An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Sister-in-law, this is really too much!”

Luo Chen hurriedly declined. Usually, freeloading a meal wasn’t a big deal. But this soup was meant to replenish Qin Liangchen’s vitality, which was crucial for the upcoming deathmatch. Even with him being shameless, he didn’t dare to drink this bowl of soup.

However, Murong Qinglian insisted on placing the bowl on Luo Chen’s table.

”This is just a leftover bit. The essence has all been given to your Brother Qin. You don’t need to refuse.”

”But...”

”No buts, unless you think little of your sister-in-law’s cooking.”

”Uh, alright then!”

Luo Chen stopped refusing and downed the small bowl of soup without hesitation.

”The Blood Fiend Tiger is a second tier demonic beast. Its bone broth is a great supplement for cultivators in the Qi-Refining Realm. Even though it’s just a small bowl, it should bring you significant benefits at your current stage.”

Murong Qinglian put away the bowl and reminded Luo Chen not to waste the medicinal power of the soup.

After she left, Luo Chen couldn’t help but feel emotional. Although life in this world had been tough since he transmigrated, he had encountered many kind people on his cultivation journey.

There was Sun Shou, who rented him a house for half a spirit stone, Chen Xiuping, who gave him a spot at his stall, and the good neighbors in this courtyard. He began to wonder if his transmigrator’s perks went beyond the status panel.

Maybe, my luck stat is maxed out too!

Thinking about this, he naturally set aside thoughts of vile figures like the short-lived Chen Xiao and the miserly Gao Ting’e. They were merely minor trials along the cultivation path.

As he was lost in thought, a surge of warmth began spreading from his stomach. Heat, impulsiveness, and power—various sensations coursed through him, making him feel as if he might explode. Recalling Murong Qinglian’s earlier words, Luo Chen dared not delay and quickly returned to his room to cultivate.

Previously, he had hesitated about pushing himself today, but now there was no need for concern. This session, however, lasted a full two hours.

When Luo Chen opened his eyes, a sensation of boundless vitality surged through him. Clenching his fist, he felt as though he could take down a tiger barehanded. Of course, he could already defeat an ordinary tiger before this. But back then, it had been through spirit power and spells; now, it was purely his physical strength giving him this confidence.

This was just a small bowl of tiger bone soup! If I drank this soup daily, my physique might one day rival that of a Blood Fiend Tiger!

The fantasy faded quickly. Who was he kidding? This tiger bone soup was made from second-tier spirit materials, something he couldn’t afford regularly. Naturally, the benefits of this bowl of soup weren’t limited to strengthening his physique.

Luo Chen once again brought up his status panel. Under the techniques section, it now proudly displayed

Long Spring Art: Grandmaster (501/1000)

He had reached Grandmaster level!

Recalling those two hours, especially the final cycle of Long Spring Art, Luo Chen could hardly contain his excitement. The Grandmaster level proficiency of Long Spring Art had brought about astonishing changes, almost miraculous.

First, it perfectly adapted to his body, as though it had been custom-made for him. Previously, each cycle only utilized five meridians and six channels. Now, as spirit power flowed, it had unblocked an additional seven meridians and two channels.

Though only barely unblocked, allowing a trickle of spirit power, Luo Chen knew what it meant to connect the twelve primary meridians and open the eight extra ones. This meant that his efficiency in refining external spirit energy would increase significantly. Even his speed in refining pills would double, as more meridians could be used to absorb the medicinal power.

Previously, he could only refine one qi-nourishing pill per day, but now, he could handle two. As long as he had enough spirit stones, his cultivation speed had effectively doubled.

Of course, unlocking the twelve meridians and the eight extraordinary channels came at a cost. The spirit energy of his entire fourth stage Qi-Refining was almost entirely drained.

But it was through this depletion that Luo Chen discovered the second change brought by the Grandmaster level Long Spring Art.

”It can actually regenerate spirit energy on its own!”

Automatic energy regeneration meant that spirit energy could recover without active effort. Luo Chen could sense that even without actively practicing the Long Spring Art , his body conveyed waves of hunger.

Currently situated in the inner city, a first-tier spirit vein zone. Even though other forces had drained much of the spirit energy with spirit gathering arrays, the ambient concentration in the outside world was still remarkably substantial. Under the influence of that hunger, his body seemed transparent and effortlessly absorbed external spirit energy.

This absorption rate was roughly a tenth of his full-power cultivation. Though not much, it was constant and unceasing.

”With this, I’ll never have to worry about excessive spirit energy consumption from practicing spells again!” Luo Chen was overjoyed.

The primary factor limiting his spell proficiency progress had always been his spirit energy. The human body was like a sealed treasure trove, with the dantian being the container for spirit energy.

To break through realms, the total spirit energy had to continuously increase. The accumulation of quantity would lead to a qualitative change, breaking through limitations.

Thus, when cultivators aimed for breakthroughs, they often ensured they were in perfect condition, so every bit of refined spirit energy would add to their reserves. The container would expand incrementally, breaking the boundaries of the sealed treasure trove.

However, fighting and practicing spells would expend significant amounts of spirit energy.

Under such circumstances, practicing cultivation wouldn’t increase spirit energy or break boundaries; it merely restored the original perfect state.

Luo Chen’s slow spell proficiency growth was due to his need to balance realm advancement.

Thus, he had been strictly limiting his daily spell practice. Fireball, with the highest consumption, was practiced four times a day; Entangle once or twice occasionally, and Cleanse rarely. On the other hand, Traction and Spirit Eyes, which consumed less energy, were practiced at least ten times daily.

Even with such measures, he struggled to increase his spirit energy limit through cultivation alone and had to rely on qi-nourishing pills.

But now, with automatic regeneration, it was a different story. This meant he could practice spells with less restraint, improving proficiency more freely.

”The Grandmaster level Long Spring Art not only enhances my cultivation speed but also boosts my combat power.

”As long as I put in the effort, I can max out the proficiency of all my spells.”

Luo Chen had yet to witness the power of maxed-out spells. But even the Grandmaster level Fireball had already enabled him to create the small but deadly trick, Blazing Fireflies. Therefore, it was only natural for him to feel this excited.

After the excitement wore off, his energy seemed to diminish significantly. Although his physical body could withstand the prolonged cultivation, his mental state felt somewhat fatigued.

Luo Chen didn’t force himself further and simply went to sleep.

When he woke up, he felt even more refreshed and energized. He couldn’t resist practicing through the Long Spring Art once again.

This time, he carefully explored the various intricacies of the Grandmaster level Long Spring Art. After half an hour, he opened his eyes, his entire being exuding delight.

”The efficiency of refining spirit energy has doubled again!

”It’s almost equivalent to the normal cultivation efficiency of a three-spirit-root cultivator.”

If the cultivation efficiency of a five spirit root aptitude was the baseline, the Perfection level Long Spring Art had doubled that, elevating him to the level of a four-spirit-root cultivator’s twofold efficiency. But now, Luo Chen clearly felt that his spirit energy refinement efficiency had reached a fourfold standard.

Previously, Luo Chen had been unsure about the efficiency standards he had set for himself. However, his time spent with Qin Liangchen had gradually solidified his understanding of this calculation.

Qin Liangchen had a three spirit root aptitude and was now forty-nine years old. He had started cultivating at seventeen, just missing the age limit for sect recruitment. It had taken him over thirty years to reach the ninth stage of Qi-Refining.

According to him, if he hadn’t needed to worry about making a living or expending spirit energy on practicing spells and mastering artifacts, he could have saved at least ten years. In other words, instead of over thirty years, it would have taken only twenty years for someone with a three-spirit-root aptitude to reach the ninth stage of Qi-Refining.

Of course, advancing from the ninth stage of Qi-Refining to the Foundation Establishment stage would require a significantly longer time than all the previous stages combined. For now, he wouldn’t factor in the time needed to progress from the ninth stage to Foundation Establishment.

Qin Liangchen’s cultivation speed perfectly aligned with the efficiency standards Luo Chen had devised for his five-spirit-root aptitude and Chen Xiuping’s four-spirit-root aptitude. Using this calculation, Luo Chen was able to pinpoint his current standing.

”Without considering the use of pills, my cultivation speed is comparable to that of a three-spirit-root cultivator.”

A three spirit root cultivator! This was already the threshold for pursuing the Great Dao.

With abundant resources, he could achieve Foundation Establishment in as little as forty or fifty years, or at most a century.

Luo Chen had always been deeply concerned about his lifespan. He had practiced so many spells and advanced his cultivation several times, yet his lifespan had remained unchanged.

This had always given him a sense of urgency. It was as if a sword were hanging over his head.

Now, the Grandmaster level Long Spring Art had finally pushed that sword a little further away.

Of course, to completely remove that sword, he had to fulfill one condition.

”Abundant resources!

”So, make money, make money and make more money!”