An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Back when Luo Chen started refining Jade Essence pills, he had failed countless times, piling up tens of thousands of waste beads. Yet not once had anyone offered a fair price for those defective remnants.

Tao Yisheng’s face turned pale. The judgment weighed bitterly on him, a humiliation he could scarcely accept. Tao Wan shared his outrage, her eyes glinting cold.

“In my view,” Tao Daonan declared, his tone firm and deliberate, “Yisheng is still too young. The role of family head should fall to someone experienced and steady. Yichen should be the better choice.”

Of course it was. Tao Yichen was his own grandson. Appointing him as family head was no different from leaving the Tao family under Tao Daonan’s personal control.

Tao Wan’s lips curled. She turned her gaze to Tao Yisheng and spoke slowly, each word sharp as ice, “If failure is failure, then why not continue refining? Let us see a definitive result today.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Tao Daonan replied, brows drawing together.

“No, it is very necessary!” Tao Wan’s voice cut through the air like frost. Her eyes swept over the gathered cultivators. “Do any of you want it said that the Tao family head was chosen between two failures?”

The words struck like a slap. A family head chosen from among losers would only be a lucky loser. How could such a stain ever be erased?

Under her piercing stare, no one could raise a rebuttal. Of course, the Initiates aligned with her had no intention of opposing her at all. They spoke out in unison, voicing their support for continuing the contest, and even those who stood with Tao Daonan struggled to find an excuse strong enough to object.

After all, the role of family head wasn’t the same as that of the patriarch. The patriarch guarded rituals, lineage, and tradition, positions usually entrusted to elders of age and prestige. But the family head handled all external and internal affairs. What was required was a commanding presence, strength, and youth. One glance at the family head should tell outsiders whether the Tao family was rising or already in decline. Such a position could not begin its legacy tainted by failure.

Seeing that no one objected, Tao Wan suddenly turned to Tao Yisheng and Tao Yichen.

“Have you guys rested enough?” Tao Wan asked coldly. “Then continue refining. If you cannot produce Rainbow Chrysanthemum pills, you have no right to stop. Whoever succeeds will become the next head of the Tao family of Small Southern Mountain!”

No one argued.

Tao Yisheng moved first, his voice calm and commanding as he ordered the apprentices to prepare fresh ingredients, the fire handlers to clear the fire channels, and the talisman workers to cleanse the cauldron of earlier stains. He moved with practiced ease; it was as though he had done this dozens of times before. In truth, these habits were forged during the past year when Luo Chen had assigned him hard labor at the Luo Tian Society for training. On the other side, Tao Yichen also forced himself to rally and mimicked the same preparations.

Soon, the earth fire flared to life once more, casting flickering light across the cauldrons. The pill refinement resumed in full, flames dancing beneath bronze vessels. It was only then did the earlier tension that filled the hall calmed steadily.

Unnoticed by most, Tao Wan cast several fleeting glances toward Luo Chen. A quiet ripple stirred in her heart, though her face remained calm.

The idea of holding this contest for the family head had come to her only after witnessing her younger brother’s growth and learning of his recent breakthrough in alchemy. Yet beneath that decision lay another purpose of her own.

She wished to test Luo Chen’s true ability. Until now, she had only heard her brother praise him repeatedly, and even Tantai Jin had mentioned him a few times in passing. Although later investigations confirmed that Luo Chen truly bore the alchemical title of Dan Chenzi, doubts still lingered within her heart.

The fight for the Dao Scion was a monumental struggle, and she could not afford to falter in the alchemy round. If Luo Chen proved undeserving of his reputation, she wouldn’t hesitate to swap him out for a second-tier alchemist less threatening to Huang Hezi.

However, the events before her eyes told a different story.

During this very contest within the Tao family, Luo Chen had already shown an insight that rivaled that of a true master alchemist. While everyone else believed Yisheng would succeed, he alone had foreseen the failure. Even those who had been raised in a great alchemy sect since childhood had judged wrongly.

And yet, with a single calm remark, Luo Chen had pierced through the illusion and seen the truth. Such clarity could only come from unshakable confidence and profound mastery in alchemy.

With that alone, she felt her goal had already been achieved. Whether Yisheng succeeded or not mattered less than proving that Luo Chen was indeed the formidable ally she needed.

These thoughts flickered through her mind, and her expression grew increasingly composed.

Across the hall, Tao Daonan’s gaze landed on her tranquil face. A flicker of unease stirred in his aged eyes. If this continues, Yichen is bound to lose!

***

The Tao family’s internal alchemy contest pressed on, relentless and unforgiving.

After the first round of failures, the second attempt ended no differently. Crucibles cooled, flames sputtered out, and disappointment clung to the air like smoke.

Yet despite the setback, there was no retreat. After a brief pause to catch their breath, the competition resumed under Tao Wan’s unyielding command. Her eyes remained sharp, her tone brooked no argument. Today, the matter would be decided, no matter how many failures it took.

One day passed, then two. Even with intervals for recovery, the noble cultivators of the Tao family found it hard to endure. Such repeated sessions of pill refinement were still taxing for them.

Tao Yichen, after yet another collapse, stared blankly ahead. His eyes had lost all light, his spirit crushed. Only Tao Yisheng, though pale from overexertion of both spirit power and divine soul, had eyes that shone ever brighter with conviction.

Tao Wan, who had been watching closely, suddenly twitched her ear. She instinctively turned to look at Luo Chen. He gave her a barely perceptible nod. In that instant, her eyes lit up.

This time, as long as no mishap occurred, Tao Yisheng was going to succeed!

Perhaps due to the series of failures and the prolonged deadlock in progress, Tao Daonan finally lost his patience. To him, this entire scene had become nothing less than a direct challenge to his authority.

“Enough!” His voice cracked like thunder. “This farce does not need to continue!”

Tao Wan’s eyes grew cold. “The outcome isn’t decided, so why should it end? And a farce? Patriarch, are you calling the selection of our next family head a farce?”

Tao Daonan’s expression darkened. ”Tao Wan, you don’t need to provoke me with your words. This entire spectacle is nothing more than your ploy to rally support and seize power for the Dao Scion competition!”

“So what if it is?” Tao Wan raised her chin, unapologetic and unyielding.

Tao Daonan faltered for a breath. He hadn’t expected her to admit it so boldly, as if she had nothing to hide. For the first time, he found himself unable to suppress her momentum with words alone. Then, abruptly, his gaze turned toward Tao Yisheng, who was still focused on refining pills in the center of the hall.

“I am the patriarch,” Tao Daonan declared, voice heavy with authority. “It is within my power to appoint the next family head. This farce ends here and now!”

As his words fell, a vast wave of spirit energy erupted from his body, rolling outward like an unleashed tide. At that same moment, Tao Wan’s spirit energy surged to meet it, fierce and unrelenting.

The two forces clashed, instantly locked in a dead stalemate. This was the purest form of foundation comparison, no combat skills, no techniques. It was a test of whose cultivation was deeper, whose spirit power was more refined and immense. For three long breaths, the hall trembled under the pressure.

Bang!

Tao Daonan’s face turned pale, his beard and robes blown back as if caught in a violent gale.

Tao Wan stepped forward, her aura surging with overwhelming confidence. “You’re old! You should have stepped down long ago! Under your leadership, the Tao family is bound for decline!”

Her voice rang through the hall like rolling thunder. “The Tao family must follow me and my brother to rise again to its peak!”

Each word struck like a hammer, crashing into Tao Daonan’s spirit with the weight of five bolts of heavenly thunder.

Boom!

Tao Daonan’s spirit energy instantly collapsed entirely, vanishing without the faintest resistance. He stumbled back several steps, robes in disarray, his footing unsteady.

Almost at the same time, a sweet fragrance of chrysanthemum spread from the depths of the alchemy hall. The crisp, invigorating scent seemed to stir every soul present.

Under Tao Yichen’s despairing gaze, Tao Yisheng leapt forward, reaching toward the cauldron with a flick of his hand. Three pills leapt into his palm, their glow shimmering with three distinct hues—the unmistakable sign of success. A batch of Rainbow Chrysanthemum pills had been refined. Low-grade, yes, but viable nonetheless!

“Sister, I did it!” Tao Yisheng’s voice cracked with elation. “I finally succeeded! Hahaha!”

His pale face was flushed with excitement and joy as he clutched onto the three pills.

Tao Wan instinctively glanced toward Luo Chen, who had quietly stepped behind the crowd. Then, lifting her voice for all to hear, she declared, “Congratulations! Everyone, why are you not greeting the new head of the Tao family?”

Those Initiates who stood on her side immediately bowed and cried out in unison, “Greetings, Family Head Tao!”

The others hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances. Yet under Tao Wan’s piercing stare, they too reluctantly followed suit.

”Greetings, Family Head Tao!”

Tao Wan smiled radiantly, then turned her gaze back to Tao Daonan. ”Patriarch, now that our Tao family has a new head, shouldn’t we convene a family assembly to announce it formally?”

Tao Daonan’s beard was in disarray, and his face dark as ink. He cast a resentful glare at the victorious siblings. ”The assembly will be held tomorrow!”

With that, he flung his sleeve and stormed off. He had lost this battle for family leadership. He had lost to Tao Yisheng and to the formidable Tao Wan. He had never imagined that Tao Wan had grown so powerful that she could clash with him head-on, matching his cultivation foundation and even suppressing it. Worse still, all of it was under countless watchful eyes. From this day forward, everyone knew Tao Daonan had lost and his authority was gone.

As Tao Daonan stepped out of the Alchemy Hall, the sunlight spilled across his face, and for an instant his vision swam. When he blinked against the glare, an unfamiliar emptiness welled up inside him. Am I... truly old now?