An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Half a month earlier

In the eastern reaches of the Jade Cauldron Domain, endless mountains stretched beneath the clouds. A young man stepped out from a grand black hall suspended among the clouds. As he emerged, a young girl hurried forward to greet him.

”Senior Brother, see? I wasn’t wrong this time! You can finally take me out to play,” she said eagerly.

The young man shook his head. ”Huan’er, this trip isn’t for fun. It’s an important matter.”

”I don’t care! At least we’re going out. I heard the outside world is really fun.” The girl pouted playfully, slipping her arm around his without the slightest concern for the streaks of light flying everywhere around them.

The young man sighed. ”No rush. I’ll inform my mother before we depart.”

”Mmhmm. Senior Brother, I will listen to you!” exclaimed Huan’er.

Before long, the young man descended upon a small mountain not far from Sect Master Li’s main peak, riding upon a white cloud. As the mist parted, an elegant courtyard slowly came into view. The moment he stepped inside, a faint scent of sandalwood filled the air. It was also accompanied by the soft and rhythmic tap of a wooden fish.[1] The young man paused, and before he could speak, a gentle voice drifted out.

”Yuanjiang, is that you?”

”Yes, Mother,” answered Qin Yuanjiang softly. He entered the courtyard. Before long, Murong Qinglian appeared before him. She was dressed in plain white robes and sitting on a meditation cushion; one hand held a string of prayer beads, while the other was lightly tapping a wooden fish.

”Greetings, Mother.”

Seeing his mother like this, Qin Yuanjiang felt a sudden ache in his heart. He had thought that bringing her back to the Falling Cloud Sect would let him fulfill his filial duty and let her live out her years in peace. Yet some things could not be summed up so simply as ”the joy of family life.”

Throughout her life, his mother had never been domineering, yet she was independent and self-reliant, never requesting help from anyone. Back when she and his father lived among the rogue cultivators, the two had supported each other through countless hardships. And within the Luo Tian Society, she had held great authority, overseeing thousands of cultivators.

To suddenly abandon all those affairs and come to the Falling Cloud Sect had left her unsettled for years. After all, she was a senior to him in name only. At the same time, as an Initiate just over a hundred years old, she was still in her prime. To make her idle was to make her restless.

Even after he’d asked the sect elders to find her a peaceful place to reside, she had taken years to adapt. In the end, she suddenly came to a realization and chose to devote herself to a life of seclusion among the eternal lamps and Buddha statues, saying she wished to pray for blessings for her late husband and for her son.

The contrast was so great that Qin Yuanjiang often wondered whether bringing his mother here had been a mistake. In his memories, she had been gentle yet unyielding, soft-spoken yet possessing a quiet strength that others could depend on. And now, within this small courtyard and shrine...

”Did you come for something?”

Her gentle voice pulled him from his thoughts. Qin Yuanjiang steadied his mind and replied, ”Master has ordered me to leave the mountain for a while to attend the Core Formation Ceremony of the Luo Tian Sect’s Supreme Elder, Dan Chen... Uncle Luo.”

The sound of the wooden fish abruptly stopped.

”Mother, would you like to come along to see some old friends?”

After saying that, he fell silent.

His master was the sect master. He managed all worldly affairs, and congratulatory visits were likewise arranged by him with great care. For this event, the representative leading the visit was Elder Qu Xibai, an Adept who happened to be stationed in Tianlan Immortal City at the moment. Even so, the sect still needed to send someone to deliver gifts on their behalf. The sect master knew well of Qin Yuanjiang’s connection to the Luo Tian Sect and his prior acquaintance with Luo Chen. Thus, this task was naturally assigned to him.

He had also instructed Qin Yuanjiang to take along his young daughter, who had just reached Foundation Establishment, to broaden her horizons during the journey. Perhaps it was also a way to foster ties between the two juniors.

Qin Yuanjiang accepted the assignment gladly. He also hoped to use the trip as a chance for his mother to get out for a while. After all, she couldn’t spend the rest of her life sitting alone in this quiet courtyard. That was his hope. Yet unfortunately...

Murong Qinglian remained silent for a moment before speaking softly. ”My heart has finally found peace. I won’t go.”

Qin Yuanjiang opened his mouth, wanting to persuade her, but no words came. He understood all too well: His mother was afraid that visiting Danxia Peak would bring back too many memories.

”In that case—”

”But even if I don’t go, your Uncle Luo has gone through great hardship to form his core. I won’t be at peace if I don’t congratulate him,” Murong Qinglian said gently.

She rose from her meditation cushion. She had grown thinner over the years. As she walked to his side, she flipped her wrist and revealed a black iron tablet in her hand.

”This... is a cultivation technique?” Qin Yuanjiang asked uncertainly.

Murong Qinglian nodded, gently rubbing the iron tablet as a faint smile appeared on her face.

”In my first few years here, I couldn’t quite adapt. I wandered through the nearby immortal cities, and when I saw this third-tier metal-element cultivation technique, I bought it without realizing why.”

Was it really the workings of fate?

Qin Yuanjiang knew very well that his mother still missed his father. His father, Qin Liangchen, had been a metal-element cultivator, yet had never succeeded in establishing his foundation. When his mother bought this technique, it had not been a coincidence—it had been an unconscious act of longing, as if she still believed his father was alive. She was still preparing cultivation resources for him out of habit and love.

”I know their situation well,” Murong Qinglian said softly. ”They do not lack low-tier techniques, but high-tier ones are few. This Great Geng[2] Metal Execution Art may not be exceptional in power, but it is complete, from Qi Refinement to Golden Core. Deliver this to Luo Chen on my behalf. Let it enrich the Luo Tian Sect’s collection and become part of its inheritance. Tell him to consider it the Qin family’s congratulatory gift for the sect’s founding.”

Qin Yuanjiang accepted the black iron tablet respectfully with both hands. He understood that his mother still could not fully let go of the Luo Tian Society. It was a force she had built with her own hands, recruiting members one by one and nurturing them from the ground up. What had once been an insignificant force in Dahe Market had now grown into a first-rate power led by an Adept. She had to be immensely proud.

”Other than the gift, is there anything you’d like me to tell him?” Qin Yuanjiang asked.

Murong Qinglian thought for a moment. A faint smile rose to her lips, as if she recalled an old memory. ”There’s nothing much to say. Just wish the honorable Supreme Elder Luo to keep striving. May he one day reach the Nascent Soul Realm and bring glory to the Eastern Wilderness.”

Qin Yuanjiang blinked in surprise. To form a Golden Core was already a rare and extraordinary achievement. Even in their own Falling Cloud Sect, only Sage Han Zhan had ever reached Nascent Soul. How much harder would it be for someone like Luo Chen, who had been a rogue cultivator? Yet when he saw the warmth in his mother’s smile, he kept his doubts to himself and committed her words to memory.

Mother surely knows Uncle Luo better than I do. She knows his ambitions are far-reaching and that he would never be content to stop at the Golden Core Realm. And even I can tell that he’s a man of vision and determination. This blessing suits him better than any conventional congratulation.

With that thought, Qin Yuanjiang bowed deeply and said, ”I will remember this.”

***

That very day, Qin Yuanjiang left the Falling Cloud Sect with his junior sister Ruan Huan’er, the sect master’s daughter, heading straight toward Danxia Peak.

Along the way, Ruan Huan’er tried several times to stop and sightsee, but he refused each time. Even when she pouted, grew angry, or threw little tantrums, he ignored her completely and focused solely on reaching Danxia Peak.

Despite her constant grumbling, they arrived without much delay. Yet when they finally reached the foot of the mountain, Qin Yuanjiang stopped in place. After standing there silently for a long while, he turned and made his way toward Tianlan Immortal City instead.

”Senior Brother, why not deliver the gift and your greetings first, then stay for a while and have some fun?” she asked curiously.

”It’s not the right time yet,” Qin Yuanjiang replied with composure. ”We’ll present our congratulations during the Core Formation Ceremony. Doing so will lend more prestige to the Luo Tian Sect.”

”Oh!” The girl nodded, though she still tilted her head in curiosity. ”Then why not go up and visit your uncle first? He’s really famous, even Senior Brother Han Zheng can’t compare to him.”

”Uncle Luo has only just emerged from seclusion,” Qin Yuanjiang explained. ”He must be extremely busy. I shouldn’t take up his time. For now, we must first deliver our sect’s gift to Martial Uncle Qu. Didn’t you say you wanted to see the cultivation world’s wonders? Once we’re done, I’ll take you to explore properly.”

”Mmhmm. Alright, Senior Brother, I will listen to you,” said Huan’er.

She did not try to prod Qin Yuanjiang further. In the past, she had liked her Senior Brother Qin, a bit clumsy yet bold. Back in the Qi Refinement stage, he would take her up mountains and down valleys to play, and she very much enjoyed that. The Senior Brother Qin before her now was different. But although she was still not quite used to it, there was a newfound sense of security around him.

Ever since the battle at the Thundernet Mountains and the raid on the Flame Alliance, he had changed. He had become steadier, more composed, and far more meticulous in his thoughts and actions. He was certainly not as fun as before, but he inspired greater trust. And it wasn’t just her. Her father had once looked down on him, yet after whatever had happened in the Thundernet Mountains, he had changed his view as well. Even he regarded Qin Yuanjiang in a new light.

They went first to Tianlan Immortal City. Despite Qu Xibai being occupied with countless affairs, he still spared a moment to meet with the two of them before granting them freedom to move about. His only instruction was simple—do not cause trouble.

The Frontier War had already begun. Countless cultivators from other domains were passing through Tianlan to head for the front. If they provoked some overbearing master, the latter would not give a dead rat’s ass what great sect stood behind them. They would be robbed clean and chopped to pieces, and then the other party would simply stroll away unbothered.

Qin Yuanjiang naturally kept this firmly in mind. Therefore, when he took Ruan Huan’er out to sightsee, he kept mostly to the areas in the immediate vicinity of Tianlan.

In this way, time passed quietly. Amid growing anticipation, the time for Luo Chen’s Core Formation Ceremony finally arrived.

1. 木魚 (muyu) are a type of woodblock drum used as a percussion instrument in Buddhist rituals and meditation in China and surrounding countries. ☜

2. Geng (庚) is the seventh of the ten Heavenly Stems (yin-yang and the five elements) and represents Yang Metal. ☜