An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Mi Shuhua had died, and the fall of the Poshan Gang had been inevitable. However, Miao Wen had admired Luo Chen’s pill refining skills, and he had also appreciated Luo Chen as a person. Therefore, he had proposed to shelter Luo Chen and work together with him.

Miao Wen had not offered much,one could even say he had been quite stingy. It had merely been himself,the status and name of a Foundation Establishment Initiate from the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect!

Luo Chen had been responsible for forming the new faction, refining pills, and handling their sales, among other matters. The spirit stone profits they earned, after covering Luo Tian Society’s internal expenses, would be split evenly between Miao Wen and Luo Chen.

On the surface, it seemed like Luo Chen had suffered a great loss.

In reality, he had indeed taken a loss.

However, the opportunities and benefits contained within this arrangement were long-term. Luo Chen had seen this clearly. Though the early stages would be difficult, once Luo Tian Society grew, he would earn more than enough.

Furthermore, leveraging Miao Wen’s reputation as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Luo Chen could expand his network and gain access to a higher circle.

Miao Wen had even promised him an opportunity regarding Foundation Establishment pills. Luo Chen would be allowed to participate alongside other Foundation Establishment factions in sharing the Foundation Establishment pills.

There would be no limit on how many times,so long as he had the financial capability. These were things that Mi Shuhua had never been able to give him,nor would he have ever given them!

Although there had been no concrete proof, it was easy to imagine that Mi Shuhua had long been preventing other Foundation Establishment cultivators from approaching Luo Chen. It had been a form of protection,but also a form of imprisonment.

Now that Mi Shuhua was dead, Luo Chen’s feelings about it had been complicated.

But he would never stop his progress because of it. Instead, he would stride forward even further, with even greater determination.

Luo Chen had seen everything clearly. Working with Miao Wen meant taking a temporary loss in exchange for long-term gains.

Moreover, he might not suffer a loss at all. Miao Wen had been too busy to manage everything himself, while the pills had been produced by Luo Chen and sold through Luo Tian Society.

The room for maneuvering in between had been vast. Luo Chen had had countless ways to ensure that the share of profits he deserved would far surpass what he had earned during his time in the Poshan Gang.

From that moment onward, he had finally begun to grasp his own fate. But in the future, he would fully seize control of his destiny.

The founding of the Luo Tian Society was the first step! This faction would undoubtedly revolve around him as its core. That meant he would need people and resources related to the path of alchemy.

The group of cultivators from Crescent Moon Valley had all come from the Alchemy Hall and Medicine Hall,exactly what he needed. It could be said that with each of them joining, Luo Chen’s foundation had grown increasingly solid.

In the end, nearly all thirty-one low-tier cultivators present had joined Luo Tian Society. The reason it had been “nearly” everyone was because one person had yet to express their stance.

Mi Li! The young girl had stood alone at the back of the crowd, her face pale, her expression grief-stricken, and her eyes filled with uncontrollable confusion. When everyone had turned their gaze toward the daughter of Mi Junping and granddaughter of Mi Shuhua, she had instinctively taken a step back.

”I... I...”

At some point, Luo Chen had already walked up to her. His tall figure cast a shadow over her, while his gentle smile brought a hint of warmth. He gave her a slight nod. ”You are the granddaughter of the old Gang Leader. Whether you choose to join or not, Luo Tian Society will treat you well,” Luo Chen said.

Mi Li could not hold back any longer, she suddenly burst into tears. ”Hall Leader, I want to go home and see it,” she said while crying.

”I’m afraid that’s no longer possible,” a hoarse voice said. The rough voice belonged to Feng Xia, who gazed at her with pity. ”I came from the inner city. Just yesterday at noon, the Nangong family announced that the Mi family estate now belonged to them. In the next two days, the Nangong family will completely move in.”

What swift action! This was the first time Luo Chen had heard this news. His eyes revealed his shock.

Mi Shuhua’s corpse had likely not even grown cold, and yet the division of the Mi family and the Poshan Gang had already begun. Luo Chen was unsure about the rest, but at the very least, the Mi family estate,established over a century ago,would now bear the Nangong name. The Alchemy Hall, which Mi Shuhua had personally built up, had also been plucked by Miao Wen, the Foundation Establishment cultivator.

What about the rest? The demonic beast hunts of Ancient Plains Mountain, the safe paths, the beast arenas, the Mining Hall, the brothels, the taverns,so many hidden industries.

Luo Chen took a deep breath. He could not afford to move slowly. He patted the lonely girl’s shoulder, then stepped onto the massive boulder.

”Next, those whose names I call,come forward to claim your rewards!” Luo Chen announced.

A grand feast to distribute the spoils began.

Thirty early and mid-stage Qi-Refining Realm cultivators each received one hundred low-grade spirit stones, along with a low-grade enchanted artifact and a bottle of cultivation pills.

No one objected to these rewards. Altogether, the value amounted to four to five hundred spirit stones. For any mid stage Qi-Refining cultivator, it was a considerable sum.

Afterward, it was time to divide the rewards among the late-stage cultivators.

***

Inside the Alchemy Hall, under Luo Chen’s supervision. Liu Qiang received two thousand low-grade spirit stones, a top-grade enchanted artifact, and five bottles of Qi-Nourishing pills.

Gu Caiyi obtained three thousand spirit stones, a top-grade offensive enchanted artifact, and two bottles of Dust Transformation pills.

After accepting his reward, Liu Qiang could not help but sigh. ”It’s a shame about those brothers... Liangzai didn’t survive either. If he had, there’d be a share here for him too.

”Dongfang Liang had died under the siege of several late stage Qi-Refining enemies. His corpse still lay in Crescent Moon Valley. The arrangements for his burial had just been finalized.”

Hearing Liu Qiang’s sorrow, Zhou Yuanli patted him on the shoulder and sighed as well.

That battle had brought heavy losses to the Poshan Gang,and their Alchemy Hall and Medicine Hall had fared no better.

However, beyond the grief, there was more excitement. Each had gained thousands of spirit stones. Those who survived were always the luckiest. It meant that their path to the Great Dao still held hope,perhaps even more so than before.

Luo Chen remained silent as he handed a blue storage pouch to Duan Feng.

When Duan Feng opened it, his face showed obvious surprise. ”This much?” he asked.

”You contributed greatly last night. This is what you deserve,” Luo Chen said.

Luo Chen spoke calmly. He had always been generous to his friends. Inside that storage pouch were five thousand low-grade spirit stones, a top-grade defensive enchanted artifact, a top-grade offensive enchanted artifact, and several bottles of cultivation pills. There was even a simple formation manual and a set of water-based spells.

These were precisely what Duan Feng needed the most. Duan Feng did not refuse. He accepted the pouch without hesitation.

Luo Chen turned to Granny Yuan, who gave him a kindly smile. ”President, could you give me an extra storage pouch?” she asked.

Luo Chen smiled faintly and did not refuse. He picked out a relatively intact pouch from the pile of worn-out storage bags and handed it over along with Granny Yuan’s share.

As for who that extra pouch would go to, it was easy to guess. It was none other than her son, Yuan Dongsheng.

Luo Chen did not mind this in the slightest. Granny Yuan and her son possessed spirit plant cultivation skills, which were invaluable to an alchemist.

Especially that final move Granny Yuan had displayed,it was clearly the second-tier spirit plant technique, Sword of the Golden Harvest. Perhaps he could learn it in the future. Hence, building a good relationship now was undoubtedly the right move.

Finally, it was the turn of Qin Liangchen and his wife.

”Sister-in-law, this is yours,” Luo Chen said. Murong Qinglian’s expression revealed her surprise,five thousand spirit stones, along with a top-grade enchanted artifact and various pills and talismans.

After distributing their rewards, Luo Chen bypassed Qin Liangchen and approached Zhou Yuanli.

Facing Zhou Yuanli’s steady face, Luo Chen praised, ”That battle the night before,you did exceptionally well. You exceeded my expectations. If it weren’t for your command in the center, the formation would have collapsed long ago.”

Zhou Yuanli replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, ”That was merely my duty.”

Luo Chen shook his head. ”There is no such thing as merely doing what is expected. Especially when we were breaking out, you insisted on protecting me. That alone is worthy of a heavy reward.” Luo Chen handed him five thousand spirit stones, five bottles of Dust Transformation pills, three boxes of calming incense, and a top-grade defensive robe. ”In addition, you may choose one extra enchanted artifact from these.”

Hearing the incredibly generous reward, Zhou Yuanli could no longer maintain his composure. He drew in a sharp breath. ”President, isn’t this... a bit too much?”

”Take it. It’s yours,” Luo Chen said. Luo Chen patted his shoulder, encouraging him to continue his efforts in the future.

Once Zhou Yuanli had made his choice, what remained was ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, several top-grade enchanted artifacts, dozens of mid and low-grade enchanted artifacts, and a pile of miscellaneous pills and talismans. There were also a dozen or so storage pouches,though most were tattered and barely usable, they could still serve their purpose.

Together, these items amounted to a fortune. Yet, even though Luo Chen did not divide them, no one raised any objections.

Since the Luo Tian Society had been established, there would be countless expenses in the future.

Moreover, everyone had received their fair share. It was almost comparable to the wealth a typical ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivator would accumulate over the years.

One could say that Luo Chen had succeeded in this ”division of meat.”

Even though Zhou Yuanli had received a reward that did not match his cultivation realm, no one expressed dissatisfaction or questioned it.

Luo Chen looked upon the scene with satisfaction. When it came to distributing rewards, the greatest taboo was unfairness,it would easily breed resentment.

But being too fair was also a mistake! That would make those who contributed more feel as though their efforts had been wasted. Especially for someone in a high position, he had to consider both the past and the future,he could not focus solely on the present.

Zhou Yuanli’s loyalty had already been proven. This man was someone Luo Chen would undoubtedly entrust with great responsibilities in the future.

Perhaps the only thing that puzzled everyone was the matter concerning Qin Liangchen. Although he had not participated in the Crescent Moon Valley battle, he had fought the Nangong family’s cultivators alone in order to aid them, losing a hand in the process. His path to Great Dao had even become uncertain.

No matter what, there should have been a reward for him here!

However, Luo Chen did not offer any explanation.

Instead, he sat down in the main seat. ”Luo Tian Society has now been established. It cannot simply be a small faction huddling together for warmth and engaging in petty activities,” Luo Chen declared.

”We have people, and we have backing above us! Therefore, we must establish the basic structure of our halls!”

As he looked at his subordinates, all deep in thought, Luo Chen felt a surge of barely restrained ambition.

He had no intention of copying the structure of the old Poshan Gang. That system had been too bloated. When attacked, their strength had been scattered.

Moreover, at this stage, Luo Tian Society was far from being a fully formed force.

”I plan to establish four initial halls,Alchemy, Merit, Battle, and Gold.”

”The Alchemy Hall is simple. It will be led by me, with the surviving cultivators from Crescent Moon Valley as support, merging with the former Medicine Hall. This will be the most important hall within the Luo Tian Society.”

”Granny Yuan, would you be willing to serve as the Deputy Hall Leader of the Alchemy Hall?” Luo Chen asked.

Granny Yuan did not hesitate,she smiled and nodded. She could already guess that her future responsibilities would likely be similar to her previous ones.

It was clear that Murong Qinglian, the former Hall Leader, had been removed from this role. The matters of the Medicine Hall would likely be entrusted to Granny Yuan.

So be it. There were still some good days left to live,best to work hard. For the sake of her son, Yuan Dongsheng, she would earn him a fortune!

”The Merit Hall needs little explanation. Its function will be similar to that of the old Poshan Gang. It will primarily handle the assessment of contributions, the cultivator roster, as well as rewards and punishments.”

”As for the Merit Hall, Sister-in-law, I would like you to serve as the Hall Leader. Would that be acceptable?”

Murong Qinglian appeared quite surprised. She turned to glance at Qin Liangchen, who was resting with his eyes closed. Qin Liangchen opened his eyes, bypassed his wife, and looked directly at Luo Chen.

Luo Chen did not speak, he merely nodded solemnly.

Qin Liangchen let out a satisfied sigh and nodded as well.

With that, Murong Qinglian had no objections, and it was settled. In truth, this arrangement revealed just how highly Luo Chen valued Qin Liangchen and his wife.

Who had once overseen the Merit Hall of the Poshan Gang?