An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

[Status Panel]

Name: Luo Chen

Lifespan: 41/205

Spirit Roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth

Realm: Foundation Establishment Stage Four (2/100); Blood River Realm: (35/100)

Achievement Points: 30

[Techniques]

Eternal Youth Evergreen Sutra: Perfection (301/500)

Divine Breaker of Malevolence: Grandmaster (700/1000)

Myriad Beast Sutra: Beginner (10/100)

[Spells]

Tier Three

Tier Two

Tier One

Perfected Mastery Spells (click to view details)

[Alchemy]

Jade Fracture: Perfected Mastery

Unadorned Heart: Perfected Mastery

Flowing Creek: Grandmaster (750/1000)

Cloud Transformation: Grandmaster (507/1000)

Clear Origin Mystical Pill: Grandmaster (590/1000)

Essence Restoration: Beginner (15/100)

[Martial Arts]

Mountain Cleaving Monument Breaking Palm: Perfected Mastery

Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers: Grandmaster (501/1000)

Wang Secret Manual: Proficient (270/300)

[Skills]

Second-Tier Alchemist

The moment Luo Chen opened his status panel, he was met with a dense wall of entries that filled the glowing screen. Many of them were far too cluttered.

The first task was simple. Without hesitation, he hid the redundant ones from view, then categorized the first-tier spells he had already perfected, including Heal, Earth Summit, and Wave Surge, into a concise section below.

These were basic spells and hardly worth keeping on constant display. But Earth Summit and Wave Surge paired with Fireball to form Landslide, which had astonishingly advanced to the Grandmaster level. The offensive might of such a Landslide was nothing short of devastating.

Since emerging from seclusion after reaching the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, Luo Chen had used it twice. Wang Yuan had praised the move effusively. As for Wei Tuo, who had fallen in their last battle, he never had the chance to comment. But had his spirit still lingered, Luo Chen imagined he would have shouted, ”Magnificent!”

That said, Landslide wasn’t without flaws. The spell was overly complex, much like Solar Flare. The only reason Luo Chen could use it in battle was that he had cleverly broken the casting into three stages, and he could go through each one without drawing attention.

Despite Landslide being touted as one of the strongest second-tier offensive spells, it was rarely practiced, and even its manuals were sold for a pittance. It was simply too troublesome to cast effectively. If Luo Chen wanted to cast it fluidly, he’d likely need to bring it to Perfected Mastery.

By contrast, the casting issues he once faced with Solar Flare had already been resolved. The solution came courtesy of Sima Huiniang, who had obtained a proper spell manual from the Divine Craftsman Sect’s vaults.

Only then did Luo Chen realize that the mighty Solar Flare he had wielded so effectively before was nothing more than an incomplete imitation. It looked impressive, but its destructive power came solely from stacking Perfected Mastery Fireballs.

With the authentic manual in hand, Luo Chen mastered the spell in less than two hours. The core principle hadn’t changed; it was still an advanced extrapolation of Fireball. The difference lay in several minor casting techniques that greatly sped up the process.

Naturally, there were trade-offs. The boost in speed came at the expense of spirit power; unlike before, it could no longer be endlessly stacked. But even so, Luo Chen wasn’t bothered by it. Between the two spells, Landslide clearly had greater potential, so he had no reason to settle for less. Solar Flare would now serve as a reliable, flexible tool in his arsenal, useful in battle but no longer his trump card.

Besides, in open space, Luo Chen could still use the stacked version. Due to his solid foundation, the moment he relearned it, his mastery of Solar Flare leapt straight to Grandmaster. Yet this accomplishment failed to earn even a single achievement point, leaving him visibly pained.

After reorganizing the spells section, Luo Chen gave his entire status panel a thorough sweep.

The first thing that caught his eye was a pleasant surprise. The upper limit of his lifespan has risen from 190 to 205 years. He’d been watching that closely. Ten of those years came from his cultivation breakthrough, the other five from the nurturing effect of the mutated wood-element spirit energy and his progress in Physique Refinement.

It’s simply common sense: A stronger body means a longer life.

In the techniques section, the most prominent change was the disappearance of the Yi Wood Medicine King Codex. It had been replaced by his new core cultivation technique, the Eternal Youth Evergreen Sutra. Due to his prior mastery, the new technique had immediately begun at the Perfection level, just as when he’d transitioned from the Long Spring Art. Unfortunately, the conversion yielded only a single achievement point, the same as he’d already earned from maxing out the previous technique.

Luo Chen winced. ”Feels like I got cheated...again.”

In the alchemy section, his frequent pill refining during seclusion had yielded clear progress. Flowing Creek was nearing Perfected Mastery, while he had already reached Grandmaster level in Cloud Transformation. In the past few days, he had also learned Essence Restoration. However, Scaled Shift seemed particularly elusive. Despite several attempts, he had failed to grasp it. Since it wasn’t urgently needed, he set it aside for now.

The martial arts section told a different story. His progress in Heavenly Maiden Scatters Flowers was sluggish, mostly because he had stopped practicing hidden weapon techniques. In truth, the technique no longer offered much help in controlling enchanted artifacts, and he scarcely paid it any attention.

I’ll max it out later if I ever need more achievement points, he thought.

With the Luo Tian Society thriving, sourcing special projectiles was no longer a problem. One word from him and his subordinates would have everything prepared.

What he had kept up with was the Five Organs Nourishment Fist from the Wang Secret Manual. He could feel his internal organs growing sturdier by the day.

”Once you’ve done organ nourishing, you can store vast reserves of blood qi within your five organs,” Wang Yuan had told him.

From that foundation arose the five energies, and by then, Luo Chen might even consider attempting Wang Yuan’s Giant Spirit Transformation.

This fist technique is worth continuing. It’s been quite beneficial for me. As for the Giant Spirit Transformation... not even a dog would learn that! Luo Chen thought.

Just the thought of Wang Yuan’s transformation made his scalp tingle. Being completely naked was one thing; bulging muscles he could accept. But that massive thing dangling between the man’s legs was a mental attack in itself. Worse still, Wang Yuan had recently shaved his head and now walked around with a shiny bald dome. When he transformed, the sight was unbearable.

Hiss.... Luo Chen sucked in a cold breath and shook his head violently.

”No, no, out with the dark thoughts. That image is lethal. If I ever see it again, I might go blind.”

It was worlds apart from his own dignified image. Luo Chen was often clad in elegant Daoist garb, riding sword-light through the skies, casting spells with grace. He hadn’t earned the title of Fire Spirit Lord for nothing.

As for the skills section, there wasn’t much worth noting. The only real highlight was that he had pushed his Jade Dew pill to Perfection. At this point, he could refine the mid-grade Jade Dew pills with ease at a success rate above forty percent. Once, with the help of the Ice Emperor Cauldron’s grade-boosting properties, he had even produced a top-grade Jade Dew pill, although it had been entirely by accident. That had been a truly happy accident.

By now, he had stockpiled over a hundred mid-grade Jade Dew pills, and they were all sitting unused. Due to a past agreement, he was prohibited from selling them to any faction other than the Ice Fortress. Every now and then, he passed a few to Gu Caiyi, but that hardly counted as breaking the deal. She was one of his own.

The problem was that Gu Caiyi was still only at the Qi Refinement Realm. How many could she realistically consume? Ten pills a year was already pushing it, and that was only because Luo Chen had devised special techniques to help her take them safely.

”If I keep sitting on this many pills without moving them, I’ll be bleeding spirit stones,” he muttered to himself.

The production cost of the Jade Dew pills was by no means low, and the low-grade version couldn’t fetch a high price.

”It’s already been a few years since I struck that deal with Tantai Jin. Given my reputation as Dan Chenzi, plus the Ice Emperor Cauldron’s properties, producing mid-grade Jade Dew pills can just barely be explained away. Tantai Jin and Fairy Ruthless probably won’t question it too hard.”

Luo Chen had made up his mind; he would soon begin subtly revealing his ability to craft mid-grade Jade Dew pills.

As for the explanation, it only needed to sound reasonable.

If the medicinal effect were clearly stronger, nobody would bother dissecting the details. He’d reveal his capabilities gradually and then begin shipping in volume. He couldn’t hike prices on the low-grade ones, but when it came to mid-grade pills, that was a different story. If Fairy Ruthless wanted those, she’d have to pay with solid spirit stones!

After reviewing the status panel, Luo Chen didn’t resume cultivation.

With two sessions a day, especially with the Divine Fiery Incense, he was already pushing his limit. Anything more would just leave him drained the next morning.

After all, cultivation required balance, tension, and release in perfect rhythm. Too much strain, and even the strongest steel beam would snap.

***

Nothing happened that night.

The next day, Luo Chen became noticeably more talkative. It was because Yuan Dongsheng had come to visit him.

Luo Chen sat on the edge of the spirit field, holding a scroll of alchemical texts while chatting idly with Yuan Dongsheng about all sorts of topics.

They spoke of the growth status of the spirit plants in this second-tier field, the recent arrangements for the new resources acquired by the Luo Tian Society, the aggressive recruitment led by Sima Huiniang and its current progress, and even the newly constructed Beast Palace, where a few Qi Refinement Realm beast tamers had come to apply for work.

Yuan Dongsheng was tireless in his updates, sharing every detail even as he continued working. At one point, he even paused to teach Luo Chen a spirit planting spell.

It was a second-tier spell known as the Sword of the Golden Harvest. Although technically a metal-element offensive spell, it was not intended for combat. Its main purpose was to eliminate pests in the spirit fields with great precision. Other spells could do the same, but the spread of spirit energy often damaged the crops as well. With the Sword of the Golden Harvest, that problem was eliminated.

Moreover, the spell contained traces of wood-element spirit power. After killing pests, it could break them down into nutrients to nourish the crops.

”This is the only second-tier spell I know, and I have to be very cautious each time I use it,” Yuan Dongsheng said proudly. ”Over the course of a year, I usually only cast it twice.”

When it came to spirit planting spells, Yuan Dongsheng was visibly pleased with himself. But when he saw Luo Chen try the spell only a few times before effortlessly releasing a streak of golden sword energy, he was utterly stunned.

At this, Luo Chen chuckled. ”I have a slight knack for spellwork!”

Yuan Dongsheng stared blankly. That’s what he calls just a slight knack? Then what right do I have to be so proud of my planting skills?

What he didn’t know was that Luo Chen had taken a shortcut. Though the Sword of the Golden Harvest appeared to be a metal-element spell, its foundation was actually rooted in wood-element principles. With the boost from the Eternal Youth Evergreen Sutra, Luo Chen found wood-element spells far easier to grasp.

Moreover, despite being called a sword art, the spell was little more than a basic manipulation of spirit energy, simply needed to blast out accumulated spirit power. Its basic principle was very similar to Luo Chen’s old trick using jade essence waste beads. Because of that, it had taken him only a few attempts to grasp its core.

Metal, wood, water, fire, earth. I’ve now dabbled in all five elemental arts. Even if this metal-element one is just a spirit planting spell, thought Luo Chen.

He smiled faintly and rose from the edge of the field.

Yuan Dongsheng also stood, visibly moved. The second-tier field before them brimmed with spirit energy. The Luminous Star Grass was flourishing, while the Shade Moon Flowers and the Xuyang Trees had both grown into fine form.

In a few more years, they would be ready for harvest. By then, they would easily bring in tens of thousands of spirit stones. That should help offset the enormous rent of his top-grade cave residence.

”If only the Luo Tian Society could cultivate a few more second-tier spirit fields,” Yuan Dongsheng muttered.

Luo Chen now understood that the tier of a spirit field wasn’t limited by the grade of the land. With enough resources invested, even ordinary land could be raised to higher tiers. Thus, he patted Yuan Dongsheng on the shoulder. ”It’ll happen. We’ll get there, and everything will fall into place!”

Yuan Dongsheng nodded. He had actually begun work in that direction some time ago. The Luo Tian Society had dispatched people to help the Li family catch Green-Scaled Dragon Fish and guard their Huahua Fish ponds.

The captured Green-Scaled Dragon Fish were not killed but brought back alive and raised. Their waste proved to be highly effective in enhancing the quality of spirit fields. In addition, the scales of the Green-Scaled Dragon Fish were a popular ingredient frequently purchased by major restaurants. Rumor had it they were especially delicious when deep-fried!

Just before he left, something suddenly occurred to Yuan Dongsheng. ”President!”

Hmm?

”The Director said there’s news of a complete demonic beast corpse.”

Luo Chen’s eyes lit up. ”Is it a second-tier beast?”

Yuan Dongsheng said uncertainly, ”I think so! Supposedly, a large batch of beast corpses was transported from Snow Lotus Market, near the Great Snow Mountains.”

Hearing that, Luo Chen felt much more confident. If they were just first-tier beasts, there’d be no reason to ship them from so far away, and the profit margin would be too low. There was a high chance they were second-tier beast corpses, and if they were intact, even better.

Without hesitation, Luo Chen left Tianlan Peak with Yuan Dongsheng and headed straight for the Luo Tian Society.

***

Three days later, Luo Chen and Wang Yuan entered the city and walked side by side through the bustling entrance of Snow Lotus Palace.

But upon seeing an old acquaintance, Shi Boying, Luo Chen couldn’t help but pause in surprise. He stepped back out the door and looked up at the sign again.

”This is definitely Snow Lotus Palace, not Icewave Palace,” he muttered.

Shi Boying, who had been busy welcoming other customers, spotted him at once. Her eyes lit up, and she called out warmly, ”Fire Spirit Lord, long time no see!”

”Fellow Daoist Shi, just call me Fellow Daoist, we don’t need such formalities,” Luo Chen said with a cupped-fist salute. ”Besides, I wouldn’t dare act important in front of a prominent disciple from a major sect like yourself.”

Shi Boying’s aged face lit up with a radiant smile. ”That won’t do! I’m just a Foundation Establishment cultivator lucky enough to bask in my sect’s protection. You, on the other hand, earned your Dao title through sheer merit. That’s something truly admirable.”

Luo Chen smiled helplessly and pointed outside. ”Do you have something to do with this Snow Lotus Palace.”

Shi Boying shook her head. ”Not personally, but Snow Lotus Palace is one of Ice Fortress’s properties.”

”Huh?” Luo Chen blinked, his mind filling with questions.

Seeing Luo Chen’s confusion, Shi Boying offered a brief explanation. As it turned out, the area around the Great Snow Mountains had three marketplaces of varying size, all under Ice Fortress’s domain. In fact, they permanently stationed the Foundation Establishment Initiates there. Aside from gathering resources, they also occasionally recruited talented rogue cultivators into Ice Fortress.

”Every year, the markets below send their collected resources up to Tianlan Immortal City. Even if we’re not the sect currently on duty, we’ll still send someone to assist with the trade. After all, those down there don’t have many connections in the city. When I personally show up, the goods tend to sell more easily.”

At that, she looked at Luo Chen and Wang Yuan. ”You’ve come today for the small auction as well?”

Wang Yuan remained silent. During their travels, he had long been accustomed to deferring to Luo Chen, since negotiating and socializing were hardly suited to a devoted cultivator like him.

Luo Chen nodded and casually listed a few materials, including demonic beasts.

”Then I hope you both walk away fully loaded today!” Shi Boying gave a slight smile and transmitted a message toward the Grand Hall.

Before long, a young woman came bustling out. ”Senior Sister, what do you need?”

The figure was familiar. The voice was too.

Luo Chen and Wang Yuan exchanged glances almost at the same time.

It’s her!