An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Thud!

Without the slightest hesitation, Sima Huiniang dropped to one knee, her long hair cascading before her.

”Thank you, President!” she said sincerely.

Luo Chen’s smile turned faintly amused. It seems like her emotional restraint still needs some polishing. But under these circumstances, what Qi-Refining cultivator could remain composed?

Luo Chen commanded, ”Alright, get up and come with me to Binglan Palace.”

With that, he rose and headed outside.

Sima Huiniang followed close behind. As she looked at Luo Chen’s figure ahead of her, waves of emotion surged in her heart. Meeting him... might be the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me.

Luo Chen activated the formation, shrouding the cave in concealment. Without his permission, no one could enter. The only exception was if the lease expired and payment wasn’t made; in that case, Ice Fortress patrol cultivators would forcibly break in.

He formed a hand seal, and a cloud of white mist condensed beneath his feet.

Luo Chen gestured with his hand. ”Hop on.”

Sima Huiniang carefully leapt up, her footing unsteady on the soft, insubstantial cloud, her whole body trembling slightly. The white cloud drifted slowly, gliding gently downhill. A massive waterfall thundered down from the sky, roaring as it struck the earth. And in her ear, Luo Chen’s voice came clearly through sound transmission.

”Cloud-Riding transforms spirit energy into vapor. It’s a spell derived from the internal spirit power cloud that forms at the ninth stage of Qi-Refining. Don’t resist when stepping onto it. Channel your spirit power into your feet, and once it touches the cloud, it will feel as solid and grounded as the actual ground.”

Sima Huiniang followed his instructions. The unsteady sensation quickly vanished, and she found herself standing firm atop the drifting cloud. Only then did she glance back.

The silver dragon of water descended from the nine heavens, majestic and vast. Dozens of cave residences lay hidden behind the waterfall, resembling immortal sanctuaries.

”No need to envy it,” Luo Chen said. ”Once you reach Foundation Establishment, I’ll upgrade your benefits. Renting your own cave residence here will be effortless.”

Sima Huiniang pressed her lips together and gave a gentle nod. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Luo Chen’s profile. His sword-like brows and starry eyes gazed into the distance, brimming with spirit and clarity. The stern, heavy air he had carried in Dahe Market was gone, replaced by an ease and confidence that seemed to suit him.

As if sensing her gaze, Luo Chen turned his head.

Sima Huiniang opened her mouth awkwardly, then casually asked, ”President, why are we going to Binglan Palace?”

”Why?” Luo Chen’s lips curled into a faint smile. ”To rent some land.”

***

”Senior Luo Chen, you’re here!”

Even before he stepped into Binglan Palace, a sweet voice called out from afar. Shi Lan dashed over with energetic strides, her high ponytail swinging behind her. When she reached him, her wide, fluttering eyes fixed on him intently, as if afraid he might vanish at any moment.

Her behavior didn’t escape Sima Huiniang’s notice. It seems... she already knows why Luo Chen is here?

”This is Sima Huiniang, the Director of the Luo Tian Society,” Luo Chen said, gesturing beside him.

Shi Lan gave Sima Huiniang a surprised look. ”To direct and judge makes one a Director, but why not call her ’sect leader’? She leads an entire organization.”

Luo Chen shook his head. ”The Luo Tian Society is just a small faction, hardly worthy of being called a sect.”

Shi Lan replied, ”You must be joking, Senior. For someone as young as you and already in the Foundation Establishment Realm, reaching Golden Core Realm is only a matter of time. When that happens, founding your own sect will be no more than a day’s work!”

What a sweet talker, this girl! Luo Chen thought.

After that round of flattery, Shi Lan turned warmly to Sima Huiniang and introduced herself. ”Director Sima, I’m Shi Lan, disciple of the Ice Fortress. If the Luo Tian Society ever needs anything here, just come to me.”

Sima Huiniang returned the courtesy with a polite nod. ”Then I won’t hold back. I may trouble you quite often.”

”Haha, you’re more than welcome!”

With laughter and light conversation, the three entered the grand halls of Binglan Palace. Inside, other Foundation Establishment Initiates were arriving as well, seeking to rent cave residences or commercial spaces. Shi Lan, however, paid them no mind, leaving the other female disciples to handle the reception. She remained firmly at Luo Chen’s side, hovering like a devoted attendant, clearly intent on ensuring no one else diverted his attention.

”This way, Senior. Let’s head to the second floor!” Shi Lan said with a cheerful wave.

Luo Chen followed her upstairs without hesitation. As they stepped into the upper chamber, a vast sand table spread out before them, its scale breathtaking. At the very center stood Tianlan Immortal City, occupying the greatest expanse. Beyond it stretched winding rivers and jagged mountains, scattered across the terrain like pieces on a celestial chessboard. Many of these areas were marked with red dots, each bearing its own name.

With just a glance, Luo Chen spotted several familiar names: Tianyi Workshop, Peach Mountain, and the Divine Craftsman Sect.

Among them were faintly glowing white dots, scattered sparsely across the board.

Unclaimed land! More accurately, land still under the nominal control of Tianlan Immortal City, but with no existing force occupying it.

Shi Lan stepped forward and picked up a long jade ruler, her high ponytail swaying playfully behind her.

”I remember Senior Luo Chen mentioning he was interested in renting a plot of land with a first-tier spirit vein,” Shi Lan said, her tone crisp and businesslike. ”After you mentioned it, I did a thorough check and picked out seven locations best suited for the Luo Tian Society.

”First is Mirror Lake! It used to be the territory of a talisman-making family. Unfortunately, their Foundation Establishment Grand Elder passed away, and no one succeeded him. The lease was discontinued ten years ago, and it’s been vacant ever since. This place has a natural first-tier spirit vein; specifically, a spirit spring. Technically, it’s a branch of the third-tier spirit land of Tianlan Peak. It can easily support over a hundred Qi-Refining cultivators for daily cultivation.”

The Mirror Lake Fu family, Sima Huiniang thought, a faint smile tugging at her lips. ”How much is the rent?” she asked curiously.

Shi Lan raised a finger. ”Ten thousand spirit stones per year, with a minimum lease of ten years!”

”That expensive?!” Sima Huiniang was startled. That price nearly matched that of a second-tier cave residence on Tianlan Peak.

”It’s expensive for a reason, Director Big Sister,” Shi Lan said with a sweet smile.

Shi Lan swept her jade ruler, and the white light on the sand table brightened. In an instant, a vast lake spanning dozens of acres projected above the sand table as a visual display. She gestured toward the image and began her explanation. ”Mirror Lake produces twenty-seven types of spirit fish and is rich with aquatic spirit plants. The reason the Fu family became famous for their talismans was that they used three types of aquatic grass to weave talisman paper, enhancing spell effects to a level far beyond regular talismans.”

Sima Huiniang nodded slowly in realization. It now made sense why the Fu family had bypassed so many trade hubs to go straight for Dahe Market. The Lancang River near Dahe Market also produced a variety of aquatic spirit plants. After adding beast-hide talismans to their techniques, their future must’ve looked promising.

Shi Lan’s confidence didn’t waver. Mirror Lake was her prime recommendation. The previous owners hadn’t been gone for long, and with a bit of cleaning, the entire compound could be ready for use. If she could close this deal, she’d earn a hefty commission in spirit stones!

Unfortunately—

”Next one.” Luo Chen shook his head. He wasn’t satisfied with Mirror Lake.

Shi Lan scratched her head and pointed the jade ruler elsewhere. ”Bamboo Sea, an endless stretch of land that borders Green Pill Valley. It houses seven major spirit bamboos and yields spirit bamboo rice, richer in taste and energy than ordinary rice. But it’s labor-intensive and time-consuming to harvest. If used as a foundation—”

”Next,” Luo Chen interrupted.

”Parasol Tree Mountain,” Shi Lan continued without missing a beat, ”is rumored to have been formed from the essence of a phoenix. It contains a first-tier earth fire, though the mountain is rather small—”

”I will keep that in mind,” Luo Chen said.

”Moon Gathering Bay,” Shi Lan went on, ”is located near the Luosha Market. It’s on a key trade route and great for business. The only issue is frequent raids by rogue cultivators, which is why it’s remained vacant. Rent is eight thousand spirit stones a year.”

***

One vivid scene after another rotated through the projection above the sand table.

Suddenly, Luo Chen raised his hand and pointed toward a dim, gray-white light cluster. ”Tell me about this one,” he said.

Shi Lan tapped the glowing spot with the jade ruler. At once, a towering mountain bathed in multicolored twilight emerged in the projection.