An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Although seemingly endless... it was still just within sight.

On the wide, open plains, two figures stood facing each other. Luo Chen stared at Wang Yuan in the distance, the two separated by a hundred zhang.

That distance was actually chosen intentionally. Back when Wang Yuan had reached the Blood River Realm in Physique Refinement but remained at Perfected Mastery in Qi Refinement, he had been unable to close that hundred-zhang gap, allowing Duan Qiankun to toy with him like a kite on a string. The distance was perfect both for testing Luo Chen’s ability to kite and for gauging Wang Yuan’s progress since reaching Foundation Establishment.

”Let’s begin,” Luo Chen called out.

”Let’s go,” Wang Yuan replied.

After that brief exchange, they launched into action without hesitation. With a single step, Wang Yuan closed the gap by ten zhang, pressing into that critical distance. In response, Luo Chen retreated nine zhang, maintaining the gap between them.

A flash of surprise crossed Wang Yuan’s face. ”Dragon Rising Step?”

”Yeah, just a little practice.” Luo Chen smiled faintly from a distance. He held his fingers like a sword, producing a dense barrage of golden light.

Wang Yuan shook his head and braced himself. His body quivered, and countless small blood qi snakes hissed and slithered outward, weaving through the air. They wound around the golden lights, some devouring them, others blocking them, allowing Wang Yuan to advance steadily.

Luo Chen watched calmly, unsurprised. As he had progressed, so had Wang Yuan. This sparring session wasn’t meant to be a life-or-death battle; it was a way for Luo Chen to refine his techniques after his breakthrough and experiment with new moves. The same was true for Wang Yuan, who needed combat to temper his progress after integrating Foundation Establishment with the Blood River Realm.

Why had Luo Chen chosen Wang Yuan instead of someone else? Because Wang Yuan was a dual cultivator like himself. Only Wang Yuan and his combined cultivation of Qi Refinement and Physique Refinement could truly test Luo Chen’s methods and expose their weaknesses.

The two darted back and forth, moving like the wind, their figures blending and blurring. Luo Chen’s sword orb became increasingly agile in his hands. Along the way, he also began casting offensive spells. He used the sword orb as his primary weapon, with the Heavy Recast Seal as support. Combined with occasional uses of Entangle and Blazing Fireflies, he made things quite difficult for Wang Yuan.

On the other hand, Wang Yuan revealed explosive strength far beyond his usual level. His preferred weapon was a long saber, a supreme-grade enchanted artifact he had recently picked up at a black market in Tianlan Immortal City. It let him channel and amplify his blood qi effortlessly. Every slash sent forth a massive blade of saber energy stretching dozens of zhang.

The two continued exchanging blows, growing more familiar with each other’s techniques. Yet it was obvious that without resorting to their strongest moves, neither could defeat the other.

Wang Yuan finally paused to catch his breath. ”Your progress is impressive.”

Luo Chen chuckled. ”Is it, though I thought that after breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment, I’d be able to crush you.”

Wang Yuan’s expression darkened. ”Just because you’ve improved doesn’t mean I’ve been slacking off. I’ve fully completed Organ Refinement, Tendon Transformation, Marrow Cleansing, and Meridian Unblocking. I’ve only just started Aperture-Opening, but I’ve already mastered Bright Force. That puts me solidly at the middle stage of the Blood River Realm, on par with a mid-stage or even late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

The initial phase of the Blood River Realm consisted of Organ Refinement, Tendon Transformation, and Marrow Cleansing. The middle phase included Meridian Unblocking and Aperture-Opening, while the late phase was defined by mastery of the Four Forces: Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force, and Pill Force.

Having already grasped Bright Force, it was fair to say Wang Yuan was indeed as strong as he said he was. Moreover, his early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation offset his slower flight.

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. ”Shall we go all out?”

”Are you sure?”

”Yes, and try not to dodge. I want to test my power.”

Wang Yuan folded his hands behind his back, adopting the calm, towering presence of a master. ”Alright, go for it.”

Luo Chen didn’t hesitate. Fireballs erupted in front of him one after another, then fused into a blazing sun that looked ready to grow even larger.

Wang Yuan was dumbfounded and quickly raised his hand. ”Whoa, whoa, hold on! Seriously, stop!”

Luo Chen made a hand seal, and the blazing sun slowly dissipated, leaving behind a field of searing spirit energy.

Wang Yuan stared at him speechlessly. ”It was fine when you used Solar Flare, but why keep stacking power? Do you think anyone in a real fight would give you that kind of time?”

Luo Chen said, unashamed, ”You told me to go first!”

Wang Yuan rolled his eyes. ”Fine, I acknowledge your Solar Flare, now pick something else!”

Luo Chen huffed and changed hand seals. In the next instant, a massive wave of spirit energy surged up from beneath Wang Yuan’s feet.

Wang Yuan’s eyelids twitched. Such fast casting speed!

With a swing of his blade, he unleashed a tremendous arc of blade energy that split the wave. But the wave didn’t dissipate; instead, it transformed into two water dragons that roared and charged toward him.

Wang Yuan’s expression darkened as he exclaimed, ”Is that Wave Surge?”

What a joke! Who had ever seen a first-tier Wave Surge so versatile and dynamic? With his physique, getting caught in it wouldn’t harm him at all, but for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, being swept in would likely result in severe injuries from the crushing water pressure.

Even though Wang Yuan wouldn’t get hurt, he didn’t want to be embarrassed like that. He frowned and leapt into the air. The two water dragons below roared and chased after him, but they were too slow to catch him.

Yet, just as Wang Yuan relaxed slightly, a sudden realization struck him. Without hesitation, he turned around and unleashed a mighty palm strike. A massive, blood-red palm print swept out like a force of nature, aimed at a terrifying mountain that had somehow formed behind him.

The Heavy Recast Seal? No! That’s a first-tier Earth Summit!

The palm print and the mountain collided with a deafening explosion.

Boom!

Wang Yuan floated backward with practiced grace as the mountain behind him crumbled to dust. He looked at Luo Chen in the distance and said, ”Your mastery of spells is truly extraordinary. But are you seriously thinking you can handle me with just a first-tier spell? That’s underestimating me, isn’t it?”

In the distance, Luo Chen’s lips curved upward. ”I have no intention of insulting you, Brother Wang.”

In the next instant, he pressed his palms together, and a terrifying surge of spirit energy erupted outward from his bodyy. A massive pressure burst forth over the plain.

Wang Yuan’s expression instantly darkened. Something’s wrong!

He tried to retreat, but under that mysterious pressure, his speed was cut in half. At the same time, three visible waves of spirit power rose simultaneously from the bottom, back, and front.

The waves surged again. The blazing sun returned. A towering mountain came crashing down.

A scorching, searing wave of spirit power erupted like a volcanic explosion, sweeping across the battlefield with devastating force. As the mountain collapsed, deafening booms roared like thunder, one after another.

The destructive spirit energy caused the entire space to quake repeatedly, as if intent on shaking every living thing in the entire area to death. Not only that; at some point, the once-blue waves had turned into scorching, fiery lava, flowing ceaselessly. Thick smoke soon billowed up, shrouding the entire battlefield.

A long moment later, a figure nearly two zhang tall and bare-chested stepped out from within the smoke. His steel-like muscles were blackened with soot, but there were few visible injuries.

This proved that Luo Chen had controlled his strength well.

”Ahem, ahem...”

Wang Yuan dispelled his Giant Spirit Transformation, and his body gradually shrank. He looked up gravely at Luo Chen, who was now also floating in the sky. ”What spell was that?”

Luo Chen smiled faintly. ”This is called Landslide.”