“Only one thousand five hundred spirit stones for a top-grade enchanted artifact?” someone said.

The speaker was a cultivator at the seventh stage of Qi-Refining. His eyes gleamed with desire as he stared fixedly at a rust-encrusted flying sword.

The scar-faced stall owner gave him a frosty glance. “No haggling. Pay if you want it.”

Without hesitation, the cultivator handed over the spirit stones and snatched up the sword, his face alight with satisfaction. His eagerness drew several scoffs from those nearby, some out of cynicism, others out of envy.

Pocketing the spirit stones, the scar-faced vendor said dully, “Some of these are good, some are junk. Fixed price. No haggling, no returns.”

In other words, he made no promises. If you had the eyes to spot treasure, good for you. If you didn’t, the loss was yours to bear.

No one argued. This kind of stall was common enough. Some cultivators preferred favored clean, straightforward trades. But what stood out here was the sheer volume of items on display and the fact that the vendor himself was at the Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining. That alone marked him as more than just an ordinary street hawker.

Many of the enchanted artifacts were clearly aged, their surfaces worn or cracked, the kind of remnants one might unearth in long-lost ruins or forgotten tombs.

Blending into the crowd, Luo Chen suppressed his cultivation realm and let his gaze drift. His eyes settled on three specific items tucked away deep within the stall, closest to the vendor. Something about them drew his attention.

A bronze mirror, a soul-flag, and a compass disk.

Each had a handwritten price tag beside it.

Thirty thousand, twenty thousand, fifteen thousand.

The steep prices made their identities obvious.

Those were none other than enchanted treasures. Even though they looked incomplete, they were undoubtedly the stall’s centerpiece and the real reason the crowd had gathered.

No ordinary Qi-Refining cultivator could present three enchanted treasures at once, even if they looked incomplete

Eventually, someone broke the tension.

“Fellow Daoist,” a voice asked with feigned casualness, “did you loot the cave of a deceased Golden Core cultivator or something?”

Given the abundance of battle-worn enchanted artifacts, the question didn’t seem unreasonable.

The vendor coldly replied, “Buy it or don’t. Why so many questions? What do you care where this stuff came from?”

He wasn’t angry, but his words were blunt, and when paired with his Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining cultivation and the sharp edge of murderous intent clinging to him, they were more than enough to silence the crowd.

Just then, Luo Chen stepped forward through the murmuring onlookers and stopped before the three treasured items.

“These three enchanted treasures are all incomplete?” he asked calmly.

At that moment, he released a trace of Foundation Establishment spirit power.

The crowd recoiled in shock. A Foundation Establishment cultivator wandering this far out into the fringe stalls?

In front of Luo Chen, the scar-faced vendor’s demeanor shifted immediately. The hostility faded, replaced by a cautious deference.

He offered a trace of respect. “They are indeed incomplete. That’s why I couldn’t take them to the auction and had to sell them here instead.”

Luo Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. “If they’re incomplete, how can you guarantee they’re even usable?”

The vendor didn’t try to dodge the question. “I can’t, senior. It depends entirely on your eye.”

At the end of the day, he was only at the Qi-Refining Realm. How could he judge the value of enchanted treasures once wielded by Golden Core cultivators?

Luo Chen didn’t push further. Instead, he asked with calm curiosity, “Do you at least know what kind of enchanted treasures they are?”

The vendor hesitated for a moment, then answered, “The compass disk is a formation plate. The banner is called the Soul-Gathering Banner. But as for the bronze mirror...” He paused. “I don’t know what it does.”

Luo Chen gave him a long, thoughtful look.

That slight hesitation hadn’t gone unnoticed. It was subtle, just a flicker of uncertainty in the man’s tone, but enough for Luo Chen to sense that he was hiding something. Still, this kind of open market thrived on personal judgment and risk. No one forced anyone to buy or sell. There was little point in pressing the issue.

“Let me take a look,” Luo Chen said calmly.

Had it been anyone else, the scar-faced vendor might have refused without a second thought. But Luo Chen was a Foundation Establishment Initiate. Against such status, the man dared not deny the request. With respectful hands, he passed over the three enchanted treasures.

Luo Chen started with the cheapest item, the compass disk. He injected spirit power, but nothing happened.

Frowning slightly, he changed his approach. He mimicked the techniques he used to decipher spirit restrictions from Duan Qiankun and Huo Hu’s storage pouches, and formed a seal and pressed it gently into the enchanted treasure.

Wummm...