Immortality begins with Becoming an Alchemy Grandmaster

On the long street.

A man walked over at an unhurried pace.

Dressed in a white robe, his long hair tied behind him with only a single wooden hairpin, he strolled as if through a quiet courtyard, airy and carefree.

Such bearing was completely different from that of martial practitioners, instead throwing into relief a touch of otherworldly refinement.

The white-robed man’s steps finally halted before a solemn, imposing residence.

The man lifted his head; the three characters ”Xiao Mansion” came into view.

This was the Xiao Mansion, and also, in the common sense, the City Lord Mansion of Yixian City, although the City Lord did not handle official business here.

The Xuan Armor Soldiers guarding the gate saw the white-robed man standing there and intended to step forward and drive him off.

Yet for some reason, when they met those eyes like a bottomless Abyss, they could not even open their mouths, deeply afraid of disturbing this person.

The white-robed man seemed not to notice, and stepped into the mansion.

As he passed the gate guards, he simply said, ”Notify Xiao Feng to come see me.”

The few soldiers stared blankly as Luo Chen walked into the mansion at will, as if returning to his own home, without any obstruction.

Only after the other’s figure disappeared from sight did they look at one another, faces full of shock and fear.

”Who is he?”

”How can he so directly call the City Lord by name?”

”Seems to be Luo Chen!”

”It’s him. During Martial Combat Decides the Master, I was maintaining order at the Martial Arts Arena; he is Luo Chen!”

”Hurry and go report to the City Lord!”

...

The name Great Destruction Realm sounded chaotic, but in truth, after thousands of years, even though no kingdoms or dynasties had formed, its order was extremely stable.

With Wuyou City as the head, it governed the Seventy-two Cities.

In each city there was a corresponding administrative body and armed force.

Take Yixian City, for example: aside from the Xuan Armor Army, it also had a complete civil bureaucracy.

From village head and town chief up to county magistrate and city administrator, everything was in place.

Hundreds and thousands of villages and towns survived under the management of these basic officials, relying on the core of Yixian City.

And all power over life and death in truth rested in the hands of the lord of Yixian City.

The current lord of Yixian City was Xiao Feng, and the place where the various officials reported their business was the government office.

Commander of Xuan Armor Army Chu Zhaonan stopped the soldiers who had come to the government office to report, because the meeting convened by the City Lord today was quite important, concerning Yixian City’s future development plans, and could not be easily disturbed.

But when the soldiers mentioned Luo Chen, Chu Zhaonan could not help becoming solemn.

That one could not be left waiting long!

After hesitating for a moment, Chu Zhaonan still chose to barge into the great hall.

Facing one disgruntled gaze after another, he braced himself and said to Xiao Feng, who sat in the upper seat, a nascent air of authority about him, ”City Lord, Guest Elder Luo Chen is waiting in the mansion asking for an audience.”

Xiao Feng had originally frowned at Chu Zhaonan for interrupting the meeting, but upon hearing the two words ”Luo Chen,” his expression shifted slightly.

An official below coughed and said, ”City Lord, regarding the matter of reopening the trade route to Mo Feng City, you must make a decision.”

Xiao Feng withdrew his gaze, having already made up his mind.

”Open it. Though Mo Feng City lies off in the Wilderness, with poor resources, the ore produced there is best suited for forging blades. They do not have the techniques to refine ore; we only need to open the trade route to bring in the raw ore, refine it a bit, and then we can resell it at three to five times the price. This kind of business must be done. However, taking into account that our prices were too low before, which led to Mo Feng City falling out with us, we have to negotiate carefully when reopening the route this time.”

Chu Zhaonan still stood in the main hall, looking extremely embarrassed.

”City Lord?”

Xiao Feng took a deep breath and replied, ”Since Luo Chen seeks an audience with this City Lord, then let him wait for now.”

Chu Zhaonan recalled that scene in the Martial Arts Arena that day, felt apprehensive, and thus said uneasily, ”But, that is Luo Chen!”

”So what if it is Luo Chen? In the end, he is but this City Lord’s Guest Elder.” Xiao Feng spoke decisively, a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes. If Luo Chen wished to see him and he went scampering over, what dignity would he as City Lord still have? In others’ eyes, who would truly be the master of this Yixian City?

Especially when so many important officials were watching today!

Yet after speaking these words, Xiao Feng could not help but feel a trace of unease in his heart.

Chu Zhaonan did not dare press Xiao Feng and could only withdraw obediently.

But as he left the meeting hall, a sharp, thin voice transmitted into his ear.

”Go inform Tie Xiong, Xiao Zirui, the recuperating Iron Butcher, as well as Silver Hand Yama and Helian Shanque and the others, to return to the mansion with me this evening.”

It was the technique of gathering sound into a thread and transmitting it directly into the ear.

The one transmitting the message was Xiao Feng!

Chu Zhaonan’s steps paused for a moment.

Was it really necessary to put on such a grand show just to meet Luo Chen once?

Or was it that Xiao Feng felt some fear?

Chu Zhaonan’s expression grew subtly complex, but he said nothing, merely hurrying out of the government office.

...

By dusk.

The afterglow of the early summer sunset spilled over the ancient buildings of Yixian City, casting them in a wash of gold.

Xiao Feng sat in a carriage, traveling from the government office all the way toward his own mansion.

Along the way, people joined the procession behind the carriage from time to time.

Among them was his loyal henchman Tie Xiong.

There was also Xiao Zirui, a clansman who had once disappeared but later came to submit to him of his own accord, whom he had magnanimously forgiven.

And there were those who had once been enemies but now attached themselves to him, such as Iron Butcher, Silver Hand Yama, Helian Shanque, and the others.

Commander of Xuan Armor Army Chu Zhaonan even personally drove the carriage for him.

With such a solid base of supporters, it could be said that, after the Leakless Realm experts all went to Wuyou City, this force was enough to sweep aside any major city in the current world.

The only pity was that Granny Yu and Red Fire Old Monster and a few others were absent, as Xiao Feng had dispatched them out to the localities to sit in town over various regions.