An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

”Heh, I didn’t realize winter was approaching.”

Bending slightly, Luo Chen stepped into the tailor’s shop, shaking off the fine snowflakes clinging to his robe. He let out a sigh, a rare moment of reflection settling over him.

The last time winter arrived... felt like a lifetime ago.

Time had slipped by unnoticed, nearly a full year gone in the blink of an eye. So much had happened that even if he were to sit by a warm stove, brewing tea and reminiscing, he wouldn’t know where to begin.

There was only one thing he was sure of.

Back in May of last year, he had only been at the third stage of Qi-Refining. Now, in less than two years, he had reached the ninth stage of Qi-Refining and was already planning for Foundation Establishment. Such rapid progress was enough to leave anyone speechless.

Even the prodigies of great sects would be stunned if they witnessed it. But none of this had come without cost.

The staggering amount of resources he had consumed day after day, sustained over hundreds of days and if calculated in spirit stones, would be enough to make even a Foundation Establishment cultivator shudder.

Only because Luo Chen had a keen sense for making money could he sustain such rapid cultivation.

He greeted the old woman running the tailor shop, exchanged the prearranged passphrase, and donned his mask before stepping once again into the underground hall of the Precious Dragon Black Market.

This was the second month since the destruction of Dahe Market’s inner city, and the second scheduled gathering of the Precious Dragon Black Market.

As soon as he entered, Luo Chen felt a familiar gaze land on him. The person made no effort to hide it, yet there was no malice in their stare.

Sensing the gentle gaze, Luo Chen nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

It was Tian Xingzi.

This senior seems to have taken quite an interest in me. Luo Chen chuckled softly.

Just as he was about to find a quiet corner to sit in, a black-robed cultivator approached him.

”Senior Murong, our master has arranged a new seat for you. This way, please!”

”Oh?” Luo Chen paused for a moment but did not refuse. He followed the cultivator, passing through the many rogue cultivators in attendance.

Finally, he was led to a golden-threaded sandalwood chair at the hall’s periphery.

The moment he sat down, countless gazes turned toward him.

It was simple, these seats had always been reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even if there weren’t enough Foundation Establishment experts present, these seats would remain empty rather than being offered to Qi-Refining cultivators.

So this is what Tian Xingzi meant by ’Honorable Guest’ treatment’?

At first, Luo Chen felt slightly uncomfortable sitting there. But he quickly adjusted to it.

After serving as the president of the Luo Tian Society for so long, he had long since grown accustomed to being looked up to by others. This was merely a seat at the edge of the Foundation Establishment section, nothing more.

Besides, there were benefits to sitting here. If he bid on an item he wanted, most Qi-Refining rogue cultivators would hesitate before competing with him. This was the pressure that status and position naturally bestowed.

If it wasn’t an absolute necessity, most rogue cultivators wouldn’t risk offending influential figures to the bitter end. They all understood the importance of knowing when to step back.

After taking his seat, Luo Chen realized he had arrived a bit early today. There were only about a hundred people in the hall, and not a single Foundation Establishment cultivator had arrived yet.

A black market cultivator brought him tea, which he accepted leisurely, enjoying the moment.

However, as more people arrived, he began to sense something was off. Some of the new arrivals exuded an aura completely distinct from Qi-Refining rogue cultivators.

Among them were several whose auras he recognized.

The Spirit Suppression wasn’t just about concealing one’s aura or altering spirit energy fluctuations. Once achieved Perfected Mastery, it granted many subtle abilities one of which was the ability to mimic another’s aura. Naturally, this also made Luo Chen exceptionally sensitive to the spirit fluctuations of others.

That one, carrying a faint mist-like aura, Wang Haichao!

Nangong Jin is here as well.

That female cultivator, veiled in a faint spirit mist, if I’m not mistaken, she must be Li Yixian of the Li family’s Foundation Establishment. In that case, the elderly Foundation Establishment cultivator conversing with them must be Duan Qiankun, the Grand Elder of the Duan family.

Luo Chen’s gaze sharpened slightly. He hadn’t expected all four major Foundation Establishment powerhouses of Dahe Market to gather here tonight.

What was even more intriguing was Nangong Jin’s occasional glances in his direction. The man seemed curious, why was a mere Qi-Refining cultivator seated among them? Even if it was only at the very edge of their section.

Luo Chen remained unfazed. He leisurely sipped his tea and nibbled on pastries as if he belonged there. His nonchalant demeanor eventually made the others shift their focus elsewhere.

Perhaps he’s one of Tian Xingzi’s esteemed guests.

That was the consensus they silently arrived at.

Luo Chen remained silent, having no intention of engaging them in conversation. The more one spoke, the more mistakes they made, he didn’t want to risk exposing his true identity.

Once the number of attendees surpassed two hundred, Tian Xingzi stood up and officially announced the start of the auction.

The first item immediately made Luo Chen realize why all four major Foundation Establishment leaders had gathered tonight.

”Twenty sets of Netherworld enchanted clothes, mid-grade enchanted artifacts. When worn, these robes can resist the invisible attacks of low-tier spectral entities.

”Starting price at five hundred spirit stones per set. Minimum bid increment, fifty spirit stones!

”Ladies and gentlemen, please begin!”

There was no hesitation, almost as soon as those words fell...

All four Foundation Establishment leaders placed their bids simultaneously.

In the end, each of them acquired five sets, with an average price of seven hundred spirit stones per set. The sheer coordination of their bidding made the entire hall hold its breath.

The black market’s host, Tian Xingzi, seemed to have anticipated this and showed no concern about them colluding on the bidding.

Perhaps the final price was still within his acceptable range.

”Second item, ten sets of Green Firefly Lanterns, top-grade enchanted artifacts.

”When activated, this enchanted artifact can detect nearby ghosts and release a wave of solar fiend qi, striking all spectral entities below Foundation Establishment within range.

”Starting price five hundred spirit stones per piece. Minimum bid increments fifty spirit stones.”

This time, Tian Xingzi didn’t even need to say “please proceed.”

The four Foundation Establishment cultivators placed their bids without hesitation. In the end, each of them acquired two pieces, with an average bidding price of eight hundred spirit stones per set.

Of the remaining two, one was claimed by a Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining cultivator in the hall. The other was won by Luo Chen, who placed a bid of eight hundred fifty spirit stones.

Though his bid slightly exceeded the average price paid by the Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was still fifty spirit stones cheaper than what the Perfected Mastery Qi-Refining cultivator had paid.

This was the convenience of sitting in this section of the auction.

After obtaining the Green Firefly Lantern, Luo Chen finally understood why all the local Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered here.

There was only one reason, tonight, the Precious Dragon Black Market had put up a large batch of pre-commissioned enchanted artifacts for auction. Though their grades weren’t particularly high, they were all highly effective against ghosts and spectral entities.

Luo Chen had been keeping track of the latest developments in Dahe Market.

The local factions had been expanding their territory, gathering resources, and sending people to explore the ghost city of Dahe. The treasures within held immense value!

Many small sects and family businesses had operated within the inner city, and their assets remained trapped inside. The people inside were beyond saving, but the valuables? Those could still be retrieved.

Besides, with so many cultivators having perished inside, their unclaimed legacies alone were enough to drive greed.

With Netherworld enchanted clothes and Green Firefly Lantern, entering the inner city was no longer a reckless gamble, it was like arming a tiger with wings [1]!

However...

Just what kind of backing does the Precious Dragon Black Market have? In just two months, they’ve amassed such a vast array of ghost-hunting resources. Robes, enchanted artifacts... even talismans and pills are available.

After spending another hundred spirit stones to obtain a Netherworld pill, Luo Chen fell into deep thought.

In the Eastern Wilderness cultivation world, only a handful of factions had the capability to mass-produce enchanted artifacts.

Within the Jade Cauldron Domain, among its seven great sects, there was a Golden Core faction called the Flame Alliance that specialized in artifact forging.

The Green Firefly Lantern’s ability to release solar fiend qi closely aligned with the Flame Alliance’s signature forging techniques. Outside the Jade Cauldron Domain, the nearest major artifact production hub was Tianfan City, while further beyond lay the Stellar Transformation Sect.

Could the Precious Dragon Black Market be a subsidiary of one of those factions? Or do they simply have business dealings with them?

Luo Chen wasn’t the only one wondering. The four major Foundation Establishment cultivators of Dahe Market were speculating the same thing. Yet, none of them dared to ask outright.

Tian Xingzi’s strength remained unfathomable. Every time he revealed such a vast stockpile of resources, it was impossible to gauge the extent of his methods. At the very least, he was no weaker than the local Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If they thought even bigger, it wasn’t impossible that he was on the same level as Mi Shuhua, perhaps even comparable to sect-affiliated Foundation Establishment cultivators.

At that moment, the auctioneer’s voice rang out again.

”One second-tier Golden Spirit Monkey corpse, seventy percent intact. The most valuable eyes have been removed, but the rest of the materials are undamaged.

”Available for individual sale or as a whole package.

”Starting bid, two thousand spirit stones.”

Having attended numerous black market auctions, Luo Chen had become well-versed in the rules and bidding dynamics. He had learned the unwritten patterns, how the starting price dictated the increments.

For instance, for items with a starting price below five hundred spirit stones, bidding was typically unrestricted. For those between five hundred and one thousand spirit stones, the minimum increment was ten. For anything starting at one thousand spirit stones or more, each bid had to be at least fifty and for items priced above five thousand spirit stones, the default increment was a hundred.

This rule had only been put in place recently, designed to prevent bidders from making a mockery of high-value items by raising bids with single spirit stones just to cause trouble.

The Precious Dragon Black Market wasn’t interested in petty disruptions. It wanted to maintain order and ensure auctions ran smoothly without igniting unnecessary conflicts among the attendees.

As Luo Chen’s gaze fell upon the second-tier demonic beast corpse, he felt a twinge of temptation.

The primary ingredient for Imperial Nectar required the flesh, blood, and bones of a single-source demonic beast. While the Golden Spirit Monkey’s most valuable feature was its eyes, for him, its intact flesh and bones held far greater significance.

Should I bid for it? Luo Chen hesitated for a brief moment.

But by that instant, Wang Haichao had already placed a bid of five thousand spirit stones, securing the Golden Spirit Monkey’s corpse.

Luo Chen frowned. That price was too low. After all, it was still a second-tier demonic beast corpse. Even though the most valuable parts were missing, it still contained a demon core, it should have been worth at least six to seven thousand spirit stones.

But in the end, it was just a minor regret.

Luo Chen felt no regret over it. He had been analyzing the Imperial Nectar alchemical formula for a month, and it was still a work in progress. Even if he had acquired the necessary primary ingredients, he wouldn’t have been able to refine the pill right away.

Not to mention, some demonic beast corpses were notoriously difficult to preserve.

Forget it. He would reconsider once he had fully understood the formula.

The next auction items were announced one after another.

”One Tongue-Opening herb, a second-tier spirit herb. When consumed by a spirit beast, it helps refine and dissolve the throat bone in advance.

”Three Qi-Refining puppets, with formidable battle prowess, comparable to mid-stage Qi-Refining cultivators. Essential for guarding, patrolling, and treasure hunting.

”One Purple River daoist robe, a supreme-grade defensive garment. Its defensive power rivals that of dedicated defensive enchanted artifacts.”

1. 如虎添翼 (ru hu tian yi) is a Chinese idiom that describes a powerful entity gaining an even greater advantage, making it even more formidable. The idiom is often used to emphasize how an already strong person or force becomes even stronger with the right assistance or resources. ☜