An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Fu Li, ranked fourth, entered the match well-rested and composed.

Shangguan Yan, his opponent, lacked true strength. Her earlier high standing had been sustained entirely by the vast resources of the Shangguan family. She had relied on her Daoist Uncle and spent heavily to hire the infamous Twin Fiends of the Netherworld from Baiyun Immortal City, who allowed her to secure third place in the first round.

However, her luck didn’t last. During the second round, Huang Hezi’s poor performance dragged her down to fifth place. Even her narrow victory against Du Changfeng of Yuanhua Mountain had resulted more from luck than skill. By the time she faced Fu Li, her spirit power was depleted, and her stamina was fading. She managed fewer than fifty exchanges before suffering defeat.

After this victory, Fu Li advanced to challenge He Yuanqing, who ranked third overall. Although this promised to be his most difficult battle so far, Fu Li appeared calm and untroubled. As he stepped onto the dueling platform, his eyes met Tao Wan’s in the distance. The two exchanged a brief nod of mutual understanding. Despite their differing positions, they remained allies, and the cooperation between them was clear.

When He Yuanqing descended from the platform to face him, Fu Li greeted him with a smile.

”Brother Yuanqing, I hope you’ll go easy on me,” he said lightheartedly.

He Yuanqing frowned and snapped, ”Enough with the nonsense!”

As he spoke, a long sword landed in his hand, pulsing intensely with spirit energy. It was an enchanted-treasure flying sword. But Fu Li showed no fear in the face of such power. He calmly pressed a Vajra talisman onto his body, then drew both a shield and a flying sword, preparing himself in full defense.

The choice baffled He Yuanqing. Fu Li’s weapons were merely supreme-grade enchanted artifacts. Impressive though they were, they remained a level below enchanted treasures. In a duel of this caliber, did Fu Li truly believe such weapons would suffice? Was he underestimating him so blatantly?

”Please,” Fu Li said with calm confidence.

His flying sword darted through the air, circling lightly like a swallow as it probed He Yuanqing’s defenses.

”Mere tricks,” Yuanqing sneered. ”They have no place here!”

With a cold snort, He Yuanqing slashed out with his sword. A surge of spirit power burst forth, slapping away Fu Li’s weapon with ease. The difference in grade was clear; the power of an enchanted-treasure weapon was leagues above an enchanted-artifact one, even if it was supreme-grade.

He then formed seals with his fingers, and his sword surged toward Fu Li. The enchanted treasure’s power was immense; as it struck, Fu Li’s flying sword was nothing more than a minor interference.

Fu Li retreated several steps, and his sleeves billowed. Streaks of cold light suddenly burst forth, colliding with the sword light one after another. Each impact slowed its momentum, wearing it down little by little.

He Yuanqing recognized them instantly: They were the Fu family’s exclusive artifacts, the Binding Essence Pearls. They could drain spirit energy and bind enemies in place. A strike at full power would weaken with the first clash, drop drastically after the second, and fail by the third. And indeed, by the time the sword smashed into Fu Li’s shield, its force had been nearly extinguished.

Boom!

Fu Li merely drifted back lightly, clearly unharmed.

If I rely solely on this sword, I’ll never win, He Yuanqing realized grimly. Time to use a trump card!

He Yuanqing had no intention of dragging this out like previous rounds. A prolonged duel would drain his spirit power and expose his trump cards to Dan Yangzi, who was next in line. A decisive blow was the best strategy!

With a sharp thought, he recalled the flying sword. It circled above his head like a returning swallow while his fingers wove seals in rapid succession. Light flared from the sword as the embedded formation began converting spirit power into a devastating strike.

You chose not to use your enchanted treasure, so don’t blame me for being ruthless!

Anticipation filled him at the thought of the strike’s destructive might.

Across the platform, Fu Li remained calm. He lifted a finger and sent his sword forward.

Trying to disrupt me? Hmph. How naive, He Yuanqing thought.

As the blade closed in, a jade token shot from his waist, shining with protective light.

Beyond the dueling platform, shouts of surprise rang out.

”An automatic defensive supreme-grade enchanted artifact!”

”Wait—that’s the Ruyi[1]Jade Token, isn’t it? The signature supreme-grade enchanted artifact used by that He family elder back during his Foundation Establishment years! I can’t believe he actually gave it to Senior Brother He!”

”With that, Senior Brother Fu likely won’t be able to interrupt his killer move!”

On the dueling platform, He Yuanqing stood with smug confidence. Both sides wielded supreme-grade enchanted artifacts, yet the automatic defense of his Ruyi Jade Token was not something an ordinary opponent could breach. He watched calmly as Fu Li’s flying sword split into three shimmering arcs, each weaving toward him at cunning angles.

He snorted dismissively, once more thinking, Naive!

In an instant, the jade token split into three smaller pieces and blocked all three sword arcs at the last possible moment. Yet an uneasy feeling struck He Yuanqing. Something’s off... No, something’s wrong! The Binding Essence Pearls!

He looked down; multiple cold gleams had surrounded the three jade tokens. At that moment, Fu Li clasped his hands in front of him and made a sealing gesture from afar. The supreme-grade flying sword instantly reformed. A condensed beam of sword light shot straight through the gap between the three jade tokens, aimed at his brow.

Damn it! He Yuanqing cursed inwardly. He abandoned his strike, though he had been just a split second from completing it, and hastily pulled out a shield. It was just in time to catch his opponent’s flying sword, but... the consequences were immediate.

The power of an enchanted treasure, once released, could not be retracted just because the user wanted to. A violent surge of spirit energy erupted, and being closest, He Yuanqing suffered the brunt of the backlash.

Boom!

A thunderous explosion rang out!

He Yuanqing was sent flying several zhang backward. Through the hazy smoke, a figure pierced through the sky. Before him, a supreme-grade flying sword darted like a soaring dragon, tearing through layers of lingering spirit energy and going straight for He Yuanqing’s throat.

”How could this be?” He Yuanqing’s eyes widened, filled with despair.

Swoosh!

At the very last moment, Fu Li appeared and seized the sword hilt. The tip quivered violently, stopping a mere finger’s length from He Yuanqing’s brow.

”Brother Yuanqing, thank you for letting me win,” Fu Li said calmly.

”How could this happen!” He Yuanqing cried out in disbelief. But as he opened his mouth, his words were accompanied by a mouthful of blood. Clearly, he was not doing great.

Fu Li sidestepped the spray of blood and turned his gaze toward the Golden Core elder controlling the defensive formation.

The elder from Longhsou Peak nodded at him with clear admiration. ”This round goes to Fu Li. He advances to the next match and may rest for two hours.”

A faint smile touched Fu Li’s lips. He sheathed his sword and stepped down from the platform.

Only He Yuanqing remained on the dueling platform, his face ashen. He could not comprehend how he had been defeated so quickly. Fu Li had advanced to the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment much later than he had, and he had not even revealed his most powerful trump card.

No explanation came for his doubts on the platform below, but the truth was plain to the Golden Core Adepts in the Celestial Palace above.

”He got played,” a voice remarked.

Luo Chen looked up. The speaker was none other than the Mistress of Fragrance. She was showing rare interest and even a spark of curiosity this time.

Staring at the despondent He Yuanqing reflected in the Water Mirror, she commented, ”In terms of cultivation and weapon-wielding power, he is clearly superior to Fu Li. If he had fought steadily, Fu Li would’ve lost in under two hundred exchanges. But he wanted to win too badly. He was fixated on preserving his strength for the next round, forgetting that only by securing this win could he even face Dan Yangzi. Fu Li clearly saw through that. From the very beginning, he widened the distance and focused on draining his opponent. Over time, Fu Li would’ve lost. But he understood He Yuanqing’s mindset, and he knew the man would want a one-strike victory. That’s why things ended this way. He Yuanqing tried to gather strength for a finishing move, only for it to be dismantled step by step, and ended up suffering backlash from his own enchanted treasure.”

The other Golden Core elders all nodded in agreement. Fu Li was not the most powerful one of the two, but in cunning and strategy, he had far outclassed He Yuanqing. And who could say his victory wasn’t well deserved? Battles were fought with brains just as much as they were fought with brawn.

Luo Chen also nodded slightly; it aligned with his own assessment. The only thing that puzzled him was why Fu Li had deliberately orchestrated the battle to secure such a swift victory. Given his alliance with Tao Wan, wouldn’t it have been more strategic to let He Yuanqing win and expend his full strength probing Dan Yangzi in the next round?

***

Luo Chen wasn’t the only one to have doubts about this; unlike him, however, Tao Wan’s question soon found its answer.

”You changed your mind?”

”Yes,” Fu Li replied through voice transmission while meditating to regulate his breath. ”I realized He Yuanqing is too weak. There was no chance he could force the eldest senior brother to reveal his trump cards.”

Tao Wan, who had been watching from afar, fell into deep thought. So that’s why Fu Li changed tactics on the spot, opting to win this round and challenge Senior Brother Dan Yangzi himself? He certainly is a man with ambition.

Yet as she watched Fu Li, calm and composed as he adjusted his breathing, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

No... something is wrong! He isn’t just trying to secure the Dao Scion spot for me and clear away obstacles. He might look gentle and courteous, but he is determined, and his goal is the Dao Scion position as well!

Once Tao Wan figured that out, her expression shifted slightly. In that moment, the alliance became precarious, for there was now only one rank between them. If Fu Li won this round, he would be her direct opponent, and allies or not, someone still had to lead and someone had to follow. Whether she married Fu Li or a daughter of the Fu family married into the Tao family carried entirely different implications.

Time slipped by, and two hours passed in a flash.

”Seventh match, Fu Li versus Dan Yangzi! Both disciples, please take the stage!” The announcement came from the Golden Core Adept of Dragonhead Peak.

The next moment, Fu Li rose tall and straight, transforming into a streak of light as he descended onto the dueling platform. Opposite him,Dan Yangzi appeared upon a drifting cloud.

Dan Yangzi gazed at his opponent in silence for a moment before opening his mouth. ”Junior Brother, you are not my match. Concede now.”

Fu Li answered with a faint smile, light radiating from his sword. ”Senior Brother, to win without fighting is indeed clever. But the Dao cannot be proven without a contest. I, too, seek the Dao Scion position.”

Dan Yangzi wasted no more words and summoned a longsword of his own.

In the Celestial Palace above, Luo Chen, who had been watching this match intently, raised his brows in surprise.

A supreme-grade enchanted artifact? In the first round, Dan Yangzi always used an enchanted treasure in battle. Why would he switch weapons right before the final rounds?

Confused, Luo Chen glanced at the Golden Core Adepts for answers.

This time, it was the Adept Chi Ding who spoke up. ”Dan Yangzi’s spirit power is nearly depleted.”

As soon as he said this, Luo Chen instantly understood why Dan Yangzi had changed his preferred combat style. In the first round’s brutal rotation battles, Dan Yangzi had no choice but to strike fast and hard. Swift victories were the only way to secure the top spot and, more importantly, to buy himself precious time to recover. It had been a reasonable plan.

But the second round had drained Dan Yangzi heavily. The first round of the competition had lasted half a month, while the second had spanned three days. Throughout both, he had fought entirely on his own. Even though he had reached the ninth stage of Foundation Establishment long ago, his spirit power reserves had taken a significant toll. And now, in this third round, from the ninth-ranked challenger climbing all the way up, barely three days had passed. Even sect-trained Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t recover to peak condition that quickly.

Luo Chen recalled how Duan Feng had fought Fairy Miao Yu of Jade True Temple with all his might; he had taken ages to recover from total depletion. During that time, Luo Chen had assigned him no battle missions. And alhough Dan Yangzi’s foundations were deeper and his recovery faster, his expenditure had also been far greater!

Thus, in this penultimate match, he chose to use supreme-grade enchanted artifacts. First, because they consumed less spirit power. And more than that, he sought to avoid the same mistake He Yuanqing had made to end the battle not through drawn-out exchanges, but through absolute strength.

As expected, the battle on the dueling platform unfolded exactly as Luo Chen had anticipated. The two men mostly exchanged probing attacks, seeking flaws in one another’s defense. Not once were power–draining killing moves used, and before long, more than a hundred rounds had passed.

Fu Li finally lost his patience. He was no match for his eldest senior brother in a drawn-out battle; just a hundred rounds in, he had already sustained minor injuries. If he didn’t go all-in now, things would only grow worse, and victory more elusive.

Dong!

With a thunderous crash, a massive wooden stake materialized on the dueling platform. Dragons coiled around it and chains crisscrossed along its length; as it appeared, howling gusts of power surged into the air.

”What enchanted treasure is this?” Luo Chen asked in surprise.

As curiosity filled him, Qing Yunzi from the chief seat shook his head. ”Senior Brother Fu’s lifespan must truly be nearing its end. He’s actually bestowed his life-bound enchanted treasure, the Dragon-Binding Stake, to his heir.”

The Dragon-Binding Stake?

Just from the name, it sounded like an enchanted treasure meant for suppression and restraint.

”But since it’s not Fu Li’s own life-bound treasure, his rush to activate it is already exposing flaws. Fu Li is about to lose,” murmured Adept Chi Ding, as if confirming what they all sensed.

It unfolded exactly as they predicted. The moment Fu Li lost patience and took out the Dragon-Binding Stake, Dan Yangzi’s eyes twitched almost imperceptibly. He did not even bother to evade the coiling dragon chains spreading through the air.

In the next instant, a violet mark between his brows lit up. A strand of violet flame unfurled from his body, racing forward along the dragon chains.

Fu Li’s expression shifted drastically. ”Violet Skyfire!”

He had never expected that Senior Brother would go so far as to unleash the true fire he had internalized—his origin fire. Now, the searing skyfire clung to the chains and surged toward him. He was mentally bound to the Dragon-Binding Stake, and there was no way for him to escape unscathed.

It’s over for me, Fu Li thought.

Just as despair overwhelmed him, a sudden breeze swept across the platform. The Violet Skyfire recoiled and reversed its course.

The Dragonhead Peak elder looked at the shaken Fu Li and said calmly, ”Dan Yangzi wins this match.”

The declaration sounded simple, yet beneath it lay Dan Yangzi’s flawless timing. He had exploited a single moment of weakness, striking at Fu Li’s most vulnerable point. The Dragon-Binding Stake was formidable, but since Fu Li had not refined it himself, his sluggish control and obvious spirit link made it a perfect target.

Beyond the platform, the crowd erupted like a tidal wave. Countless disciples shouted with fervor.

”Senior Brother Dan Yangzi is invincible!”

”Long live Senior Brother Dan Yangzi!”

The instant the Violet Skyfire appeared, the outcome had been decided. It had been the same in the previous True Inheritor Sword Duel, where this very technique had secured Dan Yangzi’s victory. Now, with it revealed once again, his undefeated record was further cemented.

Within the Celestial Palace above, Luo Chen’s thoughts lingered on that fleeting strand of flame. Violet Skyfire...

1. 如意 means ”as one wishes.” In the context of weapons, it implies pliable or versatile, something that bends to the wielder’s will. For example, the Monkey King’s staff in Journey to the West, Ruyi Jingu Bang (如意金箍棒), could shrink or expand at will. ☜