An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Wang Yuan finished the sentence he had left incomplete. Yet those four simple words left Luo Chen utterly shocked and asked, ”If Physical-Refining cultivators could rival Qi-Refining cultivators in ancient times, how could they not achieve longevity?”

Wang Yuan sighed and replied,”The exact reason, I don’t know either. Perhaps the true methods of Physical-Refining have long been lost to the river of history. Today, Qi-Refining cultivators dominate the cultivation world. Even if there are some Physical-Refining cultivators, most of them are dual-practitioners.

”Or maybe the once-mighty Physical-Refining cultivators never had a path to longevity to begin with. Otherwise, how could they have been erased from history?”

In Wang Yuan’s explanation, Luo Chen finally understood why the path of Physical-Refining no longer led to longevity.

For Qi-Refining cultivators, breaking through tiers gradually strengthened their divine soul. Eventually, the body became nothing more than a vessel to carry the divine soul. While the body decayed easily, the divine soul was immortal, naturally granting centuries or even millennia of longevity.

However, Physical-Refining took a completely different path. Instead of refining essence into qi, it focused on using vast amounts of spirit energy to nourish and strengthen the body. This path was, in fact, extremely similar to that of demonic beasts.

However, the human physique had inherent limitations. Unlike some powerful demonic beast species, humans were not born with the centuries or millennia of lifespan that those creatures enjoyed.

Thus, even if a human Physical-Refining cultivator pushed their body to unparalleled levels of strength, they could never escape the natural limits of their lifespan. Furthermore, the extreme methods used during Physical-Refining inflicted severe damage to the body’s essence.

The already limited lifespan would only dwindle further as a result. When the end of life approaches, even a body refined to its peak might collapse in an instant.

”Perhaps true Physical-Refining cultivators have methods to extend their lifespan, but with all the techniques I’ve encountered so far, I haven’t found one,” said Wang Yuan.

Hearing Wang Yuan’s words, Luo Chen couldn’t help but ask, ”If that’s the case, why not focus entirely on Qi-Refining?”

”Because it’s faster!” Wang Yuan seemed unfazed by the question. He smiled and said, ”As long as the willpower is strong enough, you have the appropriate techniques, and resources keep up, the speed of a Physical-Refining cultivator’s progress is unimaginable.”

Indeed. Wang Yuan’s current cultivation speed had already surpassed ordinary comprehension. In just a short period, he had reached a physical strength close to the Foundation Establishment Realm, advancing at an astonishing pace.

For cultivators like Luo Chen, even with the right techniques and abundant resources, progress was still a painstakingly slow process.

I’m in a hurry because time is tight. Besides, I’m not a pure Physical-Refining cultivator. I prioritize body refinement but also practice Qi-Refining, as evidenced by my eighth stage of Qi-Refining.

Luo Chen pondered for a moment before cautiously probing, ”Are you planning to refine your physique to a level comparable to Foundation Establishment Realm combat strength first, and then leverage that power to achieve a cultivator’s breakthrough, thereby obtaining the extended lifespan that comes with it?”

Wang Yuan nodded and replied, ”Exactly. You and I have both attended auctions, so we’ve seen the true face of the great sects. Without Foundation Establishment Realm strength or higher, there’s no way to compete fairly for Foundation Establishment pills.”

The auction for Foundation Establishment pills remained vivid in memory. There were five pills in total, but only one was made available for rogue cultivators to bid on.

Furthermore, small-scale auctions didn’t always feature Foundation Establishment pills. Large-scale auctions always had them, but they were held only once every ten years. For a Qi-Refining cultivator, how many decades does one have in a lifetime?

Luo Chen fully supported Wang Yuan’s decision. If it were him in the same situation, he would likely make the same choice. After all, ten birds in the bush were worth less than one in the hand. Of course, Luo Chen was not yet in such dire straits.

He still yearned for the immortal path of longevity, where he could roam the Northern Sea in the morning and the Cangwu Mountains by dusk, [1] watching the sun rise and the moon float.

Today’s meeting was primarily about the Blood-Burning pills. Now that he understood the general effects of the Blood-Burning pills on cultivators, Luo Chen quickly adjusted his overall strategy for these first-tier pills.

Its advantage lies in its highly explosive nature, making it an excellent trump card, but its drawbacks include high production costs and significant side effects. With this in mind, it’s not suitable for mass production or being sold as a regular pill.

However, having spent ten achievement points to master this first-tier pill, he couldn’t bear to simply give up on it. Thus, he planned to occasionally refine some in secret and find alternative channels to sell them.

Yes, the channels he envisioned were actually quite straightforward. Auctions and the black market! These two places often fetched sky-high prices for pills with unique effects.

This strategy couldn’t be said to be perfect, there were bound to be many shortcomings. Nonetheless, Luo Chen still intended to proceed with it. The reason was simple, others were doing the same.

The Medicine King Sect’s spirit purification pills were also unique in effect and costly to produce. They weren’t typically sold in the Spirit Herb Pavilion and could only occasionally be found at auctions. Luo Chen was simply emulating them.

As he left the Main Hall, Luo Chen suddenly thought of Steward Miao from their brief encounter earlier, If nothing unexpected happens, the Poshan Gang’s backer—or perhaps collaborator—must be this Jade Cauldron Sword Cultivator.

***

Returning to the inner city, Luo Chen followed his usual routine of checking on his two small shops. At Whitestone Plaza, seeing fewer people than usual, Luo Chen frowned and asked, ”Why does it feel like there are far fewer people than before?”

Yuan Xiaoyue, standing nearby said, ”In the past few days, there have indeed been fewer people.”

”Did something happen?”

”Nothing really. In fact, because of Golden Core Adept’s arrival, the Debate Platform has even improved its battle rewards.”

Better rewards? Shouldn’t there be more participants and a better atmosphere?

Luo Chen couldn’t figure it out.

It wasn’t until the next morning, when his guard Dongfang Liang mentioned a murder in a nearby tenement courtyard, that Luo Chen realized something.

”What about the enforcement team?” asked Luo Chen.

”They sent someone to take a look, and then there was no follow-up,” Dongfang Liang said.

Luo Chen asked in confusion, ”Is the enforcement team not handling things anymore?”

The inner city wasn’t absolutely safe, this was something Luo Chen had known for a long time. However, with the Debate Platform opening and the Sword Pavilion enforcement team established, murders and robberies in the inner city had become increasingly rare.

Even when they occasionally occurred, the perpetrators were quickly found and brought to justice. Dongfang Liang didn’t have a concrete answer, he was merely an unremarkable seventh stage Qi-Refining rogue cultivator. Even among Luo Chen’s guards, he was the weakest.

His usual tasks involved either covering the rear during patrols or running errands for Luo Chen, like delivering goods to the two shops.

To Luo Chen’s questioning, he could only respond with a bitter smile, ”I don’t know the specifics, but the enforcement team hasn’t been indolent. They just seem preoccupied lately and less concerned about public order.”

Busy, yet neglecting public order?

Luo Chen was full of thoughts.

When he arrived at the Alchemy Hall and heard others’ accounts, the situation was even worse than in the inner city.

”The outer district is getting more chaotic now. Rogue cultivators are showing up in the alleys by dusk.”

”You still go out at night? I always keep my doors and windows shut and don’t dare sleep too deeply.”

”It wasn’t this bad when there were fewer people before. If you ask me, it’s all because of the rogue cultivators coming from elsewhere. They’ve ruined the atmosphere.”

”They haven’t just ruined the atmosphere, they’ve also taken jobs. My brother worked at the docks, but he was fired a couple of days ago because they hired cheaper rogue cultivators.”

”Honestly, this decline in order was sparked by the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion. Back when the enforcement team kept things under control, rogue cultivators didn’t dare act so openly. But now that the team has stopped managing the outer district, it’s no surprise that murders and robberies have become increasingly common.”

”Hmph, if this keeps up, people will eventually flee to safer market towns.”

At lunchtime, after Luo Chen brought up the topic, he was met with a chorus of complaints. Most of the cultivators in the Alchemy Hall were ordinary rogue cultivators who neither excelled at nor enjoyed fighting.

They were particularly sensitive to the murders and robberies happening around them, as such events directly threatened their survival. However, due to financial constraints, they had no choice but to live in the outer district.

Initially, the outer district was only dangerous at night. But with the opening of the Debate Platform, the Jade Cauldron Sword Pavilion’s policies favoring rogue cultivators, and the relatively safe cultivation environment, tens of thousands of rogue cultivators from elsewhere flocked to the area in just a few months. With more people, naturally, there were more problems.

However, since the enforcement team were there to maintain order, lawbreakers had no choice but to hold themselves back.

But recently, the enforcement team stopped intervening. The hidden dangers brought by the population boom were starting to surface little by little.

The current state of Dahe Market feels like a powder keg, just waiting for a spark to ignite it, Luo Chen felt an increasing sense of urgency.

However, having just broken through to the eighth stage of Qi-Refining, it was absolutely impossible to advance to the ninth stage in such a short time.

I must have enough power to protect myself!

If I can’t quickly improve my realm, then I’ll need to focus on enhancing my combat techniques.

Luo Chen stared at his transparent status panel, his gaze settling on several spells as he fell into deep thought.

1. Roam the Northern Sea in the morning and the Cangwu Mountains by dusk (朝游北海暮苍梧) is a poetic expression derived from ancient Chinese literature, symbolizing freedom, transcendence, and a longing for a carefree and unrestrained life. ☜