An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Aboard the Langqi Flying Boat, Luo Chen cast a glance into the darkness behind him, making sure no pursuers were tailing them and no one had taken notice of his presence. Then he lowered his gaze to the scar-faced cultivator who was slumped on the floor, covered in blood.

”You’re completely powerless right now. Aren’t you afraid I’ll take advantage of you?” Luo Chen asked.

The scar-faced cultivator forced a smile. ”Anyone who’d ask that question isn’t the type to do that sort of thing. Besides, I trust the reputation of the Luo Tian Society’s president; your benevolent nature precedes you.”

Luo Chen frowned. ”You know me?”

Back when Luo Chen had attended the Tianlan Trade Assembly, he had concealed both his appearance and his energy flow. So to be recognized and directly addressed by name had come as a genuine surprise. That was why he had brought the man onto the flying boat himself. Some matters were best kept under his control.

”I don’t know you personally,” the scar-faced cultivator replied, ”but I recognize this flying boat. In all of Tianlan Immortal City, only you have the very first supreme-grade flying boat.”

Ah, so that was it! Luo Chen looked at the Langqi Flying Boat beneath his feet. It made sense; he had always traveled with this vessel. Even if he concealed his appearance, the boat’s distinctive design was hard to miss.

In fact, when Treasure Pavilion first launched this line of flying boats, it often used the Langqi Flying Boat as an advertisement. Over time, even though Luo Chen rarely shows himself, both he and the Luo Tian Society had come to be associated with it somewhat. But with that said... a reputation for having a benevolent nature? Where had that come from?

The scar-faced cultivator struggled to sit up, leaning halfway against the wall. ”Even if you’re the type who wears a kind face while hiding ill intentions... I’d still rather die at your hands than be thrown back to my enemies.”

”Enemies?” Luo Chen asked casually.

The scar-faced cultivator replied, ”Yes. I’m not a rogue cultivator, or at least I wasn’t one to begin with. I’m Xing Zonghan, Patriarch of the Xing Family of Sky Blade Peak. My enemy is the Ying family of the neighboring Sky Eagle Peak. We’ve been enemies for a long time, and over the years, the grudge only deepened. Once the word of my Foundation Establishment leaked, they couldn’t hold back any longer and decided to exterminate the Xing Family. They even intentionally leaked the news to throw off my breakthrough.”

Even though Xing Zonghan was badly injured, he spoke steadily, and his bearing did not belie his status. As Luo Chen listened, he understood why Xing Zonghan had left Tianlan Immortal City so soon after his breakthrough.

”Sadly, by the time I returned, it was too late,” Xing Zonghan continued. His face was filled with grief. ”My entire Xing Family was massacred, and Sky Blade Peak was seized by a Foundation Establishment faction allied with the Ying family. That is why I am alone, reduced to a rogue cultivator.”

”My condolences,” Luo Chen said softly.

Xing Zonghan pressed his lips together bitterly. How could he possibly find peace when his entire family had been exterminated?

He let out a sigh, and then he held out a storage pouch.

Luo Chen frowned. ”What’s this?”

Xing Zonghan explained seriously, ”If you hadn’t given me a lift, the Ying family’s Foundation Establishment cultivator would have caught up with me sooner or later. I am in no state to flee. And if he caught me, I’d be dead, and none of these worldly possessions would matter. I owe you my life, so I can at least give you a reward. Unfortunately, I’ve only just reached Foundation Establishment, so my wealth is nothing much. Besides that low-grade Divine Flying Sword, you may take whatever else you like.”

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, giving him a long and thoughtful look.

A smart one, Luo Chen thought. He knows he has to pay a price. Without that gesture, this so-called ’free ride’ wouldn’t go so smoothly.

Without hesitation, Luo Chen sent his spirit consciousness into the storage pouch right in front of him. Xing Zonghan had only a basic spirit restriction on the pouch, and with his cooperation, Luo Chen easily examined everything inside.

After a quick sweep through its contents, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This is what he calls ”nothing much”? Altogether, the resources inside easily amounted to sixty or seventy thousand spirit stones, far more than what he’d gotten from slaying Tu Shan back then. And that was after Xing Zonghan burned through a fortune preparing for Foundation Establishment.

After a brief pause, Luo Chen reached into the storage pouch and withdrew three items: a spirit stone, a book, and a round bead.

Seeing this, Xing Zonghan asked in surprise, ”Fellow Daoist, you’re only taking that little?”

Luo Chen smiled faintly. ”I may not be taking much, but they’re worth quite a bit.”

The spirit stone was only a single low-grade one, but the book contained a complete third-tier technique titled ”Divine Ghost Secret Record.” That alone was worth tens of thousands. As for the bead, it was simply a top-grade enchanted artifact, nothing too exceptional.

After storing away the chosen items, Luo Chen looked back at him with curiosity. ”Fellow Daoist, you’ve only just stepped into Foundation Establishment, yet you’ve already gathered such wealth. That’s no small feat.”

Xing Zonghan let out a bitter laugh. ”Just a matter of luck.”

Feeling intrigued, Luo Chen raised a brow. ”Oh? Care to share the story? Something to pass the time.”

”There’s no harm in it,” Xing Zonghan replied. ”It started when I took part in a war under a Nascent Soul sect, hoping to gather enough spirit medicine for Foundation Establishment...”

***

”Fellow Daoist, thank you for everything along the way,” Xing Zonghan said as he cupped his fist respectfully outside the entrance to his cave residence.

Luo Chen stood opposite him, casually toying with the round bead between his fingers. ”No need for thanks, but I’d prefer not to be dragged into tonight’s events.”

Xing Zonghan nodded solemnly. ”Of course. I, Xing Zonghan, hereby swear a Great Dao Oath never to reveal that you saved me.” He made the oath on the spot, right in front of Luo Chen.

Only then did Luo Chen rise smoothly into the sky and vanish into the night.

After Luo Chen left, Xing Zonghan let out a long breath. ”The Luo Tian Society’s president truly lives up to his reputation, generous and warm-hearted. Not only did he save me, but he didn’t even take advantage of me. He only accepted that ghost cultivator technique I couldn’t use anyway.”

He shook his head and gave a faint sigh. ”If I’d met someone like him earlier, maybe my path would’ve turned out differently.”

Back in his own cave residence, Luo Chen remained completely unaware of how this so-called reputation for benevolence kept spreading. He had always considered himself ruthless and precise, and he never hesitated when it came to dealing with enemies.

Seated calmly in his living room, he lifted a hand, and a white figure flitted over lightly.

Bai Meiling landed at his side, eyes filled with curiosity.

”Master, what is this?” she asked, eyeing the bead in his hand.

”This item is called a Sun-Avoiding Pearl,” Luo Chen said casually, holding the bead between his fingers. ”It’s a top-grade enchanted artifact that creates its own shadow zone.”

In recent days, he had been studying a number of books on the fundamentals of the cultivation world, including several that described the unique enchanted artifacts found within Skysail City. This pearl had been mentioned more than once.

”Once you refine it,” he continued, ”even if you haven’t become a Ghost General and don’t have the protection of a ghost abyss, you’ll still be able to move freely under direct sunlight.”

”Really?!” Bai Meiling instantly got excited. With eyes brimming with delight, she carefully took the Sun-Avoiding Pearl from Luo Chen’s hand. ”Does this mean that once I refine it, I’ll be able to leave the ghost mill, walk under the sun... and even stay by your side at all times?”

Luo Chen nodded calmly. ”Yes.”

Bai Meiling clutched the bead and skipped off toward her room, eager to begin refining it.

Once she left, Luo Chen took out the Divine Ghost Secret Record. He flipped it open thoughtfully and muttered, ”Come to think of it, I really do seem to have a strange connection to Valley of Ghosts and Divinities.”

Xing Zonghan’s story had explained everything. Despite being only a Qi Refinement cultivator at the time, he had somehow amassed an impressive fortune. In order to break through to Foundation Establishment, he had participated in the Nascent Soul sect’s war. More precisely, he had been recruited by Green Pill Valley to fight against the Flame Alliance, allies of the Jade Caudron Sword Sect. Of course, Green Pill Valley had offered many incentives to attract rogue cultivators, including Foundation Establishment spirit medicine as a reward.

During that war, the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect rarely took the field themselves. Instead, most of the fighting was carried out by their subordinate factions. Aside from the Flame Alliance, there were many other vassals. Among them was the Valley of Ghosts and Divinities, which had fallen into decline after the end of the war. This lineage had disguised itself as a cultivation family and attached itself to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect. In one large-scale battle, that lineage’s Foundation Establishment cultivator was taken out by disciples from Ailao Mountain and Green Pill Valley.

Xing Zonghan had risked everything amidst the chaos, joining others to raid the Valley of Ghosts and Divinities’ remaining stronghold. In the end, they succeeded in wiping out the sect completely. From that battle, he had taken a considerable share of the inheritance. Among the spoils were the incomplete Divine Ghost Heartmirror, the Wandering Eighteen-Formation Disc, the Soul-Gathering Banner, and the Divine Ghost Secret Record. There was even a well-preserved low-grade enchanted treasure, the Divine Flying Sword.

After securing such a massive haul, Xing Zonghan had wasted no time. He immediately withdrew from the battlefield and made his way straight to Tianlan Immortal City. There, he sold off much of the loot, participated in auctions, and ultimately obtained a Foundation Establishment pill.

This man is truly blessed with a deep fortune to reap so much in the midst of chaos! Not only did he secure the Foundation Establishment pill at the auction, but he also managed to successfully reach Foundation Establishment, Luo Chen mused. And then, even on the brink of death, he happened to run into me.

Luo Chen had been willing to save him at the time, partly because he was curious how the man had recognized him, and partly because the man had once voluntarily given him a five-thousand spirit stone discount back then.

Luo Chen was the kind of person who knew when to advance and when to withdraw. At first, Xing Zonghan’s enemies had only been Qi Refinement cultivators, so stepping in hadn’t posed much risk. Later, even after learning that some of his enemies were at the Foundation Establishment level, Luo Chen didn’t think much of it after Xing Zonghan swore a Great Dao Oath not to drag him into it. After all, Luo Chen himself was still in the early stage of Foundation Establishment. He had no reason to invite unnecessary trouble.

Now, seated back in his cave residence, Luo Chen flipped open the book and thought, A complete third-tier technique...

Compared to what he already possessed, this was a clear upgrade. He possessed third-tier items like the Falling Clouds Mist and the Sky Roc Transformation, but those were different in nature. The former was a water-based alchemy technique, while the latter was an incomplete Physique Refinement technique. He had never owned an orthodox cultivation technique like the Divine Ghost Secret Record.

If this technique suits me, Luo Chen thought as he flipped through the pages, then I won’t have to worry about finding a cultivation method after stepping into the Golden Core Realm.

Even though Luo Chen was still struggling in the Foundation Establishment Realm, he had certainly thought about preparing for the Golden Core Realm. For cultivators aiming to reach the Golden Core Realm, preparing a suitable cultivation technique was critical.

Unfortunately, the next volume after the Yi Wood Medicine King Codex was the Eternal Youth Evergreen Sutra, a secret cultivation technique that was strictly taught to disciples of the Medicine King Sect. This kind of technique simply couldn’t be found in the black market or at large auctions. Even if it did appear, disciples from the Medicine King Sect would come running to buy it back by force.

It was just like that auction at Tianlan Immortal City, when an extremely rare top-grade sword orb appeared. Meng Ziqi, a disciple of the Sword Sect, had originally been assigned to reclaim it. However, after suffering a serious defeat at Han Zheng’s hands on the Debate Platform, Meng Ziqi had been gravely injured and entered seclusion to recover. As a result, he hadn’t attended the auction.

That was a tangent, though. Luo Chen thought to himself as he continued flipping through the Divine Ghost Secret Record. Yet after only a few pages, he began to feel something wasn’t quite right.

”Why doesn’t this look like a technique meant for humans to cultivate?” he wondered.

Still unconvinced, he skimmed a few more sections, then stopped as realization dawned on him. ”It’s actually a third-tier ghost cultivation technique! No wonder it’s titled as Divine Ghost Secret Record! And no wonder Xing Zonghan didn’t react at all when I took it.”

Luo Chen shook his head in regret.

No ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would ever switch paths to ghost cultivation. Compared to orthodox techniques, ghost cultivation came with far too many limitations. Unless one had already transformed into a ghostly body, it would be impossible to cultivate this art. At most, it could serve as reference material or a desperate fallback.

Looks like Little Ling will benefit some more, he thought, carefully putting the Divine Ghost Secret Record away.

However, now wasn’t the time to hand it over. He needed to study it thoroughly first and ensure there were no hidden dangers. If anything went wrong during cultivation, he’d risk losing a valuable assistant.

”Sister-in-law should be reaching Foundation Establishment in the next few days...” Luo Chen muttered to himself.

Ordinary cultivators didn’t take a whole year to reach Foundation Establishment like he had. Back then, he had failed several times and had to recover from each failure. Worse still, he had no access to a stable second-tier spirit land and had to manually activate the Ice-Fire Spirit Spring every time just to simulate the right conditions.

For ordinary cultivators, Foundation Establishment took a few days at best, maybe a month at worst. Murong Qinglian had been in seclusion for nearly a month now. She should be reaching the final stage.

”Let’s hope she succeeds,” Luo Chen said quietly.

***

Sometimes, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

Inside a low-grade cave residence, Qin Liangchen’s face twisted in pain as his trembling body leaned against the bedside. ”It shouldn’t have been you trying to break through to Foundation Establishment; it should have been me! It was my mistake!”

Luo Chen glanced at him and said in a low voice, ”Big Brother Qin, don’t worry. I’ll save sister-in-law.”

Right in front of Qin Liangchen, Luo Chen’s hands glowed with a deep, rich emerald light. The intense vitality radiating from them was so strong that even the skin cells it touched seemed to cheer with excitement.

This was the Perfected Mastery Heal, paired with a Grandmaster-level spirit solution refined through the Yi Wood Medicine King Codex. Together, their effect was nothing short of miraculous.

Back when Feng Xia and Duan Feng had gotten married, Luo Chen had used this very technique to heal Feng Xia’s long-damaged throat. That wedding gift, Duan Feng once said, he had deeply cherished and had been very grateful for.

Now, Luo Chen was using this Perfected Mastery Heal for the second time, and this time for his beloved sister-in-law.

Just earlier, Qin Liangchen had rushed in a panic to the door of Luo Chen’s cave residence. Fortunately, Luo Chen hadn’t been in seclusion, and Bai Meiling had just come out to test the Sun-Avoiding Pearl she had refined overnight. Because of that, Luo Chen had been able to hear the news and rush to the scene immediately.

Murong Qinglian had failed at Foundation Establishment!

That possibility was so small it hadn’t even registered on Luo Chen’s radar. She had been incredibly well-prepared. She’d taken the Spirit Passage pill and the essence-nurturing liquid. She had carefully studied every Foundation Establishment Insights available, from Luo Chen’s to Duan Feng’s, even those from Min Longyu, who had only just broken through himself. She even possessed a Foundation Establishment pill as her core breakthrough aid, and with her unwavering determination, there was no reason she should have faltered at the critical moment. And yet she had failed!

Luo Chen took a deep breath and placed his broad hands on her lower abdomen and forehead. Pure wood-element spirit power surged into Murong Qinglian’s body, repairing the meridians and organs that had been ravaged by the chaotic spirit energy, while also seeking to awaken her dormant divine soul.

At the same time, as Luo Chen continued the healing process, he carefully observed her condition, trying to uncover the reason behind her failed attempt at Foundation Establishment.

The damage to her meridians was caused by a violent reversal of spirit power, Luo Chen thought. The dantian’s outer wall is intact, which means she didn’t reach the stage of breaking through the dantian to transform it into a sea. So she didn’t even reach the step of breaking the pill into liquid? How could this be? Was her dantian wall too thick? Or was the Foundation Establishment pill too weak? Or perhaps she lost focus at the critical moment?

He had so many questions, but there were no answers. All he could do was gather his thoughts and focus on healing Murong Qinglian’s injured body.