An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Luo Chen’s arrival drew the attention of some people, but only some. On this front line, Adepts still occupied an absolutely lofty position, yet they were no longer as elusive as they usually were. Large enchanted-treasure vehicles appeared from time to time outside Moonbreak.

After mooring the Crimson Flame Dragon Boat, Luo Chen did not bother with trivial matters. The Initiates of the Luo Tian Sect under his command handled them. He simply led Xu Haizhen and a dozen Qi Refinement disciples into the city.

Right before entering the gate, Luo Chen paused mid-step. His gaze fell on the humanoid puppet guarding the gate, and a glint passed through his eyes. A puppet comparable to an early-stage Initiate, and they are using it as a gatekeeper? Has the Falling Cloud Sect amassed puppets in such quantities already?

Luo Chen shook his head and strode into Moonbreak.

He had not seen much from outside, so the moment he stepped inside came as something of a shock to him. A rough and savage aura rushed at him all at once; even the air itself seemed to carry a peculiar smell. It was a scent born from a mixture of humans, demonic beasts, a plethora of minerals, blood, and many other things. It all blended into something indescribable. If he had to assign one word to it, that word would be ”restless.”

”The immortal city already stands and the foothold is secure, so a fierce campaign to subdue this wilderness must be next. My timing could not be better.”

While Luo Chen muttered to himself, a familiar face rode a streak of light along the main street toward him. Even from far away, Luo Chen could see the delight on the young man’s face.

Whoosh...

A gust of sharp wind lifted a corner of Luo Chen’s robe. He smiled as he looked toward the newcomer. The young man rushed up to him in excitement and offered a deep bow. ”Greetings, Supreme Elder!”

Luo Chen smiled faintly and beckoned him over, and Zeng Yilong stepped forward. Luo Chen pressed a hand onto his arm, then patted his back and chest a few times before finally nodding in satisfaction.

”Not bad. You have achieved major mastery in the first stage of Physique Refinement, and your cultivation in the Blood River Realm is quite solid. Your blood essence is robust, and your qi plentiful. It seems you have already comprehended Bright Force to an extent?”

Zeng Yilong chuckled and said, ”Master taught me well. He brought me several times into the inner regions of the mountains to hunt down isolated second-tier demonic beasts. That’s how I made this progress.”

Zeng Wen’s orphaned son had a truly decent aptitude. Luo Chen had once considered taking him as a disciple, but Wang Yuan had snatched him up first and passed on his Physique Refinement legacy to the boy. The path he walked still began with forming the Foundation Establishment to extend his lifespan before climbing toward the peak of the physical path. However, unlike the early days when Wang Yuan and Luo Chen fumbled their way forward step by step, Zeng Yilong had embarked on a comparatively mature path from the very start.

Now, he had reached both the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Blood River Realm. Within the second stage of Physique Refinement, he had already passed through the four minor realms of Marrow Cleansing and Meridian Unblocking. He had also reached minor mastery of Aperture Opening.

Still, the path of Physique Refinement was the path of martial arts, and he had too little combat experience. That was why Wang Yuan had brought him along—to personally take part in the Frontier War and use life and death battles to grasp the shifts of blood qi. By the looks of it, he had indeed made significant progress.

After offering a few words of praise, Luo Chen took out the few remaining supreme-grade Blood Boosting Pills and handed them to Zeng Yilong as a little gift to show encouragement and expectation.

”Where are your master and the others?”

The Luo Tian Sect representatives walked along a wide avenue of Moonbreak. Streaks of light rose and fell all around them, and the noisy chatter of cultivators never stopped. For some reason, everyone seemed to be rushing in the same direction. Luo Chen took in the lively scene as he chatted with Zeng Yilong.

Zeng Yilong perked up and said, ”Supreme Elder, you came at just the right time. My master and the others are competing for the shop management rights in Moonbreak.”

”Hm?” Luo Chen’s expression darkened at once. ”So soon?”

He was very clear about the matter of Moonbreak’s shop management rights. Once the immortal city had been established, the prime storefronts along the main thoroughfares had naturally become worth their weight in gold. Anyone with a bit of insight knew that Moonbreak held immense potential, and securing a good shop in advance would mean unimaginable profits in the future. Even if the business was poorly run, transferring the rights later would at least not result in a loss.

Luo Chen had hurried over in such a rush partly because of this matter as well. However, based on the dates decided earlier, this should not have been happening today.

Zeng Yilong scratched his head and said, ”I heard the other eight upper sects grew dissatisfied with the Falling Cloud Sect dragging things out and delaying the pace of the Frontier War, so they forced the Falling Cloud Sect to speed up and settle the affairs of Moonbreak. Among those matters, the shop management rights became the foremost issue to resolve. Of course, all of this is only a rumor. I am not entirely sure of the exact reasons. Either way, today is the day they decide the ownership of the shops numbered ten to twenty on the central avenue.”

This was entirely unlike the usual practice of renting shops in an immortal city. But Moonbreak was newly built and had contributions from all twenty-seven sects. Thus, the Falling Cloud Sect had chosen a different approach. They had taken out twenty of the best-located shops and offered their permanent ownership. The nine upper sects had priority to choose one each, and the remaining eleven had been left for all the major sects and the relatively weaker forces to fight over.

However, dividing them fairly was troublesome, so in the end, they had chosen the most common method in the cultivation world: Dao debates. In other words, duels! The permanent ownership of those shops would be determined by the ranking in those duels.

The Luo Tian Sect by itself was not quite qualified to fight for a spot, but the Luo Tian Alliance that Luo Chen had established included five Adepts. That brought them to the level of a major sect, a force that could not be underestimated. Naturally, Diwu Qi and the others had the intention to compete as well.

At first, Luo Chen had not taken it too seriously. After all, the Luo Tian Sect already had a mature business system and did not need to take a risk and compete with the major sects. However, he also understood that Diwu Qi, Cen Qiusheng, and the others had brought their entire families with them, left their homelands, and come to struggle in this new domain. They urgently needed a stable source of income. In the end, he had agreed to join in. For that reason, he had also brought Xu Haizhen along, planning to use the shop they obtained to take on businesses related to demonic beasts as well.

Now that Luo Chen had heard that the Dao Debates had started ahead of schedule, he did not hesitate and said, ”Lead the way!”

Zeng Yilong nodded hurriedly and flew off in a certain direction. Seeing his speed, Luo Chen shook his head. The young man was just too slow. His mana suddenly surged; now that he knew the general direction, he simply swept everyone up and flew straight toward the western side of the city. Wherever they passed, their overwhelming aura forced the other rushing cultivators to give way.

Just a short while later, Luo Chen descended outside a massive, imposing building and looked up at the plaque that read ”Jade Cauldron Debate Platform.”

”The Sword Sect really acts fast. They even finished building the Debate Platform already...” murmured Luo Chen. He strode straight into the arena built of countless massive boulders; Zeng Yilong, Xu Haizhen, and the others hurried after him.

***

”Kill!”

”Kill!”

”Kill!”

They were still inside the access corridor, yet Luo Chen’s keen senses allowed him to hear the deafening shouts through the arena’s barrier formation. And when he finally stepped out of the corridor, his eyes widened.

What filled his sight was a sea of people beyond counting. There were easily over a hundred thousand cultivators here! Every person stood at their seat, eyes blazing with fervor as they watched the battle reaching its peak, letting out crude cries like ”Kill him!” and ”Beat him to death!”

This was the first time in his life Luo Chen had seen so many cultivators gathered in one place. Even though most had ways to restrain their spirit power, the faint traces that still leaked out, accumulated at this scale, felt absolutely terrifying.

Luo Chen drew a long breath and walked toward the northern stands while countless strands of curious divine consciousness swept over him. Before long, he spotted familiar figures: Fu Jiusheng, Diwu Qi, Jiang Yu, and Cen Qiusheng.

When Luo Chen appeared, the four of them rose at once to greet him.

”Fellow Daoist Luo, welcome.”

”Dan Chenzi, I trust you have been well.”

”Fellow Daoist Luo.”

”Supreme Elder—” started Fu Jiusheng.

Luo Chen frowned and cut him off. He looked toward the area where the Luo Tian Alliance cultivators were gathered. He swept his gaze across it and noticed one person missing. ”Where is Wang Yuan?”

Diwu Qi laughed and said, ”Young friend Wang Yuan is preparing to enter the arena. You will see him in the next match on the Debate Platform.”

Luo Chen stared at him with a dark expression. ”You were the ones who insisted on fighting for a shop. The Luo Tian Sect was only here to assist and had no real need for that shop. Why were the previous rounds of duels fought not by your family’s disciples but by the leader of my Succession Palace? I want an explanation!”

Diwu Qi stiffened, and his expression turned awkward. Cen Qiusheng let out a weary sigh. ”The disciples of my Cen family lacked the skill. They were eliminated in the preliminary round.”

Jiang Yu added, ”The Stormwind Manor sent into battle my own son, Jiang He, but he was unfortunately gravely injured and suffered a miserable defeat. So now only Palace Leader Wang Yuan remains.”

Luo Chen’s expression worsened. He had already learned the rules of this from Zeng Yilong. Each participating force had to send out three Initiates. They would first fight in paired matches to determine eleven qualifiers. Those eleven would then fight one another to establish the final ranking. That ranking determined each force’s priority in choosing a shop.

The three chosen candidates were fixed from the very beginning and could not be replaced. In other words, if someone was severely injured, the remaining fighters needed to defeat all three opponents consecutively for their force to win. And on the side of the Luo Tian Alliance, the only person who could truly fight now was Wang Yuan.

Luo Chen restrained his displeasure and spoke in a low voice. ”Since we have already secured a slot, we should concede the next round. Even if we take the worst among the eleven shops, the profits will be more than enough for the three of our forces to share.”

Cen Qiusheng offered no objection to that plan. Yet Diwu Qi and Jiang Yu both showed visible dissatisfaction.

Jiang Yu spoke up. ”We have set our sights on shop number eight. To give up now feels rather wasteful, does it not?”

Luo Chen cast him a cold glance. ”If your son was still capable of fighting and this was a proper three-versus-three, I would have no objections.”

Jiang Yu opened his mouth, only to find himself speechless. His son’s injuries were truly severe, and he could not possibly send him back into the arena.

Diwu Qi shook his head with a laugh. ”Fellow Daoist Luo, there is no need to be so tense. In my view, young friend Wang Yuan is extremely strong. With a Cen family disciple supporting him, defeating three opponents in succession is not out of the question. Besides, he himself is quite willing.”

”Hm?” Luo Chen lifted a brow.

Fu Jiusheng quietly explained, ”Palace Leader Wang Yuan reached a bottleneck and wished to temper himself through battle. Also, Diwu Qi promised that if he could seize shop number eight, he would be rewarded with ten strands of Divine Wind Fiend.”

Divine Wind Fiend! It originated from the Windflower Domain and was a specialty of the Windflower Palace. Rumor had it that the stronghold of Windflower Palace was built atop a towering peak where violent winds raged year-round. Sages ascended to gather materials there, and Divine Wind Fiend was one of the rarest among them.

At the mention of that material, Luo Chen understood immediately why Wang Yuan had been tempted. To advance from the Blood River Realm to the third stage of Physique Refinement, the Furnace Realm, one needed perfected insight into blood qi, the ability to condense a core and gather one’s intent, and the birth of fortified qi. The Divine Wind Fiend happened to be a naturally formed fortified qi. If Wang Yuan had it, he might indeed break through his bottleneck. Still...

”The shop number eight means fighting at least three forces with nine opponents in total. You certainly have great confidence in Wang Yuan,” Luo Chen spoke with a smile that held no warmth.

Diwu Qi shrugged. ”Not only do we have confidence in him, but he also has confidence in himself. Surely you cannot stop your subordinate from striving.”

”Hmph!”

Luo Chen let out a cold snort, yet he could not refute the point. If the cultivator in question had been anyone else from the Luo Tian Sect, he might still have pressed the matter with his authority as Supreme Elder. But Wang Yuan was an exception. Even now, having reached the Golden Core Realm, Luo Chen carried a measure of respect for the man who was both teacher and friend to him. Still, even if he could not stop him, he could certainly secure better terms for him.

”If we take shop number eight, I will not interfere with how you guys run the business. But each of you must hand over ten percent of your annual profits to Wang Yuan.”

Diwu Qi’s expression darkened. ”That is impossible. The Divine Wind Fiend as a reward is already enough.”

Cen Qiusheng hesitated as he said, ”Don’t you think ten percent is too much?”

Luo Chen looked at them coldly as he said, ”I am not bargaining with you; I am simply informing you of my decision. If you disagree, I will submit a concession request right now. Do not forget that in this alliance, I am the alliance leader.”

At those words, the three exchanged uneasy glances. Fu Jiusheng had already moved silently to stand behind Luo Chen, his stance making his support unquestionable. After a round of discussion, the other three finally agreed to the arrangement.

With that settled, the next step was simply to sit and watch the duel. Luo Chen took his seat, his gaze now steady as he looked toward the massive platform encircled by the circular stands.

The final round of challenges officially began with the announcement of a Golden Core elder of the Sword Sect. The Luo Tian Alliance challenged the tenth-ranked power, Pearl-Returning Pavilion. It was an assassin organization. Unlike the Jade Cauldron Domain, which strictly prohibited devil path organizations, the other domains of the Eastern Wilderness did not enforce a clear division between righteous and devilish. As long as they did not commit truly abominable acts, the kind that provoked not only human outrage but heaven’s wrath, it was outstandingly rare for an entire domain to join forces and exterminate them.

In such an environment, forces like Pearl-Returning Pavilion naturally found room to survive. They took money and resolved problems. Whether in the mortal world or the cultivation world, such practices had always persisted.

The first to enter the arena for the Luo Tian Alliance was a member of the Cen family, an elderly Initiate at the ninth stage. When he appeared, Wang Yuan’s figure also appeared below the stage. Luo Chen spotted him with a single glance. Upon seeing the fighting spirit surging from him, Luo Chen exhaled softly. I can only secure this much for you. If it fails, then let it be. But if you succeed, the profits from shop number eight will be of immense benefit to your future cultivation.

The path of Physique Refinement was one of quick advance, yet it devoured resources just as swiftly. At present, most of the Luo Tian Sect’s resources were flowing toward Luo Chen. Ordinary Qi Refinement and Initiates still received some benefits, but the share received by Wang Yuan was far from sufficient for someone on his path. If he truly won this battle, it would be a tremendous boon for his future.

Diwu Qi’s crude words held a good measure of truth. Luo Chen could not suppress the self-driven ambitions of those at his side.

While Luo Chen sighed inwardly, that elder of the Cen family had already leapt onto the Debate Platform.

”Cen Guangwei of the Luo Tian Alliance!”

”Silver-class assassin Wu Gou of Pearl-Returning Pavilion!”