An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Here, breakfast.” Gu Caiyi sat beside Luo Chen as she handed over a leaf-wrapped rice cake to him.

Luo Chen took the steaming rice cake and happily took a bite. ”Authentic! I never knew rice cakes made from spirit rice could be this delicious.”

As Luo Chen ate with delight, Gu Caiyi chuckled softly. ”It all started with your popcorn idea, didn’t it? Now those imitators are finding ways to innovate with even the simplest spirit rice.”

Luo Chen chuckled, savoring the spirit energy filled breakfast.

Once a person begins Qi-Refining, their body enters a state of passive transformation. During this process, besides cultivation, dietary supplementation became crucial. The so-called fasting of cultivators was typically something high-tier cultivators undertook during seclusion.

In reality, lower-tier cultivators avoided fasting as much as possible because, during the Qi-Refining Realm, apart from refining external spirit energy, the body also refined its vital energy.

If vital energy was insufficient, it could damage one’s essence. It wasn’t uncommon for Qi-Refining to leave cultivators with severe physical injuries. However, there were guidelines for eating; ordinary grains were not the preferred choice for cultivators. Consuming too much of those would fill the body with impurities, which hindered the process of refining essence into qi.

Naturally, spirit rice, spirit vegetables, demonic beast meat, spirit wine, and spirit tea became popular. Even at his lowest, Luo Chen would grit his teeth and buy the cheapest spirit rice to ensure his body didn’t hinder his cultivation.

Today, the Dahe Market’s spirit food sector has flourished spectacularly. Initially, there were well-established places like Spirit Source Pavilion and Zhongding Restaurant.

Later, Luo Chen came up with a variety of snacks infused with trace amounts of spirit energy, which became highly popular. Inspired by this, rogue cultivators also began racking their brains and invented various snacks imbued with spirit energy.

It had to be said, there was quite a market for this. Cultivators, tired of eating spirit rice every day, were willing to spend some spirit stones to improve their meals. Luo Chen was no exception. He had a particular fondness for certain pastries sold at Whitestone Plaza and often asked Gu Caiyi to bring him a few in the mornings.

Of course, he always paid in spirit stones; he couldn’t just freeload. He was even fairly generous; those who helped bring his breakfast could share in the treat.

Gu Caiyi, like most cultivators, had long been used to surviving on a single bowl of spirit rice a day. But after spending enough time around Luo Chen, she’d grown accustomed to the indulgence of breakfast.

She leaned on the table, thinking about some matters of cultivation. Suddenly, she caught a whiff of a fragrance. ”Hm? Luo Chen, did you put on some rouge? Why do you smell so good?”

Luo Chen looked up from his rice cake, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not a woman. Why would I wear rouge?”

Gu Caiyi sniffed the air and leaned closer. The faint scent emanating from Luo Chen was barely noticeable. It was fiery yet gentle like jade. The contradiction was striking, yet it felt rather pleasant to her senses.

Luo Chen paused for a moment before saying, ”It’s probably the pill energy I’ve accumulated over years of alchemy. Does it smell strong?”

”It’s not strong. You’d have to get very close and sniff carefully to notice it.” Gu Caiyi sniffed again, feeling unexpectedly refreshed and delighted.

Why hadn’t I noticed the pill energy on Luo Chen before?

Hearing her say that, Luo Chen felt relieved. It was normal for alchemists to carry a faint trace of pill energy, as long as it wasn’t overly strong or left a lasting impression. However, if he ever needed to do anything clandestine, it would be better to mask it or remove it altogether.

After breakfast, the internal cultivators began arriving at the Alchemy Hall. A new day of alchemy work was about to begin.

Under Gu Caiyi’s leadership, the hall ran smoothly—and no one had any complaints.

Starting this month, the improved benefits Luo Chen had promised had already been approved by the gang. Each of them received varying levels of benefits based on their position.

Moreover, the longer they worked in the Poshan Gang, the more merit points they accumulated. Once they amassed enough merit points, they could exchange them in the Merit Hall for some low-tier spells.

Although these were standard fare, buying them outside would cost a hefty sum in spirit stones. Internal exchanges were much cheaper.

The improved benefits fueled their enthusiasm, and they became more diligent in assisting Luo Chen with alchemy compared to before.

After all, Luo Chen had casually mentioned once that he intended to promote two people from among the apprentices and pill caretakers to managerial roles like Qu Hancheng.

A day later, the alchemy session ended. The success rate for pills today wasn’t very high, only about forty percent.

Of course, that was only what the internal cultivators saw.

The actual success rate was close to fifty percent. That extra ten percent was quietly pocketed by Luo Chen. Those were the twenty top-grade Jade Essence pills he had deliberately refined, whose potency rivaled qi-nourishing pills.

Although they weren’t as potent as the Dust Transformation pills he primarily used now, they didn’t cause any tolerance buildup. Luo Chen wasn’t in a hurry to refine them. He simply ingested them, allowing the medicinal power to flow through his meridians and be absorbed naturally.

This way, whether he was refining pills or casting spells, his spirit power always remained full. In addition, the Long Spring Art’s automatic energy regeneration feature was constantly at work.

Luo Chen also wanted to see if keeping his spirit power constantly full would lead to passive purification.

Sometimes, Luo Chen would wonder. What would happen if my embezzlement was discovered?

After much thought, Luo Chen reached a conclusion. What could they do? As long as it wasn’t excessive, Mi Shuhua would likely pretend not to notice.

What was the worst that could happen? Lock him in the dungeon? Hardly.

At most, he’d receive a warning, tone it down for a while, and then return to his usual ways. That thought alone was enough to put his conscience at ease. With such oversight, Luo Chen felt no guilt about lining his own pockets.

After work, he summoned Gu Caiyi and made his way toward the inner city. As they walked, Zhou Yuanli and several other bodyguards quietly fanned out behind them, providing silent escort.

Only once the pair had passed through the gates and entered safely did the guards peel away and disappear back into the shadows.

Having seen Gu Caiyi off with a few casual words, Luo Chen began to roam the inner city alone.

He first went to the Hall of Hundred Herbs.

Accompanied by Bai Meiling, Luo Chen met the new shopkeeper of the Hall of Hundred Herbs.

To his surprise! The new shopkeeper wasn’t an old cultivator like Liu Hecai but rather a young Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Shouldn’t such talent stay in the sect to focus on cultivation, becoming a true disciple and striving for the Core Formation Realm? Or had the Medicine King Sect become so saturated with talent that young Foundation Establishment cultivators were casually sent out to handle business?

The only reason the shopkeeper agreed to meet Luo Chen was that Shopkeeper Liu had mentioned him before, saying that Dahe Market had a rogue cultivator alchemist like Luo Chen.

Alchemists were already quite rare. Rogue cultivator alchemists were even more intriguing.

However, upon learning that Luo Chen was already serving a faction, the shopkeeper lost interest. They exchanged names briefly before the shopkeeper waved him off to browse on his own.

After buying some materials for essence nurturing liquid and a few dozen Heavenly Sun Fruits, Luo Chen bid farewell to Bai Meiling and headed directly to the Immortal Build Residence.

The Immortal Build Residence, a shop under Ai Lao Mountain, specialized in selling construction materials, ores, and collecting resources. Upon entering the Immortal Build Residence, Luo Chen began wandering around.

Seeing his casual demeanor, the disciples of Ai Lao Mountain at the Immortal Build Residence didn’t bother greeting him.

Rogue cultivators like him were everywhere. Most of them would browse for half a day without buying anything valuable.

”What’s there to argue about? It was definitely the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect!”

”Who’s dumb enough to commit murder on their own turf?”

”Tch, this happens all the time. How else do you think the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect gets so many enchanted treasures for auction?”

Listening to the two late stage Qi-Refining disciples of Ai Lao Mountain chatting nearby, Luo Chen couldn’t help but get curious about the gossip. He recalled the auction where the local Sword Pavilion, representing the Sword Sect, had indeed brought many enchanted treasures for sale. And, the Heavenly Moon Purple Gold Wheel that Mi Shuhua purchased at a high price was one of them.

In the subsequent auctions, at least four enchanted treasures were sold! He had always wondered how the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, not known for artifact forging, had so many enchanted treasures.

He didn’t expect to hear an explanation like this from disciples of another sect.

On reflection, it made sense. Sword Sect cultivators, upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, would often discard most external items and focus solely on cultivating sword orbs.

Enchanted artifacts and enchanted treasures, which rogue cultivators regarded as precious, held little value to sword cultivators who followed the philosophy of ”One sword to shatter all techniques”. For them, a powerful sword was all they needed.

If they happened to acquire enchanted treasures, auctioning them off instead of keeping them made perfect sense. There might be issues selling them at an auction deep within the Jade Cauldron Domain, but in a remote place like Dahe Market, there was no such trouble.

In such a place, the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion was the undisputed hegemon, untouchable by anyone. His ears caught more of their conversation, tinged with indignation.

”Fei Bowen’s uncle’s injuries clearly came from a treasure-grade sword orb. There are many sword orbs in the Jade Cauldron Domain, but only the Sword Sect’s Golden Core cultivators can nurture treasure-grade sword orbs!”

”But why would a Sword Sect Golden Core cultivator attack a Foundation Establishment cultivator?”

”Who knows? Maybe they wanted the cage enchanted treasure. It’s said that even sword cultivators can use defensive treasures like a cage.”

”Maybe.”

”Anyway, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect is too overbearing. When our Supreme Elder went to demand an explanation, they were extremely arrogant. Our elder returned furious, even halting several major market repairs for the Sword Sect.”

”Hiss... Ai Lao Mountain can’t provoke a Nascent Soul sect. Isn’t the Supreme Elder worried about bringing disaster?”

”Heh, you don’t understand. Back when the Jade Cauldron Domain was established—hey, kid! Are you buying anything or not?”

Luo Chen was momentarily stunned before breaking into a smile. ”Of course! I just didn’t want to interrupt you two.”

”What do you want? Hurry up, we’re closing soon.”

Luo Chen pursed his lips and replied with a smile, ”Earth Fire Fiend—rumor has it you have some here. But I’ve searched the shelves for ages and couldn’t find it.”

The cultivator at Immortal Build Residence shot him a disdainful glance. ”You really don’t know much, do you? Why would Earth Fire Fiend be on the shelves? How much do you want?”

***

Malevolent energy, by nature, is akin to concentrated killing intent—a force so deeply saturated in hostility that nothing else can survive in its presence. In locations steeped in extreme malice, this energy naturally forms, overwhelming all but the most resilient and twisted of lifeforms. Where malevolent energy gathers, only fiendish creatures—or things of similar nature—can endure.

Take the Netherworld Yin Fiend, for instance. It forms in places where second-tier Netherworld Waters have pooled and condensed over many years. Within such an environment, the Yin Fiend actively resists and destroys all foreign matter, sparing nothing but the Netherworld Water itself.

The same principle applies to the Earth Fire Fiend—another form of malevolent energy born from the intense accumulation of Earth Fire. Violent, corrosive, and highly destructive, it belongs to the yang attribute and is known for its overwhelming rejection of foreign elements.

However, cultivators have always been masters of adaptation and ingenuity. Despite the destructive nature of malevolent energy, generations of skilled alchemists and artifact forgers have found ways to harness its power. When properly extracted and infused into enchanted artifacts, this volatile energy can amplify their potency several times over.

After all, no matter how potent the energy might seem, there’s always something with a higher grade or opposing attributes that can counter you. For example, while Earth Fire Fiend belongs to the fire attribute, its prolonged residence within mountain and earth veins makes it naturally countered by earth-based materials.

It was under the guidance of a disciple from Ai Lao Mountain that Luo Chen finally witnessed the type of item used to contain Earth Fire Fiend. To his surprise, it was a simple-looking stone, riddled with tiny holes like a natural beehive—unassuming at a glance, but specifically designed to house and stabilize the violent energy within.

”This is a floating rock, a companion material of Earth Fire, capable of containing ten strands of Earth Fire Fiend.

”If you want to buy Earth Fire Fiend, you’ll also need to buy a floating rock. So, the price is...

”Fifty spirit stones!”

Luo Chen’s eyes widened in surprise. Earth Fire Fiend—supposedly the lowest grade and most common type of malevolent energy, barely considered first-tier—was selling for fifty spirit stones per bundle of ten strands?

Just as his expression twisted in silent agony, the cultivator overseeing the transaction let out a low chuckle. “Of course,” he said smoothly, “we’ll also teach you the method for harnessing malevolent energy. A deal worth your while, wouldn’t you say?”

Luo Chen forced a nod, accepting the offer with thinly veiled reluctance. But deep down, he was fuming.

Even after parting with fifty spirit stones, the indignation in his heart refused to settle. The Immortal Build Residence of Ai Lao Mountain—a name that carried prestige and refinement—was nothing short of an unscrupulous merchant.

Selling was one thing. But bundling?

The ten strands of Earth Fire Fiend didn’t even come on their own. They were packaged together with a chunk of floating rock and a rudimentary Fiend Control. Whether he needed them or not, he had no choice but to buy the entire set.

***