An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Half a month later.

On the mountainside, before the familiar old cave residence, Min Longyu stood quietly at the entrance, his expression solemn and respectful.

Luo Chen looked at him in surprise. ”Are you sure you don’t want to change the entrance and exit formation seals?”

Min Longyu nodded firmly. ”I trust you. Whether I succeed or fail, the result will speak for itself soon enough.”

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Luo Chen smiled faintly. ”Alright then. I wish you success.”

Min Longyu gave a quiet hum in response and turned toward the cave residence. As he stepped forward, the mist stirred, and the formations activated one after another. A deep rumble echoed as the massive Dragon-Severing Stone descended, sealing the entrance completely.

From that point on, only Luo Chen, who knew the formation’s opening seals, or the administrators of Tianlan Immortal City, could unlock the cave. As for the latter, they were bound by regulation to wait for a full year after the lease expired before forcibly intervening.

It was yet another clever method for the Immortal City to generate revenue. Cultivators feared nothing more than being disturbed during seclusion. If one didn’t want the management to barge in because the lease had expired while they were in seclusion, they had best pay more spirit stones to extend the lease from the start. The city’s administrators, needless to say, made a tidy profit from this arrangement.

Staring at the sealed entrance, Luo Chen let out a soft sigh.

Whether Min Longyu would successfully reach Foundation Establishment, he couldn’t be sure. But at least he had done everything he could. Even Min Longyu’s dusty resolve had been found and reignited due to Luo Chen’s Heart Inquiry stimulation. If, after all that, he still hesitated at the critical moment... then he was truly beyond saving.

Turning around, Luo Chen casually summoned a vast cloud. ”Let’s go!”

Behind him, four figures swiftly climbed aboard—Qu Lingjun, Mi Li, Qiu Ying, and Ma Shoupu. All four were alchemists of the Luo Tian Society.

Qu Lingjun specialized in refining Jade Essence pills, while Mi Li specialized in the Myriad Wonders pills.

Qiu Ying had long served as steward of the Alchemy Hall. Though she hadn’t started out as an alchemist, she had picked up a great deal of alchemy skills over time. With guidance from Luo Chen and direct instruction from Mi Li, she had eventually learned to refine fasting concoctions.

Ma Shoupu was still very young, only twenty-three years old. He was the son of a Luo Tian Society cultivator who had fallen in battle. When arrangements were made for him afterward, he chose to join the Alchemy Hall as an apprentice.

Later, it was Qu Lingjun who first noticed his keen natural understanding of medicinal materials and brought him to Luo Chen’s attention during an alchemy session. After testing him personally, Luo Chen confirmed that the young man had exceptional talent in identifying and handling herbs. Thus, he gave Ma Shoupu a task: to refine essence-nurturing liquid.

Luo Chen had slightly optimized the previous alchemical formula for essence-nurturing liquid. The new version was thirty percent more effective than before. Ma Shoupu’s task was to take the materials the Medicine Hall bought and boil them down to raw extract. This extract would be distributed into small gourds and sold by the Gold Hall.

Cultivators could simply buy this raw extract and skip the hassle of boiling the ingredients themselves, as Luo Chen had once done in his early days. All they needed to do was add hot water to the raw extract to enjoy a medicinal bath.

Extracting the raw extract wasn’t too demanding in terms of alchemical skill, but it did demand precision in handling the ingredients. One had to strictly measure the amounts and judge the potency of the materials precisely. In this regard, Ma Shoupu truly shone. He had a knack for it and was already getting the hang of the process.

In fact, once produced in bulk, the raw essence brought in more profit than even Mi Li’s Myriad Wonders pill.

The Myriad Wonders pill simply couldn’t be sold at a high profit margin. That much was unavoidable. In the past, when Luo Chen refined it himself, he’d barely broke even. There was no profit to speak of. Mi Li was even worse; after all, she was still grinding her way through the Proficient level.

Today was move-in day.

Luo Chen had brought these four along because Shi Lan had informed him that the second-tier earth fire he needed had already been installed in the new cave residence.

To refine pills using second-tier earth fire, some initial preparation was essential. These four could help out when the time came, and they could observe Luo Chen’s refinement process and acquire valuable experience along the way.

As the white cloud rose into the sky, the five figures aboard gradually blurred.

Mi Li and Qiu Ying were both older and stood composed, their expressions calm. Qu Lingjun had ridden on Luo Chen’s cloud many times before and was already used to the experience. By contrast, the young Ma Shoupu was quite excited. Gazing at the scenery below, growing ever more distant, he exclaimed happily, ”President, your spell is amazing! You can even carry four or five people at once!”

”That’s nothing,” Luo Chen replied with a modest smile. ”When you reach Foundation Establishment, you’ll be able to do this too.”

Even so, his heart swelled slightly with pride.

Back then, not even Miao Wen could carry Luo Chen at this speed, and his cultivation had been around where Luo Chen was now. That spoke volumes about the mastery of spells and spirit power reserves Luo Chen had cultivated through relentless effort.

The conversation didn’t last long. Luo Chen guided the cloud toward a broad mountain peak.

As far as the eye could see, there was at least one mu[1] of spirit fields. All kinds of rare flowers and herbs grew there, exuding a rich fragrance.

”It’s a second-tier spirit field, Master!” Qu Lingjun exclaimed, pointing excitedly.

Luo Chen smiled faintly. This was indeed the hallmark of a top-grade cave residence. Beyond the doubled concentration of spirit energy, this residence came with a second-tier spirit field spanning a whole mu. To say nothing else, if a cultivator made good use of this spirit field, they could easily recoup some of the rent in spirit stones over the course of ten years.

Of course, the authorities in Tianlan Immortal City didn’t run a charity. A second-tier, top-grade cave residence cost forty-eight thousand spirit stones a year and had to be leased for at least ten years!

Unlike low and mid-grade cave residences, this one offered no two-month grace period. It was priced far beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

The group didn’t linger in the sky. They descended from the cloud and approached the cave residence. But before they could reach the entrance, a heated argument drifted out from within.

Luo Chen paused in his tracks.

”I’m not saying I won’t rent it! I’m just a little tight on funds right now. Can’t you give me two more days?”

”Senior Ling, I’ve already given you a full half-month’s grace!”

”How about this, it’s true I don’t have the four hundred eighty thousand spirit stones right now. Can I just pay forty-eight, no, fifty thousand, and then pay the rest when I’m able to?”

”Senior Ling, the rules are the rules. Please don’t make things difficult for a mere Qi Refinement cultivator like me.

Hmph!

A cold snort rang out, signifying the negotiation’s collapse.

An angry figure stormed out from the cave residence. The moment she stepped into the open, her gaze landed directly on Luo Chen.

“It’s you!” she exclaimed. “You’re the one renting Cave Residence Bing Seventeen?”

Luo Chen smiled faintly and cupped his hand. ”Fellow Daoist Ling Yuzhi, it’s been a while.”

This was none other than the same female cultivator who had opened up her cave residence when Luo Chen first arrived in Tianlan Immortal City and needed a place to inspect. She had stepped aside back then, allowing them a chance to look around.

Ling Yuzhi was a sixth stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and she clearly remembered Luo Chen. How could she forget? At the time, he had acted aloof, pretending to be something he wasn’t. She had assumed he was just some backwater bumpkin. But half a month ago, at the Icewave Palace banquet, this same man had been summoned by an Ice Fortress Golden Core Adept.

The scene had left a lasting impression. She had never expected that the “bumpkin” she once looked down upon would turn out to be someone who would snatch her cave residence out from under her.

Ling Yuzhi’s face shifted from red to pale before she finally turned and left in a huff. In truth, it wasn’t about status or pride; it was because she was broke.

After she vanished from sight, a cautious figure stepped forward from the side. It was Shi Lan.

“Senior Luo,” she said respectfully, “here is the new cave residence token. All basic second-tier formations have been reset. From this moment on, Bing Seventeen is yours.”

Luo Chen took the token and weighed it in his palm.

Shi Lan continued, “This token can be split into nine smaller tokens, so your trusted friends and family can come and go freely. The activation method is the same as with the low-grade tokens.”

Luo Chen nodded and then handed over two storage pouches. “Here’s the rent for two years. Please count it.”

Shi Lan was a little taken aback. “Two bags?”

Luo Chen winked at her.

Shi Lan’s eyes widened slightly, then sparkled in realization. Her face flushed ever so slightly, and she discreetly tucked the smaller bag into her own storage pouch. Her eyes widened a little.

Four thousand spirit stones, what a windfall!

This was in addition to her normal commission, and it was entirely hers to keep. This Senior Luo was so generous!

As for the other pouch, it contained the ninety-six thousand spirit stones required for two years of lease.

After carefully verifying and transferring the spirit stones, Shi Lan returned both pouches to Luo Chen with practiced grace.

“Senior, everything’s in order,” she said. “The second-tier earth fire you requested has already been drawn up and set in place. I also placed the supreme-grade cauldron inside for your use. Please feel free to use it anytime.”

She hesitated, then added eagerly, “Would you like me to clean the place? I can do it free of charge!”

Luo Chen smiled. ”No need. I brought people with me, so it won’t be necessary to trouble you.”

Shi Lan glanced at the group and nodded in understanding. ”Alright! In that case, I’ll go back to report in.”

Luo Chen gave a casual wave of his hand, and the young girl skipped away happily, her steps light and unburdened.

Watching her cheerful figure vanish into the distance, Qu Lingjun stepped forward, unable to suppress the question lingering in his mind.

”Master, you’re already a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Why were you so courteous to a mere Qi Refinement disciple?”

He wasn’t referring to Luo Chen’s impeccable manners. It was just that everyone had seen Luo Chen slip the girl that extra reward.

Luo Chen’s lips curved slightly, and he answered calmly, ”Courtesy has its purpose, and it can bring benefits in turn.”

Turning, he cast a glance at the wide, radiant entrance of the cave residence.

”Look at this prime cultivation spot. Do you think no one else would want to rent it?”

Qu Lingjun blinked. ”But didn’t Senior Ling run out of money?”

”She sure did. But just because she has no money doesn’t mean others don’t have it either.”

Luo Chen stepped forward into the cave. The others quickly followed behind. As they walked, Luo Chen continued leisurely, ”There are plenty of people eyeing the second-tier top-grade cave residences here on Tianlan Peak. The spirit energy here is twice as concentrated. For cultivators like us, that means faster progress, and significantly faster at that. We’ve only been in Tianlan Immortal City for what, three years? Even if we’d booked ahead of time, we still would’ve been behind others in line. Even so, I was the one who managed to snatch up this residence. Do you understand why that is?”

Qu Lingjun fell silent, his brow furrowed in contemplation.

Mi Li and Qiu Ying, on the other hand, already understood, but they said nothing. They knew Luo Chen was taking the opportunity to teach his disciple a life lesson by example.

He had to hear the words Luo Chen hadn’t spoken out loud.

Of course, securing this top-grade cave residence ahead of time had indeed been made possible by Shi Lan’s help, but part of the reason lay in Fairy Ruthless’s high regard for him.

For one thing, top-grade cave residences required a minimum lease of ten years, and the rent had to be paid all at once. Ling Yuzhi simply couldn’t afford that huge sum all at once, and that was why she had left so unwillingly. But obviously, Luo Chen couldn’t come up with that amount of spirit stones all at once either. He had only handed over two years’ worth. So why was he allowed to do what Ling Yuzhi couldn’t?

That was where Fairy Ruthless’s influence came in, and all of that, in turn, stemmed from Luo Chen’s alchemical skills.

In the end, character was one thing, and strength was another.

Since Qu Lingjun’s cultivation was still low, his strength was limited. Therefore, before focusing on cultivation, he needed to learn how to handle people and navigate the social landscape. Otherwise, even if he became stronger in the future, he would still find it hard to move forward in the cultivation world.

In any case, there was no need to delve too deeply into this now. As his cultivation progressed, he would naturally come to understand these things on his own.

As they entered the cave residence, a warm, intense fragrance wafted over them.

Luo Chen frowned.

With a flick of his sleeve, a rush of spirit energy surged forth like a roaring wind, sweeping through the residence in all directions. Every trace of the stale scent was purged.

Cleanse was a really effective spell.

”Alright,” he said lightly. ”The smell’s dealt with. Now tidy up each room.”

”Yes, Master!”

”President, I’ll get started.”

The four quickly pulled out tools from their storage pouches and set to work. Each time they finished cleaning a room, they would bring out furniture specially prepared by Sima Huiniang. Antique bookshelves, sandalwood tables and chairs, incense burners, large beds, bowls and chopsticks, writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones...

It wouldn’t take long. Before the day was out, this cave residence would be fully transformed into Luo Chen’s new home.

While the others busied themselves, Luo Chen made his way deeper into the residence and stepped into the alchemy chamber. The moment he stepped in, a massive white cauldron came into view.

He approached slowly, extending a hand to run his fingers gently across the engraved patterns on its surface, his touch light and reverent, as though caressing the skin of a beloved. His gaze brimmed with affection, his breath warming with each passing second.

A supreme-grade cauldron—the Ice Emperor Cauldron!

The main material used to make it was ten-thousand-year Mysterious Ice from the Ice Fortress, a fourth-tier spirit material. Originally, it had been intended to be refined into an enchanted treasure-grade cauldron, but due to the unique properties of Mysterious Ice, the attempt had failed. But even so, as a dedicated alchemy tool, the Ice Emperor Cauldron was still the finest of its kind. Its single-purpose design meant that its support effects for alchemy were nearly on par with those of many multifunction enchanted treasure-grade cauldrons. Compared to any top-grade enchanted cauldron, it was leagues better.

Take Luo Chen’s own Four Symbols Cauldron, for example. It could only refine four to five portions of raw materials at most. Worse still, its many functions required constant incantation switching during the refining process. That versatility, while impressive in theory, made it incredibly cumbersome to operate.

The Ice Emperor Cauldron, by contrast, was the pinnacle of alchemical simplicity and power. It could refine ten portions of raw materials at once, and its operation was relatively straightforward. All of the formations inscribed on it were purely supportive formations dedicated to alchemy. For instance, the second-tier Fire Transformation Formation, the second-tier Birch Wood Formation, the second-tier Pill-Stabilizing Formation, and the unique third-tier Cloud-Gathering Formation.

This “Cloud-Gathering” had nothing to do with weather. Everyone knew that any top-grade pill would develop pill patterns, and these patterns often resembled ethereal clouds. Hence, pill patterns were sometimes called cloud patterns. The third-tier Cloud-Gathering Formation had the unique ability to concentrate those pill patterns. With it, pill refinement efficiency skyrocketed.

One could truly say this was Luo Chen’s “cauldron of dreams!”

The mu 亩 is a traditional Chinese unit of area used for measuring land, particularly agricultural fields. One mu is approximately 666.7 square meters, or about 0.1647 acres. In cultivation contexts, it’s commonly used to describe the size of spirit fields or sect territories. ☜