An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

He hadn’t come alone, but on the way back to the city, there were even more people than before. Wang Yuan, the Qin couple, and Gu Caiyi had all hitched a ride on Luo Chen’s flying boat. Though Luo Chen’s heart was a bit heavy, he kept a calm facade to avoid worrying the Qin couple. He chatted with Wang Yuan about Physique Refinement cultivation.

”The Qi-Physique Origin Method is indeed a complete second-tier Physique Refinement technique, created during the decline in the number of Physique Refinement cultivators,” Wang Yuan explained.

Luo Chen was a bit surprised. ”Didn’t that come from several thousand years ago? Does it still suit the modern cultivation world?”

”Of course it does,” Wang Yuan replied with a smile. ”A few thousand years may seem long to us, but to truly powerful beings, it’s just a blink of an eye.”

Luo Chen suddenly understood. In the cultivation world, there was no saying that the ancients were superior or that older methods were inferior to newer ones. Whether a technique was powerful or not depended on how well it suited the individual.

To mortals, eras changed and empires rose and fell; it felt like an eternity. To the creators of such techniques, it felt like nothing more than a casual session of secluded cultivation. Even if they emerged centuries later, they would most definitely not be seen as outdated relics.

”This technique lays out all the steps of the Blood River Realm, and it allows you to progress systematically all the way to the Furnace Realm,” Wang Yuan continued, his voice tinged with gratitude. ”For me, it’s a great opportunity.”

In the past, Wang Yuan had patched together bits of knowledge from various places, relying on his intellect and instincts to refine his cultivation path. But now, with a proper manual, his path was finally clear. And for that, he had Luo Chen to thank, since it was Luo Chen who’d secured this manual for him at the auction.

”Blood River Realm? Furnace Realm?” Luo Chen asked, puzzled.

Wang Yuan smiled and began to explain. ”Before innate cultivation, everything is mundane. The limit a mortal body could reach came only after embarking on cultivation, when one entered the Vajra Realm. At that stage, the body is as hard as a diamond, unyielding and indestructible. That was regarded as the true first stage of Physique Refinement.”

He paused, then continued, ”According to the Qi-Physique Origin Method, the second stage focuses on cultivating blood qi, unlocking the body’s internal storehouses. Blood flows like a river, qi surges to the heavens, bright and dark forces merge into a pill. When four forces unite as one, the second stage is complete. That’s why the second stage is also called the Blood River Realm. As for the Furnace Realm, the descriptions in the book are vague. I’ll only understand once I reach that stage.”

”So that means you’re confident you know how to train in the Blood River Realm now?” Luo Chen asked.

Wang Yuan waved his hand. ”Not entirely confident, but at least I know the way forward.”

He began to describe the tiers within the Blood River Realm in a casual manner that showed his in-depth knowledge. Just as the Foundation Establishment Realm was divided into nine sub-stages[1], so too was the Blood River Realm. The stages were: Organ Refinement, Tendon Transformation, Marrow Cleansing, Meridian Unblocking, Aperture Opening, Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force, and Pill Force.

Luo Chen listened, dumbfounded. They divided Physique Refinement so precisely?

Wang Yuan continued, ”Unlocking the body’s internal storehouses is extremely dangerous, so of course it has to be divided in detail. But even though it seems like a number of separate stages, much of it happens in parallel. In fact, Foundation Establishment cultivators might complete one or more of these stages without realizing it.”

He spoke plainly and held nothing back from Luo Chen, sharing personal examples as well.

”I had already completed Organ Refinement before I entered the cultivation world. That was thanks to the Five Organs Nourishment Fist, which tempers the organs and nurtures the five internal energies. As for Tendon Transformation and Marrow Cleansing, every time cultivators break through a major realm, the energy of heaven and earth automatically does that. Meridian Unblocking is even easier to understand. It opens up all of the body’s large and small meridians so that blood qi can flow freely, filling every movement with strength. Even Qi Refinement cultivators, when they channel spirit power, begin to open some of their meridians.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, ”The biggest differences come with Aperture Opening and the Four Forces.”

He went on to talk about the Divine Breaker of Malevolence. This art included methods for opening apertures, but it only targeted thirty-six of them. The human body contained far more than thirty-six.

As for the Four Forces, they represented the process of refining raw blood qi into a potent and condensed form of energy: Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force, Pill Force. Each was stronger than the last.

Back when Wang Yuan was young, he had stumbled onto this path by chance. His signature technique, the Divine Blood Tribulation Finger, was actually a type of Bright Force he had developed by refining blood qi.

In truth, Wang Yuan’s Physique Refinement cultivation had been quite unstructured. He had advanced by fumbling in the dark, refining a little here and experimenting a little there. That he had managed to create the such a technique during the early stage of the Blood River Realm was a testament to his extraordinary talent. Now, with a systematic training resource in his hands, he could finally channel that talent properly and refine his abilities with proper goals in mind.

After hearing all this, Luo Chen sighed. ”No wonder Physique Refinement cultivators declined.”

The others did not understand why he sighed, but Wang Yuan immediately grasped his meaning. Unlocking the body’s hidden potential was a painstaking and intricate process. Unlike Qi Refinement cultivators, Physique Refinement cultivators did not gain the lifespan increase that came with Foundation Establishment, which made it difficult for anyone to fully master the Blood River Realm.

And lifespan was only part of the problem. Qi Refinement cultivators, while circulating spirit energy, were passively training their bodies as well. Tendon Transformation, Marrow Cleansing, Meridian Unblocking, and even Aperture Opening at the Golden Core Realm could all be achieved in this way.

Since Qi Refinement cultivators could strengthen their bodies indirectly, there seemed to be little reason to pursue dedicated Physique Refinement cultivation. Its decline was simply the natural course of things.

As for the powerful techniques that Physique Refinement cultivators had once mastered with Bright Force, Dark Force, and beyond, Qi Refinement cultivators possessed their own alternatives. Spells, enchanted treasures, formations, and talismans were easier to wield and often even stronger. Faced with the choice, most would never choose the arduous path when a simpler and more convenient one lay before them.

As they spoke, the flying boat descended toward Tianlan Peak. At their parting, Wang Yuan handed Luo Chen a strip of beast hide as thin as the wing of a cicada.

“I’ve fully studied this Sky Roc Transformation,” Wang Yuan said. “Take a look at it when you have time.”

Luo Chen accepted the hide with a nod.

After Wang Yuan departed, Luo Chen led the others to the second-tier low-grade cave residence he had rented earlier. The residence now belonged to Min Longyu officially, but since he was still consolidating his cultivation at Danxia Peak and working with Duan Feng on forging enchanted treasures and repairing his formation disc, the place was temporarily vacant.

By coincidence, Murong Qinglian had just reached Perfected Mastery of Qi Refinement and was preparing to attempt Foundation Establishment. Luo Chen decided she might as well make use of the cave residence.

***

At the entrance of the cave residence, Luo Chen performed a series of incantations and quickly unlocked the protective formation.

Murong Qinglian stepped inside and looked around with clear satisfaction. “This place is wonderful!” she said.

Then, with a faint sigh, she added, “It’s just a pity that it’s so expensive.”

Even a second-tier low-grade cave residence cost a thousand spirit stones per month. For an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, monthly earnings were typically only two or three thousand stones. In other words, at least a third of their income, and sometimes as much as half, would vanish into that gaping rent sinkhole!

Why not just cultivate in a first-tier spirit land instead?

Only those who had truly reached Foundation Establishment and experienced the difference firsthand understood why the cost was justified. The gulf in cultivation speed between a first-tier and a second-tier spirit land was like heaven and earth.

Li Yixian was a prime example. She had reached Foundation Establishment back at Dahe Market, yet after twenty or thirty years had advanced no further than the second stage before her progress stalled. But after moving to Tianlan Immortal City and renting an appropriate cave residence for a single year, she had already advanced to the third stage. Otherwise, the Lianyun Trade Alliance would never have recruited her as an elder.

Her sudden improvement had nothing to do with aptitude. It was entirely the result of a changed environment.

Luo Chen smiled. ”Sister-in-law, I’m glad you’re satisfied. Once you reach Foundation Establishment, the Luo Tian Society will adjust your salary, and you’ll be able to rent a place like this at Tianlan Peak too.”

Murong Qinglian opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when her gaze shifted to Qin Liangchen, who was still inspecting the chamber. Her tone changed. “Little Luo, renting a cave residence is a massive expense, and truthfully, cultivators don’t cultivate every single day. When we aren’t cultivating, all that spirit energy inside just goes to waste.”

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow. ”You mean...?”

Murong Qinglian brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “With more Foundation Establishment cultivators joining the Luo Tian Society, renting a cave for each one would drain far too many spirit stones. From what I’ve heard, Tianlan Peak forbids subletting, but it doesn’t ban sharing a cave with family or trusted companions.”

Luo Chen understood. “You want to share a cave?”

“Exactly. Rather than let it go to waste, we should make full use of every moment. After all, it’s Tianlan Immortal City’s earth vein spirit energy. There’s no reason to feel guilty about it.”

Her tone then shifted again, becoming more formal. “There’s also one more matter I need to raise, President.”

She had moved seamlessly from addressing him as “Little Luo” back to “President,” making it clear that this was official business. Luo Chen’s expression grew solemn as he waited for her to continue.

1. This part clarifies that there are indeed nine stages of Qi Refinement, and that “Perfected Mastery” isn’t a separate stage but rather a kind of peak state. ☜