An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

In the private room eight, the Poshan Gang’s top alchemist, Dan Chenzi, was joyfully toying with a small bronze cauldron in his hand.

Yes, a small cauldron.

The so-called Four Symbols Cauldron, despite standing over ten feet tall at full size, had a built-in Flexibility Array that allowed it to shrink down until it could be cradled in one palm. In addition to this rare feature, it was also inscribed with three other formations: the Earth Mountain Array, Fortification Array, and Flame Gathering Array. Altogether, it made the artifact a versatile and practical tool.

Luo Chen was utterly delighted. With this one cauldron, he had gained a weapon, a shield, and a capable alchemical instrument. Though it wasn’t as specialized as a dedicated top-grade alchemy furnace, it could still handle three or four batches of pills in one refinement session. If the alchemist was skilled enough, even refining five batches at once wouldn’t be out of the question.

Watching Luo Chen casually tuck the cauldron into his storage bag with a satisfied grin, Mi Junping pursed her lips and reminded him sourly, “Luo Chen, this cauldron belongs to the Alchemy Hall, not you.”

“Oh, I know! I’m just holding onto it temporarily,” Luo Chen replied with a wide grin, feigning innocence. But anyone could see that Luo Chen clearly intended to claim it as his own.

Mi Shuhua, however, didn’t seem to mind at all. As long as Luo Chen stayed in the Alchemy Hall under his command, the cauldron effectively belonged to him anyway. In his eyes, buying the cauldron was no different from upgrading a plow for the loyal workhorse tilling his fields. A happy workhorse would till more land, after all.

He chuckled and added, “I just examined the artifact. Most top-grade enchanted artifacts have only three first-tier formations. But this one has four. If it weren’t for the mismatched synergy between the arrays, it might’ve qualified as a true supreme-grade enchanted artifact. Still, its material quality is excellent—used correctly, it could function as a lesser supreme-grade enchanted artifact.”

“Honestly, I’d say we made a small profit this time,” Mi Shuhua remarked.

Hearing that only deepened Luo Chen’s appreciation for the cauldron. Sure, technically it was gang property. But if he was the one using it and earning spirit stones from it, who really owned it?

From different perspectives, the same purchase could mean different things. In any case, everyone felt they hadn’t lost out by purchasing the Four Symbols Cauldron.

The auction’s transaction process was extensive!

Meanwhile, the auction continued to flow smoothly. Despite the complexity of transactions, the fourth-tier segment—featuring contributions from sect cultivators. It was managed with expert efficiency under the guidance of Luo Tianhong, a seasoned Foundation Establishment cultivator. No confusion, no delays.

And for the final segment, it was once again the turn of the hosts, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. And with their opening item, the hall immediately burst into an uproar.

The first item they presented reignited the bidding frenzy to a fever pitch.

“Five Foundation Establishment pills,” Luo Tianhong announced. “Auctioned separately. The first one starts at a thousand spirit stones. Fellow Daoists interested in reaching Foundation Establishment, you may begin bidding!”

The starting price was only a thousand spirit stones? So low?

For a moment, everyone’s breathing grew rapid.

Even Luo Chen was tempted—he had one thousand five hundred spirit stones on him.

Heh, maybe it’s time for Dan Chenzi to strike again, he mused.

”One thousand one!”

”One thousand two!”

”One thousand four!”

”Two thousand!”

”Three thousand!”

”I bid five thousand spirit stones!”

As the bids skyrocketed, Luo Chen wisely sealed his lips and gave up. Next to him, Mi Shuhua chuckled. “Foundation Establishment pills are never hard to sell,” he explained. “They always go for high prices. The low starting bid is just to stir up the crowd.”

Sikong Shoujia, who had been bidding with growing desperation, finally sighed in defeat. He had been hoping to win a pill for his son, Sikong Yuanhong, so that the boy might advance and avoid marrying into the Mi family. But the price had already gone far beyond his reach.

Luo Chen muttered under his breath, then turned to Mi Shuhua. “Gang Leader, it’s just a second-tier pill. One or two thousand is already unreasonable. I can understand three or four thousand due to its special effects. But now, with the price inflated to nearly six thousand spirit stones per pill, isn’t that too much of a markup?”

Mi Shuhua chuckled and said, ”You’re asking me? Why don’t you ask those bidding rogue cultivators? Ask them if they’d give up the only chance in their life to reach Foundation Establishment?”

Luo Chen sighed deeply.

If he had enough spirit stones, he wouldn’t hesitate to compete for a Foundation Establishment pill either.

But thinking it over, with his own aptitude, could a single Foundation Establishment pill truly help him achieve Foundation Establishment?

It was rumored that even many talented cultivators had a significant chance of failure after taking the pill. If that was the case for the talented, then what were his chances?

That sobering thought made Luo Chen’s once-clear cultivation path seem hazy and distant. He had been so certain, so methodical... but now?

When the first Foundation Establishment pill was finally claimed by a renowned rogue cultivator of Dahe Market for a staggering six thousand eight hundred spirit stones, the atmosphere in the hall shifted. The feverish bidding calmed for a moment, as if the crowd collectively realized the price of chasing dreams.

But as the second pill was brought forward, the fire in the crowd was rekindled—at least briefly. Yet this time, their competition was no longer lone rogue cultivators but influential Foundation Establishment figures seated in private rooms.

This wasn’t a free-for-all anymore.

“Two thousand five hundred low-grade spirit stones!” called a clear voice from one of the upper rooms.

“Any further bids?” Luo Tianhong asked, pausing only a breath before declaring, “Two thousand five, going once... going twice... sold!”

“Congratulations to the Fellow Daoist in private room twelve for acquiring this Foundation Establishment pill,” he announced.

Private room twelve belonged to the Nangong family, one of the region’s dominant cultivation families.

The subsequent three Foundation Establishment pills were successively won by the Duan family, the Li family, and Wang Haichao of the Dajiang Gang.

Moreover, each Foundation Establishment pill was sold for approximately two thousand five hundred spirit stones, equivalent to the price of a top-grade enchanted artifact. The coordinated pattern of bidding made it clear: the major powers had come to a silent agreement. These pills were theirs. No one else allowed.

The late-stage Qi-Refining cultivators in the hall could only watch in frustration and envy. Their faces were taut, fists clenched, teeth grinding behind pursed lips. It wasn’t just them; even Sikong Shoujia in private room eight had a flushed face.

“Gang Leader, I have the funds. Why not let me bid?” he asked, barely containing his indignation.

Mi Shuhua’s previously affable demeanor turned frosty. He stared at Sikong Shoujia, eyes cold and cutting.

”If you wish to court death, I naturally won’t stop you.”

”But...”

“There is no ‘but,’” Mi Shuhua snapped. “The fact that the major Foundation Establishment factions allowed even one pill to fall into the hands of a rogue cultivator is already an act of charity. The rest? Don’t even think about it.”

Mi Junping, watching the exchange with concern, couldn’t help but speak up. “Then why didn’t you bid, Father?”

”I already have more than one Foundation Establishment pill in my possession. This time, it’s not my turn to bid. This was all prearranged.” Mi Shuhua explained.

Luo Chen stood quietly at the back of the private room, watching everything unfold with a sinking heart.

So that was the truth—the fate of those Foundation Establishment pills had been sealed long before the auction even began. Everything had been divided up behind closed doors. The major factions were simply ”cutting the meat,” and that one pill sold to a rogue cultivator earlier? Most likely arranged by the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect itself to placate the crowd—to give independent cultivators a shred of hope.

But that hope was a trap.

Any rogue cultivator foolish enough to challenge the remaining bids, thinking they had a chance, would find themselves outbid, outmaneuvered, and ultimately, out of favor. In the worst case, they’d leave not only empty-handed, but with powerful enemies.

After all, offending a Foundation Establishment cultivator—or worse, a faction—was a death sentence for someone without backing.

After analyzing the situation, Luo Chen felt even more lost.

Luo Chen’s heart grew heavier the longer he thought about it. Foundation Establishment pills weren’t impossible to earn. Given time, he was confident he could refine enough mid-grade pills, earn his dividends, and maybe, just maybe, buy one or two. If he worked hard enough, maybe more.

But that was all irrelevant if the game was rigged from the start. Even if he had hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, it would be futile.

Qi-Refining... How could it ever stand against Foundation Establishment?

In that moment of helplessness, the auction quietly drew to a close.

Later, Jade Cauldron Sword Sect presented many more treasures, including a Core Formation pill that incited fierce bidding among Foundation Establishment cultivators, even causing them to fall out with one another.

But none of that had anything to do with Luo Chen anymore.

After the event, as they exited the auction hall, Mi Shuhua suddenly placed a hand on Luo Chen’s shoulder. The old man looked at him with an almost fatherly warmth.

”Why the long face?”

Luo Chen looked up in surprise and instinctively called out, “Gang Leader...”

Mi Shuhua smiled gently. “If you ever reach the Perfected Mastery in Qi-Refining, I’ll fully support your Foundation Establishment. It’s just a Foundation Establishment pill, after all.”

A warm current surged through Luo Chen’s heart.

In this cold and ruthless world of cultivation, there were indeed still good people!

***

Night had fallen by the time Luo Chen returned to his small courtyard. The festive glow of the auction was long behind him. He passed Qin Liangchen, his wife, and Gu Caiyi returning from their own errands and ended up chatting about the auction over hot tea.

The group marveled at the rare treasures and remarked on Jade Cauldron Sword Sect’s immense wealth, being generous enough to auction off enchanted treasures.

When he mentioned Mi Shuhua’s words to him on the way out, Luo Chen smiled faintly, the warmth still lingering.

But Qin Liangchen’s reaction was unexpected. He was silent for a long while.

Then, he finally gave a bitter smile and said, ”He said the same thing to me. Years ago. He even promised it to Devouring Heart Tiger Han Dang when he was still at Perfected Mastery of Qi-Refining.”

Murong Qinglian shook her head with a sigh. “For the past century, the Poshan Gang has yet to produce a second Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

Luo Chen was stunned and then slammed the table as he stood up.

”That old scoundrel, how dare he deceive me!”