An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Step by step, Luo Chen began teaching others how to refine the Myriad Wonders pill. This had been a vague idea in Luo Chen’s mind for a few months.

At first, he had been reluctant to share his knowledge, wanting to hoard it for himself. However, as alchemy increasingly consumed his cultivation time, he realized he couldn’t continue like this. Thus, he began teaching techniques from handling medicinal materials, controlling fire, and storing pills bit by bit.

Three months ago, he also shared some insights on refining fasting concoctions with Mi Li and others. To be fair, fasting concoctions were commonplace, with their formulas widely available.

Back at the rogue cultivator markets, Luo Chen wasn’t the only one selling fasting concoctions. Compared to fasting concoctions, the Myriad Wonders pill formula was undoubtedly very valuable and considered a business secret.

Logically, Luo Chen shouldn’t have shared it with anyone. But now, his mindset has shifted. Cultivation was the foundation of a cultivator’s life, and the arts of cultivation existed solely to support it.

After carefully weighing the pros and cons, Luo Chen ultimately decided that it was better to teach his apprentice alchemy.

Firstly, if they learned to refine the Myriad Wonders pill, it would ensure that the variety of pills produced by the Poshan Gang’s Alchemy Hall remained intact. Secondly, it would save him a great deal of time, allowing him to focus on his cultivation. Thirdly, to be honest, the market for the Myriad Wonders pill was quite limited.

Even though mid-grade Myriad Wonders pills were now being consistently produced, their market was confined to Dahe Market. Mi Shuhua had tried to expand its reach to places like Taishan Market and Liuguang Market, but the prices there never rose significantly.

Thus, Mi Shuhua ultimately decided to have Luo Chen focus entirely on refining Jade Essence pills.

The truth was, the profits from the Myriad Wonders pill were simply too small. Previously, the profits were barely enough to support Luo Chen’s personal cultivation, but they were inadequate for a faction’s flagship product.

Finally, there was another critical reason. An alchemist cannot produce good pills simply by possessing the formula. With the talents of Tang Quan, Mi Li, and others, even if they were provided with abundant materials and time, they would still struggle to produce top-grade Myriad Wonders pills in their lifetimes.

In other words, the core competitive advantage still lay in Luo Chen’s own hands. Luo Chen had no intention of teaching his disciples to the point where they could outcompete him and leave him starving. He would always hold a few tricks back.

Huff, huff.

In the alchemy room, Tang Quan sniffed and caught a burnt smell. He turned to look at Luo Chen, who simply shrugged and said, ”Why are you looking at me? Failed alchemy is a common occurrence. Clean up the furnace. We still have Jade Essence pills to refine this afternoon.”

With that, he turned and left.

Left in the alchemy room were Tang Quan, Mi Li, and the others grimaced as they cleaned up the furnace.

Luo Chen neither returned to his stone house nor wandered around Crescent Moon Valley. Instead, Luo Chen greeted Zhou Yuanli briefly and flew toward the forest behind Crescent Moon Valley.

When I first started refining the Myriad Wonders pill, it was almost entirely due to the system’s beginner guidance, and even then, I failed numerous times.

Tang Quan and the others will probably fail countless times before achieving their first success.

Let them fail; after all, they’re only consuming the Poshan Gang’s resources.

Luo Chen chuckled softly after the thought, descending from the sky into the forest.

Glancing back briefly, Luo Chen withdrew his gaze.A s expected, Zhou Yuanli and his men were likely protecting him from the shadows.

Oh well, since he was only here to test enchanted artifacts, there wasn’t much to hide. Luo Chen’s real trump cards weren’t the enchanted artifacts in his hands. They were the numerous spells he had mastered through diligent practice. The Perfected Mastery Fireball, the astonishingly fast Wind Control, and the Grandmaster level Entangle.

Even the Beginner level Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers, when combined with the perfected Primordial Pearl and hundreds of discarded jade essence beads, would possess extraordinary power far beyond the ordinary. In comparison, these enchanted artifacts simply added variety to his combat arsenal.

To be able to comfortably and swiftly cast so many spells in the Qi-Refining Realm, it’s probably something only I can achieve! Luo Chen thought in his mind.

After his last battle, Luo Chen was highly satisfied with the depth of his spirit power.The power of spells had never been inferior to that of enchanted artifacts! The weakness always lay with people, not the spells.

Whoosh!

A simple gray long spear landed in Luo Chen’s hand.

As he infused spirit power, the gray spear gradually turned crimson, and Luo Chen could feel a scorching heat radiating through his hand.

”This top-grade Flame Spear is renowned for its exceptional offensive power. Even when my Four Symbols Cauldron’s defenses were fully activated, they could barely withstand it. If an enemy is unprepared, a single strike from this would render an ordinary top-grade enchanted robe completely useless,” muttered Luo Chen.

The defensive capabilities of enchanted robes were far inferior to those of dedicated enchanted defensive artifacts.

With a wave of his hand, the long spear shot out like a meteor.Its target was a centuries-old tree a hundred meters away. With a thunderous boom, the tree quivered violently. Dust and debris filled the air as Luo Chen looked up, only to see the tree reduced to powder.

With a beckoning gesture, the Flame Spear flew back toward Luo Chen with domineering force, stopping deftly in front of him. The Grandmaster level Traction enabled Luo Chen to wield enchanted artifacts with exceptional speed.

”The power is truly remarkable!” exclaimed Luo Chen.

After the test, Luo Chen reached his conclusion. Its penetration wasn’t as good as the Soul-Breaking nail, but in terms of instant burst damage and linear area damage, it far surpassed the nail.

With this spear, Luo Chen now had a powerful tool for direct confrontation. From now on, the jade blade would be relegated to a secondary option.

It was a pity about that top-grade flying sword! The flying sword was of the ice-element. It required either an ice spirit root or a strong water spirit root to wield effectively.

Luo Chen lacked an ice-element spirit root. Although he had a water spirit root, his five-element composition made it unremarkable. Especially since his cultivation technique, Long Spring Art, was wood-element based. With wood as his primary element, his spirit power naturally leaned heavily toward the wood element.

According to the five-element theory of mutual generation and restraint, wood generates fire, and excess wood fuels strong fire. Thus, Luo Chen adapted well to fire-based spells and enchanted artifacts.

In contrast, water nourishes wood, but the two are difficult to reverse. As a result, Luo Chen had much less affinity for water-based spells and artifacts.

However, Luo Chen couldn’t bring himself to sell the top-grade enchanted artifact, so he left it in the milk tea shop as an ‘ice maker.’ He could retrieve it at any time when he needed it.

What are these bells for? wondered Luo Chen as he took out a pair of emerald-green bells, puzzled.

He infused enchanting power into the bells, which glowed intensely green, but they showed no other reaction. He thought for a moment and gave the bell a slight shake.

Ding-dong!

With a soft chime, Luo Chen, caught off guard, felt a slight dizziness in his head.

”Hmm, a soundwave enchanted artifact! This is quite rare!” exclaimed Luo Chen.

Luo Chen’s curiosity was piqued. He quickly blocked his ears with spirit power and began shaking the bell rapidly.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

Thud!

A large snake fell directly to the forest floor ahead. Luo Chen glanced at it briefly and remained indifferent. It was just a common spotted snake, one of the weakest first tier demonic beasts. Its spirit power was so thin that its meat wouldn’t fetch a decent price on the market.

”Although it’s just a mid-grade enchanted artifact with weak power, soundwave attacks are quite rare. With the element of surprise, it might just deliver a decisive blow,” said Luo Chen to himself.

In an instant, Luo Chen envisioned the bell’s optimal use in combat. He did not think of pairing the bell with the Flame Spear, but with the equally stealthy Soul-Breaking nail.

”In that case, let’s name you the Soul-Grieving bell!” muttered Luo Chen.

Luo Chen smiled slightly and placed the Soul-Grieving bell into his storage pouch. Next, he tested the other enchanted artifacts one by one. Unfortunately, they were all ordinary low-grade enchanted artifacts with power that was far from impressive.

As for the white plank, Luo Chen had already learned its specific function from Treasure Pavilion. It was a product sold by Treasure Pavilion, specifically designed for places like Snow Lotus Market.

The Snow-Treading Board was flying an enchanted artifact. However, its flight speed was mediocre and comparable to a mid stage cultivator using the Wind-Control. But in snowy regions or over rivers and seas, the Snow-Treading Board could leverage the terrain to multiply its speed several times, reaching the flying speed of the late Qi-Refining Realm.

Luo Chen didn’t plan to sell it as an enchanted artifact like this could be useful in certain situations. Afterward, Luo Chen ventured several kilometers deeper into the forest, reaching the more remote areas of the outer region.

Upon arriving in the area, traces of demonic beasts were noticeably more frequent. Using these first tier demonic beasts as practice, Luo Chen began familiarizing himself with the Flame Spear and the Soul-Grieving bell.

It had to be said, some of the nuances of enchanted artifacts could only be understood through actual combat. The Flame Spear, aside from being wielded against enemies, could also emit powerful fiery rain when infused with spirit power.

Sparks shot out in large bursts and rained down like a fiery storm. While the attack strength was relatively low, it excelled in its extensive range. In its large-scale strikes, nearly every spark possessed the power of a low-grade enchanted artifact.

As for the Flame Spear’s optimal combat style, apart from direct confrontation, the returning strike was its most effective move.

”No wonder Lu Huaiben didn’t use this artifact right away and waited until I pursued him.

”First, he was likely scared after I instantly killed two of his allies. Second, he probably wanted to deliver a decisive blow when my guard was down.

”Unfortunately for him, I had maintained the Four Symbols Cauldron’s defenses throughout,” muttered Luo Chen.

Standing on the white Snow-Treading Board, Luo Chen leisurely flew back to Crescent Moon Valley. Behind him, Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang exchanged glances.

The Hall Leader seems to have a natural talent for combat!

Just now, in that forest, he easily defeated three first tier demonic beasts in succession. It was clear that those artifacts were new to him.

There was an obvious awkwardness in how he wielded them initially. But as time went on, he grew increasingly adept, even uncovering some of their hidden functions.

”Maybe those three enemies who hunted the Hall Leader back then really were killed by him?” Zhou Yuanli muttered.

Liu Qiang was skeptical. It was hard to believe, considering those enemies were at the same cultivation realm as Luo Chen.

Upon returning to Crescent Moon Valley, Luo Chen sought out Sikong Shoujia and asked, ”Should we arrange for the gang to sell these low-grade enchanted artifacts?”

Sikong Shoujia examined the artifacts and shook his head and replied, ”I doubt they’d fetch many spirit stones.”

”Really? These artifacts are in decent condition and undamaged. Besides, isn’t there always a high demand for enchanted artifacts at Dahe Market?” Luo Chen asked in confusion.

”Dahe Market does have high demand, but other places don’t!” replied Sikong Shoujia. He rolled his eyes and began explaining to Luo Chen.

It turned out that ever since the Sword Sect established dominance over the Jade Cauldron Domain, the first hundred years were tumultuous, but the subsequent three hundred years became increasingly peaceful.

With fewer conflicts, the demand for pills increased, but the demand for enchanted artifacts steadily declined.

Moreover, enchanted artifacts were durable, and when an elder passed away, they often became heirlooms for future generations which led to an ever-increasing number of enchanted artifacts in the cultivation world.

If it were an enchanted treasure, it would be even more remarkable. Cultivators could nourish them with enchanting power, allowing their grade and power to continually rise.

As a result, over the years, the price of artifacts in the Jade Cauldron Domain had been steadily declining. Only at Dahe Market, near the Eastern Wilderness’s Great Million Mountains where hunting demonic beasts was popular, did enchanted artifact prices remain high.

However, over time, the declining enchanted artifact prices elsewhere began to affect Dahe Market as well.

Luo Chen had encountered this reality long ago. Treasure Pavilion always bought back artifacts at half price at most and offered even less for heavily damaged ones.

Back when Wang Yuan set up his stall, most of what he sold were mid-grade enchanted artifacts. Low-grade enchanted artifacts were few and far between.

”These plain artifacts of yours wouldn’t attract much attention at a stall. Anyone interested would likely be early or mid stage cultivators, who wouldn’t pay much for them. My guess is, at best, they’d fetch a few hundred spirit stones,” said Sikong Shoujia.

Luo Chen was outraged and said, ”These artifacts were earned at the cost of my life, and you’re telling me they’re worth just a few hundred spirit stones? That’s begging-level compensation!”

”What do you expect? These are secondhand at best and the lowest grade of artifacts at that!”Sikong Shoujia shrugged and offered Luo Chen three suggestions, saying,”First, give them to friends at a friendly price. Second, sell them to Treasure Pavilion as scrap for a small recovery cost. Or third, turn them into the gang for merit point conversion.”

Luo Chen immediately dismissed the first option. He didn’t have any friends who needed low-grade artifacts. Even someone like Xiaoyue, a third stage Qi-Refining cultivator, didn’t lack enchanted artifacts. Her grandfather and deceased father had already left her a complete set of mid-grade artifacts.

Luo Chen hesitated on the second option. As for the third?

”Merit points? What’s the use of those?” asked Luo Chen.

”You can exchange them for techniques collected by the Merit Hall! Or buy pills directly from the hall... uh, right, all the pills in the gang are made by you,” said Sikong Shoujia.

Sikong Shoujia paused, unable to think of anything in the gang that Luo Chen might need. After all, Luo Chen was utterly shameless. Taking advantage of his position as the Alchemy Hall Leader, he appropriated the gang’s spells whenever he pleased.

”Forget it, I’ll just keep them for now!” said Luo Chen.

They were just a few enchanted artifacts and didn’t take up much space. What if enchanted artifact prices rose in the future?

Having made up his mind, Luo Chen decided not to rush into selling the artifacts. He wasn’t short on spirit stones right now anyway.

As he was about to leave, Sikong Shoujia stopped him. The old man hesitated, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

”What’s wrong, constipated? I recommend you go to Whitestone Plaza and buy an undiluted Fu Zhu Milk Tea from Mi Xu Ice City, it works wonders for digestion!” said Luo Chen.

”Get lost!” Sikong Shoujia cursed and then carefully asked,”What do you think of Merit Hall Leader Mi Junping?”