An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

In a remote cave on Verdant Mountain, Luo Chen pressed his left hand on his right forearm, and the crimson sword gradually settled down. He sank into contemplation as he ran his fingers over the part of his forearm where Primordial Slaughter rested.

Three wisps of Crimson Firmament Sword Energy were nowhere near enough to produce a qualitative change; instead, most of the credit for driving Skyscraper away with a single strike lay with Primordial Slaughter itself. The sword was virtually unmatched in sharpness, probably second only to true Sword Dao spirit treasures. Luo Chen had never realized this before, but judging by the strike just now, it was likely that using Primordial Slaughter as the vessel for the Crimson Firmament Sword Energy could result in far greater power than what the sword scripture described.

With that, Luo Chen ended his reflection. He left his cave residence and headed for the grand hall where his Black Ape avatar was.

***

Black Ape was in the middle of instructing Qu Jiu on drawing talisman inscriptions. As soon as Luo Chen arrived, the ape froze.

”Grand-master?”

A startled Qu Jiu saw a faint glow fly out from the top of the Black Ape’s head and enter the head of the white-robed Daoist who had just entered.

Upon seeing that young yet supremely dignified face, Qu Jiu instantly understood what had just happened. He bowed and saluted. ”Greetings, Grand-master!”

Luo Chen waved his hand. ”No need for such formalities.”

He walked over to the desk Qu Jiu was at, and after a moment of silence, he suddenly moved. Picking up a brush and dipping it in ink, he swiftly drew on a dark-red piece of talisman parchment. With each stroke, his mana poured from the tip of the brush and wove itself into the parchment, wisp by wisp.

Qu Jiu watched with bated breath.

The Black Ape avatar possessed no mana of its own, and the top-grade spirit stones installed in the puppet were mostly to power its daily movements. Therefore, these past few days had been solely on theoretical study for Qu Jiu, with no practical demonstration. Most of this time, Black Ape had instructed the youth in talisman-making, while also testing certain ideas along the way. Now that Luo Chen’s main body had arrived and received all the knowledge and experience, he could get straight to action.

After the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, Luo Chen finished drawing. When he beckoned with his hand, the completed talisman floated up from the desk. ”Little Jiu, take a look at this Sunburst Talisman. What tier do you think it is?”

Qu Jiu gulped and started to examine the talisman carefully based on what he had just learned.

Following the methods Luo Chen had used to teach Qu Lingjun alchemy back in the day, Black Ape had helped Qu Jiu build a very strong foundation in talisman-making. The steps were typically imparting knowledge at the outset before moving on to hands-on practice. Qu Jiu’s talisman-making skills were still somewhat average, but when it came to his raw knowledge in this field, he was already pretty well-equipped.

After giving the Sunburst Talisman a long scrutinization, Qu Jiu cautiously said, ”From what I can see, the strokes are clean, clear, and consistent. The patterns appear as if they were formed naturally, and the mana contained within it has nearly reached the endurance limit of this parchment. This talisman should be second-tier top-grade, and it packs the power of an all-out strike from a late-stage Initiate!”

Hearing this answer, Luo Chen gave an approving smile. ”Your assessment is spot-on. Well done.”

On the status panel, his proficiency for Sunburst Talisman was just about to reach the Grandmaster level. In fact, he could have even achieved Perfected Mastery by now had he not been held back by the grade of the talisman parchment he had been using.

”Alright, Little Jiu, go pick out a few pieces of fire-attribute second-tier talisman parchment for me. I’m going to make some more Sunburst Talismans while I’m free.”

”Yes, Grand-master!”

Qu Jiu immediately got to it. While the junior selected talisman parchments, Luo Chen stood with his arms crossed before his chest and a smile on his face.

In his prediction, the news that he had refined Nascent Soul Pills for the Divine Talisman Sect would probably spread before long throughout the Windflower Domain, and perhaps even the Skypiercing Five Domains. By then, certain people would no longer be able to sit still. They would come find him in a stream with requests for pills, leaving him with no time for a long session of quiet cultivation.

This won’t be a good time to refine Crimson Firmament Sword Energy, but no matter! I can use this lull to improve my talisman making skills!

Given he had only gotten a high starting point in talismans because of his extraordinary mastery of spells, Luo Chen being rated as third tier in talisman-making was somewhat inflated. To actually deserve that title, he’d need to register a vast amount of foundational knowledge. Thankfully, this wasn’t a challenging task, since he already had similar experiences when practicing alchemy and formations.

With his current attainments in spells, he could make the basic ones into talismans with practically zero effort. Furthermore, he now had an ample supply of talisman parchment and an enchanted treasure for a brush. Even the one thing he used to lack most, which was cinnabar ink, was no longer a problem. He had gotten a batch from Old Tal earlier by sharing a bit of his experience with taking the Nascent Soul Pill.

Such miscellaneous supplies were the last thing that the wealthy and influential specialized in talismans would ever lack. Meanwhile, insights that could help in forming the Nascent Soul were quite literally priceless. Luo Chen had shared that knowledge with Old Tal as a little compensation to the Divine Talisman Sect for skimming off a portion of the Nascent Soul Pills he had refined from their resources. In Old Tal’s eyes, however, that was a gesture of goodwill, a kindness that ought to be responded with kindness—hence the large quantity of talisman cinnabar ink that gave Luo Chen the freedom to now produce talismans on a grand scale.

Each of the Hundred Ways to Immortal Ascension is intimately connected to one’s overall cultivation path. Though there’s no reason to go all out writing talismans, there’s no harm in practicing one more skill that may just prove useful at some point. Alchemy has provided direct help to my cultivation. Formations have helped me refine artifacts, and they even helped me perfect the Infinite Blaze Prison.

The more things I master, the more tools I have to fill potential shortcomings on my main path. When I can freely use knowledge from other fields to refine my own, I can face any challenge! I didn’t have the means to practice skills as I pleased before, but I do now. My lifespan is long, my cultivation is solid, and I have a cheat too. Now’s the time to pick up all the skills I’ve neglected, one by one.

As Luo Chen was deep in thought, the sound of Qu Jiu’s hurried footsteps approaching called him back to reality. With a faint smile, he sent a subsidiary soul back into the Black Ape puppet.

”Grind the ink!” he told the ape.

”Lay out the parchments!” he told Qu Jiu.

”Today, I’m going to draw talismans to my heart’s content!”

***

Things unfolded just as Old Ghost Skyscraper had suspected, and just as Luo Chen had anticipated. The many observers quickly understood the meaning of the Divine Talisman Sect higher-ups’ high-profile round-trip to Hundred-Li Green River. Luo Chen, the Supreme Elder of the Luo Tian Sect, had really refined the fourth-tier pill they desired!

With this, the doubts surrounding his claim of being a great-grandmaster of alchemy were also cleared. The phrase ”Great-Grandmaster Alchemist Luo Chen” resounded throughout the Windflower Domain overnight, then proceeded to spread to Skypiercing Pass and throughout the Skypiercing Five Domains. Lower-tier cultivators marveled and looked up to him with reverence, while Sages began to stir with interest.

Among those who had attended Luo Chen’s Nascent Soul Formation Ceremony, one certain man couldn’t contain himself anymore. He first made his way to the Divine Talisman Sect’s base in the Hundred Beast Domain, with the purpose of getting information directly from Old Tal.

But just as rumors claimed, Old Tal had indeed obtained fourth-tier pills that aided Adepts in forming their Nascent Souls. Without a moment’s delay, he had given one to a sect member who had been stuck at the Golden Core Realm for a long time. That person had already begun a sprint toward the Nascent Soul Realm, something that would ensure the sect’s survival amidst these chaotic times.

As a consequence, that man arrived at the Divine Talisman Sect to find that its gates were tightly shut, refusing to open for anyone. But this was already the answer he sought; he immediately knew the rumors were true. With no more hesitation, he headed straight for the Windflower Domain.

***

Several days later, a man appeared outside Hundred-Li Green River, where he stopped and landed his enchanted flying cloud to show respect.

He was a middle-aged man clad in nine-colored robes, with a dignified air about him. Under the curious gazes of the Luo Tian Sect members and the watchful eyes of his peers who had followed him here in secret, he got off the cloud. Then, swishing his wide sleeves, he announced himself.

”Primal Sovereign Nine Spirits requests an audience with Great-Grandmaster Luo Chen!”

His booming voice reverberated across the hundred li of land and water.