An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”He succeeded!”

Within the Transcendence Palace, Nether Spring’s expression shifted slightly. A scorched scent rose from her body. She had a slight connection to that feather, and through this connection, she had instantly figured out that Luo Chen had managed to learn the technique. She flapped her wings to disperse the burnt smell, and a trace of satisfaction appeared on her face. She had originally planned to find time to guide Luo Chen personally. She had not expected him to possess such outstanding talent; he had understood the key point really quickly.

Of course, she had no way of knowing that Luo Chen had cheated. But that was not really important; given Luo Chen’s talent, he would still have comprehended it on his own with enough time. It was just that the situation did not allow him to ponder things slowly. That was why he had decided to just cheat and avoid wasting time hovering below the Beginner level.

Nether Spring flew out of the Transcendence Palace, pondering to herself. Let’s see what you do next, though. Nirvana isn’t something confined to a single act. Its true meaning is everywhere. It’s about stepping into death and emerging reborn. Burning that feather and activating the bloodline is nirvana in a sense, but that’s only the most superficial layer. To truly reach the first realm requires far more than just that.

***

After the first successful use of the new technique, Luo Chen decisively gave up Wood Ignition, although he had already reached the Grandmaster level. And with that, his cultivation speed took a tremendous leap. By his own judgment, all else being equal, his current cultivation speed was not inferior to that of a triple-spirit-root cultivator, four or five times faster than the previous baseline!

There was still a vast gap between this and the level described in the scripture, allegedly rivaling a heavenly spirit root cultivator. Even so, Luo Chen felt deeply satisfied. After all, the external conditions were by no means lacking. Although the supply of Starfield Pills had been temporarily cut off, he possessed a supreme-grade third-tier spirit vein. Based on the amount of mana he refined each day, he estimated that he’d only need seven or eight years at most to reach the third stage of the Golden Core Realm.

He had previously estimated that even with a supreme-grade third-tier spirit land and plenty of pills, breaking through to the third stage would take at least ten years. Now that the time had been shortened by so much, even with no medicine, it clearly showed just how important a good core cultivation technique was.

Still... how am I supposed to push my mana through that kind of transformation and reach the First Nirvana? That must be what Nether Spring meant by really getting started, and it seems that’s what I have to do to get the maximum cultivation speed.

On the mountainside plaza, Luo Chen refined Imperial Nectar while pondering these questions. At Pure Crane’s insistence, he had to slow down each step so that the demonic birds in the audience could observe the process clearly.

Luo Chen had long since reached the point where he no longer cared. If they wanted to learn, they could try. Demonic beasts were not terribly talented alchemists anyway, and those without natural aptitude would never master it no matter how closely they watched. After all, not everyone had a universal cheatsheet like his.

This arrangement suited him just fine. With the pace slowed, he could calmly spare part of his attention to think about other issues. When he completed a round of refinement, a chorus of praise arose as expected.

”Human alchemy is amazing! No matter how many times I see it, I’m still impressed.”

”That medicine is amazing! Who would’ve thought you can use those stinky wolf carcasses to make something like that!”

”That’s because Master Luo Chen’s alchemy is amazing!”

”Oh, Master Luo Chen’s fire control is even more amazing! When you guys pushed me closer just now, I didn’t even feel the heat! And he has a primordial true fire!”

”No wonder he’s the most famous human alchemist!”

Since the audience was a group of recluse demonic beasts with little knowledge of human civilization, everything Luo Chen did triggered a deluge of compliments. He paid no mind to these flattering words. He simply attributed them to his proficiency nearing Perfected Mastery, which had brought about a qualitative change in his alchemy.

However, the repeated remarks about his refined fire control lingered in his thoughts over the following days. And during one cultivation session, Luo Chen suddenly jolted awake.

”I understand now! The Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture might be a cultivation technique, but fundamentally, it’s the ultimate utilization of fire! Since I started using it, my use of primordial true fire has indeed improved, but it’s still not enough!”

As for why it was not enough, the reason was quite clear.

Luo Chen spread his hands. Two streams of mana emerged—one green and one red. The red was, of course, fire; the green was the wood-element mana he had cultivated over the past hundred years. Because this wood still existed, his fire-element mana was insufficiently pure. As a result, his fire could not reach an extreme state. If he wanted to reach that state, he would have to abandon his wood-element mana. Yet if he did that, most of his current cultivation would likely be lost. After all, his cultivation was mostly supported by wood-element mana.

Luo Chen could not bear to part with it, but fortunately, there was a better solution. ”No, I don’t have to lose it. I can refine it and convert it into fire-element mana.”

He actually fulfilled the foundational conditions required to convert mana, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible it sounded. After all, Wood Ignition itself was built on the principle of wood giving rise to fire. It cultivated wood, then converted wood into fire to enhance explosive power. After practicing it to the Grandmaster level, Luo Chen had long since grasped this core concept. What he lacked now was simply the resolve to act decisively and sever the root of his wood-element mana.

The reason he was still not taking decisive action was that there would be many things to give up. Spells that required wood-element mana, such as Entangle, Heal, and Flower Fairy, would likely become unusable. In fact, after the complete conversion, his mana would be dominated solely by fire, with no room for other elements. In other words, aside from fire spells, all elemental spells he had practiced for decades would no longer be accessible. How could a normal person cast away the fruits of so much time and effort?

Yet the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that this was the right path. No matter how good they were, spells and other such were only means of protecting what he already had. Cultivation, in the meantime, was what he had. If there was a choice between mastering a hundred spells and reaching the next level a hundred times faster, that was actually a very easy choice to make. Moreover, he had plenty of fire-element spells to choose from, and nothing stopped him from learning more of them later to fill in the gaps.

After reaching this conclusion, Luo Chen did not rush to convert his mana immediately. Instead, he first finished refining all the Imperial Nectar materials that Pure Crane had prepared. Only after that did he request leave and enter secluded cultivation. He intended to complete this step in one go.

Inside the supreme-grade third-tier cave residence, the corresponding formations and restrictions had already been set up. A look of anticipation appeared in Luo Chen’s eyes.

”Mana conversion is definitely the key to reaching the First Nirvana Realm!”

He began circulating the mana within his body. Yet unlike in recent days, it flowed once more along the circulation pathways of Wood Ignition.

Ignite the wood!

The wood-element mana within Luo Chen reached critical speed and pressure, and then exploded. A surge of azure radiance burst out from his body, growing stronger with each passing moment.

One day passed, then two... three...

With Luo Chen’s profound foundation, the amount of wood-element mana he possessed was vast beyond measure. To convert it completely would inevitably require a long period of time. Throughout this process, he also had to ensure that his Golden Core and meridians were not damaged, lest his Great Dao foundation be harmed.

As the conversion proceeded, Luo Chen unconsciously opened up the circulation pathways of the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture as well. In other words, he was using two cultivation techniques simultaneously! And within the sea of qi...

Boom!

The Withering-Flourishing Fire surged upward and completely enveloped the Golden Core, seemingly intent on refining not just the mana radiating from it but the Golden Core itself. At that instant, Luo Chen confirmed his conjecture.

So this is what the Mana Nirvana truly entails! To let fire reign alone, free of all impurities. Once I cross this threshold, I’ll undergo nirvana and be reborn. And then, my cultivation speed will rival that of a single-spirit-root cultivator!

Luo Chen’s eyes were closed, and he let his thoughts wander. Meanwhile, his aura continuously cycled between vigorous vitality and deathly stillness, an eerie state where withering and flourishing coexisted.