An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Half a month had passed since the grand opening of the Debate Platform, but its influence had already rippled through every corner of Dahe Market. The entire cultivation community was abuzz, and the impact was undeniable.

Perhaps the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion aimed to nurture a culture of combat, or maybe they simply sought to heighten the spectators’ excitement. Whatever the reason, the local Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion had put up substantial rewards.

Victors in same-tier battles against demonic beasts claimed all the beast materials as spoils. For high-tier cultivator duels, winners took possession of a pre-bet enchanted artifact from their defeated opponent.

Monthly rankings promised even greater rewards. The top three participants premium rewards, such as a top-grade enchanted artifact, pills, or even cultivation techniques!

Additionally, the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion adjusted ticket prices based on the importance of the match, with standard tickets priced as low as ten spirit stones. As for ticket scalpers, anyone caught was sentenced to a month in Red pillar Prison and required to participate in a same-tier battle before being released. Rumor had it that a shameless individual had once resold a ticket worth a hundred spirit stones for two hundred spirit stones.

Someone, somewhere, got innocently implicated.

The newly introduced mid stage Qi-Refining battles Qin Liangchen mentioned had stirred fierce competition. Cultivators were now classified into early, middle, and late stages within their realm. Victories in mid-stage battles offered no enchanted artifact rewards but would earn a bottle of Qi-Nourishing pills from the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion, valued at a hundred spirit stones. For maintaining the top rank for the month, one could receive ten bottles of Qi-Nourishing pills!

Ten bottles! That equaled a hundred pills—enough to sustain uninterrupted cultivation for over three months. As a result, countless rogue cultivators scrambled to participate in the Debate Platform’s matches!

This influx of rewards and opportunities drew countless rogue cultivators to stay in Dahe Market. Some claimed the Debate Platform offered far better rewards than older platforms in neighboring regions. As such, these remaining rogue cultivators became the main participants in the matches.

Following Qin Liangchen’s gaze, Luo Chen glanced at the massive jade plaque. In addition to rankings, it also listed today’s match schedules. Over twenty bouts were scheduled for the day. Blood would undoubtedly be spilled. Of course, regular matches weren’t life-or-death battles; they ended as soon as the point was made, with referees on hand to intervene at any moment. It could be said that the Debate Platform was indeed an excellent place for cultivators to exchange ideas and spar.

Beside him, Qin Liangchen offered his thoughts. “Your enchanted artifacts might be few, but they are exceptional. That jade blade and Soul-Breaking Nail alone can dominate the mid stage Qi-Refining Realm. Your mastery of spells is also remarkable—even I have to be cautious sparring with you. With your crafty fighting style to the mix, you could easily secure the monthly top rank.”

Qin Liangchen’s compliments flowed freely, as if they cost him nothing.

Luo Chen rolled his eyes. “There’s no such luck. After a few matches, my techniques would be exposed. Once the others figure out my style and artifacts, it’s only a matter of time before I’m defeated. Take Li Zhuoqi from the Baiyu Valley Li family, he held the top spot for ten days with his top-grade flying sword, yet he was eventually ousted by an outsider rogue cultivator.”

Luo Chen was well aware. There’s no such thing as an undefeated person. Once someone’s tactics are thoroughly analyzed, defeat becomes inevitable. If a life-or-death enemy were to uncover such information and develop countermeasures, it could lead to one’s demise in the wilderness. Luo Chen was not about to put himself under the spotlight for such meager rewards.

Besides, who said earning spirit stones from the Debate Platform only meant stepping into the arena?

Luo Chen walked to a small plaza opposite the jade plaque, where a tiny stall was set up. ”Xiao Yue, how’s business today?”

In front of the stall, a girl no older than seventeen or eighteen was squatting.

Hearing his voice, she blushed and immediately stood up. Intertwining her fingers shyly, she said, ”Seven servings of celestial beans, five of beef jerky, thirteen of popcorn, and only ten bottles of pineapple wine. Altogether, I made thirty-five spirit stones.”

Luo Chen frowned. ”I just checked; there were twenty-five matches today, right? There must have been four or five thousand spectators. How did you only make this much?”

Xiao Yue fiddled with her fingers, on the verge of tears.

Qin Liangchen, standing nearby, couldn’t bear Luo Chen bullying the girl like this. ”These trinkets of yours—ten servings together don’t cost a single spirit stone. You’re charging one spirit stone per serving? No one wants to feel like a fool!”

”Hey, hey, hey! Don’t talk nonsense. My celestial beans are made with a secret recipe! The popcorn? That’s crafted from spirit rice and my unique spellwork. And the pineapple wine? That’s brewed by the late Medicine Hall Leader Leaping Tiger’s father. Which of these isn’t worth one spirit stone per serving?” Luo Chen argued passionately, face flushed, neck bulging, nearly spraying Qin Liangchen with his spit.

Qin Liangchen stared in disbelief. Could he have misjudged their worth?

Xiao Yue lowered her head, tears welling up. She felt useless. Even with such good products, she was failing to sell them.

Luo Chen sighed. Xiao Yue was the daughter of Leaping Tiger, one of the Poshan Gang’s hall leaders who died on the Debate Platform. Her father’s death had left her with a crippled grandfather and a daughter at the second stage of Qi-Refining. Mi Shuhua had promised to take care of the families of those who died in battle, but in reality, he only arranged some relatively safe tasks for them within the gang, just enough to survive, but nowhere near enough to afford cultivation resources.

In truth, ordinary gang members could barely earn enough spirit stones to sustain their cultivation. The majority of the profits were taken by the hall leaders and even the gang leader himself. This level of care was just enough for survival—not too little to provoke resentment, but absolutely insufficient for any real growth.

Over the past half-month, while getting acquainted with the gang’s operations and maintaining his cultivation, Luo Chen had simply halted the production of his Myriad Wonders pills. Conveniently, under the pretense of assisting Qin Liangchen—one of the four elders—to recover, he avoided some of the gang’s chores and instead focused relentlessly on honing his mastery of spells.

And he didn’t just improve—he soared.

He even earned Qin Liangchen’s praise: ”Undefeated in the mid-stage, capable of battling late-stage opponents.”

Frequent trips to the Debate Platform revealed a business opportunity to him. It wasn’t scalping tickets! It was about the boredom cultivators felt when watching uninteresting matches.

Thus, he introduced snacks such as celestial beans, popcorn, and beef jerky. Later, he learned at the Medicine Hall that Leaping Tiger had a fondness for a fruit wine brewed by his father. Luo Chen went directly to the old man to see if he could produce it in bulk for sale. The old man didn’t refuse, but he had one condition: Luo Chen had to look after Xiao Yue.

As for why this condition was attached...

The reason was simple, Luo Chen was arguably one of the most prominent figures in the Poshan Gang. He was the junior of a former Protector, now an Elder_Wang Yuan. He was also a close friend and neighbor of another Elder, Qin Liangchen, constantly calling the Medicine Hall Leader, Murong Qinglian, ”Sister-in-law” with a sweet smile. Not only, the Battle Hall’s Sick Tiger, Zeng Wen, visited Luo Chen every so often. Whenever they talked, it was always in hushed tones, brimming with camaraderie!

Tsk tsk, with connections like these, anyone would think Luo Chen has a boundless future.

Luo Chen saw no reason to refuse and readily agreed. After all, he needed someone to help sell these snacks.

Xiao Yue was a delicate young girl with a pitiful air, making her perfect for the role of a salesperson. However, in hindsight, this decision seemed a bit forced.

Xiao Yue had lived too comfortably under the protection of her father, Leaping Tiger, and her personality was too soft.

With a sigh, Luo Chen gently nudged her aside. “Step back and watch me.”

Xiao Yue hesitated for a moment but then stepped aside, letting Luo Chen take her spot at the stall.

Qin Liangchen was puzzled, unsure of what Luo Chen was up to.

In the next moment, his face turned red, and he hurriedly retreated to a secluded spot.

”Popcorn! Pineapple wine! Beef jerky—absolutely delicious! Watch cultivators’ bloody battles, savor the taste of celestial life—each celestial bean contains the wisdom of the Great Dao!

”Come on over, take a look! For just one spirit stone, you can buy a big bag of popcorn made from spirit rice. Enjoy the matches while munching on popcorn—what could be more wonderful?”

With the aid of his spirit power, his clear, melodious voice echoed across several li.

Whether it was the onlookers in front of the jade plaque, the gamblers at the betting booths, or the cultivators selling tickets at the entrances, everyone turned to look.

They saw a handsome young man grinning, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

”Celestial beans! Beef jerky! Popcorn! Come and check it out!”