An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The next morning, the atmosphere atop Small Southern Mountain buzzed with excitement. Hundreds of cultivators had already gathered, the summit alive with murmurs and anticipation.

Tao Yisheng appeared refreshed from his night’s rest, a pristine Daoist robe draped over his frame. His bearing was steady and his spirit vibrant, and under a chorus of cheers, he took his seat upon the family head’s throne. A grand banquet was held.

During the feast, Tao Yisheng publicly announced to all, ”From this day on, Master Dan Chenzi shall serve as the Tao family’s retainer! All members shall treat him with proper respect!”

Under the collective gaze of the cultivators, Luo Chen stepped forward with calm composure and accepted the specially crafted token. The reverse side gleamed with a nine-cloud pattern, while the front bore the carving of a golden chrysanthemum. Its meaning was unmistakable: Green Pill Valley and the Tao family. From this moment on, Luo Chen was the Tao family’s retainer.

He wasn’t surprised by this outcome. Not only did this give him standing to assist Tao Wan during the Dao Scion competition, but it also served another purpose. If she did become Green Pill Valley’s Dao Scion, she would need a proper reason to distribute top-grade pills openly.

Such pills were never dispensed without caution. Within Green Pill Valley, they were either consumed internally or exchanged with other sects for rare and strategic resources. Low-grade pills were considered daily necessities, but top-grade ones were valued as strategic resources.

By taking on the Tao family’s retainer status, Luo Chen could now be regarded as one of their own. Any resources granted to him would not be considered leaks of sect property, and Tao Wan would no longer face the threat of censure from the sect elders.

As for the practical benefits of a retainer position, those meant little to him. He did not expect spirit stones, secret techniques, or other privileges. In turn, should the Tao family face trouble in the future, he would not be bound to act on their behalf. The relationship was flexible, convenient for both sides.

Luo Chen didn’t involve himself much in the succession ceremony. After receiving his retainer token, he quickly returned to the courtyard in Mohe Garden. Behind closed doors, he arranged five items neatly upon the table before him: three jade bottles, a single sheet of paper, and one book. These were the rewards Tao Wan had specially prepared for him today: The payment for his assistance!

The three jade bottles respectively held Green Pill Valley’s third-tier specialty Ascending Dragon pill, the Ice Fortress’s Ice Phoenix Pellet, and the Rainbow Chrysanthemum pill that Tao Yisheng had refined just the day before.

The first two had already been promised by Tao Wan in the previous year. When combined with the Golden Core breakthrough technique Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, they could raise his success rate by ten percent. With these, no matter how fate unfolded, Luo Chen at least had a glimmer of hope for forming his core.

As for the Rainbow Chrysanthemum pill, Luo Chen had specifically requested it from Tao Yisheng, and the latter had given it to him without hesitation. After all, Luo Chen had played a pivotal role in the outcome of the alchemy competition that secured Tao Yisheng the family head position.

Tao Yisheng was not the kind of person who failed to distinguish right from wrong. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have formally introduced Luo Chen to all the cultivators on such a monumental occasion. That gesture had gone well beyond mere friendship or professional courtesy. It even carried a hint of treating him like a mentor.

Luo Chen had requested these three Rainbow Chrysanthemum pills specifically to go with that piece of paper. The paper recorded the complete alchemical formula for the Rainbow Chrysanthemum pill. It was a cultivation pill formula created by the Tao Family’s ancestor, Adept Nanshan. It had never been submitted to Green Pill Valley, so it was not under sect jurisdiction.

As for the book, it was a handwritten copy of Adept Nanshan’s insights on forming the core. Though it was only a copy, its value was immeasurable.

Looking at the five items before him, Luo Chen couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Tao Wan may have doubted his alchemy skills, but he had his own doubts as well. Deep down, he had not been certain she would truly honor her promises. After all, his contribution would only come during the second round. Whether she ultimately secured the Dao Scion position hinged entirely on her own strength.

If she failed, then all prospects of acquiring top-grade pills through her would vanish. Worse yet, if she grew resentful in defeat and decided to withhold his promised compensation, Luo Chen would have no one to appeal to. He would be left with nothing.

That was why receiving the rewards beforehand brought him a rare sense of relief. For now, the pills and Golden Core insights could be set aside. He had no immediate use for them. Later, when time permitted, he would study them in earnest.

Luo Chen’s focus shifted to the Rainbow Chrysanthemum pill formula. Being able to refine cultivation pills himself was essential! First, it was a safeguard in case Tao Wan failed and left him without access to top-grade pills. Second, it was preparation for a problem he knew would come—tolerance.

Back in his Qi Refinement days, he had consumed too many qi-nourishing pills and developed tolerance. Though second-tier alchemical formulas were more refined after Foundation Establishment, his usage volume and frequency were still alarmingly high! To prevent resistance, he had been rotating between Ascending Dragon pills and qi-consolidation pills these past years. This precaution had even slowed his cultivation slightly.

No matter how careful he was, the day would come when a pill would lose its effectiveness. He had to prepare for that inevitability. Hence, the key to breaking this bottleneck lay with the Rainbow Chrysanthemum pill.

”Alright, let’s see the real standard of a second-tier cultivation pill formula created by a third-tier alchemist like Adept Nanshan,” Luo Chen murmured to himself.

With that, he leaned over the thin sheet of paper, his eyes gleaming with focus, and immersed himself in study.

***

While Luo Chen forgot about the passage of time, Green Pill Valley had already begun to stir with change. The winds of fortune shifted, and the air grew heavy with tension.

The Dao Scion competition was just around the corner. More and more Foundation Establishment cultivators began to appear in public. Beams of light streaked through the skies, crossing in and out of the sect. Even those who had been stationed on the battlefield between the Falling Cloud Sect and Jade Cauldron Sword Sect were now returning in waves. Some, like Luo Chen himself, were rogue cultivators invited by inner disciples to personally come to Green Pill Valley.

During this time, Tao Wan visited Luo Chen more than once, hoping to introduce him to the allies she had gathered. Each time, he declined her invitations politely. He had little interest in mingling with inner disciples from these prestigious sects. No matter how polished their manners, deep down, they looked down on rogue cultivators like him. Few were as grounded or respectful as Tao Yisheng.

Tao Wan did not press the matter and simply mentioned that in two days, she would take him to familiarize himself with the venue. It would be the site of the second round of the alchemy competition.

Two days later, two streaks of light rose from Small Southern Mountain and shot toward Yuanhua Mountain. The wind howled fiercely around them, but when it reached Luo Chen, it split apart as if some unseen force guided it away.

The sight startled Tao Wan. She cast him a sidelong glance, her eyes glimmering with surprise. ”Fellow Daoist, I’ve heard rumors that your spellcasting is incredibly refined. Even something as minor as Wind-Control, you’ve already brought to near-divine mastery!”

Luo Chen answered with a modest smile. His gaze lingered on the towering mountain looming ahead. ”Will the True Inheritor duels take place on this mountain?”

Tao Wan shook her head, her green robes rippling in the wind. ”No. The duels will be held in the true Green Pill Valley.”

”Oh?” Luo Chen was a little surprised. Is this not part of Green Pill Valley?

The answer to his unspoken question came soon enough. As they crossed over Yuanhua Mountain, a colossal basin stretched open beneath them. Luo Chen’s eyes widened at the sight of the vast sunken terrain. ”Oh... So that’s what you meant...”

Tao Wan gave a faint smile. ”Exactly.”

Before their eyes, five towering peaks were arranged neatly in a pentagon. Between the peaks stretched clusters of buildings, connected in endless sprawl. Pavilions, towers, lotus ponds, and waterside chambers, one after another in an elegant formation.

Countless streaks of light wove between the peaks. The spirit energy within the basin surged and rolled like a living tide, sealed within as though the entire land had been locked in a great formation. The density of the spirit energy was astonishing.

So this... this is what the heart of a true major sect looks like. To call such a vast territory merely a valley is an understatement. Luo Chen thought.

He could feel that the ambient spirit energy throughout the valley was at least equivalent to that of second-tier spirit lands. This single expanse already far surpassed the average second-tier cave residences at Tianlan Peak. As for the five surrounding peaks, their spirit energy density was over ten times stronger, enough to make him feel an intense craving. Each of these peaks could rival Tianlan Peak on its own. In other words, every one of those peaks was equivalent to a standalone third-tier spirit land!

”Our sect’s Foundation Establishment cultivators reside in this valley year-round,” Tao Wan explained. ”Yuanhua Mountain, Longshou Peak, Qingyun Peak, Danyang Peak, and Luojia Mountain[1]—these five are third-tier spirit lands. Only Golden Core Adepts may dwell there.”

She smiled meaningfully, then added, ”Of course, if someone becomes the disciple of a Golden Core Adept, they might be allowed to cultivate there from time to time.”

It was a simple introduction, but Tao Wan’s pride was unmistakable. Luo Chen could only click his tongue in amazement. The spirit land occupied by Green Pill Valley was not only vast in area, but also perfectly laid out. Compared to scattered outer regions like Small Southern Mountain, just these five spirit peaks yielded an incredible amount of resources annually. And under their nurturing, the valley’s spirit energy density would only increase with time.

Tao Wan went on to describe the valley in more detail.

”Four hundred years ago, during the Frontier War, our sect’s elders conquered this land,” she said. ”They used secret arts to align the mountains and earth veins, reshaping the terrain to form what you see today—the Five Peaks Enclosing the Valley. Now, after several centuries, the Pill Valley has reached the upper second-tier level. Given time, perhaps a thousand years, it will undoubtedly become a fourth-tier spirit land!”

She looked toward the peaks with gleaming eyes. ”By then, if Green Pill Valley produces a Nascent Soul Sage, there will be no need to seek out another fourth-tier spirit land for cultivation.”

Luo Chen felt his heart stir. The ambitions of Green Pill Valley’s predecessors were truly immense. They had wielded mountain-moving and sea-filling techniques to shape the geomantic pattern of the Five Peaks Enclosing the Valley. They even aimed to cultivate this entire valley into a fourth-tier spirit land.

Suddenly, Luo Chen recalled something from The Treatise of Qing Yuanzi—a technique called Pill Nourishing.

Could it be that this so-called Pill Valley is, in essence, a giant pill? A creation designed to absorb and concentrate the power of five third-tier lands and slowly grow until it surpasses them all?

At that thought, Luo Chen trembled. Green Pill Valley’s alchemy had already transcended the boundaries of medicinal pills. They were refining the land itself as though it were a giant pill!

While awe lingered in his heart, the two of them continued their flight. Before long, they arrived at the heart of Pill Valley.

Luo Chen landed on a level stretch of ground as he looked curiously at nine high platforms spaced across the area. Each platform was shrouded in spirit light, concealing its appearance.

”What are those?” Luo Chen asked.

Tao Wan’s eyes shone with anticipation as she answered. ”Those are the arenas for the True Inheritor duels. To compete for the Dao Scion, one must occupy a platform for nine days. If successful, they will be recognized as a Grand True Inheritor.”

The title was temporary, lasting only for the duration of the Dao Scion competition. Once the contest ended, it would be revoked. Yet to claim the name of Grand True Inheritor during such a pivotal event was already a mark of prestige. Even if one failed to secure the final Dao Scion position, the sect’s upper echelons would still take notice. Extra resources and cultivation support often followed.

Over the years, not all of Green Pill Valley’s Golden Core Adepts had risen as Dao Scions. Many had once been Grand True Inheritors, and with the resources granted to them, they had eventually succeeded in forming their cores.

As Tao Wan spoke, she released a voice-transmission talisman. Moments later, a figure streaked toward them through the air.

”Senior Sister Tao!” the cultivator greeted as he landed.

”Chu Huai,” Tao Wan ordered, ”link the earth fire and bring out the trial cauldron. The alchemist I invited needs to familiarize himself with the site.”

Chu Huai gave Luo Chen a curious look before drawing a small green cauldron from his storage pouch. With a surge of spirit energy, the cauldron expanded in an instant, growing until it stood taller than two men. Though much smaller than Luo Chen’s Ice Emperor Cauldron, the flow of power radiating from it made him narrow his eyes.

A top-grade enchanted artifact? Or even a supreme-grade? No... Why does it faintly carry the energy flow of an enchanted treasure?

The fluctuating level of its energy flow made Luo Chen extremely intrigued.

Seeing his interest, Chu Huai activated the earth fire beneath the platform and explained, ”Fellow Daoist, let me explain. This cauldron is Green Pill Valley’s most-cherished treasure!”

Luo Chen was stunned. Green Pill Valley’s most-cherished treasure, entrusted to a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator? Are you playing games with me now?

Tao Wan shook her head slightly and explained, ”It is one of Green Pill Valley’s most-cherished treasures, but it’s just a mini version, one of the child cauldrons of the Azure Sky Glazed Cauldron.”

”Child cauldrons?” Luo Chen still did not fully understand.

He knew that Green Pill Valley possessed a cauldron of absolute top quality. It was not inferior to the Demon Locking Pagoda of the Valley of Ghosts and Divinities. However, he had never heard anything about ”child cauldrons.” And if there were child cauldrons, did that not imply the existence of a mother cauldron?

Seeing his confusion, Tao Wan explained patiently, ”As you may have heard, Green Pill Valley possesses a top-grade enchanted-treasure cauldron passed down from a thousand years ago. But what people don’t know is that it’s not just one item. It’s an interlinked parent-child design consisting of the Azure Sky Glazed Cauldron as the mother and thirty-six Glazed Child Cauldrons.

”Apparently, one of our sect’s elders once used this enchanted treasure to refine a fourth-tier pill while only at the middle stage of the Golden Core Realm. This was shocking to the world! Anyway, in order to ensure fairness in the second round of competition, everyone will use the same Glazed Child Cauldron and earth fire of equal tier. Even Senior Brother Dan Yangzi won’t be allowed to use his innate true fire; he’ll have to follow the rules.”

Luo Chen listened, and for a moment, he felt as if he were in a dream. An enchanted treasure capable of sharing its power with thirty-six mini versions? No wonder I sense the energy of this Glazed Child Cauldron fluctuates like this.

Chu Huai chimed in from the side, ”That’s how it is. This Azure Sky Glazed Cauldron is one of the most renowned enchanted artifacts for alchemy across all thirty-six domains of the Eastern Wilderness. It ranks just below the Medicine King Sect’s Sun and Moon Pot and Windflower Palace’s Divine Wind Furnace. While it may be less famous, its power is in no way inferior! At the height of our sect’s glory, with a fourth-tier alchemist presiding, six third-tier alchemists assisting, and thirty second-tier alchemists coordinating their efforts, this setup allowed us to transcend cultivation limits and refine fourth-tier pills!”

Luo Chen pictured the scene in his mind: A single cultivator soared above the clouds, wielding the Azure Sky Glazed Cauldron. Beneath him, thirty-six alchemists, each manning a Glazed Child Cauldron, refined a single pill in concert. The vision was indeed awe-inspiring!

”This has truly broadened my horizons,” Luo Chen said with a sigh of admiration.

He shook his head slowly, still marveling, and accepted the jade token offered to him. With this, he could temporarily control the Glazed Child Cauldron.

A tongue of flame flared up from the earth fire, and Chu Huai glanced at him curiously. ”Fellow Daoist, aren’t you going to bring assistants or fire-handlers to familiarize themselves with the process?”

Tao Wan had wondered the same. ”Luo Chen, my Tao family has many first-tier alchemists. They can all lend you a hand. If necessary, I can even ask Yisheng to assist you personally.”

However, in the face of their concern, Luo Chen simply smiled with confidence. ”No need! I alone will suffice!”

1. Qingyun Peak and Danyang Peak may be associated with individuals such as Qing Yunzi, known from The Treatise of Qing Yunzi, and Dan Yangzi, the Senior Brother who may have originated from Danyang Peak. As for Luojia Mountain (珞珈山/Luo Jia Shan), it is actually a physical landmark in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and a site of religious significance in Buddhist tradition. It is connected with Guanyin and regarded as one of her manifested dwelling places. Since an earlier chapter mentioned a Buddhist Sect, I will retain this name in transliteration. ☜