An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Inside the vast alchemy hall, two second-tier alchemists stood before blazing cauldrons, wholly absorbed in the refinement of the Rainbow Chrysanthemum pill. One of them moved with calm precision, his every gesture steady and deliberate. The other appeared just as focused, yet the faint twitch of his brow betrayed the tension hidden beneath his composed exterior.

Around them, spectators had gathered in silence, at least outwardly. In truth, many were exchanging thoughts through spirit consciousness transmission, their lips still, but their minds active.

With Luo Chen’s powerful divine soul, he did not even need to listen intently. The conversations of early-and mid-stage Initiates flowed into his ears as clearly as spoken words.

”Tsk, tsk... even after ten years away in Yuanzhao, Tao Yisheng’s alchemy hasn’t declined at all! Not only has he maintained his level, but look at how he applies Unadorned Heart. Steady, refined, focused... Since when was he so good?”

”You’re right. That Cliffside Chrysanthemum is notoriously difficult to handle, but look at how he’s extracting the essence. That’s flawless timing for you.”

”Now look at Tao Yichen.”

”That won’t do; his technique is far too stiff. He’s so afraid of damaging the materials that he misses the perfect moments for merging them. If you ask me, he’s already a whole tier below Tao Yisheng. Oh, here comes the critical point; watch how they handle the pill!”

***

The alchemy contest continued under heavy tension. After observing for just a short while, Luo Chen’s brow furrowed slightly. Tao Yichen dares to call himself a second-tier alchemist?

He was genuinely astonished. The man’s skill was not just poor; it was embarrassing. Was it possible his abilities had simply deteriorated from years of being distracted by worldly responsibilities? Perhaps. But that didn’t add up either. Back when Tao Yisheng discussed alchemy with him, the young man’s theories had sounded impressive. Yet in actual practice, he had made mistake after mistake.

Could Green Pill Valley’s standards for second-tier alchemists truly be this low?

Luo Chen’s gaze swept over the surrounding crowd; Foundation Establishment cultivators watched with open admiration, their eyes bright with curiosity. Not one of them seemed to notice the flaws that were so glaring in Luo Chen’s eyes.

A sudden thought rose within him, sharp as lightning. Perhaps the problem is not that they are doing badly; maybe I’m just too good. That must be it.

To the average cultivator, the ability to produce even a single second-tier pill on occasion was already enough to earn the title of second-tier alchemist. Qing Yuanzi had used shortcut techniques to refine a third-tier pill and now bragged about being a third-tier master alchemist.

By contrast, Luo Chen had walked a different path. He had refined tens of thousands of pills, and his skills had been honed by repetition to a razor-sharp edge. Even with second-tier pills, he had refined no fewer than three thousand, and most of them had been top-grade! In fact, some had even reached the supreme grade! In comparison, the so-called second-tier alchemists before him could hardly be considered peers.

Even so, Luo Chen did not let arrogance blind him. There were always greater talents in this world. These two from the Tao family were not even counted among Green Pill Valley’s Seven Prodigies, and neither of them held an official Dao title. The true prodigies of Green Pill Valley were definitely far more formidable, and he could hardly afford to underestimate them.

The thought steadied his mind. He gave a faint shake of his head and turned his focus back to the cauldrons. With his Divine Breaker of Malevolence already cultivated to Perfected Mastery, he could split his attention three ways with ease. Even while entertaining stray reflections, part of his mind had never left the competition. Thus, he had a detailed grasp of the Rainbow Chrysanthemum pill’s refinement process.

At that moment, Tao Wan, who was standing nearby, caught sight of his expression. Her brows arched slightly, a sign of her curiosity stirring. She sent a whisper through spirit consciousness. ”What’s wrong? Did you notice something?”

Luo Chen replied coolly, ”That’s going to be a failure.”

”Which one?”

”Both of them!”

Those words drew a doubtful expression from Tao Wan. She wasn’t a particularly skilled alchemist herself, but having grown up in a sect renowned for alchemy, she had a decent eye for judging it.

”Tao Yichen might fail,” she said quietly, ”but my brother’s every step has been flawless. All signs point to imminent success.”

She was not alone in that judgment. Every Foundation Establishment cultivator present who possessed even a shred of discernment had already noticed the vast gulf between Tao Yisheng and Tao Yichen’s skill.

Those clustered near Patriarch Tao Daonan looked increasingly uneasy. Threads of spirit transmissions flickered constantly as they voiced their concerns to him in secret. Though his face remained grim, Tao Daonan kept his composure. He neither spoke nor interfered, choosing instead to watch in silence.

The refinement pressed on. Moments later, a crisp pop echoed from within one of the bronze cauldrons. Every head in the hall turned at once.

Tao Yichen’s expression was ashen, his lips trembling. ”I... failed.”

The words left his mouth weak and broken.

Haih... A heavy sigh escaped Tao Daonan’s chest. He did not say anything in protest.

Tao Yichen had once shown genuine promise. He had passed Green Pill Valley’s theoretical assessments and had even managed to refine a second-tier pill. But later, weary of repetition and convinced alchemy was slowing his cultivation, he had abandoned it entirely, choosing instead to bury himself in family affairs.

If I had been harsher back then, if I had forced him to persist... would he still be standing here in such humiliation today? Tao Daonan thought as he turned his gaze toward Tao Yisheng. Could he actually succeed on the first try?

All eyes were now fixed on Tao Yisheng, including Tao Yichen’s. Had this been years ago, Tao Yisheng might have panicked under so much attention. His hand might have trembled; his techniques might have faltered. But after a full year in the Luo Tian Society’s Alchemy Palace, he had long grown accustomed to working under watchful eyes. Qu Lingjun, Mi Li, and the others often lingered nearby as he refined. In fact, if he was refining simple first-tier pills, he could even spare the focus to offer commentary.

Now, surrounded by a crowd, he remained composed. He meticulously completed the final steps of the Rainbow Chrysanthemum pill refinement.

Seeing this, Tao Wan couldn’t help but feel a surge of relief. That once reckless youth had truly changed. He now carried himself with the bearing of a man who could face crumbling mountains without so much as a tremor, who would not flinch even if a herd of beasts thundered past.

He should succeed... right? she wondered silently.

***

Amid the silent anticipation, Tao Yisheng cast the final incantation. The earth fire receded as the bronze cauldron trembled gently. A rich fragrance like chrysanthemums and orchids wafted through the air.

“Did it succeed?”

”No—wait! Do you smell that? It’s scorched!”

”That’s...”

At that instant, Tao Yisheng’s smile froze. He lifted the lid of the cauldron and revealed three pills, their colors a dull mixture of green and yellow.

At that very moment, Tao Daonan’s voice rang out at just the right time. ”Color showing only green and yellow, without reaching the tricolor bloom. These are unfinished pills. A failed batch.”

Almost at the same time, Tao Wan’s gaze flicked sharply toward Luo Chen. He responded with a faint shrug, palms spread in helplessness. “I already said they would fail. This is no fault of mine.”

Tao Wan acknowledged him with a small nod and turned her gaze back. His prediction had proven correct. Tao Yisheng had failed, just as he had warned.

Even so, failure carried its own distinctions. She stared sharply at Tao Daonan. ”Tao Yichen’s refinement collapsed halfway through. He never even reached the pill-condensing stage. Yisheng, however, managed to produce bicolored Rainbow Chrysanthemum pills despite the failure. That alone proves his alchemical skill is far superior. The difference in ability is plain for all to see. Patriarch, shouldn’t you make your decision about the family head position now?”

Murmurs rippled through the hall. Many of the Foundation Establishment cultivators standing behind Tao Daonan, though unwilling, still found themselves nodding. The contrast between the two results could not have been clearer.

The outcome of the contest seemed inevitable. Tao Yisheng seemed to be the next family head.

But just as the hall sank into tense silence, a hoarse laugh broke through the air.

”Hahaha!” Tao Daonan pointed to the failed pills in Tao Yisheng’s hand and said, ”One who aims to walk a hundred li but falters at ninety is no different from one who never set foot on the road. Without true success, what difference is there?”

Tao Wan’s gaze turned frosty. ”That is not quite right.”

Tao Daonan shook his head. ”Is it not? Then take those three failed pills and Yichen’s pile of scorched remnants to market. Do you think anyone will pay more simply because they look closer to success?”

He didn’t wait for a reply. “No, they’re both worthless! A failed pill is still a failed pill!”

His words rang out sharply, slicing through the crowd’s thoughts. A ripple of shock spread through the crowd, silencing them one by one. Yet beneath that surprise, none could raise a convincing objection. Tao Daonan’s reasoning, harsh as it sounded, was difficult to refute.

After all, who would willingly spend thousands of spirit stones on a failed pill, no matter how close it had come to completion? In the end, results mattered more than effort. A pill that could not be used was still nothing more than wasted ash.

Measured by that standard, both Tao Yisheng and Tao Yichen had indeed failed. No matter how different their approaches, neither had produced a successful Rainbow Chrysanthemum pill. In absolute terms, there was no proper basis to declare one more capable than the other.

Many in the hall nodded in silent agreement. Even Luo Chen, who had predicted the outcome, found himself silently conceding the point.