An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”In the Flame Alliance’s shops, artifact repairs were never this expensive!”

Faced with these constant complaints and bargaining attempts, the disciples of Skysail City all wore pleasant smiles, yet showed no intention of yielding. Most answered with nearly identical lines.

”You get what you pay for. This really is not expensive.”

”You think it’s just fixing a broken tip. But the formation is damaged, so we have to erase it and inscribe it again. Nine hundred is just because you’re a loyal customer. You should know that most who are proficient in the Armor-Breaking Formation are high-level formation masters. Hiring such a master for a mere nine hundred spirit stones is very cheap.”

”Fellow Daoist, I say you should not miss the forest for the trees. We are in the Frontier War with opportunities everywhere. Instead of quibbling over a thousand spirit stones, it would be better to let us fix it quickly and go earn a couple thousand more.”

”The Flame Alliance? They’re dead and gone. Here in Moonbreak, Skysail City artisans are the only ones capable of repairing supreme-grade enchanted artifacts.”

”How is this expensive? The price has been the same for years. Don’t talk nonsense. Our Skysail City artifact creators work very hard on these repairs. If it still feels too much, then you might as well buy a new piece.”

”Fellow Daoist, why not take a look at this Azure Flood Sword? It may only be a top-grade enchanted artifact, but its power is not inferior to that of a supreme-grade one...”

After stepping out of the noisy Treasure Pavilion, Luo Chen shook his head as if he wanted to fling all that clamor out of his ears. He glanced back at the Treasure Pavilion under Skysail City’s banner; the sight made him smack his lips, and a faint redness stung his eyes. The amount of spirit stones they earned each day had to be terrifying.

Enchanted artifacts and treasures were not like other consumables. Cultivators spent enormous time and effort refining them so they would respond smoothly in battle. Even if they were slightly damaged, almost everyone chose repair over replacement. Luo Chen himself was the same; if someone offered him a brand new Mystic Flame Sword in exchange for his used one, he would certainly refuse.

It was obvious that Skysail City had seized on this mentality, which was why they dared to name such outrageous prices. If there had been competitors, at least the prices could have been forced down. But clearly, in the Howling Moon Mountain Range, there were no respectable artifact creation forces besides Skysail City. Had the Flame Alliance still existed, it would have definitely snatched away at least half of this business and the profit... No, not just half. The end price would also have to factor in the monopoly premium they were charging now.

So it seems Skysail City really does have a good reason for scheming so hard against the Flame Alliance. No wonder that when Moonbreak was built, Sage Heaven Craft personally stepped in to help.... Oh well, whatever. There’s no point in envying that kind of business. The branch shop our Luo Tian Sect opened in Glowing Stream Market can at least get a small share, and that’s enough good fortune.

There would always be poor cultivators who could not bear to pay the premium to repair their artifacts. They would rather bypass Moonbreak and travel deep into the rear lines to seek someone cheaper to fix their weapons. That was exactly the kind of business Duan Feng and the others were running now. They scraped up whatever leaked through Skysail City’s fingers, and even those scraps earned them far more than they had in peacetime. After all, people needed to know when to feel content!

Luo Chen turned away and headed straight for shop number eight, which belonged to the Luo Tian Alliance. Xu Haizhen was the manager, and when learned of Luo Chen’s arrival, he came out to greet him personally and report the shop’s recent earnings.

The shop occupied a truly prime location. For the moment, the Luo Tian Sect mainly dealt in beast-related trade: demonic beast meat, hides and other materials, and even live cubs. Overall, the profits were only average.

Luo Chen had no particular solution to this. The shop’s location was good and the time was ripe for profit, but the place was jointly run by three factions within the Luo Tian Alliance. As a result, its business lines were messy and unfocused. In peacetime, such variety might attract many potential customers. Yet in wartime, cultivators preferred specialized stores and had little interest in a place that resembled a general goods stall. At most, a few people would stop by on occasion to hunt for bargains.

Luo Chen also took the chance to ask about the businesses run by Stormwind Manor and the Cen family. When he heard that they were frequently sending people to the frontlines to gather resources and resell them in the rear, he had a better grasp of the situation. The Luo Tian Alliance was relatively stable for now. Everyone was doing everything they could to earn spirit stones.

”Recently, quite a few major sects have sent people to ask whether we plan to transfer shop number eight. Supreme Elder, what do you think?” Xu Haizhen asked.

Luo Chen waved his hand. ”Just refuse them politely. The shop’s current profits may not look impressive, but its potential is great. Once the situation stabilizes, I will have Gu Caiyi manage it personally and adjust the business strategy.”

”Alright, I understand,” Xu Haizhen said with a nod.

Before leaving, Luo Chen took a live second-tier demonic wolf from the shop. He planned to cultivate in the immortal city for the next few days while waiting for his enchanted treasures to be repaired. Naturally, he could not waste that time. His cultivation of Mirror Flower Water Moon was still a step away from the Grandmaster level and required living creatures as targets.

***

”At last, I’ve done it.”

In a third-tier cave residence in the immortal city, Luo Chen stared at his status panel and let out a long breath. This spell truly lived up to its reputation as the top-tier water-element illusion spell among third-tier ones. It was astonishingly difficult. All of its prerequisite spells—Water Mirror, Flower Fairy, and Spirit Beguilement—had long been practiced to Perfected Mastery, and his foundation could not have been more solid. Yet even under such conditions, it had still taken more than half a year for him to grind this spell from Perfection level to Grandmaster level. Along the way, he’d led into confusion almost a hundred first-tier and second-tier demonic beasts. Fortunately, this was a Frontier War, and demonic beasts were everywhere. Otherwise, who knew how long it would have taken to raise his proficiency?

The higher the tier of a spell, cultivation technique, alchemy technique, or Physique Refinement technique, the more proficiency points were needed for each small advancement. The panel still displayed upper limits of 100, 200, 300, 500, and 1000, yet numbers did not increase at the same rate. Back in Qi Refinement, casting Fireball once had raised proficiency by one. But after reaching the Golden Core Realm, he now needed to cast Mirror Flower Water Moon four or five times for a single point.

I really should have realized this long ago. Back in Foundation Establishment, I had to use Yi Wood Medicine King Codex for twenty cycles just to raise a single point of proficiency, and the Clear Origin Mystical Pill was even worse. No wonder high-tier cultivators don’t really try to practice things they don’t have immediate talent for, even though they have plenty of time. Unlike me, they can’t see their exact progress. Every day of effort feels like a rock thrown into the sea. Even when they do notice some progress, the gains are tiny compared to the effort spent. Well... it makes sense they end up giving up really fast.

After reflecting for a moment, Luo Chen no longer dwelt on it. Being able to see tangible returns from his effort was a blessing. He might have grown used to this blessing, yet every time he experienced it, it still made him happy.

His attention now rested on Mirror Flower Water Moon.

Let’s see what its effects are at the Grandmaster level.

He fixed his gaze on the second-tier demonic wolf in the cage. It was tall, over two zhang tall, and rather slender; its coat of fur shone like gold, and it was dazzling to the eye. It also had something that differentiated it from other second-tier wolves—extremely high spirit intelligence. It was a Blazegold Wolf, the most spiritually gifted of the countless wolf breeds in the cultivation world.

Blazegold Wolves were also among the most valued targets of demon hunters. Their high spirit intelligence made them ideal as mounts or guardian spirit beasts. Not only that, their fur, hide, bones, and blood were all very useful. Even outside wartime, demon hunters would often venture into the mountains specifically to catch them. As a result, their numbers had grown increasingly sparse. The Luo Tian Sect had spent a sizable sum of spirit stones to buy this one from another party.

What a pity that it will be wasted in my hands.

Luo Chen pressed his lips together and cast Mirror Flower Water Moon on the demonic wolf bearing its fangs at him. As he formed the seals, he suddenly thought of something.

Two hundred seventy-one spirit seals are a bit too complex. If I simplify them a little, can I increase the casting speed?

With a sudden flash of inspiration, Luo Chen tried to streamline the sequence of seals. In the end, he succeeded. As he watched the Blazegold Wolf crouch down with dazed eyes, he fell into thoughtful silence.

The power of Mirror Flower Water Moon at Grandmaster level is hard to quantify, but the casting speed is three times greater. If I keep using the simplified seals and master them, I might be able to push the speed even further. Does this mean that once I reach Perfected Mastery, I could actually achieve instant casting?

Instantly casting such a powerful illusion spell... The mere thought of such a thing made Luo Chen’s breathing quicken. If he truly achieved it, he would hold an overwhelming advantage in battles against his peers—the advantage of striking first, interrupting attacks, breaking deadlocks, and even delivering a decisive blow. After all, even late-stage Adept could expose fatal flaws if caught off guard by an illusion. He would only need to follow up with a single strike. All the more so given how inherently fragile cultivators’ bodies were...

He shook his head sharply and drew in a deep breath. He forced that fantasy back into his heart. The path ahead was long and winding. He had already lost count of the effort and resources it had taken just to reach the Grandmaster level. As for Perfected Mastery... that was still far away.

”It should be about time. My enchanted treasures should be repaired by now.”

Luo Chen meditated for a while, then dispelled the illusion on the Blazegold Wolf. Once it was freed, the demonic wolf’s aura weakened significantly. Its ferocity seemed to have diminished substantially, and it crouched before Luo Chen trembling like a frightened pup.

”Has its spirit intelligence been damaged? That means the spell has grown in power, and it’s not just disorienting the target! Well, this makes sense. This illusion was always the result of a divine soul attack, and once I get to Perfected Mastery, it should be capable of striking the divine soul quite hard.”

After carefully assessing the wolf’s condition, Luo Chen grabbed it and left the cave residence.

First, he returned the wolf to Xu Haizhen to see whether it could still fetch a reasonable price. After all, it was a form of reducing waste. Then he headed toward the nearby Treasure Pavilion. As expected, in just ten days, Huyan Zhuo had finished repairing both enchanted treasures. Luo Chen tested them briefly in front of him and found that the odd sensation from before was completely gone.

”These have been repaired and supplemented with new materials. You still need to refine them properly once you return.”

”Thank you for the reminder, Master Huyan.” Luo Chen stored the enchanted treasures with satisfaction. Without lingering, he flew toward the Luo Tian Alliance.

When his light rose, it caught the attention of a few low-tier cultivators. But in the Howling Moon Range, nowadays, Adepts were no longer the mysterious figures they used to be. Even low-tier cultivators had seen a few up close by now.

As soon as Luo Chen returned to the Luo Tian Alliance’s estate, Chu Kui came looking for him. Luo Chen smiled and asked, ”Shouldn’t you be in seclusion to remove the foreign mana from your body? How do you have time to come looking for me?”

With his enchanted treasures repaired, his mood was excellent, so his old comrade’s visit was actually quite well-timed. The newly available third-tier cave residence on Snow Wolf Flats was being used by Chu Kui now. Once he cleared the lingering foreign mana, he would definitely attempt a second breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm. He was no longer young, after all.

But instead of answering Luo Chen’s question, Chu Kui put on a solemn expression and said, ”The Falling Cloud Sect has sent people.”

The smile on Luo Chen’s face vanished in an instant.