An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Xiangxiang, can an iron pot really be used for alchemy?”

In a lakeside pavilion of Tianxiang Tower, Gu Caiyi leaned on the table, watching Yu Xiang, who was getting her makeup done.

Under the deft hands of the attendant applying and blending makeup, Yu Xiang’s beautiful face became even more radiant. Sometimes, she couldn’t understand why Yu Xiang, who was already an inner disciple of the Hehuan Sect, would still come to such a filthy place.

Yu Xiang kept her eyes closed, letting the attendant apply the finishing touches.

”A pot? If it’s an iron pot laced with spiritual ore, then of course it can be used for alchemy.”

Hmm? Gu Caiyi was puzzled and asked curiously, ”Don’t alchemists all use cauldrons?”

”Heh, that’s where your misconception lies,” Yu Xiang said with a chuckle. ”The art of alchemy is vast and profound. There are many methods, such as water refinement, fire refinement, blood refinement, and even refinement of the living.

”And when it comes to alchemical tools, the variety is even greater. The cauldron is the most mainstream alchemical tool because it can withstand intense flames, hold more ingredients, and nurture the pills to preserve their potency after formation.

”But in reality, pots, furnaces, sacrificial vessels, and jars are also common alchemical tools. I’ve even heard of devil cultivators using humans as cauldrons for refinement of the living to create the Great Pill of the Human Dao.”

Gu Caiyi was stunned into silence. She had never imagined that alchemy had so many intricacies. And from Yu Xiang’s tone, it seemed there was even more to it.

”Then can the cheapest iron pots from the Treasure Pavilion be used for alchemy?” Gu Caiyi asked, still incredulous.

Yu Xiang wasn’t sure. ”How low-quality are those pots?”

”Miss, those pots have only trace amounts of black iron added, barely enough to retain the spiritual energy released when cooking spiritual rice. They sell for one low-grade spirit stone each,” an attendant explained.

”Ah!” Yu Xiang’s mouth opened slightly, and she opened her eyes in shock. ”With such tools, I doubt you can make any decent pills!”

”Exactly, which is why I was shocked. It even made me question whether my decades of cultivation were wasted.”

Through the smooth and clear glass mirror, Yu Xiang looked curiously at Gu Caiyi, who was leaning on the table.

”The person you’re talking about, the one using a low-quality iron pot for alchemy, wouldn’t happen to be that alchemist neighbor you mentioned before, would it?”

Gu Caiyi nodded.

Yu Xiang remarked with a hint of awe, ”A mid-stage Qi-Refining cultivator already has limited spirit power, yet he is using a low-quality pot with only trace amounts of black iron for alchemy? Your neighbor must either have an exceptional talent for alchemy or an incredibly solid foundation, with a deep understanding of ingredient properties and precise control over each refinement stage. Either way, such a person would be highly sought after by small clans and factions as a prospective alchemist.”

Gu Caiyi looked doubtful. ”Is it really that impressive?”

”Yes, very impressive,” Yu Xiang said with a firm nod, only to have her makeup smudged.

The attendant sighed and had to redo her makeup.

”I spent three years as a fire handling disciple, five years as a preparation disciple, and twenty years refining pills myself in Hehuan Sect’s alchemy hall before I built a solid foundation. Even then, it was only because I had some innate talent for alchemy that the sect was willing to train me on this path.”

It was hard to imagine this delicate and fine woman spent years tending fires and preparing ingredients.

Gu Caiyi just felt that her neighbor seemed genuinely remarkable.

A mid-stage Qi-Refining cultivator with a storage bag but visibly poor living conditions and no apparent backing or support. Yet he managed to hone alchemy skills that most cultivators couldn’t even dream of in such harsh conditions.

”However, Caiyi, I think you should remind your neighbor of one thing.”

”What is it?”

”If possible, he should switch to a better alchemical tool! A low-quality iron pot significantly impacts the pill’s final grade. It’s also prone to explosions, which can cause serious injury or even death.”

Why did the alchemy cauldron become the mainstream tool for pill-making? Aside from all the advantages Yu Xiang mentioned earlier, its greatest benefit was safety! Even if a batch of pills fails or the earth fire burns too hot, a cauldron rarely explodes.

”He’s so poor; I doubt he can afford a decent alchemy tool.” Gu Caiyi said and pursed her lips.

Then, she suddenly thought of something. ”Xiangxiang, don’t you have an extra alchemy furnace?”

***

The days spent refining the Myriad Wonders pill were always dull and monotonous. Or rather, any repetitive task tends to feel that way after a while.

But not Luo Chen!

The steady climb in his skill proficiency and the predictable spirit stone profits constantly motivated his relentless pill-making.

Recently, he’d even found some ”entertainment” to spice things up.

Watching a nearly fifty jin bucket of water rise smoothly from the well, Luo Chen couldn’t help but grin smugly.

His Traction had reached minor success and was now at the Skilled level. The rapid progress was largely thanks to the inspiration he gained from watching Gu Caiyi draw water that one time.

It turned out there was no need to rigidly follow the prescribed training methods for the Traction. This technique could seamlessly integrate into every aspect of daily life.

From minor tasks like dressing and cleaning to heavier lifting, as long as he used spirit power in daily chores, his mastery of the Traction will naturally improve over time. At the Skilled level, his Traction could now effortlessly handle the jade blade enchanted artifact.

Aside from the Traction, Luo Chen had recently learned two other spells: The Wind-Control Seal and the Spirit Eyes.

He quickly mastered the basics of the first. Likely due to his near-perfect mastery of the Carefree Wander, it only took him the time of one incense stick to get the hang of it.

The latter, however, was more challenging. It involved the delicate eyes, and the overly potent spirit power could easily render him blind if he wasn’t careful.

So Luo Chen waited until his Traction improved before attempting to channel spirit power into his eyes.

Admittedly, Luo Chen had high expectations before activating spirit power in his vision.

”In modern fantasy novels, this would totally count as a superpower. A bit of X-ray vision wouldn’t be asking too much!”

However, when Luo Chen opened his eyes to see the world, he was disappointed.

There was no X-ray vision. Instead, he felt a dazzling sensation, like staring at the sun, which made his eyes ache the longer he looked.

There were a lot of drawbacks!

Yet this spell wouldn’t be listed among the five essential spells for Qi-Refining cultivators without good reason.

The Spirit Eyes allowed one to observe auras, discern spiritual energy, and see through sinister presences. For low-tier cultivators, the greatest threat to survival wasn’t low cultivation or lack of powerful backing, it was ignorance.

Provoking someone who appeared ordinary but had simply concealed their profound cultivation, failing to identify a demonic beast’s territory, or encountering ghosts while walking at night could easily cost one’s life.

However, the Spirit Eyes could effectively help avoid these issues.

Though it had its limitations, it at least allowed cultivators to identify whom they shouldn’t provoke and places they shouldn’t enter.

For filthy or corrupted places, a single glance was enough to detect them and stay far away.

”But this technique shouldn’t be used recklessly. If you see something or someone you shouldn’t, it could be a problem.”

It would be fine for those with higher cultivation to observe lower-level cultivators, but when the reverse happens, there was a high chance of being noticed.

Peeping naturally led to misunderstandings.

Of course, the levels referred to here were major realms of cultivation, such as the Qi-Refining and Foundation Establishment, or Foundation Establishment and Golden Core.

Within the same major realm, unless someone practiced special techniques, it was generally difficult to detect others observing them.

Splash!

A bucket of water poured steadily into a large vat under the pull of spirit power and Luo Chen activated the Spirit Eyes and peered inside.

The Buddha once said, a single drop of water dwells 48,000 tiny creatures. Modern biology also says that water contains countless microorganisms. So why can’t I, a grand cultivator, see anything?

”This Beginner-level Spirit Eyes isn’t even as good as a microscope,” Luo Chen muttered to himself and looked at the thirty jade bottles neatly filled in front of him.

These were the fruits of his half month’s work: he had not only made three batches of finished pills but also improved his Myriad Wonders pill proficiency to the Skilled level.

Of the original materials he’d prepared, twenty-five portions remained. It would take him at least a month to refine them all.

Luo Chen was now pondering when he should sell the Myriad Wonders pills.

Gu Caiyi’s mention of how busy the Tianxiang Tower became at the beginning of the month made him notice a flaw in his sales strategy.

”Only selling at the big markets each time might save more time for pill-making, but it actually means earning less money.”

High-quality pills rarely lacked a market.

However, to create a steady stream of profits, the pills needed to maintain a constant presence in the market, always visible and always available for purchase.

Why were qi-nourishing pills so popular among low-tier cultivators?

After all, qi-nourishing pills weren’t the only pills capable of enhancing spirit power for Qi-Refining cultivators.

The reason lay in how the Spirit Herb Pavilion always had qi-nourishing pills in stock. They had such a large supply of pills that other similar products couldn’t compete and were effectively driven out of the market.

Currently, Myriad Wonders pills didn’t face much competition, but Luo Chen knew he should account for this potential issue.

Increasing production as much as possible while ensuring a constant market presence for the pills was essential.

”Decision made, I’ll set up my stall three times a month from now on!”

Twice at the smaller markets and once at the big one.

With just himself to manage everything, Luo Chen couldn’t do more than this for now.

However, this plan was shaken the very next morning.

”A first-tier low-grade enchanted artifact—Purple Cloud Copper Furnace?”