An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Chapter 867: Luo Chen, Get This for Me! (I)

Did Luo Chen have the makings of an artisan? Somewhat. He actually did have some talent, but nothing too outstanding.

After obtaining the Primordial Unity Cauldron’s crafting method from Green Pill Valley, he intended to craft it himself. For that reason, he spent some time learning the basics of artifact creation under Duan Feng.

Duan Feng’s skills came from the Duan family, whose inheritance in artifact creation had been acquired during the Frontier War from a cultivator of Skysail City. Although they had not grasped the true principles, their foundational theory was solid and stemmed from an orthodox legacy. Under Duan Feng’s guidance, Luo Chen gained an understanding of the path of artifact creation.

A prospective artisan first had to understand the properties of various mineral materials and have excellent control over fire, in order to process and refine them. Then, there was the most crucial aspect of carving formations. None of these three aspects were particularly difficult on their own. With some knowledge, one could grasp them at a basic level. Even formations posed little challenge for Adepts. The problem was that once they were combined, the difficulty rose sharply.

When Luo Chen first sought to learn, he attempted to craft basic enchanted artifacts under Duan Feng’s guidance. Due to the urgency of the Frontier War in the Howling Moon Mountain Range, he ultimately failed to produce even a single low-grade enchanted artifact, but even so, Duan Feng still said that he had some talent.

Setting aside any possible flattery, Luo Chen’s understanding of mineral properties was indeed solid. This was because alchemy did not rely solely on plant-based ingredients. It often involved minerals and even metals as well. For instance, Luo Chen’s Jade Essence Pill used Washed Jade as its main ingredient, while the Jade Dew Pill used Blue Jade Smoke, a second-tier material. In alchemy, only the so-called smoke was used, while in artifact crafting, that smoke became a flaw that disrupted stability. These were perfectly complementary uses, and precisely because of this, the full properties of the jade could be put to use.

In addition, over the past hundred years, Luo Chen had spent most of his spare time reading. Cultivation manuals, travel records, culture and customs, herbs and minerals—nothing was beyond his interest. For him, understanding the properties of various materials was not difficult. And since he did not intend to become a master artisan, he only needed to study the materials required for a specific enchanted treasure in depth.

Of course, crafting techniques also had to be mastered. When it came to proficiency, he had never been concerned. For other people, fire control was exceedingly difficult, but for him, it was the easiest part. If he claimed second place in flame manipulation, which of his peers would dare to claim first? Whether through years of alchemy, his mastery of fire spells, or his later practice of the Heavenly Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, his control over flames had reached an exceptional level.

Thus, the greatest obstacle for Luo Chen actually lay in formations.

This barrier restricted not just Luo Chen, but most low-tier artisans. The reason was simple: Formations were far too complex, to the point where they constituted a major professional path all on their own. From large-scale feng shui formations that impacted a whole mountain range to fine engravings on the surface of a small needle, everything was calculated down to the smallest detail, and every such detail affected a formation’s power. Without talent in formations and a tremendous amount of practice, one could not go far. Thus, many artisans would invite formation masters to inscribe formations onto finished artifacts. This practice was not limited to low-tier artisans; even grandmasters would seek assistance when faced with formations beyond their expertise.

For example, when Heaven Smelter crafted the Primordial Unity Cauldron for Luo Chen, he invited Han Zhan and Azure Frost to inscribe the formations together. Certainly, his main objective had been to gain some insight into Azure Frost’s law of the void, but it was also because he lacked proficiency in that area. In short, the relationship between artisans and formation masters was similar to that between alchemists and herbalists, maybe even closer.

Had this happened back during the Frontier War, Luo Chen would have had zero confidence. Even with guidance from Min Longyu and Fu Jiusheng, he had only just learned the basics, and the formations he set up were far from refined. However, after arriving in the Northern Sea, he sought guidance from Han Zhan. With the help of the status panel, nearly twenty years of effort had thus far granted him decent proficiency. He could set up first-tier and second-tier formations with ease, and even third-tier grand formations if he had sufficient preparation. He believed that with his foundation, creating a defensive enchanted treasure would not be impossible, and it was always best to craft one’s own items. That was why he insisted on doing it personally.

However, as Luo Chen delved deeper into the crafting method recorded on the scroll, his brows knitted tighter and tighter, almost twisting together. Han Zhan had been watching from the side and naturally noticed the change in his expression.

When Luo Chen set the scroll down, Han Zhan could not help but ask, ”What is it?”

Luo Chen responded with a question of his own. ”Senior, do you know about the crafting methods from the ancient era?”

Han Zhan paused briefly, then replied, ”It’s pretty much like ancient pills. Modern crafting focuses on intricacy and profundity, while ancient methods emphasize nature and simplicity. To put it simply... Say you’re given the head of a Hammer Bull and you’re asked to make a war hammer. With the ancient methods, you’d strip away the flesh, pack the skull with metal and stone, set up a few basic formations, and that’s your weapon. With modern methods, you’d remove the impurities, extract the essence, refine it down, mix in all sorts of materials to enhance it, shape it with a mold, and only then inscribe the formations to finish the weapon. The first approach is simple and direct. The second is far more refined. It’s not just stronger but easier for a cultivator to control, because some of the materials are chosen to match a cultivator’s mana and divine consciousness. Of course, that doesn’t mean the old methods have no value. Simplicity isn’t a bad thing when it means convenience. As long as you have the materials, you can put something together in a short time.”

Overall, the trend was toward continuous refinement and continuous advancement. But why was Luo Chen asking about it? This was not the ancient era, and things had changed substantially in terms of both cultivation and auxiliary paths. Could it be...

”Wait, is that an ancient crafting method? I had a quick look earlier, and it seemed pretty complex. It looks like a modern approach to me.”

Luo Chen gave a bitter smile. ”You’re not wrong, it is a modern method. But it blends both paths. It builds on modern ideas while still keeping some of the strengths of ancient crafting.”

”Isn’t that a good thing?”

”Hell no it isn’t! It also has the hardest parts of both!”

As Luo Chen explained, Han Zhan understood why he was frustrated. The method did demand painstaking refinement while also following the ancient standards in material selection. In other words, it demanded only the finest. This was also true for the auxiliary materials; it required plenty of different minerals, some of which Luo Chen had never even heard of. Most importantly, the core formation was not a third-tier one but a fourth-tier one, the Two Poles Six Shields Formation.

After explaining, Luo Chen said in a slightly low tone, ”I don’t know if Yu Gao set me up on purpose, but seriously.... Even a master artisan might not be able to pull it off.”

”So are you going to try or not?” Han Zhan asked.

Luo Chen gritted his teeth. ”I’ll do it. Why wouldn’t I? The Profound Rock Armor fits the bill perfectly. As for the auxiliary materials, I’ll deal with them one by one.”

Han Zhan opened his mouth, but at the sight of Luo Chen’s resolute expression, he said nothing. Some people would not give up until they’ve learned the hard way. He only wondered whether Luo Chen could bear it if all his efforts came to nothing.