An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Forget about Zeng Wen, the great cultivator at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining, who fought through blood and wounds, shaking the very foundation of Dao and changing the course of the world.

Focus instead on Luo Chen—the one who had truly savored the sweetness of success!

Before, he had only one product—the fasting pill. It was a simple, take-it-or-leave-it deal, leaving little room for negotiation. He couldn’t even manage the most basic sales tactic of bundling items.

Unlike Old Man Chen, who could sell a qi-concealing talisman at a high price and, when customers hesitated, would smile and say, ”This is the price, but I’ll throw in a cleaning talisman for free!” Luo Chen didn’t even have the option of offering a freebie.

Now, at last, he had a second product to sell!

But no, the Myriad Wonders pill, being a low-tier vitality-boosting pill, wasn’t exactly something to be proud of. Nevertheless, selling the first bottle of the Myriad Wonders pill gave him hope for his future!

The price was a bit inflated, costing him one spirit stone to make and selling it for five. But no matter where or when, anything related to vitality and enhancement never goes out of demand. Even in the world of cultivation, where personal power is utmost paramount!

In reality, the situation was quite the opposite.

Low-tier cultivators, especially those in the Qi-Refining Realm were in the phase of refining essence into qi. They had to absorb the chaotic spirit energy and refine it, making their cultivation progress agonizingly slow.

This was why items like spirit rice, demonic beast meat, and various pills were commonly sold in the market.

Additionally, as spirit power flowed throughout their body, low-tier cultivators often struggled to control it. A slight provocation could easily lead to the leakage of vital energy.

Therefore, to ensure the most efficient transformation of spirit energy, many cultivation methods would have techniques to lock in vital energy.

In ancient texts, there was a term called ”Ma Yin Cang Xiang[1]”, the technique of concealing vitality.

There were usually only two ways to resolve this situation.

One way was for a cultivator to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, where they would develop spirit consciousness, allowing them to freely transform the spirit power within their body, gradually becoming stronger from that point on.

Otherwise, if everyone’s energy leaked away in the early stages, who would ever have the chance to attain the Great Dao?

If the cultivator realized that the Great Dao they pursued was unattainable, they could go with the second solution, which was to release their vital energy locks and allow their vital energy to flow out in order to restore their vigor.

This was why many cultivators who branched out and established families were often older cultivators who had lost hope of advancing further in their cultivation.

They understood their limits—knowing they could no longer advance and were forever stuck at that stage. Rather than struggling in vain, they chose to return home, start families, and enjoy life.

However, with the Myriad Wonders Pill, specially designed for Qi-Refining stage cultivators, the situation changed dramatically.

The pill’s main ingredients were water-based conpoy and the fire-element Fire Hound Whip, which worked in harmony to balance water and fire. Once consumed, a slight stimulation of spirit energy would trigger a surge of vitality, all without the need to unlock the energy seal.

Why else would Luo Chen go to such lengths to refine this concoction? It wasn’t because he needed this pill! It was because the demand for it in the market was enormous!

Luo Chen was anticipating the needs of others and thinking ahead to what they desired.

On Earth, he would be like a modern-day Song Jiang, known as the Timely Rain! [2]

When the second bottle of Myriad Wonders pill was sold again for five spirit stones, Old Man Chen changed his gaze towards him. He had previously compared a qi-concealing talisman, worth at least three spirit stones, with that delicate jade bottle.

Muttering to himself, Old Man Chen murmured, ”This shouldn’t be...”

He continued, ”My qi-concealing talisman is made from three-colored earth dragon blood and tasteless field mice, costing two spirit stones to create. Could it be that the Myriad Wonders Pill is worth more than mine? Or is it that male cultivators value that aspect of power more, compared to something that could save their lives in a critical moment?”

Luo Chen overheard his muttering but didn’t bother to explain.

Even though the fasting pills had sold out, and only the Myriad Wonders Pills remained on the stall, he still squatted there. Today, he was determined to take full advantage of Old Man Chen’s customer base.

Whenever a cultivator came to buy a talisman, Luo Chen would hold onto them, quietly saying, ”Fellow Daoist, are you interested in learning about the Myriad Wonders Pill?”

Of course, not everyone was interested. Those with a firm commitment to their Dao would refuse without hesitation.

How could they focus on such trivial matters? Such insignificant individuals would never amount to anything in their lifetime! Those with strong self-esteem would simply turn and leave without a word.

”Do you think I need that kind of pill?” one of them would scoff.

However, most cultivators showed clear signs of interest, especially after Luo Chen repeated his story about how Adept Yunhe had used this pill to defeat the fourth-tier Beast Emperor.

They generously opened their purses, hoping to emulate their predecessor’s greatness.

By the afternoon, Luo Chen had finally sold out of all the Myriad Wonders pills.

He handed Old Man Chen a bag of mala beef jerky, sat to the side, and chewed while calculating today’s earnings.

First, there were twenty bottles of fasting pills, the market price being stable, and they sold for four spirit stones.

Then, the new product, the Myriad Wonders pills, ten bottles sold for forty-six spirit stones.

The reason it wasn’t fifty was that, to kickstart sales, he slightly reduced the price on a few bottles.

When a product is new on the shelf, a discount was always needed.

After calculating the total, Luo Chen couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

His savings had finally returned to the fifty spirit stones mark!

This would allow him to refine more Myriad Wonders pills again.

However, before the proficiency with the Myriad Wonders pill reached a significant level, he feared his sales volume would be limited.

With this income, he couldn’t even support his regular cultivation needed for his five spirit roots.

So, if he wanted to increase production, there was only one way forward—Expand production! But to expand production, he would need to invest more, with higher costs and more spirit stones.

Where would he get more spirit stones?

”Fellow Daoist Luo, may I ask, what is the cost of your Myriad Wonders pill?”

”You too know it’s a bit rude to ask!” Luo Chen replied without even looking up.

Old Man Chen awkwardly laughed, but with his tough demeanor, he wasn’t angered.

The thing was, while others were unaware of Luo Chen’s earnings, Old Man Chen had seen everything clearly from his spot.

Fifty spirit stones!

That was the same amount Luo Chen would have earned by selling two hundred and fifty bottles of fasting pills.

He knew it was impolite to ask about someone’s business secrets, and since Luo Chen didn’t say anything, he decided not to push the matter any further.

But even though he didn’t ask, Luo Chen leaned in closer.

”Uncle Chen...”

”Mm?”

Old Man Chen couldn’t believe that Luo Chen started calling him ”Uncle” again!

”I’ve grown up watching you, no, you’ve watched me grow up. You know exactly how many spirit stones I have. You probably have a rough idea of the cost of the Myriad Wonders pill,” Luo Chen spoke with a sincere and honest tone. ”I can’t give you the exact cost, but you probably have an idea. Just don’t go around spreading it. However, selling it at a high price does have its tricks!”

Old Man Chen hesitated, reflecting on Luo Chen’s actions throughout the day. He seemed to be pondering deeply.

Yet, even as he mulled over it, some things still hadn’t clicked for him.

This was the difference between a transmigrator who had knowledge of the modern world and an old native cultivator.

Even after witnessing the operations firsthand, he still didn’t understand the reasoning behind it.

”I can tell you the trick, but can you do me a favor?”

”Help?” Old Man Chen looked at Luo Chen in confusion, his left eye twitching involuntarily. ”I’ll help, but I’m not lending any spirit stones!”

Luo Chen tugged at his sleeve, shaking it persistently, with a look of earnest admiration on his face.

”Uncle Chen, in this cold cultivation world, you’re the only elder I have!”

”Fellow Daoist, please respect yourself!”

”Uncle! Just fifty spirit stones, and they’re low-grade spirit stones! Please, just lend it to me this one time! I’ll pay you back in half a month at most!”

”Hiss, you really dare to ask!”

”You know how much I’ve earned today, I can totally repay you, trust me!”

Luo Chen grabbed Old Man Chen’s thick, rough hand as he begged, ”Uncle, trust me! And don’t you want to know how to sell your talismans for a higher price?”

Old Man Chen was slightly moved.

Luo Chen continued, ”To be honest, every time I see the talismans you painstakingly make being sold for a few spirit stones, it feels like a knife to the heart!”

”Those who look down on your talisman-making skills would be looking down on me, Little Luo!

”Uncle, trust me. Lend me the spirit stones, and I’ll help you sell your talismans at a high price, making your business grow strong and successful!”

Gulp! Old Man Chen swallowed, his wrinkled face looking at Luo Chen with deep emotion as he asked, ”Really?”

”Fifty isn’t too much, you won’t regret it or be scammed!”

”Alright, here you go! I’m a sixth stage Qi-Refining cultivator, you wouldn’t dare to renege!”

Luo Chen immediately took the handful of scattered spirit stones, placed them into his small pouch, tightly pulled the string, and stuffed it deep into his inner pocket.

That is my money! Old Man Chen thought as he turned his face away, unable to bear watching this scene.

Then, he said to Luo Chen, ”Alright, now you can talk.”

”Fellow Daoist Chen, do you know what brand value is?”

1. 马阴藏相 translates as the hidden appearance of the horse’s shadow or the concealed mark of the horse. It refers to one of the 32 physical marks of a Buddha and symbolizes the Buddha’s ability to conceal his physical organs or characteristics, particularly those related to sensual desires. ☜

2. Song Jiang was a Chinese historical figure who led an armed rebellion against the ruling Song Dynasty in the early 12th century. He is portrayed as a righteous and resourceful leader who provides assistance to those in need, earning him his nickname of ’Timely Rain’. ☜