An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

The Jilei Nine Mountains had one of the few large fourth-tier spirit mines within the Jade Cauldron Domain. The region had a unique environment, suffering from constant lightning bombardments year-round. Over time, the mountains produced ores unlike any found elsewhere, as well as many other priceless resources.

Among these resources, Soft Thunder Sand stood out as a crucial third-tier material used in crafting enchanted treasures, but it wasn’t the only treasure; other well-known third-tier minerals like Black Lead and Flowing Silver-Tin could also be found. There were also abundant low-tier auxiliary materials like Quicksand Fine Gold, Thunderstruck Wood, and Red Lightning Iron.

The most famous and most precious was none other than the fourth-tier Lightning Essence, of which only nine pieces could be collected every decade. This essence was formed from accumulated lightning force fused with unique minerals. It inherently possessed growth potential. It was the core material for Golden Core Adepts to refine their life-bound enchanted treasures!

The reason why Lightning Essence was indispensable in crafting life-bound enchanted treasures remained unknown to ordinary artifact creators. However, Duan Feng had once told Luo Chen that it might be related to the lightning tribulation that Golden Core cultivators faced when advancing to the Nascent Soul Realm.

The Jilei Nine Mountains were more than just a resource-rich site; they were a strategic cornerstone. With their steady yield of Lightning Essence and a wealth of rare materials ranging from first-tier to third-tier, the region’s importance was beyond measure. Since the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect seized the Jade Cauldron Domain, the Jilei Nine Mountains had remained under their control. Even though it lay far from their sect’s territory, the Sword Sect never allowed any other sect to touch it.

Now that the Falling Cloud Sect had ignited war, they were set on striking at the Sword Sect’s vital points—the Sky Ascension Secret Realm and the Jilei Nine Mountains. Now, the Sky Ascension Secret Realm was closed. The conflict at Blackwater Marshes, meanwhile, was merely a side affair, more of Ailao Mountain’s ambition than anything tied to the greater war.

With things as they were, the outcome at the Jilei Nine Mountains battlefield became all the more critical. To the ordinary cultivators of the Jade Cauldron Domain, whoever secured full control over the Jilei Nine Mountains would be seen as the victor of this war.

As for Luo Chen, he truly didn’t care who won or lost.

Over the years, he had never stopped studying intelligence on both sects. From the moment the Sword Sect’s sneak attack on the Falling Cloud Sect’s core territory ended in failure, followed by the meeting between Han Zhan and the Sword Sect’s Sage, Luo Chen had come to a quiet conclusion: This was no war of annihilation. If it had been, both sides would’ve already unleashed their top experts to strike directly at each other’s sect gates. For instance, like how the Dajiang Gang had crushed the Poshan Gang, or when the Luo Tian Society had destroyed the Fu family and attacked Xiaohuan Mountain. These direct assaults on sect strongholds were true wars to the death.

Meanwhile, this war was fragmented across different locations. The battles might bleed each sect dry, but not enough to wipe them out. And it was precisely because both sides were holding back that Luo Chen had silently approved of Huiniang and Caiyi’s wartime trade.

Since you’re not fighting to the death,then why shouldn’t I make a little profit while we’re going at it?

After all, Luo Chen had sent people to the front. What he truly cared about was the safety of the cultivators in his society. He had believed that under the Ice Fortress’s protection, the society might suffer some losses, but not anything major. Yet he had overestimated the standing of Fairy Ruthless within Ice Fortress—or rather, it wasn’t that Fairy Ruthless lacked status, but that the intensity of the war had suddenly skyrocketed, completely exceeding his expectations. In this situation, Wang Yuan and the others alone could not hold the front. Moreover, Wang Yuan had gone missing, and so, Luo Chen had no choice but to personally take the lead on the battlefield.

Should the son of a noble house remain forever inside, untouched by wind and rain?[1] No, Luo Chen was far from being that kind of person!

A massive flying boat soared through the sky like a moving mountain, blotting out the sun as it cut across thousands of li, heading straight for the Jilei Nine Mountains. Outside the vessel, Battle Palace cultivators rode falcons bred by the Beast Palace, patrolling the skies vigilantly in all directions.

Within the flying vessel, Luo Chen sat quietly in the main hall and held a beast hide scroll named Sky Roc Transformation, reading it with intense focus. This was, after all, a third-tier cultivation manual. Though the core cultivation method was not complete, the Physique Refinement methods in it actually were. He recognized them immediately; Wang Yuan’s Divine Blood Tribulation Finger had clearly drawn inspiration from the Sky Roc Divine Claw described in this scroll. Luo Chen’s new secret art, Ninety Thousand Li, was also one of the treasures of this manual.

”This Physique Refinement method clearly differs from the human approach. It doesn’t aim for blood qi transformation with the Four Forces, but rather resembles the ways of the ancient demon clans, focusing solely on physical might,” he murmured to himself. ”If I go through this Physique Refinement method, could I bypass the vital energy transitions and simply train my physique?”

Making any headway in Physique Refinement required comprehending the transformations of blood qi and mastering Bright Force, Dark Force, Transforming Force, and Pill Force before eventually reaching the third realm, Astral Qi.[2]. The process demanded tremendous effort and will, and Luo Chen had little desire to divert his time and energy away from Qi Refinement just for that. But if he set aside the full path of blood qi transformation and focused solely on strengthening his physique, then cultivating it alongside his Qi Refinement would still be worthwhile, and that was exactly his plan.

After years of study, Luo Chen’s understanding of the Sky Roc Transformation had become profound, nearly on par with Wang Yuan’s. But Wang Yuan had to be satisfied with the incomplete manual, and he’d chosen only the portions that could strengthen his own cultivation. Luo Chen, on the other side, possessed the status panel that allowed him to restore it in full.

Thus, Luo Chen did not divert his thoughts elsewhere and continued researching strictly along its prescribed path. If he truly uncovered something worthwhile from it, then perhaps his stagnant Physique Refinement cultivation could advance a notch or two. After years of delving into it, he had gained such deep comprehension that completing it with the system might only cost him a handful of achievement points.

Just as Luo Chen immersed himself in his study, his eyelids lifted slightly. His gaze, sharp and penetrating, seemed to pierce through the thick wooden boards, fixing on a spot more than ten li away. ”What audacity!”

***

”Boss Hu, are you sure about this?”

”What’s there to be unsure of?” The so-called Boss Hu waved his hand dismissively. ”These days, wartime business follows the same patterns. The Luo Tian Society already passed through here last year. That was just a small operation. But this time? They’re definitely carrying a fortune. If we take them down and split them evenly, we’ll be rolling in spirit stones!”

A dozen li away, nestled within a narrow mountain valley, a small group of cultivators had gathered. More than ten of them, scattered in loose formation. At the lead were two rogue cultivators, both at the Foundation Establishment Realm!

As Boss Hu droned on, a fair-faced young man beside him finally said helplessly, ”That’s not what I was asking.”

Boss Hu blinked in surprise, then let out a hearty laugh. ”I get it, Kou Ji. You’re worried about the strength of the Luo Tian Society’s convoy, aren’t you?”

The pale-faced man nodded, a trace of worry in his eyes. Boss Hu clapped him on the shoulder and said, ”You don’t need to worry about that at all!”

”Oh?” Kou Ji raised an eyebrow. ”And why is that?”

”I’ve already looked into it. The Luo Tian Society is just a second-rate faction in Tianlan Immortal City, about the same as the Shadow Alliance in Great Radiance Immortal City. It was started by a rogue cultivator. They were doing alright before, but recently they took a serious hit.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. ”Normally, a convoy like this would have at least one Foundation Establishment escort. But this time, they probably couldn’t spare anyone.”

Even after hearing all this, Kou Ji still looked doubtful. ”Couldn’t they send an Initiate from their main base?”

”They could, but most of their Initiates are stuck at the Jilei Nine Mountains battlefield. Back home, there are only a few women left. Who could they send?” Boss Hu said with indifference.

Kou Ji shook his head. ”Women... can be tricky to deal with.”

1. 千金之子，坐不垂堂 (qian jin zhi zi, zuo bu chui tang) is a classical Chinese proverb meaning ”The son of a wealthy or noble family does not sit under an overhanging roof.” It originates from the Book of Rites (礼记) and conveys the idea that those of great value or status should avoid unnecessary risk. ☜

2. 罡气 (gang qi) is a term rooted in Daoist cosmology and commonly used in martial arts and cultivation fiction. ”罡” originally refers to the Heavenly Gang stars (天罡), particularly the Big Dipper, which are associated with pure, upright, and forceful celestial energy. ”气” means vital energy or life force. Together, 罡气 signifies a refined, potent form of qi, often embodying pure Yang energy that is fierce, righteous, and capable of being projected externally. It is typically used to describe powerful defensive auras, explosive strikes, or the energy emitted by high-tier cultivators. ☜