An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Inside the cave residence, Luo Chen sat cross-legged on a lotus pod with Primordial Slaughter set across his knees. Every breath he exhaled sent a wisp of razor-sharp crimson sword energy blowing onto the sword.

Although the Myriad Transformations of the Firmament claimed not to be bound by the distinction between sword orbs and flying swords, it was actually derived from orthodox sword cultivation techniques, which specifically required sword orbs.

The baseline of sword cultivation was to first produce a wisp of sharp sword energy that, upon release, could fly across ten thousand li. Conventionally, this energy required a sword orb as its vessel to be able to undergo those so-called myriad transformations and strike with calamitous power. The Myriad Transformations of the Firmament had been modified in order to accommodate flying swords as well and achieve a similar effect.

On another note, while this sword scripture was technically a cultivation method, Luo Chen found that it had a limitation normal cultivation methods did not have—the wisps of sword energy were a consumable resource, and once they were used up, they were gone for good. It was much like a gun; it worked so long as there were bullets, and that was it. On the positive side, there was no theoretical limit to how many such ”bullets” the user could produce.

Moreover, while the Myriad Transformations of the Firmament might be inferior to a divine technique created during enlightenment like the Withering-Flourishing Dao Finger, its advantage was that cultivators could steadily practice it step by step. One had to gather Nine Firmaments Spirit Essence, and then refine a thousand wisps of sword energy from them. When all that sword energy was released in one burst, the result was a strike of unparalleled magnitude!

”Whew...”

Luo Chen breathed out a final stream of crimson energy that slithered down like a red serpent, completely vanishing into the Primordial Slaughter Sword. He then slowly opened his eyes, revealing a look of satisfaction. After several months of hard work, he had finally refined another wisp of Crimson Firmament Sword Energy. Together with the two wisps he’d refined during the one year spent on the road, that made three!

After Luo Chen did the maths, however, the satisfaction on his face faded considerably. Refining the three wisps of crimson firmament energy had taken him a year and a half! By that reckoning, ten wisps would take five years, and for the thousand wisps needed to reach perfection... five hundred years?

”No wonder this sword scripture is rated fifth-tier and it’s almost exclusive to Ascendants. Just getting it to Perfection, not even counting the time it takes to gather firmament energy, takes a whole five centuries! What kind of Sage has the lifespan to devote that much time to a one-shot technique...”

Luo Chen mumbled to himself and shook his head, though he didn’t find it particularly despairing. He wasn’t aiming for a thousand wisps of Crimson Firmament Sword Energy anyway. According to the sword scripture, refining ten wisps was enough to dominate the Golden Core Realm, and a hundred wisps made it a formidable weapon in the hands of a Sage. He only sought to refine a hundred wisps and add this technique to his self-defense toolkit, and that would take only fifty years!

”Hold on...”

Luo Chen suddenly remembered something, and he opened the status panel. When the familiar screen appeared before his eyes, his gaze immediately locked onto the Techniques section.

The Myriad Transformations of the Firmament: Beginner (30/100)

Luo Chen was stunned. Refining three wisps of Crimson Firmament Sword Energy had brought the proficiency from 0 to 30. That meant every wisp refined granted 10 points, and ten wisps would raise him to the next proficiency level!

But that wasn’t the important part. He was specifically looking for any peculiar changes, which often occurred after his proficiency in a technique increased. These changes were normally related to the growth potential and highest limits of the technique. The Myriad Transformations of the Firmament was all about the quantity of firmament energy refined and thus had an inherent speed restraint. Luo Chen was wondering if increasing his proficiency would let him break this restraint and drastically increase his refinement speed.

If that’s the case, maybe I won’t need 500 years to master this sword scripture.

Luo Chen’s heart pounded wildly at the possibility of this scenario.

According to the sword scripture, when the cultivator practiced it to perfection, they could send ten thousand streams of firmament sword energy into the universe. Such power made it a fearsome divine technique, even by the standard of Divine Transformation. Even in the hands of a Sage, it could pose a threat to an Ascendant if launched unexpectedly.

The Myriad Transformations of the Firmament was indeed formidable, but how formidable the practitioner could get depended on how much time and resources they were willing to spend. Practicing this was so time-consuming that Fu Chaosheng didn’t mind parting with it; that was why he had given it to Luo Chen as per Fu Qinglan’s request.

But if I somehow find a way to shorten the time...

Luo Chen took a deep breath to suppress his excitement and caressed Primordial Slaughter affectionately.

Whether I succeed or not still depends on whether something changes after I get to the next level. I must not rush ahead out of eagerness for success. The important thing now is that I proceed step by step according to my original plan. And speaking of the original plan, Old Tal should be here soon!

***

Two days later, a Sage leading an imposing entourage of fifteen Adepts entered the Windflower Domain.

The spectacle instantly alarmed all the forces, big or small, in the Windflower Domain. The major sects, in particular, began to panic. They feared this group was here for the Windflower Domain itself. If that was really the case, then a major force was about to wage war with the Windflower Palace, and when a fight broke out between giants, the small inevitably suffered regardless of the final outcome.

To everyone’s surprise, however, these people didn’t appear to be heading for the Windflower Palace at all. The direction they were heading in was...

”Hundred-Li Green River!”

That was the conclusion drawn by the leader of Gale Valley upon careful observation from a mountain peak. He knew perfectly well what lay in that direction, since he had just been granted the honor of attending Luo Chen’s Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony.

Next to him, the leader of a friendly major sect expressed their doubt. ”Isn’t that where the Luo Tian Sect is? Why would such a powerful group be going their way? What are they up to, seeking some revenge?”

The leader of Gale Valley shook his head. ”No way. Their supreme elder is at the height of his influence right now, and from their recent operations, they seem on good terms with the Windflower Palace and the White Crane Sect. Who would be so blind as to pick a fight with them on the Windflower Palace’s turf?”

After some pondering, he decided, ”Either way, they aren’t here for us. Let’s tell our disciples to return, then we can follow those people and see what’s going on.”

”Good idea. The situation is changing by the minute on this continent. We really need all the firsthand information we can get.”

The leaders of the two major sects quickly dismissed their followers and trailed behind the group. Along the way, they were joined by numerous others who had also gotten word of the situation.

Even Skyscraper Cliff, from their stronghold on the outskirts of Windflower Palace, was alerted and sent people to investigate. Upon learning that a powerful group led by a Sage was headed for Hundred-Li Green River, the investigators hurriedly went back and reported to their supreme elder.

***

That’s Old Tal from the Divine Talisman Sect!

Hidden in the void, Old Ghost Skyscraper instantly recognized the origin of the entourage from afar. They had come to a halt on the bank of the Blackwater River, and from the somber looks on their faces, they were waiting for something important.

Skyscraper simply couldn’t figure out why Old Tal had brought so many Adepts to the Luo Tian Sect.

Could it be...

As a certain possibility crossed his mind, Skyscraper glowered and gritted his teeth. But he refrained from making any rash moves and merely waited.

He waited for half a day before Old Tal finally flew off Verdant Mountain. His wizened face sported a serious expression, yet Skyscraper could almost feel the joy overflowing in his eyes.

Just then, Old Tal looked up and glanced in his direction.

Sharp old fogey. He actually managed to see through my concealment spell!

Old Ghost Skyscraper’s face darkened, not because Old Tal had discovered him but because of what Old Tal might have gained. The old talisman-maker had made a pretty grand show getting here, and from his reaction, Skyscraper reckoned Luo Chen had successfully refined what Old Tal had requested of him half a year ago—a fourth-tier breakthrough pill for Adepts!

Skyscraper saw no other reason why Old Tal would have brought nearly all of his sect’s elite forces here. He was likely making sure nothing would go wrong with the pills on the way back. Fifteen Adepts, if they coordinated effectively and used other supplementary tools, could hold back an early-stage Sage, especially when they all came from the same sect.

As soon as Old Tal regrouped with them, the Divine Talisman Sect entourage wasted no time departing Hundred-Li Green River.

Seeing this, Skyscraper hesitated for a while, but in the end, he decided not to follow them. Now that he had lost his life-bound True Artifact, he wouldn’t stand a chance even against Old Tal alone, not to mention the extra fifteen Adepts. He remained where he was, glancing uncontrollably toward Verdant Mountain.

They said Luo Chen was bragging about being a great-grandmaster of alchemy. Now it seems he wasn’t just bragging. Many fellow cultivators will come knocking on his door, asking him to refine pills for them. When that happens, how can I still get revenge on him for destroying my True Artifact...

Thinking of this bleak future, Skyscraper’s expression grew even more grim.

CLAAANG!

All of a sudden, piercing metallic noise exploded. A surge of razor-sharp, crimson sword energy shot up from Verdant Mountain, streaking through the air straight toward Skyscraper’s hiding spot.

The Old Ghost jumped in fright and frantically pulled back, running as fast as he could. Did that old fogey tip me off, or did that brat Luo Chen discover me on his own?!