An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Gross profit was called gross for a reason. It was because it hadn’t factored in all the underlying costs yet.

Raw materials? That wasn’t much, just five spirit stones’ worth of ingredients per batch of Jade Essence pills. Even with the war driving the price up to six spirit stones, it was barely a drizzle in the grand scheme of expenses.

Even when you factored in losses from refining Jade Dew pills, Spirit Passage pills, and other medicines sold at a loss, the total material cost still came up to only forty thousand spirit stones.

The rent for Danxia Hall was five thousand spirit stones per year. For now, the rate remained unchanged. It was only because Luo Chen was still in the honeymoon phase with Ice Fortress, which meant he could continue enjoying the discounted price a little longer.

The largest chunk of expenses remained in manpower! With a full scale of alchemy helpers throughout the year, the cultivators of both the Alchemy Hall and Medicine Hall were practically exhausted.

Under such circumstances, Luo Chen naturally had to provide generous bonuses in addition to their base salaries. Just these two halls alone cost him sixty thousand spirit stones annually.

The Battle Hall was responsible for protection and logistics; they required no bonuses, just their standard pay. That still came to around sixty thousand spirit stones per year.

The Gold Hall handled sales, which was the most crucial link besides refining! Beyond their basic salary, Luo Chen didn’t give bonuses but instead offered commissions.

For every bottle of pills sold, be it Jade Essence pills or even just essence nurturing liquid, he promised a two-spirit-stone commission. Given that there weren’t many female cultivators in the Gold Hall and their realms weren’t high, even with such generous incentives, the total cost only came up to twenty thousand.

Altogether, the expenses for ordinary cultivators reached one hundred and forty thousand. Add the costs of materials and rent, and it was a total of one hundred and eighty thousand spirit stones.

What really drains resources were the high-tier cultivators. For the high-tier cultivators in the Luo Tian Society, Luo Chen provided salaries far higher than those of the low-tier cultivators. Of course, individuals like Sima Huiniang and Murong Qinglian were in a league of their own. But even seasoned cultivators such as Zhou Yuanli and Liu Qiang received only three to four hundred spirit stones a month.

Still, maintaining all the ninth-stage Qi-Refining cultivators cost him sixty thousand spirit stones a year, and ironically, they made up the smallest group within his ranks.

Then there were Wang Yuan and Duan Feng, both of whom enjoyed a monthly salary of three thousand spirit stones. Each of them alone required at least thirty thousand a year!

With all that added up, annual expenditure came out to no less than three hundred thousand spirit stones!

Even though Luo Chen had mentally prepared himself for the result, he still couldn’t help being shocked after he had done the math. No wonder Wang Haichao had been so stingy in the past, barely giving his subordinates any fixed salaries. And it also explained why Mi Shuhua had refused to support a second Foundation Establishment Initiate in the Poshan Gang. Just one more would have cost an extra thirty to forty thousand spirit stones annually.

How could an ordinary Foundation Establishment faction possibly shoulder such enormous expenses?

Only Luo Chen had both the means and the boldness to do so. If Wang Haichao were still alive and saw Luo Chen being this generous, he’d probably curse him for being brainless.

Yet Luo Chen saw clearer than anyone. These expenses were absolutely necessary. Everyone was receiving exactly what they deserved. Without their effort, there would be no such impressive revenue.

Forget the rest. Was thirty thousand spirit stones a year really too much for someone like Duan Feng? Not at all!

To begin with, Duan Feng was a Foundation Establishment Initiate, no small feat in itself. More importantly, he was in charge of the Artifact Hall, which brought in eighty to ninety thousand spirit stones in annual profit. That’s four hundred thousand in total revenue? It didn’t all come from the Alchemy Hall; Duan Feng’s contribution was a major part of it.

And once his Artifact Hall team was fully trained, they would be able to operate independently, crafting and selling artifacts without constant supervision. That alone would provide the Luo Tian Society with a long-term, stable source of income.

Now, what about Wang Yuan? Was thirty thousand spirit stones a year really too much for him?

On the surface, it might have looked like he wasn’t contributing much. But throughout the entire journey of the Luo Tian Society, Wang Yuan had been its unshakable pillar of combat strength.

It was Wang Yuan who broke through the Fu family’s supposedly impregnable defenses. At Xiaohuan Mountain, he had stood his ground against the crushing pressure of Duan Qiankun. And on the Gaoling Plains, he crossed realms to defeat Huo Hu in battle. When they took over Danxia Peak, it was Wang Yuan who had boldly slain Cao Wanchun, establishing the Luo Tian Society’s dominance.

One could argue that thirty thousand spirit stones a year was far too little for someone like him. If it had been Chu Kui of Tianlan Immortal City, just hiring him for a single appearance would start at one hundred thousand!

On top of that, Wang Yuan had offered Luo Chen countless pieces of guidance throughout the journey. That was why Luo Chen had, long ago, offered him a tribute worthy of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

As for the others? Having once suffered through the hardships of being a low-tier cultivator himself, Luo Chen knew he had to reward their efforts generously.

By the end of the year, I had actually earned a net profit of a hundred thousand spirit stones! thought Luo Chen.

It was a pure profit of a hundred thousand spirit stones, and all of it belonged solely to Luo Chen. Which rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator could possibly hope to earn that much?

Even someone like Chu Kui, a formidable late stage Foundation Establishment grand cultivator, had to make outrageous demands and claw for every opportunity just to earn a fraction of that, assuming that the opportunity even came at all.

Even cultivators backed by major sects would struggle to match those earnings. With that kind of income, one could afford not just one but two or even three low-grade enchanted treasures every year.

This was the value an alchemist could create when supported by a solid power base. And Luo Chen wasn’t even operating at full capacity. If he truly went all out, giving up Jade Dew pills and Spirit Passage pills and scaling back his own cultivation, the numbers would soar even higher.

However, Luo Chen wasn’t someone who placed short-term gain above long-term growth. In fact, he hoped that once the Luo Tian Society matured into a stable, self-sufficient force, he could reclaim more time for his own cultivation.

And what would a smoothly operating Luo Tian Society look like?

Hundreds of spirit fields, all capable of generating income. An Artifact Hall running at full capacity, managing both production and distribution on its own. An Alchemy Hall where Qu Lingjun and Mi Li had grown skilled enough to shoulder the work on their own, no longer needing him to oversee every step.

Even the Battle Hall was evolving. Sima Huiniang had recently begun coordinating with Sima Xian to explore additional ventures.

Of course, those spirit fields needed people to tend them. And didn’t they already have a pool of manpower ready to go?

There were dozens of powerful late stage Qi-Refining cultivators sitting idle in the Battle Hall. Teaching them a bit of spirit planting and putting them to work in the fields seemed like a great idea!

Farming during peacetime and fighting during wartime would be a healthy operation model for the Battle Hall!

As for training day in and day out? What could a group of Qi-Refining cultivators possibly train into? If anything, too much of it might just fry their brains.

It could be said that Luo Chen’s vision for the future was both clear and purposeful. When that day came, the Luo Tian Society would no longer rely solely on the Alchemy Hall or the fluctuating profits of the Artifact Hall.

Of course, Luo Chen was getting a little ahead of himself. Pulling his thoughts back to the present, he began to seriously consider how best to use the enormous sum of spirit stones he now possessed.

The answer was simple: invest it in himself.

With a hundred thousand spirit stones, he could afford nearly any low-grade enchanted treasure available on the market. Add a bit more, and even a mid-grade enchanted treasure wasn’t out of reach.

However, he had absolutely no intention of doing that! He already had two enchanted treasures, and they covered both offense and defense. No matter how many enchanted treasures he owned or how high their grade, he couldn’t make use of them effectively at the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Improving his cultivation remained the highest priority.

Luo Chen thought, Maybe I should consider upgrading my cave residence...

Luo Chen recalled the second-tier top-grade cave residences owned by Tantai Jin and Liu Yuzhi. Compared to the low-grade caves, theirs had twice the spiritual energy density. Cultivating in that kind of environment would definitely speed up his progress! Unfortunately, there hadn’t been any vacancies for those second-tier top-grade caves, leaving his wealth with nowhere to go.

Maybe I could purchase other resources helpful for cultivation?

With that, Luo Chen calmed his thoughts and made up his mind to spend some time exploring the major shops in the city. Surely, there were treasures and resources out there he hadn’t come across yet. Like Taibai Wine, for instance, who knew what other rare items might be waiting on the shelves?

He also made a mental note to visit the Treasure Pavilion more often. Rumor had it that they had just launched a new flying boat model, one designed for overland travel within Tianlan Immortal City. It was a simplified version of his own Langqi Flying Boat.

As soon as it hit the market, it became a hit among cultivators. With the Treasure Pavilion capabilities, they were bound to sell auxiliary enchanted tools geared toward Foundation Establishment cultivators. And if they did, Luo Chen fully intended to be first in line to purchase.

Thud!

A faint sound rang out, Luo Chen snapped out of his thought and glanced over.

It was Xu Xiaoliu. He had been standing for so long that and unconsciously leaned back and bumped into the wall.

”President, sorry...” Xu Xiaoliu said sheepishly.

”It’s fine!” Luo Chen said with a smile.

He knew he had been lost in thought for too long.

Looking at the two of them, Luo Chen offered some praise, ”You two have done well lately!”

Xu Xiaoliu scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. ”It’s all thanks to your idea, President. As soon as we put out those flyers, even our remote Danxia Hall started getting walk-in customers. Why didn’t we think of it sooner?”

Luo Chen gave a faint smile. A few simple flyers were hardly worth mentioning. It was just that most cultivators couldn’t bring themselves to stoop that low.

Xu Xiaoliu hadn’t done badly either. After Luo Chen suggested using flyers, he took it a step further and suggested engraving a map on the back. That way, even those without an immediate need for pills might keep the flyer for future reference.

”Caiyi, you’ve done very well too!” Luo Chen said with a look of appreciation.

Under Luo Chen’s admiring gaze, Gu Caiyi straightened her chest with pride.

She smiled brightly. ”These are all things you taught us in the early days, President. I dare not take credit for them.”

Luo Chen shook his head. ”I’m not just talking about other female cultivators. This entire shop, from nothing to what it is now, has been mostly your hard work. I’ve seen the hardship you’ve endured with my own eyes.”

Gu Caiyi opened her mouth to say something modest, but the words caught in her throat.

Just as Luo Chen had said, this past year had truly been exhausting for her.

Back in Dahe Market, she did have experience running a shop, but it had been a small place, with few people, and most of the customers had lower cultivation than hers. Even when she faced high-tier cultivators, Zeng Wen had always been there to support her.

But now that Zeng Wen was gone, she had to carry the entire burden of the Gold Hall on her own. As she faced all sorts of people, even the slightest mistake was something she could not afford.

It was exactly as Luo Chen had said, the hardship couldn’t be explained to outsiders. She had lost count of how many nights she’d woken in anxiety, worrying about how to do better the next day. Thankfully, all the effort had been worth it!

He had seen it all. It wasn’t hollow praise, but genuine affirmation!

”Everything I’ve done was simply what I should have done,” Gu Caiyi said at last, her voice calm and steady, her emotions now well under control.

Luo Chen smiled warmly. ”There’s no such thing as what someone should or shouldn’t do. If you’ve done well, you deserve a reward.”

He paused and added, ”I recently developed a little something quite beneficial for female cultivators. Once we close up shop later, you can give it a try.”

Gu Caiyi blinked her large eyes, a look of anticipation lighting up her face. If Luo Chen was saying something was greatly beneficial to female cultivators, then it had to be something very effective indeed.

”I feel very at ease leaving Danxia Hall in your hands. As for the training of attendants in Biyou Valley, Caiyi, you can offer some guidance when you have spare time...”

As Luo Chen spoke, his voice gradually trailed off. His gaze shifted sideways toward the outside. It was as if he had seen through the wooden windows and doors to the figure standing motionless out on the street.

Luo Chen then said, ”We have an honored guest at our doorstep!”