An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Returning to his stone house, Luo Chen held the golden pill delicately between his thumb and forefinger, studying it with a thoughtful gaze. Encircling its surface was a faint but unmistakable cloud-like pattern.

His understanding of pills and their grades had started with the inheritance of his predecessor, an old cultivator who had perished in a mountain cave. That cultivator hadn’t been a disciple of any renowned sect. A rogue alchemist from the Medicine King Domain, he had barely qualified as an outer disciple of the Medicine King Sect due to his passable alchemy skills—his situation not so different from Fu Xiuxiu’s.

But unlike her, he failed to achieve Foundation Establishment, nor had he obtained the eternal youth scripture or the advanced chapters of the Medicine King Codex. As time wore on, he was relegated to menial duties in the sect, until eventually, he met his end alone in a remote mountain cave in Yuan Zhao Nation.

Yet, in his death, he had passed something on. Among his belongings were the Qi-Refining chapter of the Long Spring Art as well as recipes for fasting concoction and Myriad Wonders pills. As for why an outer disciple of the Medicine King Sect would possess a strange recipe for aphrodisiac pills, that was beyond Luo Chen’s understanding.

After transmigrating, Luo Chen began hawking his wares at rogue cultivator markets, where he often picked up stray tidbits of pill-related knowledge. The buyers, even though they lacked formal alchemy knowledge, were surprisingly picky—offering unsolicited advice, critiques, and commentary. Over time, Luo Chen absorbed their chatter and assembled a working understanding of pill evaluation.

Of course, the greatest leap in his knowledge was undoubtedly the Treatise on Green Origin Pills given to him by Mi Shuhua. It was written by a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had achieved mastery in refining third-tier pills. Luo Chen studied it diligently to this day, uncovering new insights with each reading. It detailed alchemy techniques like Jade Fracture, which had proven especially effective in processing mineral-based ingredients.

Through all of this, Luo Chen had slowly pieced together a comprehensive view of the alchemical world. He learned about the classification system for pill grades. In this world, where spirit energy was abundant and the laws of the Great Dao were deeply embedded in nature. Creations in tune with the Great Dao to bore corresponding patterns. For instance, bone patterns on demonic beasts, pill lines on inner cores, growth rings on ancient trees, and mineral marks on rare ores.

And yes, even man-made pills could bear such signs. These markings called pill patterns and, because of their cloud-like appearance, were also known as cloud patterns. The number of cloud patterns on a pill determined its grade.

Until now, Luo Chen’s fasting concoctions had always remained ungraded—even when their quality was undeniably superior—simply because they lacked the cloud patterns on their surface.

But today was different. Today, the fasting concoction he had refined had reached Perfected Mastery. And it showed: the golden pill in his hand bore a single distinct cloud pattern. Though it was just one pattern, it signified that the pill had entered the graded tier.

”Let’s see how potent you are,” he muttered and, without hesitation, tossed the pill into his mouth.

He trusted his own work.

After swallowing, a deep sense of satisfaction filled his body. It was like the comforting fullness that came after a warm, hearty meal. His stomach settled into a state of complete contentment.

”This potency...” Luo Chen murmured, rubbing his abdomen with a thoughtful frown. ”Compared to the low-grade concoctions, this one’s at least ten times stronger. Compared to top-grade—about three times as effective.”

Ordinarily, a low-grade fasting concoction could stave off hunger for three days. A top-grade version might last ten. But this supreme-grade fasting concoction could stave off hunger for an entire month.

He recalled that when using the Drain Cloud Cauldron with two sets of materials, he usually produced a hundred pills. But this time, he had only extracted fifty portions of paste—and this one golden, cloud-patterned pill. In other words, it took an entire set of ingredients just to produce this one supreme-grade fasting concoction.

Upon reaching this conclusion, Luo Chen felt somewhat dissatisfied. Whether in terms of external profit or internal energy conversion, it was a loss. From this perspective, even a supreme-grade fasting concoction was of limited use in earning cultivation resources.

Perhaps the only benefit was that during prolonged retreats, this pill eliminated the need for frequent consumption of other fasting pills.

”A supreme-grade fasting concoction should be comparable to a proper low-grade fasting pill,” Luo Chen muttered under his breath.

He sighed, the thrill of reaching Perfected Mastery in a pill recipe now tinged with a touch of disappointment. That was simply the nature of the world—rarely did things align perfectly with one’s desires.

Still, Luo Chen had prepared himself mentally. The fasting concoction, after all, wasn’t even a formally recognized pill. For the system to elevate it to the equivalent of a first-tier low-grade pill was already a minor miracle. Not to mention, it had even rewarded him with an achievement point.

Glancing at his status panel, Luo Chen noted with satisfaction that Spirit Eyes had reached Grandmaster level, the Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm had advanced to Skilled level, and the fasting concoction had hit Perfected Mastery. All told, he now had sixteen achievement points accumulated.

The more achievement points he had, the more secure Luo Chen felt. He would need many more for future alchemy pursuits.

As he stared at the achievement points, an idea suddenly popped into Luo Chen’s mind.

What if I just mass-produce ungraded pills... or grind mundane martial arts like crazy? Wouldn’t I be able to farm achievement points endlessly and unlock second-tier pill recipes like Blood Fiend pills in no time?

The thought was so tantalizing he almost got lost in it—until he promptly slapped himself across the cheek.

What am I even thinking? Do I have so much time to waste?

My usual schedule is already packed with cultivation and alchemy. I barely have time to practice spells and study pill-related knowledge. Trying to take on additional mundane martial arts? That’s just asking for trouble. Luo Chen thought.

Thee benefits brought by those things were far too insignificant. Practicing one or two occasionally was fine, but indulging too deeply was absolutely out of the question.

This kind of thing must be approached within one’s means. Besides, as his cultivation realm increased, unlocking Beginner level pill recipes would require fewer and fewer achievement points. If he stayed the course, things would naturally get easier.

That realization brought a wave of calm, washing over him like cool water. He hadn’t even noticed how tense he’d become—until now.

But the sudden peace also sparked a thought in the back of his mind.

Could it be that I almost fell into an inner devil just now?

Since ancient times, the path of shortcuts and obsession had always been a dangerous one. The moment he allowed greed or impatience to dominate his thinking, he risked veering off his cultivation path.

”Steady steps,” Luo Chen whispered. ”Step by step toward the Great Dao.”

***

”Today’s refinement: fifty-two fasting concoctions, with a low-medium-high grade ratio of seven to two to one. Twenty Myriad Wonders pills, ratio four to five to one,” the alchemy caretaker reported in a calm, practiced voice.

”Store them in the pill repository and make sure they’re logged in the records,” Gu Caiyi instructed smoothly.

Standing nearby, Luo Chen nodded in silent approval. His technique for balancing pill quality had become increasingly refined. A few pills would fail, others would succeed, and their grades would vary just enough to seem natural—neither too outstanding nor too poor.

He had perfected the control of pill grades, ensuring that neither envy nor distrust arose within the gang. He had mastered this balance quite well!

Whoosh!

Just then, a rush of wind swept through the alchemy hall as a glimmer of artifact light receded. The light faded, revealing the figure of Sikong Shoujia, who descended with practiced ease.

”Luo Hall Leader,” Sikong greeted, handing over a slim, neatly bound booklet. ”Here’s the Flame Manipulation.”

Taking the thin booklet, Luo Chen flipped through it while asking, ”Elder Sikong, thank you for your efforts. Did you encounter any trouble?”

Sikong Shoujia chuckled, ”No trouble at all. I thought I’d have to argue with Mi Junping, but surprisingly, she was much more generous this time. Perhaps because the Flame Manipulation isn’t considered an exquisite spell!”

He wasn’t wrong. The Flame Manipulation lacked offensive or defensive power, making it unimpressive to most cultivators. It was only classified as a first-tier spell due to its utility, especially among alchemists. For most, it was a niche skill.

But she didn’t realize that this technique held far more significance for Luo Chen.

With this thing, I might be able to address some flaws in my Perfected Mastery of the Fireball. Luo Chen felt more confident as he thought of the Perfected Mastery Fireball and its inability to retract once released.

As long as he mastered the Flame Manipulation, he might be able to elevate the power of his Perfected Mastery Fireball to the next level!