An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The essence nourishing pill had an exceptional effect! Unlike the Jade Essence pill, which suffered from an inherent flaw and only matched the Spirit Herb Pavilion’s qi-nourishing pills when refined to top-grade, the essence nourishing pill displayed remarkable potency even at the low grade.

It was precisely because of this that the Danyuan Sect had been able to sustain the cultivation of two Foundation Establishment Initiates. Of course! With such effectiveness came a price, and that was the exorbitantly high cost. The real burden lay in one of its main ingredients.

“You mean the yuanmucao[1]!” Luo Chen asked.

Qi Yi nodded quickly. “Yes. The cost of the essence nourishing pill is high because of the yuanmucao. It’s the key ingredient and cannot be substituted. This herb is rather troublesome, and its cultivation conditions are extremely demanding. In Tianlan Immortal City, only the Li family of Qinhua River manages to grow it, which is why the price has always stayed high. Each set of raw ingredients costs twenty spirit stones!”

Upon hearing the cost, Qu Lingjun and Mi Li both couldn’t help but gasp in shock. The Jade Essence and Myriad Wonders pills they refined only cost five low-grade spirit stones per batch. But the essence nourishing pill? That cost was outrageous! No wonder the Danyuan Sect had been unable to lower its prices even while under pressure from the Luo Tian Society and the Zheng family. No wonder that mighty sect, despite having Dan Yuanzi himself, had only three alchemists in total. Training disciples under such conditions must have been horrendously expensive.

For Luo Chen, the truth became clear. That was why Dan Yuanzi had betrayed his word and seized the Li family’s inheritance after Li Jinhuang’s death. With medicinal materials that costly, if he could take over the yuanmucao fields, the value of essence nourishing pills would have made him rich beyond imagination. Unfortunately, once Luo Chen had taken the Li family’s side, everything had changed.

In response to Qi Yi’s concern, Luo Chen chuckled and asked, “Don’t you know who the Li family of Qinhua River relies on now?”

Qi Yi froze.

Xu Jie clapped his hands. “Come on, Senior Brother, you forgot? The president is the Li family’s savior!”

Luo Chen only smiled and shook his head. ”No need to go that far. Let’s keep business, business. From now on, refine as many as you like. Yuanmucao will be provided at cost by the Li family.”

At their cost! Qi Yi swallowed hard. That would bring the production cost of each pill down to about fifteen spirit stones. If refined at scale, the savings would be immense. And the profits the Luo Tian Society could earn...

He didn’t dare think further.

Luo Chen laughed heartily and departed.

***

After leaving the Alchemy Hall, Luo Chen strolled leisurely across Danxia Peak.

This battle had cost the Luo Tian Society almost nothing. Only among the Outer Hall cultivators, the rogue cultivators they had recently recruited had suffered some losses. Nearly a fifth had perished after disobeying orders during the assault on the mountain gate. Luo Chen didn’t feel the slightest regret; they hadn’t been properly trained yet, and their deaths were the consequence of their own decisions.

In contrast, the gains were enormous. To Luo Chen, the greatest gain was the two first-tier alchemists, Qi Yi and Xu Jie! These were disciples Dan Yuanzi had spent decades training! Even their names carried meaning: “Yi[2]” for loyalty, “Jie[3]” for integrity.

It was a pity the two had turned their backs on their master to join the Luo Tian Society. But who would choose death when life was still an option? Especially when Dan Yuanzi had never treated them particularly well. Their so-called loyalty had always had its limits.

Luo Chen quickly ran the numbers in his head. With these two alchemists on board, reduced pill production costs, and the support of apprentices and fire-handlers, they could bring in sixty to seventy thousand spirit stones a year. And that was only the beginning.

If Qiu Ying and Ma Shoupu were trained properly, they could add several thousand more to that total. That was why, despite the chaos of many responsibilities, Luo Chen had made the Alchemy Hall his very first stop. He had to secure and stabilize these valuable assets.

“Come to think of it,” Luo Chen mused, “I’m starting to walk the same path as Mi Shuhua.”

For no particular reason, Luo Chen thought of Mi Shuhua. He recalled how the man had enticed, coerced, and manipulated others until they became tools in his schemes. Now the roles were reversed; Luo Chen was the one doing the manipulation, and he was doing it no worse than Mi Shuhua had. Even their cultivation matched, both standing at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

I must not repeat his mistakes! Luo Chen reminded himself to stay vigilant and headed for the rear mountain of Danxia Peak.

***

The Luo Tian Society had gained immensely from this battle; much of it couldn’t even be measured in spirit stones.

Take Ink Mulberry, for example. The shaded, sunless side of Danxia Peak had always been left idle, since its terrain was too damp and gloomy for cultivation. But now, it was proving useful at last.

When Luo Chen arrived, he found Yuan Dongsheng already on site, barking orders at a swarm of busy cultivators.

Seeing Luo Chen approach, Yuan Dongsheng hurried over. “President, you’re here.”

Luo Chen nodded. “Mm. Can Ink Mulberry be cultivated here?”

“Of course it can!” Yuan Dongsheng’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Ink Mulberry is different from ordinary mulberry. It thrives in shade and doesn’t tolerate sun, so it prefers moist, overcast terrain. The back of Danxia Peak shares a similar geography with the Jade True Temple’s lands. As long as we’re careful during transplantation, the survival rate should exceed eighty percent!”

Eighty percent? Luo Chen felt a surge of excitement.

Ink Mulberry wasn’t just valuable; it was economically extraordinary. It outstripped first-tier spirit plants like Purplemist Bamboo or Luminous Star Grass not by a few times, but by a few orders of magnitude. Every part of the tree was valuable; the leaves, the bark, even the fruits could fetch a high price. The only limiting factor was the strict environmental requirements. As far as he knew, there were at least six or seven Ink Mulberry growers within Tianlan Immortal City alone, yet demand still far outstripped supply.

Most importantly, the Luo Tian Society had obtained Jade Silkworms from the Jade True Temple! These were exotic insects that started at first tier and could grow to the third tier. The silk they produced was a favored material among artifact creators.

“By the way, President! I need to request a team to guard the mulberry field year-round,” Yuan Dongsheng suddenly added.

Luo Chen was puzzled. “Is the Medicine Hall short on manpower?”

Yuan Dongsheng shook his head. “Not ordinary guards. I need cultivators at least in the late stage of Qi Refinement.”

Seeing Luo Chen’s confusion, Yuan Dongsheng explained carefully. “The Ink Mulberry trees bear fruit three times a year, and the ripe mulberries emit a rich scent that attracts all kinds of wild beasts and spirit birds. If the orchard isn’t properly guarded, the damage could be devastating.”

Luo Chen considered it for a moment and nodded. He approved the request on the spot and resolved to dispatch a squad from the Battle Hall to guard the orchard year-round.

In truth, Yuan Dongsheng was already overwhelmed. Not only did he have the Ink Mulberries to manage, but Wang Yuan had also brought back a trove of mature herbs from the Danyuan Sect, each requiring careful transplantation. Other spirit plants from Sky Eagle Peak, the Jade True Temple, and elsewhere also demanded his attention. He had been forced to hand much of the workload to Feng Xia, but that was hardly sustainable.

After hearing his complaints, Luo Chen sympathized, yet there was little he could do to ease the burden. Instead, it reminded him of a system he had once proposed.

The Luo Tian Society needed to implement a succession system. Otherwise, too much would always depend on individual experts.

Cultivation wasn’t just about fighting and killing! Farming, development, and management were the true paths to strength. Battle existed only to safeguard those gains. Wars always cost lives, but farming always builds toward the future.

As Luo Chen pondered these matters, an elderly cultivator at the ninth stage of Qi Refinement approached the gates of Danxia Peak with obvious unease.

“Stop right there! Identify yourself!” barked one of the guards.

The elder cupped his fists and bowed low. “I am Wei Ping’an, Second Elder of Xuchen Mountain. I’ve come by order of my family head to seek an audience with your president!”

Under the astonished gazes of the mountain wardens, Wei Ping’an delivered his message with trembling hands.

Xuchen Mountain! This was the very family behind the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator who had tried to ambush the president by the Qinhua River! Who would’ve thought they had come knocking on the Luo Tian Society’s door of their own accord?

***

In the Luo Tian Society’s Grand Hall, Luo Chen calmly finished reading the letter brought by Wei Ping’an.

“You’re here to beg for mercy?”

The sudden question made the old man tremble.

“It’s... a proposal of reconciliation,” he stammered.

Luo Chen shook his head. “If you want mercy, then at least act like it. These terms? Hardly impressive.”

Wei Ping’an’s eyes widened in disbelief. A lump sum of a hundred thousand spirit stones, plus five top-grade enchanted artifacts, was not enough? The Wei family had already lowered themselves beyond dignity!

Luo Chen set the letter aside and said indifferently, “Here’s how it will be. Add three more promises to what’s written here, and I’ll consider letting the matter rest.”

Wei Ping’an gritted his teeth. “Please, speak plainly, President Luo.”

Luo Chen said, “First, your Wei family’s Grand Elder died by my hand, but of his own fault. From this day forward, no one from the Wei family is to seek vengeance against me or any member of the Luo Tian Society. Second, Wei Tuo made a move against me. Though I came to no real harm, his intent to kill was clear. That I struck him down only proved his weakness. Still, the spirit power I spent was not insignificant. That debt must be repaid.”

Luo Chen’s gaze sharpened. “Wei Bufan will owe me a strike. When I call upon him, he’ll act once on my behalf to make up for Wei Tuo’s offense.”

Wei Ping’an opened his mouth but said nothing.

Seeing the man’s obedient silence, Luo Chen’s lips curled in amusement, “Third, from now on, all first-tier cultivation pills your family requires are to be purchased exclusively from the Luo Tian Society.”

The first two demands were conditions. The last was unmistakably... a business deal.

Wei Ping’an looked briefly stunned, but years of experience quickly steadied him. Bowing slightly, he replied, “I understand your intentions, President Luo, but I do not have the authority to decide on that matter. I must return and report to the family head.”

Luo Chen nodded. “Of course, but you’ll have only three days to consider. If I haven’t received a satisfactory answer in three days, I’ll personally visit Xuchen Mountain.”

As he spoke, a half-smile tugged at his lips. “Tell me, have you heard what Wei Tuo said before he died?”

Already shaken by Luo Chen’s threat to visit Xuchen Mountain, Wei Ping’an froze when he heard this unexpected question. “What... what did he say?”

“He said that the name of Xuchen Mountain shares a part with my name. What a fated coincidence.’”

A terrifying pressure burst forth from above the Luo Tian Society’s Grand Hall. Wei Ping’an dropped to his knees instinctively. His spirit trembled, and his mind plunged into chaos!

1. 元母草 refers to Leonurus japonicus (Chinese motherwort), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. In TCM, it is often used to promote blood circulation, regulate menstruation, and clear toxins. ☜

2. 义 (yì) conveys righteousness, justice, and loyalty. It emphasizes upholding moral duty and integrity, even at personal cost. ☜

3. 节 (jié) represents integrity, self-discipline, and moral steadfastness. It signifies maintaining one’s principles and loyalty in the face of hardship. ☜