An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers, by Tang Wuchen.

As Luo Chen opened the manual and scanned the first few lines, he couldn’t help but give it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Anyone with ”Chen” in their name, he reasoned, must surely be an extraordinary and refined individual—just like himself. Exactly like him, in fact. With such logic in mind, wasn’t this manual practically tailor-made for him?

Unfortunately, his confidence took a hit the moment he finished reading it.

The manual meticulously outlined thirty-six concealed weapon techniques, each with distinct execution methods. Mastering them would require obtaining specific concealed weapons and testing them out one by one. The sheer effort made Luo Chen’s head ache.

”This is way too troublesome,” he muttered. ”How do other cultivators even extract artifact control techniques from this?”

With no one around to guide him, Luo Chen had no choice but to take the long road—trial and error. It was going to take time, and a lot of it.

”What a shame—I was hoping to use this thing to farm some achievement points.”

Indeed, Luo Chen wasn’t just learning these mundane martial arts to slightly improve his combat capabilities. What he really wanted was to use martial arts to grind skill proficiencies and earn enough achievement points.

Ever since he acquired more alchemy recipes, his once abundant stockpile of achievement points had started to dwindle. He’d received a point for raising his Myriad Wonders pill proficiency to Grandmaster level, which brought his total to twenty-three. But unlocking the Jade Essence pill had instantly consumed ten of them.

Now, he still had incomplete recipes for the first-tier Spirit Passage pill, second-tier Jade Dew pill, and a complete recipe for the second-tier Blood Fiend pill. Whether he chose to finish, unlock, or upgrade those recipes, they’d all demand achievement points.

Luo Chen needed to plan ahead—not wait until the last moment to scramble for proficiency gains.

Compared to the difficulty of learning and mastering spells, martial arts were much simpler. Simply put, mundane martial arts were primarily based on the physical strength of ordinary people. The stronger the physique, the higher the potential of martial arts.

Cultivators, whose bodies were long soaked in spirit energy, already had exceptionally strong physiques. With just a bit of practice, they could easily achieve minor mastery. This was why his Carefree Wander proficiency had skyrocketed in the past.

Naturally, he wanted to replicate that success.

Unfortunately, the detailed and complex techniques in Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers were proving a huge obstacle. Progress was slow.

Still, Luo Chen refused to give up. ”If everyone’s practicing it, there must be something to it,” he reasoned. ”No need to rush right now.”

Shaking his head, Luo Chen noted down a technique called Primordial Pearl and then tossed Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers into his storage pouch.

The reason Luo Chen specifically noted down the Primordial Pearl technique was that this concealed weapon was essentially a simple small bead.

The technique described a type of small bead that, upon piercing an enemy’s body, would detonate using hidden internal force. The resulting explosion would scatter shrapnel and spirit energy, causing massive internal damage. The injuries were not only brutal but also extremely difficult to heal.

Truly, this was a sinister and vicious weapon!

Luo Chen didn’t have the means to craft Primordial Pearls at the moment, but he happened to have a rather convenient alternative—the stone beads formed from failed Jade Essence pill batches. Though useless as pills, these colorful beads had been forged from Washed Jade, a first-tier spirit jade. Their density, weight, and hardness made them perfect for use as concealed weapons. In fact, they were probably even more refined than most of the Primordial Pearls floating around the mortal markets.

After putting away Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers Luo Chen casually opened another martial arts manual.

This one was gifted by Gu Caiyi, Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm, an original martial art that Wang Yuan used to sell at roadside stalls in his early days.

He hadn’t expected much from it. At first glance, it sounded like a brute-force technique akin to Iron Sand Palm, which required tedious external conditioning—hitting ironwood logs, soaking hands in herbal brews, and all the rest. Luo Chen didn’t have time for that sort of training.

However, after just a quick glance, he became completely engrossed.

”This... this is actually a palm technique that focuses on controlling internal energy!”

It was rare—this was not an external technique but an internal one! It described how martial arts experts could release their internal energy or true qi externally through special methods and specific meridians and acupoints.

Goodness, this was extraordinary!

As far as Luo Chen knew, in the mundane martial world, only martial arts grandmasters could achieve the external release of true qi. This palm technique took a novel approach; even without reaching the level of a grandmaster, one could still achieve true qi externalization.

He glanced at the author’s name.

Well, wasn’t this a coincidence!

Wang Yuan!

”This is actually my big brother’s original martial art,” Luo Chen muttered, flipping through the manual with growing interest. ”Though the name could’ve used some work. Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm? Why not call it Sky-Cleaving Palm or White Rainbow Palm? Even Air-Splitting Palm would’ve sounded better!”

He chuckled to himself, teasing Wang Yuan’s questionable naming skills—but beneath the humor, his heart burned with excitement.

Internal energy? He didn’t have that.

True qi? Nope, not that either.

But he had something far superior to internal energy or true qi—spirit energy!

Moreover, the specific meridian pathways described in the manual posed no difficulty to him whatsoever. His body already had all twelve main meridians and eight extraordinary meridians fully opened. As for specific acupoints like Shaofu [1], Laogong [2], Zhongzhu [3], Zhongchong [4], and Hegu [5], they were even less of a problem for him.

Both The Treatise on Green Origin pills and The Compendium of Hundred Herbs had detailed diagrams of the corresponding human acupoints.

He only needed to apply a bit of spirit energy to stimulate these points and open them. Once done, mastering Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm would be easy.

Thinking about it, he acted immediately!

Luo Chen guided his spirit energy along the basic method recorded in the manual and it advanced smoothly without any hindrance. When it reached his palm, the spirit energy condensed into a needlepoint and gently pierced through.

Break! Break! Break! Break! Break!

In rapid succession, all five acupoints opened. The pathway for external spirit energy release was now established. And better yet, it could be closed or sealed at will when not in use. Worried that the pathway might not be wide enough, Luo Chen repeatedly expanded it with spirit energy until he felt a slight cool breeze emanating from his palms and finally stopped.

”Alright,” he muttered with a grin. ”Let’s see what kind of power my brother’s martial art really has.”

With that, he raised his arm and struck the ground with a heavy palm.

A torrent of spirit energy surged forth like a rushing river, spilling out instantly.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion echoed throughout the stone house and beyond.

”Luo Chen, are you alright!?” Gu Caiyi’s voice called out in alarm from outside.

”I’m fine! Just... ah-choo!” Luo Chen’s sneeze echoed like thunder.

”I’m going into seclusion for a bit. Don’t let anyone disturb me,” he added, his voice slightly hollow—echoing as if from deep within a cave.

Hearing that, Gu Caiyi finally let out a breath of relief. She turned and returned to supervising the fire handlers, who were currently practicing the new fire-control techniques Luo Chen had recently taught them.

This same group of fire handlers had been training for over a month now. Having a month of foundational training, they were now getting quicker at mastering the fire control required for refining Jade Essence pills. However, spending every day near the fire pits had turned their skin a reddish hue and made it somewhat dry.

Gu Caiyi realized that alchemy truly wasn’t an easy task.

She found herself wondering: How did Xiangxiang maintain her flawless skin after spending three years as a fire attendant?

As for her doubts, Luo Chen had plenty of insight.

A proper alchemist didn’t just learn fire control—they also had to master fire resistance. With a capable mentor, they would naturally be taught the appropriate techniques to mitigate the effects of constant exposure.

But Luo Chen didn’t have the time to answer Gu Caiyi right now.

Because at this very moment, he was far beneath the Alchemy Hall at a subterranean cavern. Or rather, not just a cavern, but a vast, interconnected tunnel!

Looking at the intricate network of tunnels resembling a spider web, a thought emerged in Luo Chen’s mind.

A mining tunnel!

He was right.

This underground network was part of the legacy left behind by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect back when they mined Star Silver in Crescent Moon Valley. After the sect relocated, the tunnels had been sealed.

When the Poshan Gang later took over the valley, they likely scouted the area—but finding no inheritance or treasure worth keeping, they simply left it untouched.

”It’s said that the Medicine Hall oversees a few larger mine shafts, which are often used to air-dry herbs that can’t be exposed to sunlight.”

”Then this place must’ve been part of the main Star Silver mining shaft.”

He glanced at the status panel, where the newly appeared entry Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm: Beginner (1/100)

Luo Chen couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh—the palm technique had given him quite the unexpected surprise. On his very first attempt, he’d failed to control its strength and ended up punching straight through the ground.

”Did I just break the earth with one palm and transform into a dragon...?”

Standing in the center of the interconnected main mining shaft, Luo Chen felt a bit lost for a moment.

“Should I explore this place?

“Where do I even start?”

After a brief hesitation, he chose the widest tunnel. In his mind, the largest path would have seen the most traffic back in the day—making it both safer and easier to navigate. He wasn’t expecting to stumble across ancient cultivator remains, divine inheritances, or some miraculous shortcut to the Nascent Soul stage.

He only hoped there wouldn’t be any underground demonic beasts lurking inside.

“Spiders, snakes, pangolins... anything like that—please, don’t show up!”

Just as he muttered those words, an idea sparked.

With a flick of his hand, a small puppet dropped to the ground and began scuttling forward, nimble and efficient. It darted ahead with surprising speed, slipping through narrow gaps in the rock like a scout on a mission.

”Puppet techniques are great —perfect for travel, murder, and treasure hunting! I should find a chance to learn it someday.”

And with that, Luo Chen strode forward, stepping into a rare and unplanned adventure beneath the Alchemy Hall.

***

Meanwhile, back on the surface, Mi Junping stood in the center of the Alchemy Hall, arms crossed, her expression sour. ”Is Luo Chen not here?”

Gu Caiyi hesitated. She could already sense trouble brewing. “He’s here, but...”

”If he’s here, tell him to come out and see me.”

“He’s in seclusion,” Gu Caiyi replied honestly, recalling Luo Chen’s very specific instructions. “He said not to be disturbed.”

Seclusion? A mere mid-stage Qi-Refining cultivator going into seclusion every now and then—what kind of nonsense was this?

Anyone unaware might think he was some enlightened cultivator who entered seclusion for centuries at a time.

Mi Junping thought bitterly, then shoved a pile of items into Gu Caiyi’s hands.

“This is his profit share from last month. Give it to him when he comes out. And check the accounts—if anything’s missing, don’t come looking for me!”

With that, she spun around and stormed out of the hall.

Gu Caiyi stared after her for a moment, then turned her attention to the bag in her arms. She opened it—and froze.

A neatly stacked pile of low-grade spirit stones shimmered in the light, perfectly uniform and gleaming. Atop them sat a small, familiar wooden box—one she recognized immediately.

Gu Caiyi’s mouth opened slightly in disbelief. Was Luo Chen’s income really this much now?

1. Shaofu (少府, HT8) is an acupoint located on the palm, specifically along the Heart Meridian. It is commonly used to clear heart fire, calm the spirit, and benefit the small intestine. In cultivation or internal practice contexts, it is associated with regulating inner emotional energy and refining heart-based qi ☜

2. Laogong (劳宫, PC8) sits at the center of the palm and belongs to the Pericardium Meridian. It is one of the most sensitive and powerful points used to clear heat, cool the blood, and calm the mind. In martial or energy arts, Laogong often acts as a major outlet for emitting internal force (qi) through the hands. ☜

3. Zhongzhu (中渚, TE3) is found on the dorsum of the hand, along the Triple Energizer (San Jiao) Meridian. It is typically used for relieving pain in the hands, head, and ears, and also for unblocking the meridians. Energetically, it’s useful for balancing the body’s three burners—upper, middle, and lower—enhancing overall coordination of qi. ☜

4. Zhongchong (中冲, PC9) lies at the tip of the middle finger and is the Jing-Well point of the Pericardium Meridian. It’s a critical point for reviving consciousness, clearing heat, and harmonizing the heart. In cultivation, it often serves as a release valve for extreme internal pressure or heat surges. ☜

5. Hegu (合谷, LI4) is situated between the thumb and index finger, on the Large Intestine Meridian. It is one of the most frequently used points in acupuncture and energy work for pain relief, boosting immunity, and regulating overall qi flow. Hegu is also known as a ”master point” for the face and head, making it vital in both healing and combat-based applications. ☜