An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The piece of beast hide in Luo Chen’s hands detailed a second-tier pill known as the Blood Fiend pill.

According to the description, once refined, consuming this pill would grant cultivators an immense amount of blood-fiend energy. This blood-fiend energy was distinct from the pure spirit power cultivated by orthodox practitioners, but it could enhance the cultivation of those following the blood path.

Luo Chen immediately recalled the blood-path cultivator, Xiao Wuyan, who had been slain by Wang Yuan on the Debate Platform.

”Blood-path pills?” Luo Chen’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

Wang Yuan couldn’t help but ask, ”Can you refine it?”

Luo Chen chuckled bitterly, ”Brother Wang, you’re overestimating me. This is a second-tier pill. How could I possibly refine it? Besides!” He paused, his expression turning serious. ”This is a devil-path pill. If I refine it, I’ll meet a horrible end and so will you.”

The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect was incredibly strict when it came to the devil path. In fact, the entire thirty-six domains of the Extreme East harbored no devil-path sects. Even the Hehuan Sect, which straddled righteousness and wickedness, had to maintain a consensual facade and operate under the banner of the Tianxiang Tower.

Just by glancing at the recipe on the beast hide, Luo Chen found the listed ingredients utterly horrifying. Cultivator’s essence blood, Netherworld Yin Fiend, and large amount of human placenta. Each ingredient was far removed from the resources commonly used by orthodox cultivators—purely the stuff of wicked practices. Let alone refining the pill, merely gathering such materials would draw the attention of Jade Cauldron Sword cultivators, who would hunt them down to the last speck.

Wang Yuan was also aware of this and couldn’t help but lower his gaze, his disappointment evident. ”It’s a pity. If I had this pill as an aid, even without a Foundation Establishment pill, I could attempt to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.”

”Is it really that effective...? Wait a moment?” Luo Chen stared at the man before him in surprise. ”You can establish a foundation even without a Foundation Establishment pill?”

”Who told you that a Foundation Establishment pill is a necessity for establishing a foundation?” Wang Yuan retorted.

Luo Chen was momentarily stunned. He carefully recalled the people and events he had encountered in his years of cultivation. Heavenly Spirit Root cultivators had no bottleneck when breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and did not require a Foundation Establishment pill.

There were also cultivators with dual-spirit-roots who had managed to break through by using other supplementary pills. He even knew someone who had attempted to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm without using a Foundation Establishment pill—Fu Xiuxiu!

After their first gathering, Bai Meiling had mentioned Fu Xiuxiu’s story. She had a Dao companion who had once been a disciple of the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect but was demoted to the outer sect to manage sect affairs after failing to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. Later, he became disheartened and indulged in pleasure.

Perhaps unable to bear her Dao companion’s decline or feeling she had accumulated enough resources, Fu Xiuxiu had attempted to break through without using a Foundation Establishment pill. However, she had ultimately failed.

Despite her failure, her unique constitution spared her from severe backlash, and after years of recuperation, she returned to normal. This was why the Divine Talisman Pavilion valued her, promoted her to deacon, and even planned to bring her back to the sect.

Thinking about it this way, a Foundation Establishment pill didn’t seem to be an absolute necessity?

Wang Yuan said plainly, ”I am not following the traditional path of Qi-Refining but focusing on physical cultivation. If my blood and qi undergo a qualitative transformation, I can break through without relying on a Foundation Establishment pill.

”And this Blood Fiend pill is undoubtedly a pill that can cause qualitative change in my blood and qi.”

A pill? But it uses the lives of cultivators and even mortals as its primary ingredients!

The two fell into silence.

The two fell silent. After a moment, Wang Yuan reached out to retrieve the beast hide, but Luo Chen held on.

“Brother Wang, let me keep this!” His tone was firm. “I’ll try to alter the formula—replace the key ingredients. Maybe I can refine something suitable for you.”

Wang Yuan studied him for a moment, then withdrew his hand. “Fine. It’s yours.”

Luo Chen carefully wrapped the beast hide and stored it in the storage pouch on his waist.

As he prepared to leave, he turned back, his expression serious. “Brother Wang, I don’t know what else you took from Xiao Wuyan, but the blood path is forbidden. Physical cultivation is hard, but it’s a righteous path. Be cautious.”

”Mm.” He gave a simple hum, and it was unclear if Wang Yuan truly took the words to heart.

***

The sun was beginning to set as Luo Chen and Gu Caiyi made their way home along the bustling streets of the outer city. Qin Liangchen had gone to assist Murong Qinglian in Crescent Moon Valley, leaving just the two of them.

The dirt roads, once uneven and dusty, had been layered with gravel and compacted underfoot. The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had gradually improved the market area, making it more appealing to cultivators and traders.

This change was not achieved in a single day. It had started gradually before the opening ceremony of the Debate Platform. The Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion was slowly developing the outer district.

With a better environment, more visiting cultivators were likely to stay. The more people there were, the more spirit stones these major sects could earn.

Although the outer city had become more crowded, it was actually much safer than before. After all, the reputation of the Jade Cauldron’s Golden Core cultivator still lingered.

The Sword Pavilion no longer only had Miao Zhen, the Foundation Establishment cultivator of Jade Cauldron, but also added another inner sect Foundation Establishment cultivator specifically in charge of the Debate Platform.

Looking at the changed yet familiar outer city streets, Luo Chen couldn’t help but sigh.

The Dahe Market was becoming increasingly prosperous, and the lives of cultivators were steadily improving. Of course, this referred to mid to late stage cultivators; those at the low stages of Qi-Refining still lived in hardship.

“Luo Chen, thank you,” Gu Caiyi said softly.

He turned to her, surprised. “Thank me? For what? Even after joining the Poshan Gang, you earn far less than you did at Tianxiang Tower.”

”That’s not the point. I stayed there for years, but lately... it felt different. Something was changing, and it made me uneasy”

Gu Caiyi’s gaze wandered, and a genuine smile appeared on her face. Since she quit her job and stayed home, her routine gradually became normal, and her social interactions were no longer so chaotic.

Gu Caiyi glanced at him. ”Besides, with you leading the Alchemy Hall, it’s bound to flourish in the future.”

Luo Chen chuckled, ”You have that much confidence in me?”

Gu Caiyi tilted her head, staring at Luo Chen’s handsome side profile. ”Big Brother Qin already told me you get a share of the Alchemy Hall’s profits. Don’t you want to earn even more?”

Luo Chen gave a faint smile and chose not to continue the topic.

How much he earned from the Alchemy Hall’s profits was determined by Mi Shuhua and the others from the Poshan Gang.

But how much the Hall earned—that was entirely up to him.

And in the process, there was no way he would let himself suffer losses. After all, no one had ever heard of a restaurant chef starving themselves!

”Let’s head home. I heard Xiuxiu is cooking tonight and invited us for a farewell dinner.”

Hearing Fu Xiuxiu’s name, Gu Caiyi froze for a moment.

As a fellow woman, the other seemed to have always been on the right path—a Dao companion to a disciple of a reputable sect, an official of one of the six major sects, someone who had once attempted the bold feat of achieving Foundation Establishment, and now about to embark on a journey to become a member of the Divine Talisman Sect.

Compared to her, she was still struggling in the small town of Dahe Market. To say she didn’t feel a twinge of bitterness would be a lie. But to call it jealousy was far from the truth.

She was a woman who had endured more hardships but lived far more resilient than herself.

Besides, what’s so wrong about struggling in Dahe Market? Wasn’t this young man beside her also facing everything with optimism?

She smiled gently, her beautiful cheeks revealing two shallow dimples.

“Let’s buy two cucumbers on the way home,” she said suddenly.

“Cucumbers?”Luo Chen raised a brow.

“Every year around this time, Spirit Source Pavilion sells a type of spirit fruit that’s somewhere between a fruit and a vegetable. It tastes great!”

“Sure! But you’re paying.”

“You stingy guy, fine, I’ll buy them!”