An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

When the two Domains withdrew, rain began to fall over Redjade Plaza once more and cooled the heat left behind by their clash. Though no weapons had been drawn, the tension still lingered in the air.

Resonant Jade looked at Luo Chen with concern, though he could not hide the astonishment in his eyes. ”Fellow Daoist, are you alright?”

He had never imagined that the rogue cultivator he had encountered by chance would possess such strength. Despite being only at the first stage, Luo Chen had completely overwhelmed a third-stage Sage in a direct clash of Domains.

By everything Resonant Jade understood about cultivation, that should have been impossible. A Nascent Soul Domain was, at its core, nothing more than a cultivator resonating with heaven and earth through their Nascent Soul to command the natural spirit energy corresponding to their own affinity. A stronger Nascent Soul would naturally draw upon far more of that energy, and the difference in cultivation usually determined the outcome. For countless years, this had been the unquestionable truth.

Yet moments ago, Luo Chen had shattered that standard. He had overpowered Heaven Splitter and had even forced him to bring out a True Artifact. Had Resonant Jade heard the story from anyone else, he would have dismissed it as an exaggeration.

Thinking of this, he could not help but feel somewhat embarrassed. During their earlier exchange, he had assumed that his higher cultivation would still give him an advantage over Luo Chen, even though his divine consciousness was weaker. Now it was clear that Luo Chen surpassed him in both divine soul and mana. If he also possessed a powerful True Artifact suited to his cultivation, then in a real battle...

He quickly stopped himself. Why am I even comparing myself to him? The stronger he is, the more I benefit from having him as a friend. I was the one who introduced him to everyone here. After today, the other factions in the Blue Sea Alliance won’t dare look down on me and my sect again!

Luo Chen brushed off the rain from his sleeve and gave him a reassuring smile. ”I’m fine.”

He then crossed the plaza and entered the Origin Convergence Palace. The strands of divine consciousness that had surrounded him during the confrontation had already withdrawn, and no one tried to probe him again. Even so, the moment he stepped into the hall, several pairs of eyes still turned toward him.

Untroubled by their scrutiny, he calmly surveyed the gathered cultivators before offering a bow. ”I am Luo Chen, a rogue cultivator known as Wilderness Hermit. Greetings, Fellow Daoists.”

For a few moments, no one responded. A middle-aged-looking man seated at the head of the hall appeared ready to welcome him when the gaunt cultivator seated beside him spoke first. ”Wilderness Hermit, please, take a seat.”

The former paused and glanced at Netherfire with a slight frown. Meanwhile, Heaven Splitter also looked over in surprise. No one had expected the first person to acknowledge Luo Chen openly would be Netherfire, especially after he had tacitly allowed Heaven Splitter to test him outside.

Luo Chen was equally surprised, though he did not show much change in expression. He chose an empty chair and sat down, while Resonant Jade took the seat beside him.

Once they were seated, Resonant Jade began introducing the gathering through divine consciousness. ”Those two are the organizers of this gathering. The one on the left is Netherfire, and the one on the right is Four Seas.”

Luo Chen studied them secretly. Netherfire leaned back in his chair as if even sitting up took effort, while his gaunt complexion made him look gravely ill. Still, his aura was sealed so thoroughly that Luo Chen could not discern the slightest trace of his true cultivation. Four Seas, by comparison, appeared much healthier, though something about his face seemed familiar.

After a moment, he remembered where he had seen that resemblance. Years ago, a young man named Shang Junshu had competed with him for the Soul-Nurturing Wood at an auction in Jadecold City. Since he had proclaimed himself to be the young master of the Four Seas Trade Alliance, Shang Junshu had to be the son of Four Seas; it was no wonder that the two looked so alike.

”The woman next to Netherfire is Du Feiyan. Within Devil’s Snare, she’s known as Mistress Mistglow. The second is Heaven Splitter... Well, I’m sure he needs no introduction. In any case, no one remembers his real name anymore. They say Blood Nightmare is the only person who still knows it. The third is Mourning Star...”

As Resonant Jade quietly identified the people around the hall, Luo Chen began matching each face to the stories he had heard about them. These people had once seemed like distant figures who existed only in rumors, but now they sat only a short distance away.

All in all, the Sages from Devil’s Snare were much as he had expected. Most belonged to forces that had once served the devil sect, and traces of the devilish path could be found in everything from their Dao titles and cultivation techniques to the ruthless deeds that had made them famous. The Blue Sea Alliance, by comparison, was far less uniform. Four Seas had risen through the business world and carried himself with the manner of someone accustomed to dealing with all kinds of people. Madam Mi’s peach-blossom eyes lent her an alluring charm that made her resemble a cultivator from the Silktree Sect, while Old Ghost Nan Qi was far more difficult to read. His background was unclear, and even his temperament seemed to change from one moment to the next.

Only a dozen or so Sages occupied the enormous hall, and there were no attendants among them. Yet the invisible collision of their auras made the spacious hall feel oppressive and stifling, as though it were packed to the brim.

At the front, Netherfire exchanged a glance with Four Seas. The latter nodded before lightly tapping the table and drew everyone’s attention.

”For the past hundred years, we’ve done nothing but fight. Now that the war has finally come to an end, all of us should be glad to see it.” Four Seas’s expression grew more serious. ”But we still have the demon alliance threatening us from outside, while old grudges continue to divide us from within. These are hardly peaceful times. That’s why I invited everyone here today. We should use this chance to clear up misunderstandings, strengthen our ties, discuss cultivation, and trade for the resources we need. The Northern Sea may be large, but not so large that we can avoid one another forever. Surely none of you wants to spend the rest of their life surrounded by enemies and constantly watching their back.”

Not everyone seemed convinced, but they still nodded in agreement. Seeing this, Four Seas smiled faintly. As long as they could agree on that much, the rest would be easier.

”Then allow me to start this. I have a close friend named Ying Yuanjun, better known as Responsive Dragon. He once established a sect in a sea region under his control, but it was destroyed during a demonic beast invasion. He’s currently staying at one of my alliance’s branch headquarters.” Four Seas flicked his wrist, and a gray cloth pouch the size of his palm appeared in his hand. ”He wants to rebuild his sect, but that will require a great many spirit stones. So he entrusted me with a batch of fourth-tier spirit herbs to sell.”

The moment he mentioned fourth-tier spirit herbs, everyone’s attention sharpened. And when they saw the gray pouch, any remaining doubts vanished.

Resonant Jade’s voice quietly reached Luo Chen’s ears. ”That’s a Boundless Pouch, one of the Four Seas Trade Alliance’s prized treasures. It has a large space inside and is perfect for transporting goods. It can even hold living things, including demonic beasts and spirit plants, for a short time.”

Luo Chen studied the unremarkable gray pouch with renewed interest. Its versatility was impressive, though a treasure designed for multiple different purposes was unlikely to excel in any single one. When it came to preserving spirit plants, it was probably far inferior to the Penglai Eightspire Pavilion.

His attention soon returned to Four Seas as the man began introducing the herbs. ”Fourth-tier Grandspirit Grass contains Grand Origin Qi, which is said to be one of the closest things to primal qi. Because it blends well with other ingredients, it can be used in almost any high-tier pill. I’ve even heard that Ascendants use it in their alchemy. There are 1,200 stalks in total. Responsive Dragon spent years growing them and waited until they reached their very best condition before harvesting them. Each stalk costs 100,000 low-grade spirit stones. Let me know how many you want.”

Rather than auctioning the grass, he had set a fixed price. While that was enough to rival the cost of a middle-grade enchanted treasure, it was still a fair price for a fourth-tier herb with such a wide range of applications.

The hall soon grew livelier as the gathered Sages began placing their orders.

”I’ll take ten.”

”Give me fifty. I’ve been studying an incomplete alchemical formula, but I haven’t found anything suitable to replace its main ingredient. Grandspirit Grass might work!”

”I’ll pass. I don’t know enough about alchemy to make use of it.”

Then a woman’s voice rose above the others. ”I’ll take one hundred.”

Everyone turned toward the cultivator in the seven-colored cloud gown. She was Mistress Mistglow, one of the few lineage masters in Devil’s Snare skilled in alchemy. Truthfully, her achievements in alchemy had played no small part in securing her position among the faction’s ruthless experts.

Four Seas watched the purchases with satisfaction. He had deliberately chosen Grandspirit Grass as the first item because it could be purchased directly with spirit stones. Trades between high-tier cultivators usually relied on barter, which often excluded anyone who did not possess exactly what the seller wanted. By starting with a straightforward sale, he hoped to ease the tension in the hall and encourage further trade.

However, once the orders stopped coming, his satisfaction gave way to disappointment. He had hoped to sell most of the Grandspirit Grass during the gathering, but the orders placed so far accounted for only a small portion of the 1,200 stalks. Since Responsive Dragon urgently needed spirit stones to rebuild his sect, there was no time to dispose of the remaining herbs gradually through the Four Seas Trade Alliance. In truth, he was already considering approaching several renowned alchemists elsewhere in the Northern Sea.

Perhaps I overestimated how much they were willing to spend.