An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Sword-flight was astoundingly swift. It far surpassed cloud-riding or mist-gliding techniques, offering superiority not only in speed but also in maneuverability. Yet it was still not the pinnacle of flight in the cultivation world. The Five Element Escape and sword cultivators’ Rainbow Transformation Flight both outpaced ordinary sword-riding.

Luo Chen had personally witnessed the Five Element Escape before. During the battle at Gaoling Plains, the rogue cultivator Tu Shan had hunted him using Earth Escape. Although Luo Chen had ultimately turned the tables, the sheer speed of that technique had been extraordinary.

Back during his Qi Refinement Realm, Luo Chen had prided himself on his flight speed above all else. Even now, at Foundation Establishment, it stung a little to recall being caught up to. It was true, he had paused to lay an ambush, but even so, the pace of that Earth Escape had left a lasting impression. Unfortunately, when he later rifled through Tu Shan’s storage pouch, he found no manuals relating to the technique.

Now that he thought of it, Sky Roc Transformation contained a third-tier flight technique. Once mastered, its speed was on par with sword cultivators’ Rainbow Transformation Flight. Sadly, it was extremely difficult to cultivate and required external aids. For now, he had no means to learn it.

With a quiet sigh, he leaned into the wind, continuing his sword flight. From the outside, he looked composed and unbothered, as though the previous night’s indulgence had already been left behind.

In truth, Luo Chen was not the type to forget so easily, nor to be ungrateful. Some responsibilities he would never turn away from. However, at daybreak, Sima Huiniang’s decision had caught him off guard.

”My talent is limited, and reaching Foundation Establishment was already a stroke of immense fortune. How could I presume to form a Dao Companion bond with you, President, and walk the Great Dao together? All I seek is to manage the Luo Tian Society well on your behalf,” Sima Huiniang had said softly.

Luo Chen was deeply moved.

”You have reached Foundation Establishment,” he had replied frankly. ”That makes you my equal on the path. Do not belittle your worth. From now on, you truly can walk beside me.”

Yet even then, Sima Huiniang had shaken her head firmly.

This time, she wasn’t talking about some lofty, intangible Great Dao. She was talking about something more immediate and more grounded: the Luo Tian Society. Her reasoning was simple. As long as they did not formalize their relationship, she could manage the Luo Tian Society effectively. Even if mistakes were made or grudges borne, none of it would implicate Luo Chen personally.

Moreover, the Luo Tian Society was preparing to implement a succession system modeled after sects rather than familial bloodlines. Until that structure took shape, it was best for her to remain officially single.

”I want others to see that my authority comes from your trust in my abilities,” she had said. Her tone was calm yet firm. ”Not from any perception of favoritism. If such a perception is allowed to spread, I will not be able to lead freely.”

It was a bold declaration, filled with resolve and ambition. Luo Chen could not help but regard her with new respect. And indeed, wasn’t it because of that very talent, that fierce independence, that he had chosen to elevate her to director in the first place?

Of course, she had not resisted the urge to tease him either.

”But if you find yourself craving another taste of a humble woman’s body, one might find it hard to refuse.”

That sudden shift into flirtation nearly caused Luo Chen to lose all restraint again. Fortunately, he understood the perils of excess. Otherwise, that line would have marked the beginning of a second campaign.

He did not press Sima Huiniang further. Some matters required time for the heart to open and for strength to prove itself.

He now understood her heart. As for strength, that was merely a matter of time. On the long path of cultivation, with his guidance, there was no reason Sima Huiniang could not one day set her foot upon the Golden Core Realm. By that time, she would no longer have any reason to refuse.

This belief was not arrogance. It was grounded in Luo Chen’s ability. The Jade Dew pill had an exceptional effect on female cultivators, far superior to ordinary pills. As long as the dosage and frequency were carefully managed, there was little risk of pill toxin accumulation. With the top-quality Jade Dew pills, even someone with moderate talent like Sima Huiniang stood a real chance at achieving Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment. At that point, the only matter left would be forming a core, and he now conveniently possessed a secret art for that. In due time, when she reached Perfected Mastery in Foundation Establishment, he would undoubtedly be able to gather the necessary resources for her core formation.

Upon arriving in Tianlan Immortal City, Luo Chen released the Langqi Flying Boat and skimmed swiftly along the ground until he reached Tianlan Peak. After greeting Bai Meiling, he retrieved the jade scroll that Tantai Jin had given him. He used Spirit Eyes and extended his spirit consciousness to ensure it was free of hidden mechanisms, then pressed it carefully to his forehead.

***

Half a stick of incense later, Luo Chen stood staring at the puddle of water before him, deep in thought.

That puddle was all that remained of the jade slip. It had dissolved completely once its contents were transmitted. He could not tell what technique or material Ice Fortress had used to craft such a thing. Once the information had been absorbed, the jade had vanished without a trace. Yet within his mind, the secret art for Core Formation had already taken root. After reading it thoroughly—

”This technique!” A complex expression settled over Luo Chen’s face, caught between delight and disappointment.

The jade slip had contained a secret technique known as the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation. Luo Chen had seen it before. During the Tianlan Immortal City auction, the Ice Fortress had placed this very method up for bid, and in the end it was purchased by Xuan Yu of Peach Mountain.

The name sounded grand, but the technique itself was not complicated. It required the simultaneous ingestion of two specialized pills: the Dragon Transformation pill from Green Pill Valley and the Ice Phoenix Pellet from the Ice Fortress. Once both were taken together and the art was activated, a cultivator at Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment could attempt to form their core.

When fire and water blended, Kan and Li inverted[1], and one could naturally form the body’s “Great Medicine.”

That so-called Great Medicine was the cultivator’s Golden Core. However, the actual effect of the method was merely a ten percent increase in the chance of forming a core. The boost was far too small to be of real value. For cultivators with excellent natural aptitude, even that slight increase might be worth celebrating; for Luo Chen, however, it was more like chicken ribs. Something with little value, yet not so useless that it could be discarded without regret.

”A mere ten percent boost might as well be nothing!” Luo Chen sighed, then waved away the puddle on the ground.

He felt a touch of regret, but no deep disappointment. The reason was simple: There was no possibility that Tantai Jin would hand him the Ice Fortress’s true core technique. Even if she had wished to, the Ice Fortress itself would never have allowed it. Whatever she gave him was bound to be something minor, a dispensable secret art of little importance.

He had felt a brief stir of excitement when he first received the scroll, but he had never placed too much hope in it. Now that he had reviewed its contents, everything was exactly as he had expected.

”Tantai Jin sure played a clever hand,” Luo Chen muttered to himself. ”With a Core Formation secret art of marginal value, she managed to bind the Luo Tian Society tightly to the Ruthless Lineage in full view of the public. Whether that move was her own design or orchestrated by Fairy Ruthless, that remains to be seen.”

From what he knew of Tantai Jin, she possessed some measure of cunning, but not enough for such subtle manipulation. In contrast, Fairy Ruthless, whom he had only met briefly, struck him as enigmatic and unfathomable.

After thinking it through, Luo Chen became increasingly certain that this must have been Fairy Ruthless’s doing. The reasoning was clear. When he had first asked Tantai Jin for a Core Formation secret art, she had refused without hesitation.

”So be it,” he murmured. ”I’ll keep it for now. Better something than nothing. If I reach Perfected Mastery of Foundation Establishment and still have not found a better method, then I will treat the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation as my last resort. For now, I should focus on reaching the fifth stage as quickly as possible.”

The matter of the Golden Core Realm was still far too distant. The stages he had yet to cross already weighed heavily on his mind. To dwell on it now would only be borrowing trouble from the future to burden today’s self.

1. 坎 (Kan) and 离 (Li) are symbols from the Eight Trigrams in Daoist cosmology, representing water (Kan) and fire (Li) respectively. In internal alchemy (内丹术), Kan and Li are metaphors for yin and yang, or the body’s vital energies, kidney water (essence) and heart fire (spirit). The inversion of Kan and Li refers to a profound energetic reversal, balancing internal fire and water to refine the Great Medicine, which is a crucial stage in spirit power transformation and longevity practices. ☜