An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Half a month later. Inside the fortress.

Fuzhang listened as his subordinates reported last month’s revenue. Due to the recent chaos in Dahe Market, certain low-tier talismans that could be instantly activated had become highly popular among rogue cultivators. As a result, they had made a net profit of three thousand spirit stones last month.

However, Fuzhang was not particularly satisfied with this number. The Fu Family had over fifty cultivators, five of whom were at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining like him. The overall cost of cultivation for such a group was undeniably immense.

More importantly, at this rate, how long would it take for him to earn a Foundation Establishment pill? If he failed to establish his foundation, the Fu Family’s so-called status as a Foundation Establishment Family would be stripped away within a decade.

”Fortunately, we secured a share of Poshan Gang’s demonic beast trade. This will significantly reduce the costs of talisman skins and ink.”

The tanned hides of demonic beasts made excellent talisman skins. Their blood, when mixed with certain minerals, could also be refined into high-quality talisman ink. With these two sources of income, they were better off than if they had received additional territory.

Fuzhang closed the ledger, his previously sour mood easing slightly. ”I heard our shop in the inner city is doing increasingly well, with dozens of customers visiting daily. It seems the rogue cultivators of Dahe Market have come to appreciate the Fu Family’s talisman craftsmanship!

”Since that’s the case, we should—”

Just as he was about to issue some instructions, his third brother, Fu Jue, who oversaw the inner city shop, walked in with a tense expression.

”Third Brother, what’s wrong? You seem flustered. That’s not like your usual calm self,” Fuzhang said with a smile.

Fu Jue took a deep breath and asked directly, ”Big Brother, before Grand Elder passed away, did he ever leave behind any techniques like Blood Talisman Inscription?”

”Blood talismans?” Fuzhang was momentarily stunned. The other Fu Family cultivators in the hall also looked puzzled.

In the world of cultivation, blood talismans did indeed exist. But the Fu Family had never practiced such techniques!

Seeing that his elder brother’s reaction was genuine, Fu Jue anxiously explained, ”Our shop has been doing well recently, but people keep asking about blood talismans. These are devil path talismans—we don’t know how to make them at all!

”Even if we did, we wouldn’t dare craft them!”

Fuzhang furrowed his brow deeply, forming a crease in the shape of the character ”川.” [1]

”Someone is trying to smear the Fu Family’s name!”

”Exactly!” Fu Jue immediately agreed. ”That’s what I thought too.”

Fuzhang asked, ”Then who could it be?”

For a while, the hall buzzed with speculation, as one suspicious name after another was mentioned.

The Fu Family was not the only group in Dahe Market involved in talisman crafting. For one, their former allies, the Chen Family, also dabbled in talisman-making. But the biggest suspect was the Divine Talisman Pavilion.

The Fu Family’s affordable talismans had significantly undercut the Divine Talisman Pavilion’s business. As a business backed by a major sect from the outer regions, they couldn’t directly take action against local forces.

But spreading rumors? That was fair game.

After thinking for a while and seeing the discussion getting out of hand, Fuzhang raised his hand to silence them. The authority of the patriarch brought instant silence to the room.

”This matter must be properly addressed.

”First, publicly declare that the Fu Family has absolutely no knowledge of blood talisman techniques.

”Second, instruct our family members to be cautious when coming and going.

”Lastly, arrange a banquet for me at Zhongding Restaurant and invite Patriarch Chen and Steward Cui of the Divine Talisman Pavilion. I will speak with them first.”

After these three decisions were made, the Fu Family cultivators couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Their family head was, after all, their family head—when faced with a crisis, he could always make the right call.

Back when their Grand Elder’s lifespan had run out, it was Patriarch Fuzhang who had defied opposition and led the entire family to relocate from the fiercely competitive Tianlan Immortal City to Dahe Market. Although this place was remote, it was rich in resources and full of potential.

Given a few more decades, the Fu Family might very well reclaim their status as a true Foundation Establishment Family!

***

At some point, a rumor began to spread throughout Dahe Market.

Among the five Foundation Establishment Families, aside from the original Duan and Li families, the three newly arrived families each had their own unique strengths. Yet, despite lacking any Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Chen and Fu families were still ranked among the five, due to the formidable techniques they had mastered.

The Chen family possessed blood-inherited treasures. Even though their prodigy, Chen Haoran, had perished in the battle on Qingjiang Long Street, they had managed to retrieve those treasures, ensuring they still retained the high-level combat strength needed to uphold their status.

But what of the Fu family from Tianlan Immortal City? Aside from their mastery in talisman crafting, what gave them the qualifications to stand alongside the other four families? After all, the talisman trade was notoriously time-consuming, costly, and yielded minimal profits. While it was enough to sustain the family’s daily expenses, it fell far short of what was needed to establish a true position of command.

Gradually, those in the know began to reveal a shocking piece of information.

The Fu family’s confidence in maintaining their status as a Foundation Establishment Family did not come solely from their inherited talisman treasures but because they had also mastered the secret technique of the Blood Talisman Inscription!

Unlike talisman treasures, which, despite their immense power, were limited in usage, blood talismans were something else entirely. Forged from human skin as talisman paper and inscribed with a cultivator’s essence blood as ink, these sinister artifacts, when combined with specialized techniques, could instantly unleash a cultivator’s full strength.

If a blood talisman were drawn using the skin and essence blood of a ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivator, its power would rival a full-strength strike from a Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining cultivator!

Most importantly, they could be produced in large quantities.

As soon as this news spread, countless rogue cultivators in Dahe Market were shaken. They feared that the Fu family might be capturing rogue cultivators, skinning them, and draining their blood to create blood talismans—yet at the same time, they desperately wanted to acquire one for themselves as a trump card.

For a time, the Fu family’s shops in the inner city were flooded with customers. Even though the Fu family cultivators repeatedly issued statements denying any knowledge or sale of blood talismans, the rogue cultivators remained skeptical.

Especially in Dahe Market, where cultivators would occasionally vanish without a trace, their bodies never to be found. This only fueled the suspicions of the rogue cultivators even further.

With no alternative, the Fu family could only let matters take their course, convinced that, given enough time, such groundless rumors would naturally fade away.

After all, no one had ever actually seen a blood talisman... had they?

***

No one had seen it?

No, someone had seen it!

In Crescent Moon Valley, within the rows of stone houses leaning against the mountain, lay the residence of the Battle Hall. Inside a secret chamber, Luo Chen stared in astonishment at the talisman in Wang Yuan’s hand, its aura thick with the scent of blood.

”Is this a blood talisman?” Luo Chen asked.

Wang Yuan shook his head. ”Strictly speaking, this is not a blood talisman.”

He explained, ”This is merely a crude application of the path of blood and qi by a physical refining cultivator. It requires ten days of continuous infusion of immense blood energy into this human skin.”

”How powerful is it?” Luo Chen was more concerned with that.

Wang Yuan let out a light chuckle. ”Not bad. Though it falls short of a full-powered strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, once activated within a hundred-meter radius, it can unleash half of my strength.”

Hearing this description, Luo Chen instinctively licked his dry lips.

This was already incredibly strong!

Wang Yuan had already stepped into the second realm of physical refinement, his physique rivaling that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Although his offensive techniques were not on par with Foundation Establishment cultivators, his overall strength was more than enough to crush any Qi-Refining cultivator.

An attack radius of a hundred meters posed no threat to Foundation Establishment cultivators. Yet, a typical attack from a Qi-Refining cultivator would only reach a range of one or two hundred meters.

Beyond that, without the ability to extend their spirit consciousness outward, they wouldn’t even be able to freely control their enchanted artifacts using Traction.

Only Luo Chen, with his Perfected Mastery in Traction, stood as an anomaly.

”With this, I can make full use of it!” Luo Chen declared.

He reached out to take the counterfeit blood talisman. But when he tried to pull it away, it didn’t budge.

Wang Yuan looked at him in confusion. ”Why are you targeting the Fu family so specifically?”

”It’s not just about the Fu family. It’s about the Great Five Families. It’s about Miao Wen.” Luo Chen explained patiently, ”I need to break free.”

”Break free?”

”A trap that has caged the Luo Tian Society. Only by breaking it can this organization truly become a force that aids our cultivation!”

Wang Yuan loosened his grip.

Luo Chen took the talisman and sighed. ”A newly emerging faction that has never experienced war will always be ignored, belittled, and never treated as an equal. If I were content to spend my entire life as Miao Wen’s tool for amassing wealth, then so be it.

”But you know that I, too, seek longevity. How could I possibly resign myself to living under another’s shadow forever?”

Wang Yuan seemed thoughtful as he looked at Luo Chen’s face, a mix of wistfulness and unwavering confidence.

Then, he nodded. ”I understand now. Luo Tian Society needs war!”

Luo Chen beamed. ”Exactly. A conflict that isn’t too widespread, and the Fu family is the perfect target.”

”Then go ahead and do it. I will fully support you. The Fu family... can only blame themselves for being too weak.”

In the cultivation world, the weak were prey for the strong. This was something Wang Yuan understood even better than Luo Chen.

Luo Chen gripped the talisman between his fingers, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

”Besides, when Crescent Moon Valley was under siege, Fu Zhang was among them. I haven’t forgotten that grudge!”

***

Precious Dragon Black Market!

This was Luo Chen’s second time visiting the place. Suppressing his energy flow and altering his appearance, he used the embroidered ball as proof of entry and stepped inside.

The familiar Tian Xingzi, the familiar auction process.

A large number of enchanted artifacts appeared at the auction, many of them belonging to cultivators who had perished in the recent chaos. Now, with just a simple turnover, they could fetch a considerable price at the auction.

Luo Chen, under the alias Murong Yuan, also made several purchases of valuable items. Among them was a spirit medicine known as Golden Jade Liquid.

Back when Wang Yuan was still the hall leader of Water-Dragon Hall, helping Poshan Gang expand into Taishan Market, he had once brought a bottle back for Luo Chen.

At the time, Luo Chen had not realized the wondrous effects of this medicine. It was only later, after learning from Wang Yuan about the specific realms of physical refinement cultivators and their training focus at each stage, that he understood.

He finally realized just how invaluable Golden Jade Liquid was for physical refinement cultivators. Not only could it temper the body, allowing one to progress toward the Vajra physique, but it could also subtly refine the bones, gradually transforming them toward jade-like perfection.

Thus, even though Luo Chen did not practice physical refinement himself, he would still purchase such a medicine whenever he came across it. It was expensive—each bottle sold for two to three hundred spirit stones at the auction!

However, it was worth it. The stronger one’s physique, the higher the chances of success when breaking into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

When the first auction phase concluded, the personal auctions for rogue cultivators began.

This time, Luo Chen did not wait until the end. He stepped forward, bypassing the others.

”I want to auction a first-tier talisman. The starting price is one thousand spirit stones.” His hoarse voice echoed through the hall.

The moment he finished speaking, the spacious hall erupted in laughter.

”A first-tier talisman going for a thousand spirit stones? You must be out of your mind!”

”I’ve really seen it all today.”

”I’ve never heard of a first-tier talisman selling for such a price. Forget a thousand, I’d think twice even at a hundred.”

”What kind of talisman is it? Show us already!”

Amidst the noisy chatter, a talisman as crimson as blood floated into the air. A powerful surge, almost as if teeming with life itself, emanated from the talisman. Its immense pressure was enough to make Tian Xingzi, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly open them.

”Oh?”

However, after examining it closely, he shook his head in disappointment.

No one noticed his reaction, as everyone’s attention was focused on the talisman.

Luo Chen, however, had been watching Tian Xingzi carefully. Seeing him close his eyes again, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

As expected, such a crude trick could not fool a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

That was for the best! At the very least, the other party would have no intention of bidding for it.

Of course, even if they did decide to buy it, it wouldn’t be a problem. After all, through the black market, he had already spread the news of the blood talisman’s existence.

Now that they weren’t tempted, his room for maneuvering was even greater.

Hiss!

”What kind of talisman is this? Why does it have such a strong scent of blood?”

”Such intense power!”

”I’m already at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining, yet I still feel a faint sense of threat from this talisman. If it were fully activated, I’d have to be extremely cautious.”

Amidst the growing commotion, Luo Chen remained composed.

”A first-tier blood talisman, crafted by an anonymous ninth-stage Qi-Refining cultivator from the Fu family!”

The crowd froze. An anonymous ninth-stage Qi-Refining cultivator from the Fu family?

How was that anonymous in any way? The Fu family only had five ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivators in total!

Each one had a name and reputation. Eliminating the two who weren’t proficient in talisman crafting left only three possible suspects.

”This talisman was made using the entire back skin of a ninth stage Qi-Refining cultivator, tanned five times to form a single talisman skin. Furthermore, it was infused with ten drops of their own essence blood, combined with a large amount of powdered rhino horn sourced from Tianlan Immortal City, as the talisman ink.

”I won’t go into further details. You can feel its power for yourselves. Once activated, this talisman can unleash an attack comparable to a Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining cultivator’s full strike.

”Starting bid at one thousand spirit stones. Make your offers!”

The moment his words fell, the bidding frenzy erupted.

”One thousand!”

”One thousand five hundred!”

”One thousand eight hundred!”

”Two thousand!”

In the end, it was sold for two thousand three hundred spirit stones to a cultivator cloaked in black robes.

A first-tier talisman auctioned for twenty-three hundred, it was undoubtedly a sky-high price!

Luo Chen was quite satisfied. He skipped the third round of free trade and left immediately.

Inside the hall, Tian Xingzi opened his eyes, his gaze following Luo Chen’s departing figure as his brows furrowed slightly.

***

North Street, Third Alley, beneath the eaves and shadows. Two figures stood still, as lifeless as withered trees.

”Brother Wang, your Spirit Suppression is becoming more refined. It’s almost on par with mine.”

”Hehe.”

”Alright, maybe you’re still far from my level, but you can easily fool Qi-Refining cultivators now.”

”With my Five Qi Convergence, as long as I don’t go all out, even Foundation Establishment cultivators shouldn’t be able to see through my appearance.”

The five Qi Convergence was a martial technique Wang Yuan had learned in his early years.

He had once told Luo Chen that this technique could greatly suppress the overwhelming blood energy of a martial grandmaster.

The so-called Five Qi referred to the energies of the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Only those who had reached the innate level of martial arts could cultivate this technique.

By integrating it with the Spirit Suppression, Wang Yuan had become increasingly adept at concealing his bloodthirsty energy.

As the two conversed through sound transmission, time passed second by second.

Suddenly, Wang Yuan’s gaze flickered as he looked northeast.

Luo Chen immediately noticed and instinctively asked, ”Seven-Star Hill?”

”Yes, though it seems you guessed wrong.”

”Not entirely. That place is still one of the most likely ambush spots for raiding cultivators after a black market auction.”

Luo Chen smiled faintly, then soared into the air. A fierce gust whipped around him, as if a great roc had spread its wings.

Wang Yuan’s heart stirred, and with a single step, he crossed ten meters in an instant.

1. 川 (chuān) – In this context, 川 refers to the shape formed by furrowed brows when three vertical creases appear on the forehead. This usage is a common literary and visual metaphor in Chinese, where the character 川 (which consists of three parallel strokes) resembles the natural wrinkle pattern that forms when someone frowns or furrows their brows in deep thought or concern. ☜